NRL Finals 2025

[Penrose Warrior]

100%

1-2 games, regardless of precedent and he should have been the only one binned in that incident.

So weird how a defender can accidentally head clash and be punished but an offender can intentionally use his head and not be.

Everyone knows the result was different because it was Reece Walsh. The superstar bonus.

I listened to Buzz and Webster's podcast yesterday and they made a good point. What hold does Ashley Klein have over the NRL? He gets Origin by default, apparently is getting the GF again this year, but is he clearly the No.1 ref? Not to me. Grant Atkins runs a game much better. Or do the NRL like that Klein is the best at 'game managing' and keeping both sides in it through flow of penalties?

 

[Beavers Headgear]

The bit I don’t like with Smith, is he initiated the 2nd contact telling his mate to get on him. He knew he was going from extended squad to starting

They showed footage as well where he took a dummy half run a few metres out from the line early on. It isn’t out of line with how he normally plays, but the optics aren’t very good

Stuff has gone on for years though, 4-5 times a year Bryan Fletcher mentions how much he was paying for last try scorer in the 2002 GF

 

[Blair]

The NRL has itself to blame for all this. It promotes gambling, it partners with gambling, it opens the round in the gambling mecca, gambling is everywhere, on jerseys, at grounds, on TV, online.

We know this, but the most important product, the actual game we love, can't have its integrity threatened with it. In 2025 I need absolute certainty that a forward pass, not called, is at best a referee/touch judge error or, at worst, bias (conscious or unconscious), is just that.

I think that's the case, but ten percent of me doesn't.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

The NRL has itself to blame for all this. It promotes gambling, it partners with gambling, it opens the round in the gambling mecca, gambling is everywhere, on jerseys, at grounds, on TV, online.

We know this, but the most important product, the actual game we love, can't have its integrity threatened with it. In 2025 I need absolute certainty that a forward pass, not called, is at best a referee/touch judge error or, at worst, bias (conscious or unconscious), is just that.

I think that's the case, but ten percent of me doesn't.

100%. Couldn't agree with all of this more.

Massively hypocritical if (and when) they come down on Smith for indulging in a vice that props up the game from grassroots to the big show.

Oh oh but the ads say 'gamble responsibly' at the end! Which they think is enough to absolve them.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Everyone knows the result was different because it was Reece Walsh. The superstar bonus.

I listened to Buzz and Webster's podcast yesterday and they made a good point. What hold does Ashley Klein have over the NRL? He gets Origin by default, apparently is getting the GF again this year, but is he clearly the No.1 ref? Not to me. Grant Atkins runs a game much better. Or do the NRL like that Klein is the best at 'game managing' and keeping both sides in it through flow of penalties?

I'd say the headbutts in finals series will be allowed and if im down by more than 3 tries with 5mins to go, im finding someone to headbutt to make a point!
Then in off-season they will reset it all saying it will result in 1-2 weeks.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

10 games unpaid plus 30k donation.. must be close to 200k? Ouch.

Still dunno how I feel about this though.

On one hand it’s very tough compared to other sanctions, but on the other it still falls short of what Uncle Nick preached a while back.

 

[Blair]

10 games unpaid plus 30k donation.. must be close to 200k? Ouch.

Still dunno how I feel about this though.

On one hand it’s very tough compared to other sanctions, but on the other it still falls short of what Uncle Nick preached a while back.

In a way it sits uncomfortably as someone rich who can afford to get off a charge.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Apparently he was gone until Robinson fronted the board and begged them not to punt him

 

[Blair]

Apparently he was gone until Robinson fronted the board and begged them not to punt him.

Ironically, many Chooks fans want Robbo gone, after his six years of failure, despite his monied squad.

Beave, just on the Roosters, my Manly mate was raging today about the forward pass, not called, in the 2013 GF. Do you remember it? The context of the discussion was how match officials get caught up with the hype of top sides.

You guys had seized the lead but Easts scored this great 'try' to wrest it back, and the referee seemed to get so caught up in the sweeping movement that he missed the forward pass.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Ironically, many Chooks fans want Robbo gone, after his six years of failure, despite his monied squad.

