The referees aren’t ruining the game, the stubborn players are

All it takes to fix the game is that Todd Greenburg tells the referees to use a bit of bloody common sense. These guys are tough dedicated footballers but the referees are treating them like pansies. Clean the place out starting at the top. Unfortunately, Greenburg has to go as he's never around when you need him. And, he's got to stop this business where he always wants to sit down with player's and get all warm and fussy with them. He keeps calling them by their first names as though they are his best mate. Secondly, if Graham Annesley doesn't want to wipe out some of the silly rules that have entered the game then get rid of him. Surely, there are some great retired players (or club officials) who would love to take over from him and get the game back on track once again.

I think you're forgetting the most obvious option available to the players... Play by the rules and don't give the refs a reason to penalise you. Should be easier and less confusing than constantly infringing and hoping that you won't be penalised.

You're entitled to take someone ball and all but when they are holding the ball with their arm, I'm afraid the elbow doesn't magically disappear. His elbow didn't go above his shoulder and the ball was always higher than the elbow. I think those two facts will prove that his elbow was not cocked and their was no intent. Their has to be some onus on the players for self preservation. It was a bad attempted tackle by Morris, he wasn't using his shoulders, he was leading with his chest, so in my mind, he was responsible for his own injury. The penalty was OTT, and a suspension would be ridiculous. I think he was sighted by the match review committee only to justify the use of the bunker which they can only do if the infringement is definitely suspension worthy.

Did you see the footy show this morning. They showed that Taumalolo’s elbow went no where near anybody's head. The photo is after the fact when Taumalolo’s elbow goes in the air after contact.

You are entitled to take someone ball and all without having to deal with an elbow to the throat. The idea that a head high or a cocked elbow is accidental or a 'reflex action' is redundant. If Burgess gets off I'll be very surprised.

The old 5m rule was based on both sides being back 5m at the play the ball leaving a 10m distance between the two. With one referee this was too hard to adjudicate on for both teams and infringements were commonplace. The change to a 10m rule for the defending side allowed the referee to only have to police one team, allowing the attacking team to hit the advantage line flat on many runs and as we have seen, plenty of forward passes have ensued. Changing to a 5m rule only for the defending side would leave no room for the attacking side to play any footy and it would lead to more dropped ball and stoppages. You need to have 10m to allow any sort of attacking play .

I agree Mr X, the Sam Burgess incident, which was Morris's fault, for going in too high and trying to take Sam 'ball and all' and high. Sam had the ball in his arm and he was protecting and preventing a strip, There was nothing intentional about Sam's action, it was just accidental that it got Morris in the throat, If Sam gets 1 week for that then its wrong!

In order to meet the threat of AFL, the NRL gave up on the rules 30 years ago - eg offsides/scrum feeds (is it in the lawbook anymore) to make for a more flowing game - now they have reverted because people were p*&%& off that players were never back 10 metres esp in overtime. However they wont use the sin bin like they do in RU for repeated infringements because TV wants a close game (though one suspects a team well in front will have a player in the sin bin before long - I think its happened already - Manly). I somehow suspect this tightening is also trying to prevent Melbourne repeating as they are renowned for stretching the rules at the tackle and in defence.

My biggest grief the past few seasons ( decades) is everything around the ptb. It now seems that if the players were penalised all along we would have proper ptb, no wrestle to slow down play, no forward pass from dummy half, probably would only need a 5m (7m) rule and the Storm would have had to come up with different tactics to have been successful. Hit them with 60 penalties per game, the coaches will eventually give us our game back.

Was I not seeing things? Did Mr Andrew Fifita go through the entire game without a penalty awarded against him (let alone a brain explosion-except during the kerfuffle at the end, but that was after the FT siren so I won’t hold him on that one)? Is that even possible? If so, if he can do it anyone can. Was he coached to show some discipline, did he have a word to himself in the mirror or both? If the refs crackdown has helped reform such an habitual sinner as Andrew, there is hope for them all-except perhaps such hard-wired self-appointed refs like Smith. Keep it up refs, don’t listen to the rants and raves of media men who profess to love the game while sullying it.

I think the refereeing's been terrible - that Sharks Storm game was probably the worst I have ever seen. If it really was the case that the refs were cracking down on every infraction, I could accept that, but there were lots more infractions that could have been penalised and weren't. So the refs seem to be picking and choosing, almost at random, when to penalise and when not to. And then you have really blatant incidents of foul play going unpenalised, like when Slater, having completed a tackle, kneed the ball out of the hands of the Sharks player who was trying to play the ball. The overall effect of numerous, more or less random penalties, is to make the players feel confused and frustrated - they seem to feel that they're going to be penalised every few tackles in any case, so they might as well commit something really heinous. Adding to the frustration is the ridiculous situation where players are getting sinbinned for not being straight at marker, or for cursing under their breaths, but if you elbow a guy in the throat, or choke Paul Gallen half to death, you're fine to stay on the field. The refereeing in the Sharks Storm game was the worst I have ever seen, and I wonder if Gus Gould is right, that the referee was taking the mickey out of Todd Greenberg's 'penalise everything' directive in the hope of provoking public outrage that would bring this farce to an end. I preferred the refereeing last year, where players knew where they stood: they were often allowed to get away with small infractions, but if they went too far they'd likely be penalised.

I came to read the roar, to see the general consensus of fans and thankfully there is sanity here! I only watch Fox and I would say that they are fairly neutral compared to what is apparently coming out of nine. Listening to triple m today and Girdler was scathing of the NRL, and somehow he thinks that professional rugby league players are incapable of playing within the fundamental rules of the game. The 10m and the PTB are arguable the key difference between league and union, yet these commentators seem to think that the rules are too difficult for the players. I live overseas and coach mainly beginners. Imagine how difficult it is to explain the rules of the game, then show them an NRL game where the supposed best in the world are incapable of getting back 10m or being square at marker! I sincerely hope the NRL stick to their guns and the players wake up to themselves. Get off the player, get square or get back 10. Easy!

I think most people know to dismiss anything Anasta says already

agree with the article. keep it up nrl if ur reading!