Winning a premiership in 78 after Hollywood Hartley got the tackle counts wrong in several of the finals games against teams playing Manly.

The poaching of players, Fulton’s arrogance (rorted the blood bin rule in the 87 GF against the Raiders by rotating Rambo Ronnie Gibbs and one of the Cleal Brothers with fake head cuts – the league had to change the rule the following season), Hasler as coach brings in Dank and Hibbert running a supplements program that sees Manly in several Grand Finals. Dank goes on to work briefly with the Sharks for a few months before finishing at Essendon running supplements programs. Manly escape any punishment during the ASADA saga whilst the Sharks and Bombers are penalised.

Ken Arthurson constantly taking care of Manly during his days in charge of the league, creating a massive conflict of interest.

No shortage of reasons to hate Manly.

Cam Smith has a testimonial game in a year he isn’t even retiring (2018) and none of the cash he earned is even included in the Storm’s cap for 2018/19.

Are you going to whinge about the 2018 GF? Slater shouldn’t have even played in that contest.

When that market has already had the Seagulls, Giants and Chargers and all failed, it’s hard to be optimistic about the GC. The AFL must have some serous dollars just to keep the train wreck that is the Suns operating, purely for the television contracts.

I believe the ARL made a huge mistake in the mid nineties when the Crushers folded. It’s a shame they weren’t supported and new administrator’s appointed to stabilise the franchise. Once they folded the Broncos basically told the NRL in 98 they didn’t want any competition in Brisbane for at least ten years.

Brisbane, which is a league heartland (and Suncorp would love another tenant) needs a second team but the Broncos will fight tooth and nail to stop any new venture from starting which is a shame. I have gotten into arguments with a number of Bronco fans about this subject both at games and online.

Perth remains an option but problematic as they do not want a relocated team like The Sharks or the Tigers but one of their own. Personally I loved the Western Reds logo and jersey and would have brought it back rather than come up with something ridiculous like the Pirates.

I lived in Adelaide for three years during the Rams era. I do not believe it could support a league team again.

I agree with the article about the Gold Coast. They have tried on numerous occasions to set a team up there without success. It seems that there are junior players up there and some talent but that mostly it is a spot people go for the beach and the nightclubs and to relax. I wonder how long the NRL and the AFL will keep the Titans and Suns going for?

All bar one of the Rooster tries aided by officials.

No one knows what Lee was penalised for late in the count. Mitchell initiated contact but Lee gets done for holding on or a high shot? Lewis done for a dominant tackle on Tedesco? Friend deadset knocks on and low and behold Chooks get the rub? Crusher tackles not reported that got Chambers a three week rest? 9-5 count in Chooks favour.

Poor calls in the league are nothing new.

See 89 Grand Final with Bill Harrigan changing the course of the game with an absolute howler against Bruce McGuire. Many teams suffered in the late seventies and early eighties with Greg Hartley and his biased officiating and inability to count six tackles properly.

In Origin you had Barry Gomersall ruining matches constantly.

With all the technology available now and the money spent on the Bunker and with two refs plus the touchies you’d think they’d get it right more often.

It makes me question two things. The amount of gambling in the game and also the amount of power Fox and Channel Nein wield. The two networks have spent a pretty penny over the years for the television and pay tv rights and have far too much sway over scheduling.

Still wondering why Eels didn’t get penalty for having a chaser taken out by Kaufusi at the end of the first half yet the Storm get one in the second when Slater goes down?

Storm almost impossible to beat at AAMI. Always get the rub with calls. Reckon Eels should have been up by eighteen at halftime. Discipline and frustration getting the better of Eels in the second half. A couple of kicks that went dead in goal hurt.

I think you can mark much of the decline in he game down to the wrestling and slowing of the rucks, which Bellamy perfected and continues to base much of his game on, giving his defensive line more time to reset.

The NRL could have easily dealt with this years ago but did little to curb the ugly three man tackles and all the variations on shooter/chicken wings/crushers etc.

