Brett Stewart scores for Manly during the NRL final rounds (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Grant Trouville)
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Defending NRL premiers the Manly Sea Eagles are still alive in the premiership race thanks to a gritty second half against North Queensland – and a string of diabolical refereeing decisions in their favour.
Manly downed the Cowboys 22-12 at Allianz Stadium and will meet Melbourne Storm in a grand final qualifier in Melbourne next weekend.
It was a gripping game for the most part but all of the post game talk centred on referee Shayne Hayne and the men in the video box, Steve Clark and Paul Simpkins.
With the score locked at 12-apiece, Manly was awarded two second half tries in highly dubious circumstances.
The first came in the 51st minute when Manly winger Jorge Taufua was grassed before the tryline, then lost control of the ball before attempting to ground it over his head.
Referee Hayne referred the decision to the video refs who gave the green light through Benefit of the Doubt.
Twelves minutes later, Manly’s other winger Michael Oldfield touched down after a bomb kick by Daley Cherry Evans was blatantly tapped forward by Eagles five-eighth Kieran Foran.
The Cowboys camp erupted with captain Johnathan Thurston having heated words with referee Hayne as a scrum was being set.
“That’s twice you’ve been wrong!” yelled an irate Thurston but Hayne insisted both try decisions were out of his control and waved him away.
North Queensland hopes were pretty much gone after the second decision went against them but it should be pointed out that one of their own tries came straight after a glaring ball strip on Manly’s Taufua by opposing winger Ashley Graham.
The Cowboys scored in the set following the resulting scrum win.
The ball strip was not picked up by the two referees on the field, the two touch judges nor the two men in the video room.
Three crucial decisions needed to be made in the game, and the officials got them all wrong.
It is simply not good enough and there is every chance that other finals games will be determined by referee errors and blunders in the vital weeks ahead.
Heaven help us all if the grand final is determined by a video blunder. If you are a betting fan, that scenario is getting close to odds-on.
Is there a quickfire solution to the problem? Probably not, but that doesn’t help the teams on the wrong end of the green or red lights. These are all sudden death games and an entire season’s work can be snuffed out in a twinkling by sheer incompetence.
Manly, it must be said, was the better team on the night, having charged to a 12-0 lead after 20 minutes before the Cowboys took stock and found some momentum of their own.
The lead was trimmed to 12-6 just before half-time with the Cowboys levelling at 12-all in the 46th minute.
From that point, Manly’s fate was delivered from the button pushers. The Cowboys were powerless to come up with any sort of answer and their season is over.
Speaking of the players, there were many top performers on the night.
Manly was well served by Taufua, Tony Williams, Brett Stewart and Jamie Lyons while the Cowboys had standouts in prop James Tamou and second rower Glenn Hall.
And as for the referees? All I can say is that it comes as no surprise they are sponsored by OPSM.
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September 14th 2012 @ 10:48pm
CrossIT said | September 14th 2012 @ 10:48pm | Report comment
I don’t care if people say Manly were the better team, the better team doesn’t always win, why? Because it’s 50-50, that is the beauty of sport, anything can happen and usually does which is what keeps us coming back for more.
But moments like this just leaves a sour taste in everyones mouth. I’ve never believed in conspiracy theories and I honestly believe man has been to the moon, but something about this game… just didn’t feel right, and no fan should ever, EVER feel like that.
September 15th 2012 @ 12:24am
Ian Whitchurch said | September 15th 2012 @ 12:24am | Report comment
CrossIT,
I’d rather say that North Queensland werent able to cross Manly’s line in the second half, and so didnt deserve to win.
Yeah, the two tries to Manly were somewhere between lineball and dodgy – but Manly promoted the football so it crossed the line and North Queensland didnt.
Carna Bunnies.
September 15th 2012 @ 7:50am
Emm said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:50am | Report comment
when your nose has been rubbed in it like that Ian, it’s nigh impossible to come back. The cowboys lost their composure, they shouldn’t have but they lost it for a reason and that’s wrong.
September 15th 2012 @ 9:32am
Dean - Surry Hills said | September 15th 2012 @ 9:32am | Report comment
Jorge Tafua’s try was good in my books – I believe part of the ball came in contact with the line prior to the third put down over his head.- but the camera angles on the tryline are diabolical.
That being said, The Cows first try should have been a penalty for a strip a few plays earlier, with Manly attacking their line instead – so a possible 12 point turn around in favor of the Eagles.
Tate should have passed to his unmarked winger late in the game, and we might have seen a contest at the death.
The better team won on the night – but North Queenslanders can hold their heads high for never giving up.
