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Wayne Bennett and golden point: Sour grapes or a fair opinion?

Roar Guru
11th October, 2015
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Ben Hunt is back from Queensland Cup exile - but for how long? (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
Roar Guru
11th October, 2015
28

The rant by Wayne Bennett about the unfairness of golden point after the Brisbane Broncos lost the NRL grand final to the North Queensland Cowboys was perceived by many to be sour grapes.

His side had just lost a hard fought game in which they had sought to defend their way to victory. They Cowboys scored with zero seconds left on the clock, tying up the game and sending it to golden point.

Bennett’s comments – where he said that golden point was unfair and that grand finals should be replayed – could be perceived as sour grapes, but perception is not always reality.

Sure, the timing of Bennett’s rant didn’t do him any favours, but he’s been saying for several years now how the NRL should call a draw a draw if two teams are locked together at full time.

On reflection Bennett would have to admit that to replay the NRL grand final in Sydney a week later would have been both logistically and financially unrealistic for a large percentage of the fans who travelled long distances to watch the grand final.

Rewind to the 2013 AFL grand final between Collingwood and St Kilda which was replayed after they were both locked together at full-time. The crowds were near capacity for both matches, the major difference was that both teams were Melbourne based and Collingwood has the largest supporter base for any club in Australia.

However expecting both sides to come back to Sydney next week would be unfair and unrealistic.

What would be more fair though would be to either have the match decided by a ‘golden try’ or two 10-minute periods of extra time. That way if a player makes a mistake or a team kicks a field goal early on in extra time it still gives the other team an opportunity to fight back.

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It would test the stamina and resolve of both teams to the limit, making for an even greater spectacle.

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