Todd Payten and Justin Holbrook have found an ally in Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould in their claims that referees are biased against the lower-ranked teams.
Holbrook voiced his frustrations after the Titans lost a controversial Round 1 clash to Parramatta that the “big clubs” get preferential treatment and Payten echoed those sentiments after his Cowboys were thumped by the Roosters on the weekend.
Gould, who has overseen a high-profile recruitment drive at Canterbury but the team is still struggling with a 1-3 record after the first month of the season, claimed on 100% Footy that NRL head of football Graham Annesley had conceded the point privately when speaking to the coach of one of the teams down the bottom of the ladder.
“I 100 per cent agree. I know a coach of one of the lower sides who actually rang Graham Annesley one day and just said we don’t get the rub of the green,” Gould said on Nine’s 100% Footy.
“And Graham Annesley, in his own words, said that there is an intrinsic bias towards the better teams. There is an intrinsic, nit-picking of the lower teams.
“Now if you think about penalty blitzes that we’ve had over the years, we can go for the first 10 weeks of the competition and have 25-30 penalties a game and they’re blitzing on everything. We get to the Origin and they have five or six penalties and it’s a 10 times better game.
“And their excuse is, ‘Well they’re better players, they don’t cheat’. Well of course they cheat, but that’s their excuse to stop the penalty blitz.
“What I’m saying is that there is an intrinsic thing that the battling team, the lower team is doing something illegal to bring the top team back to the field. And he admitted it.”
Phil Gould (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
DCE deal done until end of 2025
Seven years after his $10 million lifetime deal rewrote NRL record books, Manly players have declared Daly Cherry-Evans’ next contract will rightfully create more history.
Only formalities remain to be tidied up, with Manly set to confirm a new two-year deal with the Kangaroos halfback as soon as this week.
The new contract will see 33-year-old Cherry-Evans remain at the club until at least the end of 2025, with his so-called lifetime deal signed in 2015 expiring next year.
It means Cherry-Evans (265 games) is on track to surpass Cliff Lyons (308) as the club’s most-capped player, as well as rivalling Steve Menzies’ record of 349 games for Manly and former merger Northern Eagles.
In turn, teammates believe it will cement his status as an all-time club great. “He definitely (deserves it),” hooker Lachlan Croker said. “Winning a comp here and playing for 15 years or whatever by the end of it, it’s really important.
“He will be so proud of what he has done … being able to look back on that in 50 years time, that’s all you can hope for.”
Extending Cherry-Evans contract beyond his 36th birthday is not seen as a risk for Manly, given his current form.
“It’s the things like kicking us in corners and tightening our defensive line up are the things non-footy watchers don’t really understand,” Croker said.
“But within our walls he is a very much one of the most respected players here, and what he does for our team is very important.”
Cherry-Evans’ new deal will likely be worth less than his current one, which was, at one point, the richest in NRL history with $1.2 million a year to keep him from moving to Gold Coast.
He would have been seen as a likely target for new franchise the Dolphins given his Redcliffe links, and has routinely been linked with other clubs. But Cherry-Evans has always insisted he wanted to stay.
The deal comes with Manly without a CEO, while fellow half Kieran Foran has also indicated his desire to play on and expecting to stay.
Annesley warns teams over captain’s challenge loophole
Head of football Graham Annesley has warned players they risk being sin-binned if they deliberately bring a game to a stop in order to force a captain’s challenge review.
Rabbitohs hooker Damien Cook employed the tactic in last Friday’s loss in Penrith because he thought a Panther had knocked on and wanted to stop play so Souths could call for a bunker review.
Captain’s challenges can only be requested during breaks in play so if a referee misses a knock-on and allows play to continue, teams are intentionally conceding penalties to get a review.
The tactic backfired on Broncos hooker Jake Turpin who was sin-binned in the loss to the Warriors. He was yelling “captain’s challenge” as soon as the penalty was awarded but by then it was too late and he had to go off for 10 minutes.