September 15th 2012 @ 10:02am
doug wood said | September 15th 2012 @ 10:02am | Report comment
CrossIT is spot on . I was in members at the northern end and had an overview closeup of both no tries. It is a disgrace and I am guttered for the game. I am a Bears supporter and went to the game with two sons as a supporter of the NRL.. We left in protest with 15 to go. The Manly fans are also a disgrace– even in the members was full of abuse and swearing. Next friday when Manly play melb I may take my wife to the opera. Truly I have had a gutfull — esp when I hear Foran on the radio saying he never touched the ball — he is a liar plain and simple. Diwai
September 15th 2012 @ 6:35pm
Mals said | September 15th 2012 @ 6:35pm | Report comment
Ah a Bears fan ripping it to Manly. lol
September 15th 2012 @ 9:17pm
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 9:17pm | Report comment
Yeh obviously a bears supporter. They’ve been giving it to Manly ever since blaming us for the leagues blundering over their intended move to the Central Coast. WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. BLAME THE LEAGUE
September 15th 2012 @ 9:09pm
damoinaus said | September 15th 2012 @ 9:09pm | Report comment
I feel for the Cowboys, I really do. They were on the receiving end of some diabolical calls.
But now Jon Thurston and all the other Queenslanders supporting the Cowboys know how NSW felt after this years’ origin series. Blues supporters aren’t the only ones this year crying WE WUZ ROBBED!
September 14th 2012 @ 10:51pm
PLANKO said | September 14th 2012 @ 10:51pm | Report comment
Tim not one replay showed foran definitely touching the ball and cowboys second did not come from deliberate rake in the ruck ?
September 14th 2012 @ 10:56pm
yewonk said | September 14th 2012 @ 10:56pm | Report comment
no your right not one did, they all did. good luck trying to argue otherwise.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:18pm
PLANKO said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:18pm | Report comment
Just watched again bod
September 15th 2012 @ 2:39am
Scuba said | September 15th 2012 @ 2:39am | Report comment
Mate, plank is the right name for you if you can’t see what was evident to the naked eye. You wouldn’t be Steve Clark, perchance?
September 15th 2012 @ 7:47am
steve b said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:47am | Report comment
Planko you have lost all cred mate..how can you not call it the way it was ,,mate you need a visit to opsm ,,we have had some shocking calls thjis year but these two are up their with the worst …Harrigan just step down ,,these are your clowns in that box and they stink ..Manly were the better team and were the most dominent but the game should have never been decided the way it was ,,blind freddy could see Foran’s hand knock the ball forward ,and short of the line then roll over ,,when has this ever been awarded a try ..The top dogs in the NRL need to stop sitting on their hands and do something about the state of the refs ,,decisions like this make our game a laughing stock ..i feel sorry for the Cowboys but the right team won on the night ,,but not the way you want to be remembered for winning ….
September 15th 2012 @ 10:52am
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
Interesting how these touch and go moments bring about such definitive statements. Only one of the mistakes was irrefutable and that was the stripping of the ball from Taufua which in section 11.9 of the rules clearly states is illegal when the player has been tackled. That led to the Cowboys second try. If you are suggesting otherwise , you’re biased or dont know the rules..
The other incidents were far less definitive. Certainly there did seem contact from Foran in Manly’s last try, though the camera angles could not show it definitely. I am willing to concede though it looked like a Manly knock on. The Taufua try though is another issue. Depends which TV station you watched. Channel 9 were convinced it wasnt, Fox was convinced it was. My view. It definitely touched the edge of try line before being spilled, but the question was were his legs over the side line when he eventually slid over. It was very unclear and therefore benefit of a doubt, as per the rules of the game, to the attacking team applies without question. The suggestion of double movement was ridiculous.
Finally the Taufua in goal incident when he slipped picking up the ball. The ref indicated that no intent was made to force the ball as suggested by Thurston and others. Though this is not clearly stated in Section 9 of the rules, it is understood that if a player is attempting to pick up the ball in the in goal, it is not forced, otherwise many of the pick ups by full backs would have to be deemed forced. Though he made a mess of trying to pick the ball up, there was no intent to force the ball but rather to pick it up and in the rules of the game that means the ball was not dead and he could continue to play.
There were many incidents in the game that were touch and go and I really dont think in the end it was imbalanced. The Cowboys had enough ball (53%) t win if they were good enough. They played well but didnt have that extra bit to get across the line. I think though there are a lot of commentators out there coloured by the desire to see them win and for Manly to lose, and that includes on Channel 9, who blew every Cowboy ‘bad call’ as something major, and every Manly ‘bad call’ as minor. Manly were the better side on the day, just as Canterbury were the better side against Manly the week before and that’s why both teams won the respective games.