Unfortunately, Greenberg and Grant are more concerned with keeping games close for Channel Nine, Fox and the millions of television viewers, hence the reason the sin binned is rarely used now for ruck indiscretions no matter how many times players get pinged for it.

With little being done to stop the wrestling, I believe many coaches have taken the stance of if you can’t beat em join em approach. It beggars belief that the word wrestle is now often part of most post match press conferences.

Until the NRL is ready to crack down on the garbage in the play the balls, the game will continue to suffer. Coaches happy to give us overly structured and dull four hit ups, an obstruction play followed by a cross field kick or bomb.

It also does my head in watching defenders all go high in tackles whilst the attacking player makes another five metres plus dragging them along because nobody goes around the legs. What happened to the rugged and effective tackling styles of feared hitmen like Trevor Gilmeister, Dan Stains, David Gillespie etc?

Would love to see more ad lib, expansive footy with second phase and players not afraid to chance their hand.

I suggest younger league fans wanting to see what the game was like before the wrestling watch this brilliant Qualifying Final between the Bulldogs and Eels from 98. The last great era for the game in my opinion.

Still not convinced of the long term prospects for The Titans. The Giants, Seagulls, Chargers etc all failed previously. Both the Titans and the AFL Suns are haemorrhaging millions on what has always traditionally been a tacky holiday/party area for families and school leavers. It doesn’t strike me as a region that players would go to with Grand Final aspirations in mind, more likely the beach lifestyle.

I seem to remember McGuire stepping on a players hand in the ruck in the Eels game. Not a great look for the game but of course Bennett and the media pointed the finger solely at the Eels. McGuire one of the premier grubs in the game.

Rob, how in the hell a Storm player wasn’t binned last night is beyond me. All given away for play the ball infringements and to upset the Sharks momentum. At least four penalties given away in front of their own sticks. You wonder why fans get frustrated.

Paul, the NRL’s main interest in recent years is to keep games close for the television audience. The Storm could have easily have had a player binned for repeated goal line infringements last night but weren’t so much as even warned. I believe Roy Masters has done a report/article on this before and typically got no response from the NRL.

As a Sharks fan, I agree with Renegade, I can’t say I’m thrilled with the signing of Dugan. Still trying to work out how much TPA the Broncos used to get sign Bird, considering Cronulla have offered him the highest contract money in the history of the club (reportedly). I don’t think Dugan is worth $750,000 a season.

Anyways, I hope they remain a top four club. Have concerns about the ageing forward pack. With Lewis, Gallen, Heighington and Taga due to retire very soon the club will need to fill the massive holes left by these guys.

I like the look of Nathan Brown but not sure when he comes off contract with the Eels.

Worst decision of the weekend (though not the bunkers fault) was at a critical moment in the Raiders v Warriors game. Hodgson stripped the ball from a Warriors player with two players in the tackle. One official was heard to call it correctly as a strip but was overruled by the other official who deemed it a knock on. Raiders scored almost on the next play. Game over. At the time, I believe the score was twelve to eight and the Warriors whilst under the pump were still very much in the game.

Whilst Canberra had the best of the second half the fact remains that the officials really affected the momentum of the game with that call. Happens way too often and the same teams get short changed.

I have no problem with Brisbane signing players that will strengthen their roster. What does burn me up is unresolved and dodgy dealings from years gone by that the NRL unfortunately never got answers for. Andrew Gee refused to provide answers on large sums of money in the Broncos accounts that weren’t adding up and wisely stepped down.

With teams like the Bulldogs, Storm and Eels already punished for Salary Cap violations, it’s situations like the one above and the contentious TPA that Brisbane so easily seem to sign high talent with ease and steer clear of penalties.

The league should have sorted this out years ago.

