I think the Australian Rugby League are a leader in regard to Indigenous affairs in this country. I don’t feel this game does any good for reconciliation at all. Are they asking Indigenous Australians to support one team and Non-Indigenous the other? Not much reconciliation going on there, lets divide down racial lines!

The Kangaroos are very well represented by Indigenous players and this is where the reconciliation moves should be made, try a different jumper, have the flag on the sleeves of the jersey, advertise a message instead of beer.

I would rather see the Australian Indigenous team take on the NZ Maori for instance and invite other PI teams and PNG as well.

This game is just manufactured with one team having great pride in what they are playing for and the other just lumped together as ‘the rest’.

So long as State of Origin is seen as the “pinnacle” International Rugby League will suffer.

Does anyone have the stats (or where to find them) for all the important measures for a half back?

Where does he rate for;

Line Break assists
Try assists
Kick Metres
40/20
Line breaks
Runs
Repeat Sets
Etc etc etc

Brett Kenny
Greg Inglis (early version, too big now)
Steve Renouf

And a roughie who moved as well as any would be Dale Shearer, speed, swerve and a great in and away.

I don’t think Benji is an 80min player anymore but he could add something coming off the bench. Could play multiple positions and his only real job then would be to exploit tired forwards. IMO he could have an impact similar to a Craig Wing.

I don’t mind the decision if itnis based on his wife. Benji has had a career, a great career and it’s coming to a close so setting up his wife’s career for when Benji is finished is probably smart from their perspective. She may well be the major bread winner post footy.

I think he could also be a good fit for the Dragons if they utilise him well. IMO he would be a great utility/impact player off the bench. Can play multiple positions and would be at his best coming on against a tired line. The worst thing for the Dargons could be if they have signed him to be their general on the field, Benji is not that and never has been.

Free him up, no playmaking responsibilities, no kicking duties and just let him run.

I don’t have a problem with them heading out for a drink, they are young men doing what young men do. The problem is the behaviour and of course the police needing to be involved.

Daley wants Pearce as his half back, this will be a good test now to see if Daley has the fortitude to stand him down. IMO he should be stood down from 2 NRL games and Origin 1. Whether these players (or some fans) like it or not playing professional sport is not a “normal” job. They hold the games reputation in their hands through the way they play and behave. Don’t think it’s fair? All good, tear up their contract and go and work a normal job and play park footy on the weekend.

I would like to say I think Pearce is NSW best choice at half back, A.Reynolds is a defensive liability and doesn’t take the line on enough and L.Brooks needs probably 1 more year at least in 1st grade. And for what it’s worth J.Mullen should be the 6 with J. Reynolds on the bench.

And in 12 months time JT may still be better than Joey, in M.Johns opinion. It is also his opinion that on CURRENT form DCE and GI are the two best players in the game. He is not talking about careers but current form. Hard to argue there.

Lockyer was a half all through the junior grades and only started at FB because of Langer and Walters ahead of him. His move to 6 wasn’t as miraculous as some make out, the fact he became the best FB in the game in that period, before the switch, is probably the more outstanding achievement.

Lockyer was a half all through the junior grades and only started at FB because of Langer and Walters ahead of him. His move to 6 wasn’t as miraculous as some make out, the fact he became the best FB in the game in that period, before the switch, is probably the more outstanding achievement.

SBW is nowhere near the best player in the game. At his best he is very very good but he is too inconsistent. Very similar to Jarryd Hayne, who if could consistently play at his best would probably be the best player in the game, but he isn’t.

SBW has always been the same player, even at the dogs. His best is great but makes errors and goes missing in games.

He is not the best player in the game, he is not NZ best player, he is not even the Roosters best or the best 2nd rower at the club. SBW is probably the most marketable player in the game, this leads to increased hype which he just doesn’t live up to.

Relocation not expansion.

There is just not enough First Grade quality players out there.

Scott

I fail to see how I am wrong? My point is that a concussion is the same as any other injury. The issue is that the game avoided treating it as a serious injury for too long.

Farah may well have had to leave the field, but he may also have been able to return having passed a sideline test. So the rule may force a player out of the game if it’s serious enough but may also allow a player back if it’s only minor. Do an ACL and you’re out of the game full stop.

As far as covering for concussion on the bench, both teams will have cover for all types of injuries.

To be honest Scott the article doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense, the concussion rule is about player safety. Who covers for a concussion off the bench is no different to any other injury.

I don’t think the concussion rule has anymore baring on a game than other injuries. Do an ACL or a shoulder or any matter of other injuries and your gone for the game, a heavy head knock is just another injury.

I do however feel an 18th man could be in place for injuries (not just concussion) resulting from foul play. This player would be a substitute and if used the player he replaced cannot come back into the game.

Of topic but just on interchanges….my opinion is that 2 players need to be interchange reserves and 2 as substitutes. 6 interchanges per game and 2 substitutions. My reasoning is purely to bring fatigue back into the game, open the game up at the back end of each half for the smaller more skillful players to dominate.

Personally I think we need a “Captains Challenge” or something similar. The referee should just make a call on field as he sees it and if either captain feels they got it wrong he can call it upstairs. Something similar to cricket.

Another point is the obstruction rule. I can’t see why it is so difficult, they need to strip the rule back to it’s basics.

1. You cannot run behind your own player (regardless of whether someone was impeded) an old fashioned shepherd.
2. All the onus is on the decoy runner, should he stop in the line it’s obstruction, regardless of whether the defender initiates contact. Stay out of the defensive line!! Either get right through or stop short, and if you are attempting to run through and still make contact, too bad, you made the call to be a decoy and now you have impeded the defence. Better still stop these ceaseless block plays altogether!!