How many of you aksed about the ‘bad call’ when Watmough was penalised in the first half leading to the Cowboys first try for laying over the player. Watch the incident and you’ll see he in fact got off the player quicker than the majority of tackles in the match and even he looked stunned when penalised (usually he just accepts the fact because he knows he pushes the envelope…that time he didnt) .
I would suggest that one try each probably should not have been awarded, which in the end would not have changed the outcome or closeness of the game.
September 15th 2012 @ 11:04am
Mantis said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Its not that they both had bad calls given against them, its that the ones against the Cowboys all came in the space of about 15 minutes. Had the reverse happened, I imagine we would be seeing the exact same response from Manly fans. The fact of the matter is, the refs ruined what should have been a great game of footy. Again.
September 15th 2012 @ 11:13am
oikee said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:13am | Report comment
The point is, the Refs gutted the Cowboys again, they have done it 3 times now.
The ARLC cant expect to grow the game if they keep letting certain teams get away with fowl play and award them all the wrong decisions. It is like the game is trying to eat itself alive, and the refs are leading the charge.
It should be the rugby league Gods making the decsions, we now have the refs strangling the life outta not only the game, but the Gods as well.
If you believe all that hocus pocus, i do.
September 15th 2012 @ 12:13pm
Neil said | September 15th 2012 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
To Oikee
I was at the game last night and the Cowboys were offside on just about every defensive set of six. They constantly flopped on Manly players in the tackle and were guilty of a few high tackles.
I think the decision regarding Foran was clearly incorrect and could be seen from the stands but likewise the hand in the tackle on Tafua leading to the Cowboys try was clear from the stands & also incorrecgt.
Manly were clearly hanging on in the last 10 mins before half time but the Cowboys performance in the second half was very poor when they should have put the pressure on. Their best player clearly lost his composure and resorted to cheap shots and whinging rather than leading his team to victory. They were second best for 55 minutes of the contest and just didn’t deserve to win the game. Oh and it’s foul play not fowl play Chook.
September 15th 2012 @ 4:55pm
oikee said | September 15th 2012 @ 4:55pm | Report comment
Neil, mate, dont even talk to me about holding down or laying in tackles, not while you have Gorgeous George Rose on your side. Mate his guts is always on top of a player in the tackle.
Manly are the worse team by 20 for fowel play.
September 15th 2012 @ 5:40pm
steve b said | September 15th 2012 @ 5:40pm | Report comment
Raper has come out and said they got it wrong end story ,Cowboys got dudded !!!
September 15th 2012 @ 6:17pm
Jeff Cook said | September 15th 2012 @ 6:17pm | Report comment
Thanks for your insightful views.
Would you or are other contributors of ROAR point me in the direction of the rule book.Is it a published item ? How may i get a copy ?
September 16th 2012 @ 11:11pm
PLANKO said | September 16th 2012 @ 11:11pm | Report comment
George rose did not play oikee
September 16th 2012 @ 11:49pm
Bearfax said | September 16th 2012 @ 11:49pm | Report comment
Read my previous entries Mantis. I’ve always commended the other team for beating Manly and dont quibble over bad calls. Obviously you arent prepared that, to accept other teams have a right to win or be commended. Check my comments after Canterbury’s win over Manly. I congratulated them. Are you so biased that you cant do the same and be a good sport
September 16th 2012 @ 8:50am
steve b said | September 16th 2012 @ 8:50am | Report comment
the rules are on the net !!
September 16th 2012 @ 11:09pm
PLANKO said | September 16th 2012 @ 11:09pm | Report comment
I have lost cred once again your opinion. My opinion which disagree’s with yours which makes mine wrong. Interesting logic still as much as I think it was probable that foran touched the ball I still have not seen a replay that shows me he definitely did. Ok your bitter as someone who would have preferred to have cowboys win I am sorry but some rub of the green went the cowboys way at times as well . It was clear that Gould had backed the wrong team it comes out in his commentary every game. I watched the game on nine then fox the commentary difference was significant. Manly duded on a few calls as far fox was concerned interesting when you consider Daley was not a punter.
September 15th 2012 @ 7:05am
soapit said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:05am | Report comment
he doesnt need to argue it. the video ref agrees with him
September 15th 2012 @ 7:42am
BA Sports said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:42am | Report comment
Gould said it best. Thurston went up with two hands to catch the ball and the ball is propelled the way Foran (who has the ability to lie like a thief after the game) his trying to hit it.
Clarke screwed up in Rd 26 and some how kept his job. He screwed up again. Harrigan has to come under fire for continuing to put this guy in the box.