The Sharks are capable of playing an entertaining brand of footy but whether that happens is ultimately up to Checcin and Cummins. Whilst Canberra’s last tackle options let them down last week and their handling in crucial situations, I also thought they were hard done by late in the game with Melbourne being allowed to slow the play the ball and move up quickly, At one point you had the referee actually warn Cheyse Blair to stop the leg hook rather than actually penalising him. The wrestling style does my head in as a fan who prefers to see a fast, open game. Why the NRL never dealt with it years ago is beyond me. I guess it allows the referees to pick and choose when to penalise at the ruck and control the flow of the game. There hasn’t been any consistency shown in this area for years now and I don’t expect to see any come Sunday night.

I am a Sharks fan living in Melbourne and it would help if some Storm fans could take off their navy and purple glasses occasionally and be objective. Lots to like about Bellamy and the way he gets the best out of fringe players and has the team competing hard every week in a competitive sports town.

They do however get away with much in the play the ball area and that is what is what irritates many supporters. In the same way supporters get tired of the soft frees given to the Hawks in kickable range.

Have a lot of respect for Bellamy and his ability to get the Storm playing upbeat footy week in and week out. He also has the ability to take fringe players and cast offs from other clubs and gives them a role to play and gets good footy out of them.

In saying that, I am no fan of his defensive style of gang tackling and stifling the play the ball with any number of grubby tactics. Gallop and Smith during their watch could have stepped in but it has never been stamped out of the game and is still in vogue and in fact the norm for most other teams and coaches now to copy that style.

The Storm get much leeway from officials in the play the ball and ruck whilst other lower placed teams constantly get pinged. It will take a good attacking team with crafty offloads/second phase come September to interrupt their gang tackling and keep their defensive line guessing and not allow them to shoot up quickly. Strong officiating in September will also be needed to ensure teams constantly slowing down the rucks will be penalised.

Dave Gallop and Dave Smith could have dealt with the rise of the cannonball/crushers and other garbage that the wrestling coaches brought in during tackling drills. But apart from some suspensions here and there, nothing was ever really done to stamp it out of the game. I liked the game better when it flowed and players rolled away or got out of the ruck to rejoin their defensive line or slot in at marker.

I can still remember when the dreaded wrestling style of defence and gang tackling came into vogue and officials instead of blowing a penalty would simply keep yelling out “Dominant!” and let the defensive team get away with murder. Very few players touching the ball with their foot any more.

The NRL are laughable. They could have easily have given Matt Prior a two week holiday as well for multiple leg pulls during the same game. Come to think of it, Cam Smith made several identical low tackles during the Cowboys game on Saturday night in the first half and of course wasn’t penalised or charged for it. Don’t even get me started on the Reynolds tripping incident.

I enjoyed the recent women’s matches with Australia and New Zealand and was sad that I missed the NSW v Queensland encounter. Very impressed with the energy and passion on the field, the skills and hard tackling. Channel Nine need to get on board with better/more coverage.

The Storm must surely be favourites at this stage. Bellamy has them up tempo and competing hard every week and Smith and Cronk controlling and organising. Bellamy does well to manage fringe players and cast offs from other clubs and gets them playing a role within the team. In saying that, they also get far too much leeway in the ruck. Gang tackling, hooking legs, crushers, whatever it is, Bellamy must do relentless drills on this. It allows their defence time to set and to shoot up quickly. It will take a very strong team to compete with them for the full eighty and a gutsy set of officials to ensure the rucks/play the balls don’t turn into traffic jams.

I think the NRL has instructed officials to use the sin bin only as a last resort. This is impacting on the game hugely in terms of penalties given away by defending teams on their tryline, knowing they won’t be marched. I believe much of the revenue for the game now is from the television contracts. With such a large audience viewing games, I believe the NRL likes to keep games close as possible, thus you get the reluctance to sin bin players and risk a blow out scoreline and also no shortage of “catch up” penalties given to get teams back into contests or to make it seem like they are keeping the count even. I still think the best era was the late eighties through to the mid to late nineties. No gang tackling, players could still tackle around the legs, the game was more expansive and there was no wrestling, players generally cleared the ruck area quicker.