This is why players need someone to babysit them in interviews....

[Joker's Wild]

Seriously, if we allow punches to go unpunished then whats the argument against knees, elbows or head buts?

We have huge campaigns telling young men that one punch can kill, that its dangerous and can have life long repercussions. The NRL would be stupid and highly hypocritical if it tolerated the same actions in its game.

The biff does not make RL, never has. The game is fine without it

 

[big hit!]

Typical moron logic!

Instead of allowing punching, they should be penalising the niggles. Obviously. If they want to punch on, climb into a boxing ring and spare those of us who would rather watch a football match.

Thank f**k! It only took 6 posts to come up with the correct solution. I thought this was going to be yet another embarrassing thread for rugby league.......well, I haven't read beyond your post yet.

With two refs on the field, and those flag wavers on the sidelines that currently do f**k all in terms of officiating, shit should be seen and penalised. Thurston's slap in Game 2 should have even been penalised with a sin-binning. Cut the BS "this is origin" crap out.

If you're into the sport because of the punch-ons, then f**k off.

EDIT: I'm sick of seeing junior games with this shit too. It's f**king endemic. Any aggression should be used to play football. Anything else should be penalised and binned. It's not part of the game.

 

[Lambretta]

Ignore the result for a second, Origin two was one of the worst games of rugby league I've seen. It was 80 minutes of wrestling and no one ballsy enough to actually play the game. A fight early on would have sorted that out and they could have got on with it, instead it's like watching teenage girls carry on.

This ^ and all the niggle played straight into NSW hands

Before the rule change, a facial or an elbow in the head, or a slap in the face would have gotten you a punch in the head - so you just wouldn't do it. Getting punched in the head and the game carrying on benefits you how? It doesn't, so you don't do it.

So once in a blue moon, something sets a player off and punches are thrown. So bloody what? They're big boys, they'll sort it out.

The referees could just let play go on - after all the guys punching will soon stop if one of them realises he's out of the defensive line. Once play stops you penalise whoever the instigator was or better both of them.

What happens since the rule has changed is that players KNOW that if they can get a player to swing a punch then the other side will be down a man, so they try and set a fight off. This leads to absolute garbage on the field.

Of course, as others have said, the other way to solve this is to start sin binning players for starting niggly play. Give someone a facial rub or a slap or whatever and you can go and sit down. Serves you right for being a dickhead. I don't have a problem with this either.

Ironically all the stoppages benefitted NSW no end as Queensland just weren't able to get their passing and running game going and the Blues forwards were getting plenty of breaks.

 

[Danish]

Seriously, if we allow punches to go unpunished then whats the argument against knees, elbows or head buts?

We have huge campaigns telling young men that one punch can kill, that its dangerous and can have life long repercussions. The NRL would be stupid and highly hypocritical if it tolerated the same actions in its game.

The biff does not make RL, never has. The game is fine without it

When have punches ever been allowed to go unpunished?

The old rule was if you start a fight, you get penalised. If the person you punched throws punches back, well thats your problem.

If you just went out and punched someone without warning, you would get sent off and be looking at a severe suspension (see ALL king hit punishments over the years).

To say punches went unpunished is ridiculous

 

[big hit!]

Bird is on the money same soft c**ks crying about the biff are probably the same soft c**ks who tsk tsk at a parent giving their bratty kid a smack on the bum.

Go watch AFL.

Yes. All you armchair experts supporting biff all WATCH!

Go out and play the game you love with the intention to play the game hard and fair, but know in the back of your mind that some merkin is going to play illegally......and that they get little punishment for it so do it again.

IF this sport is going to be embraced by the wider community as an event to attend if other week, and sport to consider for kids and weekend warriors, then it has to clean itself up. It's this thuggish shit that has held it back for ever.

Players need to get the message. Cut out the biff. Cut out the niggle. Penalise and punish thuggish and grub play.

 

[Jason Maher]

Quite apart from punching, the solution to the niggling bullshit is to start penalising it. If they keep doing it, bin players.

 

[morley101]

When have punches ever been allowed to go unpunished?

The old rule was if you start a fight, you get penalised. If the person you punched throws punches back, well thats your problem.