September 15th 2012 @ 11:00am
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:00am | Report comment
Not disputing Foran probably touched the ball, but it was inconclusive and Thurston was facing almost in the same direction the ball was propelled and therefore it would have gone in that direction anyway. Tough call but so was the Taufua one , that led to the Cowboys try. That one was more obvious and even the ref admitted on camera a mistake had been made. One bad try call each…evens it up dont you think.
September 15th 2012 @ 11:40pm
BA Sports said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:40pm | Report comment
no. the even up for the strip on Tafua came shortly after when Williams dropped it trying to play the ball and it was ruled interference. Manly scored off the next set of six.
September 17th 2012 @ 1:00pm
Bearfax said | September 17th 2012 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
And the questionable penalty against Watmough that led to Cowboys first try. We could go on and on with this one BA. Its all a questtion of interpretation and I accept I dont get things right all the time and you also certainly dont.
September 16th 2012 @ 11:14pm
PLANKO said | September 16th 2012 @ 11:14pm | Report comment
Gould also says that poker Machines are good for the community
September 15th 2012 @ 8:05am
Blaze said | September 15th 2012 @ 8:05am | Report comment
Add into that the forward pass for manly’s second…. It’s ridiculous that the video ref can rule on an offside play or a knock on and not a forward pass…
September 15th 2012 @ 11:01am
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:01am | Report comment
Rubbish. You’ve got slanted eyesight there. See an occulist
September 15th 2012 @ 1:52pm
FairDinkumMate said | September 15th 2012 @ 1:52pm | Report comment
Whether Manly passed forward or not is disputable. That Jonathon Thurston hasn’t thrown a try scoring pass backwards in the NRL or Origin for at least 3 seasons is without doubt!
Take a look at Thurston’s pass to the left wing for the Cowboys try, it’s AT LEAST a metre forward. I understand when both players are running forward, the ball can drift. But Thurston is running sideways(as always) & throws the ball a metre forward(as always). Not only is it ignored by the refs, but the Channel 9 commentators have the gaul to call him potentially one of the best players ever! It’s like Murilitharan in the cricket – you can say what you want, but if you tried that at your local primary school, the kids would call you out straight away.
September 15th 2012 @ 9:04am
Therese schier said | September 15th 2012 @ 9:04am | Report comment
Exactly. There was doubt because you can’t actually see Foran’s hand only Thurstons. There is the doubt – benefit of the doubt TRY
September 15th 2012 @ 9:13am
steve b said | September 15th 2012 @ 9:13am | Report comment
Therese you are delusional get an appointment with OPSM real quick your going blind,,, ,and go to the telegraph web site and veiw the vision then if you still think it’s a try go to opsm today….
September 15th 2012 @ 11:14am
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:14am | Report comment
Not delusional Steve b. It was a difficult call and if you think otherwise you need to see OPSM. I’m willing to concede he touched it but it was inconclusive because both players were pushing at the ball in the same direction. There are going to be calls like that all the time because no one can be absolutely certain. There was a similar incident in the first half the other way around that led to the difference between Manly having to drop out from the goal line and getting a 25 tap. The finger tips were just as close and even the commentators thought the Cowboys player touched it. But of course you wouldnt be looking for that because it would have been in Manly’s favour….like the Taufua ball stripping that led to the Cowboys second try…or the penalty against Watmough for laying on a player when he was off quicker than most tackles in the game, which led to the Cowboys first try.
These touch and go issues are unavoidable and quite frankly the Refs would have been criticised no matter what option they took….just depends on how you see the game and who you are supporting (or supporting against).
September 17th 2012 @ 10:13am
Renegade said | September 17th 2012 @ 10:13am | Report comment
That’s BS mate….
Thurston and Foran both touched the ball….the OPSM in the northern beaches should be raking in the business this week…..everyone that way seems to have pretty bad eyesight.
September 17th 2012 @ 1:08pm
Bearfax said | September 17th 2012 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
Renegade, heaven help me if I ever needed you as a witness in a court case (and I worked in that area mind you). At least I’m prepared to acknowledge probability. You’re so conceited you think you cant possibly make a mistake. That makes you a most unreliable witness. Appearances dont always reflect reality and the camera angles at no point separated Thurstons two hands from Foran’s one hand being that close, Assurance is IMPOSSIBLE. Things arent all black and white lad. in fact most things are variable shades of grey. If you think otherwise you’re deluding yourself..