Lastly, back to one main referee IMO. Too much confusion surrounding interpretation. If anything bring back the in-goal judge at each end and place the responsibilities back on the touch judges to assist the referee and make the calls.

This is a tough one, of all the people involved in the decision (referee, touchie, video ref) the onfield referee was in the best position to make a call. His opinion was he bounced before the line then touch in-goal. I can’t really argue with it because the vision I saw was useless.

Now the issue is how do we make these decision clearer for all. Do we need technology? Or should the NRL just demand more camera angles (especially in-line with the try line)? Perhaps bring back the in goal judge?

Personally I’d like to see a little of all the above implemented…except maybe technology (chip in ball etc). 1 referee in the middle, 2 touchies and an in goal judge, better camera angles, ref makes a decision and have a captains challenge system.

In my opinion there must be irrefutable proof that a try has been scored for it to be awarded or overturned. None of this benefit of a doubt crap.

Would changing the rule that on the line is a try to say the majority of the ball or all of the ball must be over the line help with these decisions?

FTA coverage is massive and not only for individual teams. The whole reason the NRL has failed to engage a wider audience in the southern states and WA is because of years of neglect in so far as tv coverage.

How are you suppose to market you club, entice sponsors or attract players if you have no National coverage?

Couple of other points of thought;

1. Perhaps clubs should do a deal with Foxtel so as a club membership includes 12mths of basic+sports package?
2. In the case of Canberra, they really need an enclosed stadium (I watched a game there once where it was in the minus, terrible conditions for both fans and players)

The siren tells the referee, who rarely if ever keep time themselves anymore, when the half-time/game clock is at zero. If the ball is “in play” when the siren goes then it is play on until the ball is dead. However if the siren goes before the ball is back in play (other than a penalty), then that is it, game over.

Next time a tackle continues after the referee has called held can the player then be excused if he reasons he “didn’t hear it”?

Textbook is to drive in with the shoulder and lift one leg so to unbalance the attacker and put them on their back. This is not the same as “lifting” when a player is stationary and he is lifted off the ground.

Perhaps the NRL need to simply make lifting illegal?
There really is no need for it. It is a tactic designed to slow the game down by putting the player on the ground allowing the defence to re set their line. The 1 or 2 players already holding the player up top are already trying to wrestle him to the ground, now have a third man come in and lift his legs and where does that momentum go? The tackled player now has no control over how he ends up unless he can free an arm (normally the arms are locked up trying to prevent an offload).

The ducking (or tucking) of the head appeared to me to be the players last line of defence, tuck under and hope to roll over as the tacklers put you down. For the young player facing the judiciary, I hope they don’t make an example of him and instead make a positive move to outlaw this type of tackle. Forget “lifting above the horizontal” and just ban lifting altogether.

Unfortunately for Alex, the actions of the tackler(s) and quite possibly the re active action he took have all gone horribly wrong and I wish the young man all the best in his recovery.

If Dugan is busted I’d be happy to see Tedesco at FB for the Blues.
I’m also hoping Loz paid attention to the WC and will play Hayne in the 3/4’s….he was outstanding.

Gidleys best days are behind hime now. Should never have been a starter for the Blues but was a fantastic utility off the bench.

This is a great point Axle. My wife is from VIC and had no idea about RL til we met. Slowly I try and educate her on who is who and theonly real way to recognise a team Iimmediately is by what jersey they wear. To date the only teams she can recognise purely via jersey are souths, easts and saints.

It’s been mentioned before but jerseys need to be simple, recognisable, have less adverts and remain the same. 1 home jersey, 1 away jersey (only used if a clash is going to occur) and force clubs to register their “colours” and jersy design which must remain the same for at least 5 years.

Regular season should be a draw. Finals should be 5 each way and if still no result then GP.

The 1point for a draw could make a big difference when deciding the make up of the 8 for finals.

Personally I feel the NRL should concentrate on our own backyard, and by own backyard I mean region (asia-pacific). I’d much rather see an NRL game taken to PNG, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga or one of the SE Asian nations. There is a huge opportunity to grow the sport in our own region and the NRL and ARL can work together to make this happen.

Together with annual NRL games I also believe the ARL and NZRL need to be playing regular test matches against the PI nations. These games must at times be played in their country also, not always in Aus or NZ.

We should be playing these nations every year in a competition similar to 6 nations, Rugby championship. Every 4 years we have a Northern Hemisphere tour with the WC on the alternate 4 year cycle (2 years apart).

The role of growing the game in the UK and Europe surely falls in the lap of the RLIF and RFL? The English could do similar systems in the Nth to Include aspiring European nations i.e. a comp following the rugby 6 nations, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy.

Every 4 years the UK would get to see the best of Aus and NZ with the Nth Hemisphere tour. It could either be against a Great Britain side (my preference) with additional games against France and Italy or play each nation seperately (might drag tour on too long).

These regular fixtures would improve the standard of the developing league nations and make for far more competitive WC’s. It will potentially expose huge numbers of new fans, showing that there is a pathway to professional sport through RL.

For me, taking an NRL game to a nation where they already have a professional RL competition seems pointless. Lets get our own region sorted and get people from our region interested in RL not preaching to the already converted.

1. C.Cronk
2. J. Thurston
3. G. Inglis
4. C. Smith
5. SBW
6. R. Farah
7. B. Slater
8. DCE
9. J. Hayne
10. S. Johnson

Honorable mentions; M. Scott, A. Fifita, C. Parker, S. Burgess.