“A team can’t try to create a stoppage in order to challenge something that has previously been missed,” Annesley said. “If there is a natural stoppage, then they can challenge the reason the referee caused the game to stop.
“Some people will say it doesn’t matter as long as we get the right decision in the end but there has to be some parameters, otherwise we would have stoppages to play all the time.
“Once they think they get a decision changed, they would just be coached to give away a penalty so they can go back and challenge the original decision.”
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Rob
Guest
Sporacle I read your comment as a sarcastic shot, question my knowledge and understanding of the rules. You insinuated I was making things up is how your comment came across to me. I’m of the strong belief the rules are being abstractly applied so much many people don’t understand many of the rules. Sutton the weekend before officiated Storm v Souths game and penalised the Storm in attack. Arrow smashed Munster without the ball. Sutton award Souths a penalty because he believed Munster was in front of Grant running into the defensive line. Storm challenged the decision and they discover Munster was in fact not in front of Grant? So Sutton knows the rule? Arrow had taken out Munster as he was always behind Grant. Next weekend Sutton makes the opposite decision ? believing Keary is behind the ball when he is clearly never behind the ball. I get and understand Sutton is guessing wrong two weeks in a row. He asked the bunker for help and they can clearly see Keary is intentionally running into the defensive line in front of the winger? I strongly disagree Keary’s allowed to be offside and Gilbert being wrongly sent for 10min had little to no consequence on the results.
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
As I have said I understand the rules, it's when the offside rule is applied is my point, apologies if it sounds like I'm talking out my rear. Have a great day :thumbup:
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
I understand the rules, there are times when offside rulings need to be made and times when a player being offside is of little to no consequence. My interpretation is different to your interpretation :thumbup:
Rob
Guest
Sporacle, are you a straw man? You can go from being a support player to an obstruction depending on being behind or in front of a team mate carrying the ball. I repeat read the rules before talking out your rear. Perhaps Sutton should officiate the rules instead of doing what Tedesco tells him to. The bloke in the bunker is an embarrassment.
Rob
Guest
Support can’t be interfered with by defender. Auto correct typo.
Rob
Guest
I actually don’t know why I try to educate people about the rules. Look them up read them then you’ll understand my frustration. The play starts when the ball is played. The man that plays the ball is out of play until the ball has gone past him. Any attacker in front of the ruck is out of play. When the ball is kicked down field every is in play. You can’t run in front of a player with the ball and obstruct a defender. A support player can be interfered with by a defender. A support player is a player behind the player carrying the football.
Rob
Guest
Sorry I forgot to answer your question. The player on playing the ball is deemed out of play and cannot move forward down the field until the ball has gone past him. So you know when Hass played the ball on tackle 5 in Origin and immediately started heading down field, not only was he inside the 10 but he was illegal stealing a march on the kick down town. You can move forward once the ball is past you. It’s been a rule for decades. The Roosters (manly Tedesco) will run a very flat line on the inside of their teammates carrying the football. Basically it protect them from cover defenders get to the player carrying the ball. Perfectly legal unless you run in front of him. Technically flat is not behind? You know when attackers move forward and stand in front of the dummy half picking up the ball it is an illegal play. It is classed as deliberately standing offside to obstruct. NSW and Penrith were doing it repeatedly to stop Markers getting to Cleary? Until Queensland did it back and Bennett brought it up coming into the finals? Players who are not behind the ball when is played are offside for that play. Eg Cameron Murray in Origin last year. Anyway their a lots of simple rules that seem to be ignored and broken. Keary was breaking the rules running in front of the ball after passing and putting himself in a position between cover defence and the man with the ball is obstruction.