September 14th 2012 @ 10:52pm
Wally Wilcox said | September 14th 2012 @ 10:52pm | Report comment
A well written and accurate article, Tim. I am neither a Manly or Cowboys fan, but agree that the refereeing decisons were diabolical tonight. The Cowboys fans may complain about the two tries awarded under dubious circumstances (especially the Oldfield one) but as you rightly pointed out 6 points for the Cowboys were gained after the ref. missed a glaring knock-out/on from the Cowboys’ Graham and then awarded a dropped ball against Manly which led a few plays later to a Cowboys converted try. And at the end of the day, as you say though, Manly were the better football team on the night.
Countless complaints have been made about ref. decisons and the quality of NRL referess since Origin 1, when many dubious decisions went against the Blues. My guess is that the Qld-based Cowboys’ supporters will be out in force on this forum over the weekend and complaining about the poor decisions by refs. and claiming they were robbed – but when they do it they won’t call it whingeing though……
…..
p.s. If the refs are sponsored by OPSM shouldn’t that mean they actually see better than if they weren’t? hahaha…..
September 15th 2012 @ 8:49am
Dean - Surry Hills said | September 15th 2012 @ 8:49am | Report comment
Should of gone to Spec Savers !
September 15th 2012 @ 4:57pm
oikee said | September 15th 2012 @ 4:57pm | Report comment
Wally Wilcox, fair dinkum mate, you have the best name on this blog, i am giggling like a 2 year old.
I did not read what you wrote, i just noticed your name, brilliant.
September 16th 2012 @ 9:48pm
Wally Wilcox said | September 16th 2012 @ 9:48pm | Report comment
Thanks Oinkster…. ….. but what do you have to say now that you are complaining about the refs…. when the Blues did it from Origin 1 and ‘didn’t want to bury our heads in the sand’ – as you say – it was labelled as ‘whingeing’ and when Gallen had a go at the ref he was called a whining sanctimonius grub…
but when it happens to the Cows it is ok for the qld’ers to whine and for thursty to go off like your proverbial 2 year old at the ref…. hahaha..
It’s all well and good now the boot is on the other foot but no-one can say in factuality that if the decisions that were poor (and for that I’ll only call the Foran one a poor case) – as was the Taufua ball-stripping incident though….
- the result would not have been any different, it would still have been a Manly victory….
p.s sorry to hear about your one-city wonder Broncos choking again in the finals last week….. lol….
It’s gunna be a long road to recovery for your broncs oiks – now petero has gone things look even grimmer for you old mate…
September 14th 2012 @ 10:56pm
GD said | September 14th 2012 @ 10:56pm | Report comment
Don’t forget about George Tafua grounding the ball in goal then running it back out…
To be philosophical about it though, the Cowboys are a good team, but not a great team. There is a lot of unfairness inherent in the competition, and I think for a non-Sydney team to overcome that and win it they must be a really great side. It really highlights how fantastic the Broncos and Storm sides have been when they were dominant.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:50pm
poop said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:50pm | Report comment
how you supposed to pick up a ball from the goal zone without grounding it
September 14th 2012 @ 11:54pm
GD said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:54pm | Report comment
He stumbled after he picked it up, and in the process clearly grounded the ball. Watch a replay, you’ll see what I mean.
September 15th 2012 @ 12:05am
JVGO said | September 15th 2012 @ 12:05am | Report comment
GD, you are clearly suffering from NRL refs syndrome whereby any interpretation of an event that deliverrs your preferred outcome will be the interpretation that is favoured.
September 15th 2012 @ 12:15am
PLANKO said | September 15th 2012 @ 12:15am | Report comment
Thought it was harsh on the cowboys but the referee definitely saw it. Please don’t go on about Shane hayne he has not been a manly favorite over the years
September 15th 2012 @ 7:08am
soapit said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:08am | Report comment
this has happened many times this years and they’ve been consistent. do you not follow the game or do you just whinge about these things when they suddenly affect you
September 15th 2012 @ 7:54am
Emm said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:54am | Report comment
yes he did, and the ref said that when Thurston queried him, but he said because he dropped it, it wasn’t a deliberate grounding so it didn’t count. Ever heard that ruling before? The Cowboys are often subject to new rulings and interpretations, have always been, there’s nothing new in this.
September 15th 2012 @ 10:59am
Mantis said | September 15th 2012 @ 10:59am | Report comment
The no call on the grounding of the ball hurt almost as bad as the two ‘tries’. that was the final momentum killer. the cowboys still had the blood pumping and had we got the ball off a dropout who knows what could have happened. those 2 tries and the play on instead of a dropout which should have been awarded all occured in the space of about 15 mins. that is enough to kill any team.
And while i rarely agree with anything Gus has to say he summed up the dropout perfectly. If Taufua had lost the ball once coming out of his ingoal and the Cowboys gathered up the ball and scored, Manly would be claiming he grounded the ball ingoal. Whether he grounded it on purpose or not doesnt matter, the ball was grounded.
