Slater's indiscretions must be addressed

I reckon the foot goes into the neck before klemmers hands touch him and thats where its wrong.storm gets away with way too much.i reckon theyve found new ways to cheat the salary cap, probably all drug cheats too.

I'm a has-been fullback from years back, fortunately before the days of the inevitable kick on the 5th. I again invite critics of Slater to get a friend to kick you a series of high balls and let you see how you would take them. It is nonsense to suggest that a fullback has time to consider hurting an opponent while trying to cope with taking the bloody ball. One's concentration is on the ball. How one achieves body balance for the take is an individual matter. It's one of the supreme skills in the game. When one's feet hit the ground there is always the prospect of being hit by a Bondi tram. Comparisons with Boyd's hit on Brohman are ridiculous.

Unfortunately Meestapoo, you and Stormblooper are the ones coming across as Dumb & Dumber. Try basing your arguments on fact and go back and watch the video as Toa said.

I don't know what footage Stormbill was watching, yes as you say it clearly shows Slater eyes are on the ball "UNTIL" he catches the ball. BUT then he looks at Klemmer and he continues to point his foot at his face. Try watching it with both eyes open mate. Like the comment below says you have no idea about league if you don't think that players have a good perception and awareness of their bodies and opposition players. These are the same players that are hailed for their athleticism & reflexes like diving for tries in the corners and lifting their legs to be pushed out but still score. Slater is amongst the most skilful players in the world so you can't have it both ways. Slater also has history for grubby tactics. This is a DOG ACT in my book.

I think all these anti slater commenters are going to lose for an 8th straight time this year!!

The rule is simple: a player off the turf cannot be tackled. There is no rule I'm aware of that dictates how a player must catch a high ball. Try it for yourself: get someone to kick you a series of high balls. You might be surprised at the techniques you use to take them. However frustrating it might be, the player seeking to effect the tackle has to stay clear. I did not admire Billy Boy's tactic of sliding in a last ditch attempt to dislodge the ball but that has been cleared up. Billy works from the second edition of Fullback Play. Indeed, he wrote the book.

You see NO difference? Really? What about the Studs? If you watch soccer you'd know it is an automatic red card when studs are shown, but not for knees. Not to mention the fact that when knees are used, opposition players can stand in the general vicinity without being kicked in the face(in NRL). And you're against players being smashed as soon as they put a foot on the ground? It's been a part of the game forever. It's in the rules, and if the Fullback isn't man enough to take it they shouldn't be playing the greatest game of all. Barba is the smallest fullback out there and he gets smashed all the time, but I've never seen him kick his foot out to protect himself, because he's not soft.

Super Eel, I see NO difference in a player protecting himself with his knee or hanging his foot out to achieve the same result!, a Knee to the head from a player jumping through the air As high as Slater gets) is just has likely to cause harm to anyone in close proximity. Use of the Knee is prohibited in 'Ground play', so we have yet another problem!... Ban the Bomb!..... it is a tactic purely designed to allow fast moving players to attack ( even injure) a defenceless defender whoat most times is highly vulnerable and in no position to avoid it! being BELTED!. . As soon as the fullback's feet touch the ground (Still not balanced and able to avoid the hit), the attackers can maul him like a pack of Wolves', and we criticise a player for giving himself some protection!, I saw a comparison of playing Goalkeeper in soccer - I too played goalkeeper for many years and if anyone touched me in the air or on landing, it was deemed to be a foul!.

Just being in the vicinity of a player leaping for the ball does not constitute a tackle in the air. The player chasing must initiate the contact between himself and the defender whilst the defender is in the air. Slater initiated the contact by kicking him in the head.

Klemmer was slowing and the contact between he and Slater was initiated by Slater. I'm a goalkeeper and have been for 10 years. We were never taught to kick out when contesting a high ball. It was fine to bring our knee up to our chest for protection but kicking out in the way that Slater does is just downright dangerous. That technique is asking for trouble.

