Accusations fly after NZ upset

[gong_eagle]

Accusations fly after NZ upset

By Dean Ritchie | September 14, 2008 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,24344234-5006066,00.html

On-field complaints ... Warriors captain Steve Price said to a Storm player: "You'll break someone's neck. They're choking the s..t out of us.'' / The Daily Telegraph


NZ WARRIORS 18 MELBOURNE STORM 15
NEW Zealand Warriors created history yesterday with a stunning upset victory over minor premiers Melbourne at Olympic Park - but then the on-field tension and aggression spilled over into an ugly post-match slanging match. After an epic 18-15 victory in one of the best games of this season, Warriors players spoke of Melbourne's niggling tackles and then accused the Storm of once again employing grapple-tackle tactics.
Storm captain Cameron Smith fired back by labelling the Warriors "whingers''. Throughout the first half, New Zealand players complained bitterly to referee Jason Robinson about the Storm's tackling, with Warriors captain Steve Price saying to a Storm player: "You'll break someone's neck. They're choking the s..t out of us.''
Warriors hooker Ian Henderson also said to Robinson: "That was a 'crusher' tackle.'' Price added: ''They're doing it all the time.''
After the game, which sent New Zealand into week two of the finals and ended Canberra's season, Henderson and Price spoke publicly about Melbourne's tactics.
A fired-up Henderson said: "We just weren't going to put up with any s..t with the niggling stuff and the grapple tackle. They pushed my head (after a dropped ball) and I wasn't going to put up with that either.
"We weren't going to be bullied and pushed around. We're happy to play fair but we weren't going to take a backward step.''
Price added: "It was nothing different. A lot of referees know those things aren't right. I got some tackles that I thought weren't right. I asked the ref to take a look and he did.''
Smith claimed the Warriors benefited from a Robinson decision each time they made an on-field complaint. "It seemed each time they had a whinge, they got a penalty,'' Smith said.
It was a cracking match full of toughness, skill and semi-final intensity. No one gave the Warriors a chance - not surprisingly against a Storm side odds-on to claim the premiership.
The scores were locked 8-8 at halftime yesterday but the Storm lost a lot of go-forward when prop Jeff Lima (cork) came from the field injured and did not return.
Giant Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei crashed over in the 45th minute to give the Warriors a 14-8 lead before Melbourne edged back and then took the lead 15-14 with 12 minutes remaining, through a 35-metre Greg Inglis field goal.
But New Zealand refused to surrender. With just two minutes remaining, the Warriors centre Jerome Ropati slipped a lovely ball to send Vatuvei away down the left flank.
Vatuvei bumped past three defenders before sending a great pass inside to Warriors five-eighth Michael Witt, who charged over out wide to score.
Witt held the ball up in celebration before he touched down, with his coach Ivan Cleary saying: "I thought it must have been pulled up. I won't encourage him to do that again.''
Price said proudly: "We're the first team to win from eighth. We have made history. We showed a lot of character and self-belief.''
Robinson blew 21 penalties yesterday, ensuring a stop-start game which did not allow Melbourne to slip into their regular groove. Storm coach Craig Bellamy said his side would now be forced to endure a tough road home to secure successive titles.
"If I was a punter, I wouldn't put money on us after that performance,'' he said. Smith was critical of his side's effort and told them so after fulltime. "I told everyone to go home and have a good look in the mirror and see if that performance was up to our standard and whether it was good enough for us to go all the way,'' Smith said.

 

[aarondoyle]

Actually I did notice a few weird tackles by Melbourne during the game. A few times the head seemed to be wrenched various angles, but at the same time maybe this is normal and I'm just programmed to notice it more from Melbourne.

 

[Dr Crane]

Storm captain Cameron Smith fired back by labelling the Warriors "whingers''.

That's the pot calling the kettle black.

:nwave: 6-0, 6-0. See you next year.

 

[imasharkie]

it's about time the NRL refs cracked down on Storm wrestling tackles. They've continued to do all year after being warned.
I watched this game and noticed the grapple quiet a few times, they got penalised early in the match but continued to do it right through the match.
Robinson should be penalised and sent packing out of the NRL semi's for his inept display.

 

[aids]

smith was one of the players i noticed the most, focusing on the head and neck in a lot of the tackles he made.

 

[Noa]

Actually I did notice a few weird tackles by Melbourne during the game. A few times the head seemed to be wrenched various angles, but at the same time maybe this is normal and I'm just programmed to notice it more from Melbourne.

