Penalties and so on

[denis preston]

Interesting that Melbourne got creamed by the refs.This could really bring them back to the field. Agree with Kent that short term pain worth it. We must have a role for all body types in this game. Will make it far more attractive to watch and players able to display their skills.

So glad that we have changed our style to include creative play & forward skills. Just in time obviously.

 

[Life's Good]

Just watching NRL 360. Buzz opened with the predictable line that most commentators - like Gould, etc - have taken this weekend that the refs are ruining the game with all the penalties they’re blowing. I half expected Kent to toe the news limited line by agreeing with him. I must say I was more than pleasantly surprised to see he took the opposite viewpoint completely - he said the game has suffered for far too long from players and coaches exploiting the rules to their benefit and referees not calling them on it. Summing up he said the NRL through Michael McGuire had had enough and decided to clamp down on both the play the ball and offside defence. Kent’s viewpoint was that the short term pain was worth the the long term gain for the game. I’ve go to say I agree with him 100%. Teams like the Storm have been allowed to exploit the rules for well over a decade and it’s not right. Finally someone has decided to draw the line in the sand! And I, for one, don’t mind if it does mean some turmoil in the short term if it forces a mindset change for most teams. Interestingly Bellamy of all people chose NOT to criticise the refs but rather focus of his players inability to adapt to the changes. I just pray our coaching staff adapt to the “back to the future” changes quicker than most others!

Totally agree with the stance taken by the NRL. It’s no coincidence the less niggly, dirty teams are performing well and Melbourne in particular look to have come back to the field a bit(notwithstanding the players they have lost).
I’m prepared for the pain to get a better product. Gould, Buzz & co can switch to watching/commentating on something else, they won’t be missed.

 

[gaz_head]

Rules are rules. Plain and simple. This whole 'open to interpretation' bullshit flew for way too long in our game and it allowed teams like storm, cronulla, roosters etc to over the step the line way too many times. Funny how those teams have gone to water trying to play to the old rules rather than adapt and teams like saints, warriors, tigers and newcastle have had no troubles with it.

 

[Dragsters]

I too like this stance the game has taken. As long as they stick with it to clean the game up so it is actually played by the rules and the spirit of the game, then the game will be better off.

I reckon that anyone who has ever yelled "bloody get 'em on side ref" can't really complain.

Looking at bellyache in the dressing shed post game, just staring at the floor with a blank look on his face, it looked like he was thinking that the jig was up.

That the refs have wised up to his tactics and that they just can't get away with that stuff any longer.

He will probably come up with a new strategy that with work within this current paradigm, he's just that good a coach...

 

[Dea]

I don’t mind the ref cracking down. For a number of years fans have complained about Melbourne and their wrestling tactics to slow down the play the ball. Then in recent years we have had team intentionally giving away penalties for off side when defending on their line. Penalise and then sin bin for repeated intentional offenders.
Coaches and teams adapt. Always have, always will.
Watching the Dragons play on the weekend I felt there were a few penalties not required, i.e. I think they knocked on the ball but then the ref called Nighty for offside when he was not influencing the play. Hopefully these types will go but over all the game flowed pretty decently. Both teams looked to be getting pretty gassed towards the end also, which I think could have been caused by the cleaner play the ball plus having to get back onside.
Gallen was reported as saying he found the speed of the game easy because of all the penalties. Hopefully he gets some time resting on the sidelines as well if he is a repeat offender. And if we play a team who are getting penalised like The Storm and Sharks last weekend, then I’ll be frustrated at the game but happy to win by building our score by 2’s

 

[2010]

Now that the referees are finally enforcing the rules why not fix the scrums.
Would love to go back to when scrums were scrums.
It won't happen. What posses me off is how long teams take to form the scrum. It is a joke and then just put the ball in behind the second row.
Scrums are a waste of time.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Just watching NRL 360. Buzz opened with the predictable line that most commentators - like Gould, etc - have taken this weekend that the refs are ruining the game with all the penalties they’re blowing. I half expected Kent to toe the news limited line by agreeing with him. I must say I was more than pleasantly surprised to see he took the opposite viewpoint completely - he said the game has suffered for far too long from players and coaches exploiting the rules to their benefit and referees not calling them on it. Summing up he said the NRL through Michael McGuire had had enough and decided to clamp down on both the play the ball and offside defence. Kent’s viewpoint was that the short term pain was worth the the long term gain for the game. I’ve go to say I agree with him 100%. Teams like the Storm have been allowed to exploit the rules for well over a decade and it’s not right. Finally someone has decided to draw the line in the sand! And I, for one, don’t mind if it does mean some turmoil in the short term if it forces a mindset change for most teams. Interestingly Bellamy of all people chose NOT to criticise the refs but rather focus of his players inability to adapt to the changes. I just pray our coaching staff adapt to the “back to the future” changes quicker than most others!

