So, here we are: six days after Iosia ‘Rodney’ Soliola knocked out Billy Slater and people are still asking: why wasn’t Soliloa sent off?
Soliola’s since copped five weeks off and people are broadly nodding along, thinking, yes, that seems about right.
But they still don’t know why he wasn’t sent off on that fateful Saturday evening at the stadium once called Bruce.
I know, though.
And we’ll talk of it in good time.
For now – was it a send-off? Of course it was! It was late, it was high, and it knocked the bloke out. Tick, tick, tick. How many other criteria for what constitutes foul play are there?
Did Soliola have to leap on Slater afterwards? Make like one of those UFC guys and launch a flying elbow him at his prone head? Did he have to bite him? Try to eat him?
Ricky Stuart knew it was bad. He ripped off a classic post-match Wayne Bennett-patented Diversionary Tactic, telling the world the refs weren’t very good in several areas.
“Coaches have to come in here and own up to every question you [media] blokes want to throw at us and we do it week in and week out,” he said.
(AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
“We just keep on aiming up, coming in here having to answer your questions after our week, season of hard work and yet … why don’t the NRL get the referees in here to come in and answer some of these questions too? Or Tony Archer? When do they ever have to face any accountability? The best thing the NRL have done is just keep fining me and fining me and fining me and whacking the hell out of me so I don’t say anything.
“Why doesn’t the NRL come out and make public some of the communications between the referees and the bunker and the actual linesmen? Then we’ll start fixing some things in regards to what’s going on in interpretations, inconsistencies. Let’s make everybody accountable. I’m accountable – I’ve got to sit here every friggin’ week and answer questions. Let’s make everybody in the game accountable.”
And then he added this:
“Those poor bastards in there, my players, they’re accountable every week. They’ve got to go home now and face scrutiny through social media and all our fans. They’ve busted themselves tonight. That was one of the best games they’ve played all year tonight. Not everybody in the game’s accountable.”
So yes, a fine rant from our man Rick, and you’d expect nothing else from a passion player like him.
But watch him, and know the man a little, and it looks like his heart wasn’t absolutely in it.
It wasn’t a Classic Ricky Rant. It was a coach protecting his player from the noise of a witch-hunt.
Maybe not a witch-hunt. But as Stuart said, there was going to be a whole lot of media – traditional, social, anti-social – banging on about Soliola’s swinging arm.
And so Stuart did a Donald Trump and got people to talk about him banning transgender people from the military rather than him trying to fire another man investigating him for colluding with Russia, a foreign adversary.
Well, sort of.
But Stuart knew The Big Story of the Night wasn’t going to be Storm knocking over the Raiders and nailing a probable final spike in the Raiders’ 2017 Telstra Premiership coffin.
No. It was going to be the Raiders big-haired Samoan lock taking out – indeed knocking out – rugby league’s best fullback.
And so it came to pass: it wasn’t fair that the Storm’s champion played no further part in the game yet Soliola did.
It wasn’t fair that Storm were down to 15 players given Cam Smith was already gone.
And so on.
So Stuart held up a puppet – himself, ‘ranting’ – and waved it at all those different sorts of media and said, Hello! Look over here! Look at me!
And here we are. Still wondering why Soliola wasn’t sent off.
Well, I’m not. Because I know why he wasn’t sent off. And I know whose fault it is.
And I’m going to tell you.
It’s yours.
Soliola not being sent off is your fault.
That’s right. You there, the rugby league fan. The consumer of this greatest game of all rugby league.
Because it’s you, and those like you, and Stuart and coaches and pundits and broadcasters, and anyone who bangs on about the quality of rugby league refereeing.
It’s all your fault.
Because there’s one thing you’ve always demanded of referees, and it’s this: consistency.
Tune into talkback, tool about on Twitter, delve deep into the dungeons of the darkest interweb and someone will be saying all they ask of referee is one thing: consistency.
Well, now you have it. How do you like it?
Because Soliola wasn’t sent off because no-one gets sent off. That’s consistent. Which is what you want.
Soliloa not being sent off is entirely consistent with the last several years of rugby league refereeing. No-one gets sent off.
The last player sent off in the NRL was David Shillington in Round 22 of 2015 for a head-butt in a scrum in front of the ref. He was the first one for two years before that.
At April of 2015 Fox Sports’ website had a headline: “No player has been sent off in the NRL for 22,000 minutes.”
The reason? Consistency! You send someone off in the NRL, first thing you’ll hear post-match – particularly if it’s early on and affects the result – is a coach comparing it to some other incident in which a player wasn’t sent off.
They’ll say: it’s inconsistent. And that inconsistency is bad.
And everyone will jump aboard and the refs will be accused of the heinous crime of inconsistency.
And they will feel bad, for they are but human. Truly, they are.
And thus refs will decide, because they are human, that it’s safer not to send someone else.
And that if they don’t it will be consistent.
And that’s good, isn’t it?
And here we are.
And it’s your fault.
Gary Harvey
Roar Rookie
I think what PNG Bronco is trying to say is that there was no Les Boyd or Ben Flower style malice in it. It was clumsy and late, and the suspension was deserved but if Slater had not slipped it would of been completely different.
Gus
Guest
Done and dusted and time to move on so why post another article about it - ridiculous
Trevor Hickman
Guest
Soliola wasn't sent off because the referee saw it right first time. I was at the game and the incident was right in front of me. All I saw was two players slipping (players had slipped throughout the entire game because of the dampness of the pitch). Slater was unlucky as he slipped into the tackle, Soliola was unlucky as his clenched fist makes it look ugly. It's a split second incident. The disgusting trial by media that followed and the baying for blood by the ensuing audience meant there was no chance of a free trial. Had positions been reversed would Slater have received five weeks? I think we all know the answer would have been, no.
