Roar Guru
Joined July 2010
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As the curtain raiser to the NRL grand final, the winners of the Queensland Cup will take on the NSW Cup champions. In NSW…
In some ways the NRL painted themselves in a corner with the shoulder charge, its interpretation and the associated penalties. The Billy Slater case…
The grand final of the NSW Intrust Super Premiership was held at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon between the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and the…
'Them’s the rules' is an awful excuse. I get why the shoulder charge needed to be banned. I didn’t like it at first but…
On the way to work this morning, I was reading the news and shaking my head at the crass selfishness displayed by the people…
This isn't about referee bias or a ref costing us the game. This is about whether the ‘crackdown' was really about enforcing the rules…
After nine rounds of NRL, the whiff of Origin is in the air. It's time for armchair selectors to dust off their notebooks, sharpen…
I don't think the NRL's referees are beyond criticism, but I don't like the childish 'that decision cost us the game' attitude of some…
It's the final part of our series on who's got a serious spotlight shining on them ahead of the 2018 NRL season. » Check…
Every year, there are NRL teams that really need to prove a point, but who within each club is being scrutinised the closest? »…
On the eve of a new NRL season, who has got the most to prove at each club? Broncos Wayne Bennett has made significant…
Let me make something clear from the outset. It feels absurd to be defending the Roosters. As a Bulldogs fan that grew up, went…
Everyone knows Round 2 is at least 15 rounds too early to be declaring teams chances for the season but I'm going to have…
Not long now until NRL season 2017 kicks off. It looks like being one of the closest fought seasons we've seen, however rather than…
Most NRL fans are confounded by the inconsistencies in the grading of charges laid by the match review committee (MRC), and the penalties handed…
During the week someone challenged me to write my own Roar article, so I thought I'd tackle the subject of NSW Origin selection. Like…
With 12 tries and 66 points scored, Friday night's Roosters versus Bulldogs clash was a cracker. Intense footy, great ball movement, brutal defence, see-sawing…
During the first half of the Souths versus Parramatta game on Friday night there were a couple of periods where I noticed the players…
A couple of weeks ago there was a school of thought that the NRL top eight had pretty much been decided and that those…
State of Origin has highlighted the crisis that the NRL has on its hands at the moments around the officiating of the game. From…
😂
A walk in the park: Super Sam shows Roosters what they've been missing in 60-point Anzac smash-up
He better be nice at training on Monday… he’s got all weekend to work on the PowerPoint and send ‘notice to attend a meeting’ letters
A walk in the park: Super Sam shows Roosters what they've been missing in 60-point Anzac smash-up
Probably like a lot of people, I really thought the Dragons were right in this one
Tough (self inflicted) break losing Suli so early but the Su’A try was a corker
You’ve gotta be good to score 60 but geez the Dragons made it easy with errors
Ennis pointed it out in commentary – and once you see it, it’s hard to unsee – but Walker quite often brings the ball up to his foot for a short kick, rather than dropping it to the boot. Changes the trajectory and got through the line a bit easier…at least tonight
Roosters looked great tonight but not so good against the good teams… like the Bulldogs 😂 😂
A walk in the park: Super Sam shows Roosters what they've been missing in 60-point Anzac smash-up
See you in a few weeks – good luck tonight (I think you’re a Storm fan, right?)
Game’s gone soft, huh? League's tough enough without dangerous incidents getting feather touch from judiciary
Players can use bad technique and be as reckless as they like. If it comes off and no one is hurt, then fine. But when it goes wrong they face the consequences. This is applied to every single tackle on a rugby league field
I wrote that three weeks ago… it’s completely consistent with Suli’s tackle, even though the outcomes were different…
Game’s gone soft, huh? League's tough enough without dangerous incidents getting feather touch from judiciary
There’s a difference though
Use bad technique and injure someone else – penalty, bin, suspension, etc
Use bad technique and injure yourself *shrug emoji*
Surely that difference isn’t too hard to see…?
Game’s gone soft, huh? League's tough enough without dangerous incidents getting feather touch from judiciary
Enjoy your trip
I’m honestly not saying the Bulldogs haven’t done the wrong thing. I’m sure there’s lots of twists and turns to come
This has obviously had a big impact on Topine. But that doesn’t automatically mean the Bulldogs have done the wrong thing either
As I said right at the start it will be interesting to see how this plays out and the repercussions it has
It’s easy to look at the extra wrestling and say that’s not appropriate. That doesn’t mean all extras as disciplinary measures are inappropriate
So it’s a spectrum. Where is the line? That’s going to be different for everybody
Shark baiting is common practice. To my knowledge this is the first time anyone has come forward and publicly complained. So what have the Dogs done that hasn’t happened in the past…?
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Why would others be listed in Topine’s statement of claim…?
Where did I say anything about 360…?
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Yet they’ve improved this year. Who are you to say it clearly didn’t work…?
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
They were doing wrestling training. His punishment was extra wrestling
If they were doing spring training, he works have had to do extra sprints
Doing extras as a disciplinary measure has always been part of the game… if it didn’t have an impact, why has it persisted
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Sorry, when was coaches slapping players on the sideline pretty common…?