Bingo.

Youve spent too much time on here.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

Bingo.

Youve spent too much time on here.

With that obvious denial, so have you.

My message is to the refs. Do your job & penalise the storm EVERY time you see them utilise these tactics. The public is onto this issue and are watching.

 

[The Dodger]

Accusations?

hahahahahaha

next their going to use the word "allegdly" (wait a minute...).

i have watched this for some time now, the storm are the biggest culprits at this.

about time they copped some penalties against them for this.

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

That grub Brett White rubbing his head all over Prices face in the tackle summed up to me that Melbourne are the filthiest team in the comp by a country mile

 

[Danish]

Have a cry Smithy :lol:

 

[The Dodger]

cam smith would have to now be the most hated player in the nrl.

he is the biggest culprit of them all and whinges the most of them all.

 

[Scottey]

Who gives a s**t the Warriors won.

 

[sharknows]

Smith is right ... Price is a whinger... he is constantly in the ref's ear EVERY game. But in this game he had every righto do so, Melbourne are he biggest grubs in the NRL. I imagine there will be a lot of scrutiny on the grapple this week.

 

[smeghead]

Smith pulled off a obvious chicken wing and an obvious crusher. Just watch and see how no charges are laid. The NRL has invested too much money in Melbourne to let simple rules stop them

 

[petetheileet]

No there wont be....

There never is, The Storm are constantly allowed to get away with these tactics.

Dont you love the penalty awarded to the storm about the Henderson incident..

Geyer slaps him on the back of the head, Henderson reacts, and as per usual 5 Storm players rush in cause they cant hack anything getting over the top of them.

We dont see who the Ref is talking to but I hear is "The penalty is going against you for starting all that rubbish. You dont start that we wouldnt have had plenty of people run in."

Im sitting at home laughing, saying you f**kin beauty!!! you smart arse merkins suck sh*t!!!.

OMG Apparently Henderson started it and there is no punishment for being 3rd 4th or 5th man in these days.

If i was Cleary i would have sent out a message saying in every single tackle for the rest of the match you are to smack a Storm player on the back of the head, wait for them to react and therefore get a penalty because they started it!

Surprise, surprise!!! Melbourne score on the back of this BS Penalty!!!

Surprsie, surprise, Melbourne hit the lead thru a field goal on the back of another BS Penalty when the warriors should have had another set of 6 on the Storms line.

Adam "Cat f**kin Grub Scum" Blair performs a blatant, dangerous Grapple tackle and the ref penalises him for a:

'Second effort'

What a f**kin joke, call it what is, you weak as piss ref. Its a f**kin joke still how much bullsh*t the storm are allowed to get away with and i hope all other coaches come together in the pre season and rally to stamp out all this f**kin bullsh*t...not cause of the fact it is against the rules or someone might get hurt im just f**kin tired of all this bullsh*t having a dramatic affect on so many games.

I for one would prefer to see skill rather than niggle winning football games!!

Suck a wang Smith, Bellamy and co.

Up tha Broncos!!!

 

[In-goal]

At least this sets up a monster clash between the Broncos and the storm at Suncorp you don't get bigger than that.

 

[drake]

If you look at that photo, you'll see Steve Price's ear. It has more class and credibility than the whole Melbourne franchise.

 

[Tap Twist Snap]

In general I like cameron smith buth he got away with about 7 dodgy tackles yesterday. It's a really bad look for the game. If robinson gets another finals i'll be disgusted. As for Smith telling his players to go home and have a good hard look at themselves, he should be the first to do it.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

dead set.

Geyer was all over them. he was blatant.

Crocker as well.

god i hope they lose next week. Come on the Broncos

 

[Noa]

With that obvious denial, so have you.

My message is to the refs. Do your job & penalise the storm EVERY time you see them utilise these tactics. The public is onto this issue and are watching.

No denial. Kiddies on here do over-react to everything we do, thats fact. But hey, when your successful that happens. Id rathe be successful and hated then irrelevant and liked.

Blair made a second movement to the neck and got penalised for it as he should. Didnt see no penalty though for the Warriors "chicken-wing" in the second-half. White the dumb sh*t massaged his face into Stephanie Prices head and he deserved to get penalised.

But fmd, people whingein about players being back-slapped after they make a mistake, being going on since Dally.

Being at the game it was obvious that the Warriors had a game-plan of getting up and screaming after every tackle, you wouldnt have saw it on TV, but the touchies were coping a gobful.