Beave, just on the Roosters, my Manly mate was raging today about the forward pass, not called, in the 2013 GF. Do you remember it? The context of the discussion was how match officials get caught up with the hype of top sides.

You guys had seized the lead but Easts scored this great 'try' to wrest it back, and the referee seemed to get so caught up in the sweeping movement that he missed the forward pass.

Yep it was massively blatant, Maloney to SBW. Maloney is always laughing about it on his podcast. Shayne Hayne rode them home that night

Not quite as bad as 1995 though, when Steve Price scored off a Jim Dymock forward pass, and Timu scored a try on the 7th tackle

 

[Penrose Warrior]

10 games unpaid plus 30k donation.. must be close to 200k? Ouch.

Still dunno how I feel about this though.

On one hand it’s very tough compared to other sanctions, but on the other it still falls short of what Uncle Nick preached a while back.

Expensive 8 ball.

If Uncle Nick preached that he was sacked, he can look himself in the eye.

This is a good thing on balance, I reckon. Players might be more wary about what they do in the illicit drug space.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I take it back after reading the below. Uncle Nick didn't preach that he was sacked at all. Apparently there's no proof, Victor could have gone to all that trouble, got the bag in, and said actually you know what boys, I'd rather just have a cup of tea.

If this was a fringe top 30 player he'd be sacked. But Nick would never say that, he'd say this instead:

“Option one was to sack him,” Politis told this masthead on Thursday evening.

“But while he has brought the club into disrepute, there is no proof that Victor snorted cocaine. He hasn’t been charged with anything.

Politis defended himself from claims he backed down on his zero tolerance stance on drugs from earlier in the year in The Sunday Telegraph.

“What is zero tolerance,” Politis said.

“You have to weigh all this up very carefully with your lawyers.

“Zero tolerance means you punish a player more severely than we ever have before.

“It was a hard decision. What do some other clubs do? Nothing”

 

[Rich102]

I would rather have seen the matter referred to the police.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

I take it back after reading the below. Uncle Nick didn't preach that he was sacked at all. Apparently there's no proof, Victor could have gone to all that trouble, got the bag in, and said actually you know what boys, I'd rather just have a cup of tea.

If this was a fringe top 30 player he'd be sacked. But Nick would never say that, he'd say this instead:

“Option one was to sack him,” Politis told this masthead on Thursday evening.

“But while he has brought the club into disrepute, there is no proof that Victor snorted cocaine. He hasn’t been charged with anything.

Politis defended himself from claims he backed down on his zero tolerance stance on drugs from earlier in the year in The Sunday Telegraph.

“What is zero tolerance,” Politis said.

“You have to weigh all this up very carefully with your lawyers.

“Zero tolerance means you punish a player more severely than we ever have before.

“It was a hard decision. What do some other clubs do? Nothing”

There was talk a couple of days back they’d been in touch with their lawyers about it all, I’m guessing the advice they received was they didn’t have a leg at all to stand on with sacking him, if they didn’t have anything concrete that he actually took the stuff. We all know that he did, but there isn’t any test or photo that proves it

 

[Meth]

I would rather have seen the matter referred to the police.

I think the police have had a look at it and decided not to take it any further.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I think the police have had a look at it and decided not to take it any further.

I presume they know there's no way to prove anything further than the messages they have?

 

[Blair]

Yep it was massively blatant, Maloney to SBW. Maloney is always laughing about it on his podcast. Shayne Hayne rode them home that night

Not quite as bad as 1995 though, when Steve Price scored off a Jim Dymock forward pass, and Timu scored a try on the 7th tackle.

As if the hype around SBW needed any favours from the refs/touchies, plus we know Maloney wasn't getting those favours the year before.

Well, life goes on. A footy-less Friday night is a bit weird!

 

[Beavers Headgear]

RLPA getting themselves involved in this Radley case

Clint Newton is an absolute flea, didn’t hear him at all when Ezra was on the loose

 

[JJ]

Ethan Strange out is huge....