I’m not a proponent of corporal punishment but I do believe it’s time for the public paddling to be a feature of match days across the nation.
Let’s start with Geoff Toovey. The Manly coach’s complaints about the refereeing after one of the season’s best contests on Monday night pushed me over the edge.
What is the NRL going to do about the elite whiners in our game? Toovey spoke of the 10-5 penalty count in favour of the Storm like he’d been illegally cavity searched by airport security for trying to sneak a Hersheys bar in through customs.
What would have been acceptable? 10-6? 10-7? What he should have been focusing on was the fact that his side had just procured one competition point where there could easily have been none. An outstanding game was instead mired in immature drivel.
Geoff Toovey fails to realise that a little more maturity and equanimity in these sort of circumstances might actually make him a better coach during other moments of high stress and what he may perceive as bad luck.
Not to mention that this kind of bleating tends to trickle down to the players.
Which brings me very nicely to Jamie Lyon and Kieran Foran. You simply couldn’t play backyard cricket with these guys. They’d never walk in LBW or caught-behind situations.
Every single time a decision goes against their team, you know that a chat with the ref will ensue, usually including a veiled allegation of bias against their side.
Michael Ennis has been secretly guiding Jarryd Hayne through the process of becoming a black-belt childish whinger. The referees are far too polite when dealing with Ennis.
How many “be careful how you talk to me” statements must we stomach from the referees? Ennis knows that until he regularly gets 10 in the bin (which should be far more often for all of these children) he doesn’t have to be careful at all.
Hayne is developing his skills, going with the “two wrongs make me right” approach. He likes to bring up a play that occurred three weeks ago with a different referee to bolster his point.
The most infuriating thing is that while Jarryd appears to be asking why his team wasn’t given a penalty twenty minutes ago down the other end of the field, he is really just buying time.
That is the worst part of all this. We want attacking football but league’s great whiners are allowing their teams to get set in defence and stymie the opposition.
A new rule should be implemented: ignore the captains and tell the other team to play on.
And ignore Geoff Toovey. Just because he’s the same height as a 10-year old doesn’t mean he has to act like one.
Phil Hartig-Franc
Roar Rookie
I agree, sure sometimes it is repetitive to hear the same coaches whinging about the treatment their team received during the game, it this instance however, it is rather unusual that the author of this article chose to single out Toovey over others who have actually received fines of up to $10 000 for their statements. Watching the flow of the game between Manly and Melb, some of the penalties blown and the restarts chosen were bemusing. If anything I like to see coaches giving the refs a spray, during the game and after- when it is warranted- it demonstrates they are passionate. Ultimately it comes down to how the team is performing, if a team is winning game after game you barely ever see a coach annoyed during the post match press conference, even if the refereeing is poor, however when a few losses are strung together, every poor decision appears compounded.
peeeko
Roar Guru
your first 4 words are the truest ever written on the roar
peeeko
Roar Guru
what tv figures do you have to support this?
Really?
Guest
Exactly, our coaches and players (and some commentators) require better media training. Maybe put an afternoon a week a side to watch press conferences from real professionals, like the NFL or NBA. Rugby league is a very difficult game to referee and mistakes will be made, some contentious some obvious, but just get on with it. I will take coaches and players complaints seriously when I witness one of the following: - a player stopping the game because they knocked on and the ref missed it - a coach blaming an individual players error for costing the team victory (and continually bring it up as the answer to every question)
Brendan Bradford
Roar Pro
Soccer. That is all.
B.A Sports
Guest
George you must be Ray Warren in disguise, either that or you have Jamie and Cliff mixed up and Cliff retired in 1999 didn't he? well from professional football anyway.
Silvertail
Guest
Wow that's a lot of time devoted to thinking about Manly !!! I'm impressed sad part of it all is you could sum up brisvagas in 2 words , Le Mis ,, he he he
Mals
Guest
Hahaha. How are the Ponies travelling this year? Pretty ordinary by the amount of Oikee Dokey whining.