Norad
Guest
None of this suits the antl NRL narrative of the NRL media. Of the 111 former NFL players tested, 110 suffered CTE. This results in a NRL headline story in Telegraph asking why any parent should ever let their kid play junior rugby league footy. So junior NRL footy players are apparently in the same body contact sport of NFL pros? Never mind the same illogical argument could be put forward against AFL and ARU junior footy.
Buddy Holly
Guest
Yes true fans do want consistency but consistency of the rules being applied objectively. It has been the same narrative of the NRL for the past few years, a particular infringement occurs one week and then the referee boss says "yes we got it wrong and need to look at that." It is reactive and that particular rule becomes flavour of the month. I agree with what others have said before we need consistency from the leadership and it will filter down to the referees on the ground.
Macdemac
Guest
What a stupid commentary. The guy should have been sent off. No questions. The referees are too scared to make a BIG decision because of the press not the fans. Have you noticed how bad the referring is because of the lack of courage. Too scared of what the press might say. Bring back Barry Gommersall.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
Where's your response Matt ? you hack . Too busy changing your bed sheets , or fitting a plastic one?
Peter
Guest
All these people saying Yeah, we want consistency, send 'Em orf! Will you say the same thing if it's your team in the grand final, aplayer on your team hits late and high - will you still agree with sending them off? If not, your opinion is not worth squat. I suspect many posters' underlying message is Yeah, the refs aren't fair to my team of angels, send these opposing devils to the bin!
Lovey
Guest
Yep, and the same gentleman has whinged many times in earlier days that "the refs should put their whistles in their pockets".
Mike from tari
Guest
The Brisbane Coroner will be handing down his findings in the James Ackerman death from a shoulder charge soon, I feel that the Broncos, the QRL & the NRL will not fare very well in his findings, for those of you who don't know Ackers was killed by a shoulder charge that did not hit his head, the surgeon said he had seen the same thing in whiplash victims in car accidents, now since the Coroners inquiry we have had several shoulder charges penalised, many not penalised ( even though replays have shown the incident the bunker has not interceded) & then Papali not sent off for his shoulder charge that put Dugan out of the game so the referees & NRL had better start taking appropriate action.
M.O.C.
Roar Guru
Why defend defend the guy who causes a brain injury? It's like a boxing referee worrying about the damaged fist instead of the downed opponent. You can replace busted knees and hips but demonstrable and progressive brain injury is on a different level. It is also legal in RL to tackle anywhere in the body except the head and neck. The NFL have shown the evidence, is the NRL going to take it seriously?
PNG Broncos fan88
Roar Guru
So are ACL's, hammys, bone fractures, torn ligaments, etc...unfortunate outcomes due to the nature of a contact sport. Soliola was not intentionally prowling the pitch to maim an opposing player. Remove yourselves from mob-pitchfork mentality and put yourself in the accused shoes.
craigo
Guest
Sorry Matt, but linking the fans desire for consistent refereeing to the non send off is complete BS. For a start referees are not consistent in any of their rulings and secondly the tackle should be adjudicated on the spot at the time, on its merits and with no consideration given for previous rulings. It was a send off offensive and the officials, all 4 off them plus the cast of the bunker screwed it up royally. Any excuse to the contrary is just that, an excuse. Your argument in relation to consistency will be shattered this weekend when I am sure someone will be sent off of for a tackle or a hit that will be deemed marginally reckless as a reaction to the furor throughout the week. Someone this week will be sent of when they probably don't deserve to be sent off as this is the current state of incompetence and the unprofessional nature of NRL officiating.
Womblat
Guest
True MOC, but you could also blame ticket prices and ridiculous beverage costs as well. But the stadium seats don't rate a mention on broadcast rights as far as income goes. They wouldn't care less if it's an empty stadium, as long as a million people tune in on Fox or Nine. That's where the money is. You are dead right in one thing. They don't listen to the fans at all. The only difference between arrogance and ignorance is that the former has an opinion.
M.O.C.
Roar Guru
Slater has 2 weeks worth of retrograde amnesia and was unconscious for 3 minutes. That is consistent with serious head injury. Not a "king hit" though?
M.O.C.
Roar Guru
Womblat, I think the best fan survey can be done simply by counting the empty seats in the stadiums. Goes to show that the powers-that-be don't listen to the fans at all. If they did listen to the fans, there would be no games played at Homebush in a massive empty stadium - those are corporate decisions, just like all the rest that influence the game.
PNG Broncos fan88
Roar Guru
King hits are send off offences, this was not. Lets not sensationalize this incident any further, author wee bit off the mark here to suit the narrative.
Womblat
Guest
I'm a fan, just like you Sheek. Nobody asked me what I like, or you either I bet. The NRL don't send out surveys or ask for feedback on their product. I didn't want the shoulder charge banned, or an automatic ten minutes for punching, and I wasn't asked. Neither was any fan, they just did it. Fans will accept what is served up to them, thanks very much. That's why fan blaming is a nonsense. We have no voice in this. It's the NRL bosses who have decided all of the above. And what makes them decide? Money. They have no idea what they are doing, they are feeling their way along blindly, knee jerking here, turning a blind eye there, straightening their hair for the camera, making it up as they go chasing the bottom line. Players, fans, we come and go, we are dispensable. But we are utterly blameless.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Should have said there is no mention of which circumstances warrant a dismissal in the rule on on page 42
spruce moose
Guest
Sent off in a grand final?? Good one.