September 15th 2012 @ 11:09am
Tommygun said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:09am | Report comment
Exactly mate agreed, manly drop out… Say an attacking winger goes over the line out wide and slips with the ball in his hand, accidently grounds it and runs under the posts to deliberatly ground it, where will the ref award the try?
Where he grounded it first!!! Accidental or deliberate, doen’t matter!
September 15th 2012 @ 11:27am
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:27am | Report comment
Wrong Tommy. The intent going over the try line is to force the ball not to pick it up. If you slip and force it, the intent is still to score a try. A player seeking to pick up the ball who accidentally slips and forces it, has no intent to force it at any stage. Totally different scenario as per Section 9 of the rules.
September 15th 2012 @ 1:58pm
FairDinkumMate said | September 15th 2012 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
@bearfax – How stupid is a rule if it requires the refs to “guess’ what the player is thinking when he does something?
If he’d lost the ball after that incident & the Cowboys scored, I’m certain Manly would have been arguing he’d already grounded it….
September 15th 2012 @ 9:55pm
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 9:55pm | Report comment
Intentionally throwing forward passes, delaying tactics, behaviour requiring sin binning, a whole range of incidents requiring action by the judiciary or general fringe issues in tackles etc etc. the referee system is always determining intent on the field. Its a fundamental and this issue is no different.
September 15th 2012 @ 12:24am
Whites said | September 15th 2012 @ 12:24am | Report comment
I was curious about that one myself so I went and checked the rules:
“Section 8
4. The game is re-started with a drop-out by a defending player from the centre of his goal line if:
(c) a defending player touches down in the in-goal area.”
Hayne clearly said to Thurston that it wasn’t intentional. Can someone please point out in the rules where it says grounding the ball in the in-goal requires intent? The same thing happened in the Dragons-Roosters game a few weeks ago.
The refs clearly don’t understand this particular rule. It seems quiet simple. If a player, carrying the ball, makes contact with the ground while in his own in-goal then it is a goal-line drop out.
September 15th 2012 @ 7:45am
BA Sports said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:45am | Report comment
Agree the ref’s got it wrong. But to be fair, Bowen did the same thing in the first half when he slipped and passed it inside to Cooper.
Even though the end result on that occasion was the same – a line drop out, Lyon still complained…
September 15th 2012 @ 11:00am
Mantis said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:00am | Report comment
That makes it even worse that the refs missed Taufuas one then.
September 15th 2012 @ 11:37am
Bearfax said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:37am | Report comment
That’s because the rule is ambiguous if you read section 9 as well. It doesnt say anything about intent. It is however implied. If Hayne considered that there was no intent to force the ball, then play proceeds. Dont blame the Refs for an ambiguity in the rules. They have to use discretion in those issues and the only way to do that is to determine intent. Taufua obviously had NO intent in forcing the ball, and therefore based on the right of the ref to make a call relating to intent, he was allowed to continue. For goodness sake you guys. How many Full backs do you see running back to a ball, forcing their hand on the ball. thereby forcing it down, in order to ensure they can pick it up cleanly…it happens all the time. So he slipped when intending to pick the ball up. It happens often in League but suddenly in this game its become an issue….WHY
September 14th 2012 @ 11:00pm
Paul said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:00pm | Report comment
Incompetent referees, biased decisions or just plain negligent. Are the referees that incompetent that they cannot see double movements, and knock-ons. I say Yes they are that incompetent.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:06pm
Sparks said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:06pm | Report comment
Refereeing mistakes will always have the potential to decide a contest. Ultimately, as a fan you hope that the final margin is great enough to make these errors redundant. Tonight’s game had three contentious decisions amongst quite a few others, that resulted in tries being awarded, with the Winterstein and second Oldfield try being blatantly incorrect. Was there enough doubt to award the Taufua try? Possibly….
Was the final margin enough to make these errors redundant….most definitely not.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:12pm
Gremlin said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:12pm | Report comment
Not that they ever should have had to, your assesment of the game is spot on, but the Cow’s had 20 min’s to get back in the game. Winners find a way regardless of the circumstances, instead JT imploded and tried miracle play after miracle play. I know I’m being harsh but his reaction to adversity stumped me. Players of his quality and experience should be to focus on whats ahead.
Again they never should have been in that position andI’m annoyed that a great game was ruined by the refs again but JTs reaction was poor.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:16pm
Tim Prentice said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:16pm | Report comment
I agree Gremlin. JT got out of his tree when he needed to lead and inspire his men
Pity he never does it in Origin …
September 14th 2012 @ 11:19pm
poop said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:19pm | Report comment
yea by throwing a pass to the touch line
September 15th 2012 @ 6:30am
Nads said | September 15th 2012 @ 6:30am | Report comment
Well said Gremlin! Although the Refs were terrible there was still time!