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Again, you have zero clue that Topine was singled out for disproportionate treatment either…
It’s got nothing to do with Bulldogs glasses. I can honestly say that if they’ve farked Topine over they deserve what they get. I’ve worked in WHS, workers comp and HR teams for 25 years. I’ve seen more times than anyone the effects of what can happen to people in the workplace
You’re saying absurd speed and absurd distance, I’m assuming as a comparison to Topine’s matter. But you don’t know that what Topine was subjected to was / is “absurd” compared to others… neither do I
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
He didn’t wrestle 35 team mates. There were 35 squad members present. It’s a shame if you’re making your mind up on things like that, if you haven’t read the allegations properly
It was 5-6 minutes against a dozen team mates. Is that too much? Maybe. Is four minutes ok? One minute? Where is the line?
Maybe wrestling training will be banned altogether? It will do us all a favour
Maybe we’ll have players turning up late to training and the coach will say “you’re late! Two laps of the oval” and the players will say “let me call my lawyer first”.
I wasn’t offended by either term you used. It’s just a weird approach to start with “anyone who disagrees with me is a ….” If I’d started with “anyone who disagrees with me is a small d..ked snow flake” I’m sure you’d think less of me, even if you weren’t remotely offended 😁 😁
PS – I’m not saying that 😂
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
You’re still having a bet each way
Bullying isn’t appropriate in ANY workplace, but shouting at a worker is ok in the right circumstances?
I don’t mean to be rude about this but it doesn’t sound like you know much about what happens at footy clubs. Yeah, players have to do extras at training as a result of disciplinary breaches. It’s a cornerstone of building culture
Wayne Bennett is as good a man manages as has ever coached. He’s big on disciplinary punishments and extras and shark baiting
So again, maybe the Bulldogs have gone to far on this one, but maybe they haven’t and Topine cracked and couldn’t handle it
I’m reasonably sure this we’ll end up being a question of how far is too far as opposed to the Bulldogs inventing some form of draconian punishment that had only ever been applied to Topine
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
My use of the word willingly was very specifically in reference to pre season training. Are you saying that players are unwilling? They do it against their will? BS. It’s ridiculous to pull me up on that
No one would want to do sharkbaitinb. But players go in knowing that shark baiting – and other things – is a potential punishment and they don’t walk away
Topine may have a very valid point that what he was subjected to was over and above what could be expected, but he can’t say – and I don’t think he is – that he didn’t know shark baiting was a thing or that he was unwilling to do it
“And it doesn’t justify the behaviour by the employer.” – you don’t know what the behaviour of the club is though. You’re making your mind up on a very small amount of information…
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
The Lewinsky example is ridiculously irrelevant
Do you think Topine was unaware that if he was late – or any other disciplinary breach – that he would be punished by having to do extras? Of course he was aware
Do you think he would have refused to sign his contract?
Shark baiting is a common and accepted practice among NRL clubs. Again, do you think Topine would have knocked this back. The only thing in question here is the scale of what Topine was put through
So what I wrote isn’t incorrect. Players know this stuff will happen and sign on. They know they’ll get flogged at training and they know they’ll be punished for discipline breaches with additional physical training
So by that I’m not saying that what the Bulldogs did was right – we’ll all have to wait and see about that – but Topine knew this stuff could happen and signed up for it. What needs to be seen is the scale. Was five minutes too much? Is one minute too much? I don’t think this is the massive, let’s humiliate and torture this bloke it’s being made out to be
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
I’m not missing the point
Read the article again. I can’t see anywhere in Topine’s claims that he’s the only person subjected to extras as a disciplinary measure
It will all come out in the wash one way or the other but the idea Topine has been singled out is just made up at the moment – unless you’ve seen something I haven’t
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
You’re last paragraph is a bet each way
You can’t on one hand expect an NRL club to function like a normal work place and then say yelling at people and pushing them “beyond their limits” is ok…
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
I’m not glossing over anything… you’re just 100% making up what past and current former players are going to testify and calling it proof
I don’t know why I’d bother expecting more from you
I don’t know what you mean by I want it kept in house? I never said that and what I what – even if it was that – is irrelevant
It will settle out of court. If you want to put a bet on that, I’ll be happy to take your money…
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
So you’re suggesting that Topine was the only player disciplined?
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Professional sport is specifically excluded under workers’ compensation legislation…
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
It’s interesting that a far bigger deal is being made about the Topine case than the Titmuss case
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Where is the line though? You say being pushed beyond your limits and tough love is acceptable. Where’s the line that takes this from limit pushing and tough love into humiliation? How are you going to define that?
One report I’ve heard about the Topine incident is that once it was finished all his team mates gathered around him and congratulated and cheered him. That doesn’t sound like humiliation
What Topine went through is called shark baiting and has been commonly used by NRL clubs for a long time. He was made to do five minutes of extra wrestling. If that’s not appropriate, is four minutes ok? Two? One?
Calling anyone who doesn’t see it exactly your way “yobbos” is pretty immature
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Did Burton show up late?
All clubs use these methods. Have you read about the Panthers brutal off season training regime they went through after losing the 2020 grand final to ensure they were tough enough to not lose again…?
NRL News: 'Happens every day' - Anasta defends Dogs as $4M lawsuit looms over former player's training punishment
Positives for the Storm are many and obvious…
But that right edge defence isn’t getting much better. I know it’s churlish after a win like that but Souths exposed them down there more than a few times
Storm slaughter second-rate Souths to hammer the final nail into Demetriou's coaching coffin