The Spectator
Roar Guru
It's only an excuse for the players to get there breathe, wehike captains are allowed to do this it will continue as a captain should for his team, I laugh at these get my views up articles so I'll spend my free time whingeing about whinning, up ya go manly, MANLY,!!!!
matt h
Guest
While this article mentions Manly extensively, to be fair he also mentions Ennis and Hayne. To focus on pro or anti Manly misses the issue of the article, which is: - coaches constantly whinging in press conferences rather than promoting or analysing the game itself - players deliberately slowing play The NRL should send a note to all coaches reminding them of their obligation to promote the game. Daniel anderson should send a note out syaing that from now, if in the ref's opinion the captain is questioning decisions just to waste time, then the penalty will be marched 10 metres, like in the old days. And three times in a game = captain in the bin for 10. Yes Manly are one of the worst, but they all do it and it needs to be stamped out. My personal favourites are Gallen asnd Thaiday, who go up to the ref and then either forget what they are trying to say or are too stuffed to finish their sentences.
george
Guest
oikee your a goose. how many of manly players are poached .Of the three players they have brought this year Lawrence,horo an sydmonds there club let them go. now lets look at dragons. dugan ,vidot ,Harrison, soward and horse all canberra players, whose raping and pillaging..
oikee
Guest
This is not about the refs, it is about Toovey's constant whinning week-in week-out. It is about Manly with 3 in every tackle, it is about Manly boring the veiwers with holding down at the ruck, Manly and Watmough with his knees in the ruck. Matai and his swinging arms. Lyons and his whinging to the refs every tackle. It is about players holding their arms in the arm every play the ball. It is about Manly, Toovey, and it is becoming boring, weekly borefest. The same will happen nwext week, and the follwoing week, etc,etc,etc. We get the sme postings every week because it is like groundhog day every Manly match. They have got to be the most boring team ever. Pus they steal every teams hardearned juniors. Clubs and fans are sick of them. While cities of 1, 2 and 3 million are rotting on the vine, manly is left to plunder pillage and rape other clubs dry.
george
Guest
I think you should be commenting how well foran and lyons played not about questioning the ref
Nathan Beuman
Roar Guru
I don't know how much rugby league you watch, but every coach complains, and throughout the season every captain goes up to the referee questioning decisions as well. They do it to slow the play down. I don't agree with it, but every team does it. An article written by Steve Mascord after the game: "Bellamy argued the penalty which edged Manly in front 10-8 with 13 minutes left, when Eagle George Rose was ruled to have been stripped of the ball, was incorrect. “I thought we could have got a few more penalties,” he said. How is that any different to what Toovey said? Just another excuse to have a shot at Manly.
Silvertail
Guest
And your evidence for the mass exodus of viewers is ?? you whinge more than Tooves, Belly, Des , Furner the lot of em !! It's constant ! Accept it the refs are not up to the current standard you know it , I know it everyone knows it !!
Pot Stirrer
Guest
I wish theyd put the camera on the coaches more during the game. I love seeing them blow up or give hi 5 aftertheyve scored. Should be more of it. As an addedbonus if the coaches saw themselves on camera after behaving angrily you might just get some self regulation as theymight get a little embarrased by the ay they behave sometimes.
The eye
Guest
So why do refs ask 'Hows Trent ?'..because they'll look for penalties that normally they wouldn't give for no other reason than evening up the count..this is what drove Tooves the other night and others before him.
turbodewd
Guest
MG, good point. Im also tiring of players questioning every 2nd ref call. He wont change his mind and it just slows the game down. Rugby league is already massively stop start and losing 20 seconds to Ennis or Hayne complaining isnt the best. Has a ref ever overturned a call because a captain has queried it? No. Move on and concentrate on the next set of 6 lads.
eagleJack
Guest
Compare Toovey's rant to say Ricky Stuart's where he received a $10k fine and it is obvious why Manly haven't been fined. Questioning a penalty count is one thing. Questioning the referees integrity and claiming that their club is being specifically targetted is another. If you can't see the difference and believe there is a conspiracy to protect Manly then you are a dill.
B.A Sports
Guest
Mals you stole my thunder there in regards to whinging about whinging. That said, it has gone too far. One of the blights on Soccer is the remonstrating with officials by players. Rugby seems to suffer a far lot less back chat. For a captain to question a high tackle or foul play penatly is one thing, but when they start coming out to ask a question after an off side penalty, just sin bin them. its an off side penalty, what possible explaination is required for that? If they started using the freaking bin the players like Lyon wouldn't run 40m to question every call. The coaches are getting bolder. Hasler this week even made comments specifically about referee Robinson before their match. and Toovey knows he can say just about whatever he wants because the league has and continues to be to gutless to do anything to control the club from the Northern Beaccehs, because they know if they do, the club complains more and it becomes front page news.