Roar Rookie
Joined June 2011
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I was born in the family home at Balmain, a stone's throw away from Birchgrove Oval, the birthplace of rugby league in this country.…
August 1907. Rugby league in this country was born in this month, 111 years ago. One-time English cricket umpire, the always jovial, and much…
I thoroughly enjoyed the football served up by Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga on Saturday night. Sure, there was no structure, but…
Daniel Nichols posted an article this week posing the question, “Why are we acting like Souths are the only NRL team in Sydney?” The…
First grade footballers have plenty of people offering them advice. They get it from their parents, their coaches, their mates, and their fans. So…
The NRL Integrity Unit needs to live up to its name when considering Mitchell Pearce's recent 'indiscretion' at a Kings Cross nightclub. The Oxford…
I was watching State of Origin II with a Maroons mate of mine on Wednesday night at my local bowling club (as you do).…
A mate of mine and I were at our local bowling club the other night and we were discussing the outwardly obnoxious behaviour of…
Firstly, let me say, I think Billy Slater is one of the best (if not the best) fullbacks I have ever seen and I…
[caption id="attachment_40348" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Brisbane Broncos coach Ivan Henjak (left) looks at Darren Lockyer during the Broncos\' team training session. AAP Image/Dave Hunt"][/caption] For…
[caption id="attachment_13543" caption="Queensland State of Origin coach Mal Meninga (right) and an injured Darren Lockyer (left) during the Queensland team training session. AAP Image/Dave…
[caption id="attachment_45355" caption="New South Wales Anthony Minichiello scores a try against Queensland during game 2 of the State of Origin Rugby League series in…
Standing ovation Tim.
You have encapsulated Todd Greenberg and his inept cronies beautifully.
In nearly 60 years of watching footy, I have NEVER seen a more corrupt governing body!
Shame Greenturd, shame!
Who are NRL HQ's least to most favourite teams?
As I also remarked on Mary’s article Daniel, threats of violence are never acceptable, however, commenting on their performance is part-and-parcel of the game.
If club CEO’s & coaches don’t do their job, they get the sack. Players play poorly, they get dropped. Simple stuff really so why is it that full-time professional referees are above reproach?
When I worked as a contracts officer in the federal government, one of the first things I was taught is that it merely not good enough to do the right thing, you need to be SEEN doing the right thing.
When referees go out week in, week out and miss obvious forward passes, blow dubious penalties for one team and completely overlook infringements against the opposition, you really have to ask yourself, what’s going on.
When the referees’ boss appoints his two brothers to the same game, it’s not a good look, no matter how innocent it may be. The losing side and its fans will feel hard done by.
When one team has never lost under a particular ref, opposition fans start shaking their heads before the game even starts.
Why have these and many other things been allowed to happen? Who’s in charge when it comes to ensuring the probity of our match officials?
Yes, I will happily shake the hand of the ref at my son footy on the weekend, he or she’s doing it because they love the game and want the kids to have fun.
NRL refs, on the other hand, are highly paid professionals who shouldn’t be above criticism and scrutiny for poor performances.
It's time to fix our sporting culture and give the referees some love
I don’t know what you get paid to write rugby league articles Mary (nor do I want to know), but I do know that if it’s in the same ballpark as the top NRL referees, (about $100K) a season, I’d expect better from you as I do from them.
The money they get paid these days means that they can afford to be professionals and by that, I mean full-time, and not have to be supported by a day job, not professional in the sense that they must be upstanding representatives of the code and above being “human”.
I do understand your empathy for them, however, we can’t just bury our heads in the sand and roll out cliches like, “they’re only human” and “we all make mistakes”. People’s welfare and careers rest on the decisions they make and someone like a Ricky Stuart, for instance, could easily lose his coaching job over the howlers the Raiders have been on the wrong end of this year (btw, I’m a Tigers supporter and have my own axe to grind with refs but I won’t go there).
Some of the fundamental mistakes are at best laughable, most are teeth gnashing.
I’m also over the number of times we need to go upstairs. On the weekend, Henry Perenara was literally one metre and unobstructed away from a simple close-to-the-line try and yet he felt the need to ask the bloke sitting 75 kms away at Fox Studios what he thought. Did he need to see what the Colonel’s special was so he knew what to pick up for dinner on the way home? Please, give me a break!
Like you and most of your readers, I too believe as you do that threats of violence against referees should never be allowed to happen but you’ll have to forgive me when I say “No Mary, I won’t overlook and forgive their ineptness”.
It will invariably cost a team a premiership at some stage, particularly at the rate that the standard is diminishing.
Referee basher? Get out and don't come back
Are you serious! Woods is at the END of his Blues tenure???!!!
The kid’s only 25. Props play well into their 30s, he’ll be around for ages yet.
Forget the 'big four', the Tigers need to retain the 'big two'
The Super Weekend’s not stolen from UK Super League, the NSW Rugby League did it back in the late 70s early 80 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
I remember being there the entire weekend.
A new NRL draw, for the year 2019
It’s not just the “Chicken Wing” Bellamy introduced that’s ruining the game.
It’s also the “Prowler”, “Cannonball”, “Crusher”, “Grapple” and “Wishbone” tackles as well as Hapkido, Jujutsu, Judo and Sambo wrestling holds whilst on the ground as well that he’s brought into the game that turns me off.
He’s lost focus. His ‘win-at-all-costs’ approach has meant that the game is no longer a spectacle.
It’s not the rugby league I grew up with and I for one will be happy when he gives away coaching.
The NRL grand final that no one wanted
Forget the “cheat as much as possible when defending their line”, I think the NRL has sent a VERY dangerous message to players by not suspending Shillington.
How about this, if a bloke pisses you off at any stage in the game just wait until the last minute when the games all but over and the head butt him. You’ll only miss the last few seconds of the game and you’ll be free to play the following round and best of all, you’ve got your revenge.
How about penalising players for acting like a goose?
Whilst I’m no fan of the Roosters either AGO74, a 7-1 penalty count certainly didn’t help their cause the other night, much as it hasn’t a lot lately. For the third time this year, the Roosters played a “perfect’’ football team during the second half against Melbourne Storm on Saturday night when they were not even awarded one penalty.
That’s 120 minutes of football in which their opponents have not made one single infringement.
In four away games this season the Roosters have received just two second-half penalties — both of them against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The Tigers too were victims of one sided refereeing on Sunday, receiving the first 2 penalties of the game and then only 2 more to Canberra’s 7 after that. And while we’re on referees, after Sunday’s no try decision to Luke Brooks I reckon Jonathan Thurston and Justin Hodges et al had better mind how they run in SOO if the NRL’s to be believed. They say they intend to enforce the no running behind you team mate rule. Watch this space
Also, can someone please explain how a referee can signal six again and then when the player who caught the football scores a try says to the video ref “Can you have a look at that, I don’t think it was a try” as happened in last nights Souths V Sharks game. What the bloody hell was he doing awarding six again then if he thought it was no try? This was yet another game where the penalty count went 7-2 against the losing team with the 2nd of those penalties being in the 78th minute when the game was all but over.
Seriously, I and my mates are fast becoming AFL fans.
PRICHARD: Thanks, Jason Taylor, for not playing the blame game
I love this side Hunter.
You’ve nailed it mate. This side would beat the Morons (yes, morons – not a typo) by 30 points.
Boomeranda states the Qld side picks itself but that’s only because after their current Dad’s Army team, they haven’t got anyone else to choose from so there’s no need for discussion!
Are the Blues a better chance without Pearce and Bird?
I can’t believe you didn’t even mention Russel Fairfax’s name.
Rugby league history: The all-time great alphabet teams – Letter F