Thanks for that insight, and I'm not being sarcastic, it's always good to hear how fellow supporters became so staunch, there was even a few footy things in there I didn't know re: the King. I'm surprised you're not a Cowboys fan but I can understand when a player from your local town goes to a team. Scott Hill was from my local town and when he started playing for the Storm they were my second team :) Don't get me wrong regarding Slater, Smith & Cronk, I'm not a hater. I love watching them play and I rate them in my top 5 players in the world ever year, along with Thurston and Inglis. Barba may be changing that soon though, I hope. They do seem to get away with a lot more than other players and it is very annoying. I'm not saying Slater deliberately done it either, but he deliberately stuck his foot out in that direction to defend himself. It is definitely dangerous and unnecessary, especially when you take into account the studs into someones face(compared to a high shot, which is also accidental). Anyway I don't want to harp on, I just don't think another player would have got off so easy. Maybe Smith or Thurston ;) Can you please explain to me why Fa'aso is grade 3 and Slater's last week was only grade 1? Surely when a shoulder charge is involved, direct contact to the head is worse than contact to the shoulder/chest and a resulting head clash. Would love to hear an opposing opinion on that comparison, everyone seems to avoid it.

JayBob ... When I was young we didn't have the privilege of televised games, in fact tv didn't even come into my life until I was 14 ... Wireless broadcasts where a common thing for sport - Sitting under the stars in our front yard - The only stars we followed where the "milkyway kind" or our local teams ... League was the making and breaking of my home town and of the one in which I now reside ... As teenagers my friends and I barracked for Cronulla ... We had more of an affinity to the Brisbane Rugby League, but being so far away even our most talented players where never considered for State League - The South East corner of Queensland held the reigns, as is why my father-in-law gained selection - Along with our heroes of course many where from New South Wales ... Wally Lewis is a standout, who although I believe him to be the King on the field, he was an almighty upstart as a young man and didn't like to lose and didn't have a much better attitude in public ... The story goes - "In 1980 Wally playing for Valleys in the Amco Cup took on NQ in Mt Isa. A brawl erupted and when the dust settled NQ had scored under the posts. Wally eventually walked off in disgust never to return, the Isa crowd was ecstatic and the referee was the late "Grasshopper" Gomersall who just allowed a tap to be taken and play to continue while the brawls continued unabated - aaah those were the days" ...I was there that day and also at a meet and greet at the Barkly Hotel - Wally was rather anti-social that night ... I became a Melbourne Storm supporter when Russell Bawden, a Mt Isa boy, whose family I knew, was recruited and then along came Billy Slater, whose family resided in "The Isa" for many years and where stalwarts of the local league - His father a talented player , his grandfather a referee and his mother a good athlete and softballer ... Folks may be critical of Slater, Smith and Cronk, certainly not perfect, but they are a credit to their sport, club and their families on and off the field ...

First of all, sorry if you took that the wrong way, I didn't mean you were basing your opinion solely on his, just making the point that his would definitely influence yours a lot. I was more taking a stab at the 8 minutes Bellamy spent in the press conference whinging about it. So if you've watched league your whole life who do you really go for? ;) (Just a joke btw, don't get on the defensive.)

Very nicely put "Lovey". My sentiments exactly. I think your on the money when you raise the age of some of the contributors. They are perhaps very young and immature or perhaps just the latter?

Another poor looser. Just enjoy the spectacle, but I guess it's difficult if your team keeps loosing against the Storm. Where is your sportsmanship? My guess is if Storm were not winning it would be some other team you would be having a go at!

Come on lad's Your comments come across as being bias. Keep to the facts. Billy was in the air and the other player moved into his space, which would have resulted in a foul anyway. Billy was sent to the tribunal and found not to have committed a foul. Cameron Smith had the correct interpretation of the event on the field of play and the tribunal used the same logic. No case to answer. So move on lads and keep to the facts of the matter!

JayBob - I'm over 55 and have watched league since I was a toddler - my father was a referee ... I used to watch junior and senior league each and every Sunday... My husband is a former league player and is now the manager of our local team ... His father was a Queensland fullback in the 60's ... We also reside in a town where a handful of our local league players went on to represent NRL clubs, their state and their country ... I don't need Ballamy, or anyone else giving me advice ... Or you for that matter ...

Kiwi import origin players?? Tonie Carroll, brad thorn, Adrian lam ( png I know, but still an import) remember these fellas? Fair dinkum you queenslanders live with blinkers on

Just had another quick read through the comments and I commend your ability to stick up for your team. I just think you are wrong in this particular situation. You need to start making your own opinion rather than listening to Bellamy; he would lie to his own mother if it'd save him 2 dollars. And Hasler? He can be sued for speaking out of turn before it goes to judiciary. I'm pretty sure he'd have the same opinion as me though :)

Ok, fair enough. I thought you copied and pasted because I seen the quotation marks. I stand by my original analysis though. The match review always get things wrong, especially when it comes to a star players. If they had of charged him we would not be having this conversation in the first place. It's hardly an argument.