The NRL judiciary consistent at last - but consistently wrong

But it doesn't set a precedent, because this judiciary fails to look at past similar offenses and divvy out similar suspensions. It's all a joke now anyway. I feel for this current generation of nrl fans watching a tampered version of RL

if i were the nrl id be putting some cinditions on commentators criticising refs in the next tv deal. it really does the game no favours. go to sterlo level by all means and identify a query but continually carrying on about every 50-50 like gould does really ends up wasting a lot of the nrls time and energy that could be better spent.

Eniss is a regular on NRL 360 and the vision of arm separation was shown with the wording of the rules by fox. That's how Rene and Barry became so knowledgeable on the rules. Paul Kent has jumped on the band wagon but he change's his views like the MRC.

Can't disagree with any of that...and yes number 1 is the biggest problem, it definitely detracts from the experience.

The Bunker does three things wrong. Firstly, it murders the atmosphere and energy of the game. The crowd get excited, then die in the a##e, because the Bunker gets hold of it, and the mood is crushed. That's the biggest problem. Second, they are under the referee's control. They should be under the coach's control, that way it's all bad on them. Third, they are micro managing like academics when all people want is to watch sport. The crowd don't care about the dotted i's and crossed t's. They just want to have fun. The most fun part of the Bunker has been reading the blast reviews next day about how they screwed the pooch. Yes, the Bunker has been THAT bad. Worst League add-on ever. NEXT to the MRC.

Of course the Sharks are being looked after.I said months ago that the Sharks would be the nrl fairytale ending If Tariq Sims got 5 wks ,why not Ennis and Wighton.Where is the consistency! Is this then the end of the shoulder charge?

It is what it is. Exactly what the rule was created to deter, for safety reasons based on medical advice . But you have a system and a bunch of ass clowns who want to make it about still shots and wording written by people with know idea about preforming a Shoulder Charge. To say the rule has been like this since 2012 and then suddenly apply it so Ennis is allowed to play now is blatant corrupt or bias. It has been made laughable that Wighton would get suspended. I wish I could show Paul Kent and the other ass clowns carrying on and insisting Tariq Sims deserved 5 weeks saying that is what the rule is there to stop. Now they are proclaiming the players can't be charged? Is it because Sharks are being looked after? Or because he works with Kent on Fox who were quick to find the still shot and BS wording.

The reason the shoulder charge was banned and the reason it should stay out of the game is its uncontrolled nature. I like the physicalityof rugby league but I don't want to see players dazed and confused now followed by worse later because they have 110+kg of bbloke try to knock them over with their shoulder. All it takes is one little slip when they are attempting it and you have a broken jaw or worse. All the bring back the biff stuff doesn't take into account players welfare, we already have a situation where some players joints are so damaged through a career in league where painkillers allow them to play no matter how broken that they finish their careers and can't bend down to play with their kids.

This is a complete joke - was the idea to keep NRL in the press for a few days but they are again a laughing stock - any shoulder charge in Rugby is 10 mins in the bin - no exceptions but NRL wont do this because they need to keep the games even for TV entertainment purposes and as a selling point against AFL where blowouts occur more regularly. So there is now no shoulder charge rule in the NRL because Ennis and Wighton in differing degrees did shoulder charges

Cross, Still watching rugby - tut tut you will get called objective soon...

We have a front office problem. Remember the days when Gallop was always in the media taking ownership of the day to day problems. The game's credibility was synonymous with his credibility and while he emphasized the fact that every issue deserved to be judged independent of others, the fact that he took charge meant there was a level of consistency that has disappeared since his departure. These days the leadership of the game talk in terms of revenue, return on investment, TV ratings, brand alignment, paradigm shifting and repurposing. We need a leader who has the bottle to front us punters and tell us that a shoulder charge is a shoulder charge. Simple.