I am all for the crackdown however teams like Melbourne not only exploit the lack of intent by the refs, they also exploit the inconsistency from game to game and ref to ref.
They actually adapt their rule bending depending on who the ref is.
If the NRL is serious, the real challenge from here on in is to police the rules CONSISTENTLY.
You can't have Mr. Holier than thou, Cecchin, blowing the pea out of the whistle to the tune of 35 penalties (a number for dissent BTW) and others taking a different point of view.
What really frustrates, fans, players and coaches is inconsistency.
Get that right, and you will go a long way towards improving the game overall.

 

[giboz71]

Seen countless replays of the 97 Grand Final between the Knights and Manly. Sparking expansive football, with ball movement and skill by players who actually knew how to play footy.

The game has been blighted by teams like the Storm and the Sharks who rely on slowing the game with niggle. And it’s allowed less skillfull players who basically just run and tackle to rise to elite status.

It would be good to go back to the days when skills like catching, passing and kicking ruled the game.

 

[cussy]

I am all for the crackdown however teams like Melbourne not only exploit the lack of intent by the refs, they also exploit the inconsistency from game to game and ref to ref.
They actually adapt their rule bending depending on who the ref is.
If the NRL is serious, the real challenge from here on in is to police the rules CONSISTENTLY.
You can't have Mr. Holier than thou, Cecchin, blowing the pea out of the whistle to the tune of 35 penalties (a number for dissent BTW) and others taking a different point of view.
What really frustrates, fans, players and coaches is inconsistency.
Get that right, and you will go a long way towards improving the game overall.

Mate look at it in the context of who was playing- 2 of the worst teams for spoiling tactics. It was the perfect storm (pardon the pun) for. Penalty blowing frenzy. Ceccin did what he had to do and did it well. Sharks and storm push the boundaries in hopes refs don’t do what Ceccin did. Good on him for showing the balls to do it. Hopefully coaches will blink first not the refs.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Mate look at it in the context of who was playing- 2 of the worst teams for spoiling tactics. It was the perfect storm (pardon the pun) for. Penalty blowing frenzy. Ceccin did what he had to do and did it well. Sharks and storm push the boundaries in hopes refs don’t do what Ceccin did. Good on him for showing the balls to do it. Hopefully coaches will blink first not the refs.

Unfortunately I disagree about Cecchin.
Self righteous punce who has no tolerance or common sense.
Treats captains with disdain and what he did in the Sharks - Storm game was just an exercise in self promotion.
Many of the penalties he blew were petty and unnecessary.
I am not shying away from the overriding issue of cracking down but the way he handled the game was disproportionate to what was necessary.
His responsibility is to control the game and still make it some sort of spectacle for the paying public.
He didn't so that in the Sharks vs Storm game.
Notwithstanding the teams that were playing, all refs were given the same edict by the NRL.
Cecchin;s interpretation seemed to be different from the other refs.
Nothing to do with "balls" at all.
We need consistency not another Greg Hartley.

 

[BennyV]

Unfortunately I disagree about Cecchin.
Self righteous punce who has no tolerance or common sense.
Treats captains with disdain and what he did in the Sharks - Storm game was just an exercise in self promotion.
Many of the penalties he blew were petty and unnecessary.
I am not shying away from the overriding issue of cracking down but the way he handled the game was disproportionate to what was necessary.
His responsibility is to control the game and still make it some sort of spectacle for the paying public.
He didn't so that in the Sharks vs Storm game.
Notwithstanding the teams that were playing, all refs were given the same edict by the NRL.
Cecchin;s interpretation seemed to be different from the other refs.
Nothing to do with "balls" at all.
We need consistency not another Greg Hartley.

