Hi All, like many I am angry at this situation. No particular order:
1. The grading of the tackles by the judiciary. Very strange and subjective. It wasn’t until 1 hour ago I actually saw Tuonpanuia tackle. Holy Moley very similar to the ESE ese player from Titans. Roosters chap gets a fine after reefing the other attacking player’s neck and head backwards and the poor sod’s back of head is slammed on the ground. Incomprehensible that it wasn’t a send off. Come on? Actually ESE ESE tackle was silly and Brian To o didn’t seem overly worried. It looked rough but basically fell off before any damage.
2. I’m OK with Fui getting a week or two for say grade 2. He was late but I agree with many posters here that viewing and reviewing there isn’t a swinging arm, closed fist etc. his right arm with flat hand comes down hard on Paps side of neck. It seems that the admitted late collision tangle has caused Paps to fall awkwardly face first. Looked like Fui was trying to smother ball and all.Very unfair grading ‘reckless’. Was this a reaction to Paps stature in the game?
3. Peter Vlandys is increasingly reminding me of ‘max’ the journalist in the movie ‘The Natural’. Check the scene where Max ( the big Journo) says ‘ they come and they go Hobbs they come and they go’. Hobbs says ‘ did you ever play ball Max? then Max says ‘ Can’t say I have, but I’m here to PROTECT this game and I make or break people like you’. Peter and lesser extent Annesley, I speculate have decided to double down and tell people ( Fans are now customers of the product by the way) that even the mild critics of decimating games and teams for many weeks is really for their own good.
Peter in his impassioned plea to save the game, directly noted the Paps injury as a bad look when an elite player of the game is KOed. Is it conspiracy theory to speculate this may have influenced the grading of Fui’s tackle? Some of the coaches are following the line and some a bit more vocal in concerns. In fairness to Craig Bellamy he didn’t hang Fui out to dry in his post match comments.
4. Rava should not have been charged with a shoulder charge but a shoulder RETREAT. Lol. Truly, he actually was going in to tackle Olam and went Whoops the opposition winger has got the ball and pulled away to chase as Olam simply brushed past him. A bit of fairness from the judiciary but no, it’s a shoulder chaaaaarge! Two weeks suspension and no soup for you.
5. It’s still legal to grab and attacker and then throw out a leg and face plant him ( or her) using a Cumberland throw. After a couple of years of basically ignoring ‘hip drop’ type tackles,they have judicially now hammered two of our players. Funny enough, every team uses side cannon balls and behind cannon balls to finish off tackles of smothered standing players. Good Grief go figure.Jack Whigthon was a bit unlucky that his leg tackle simply ended up a little awkward on the now momentous ‘magic’ round 2021 haha.
Anyway, life goes on. It’s only footy and not sheep stations.