I agree EJ. There is however one aspect of the Bunker though that needs attention and that is the power the Bunker holds over outcomes when they choose to intervene or not. There are clear cut cases of referee errors on the field that are turned over and then there are those which are not. In weekly fixtures this is not the end of the world but come the finals such inconsistent interjections into the game could attract more attention.

...In addition, I am sure if someone combed through this years shoulder charges they could freeze frame and find separation between the body and the arm in a number of cases. So why the attention to detail following the letter of the law by the MRC in the Ennis case? Unless the law is changed the Ennis precedent will be used in every future defense and the judiciary, if consistent, won't have a leg to stand on.

And the drums keep pounding rhythm through my braaaaaaiiiiinnn ,, laa dee daa dee dee , laa dee daa Dee daa ....

I'm at a loss to understand why we have rules that are so ambiguous. They are being construed to suit a hundred different outcomes. Commonsense is thrown out the window so much it becomes a joke and bias and conflict of interest come to the fore. Conspiracy theories gain momentum and fans lose faith in the system. Both Ennis and Wightons SC could be shown as examples of what the SC rule was supposed to prevent, yet we have a process where the fans are told there's no case to answer. Tariq Sims playing for the Cowboys was suspended for 5 weeks in the last game of 2014 season for a SC and his arm is no differenly positionedt to Wighton's. The arm is away from the body and they clash heads. The media from the South bay for blood. It's an open and shut case of what the rule is written to stop according to Paul Kent.Cowboys went into finals without even fighting the charge. No charge on Ennis for taking a bloke out with the point of the shoulder without the ball and no attempt to wrap arms WTF. I witnesed a 20yld player(QLD resident) get hit with a SC. in Townsville by former Australian Player Colin Scott similar to the collision speed and angle of Wighton's and Sim's tackle. The clash resulted in the 20yld with a coma with a fractured skull and never to play agan. His life also changed forever. Scott recieved a 12month ban from memory?

To tell you the truth, given the whorish entanglement that NRL has with gambling, I assume at the start of a game that it is rigged until it is proven otherwise. It's taken a lot of the fun out of the game for me. Gambling and sport don't mix. A bloody disgraceful example to present to our young people. Shameful, utterly shameful. And that's just related to the ethic of sportsmanship - the Baghdad ruin that it makes of families' lives is another thing and is well known, although we all choose to look the other way.

the bunker keeps being brought up in this discussion because it has similar faults to the MRC. BOTH, every now and then, make outlandish, mind boggling decisions, that just flatly leave most people astounded! I feel that there is a major problem; along with the MRC and BUNKER we have a bunch of refs who appear to scared to make a call for fear, maybe, of losing their jobs. Where is all this coming from? It usually stems from the top. And doesn't appear to be changing, so perhaps a personal change is in order.

Greenberg and others spruiking an impossible 100% success rate didn't help. When you set expectations that high, the failure to meet them makes you look a failure.

What has to happen to make the NRL realise that Tony Archer and his crew of MRC stooges, Judiciary judge and jury experts, and the ego driven whistle blowers are the worst professional administrators possible? These erroneous decisions have been a problem all season and similar to past seasons. Yet fans are just expected to cop it. When Players and Coaches, and the Clubs are prevented from speaking out against the NRL and its processes, due process is being denied. In a ‘free speech’ society, how can the NRL in all good conscious deny the players, coaches and the Clubs their right to speak freely about issues they want to talk about. Why are referees, MRC, and the Judiciary and their decisions, not up for public debate contribution from those most apt to speak out against the perps?

I think it is quite appropriate that David Lord is writing about the Judiciary when he is talking about the Match Review Committee - It seems neither seem to have much idea about what they are talking about. Buettner (from memory is a school teacher - i recall he went the Australian Phy Ed College back in the day). He isn't qualified to write policy and apply it. In all seriousness, they really should relieve the MRC of their responsibilities this week before they have a chance to ruin a clubs entire season with yet another incorrect application of the rules during the Finals.