Entirely untrue.
His responsibility is to ensure that the rules of the games are followed and penalise players when they arent. This whole 'managing the game' rubbish that Johns and Gould spew is the reason the game sits in the dull, wrestle-filled state that it's in.
Very few of the penalties that Cecchin blew were incorrect penalties. And I'm happy for him to self-promote a little bit (the only real 'self promotion' IMO was sending Smith to the bin) in order to make a statement to the worst offending teams that holding down and standing offside arent going to be tolerated for the sake of a 'spectacle'. It's short term paying for long term gain.

If Bellamy and Smith think for a second that wrestling, holding down the attacker or standing offside will cost them another win, you wont see Storm doing it.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Entirely untrue.
His responsibility is to ensure that the rules of the games are followed and penalise players when they arent. This whole 'managing the game' rubbish that Johns and Gould spew is the reason the game sits in the dull, wrestle-filled state that it's in.
Very few of the penalties that Cecchin blew were incorrect penalties. And I'm happy for him to self-promote a little bit (the only real 'self promotion' IMO was sending Smith to the bin) in order to make a statement to the worst offending teams that holding down and standing offside arent going to be tolerated for the sake of a 'spectacle'. It's short term paying for long term gain.

If Bellamy and Smith think for a second that wrestling, holding down the attacker or standing offside will cost them another win, you wont see Storm doing it.

You're entitled to your opinion but being indignant about one of the worst refs in the comp. doesn't mean a lot I'm afraid..
He is a show pony which, very often, makes him the centre of attention instead of the game he's reffing.
"Entirely untrue"? then why was Cecchin's performance so different to all the other refs?
They all had the same edict from the NRL.
You seem so vehement in your support of Checchin, please explain this phenomena.
I never questioned how many penalties he blew that were wrong. I said many were petty.
My main beef is about consistency.
I don't give 2 hoots about what Johns and Gould think and I am in no way advocating something other than policing the rules.

 

[The Damo]

You're entitled to your opinion but being indignant about one of the worst refs in the comp. doesn't mean a lot I'm afraid..
He is a show pony which, very often, makes him the centre of attention instead of the game he's reffing.
"Entirely untrue"? then why was Cecchin's performance so different to all the other refs?
They all had the same edict from the NRL.
You seem so vehement in your support of Checchin, please explain this phenomena.
I never questioned how many penalties he blew that were wrong. I said many were petty.
My main beef is about consistency.
I don't give 2 hoots about what Johns and Gould think and I am in no way advocating something other than policing the rules.

You actually said he has a responsibility for the spectacle. I will explain the phenomena- storm and sharks are consistently the worst offenders for spoiling tactics, so a consistent approach will see them penalised more, until they change. Same with Smith, he’s absolutely the worst offender at using his ‘chats’ with the ref to slow down the game. He got warned, he got penalised and marched 10 meters, and then did it again. It was the right call by cecchin, if he hadn’t done it then he’d be inconsistent.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

You actually said he has a responsibility for the spectacle. I will explain the phenomena- storm and sharks are consistently the worst offenders for spoiling tactics, so a consistent approach will see them penalised more, until they change. Same with Smith, he’s absolutely the worst offender at using his ‘chats’ with the ref to slow down the game. He got warned, he got penalised and marched 10 meters, and then did it again. It was the right call by cecchin, if he hadn’t done it then he’d be inconsistent.

I'm sorry Damo we are not on the same page on this issue.
Cannot agree with your assessment of the game.
At no stage did I pinpoint one penalty or incident in the game like you have.
I can't stand Smith either and I enjoyed watching get sent to the bin.
I also agree that the Storm and the Sharks are serial offenders when it comes to bending the rules.
We agree on that at least.
But I'm sorry, Cecchin's performance was immature for a senior ref. As are many of his performances.
He has an absolute responsibility to the paying public and is compelled to use discretion which is what the other refs did compared to Cecchin.
Storm and Cronulla are not the only teams in the comp that wrestle, stand off side and engage the ref in banter.
Let's get serious.
This is about consistency not Cecchin

 

[Slippery Morris]

These so called footy experts in the media think that the fans are being let down, walking away and all the rest of the garbage because of the refs. Who made them the fans spokesman? They obviously have shown because of this how far off they are from the fans point of view as I as well as others have I have spoken to love how the refs are blowing the whistle to penalise these teams from getting away with it. They have been for ages. Seeing Cam Smith get sin binned was a very very long time coming and one the fans celebrated when done. That is what the fans want not teams pushing the boundaries.