September 15th 2012 @ 7:56am
Emm said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:56am | Report comment
all true – but they lost their composure for a reason.
they shouldn’t have lost it, but plenty of other teams would have under those circumstances.
Imagine Manly being on the receiving end of those – they would be threatening legal action today.
September 15th 2012 @ 7:57am
BA Sports said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:57am | Report comment
I agree that Manly were slightly the better side, though I was hard pressed to find a MoM from their team. Tafua was probably the right call. Scott and Tamou were just awesome and the best players on the paddock i thought.
I didn’t think the on field ref’s were too bad. I thought the hold down penalties were hold downs. They made one stripping error then seemed to play square up when Williams dropped the ball while trying to play it, but they made 1000 decisions int he game and if they only get one or two wrong, you can live with it. Its when a video ref, with all the assistance in the world only has to make 3 calls and he can’t even get half of them right, and he constantly makes mistakes, that is infuriating.
But the Cows had their chances, Tate bombing a try which would have made it interesting. Manly’s last 10 minutes, up by ten, kicking early, no look off loads, and poor passes was dreadful. They didn’t know how to close out and were there for the taking if the Cows had held their composure.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:12pm
Hoy said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:12pm | Report comment
Just goes to prove you can’t rely on them at all to make the obvious call. So what is it that they think? I am not really a fan of either team.
Foran for all money knocked that on. It was plain as day.
The Taufua try I would have thought was a double movement as well, but maybe not. He grounded it, then picked it up, and grounded it again I thought.
The Cowboys strip on Taufua could happen to any game, and I am not so worried about that. That did not directly lead to a try. If it had, I would have probably different thoughts on it. But those types of decisions happen…
The TMO is just a shocking joke. That the person in charge of the button there can be at odds with 99% of fans and pundits and experts is puzzling.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:24pm
Wally Wilcox said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:24pm | Report comment
I’m a bit unsure as to how you can say with certainty that the Taufua strip did not lead directly to a try? If it went the way it should have, and a scrum was designated with a Manly feed, the Cowboys would not (in 99% of cases in a scrum) have had possession, and thus would not have scored their converted try only a few plays later…..
September 15th 2012 @ 12:07pm
Toni said | September 15th 2012 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
Directly meaning it didn’t happen in the same play. If they Cowboys didn’t score in the next play, it would have never even been brought up. To me directly would be, like in 2006 Origin Game 3 when Steve Price stripped the ball and it lead to a disallowed try in the same play.
September 15th 2012 @ 3:34pm
Hoy said | September 15th 2012 @ 3:34pm | Report comment
Right. I meant there was a break in play. It was not a strip by two players, and one of them runs off with the ball and scores.
There was a scrum, and as Wally says, a few plays later, a try. I agree, it isn’t ideal for Manly to lose the ball in that field position, and have to defend, but to my mind, the try was not a direct result of the strip, in that it was not that play, like the knock on from Foran, or the other contentious try.
September 16th 2012 @ 7:56am
Bearfax said | September 16th 2012 @ 7:56am | Report comment
As usual if it happens to the other side its more or less OK but if it happens to your side its wrong. The same old double standards prevail..
September 16th 2012 @ 9:29pm
Wally Wilcox said | September 16th 2012 @ 9:29pm | Report comment
I understand where you’re coming from Hoy – but my definition of ‘direct’ – following from logic – in the absence of Event A – if Event b does not occur – it may be said with a high level of probability that the two events are directly related. Therefore, can you say that the Cowboys would have scored their converted try if the call against Taufua was made correctly and it was not called a dropped ball?
September 14th 2012 @ 11:12pm
poop said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:12pm | Report comment
only the last try was an error, the tafua one deserved benefit of the doubt
also refs missed the strip on tafua which led to a cowboys try
September 15th 2012 @ 7:59am
Emm said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:59am | Report comment
watch his foot. He grounds the ball and stops. No momentum of the ball (isn’t that what momentum means, of the ball?) then rolls over. Off camera but it looks very very likely that he had his foot in touch. A double no-try, imo.
September 15th 2012 @ 10:30am
Haz said | September 15th 2012 @ 10:30am | Report comment
I always thought momentum was of the player. I.e., if you dive and slid 5 metres over the try-line, that’d be a try. Similar if a tackler was propelling you forward the goal line.