Rob
Guest
Well from memory Osako was penalised returning the football and Fafita was walking back? Osako never ran behind Fafita? Cowboys Robson was penalised last year when he jumped out of dummy half and passed to Masters. Masters stepped back inside and beat his opposite only for the Tigers marker to put a hand on Robson. Masters try was disallowed because Robson was deemed to have continued moving forward after passing from dummy half? Robson was actually behind Masters as he went past? Papalli penalised for obstructing Welsh after passing to winger and stopping. Welsh pushed Papalli as the winger went past on his way down field. Keary intentionally runs forward after passing and continues into the defensive line getting between Gilbert and the winger. Keary is still in front of his team mate carrying the football before, during and after Gilbert touching him. He not in a position to support the winger at any stage. Watch gridiron and they do the same thing to stop cover defence get to a player outside them. Oh well Master also continued running down field after passing Feldt and got penalised for obstructing the defensive also. I called him an idiot and Payten released him from his contract soon after. Perhaps the Roosters could use his services?
steveng
Roar Rookie
Ok :laughing: TB I will compare between 1962 to 1972 Bunnies v Dogs as the Dogs don’t have such a record ever in their history and never ever will do, as the Bunnies should have had 5 staright premierships :thumbup: 1. Bunnies 4x Premiers, 1x Runner-up GF, 1x top 4, 3x bottom 5, 1x WS 2. Dogs – 1x Runner-up GF, 2x top 4, 8x bottom 5, 1x WS
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
Let me know if you run out of crayons. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
So is the guy playing the ball offside or everyone on the team after a fullback makes a return on a deep kick offside, if you apply that logic then every penalty for blocking kick chasers should be overturned due to them being in front of the person receiving the kick, I think you may have a handful of straws :thumbup:
Rob
Guest
So I’ve just bought myself to watch the Cowboys v Roosters game. With regards to the Gilbert sin binning did anyone notice Keary was in front of the winger running with the football? That technically put Keary in an off side position in relation to the ball? Keary is in front off the ball he can not be classed as a support player. He should actually be deemed a player in Gilbert’s way running in the defensive line? He was sent to the sin bin for touching an attacking player running in front of the man with the football? We have big trouble in the bunker. Under the actual rules Keary is obstructing Gilbert by running in front of the man carrying the football. Oh well yet another interpretation that goes against the Cowboys.
Rob
Guest
Against the Cowboys last year Holmes caught the ball in the in goal and raced back to the 20m only to see no one in front of him. As he tapped the ball and started to go the length of the field to score they called a captains challenge. The whistle was blown and Holmes called back. He did in fact catch the ball in the in goal. Holmes was denied a length of the field try but we got to take the restart again from the 20m. The Warriors won the game by 4 points.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
I support a dud team. We cop dud calls. Other teams cop dud calls. It's just how it is. I've actually never thought that the wooden spoons the knights won in about 7 years straight was cause of bias: conscious, unconscious, semi-conscious, consciousness requiring a HIA. It was cause we sucked. I'm not sure what we are blowing up most about at the moment: is it unconscious bias, sin binnings having too much impact on results, the bunker or d. all of the above?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Steveng literally did ask… and it was him I was replying to…
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
You are so boring Barry. Most of all when you think you are funny. I have been upfront about my history here which in part is why so many still refer to me by past profile names. Yet never disrespectfully, although it fits your agenda to imagine otherwise.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
but you asked… No. We didn't. No one ever does but as you see this as your personal FB page you indulged yourself anyway. :laughing:
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
Christ why the history lesson, how about we talk about how the game is run today not last century
The Barry
Roar Guru
Also 6 times leading try scorer Lamb 2, Barba 2, Ryan, Vagana 8 times leading point scorer El Masri 6, Lamb, Halligan Haven’t worked out Dally M positional awards just yet… :laughing: :laughing:
The Barry
Roar Guru
It feels a bit dirty comparing a successful Bulldogs period with Souths least successful period but you asked… Three spoons for the Dogs in that time. Nine times in the bottom five. 22 times in the semi finals, 10 grand final appearances 84, 85, 86, 88, 94, 95, 98, 04, 12, 14 and five premierships 84, 85, 88, 95, 04. Three minor premiership. Two Dally M winners Potter and Barba. Three Rothmans medallists Brentnall, Lamb, McGrady Five Grand Final MOM / Churchill medals - Kelly, Mortimer, Dunn, Dymock, Mason Five times Dally M coach of the year - Gould, Anderson, Folkes, Moore, Hasler