Gould even said that the refs should not blow all the penalties? What the FU%$? Only blow some of them? Why should their be a limit? Saints/Newcastle and Tigers/Parra had less penalties because 4 teams actually did not try and bend the rules as much and got what the refs are set out to do? Credit to the 4 teams as much as the refs for 2 great games.

The guys whinging about penalties are the ones pushing for Billy girl to be an immortal. We all saw what he did to Lewis to get him sin binned. The guy has a history of foul play yet idolised by these league commentators such as Cam Smith. Eadie, Jack, Belcher and Mullins did not resort to cheating that is for sure and deserve it ahead of that cheat. Makes sense why they are whinging about refs now that you think of it. Shows that they like players that play against the rules.

 

[The Damo]

I'm sorry Damo we are not on the same page on this issue.
Cannot agree with your assessment of the game.
At no stage did I pinpoint one penalty or incident in the game like you have.
I can't stand Smith either and I enjoyed watching get sent to the bin.
I also agree that the Storm and the Sharks are serial offenders when it comes to bending the rules.
We agree on that at least.
But I'm sorry, Cecchin's performance was immature for a senior ref. As are many of his performances.
He has an absolute responsibility to the paying public and is compelled to use discretion which is what the other refs did compared to Cecchin.
Storm and Cronulla are not the only teams in the comp that wrestle, stand off side and engage the ref in banter.
Let's get serious.
This is about consistency not Cecchin

Agree to disagree then, I just don’t see cecchins performance the same, in this game or others. The players have the responsibility to the paying public, the refs responsibility is to impartially apply the rules. And in all seriousness- I genuinely think a consistent approach will see the storm and sharks penalised more than most teams, because they break the rules more. To me that actually demonstrated consistency.

 

[Slackboy72]

Here's the stats for penalties conceded in 2017

http://www.nospam47.com/au/league/n...nrl-cowboys-broncos/p2zakx993xmd167d4e0bwgmyg

and

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/2017-penalty-statistics.463449/

and

https://afltables.com/rl/misc/penalties.html#2017

Most disciplined teams: Dragons and Tigers.
Least disciplined teams: Sharks and Storm

Friday's night game was always going to be a penalty-a-thon.
Do you wan't the refs to put the whistle away just because both teams are habitual cheats?
Or do you want to see cheating penalised?
Is it okay for some clubs to follow the rules while others habitually step over it?
Results have indicated only one team in the top 8 won more penalty counts than lost.
Do we want a sport where cheating is a requirement to be successful?
Cause that's what we had last year.

 

[BennyV]

You're entitled to your opinion but being indignant about one of the worst refs in the comp. doesn't mean a lot I'm afraid..
He is a show pony which, very often, makes him the centre of attention instead of the game he's reffing.
"Entirely untrue"? then why was Cecchin's performance so different to all the other refs?
They all had the same edict from the NRL.
You seem so vehement in your support of Checchin, please explain this phenomena.
I never questioned how many penalties he blew that were wrong. I said many were petty.
My main beef is about consistency.
I don't give 2 hoots about what Johns and Gould think and I am in no way advocating something other than policing the rules.

I’m not at all pro-Cecchin, simply pro-rules. 9/10 times I’d agree but the game on Friday is the leftover. And on the contrary, it seems that you are being dictated by your feeling towards Cecchin.
The Damo summed up much of what I was going to say, but to clarify some of your questions:
- It was heavily penalised because Storm and Sharks are 2 of the worst offenders when it comes to wrestle, backchat and willingly giving away penalties. Hence, high penalty count.
- What’s your point in saying the penalties are petty? Were they not correct? And if they were correct, why are they petty? He policed both sides equally.
- As soon as you say that refs are responsible for making a spectacle then you are advocating away from them policing the rules.

 

[SEAT 1A]

So, it took one game and surprise surprise, it involved MEL. Th is classis MEL, remember the reaction from the team and coach, the so called solidarity walk after the cap rort.

 

[RufusRex]

Dragons best home crowd in ages ..... those penalties the refs are blowing are really keeping the fans away