The game is becoming disturbingly SOFT

[Tommy Smith]

Boyd Cordner is facing a 1-week ban for his "fight" with Matt Ryan on Friday night. SBW also copped a grade 1 high tackle charge for brushing Ryan's chin with his upper arm with all the force of a feather duster.

Now to ensure this isn't a Roosters whinge thread - it only half is - the most disturbing instance of softening the game up atm is the way the refs are over-officiating "contact" on the kicker. It's happened a few times this weekend where a kicker was basically breathed on, and barely anything more, only for the referees to blow the whistle for "unnecessary contact on the kicker".

IMO the game's rule makers need to be very careful not to turn league into a soft sport. We're already halfway there IMO; but if we start suspending players for throwing the worlds worst punch - see Cordner - or giving penalties for lightly brushing the kicker then the product is going to start to suck more than it already does thanks to the way it's so horrifically officiated.

Thoughts? Or am I too harsh and they're all spot on to ensure the mums don't stop little Johnny from playing the game?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

The game will react to the hand-wringing that has been going on since Wednesday night. Not act. React. If anyone thinks that sort of reactionary crap went with Gallop they are going to be sadly mistaken. I doubt Cordner would have had anything to worry about a week earlier.

 

[God-King Dean]

 

[Perth Red]

Totally agree, some of the penalties you see these days are just embarassing for a game that used to pride itself on its toughness. It moves closer to RU every season, maybe it is a master plan?

 

[redvscotty]

Maybe if we did move to the RU plan we could set up a team over on your end of the country and call it the Western Farce.

Then we'd have a truly national game and you'd no longer be scuppered on the reef of W.A. fan whinging!

 

[RHCP]

Incidents aren't judged on their merits. They are judged on a) was the player injured?/did it look really bad? and b) did we f**k this up last time?

 

[Dogs Of War]

All sports are having the same issues. The NFL has the same issues, where the sports seems to be made softer by its administration.

 

[adamkungl]

All started with the pissweak rules protecting the kicker, instead of making them stand a few meters further back, self-serving wankers like Bennett demanded we add more protection.

Then last year we saw the softcock media and a vocal minority of fans bring down the shoulder charge.

Next up, heavy penalties for fighting.

Don't be surprised to see them clamping down on numbers in the tackle thanks to merkins like Bennett, watering it down further and further until we have glorified Oztag

 

[jason taylor]

Nothing to do with the fight on Wednesday, Darcy Lussick got 2 weeks for punching Josh McGuire after McGuire punched Allgood.

 

[the1]

We should become like hockey. If they start fighting let them fight. Harshly penalise any third man in, then sit the offending players out for the obligatory sin bin.

 

[Tommy Smith]

Nothing to do with the fight on Wednesday, Darcy Lussick got 2 weeks for punching Josh McGuire after McGuire punched Allgood.

And McGuire got nothing!

What frustrates me even further is that genuine instances of player safety are not being addressed.

How has Nate Myles been allowed to get away with head-butting his opponents? Isaac Luke openly admitted to attempting to break an opponents legs - and the footage was very damning - and he got a couple of weeks at most iirc.

And then you have the cannonball tackle which IMO is very dangerous. Someone's season ended last wweek because of it I believe and yet nothing was done about it.

Players heads and bodies are getting wrenched in every direction and little is being done.

But throwing a little punch, and missing, now that's worth a week, Boyd! Sonny, grade 1 for the softest "high tackle" you'll ever see. Penalties for tapping the kicker. Kasiano got penalised for pushing someone over which was called a shoulder charge!

Complete and utter bullshit which is seeing the SPECTACLE, remember that thing we love about the game that makes us tune in, disappear and dilute with every passing year.

 

[Loudstrat]

Totally agree, some of the penalties you see these days are just embarassing for a game that used to pride itself on its toughness. It moves closer to RU every season, maybe it is a master plan?

And only last Wednesday night you where whigeing like a Pommy on a hot day over a punch in Origin!

 

[innsaneink]

Its a TV product
Add to the fact refs have no feel for the game
Then throw in the hairstyles and hugging and laughing with the opposition after games

Sickening

Poor ol Rex would be turning in his grave

 

[Stagger Lee]

Agree with the OP sentiment - the game is getting soft.

we need to harden the f -up Australia

http://youtu.be/1EY7lYRneHc

 

[The.X.Factor9]

Agreed,

What about that so called "shoulder charge" by Kasiano; that was more of a push than anything.

There was also that tackle on Reynolds after he kicked it, although by the laws of the game it's a penalty; it was still so soft; the player practically caught him in the air and put him down slowly.

 

[Amadaca]

Worst I've seen in years was the Peter Wallace dive which caused the McGuire-Allgood altercation.

Wallace should have been the one f**king binned.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Plays for Roosters = he must be suspended. It's something you have to deal with Tommy Smith as are the weekly referee hammerings. Nothing you can do.

 

[Renowned League Expert]

The beginning of the end was when they started chasing "the female demographic".

When it became a "family orientated" game, the compromise was in making it softer, female friendly game.

 

[Amadaca]

The players & refs now wear pink on the field on a regular basis, FFS :roll:

 

[Tommy Smith]

Just saw a replay of SBWs tackle which has seen him charged for a high shot.

FMD every statue of the Virgin Mary in the world just bled out of its vagina.

Just embarrassing.