September 15th 2012 @ 10:42am
Lovey said | September 15th 2012 @ 10:42am | Report comment
I agree. If they are saying that the try was scored after he rolled over and planted it, well this is a clear conscious decision, and a double movement. I don’t think you can say there was natural momentum. If they come out and say that the doubt relates to the first put down, though I doubt it, I could live with that.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:21pm
Droppa said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:21pm | Report comment
Semi finals & its all about refs….sack Harrigan
September 14th 2012 @ 11:26pm
Tim Prentice said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:26pm | Report comment
Sad isn’t it Droppa? So many fans were hoping for a great contest and all the talk is about the officials, not the athletes.
Be scared Rabbitohs, Raiders. Very scared.
And be prepared for a boring Billy Harrigan week.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:28pm
PLANKO said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:28pm | Report comment
Amazing that the coverage for foxtel was so much more balanced timbo
September 14th 2012 @ 11:32pm
Tim Prentice said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:32pm | Report comment
Planko, I just call it as I see it.
I just wish the officials could call it as 99 per cent of us see it.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:35pm
PLANKO said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:35pm | Report comment
Timbo I have just watched it again mate and the bottom line is that not one video has foran touching the ball yes it was touch go but so was the rake in the ruck that they scored off
September 14th 2012 @ 11:42pm
Tim Prentice said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:42pm | Report comment
I saw it as a blatant tap forward by Foran. And Ash Graham’s strip gave the Cows possession and ultimately a try. Get those blinkers off or you’ll get a gig in the video ref’s box, Planks!
September 14th 2012 @ 11:45pm
PLANKO said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:45pm | Report comment
Do you still live in striker territory and do you still talk to Dave mason ?
September 15th 2012 @ 11:12am
Mantis said | September 15th 2012 @ 11:12am | Report comment
If you dont think Foran touched it youre either the most biased Manly fan on earth or just have no clue.
September 16th 2012 @ 8:09am
Bearfax said | September 16th 2012 @ 8:09am | Report comment
Mistakes are made in every match. Its unavoidable. Its a question as to whether in this case it evened itself out and I think in the end it did. Oldfield’s second try was very touch and go as was the Cowboy’s second try. Taufua’s try was a definite ‘benefit of a doubt’ try…there was enough evidence that the ball touched the try line. Taufua’s ‘grounding incident’ though technically grounding in the rules of the game, is one of many many areas where, though not in the rules but implied, the referees have right of judgement or ‘intent’ call, and they got it right on that basis. The first Cowboys try following a very dubious call against Watmough was again one of those touch and go issues as was the question of forward passes, by both sides. In the end the score was pretty accurate difference between the sides and Taufua deserved man of the match.
September 16th 2012 @ 8:26am
Bearfax said | September 16th 2012 @ 8:26am | Report comment
No Tim. You saw what APPEARED to be a blatant knock forward by Foran. Though I’m prepared to acknowledge that he probably touched the ball, the video evidence was not unequivocal. Both players were knocking at the ball at the same time in the same direction and if you look closely, it could have been just as likely that Thurston with two hands knocked back the ball, as Foran knocking it with one hand, or perhaps a combination. To say 99% is suggesting my friend that you are coming at the evidence from one direction, that Thurston’s involvement was definitely not there. But it was. I might say 67% Foran touched it, but sorry mate, you ain’t God and there is sufficient doubt to question…there were three hands up there…how do you know definitely it only came off one hand…that’s not expertise Tim, that’s seeing the evidence from only one perspective. Have another look at the evidence mate but ask the questuion. Did the ball come off Thurston….it looks just as likely. Then ask did it come off both. Again just as likely. There are three options there Tim and each very possible. Was it fully off Foran or off Foran and Thurston or fully off Thurston. You have a 67-33 call there not 99%.
September 14th 2012 @ 11:34pm
poop said | September 14th 2012 @ 11:34pm | Report comment
there were only 2 errors in the game
1 forward tip by foran leading to manly try
missed strip on tafua leading to cowboys try
September 15th 2012 @ 2:03pm
FairDinkumMate said | September 15th 2012 @ 2:03pm | Report comment
Thurston throwing a pass a metre forward down the left wing for a try?
September 15th 2012 @ 7:56am
Droppa said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:56am | Report comment
Yes thats right ,you can just imagine Harrigan preparing his Monday press conference remarks ,thinking to himself “winning” Harragan thinks as a ref he played Rugby League.Adding another ref has doubled the bad decisions,time to go back to one referee.
September 15th 2012 @ 7:59am
BA Sports said | September 15th 2012 @ 7:59am | Report comment
How does Harrigan keep his job? Clarke was responsible for the Boyd try v Souths in Rd 26, and he puts Clarke back in their again!