If you just went out and punched someone without warning, you would get sent off and be looking at a severe suspension (see ALL king hit punishments over the years).

To say punches went unpunished is ridiculous

True

Bob Cooper got 20 weeks in the early 80's for a punch on winger Lee Promfret
that broke his jaw.

 

[big hit!]

Making it a mandatory sin bin ruined one of the biggest games in history as a spectacle. Well done NRL. You and Helen were probably loved it. No one else did.

Bullshit!

Origin 1 was one of the best origins out of the 101 played.

Origin 2 was one of the worst.

The Origin 2 shit was largely started by QLD trying to evoke a response from NSW. The latter then returned in kind and played the same way. The refs did little to negate it. If Thurston was sent off the field for spell for his slap on Scott, then the match would not have gone into the quagmire of shit that it did on national television.

 

[Marshall_magic]

Origin 2 was like the opening 10 minutes of an origin game repeated 8 times. Two years ago the game would have been 10 minutes of niggle and crap, a stink, then 70 minutes of football. Since there was no stink we never got out of the niggle stage of the game. Since the players aren't allowed to take the law into their own hands (with good reason), the referees should have been more proactive in penalising the niggle out of the game. I hope in game 3 (a game with lesser importance as the series is decided), the referees can gain a greater control of the game and don't let it plod along like game 2 did. I'd rather watch 20 penalties in 80 minutes with some football being played than 80 minutes of niggle and no football.

 

[Joker's Wild]

When have punches ever been allowed to go unpunished?

The old rule was if you start a fight, you get penalised. If the person you punched throws punches back, well thats your problem.

If you just went out and punched someone without warning, you would get sent off and be looking at a severe suspension (see ALL king hit punishments over the years).

To say punches went unpunished is ridiculous

Well for starters, Brett White in 2009 KO'd Steve Price and what happened to him? Not much

Of course there has been rules against it but the enforcement of said rules has been pretty lax until recently. Given the current social climate, the NRL had to act. Simple as that

 

[big hit!]

Ignore the result for a second, Origin two was one of the worst games of rugby league I've seen. It was 80 minutes of wrestling and no one ballsy enough to actually play the game. A fight early on would have sorted that out and they could have got on with it, instead it's like watching teenage girls carry on.

Or maybe a sin bin or two. Perhaps the thick heads might realise they're hurting their team and their chances to win an Origin match.

 

[insert.pause]

Quite apart from punching, the solution to the niggling bullshit is to start penalising it. If they keep doing it, bin players.

Quite simple isn't it!

 

[Perth Red]

I'm just glad I am old enought to have enjoyed watching the game when it was the toughest game in the world, when shoulder charges where spectacular entertainmnet and when blokes sorted outt he niggly shts in the way blokes should. I sound like my dad but this sanitised mummsy decade ahead is going to be secome so bland, risk averse and sanitised that the game will soon be as much a contact sport as netball.

Watching Mason the other night messing around and jokingly getting involved in a handbag pushing melee just showed the level of mockery the game has got to in a very short space of time in regards to this.

 

[Danish]

Well for starters, Brett White in 2009 KO'd Steve Price and what happened to him? Not much

Of course there has been rules against it but the enforcement of said rules has been pretty lax until recently. Given the current social climate, the NRL had to act. Simple as that

Brett White punched a bloke who punched him first. Why would you expect him to be punished for defending himself? On top of which origin had always been given much more flexibility than a standard club game and that was accepted universally (in a normal game of league you might have expected White and Price to both be sin binned... once they woke Pricey up of course)

Punches had historically in league always been a case of punish the instigator, which was a fair system. King hits or 3rd man in were always treated worse also which made sense.

 

[Ulysseus]

Some players deserve to be punched for their niggle.
It would have been justice had Skando got hold of Slater after he kicked him in the head.
Dito and chicken wing / ankle twisting / tendon crushing / grapple tackle shit done by any number of players - the offenders should have copped one square on the nose.

 

[Chook]

Every goddamned tackle on origin 2 was a f**king UFC clutchfest. Punching is not the boring part of league. Grappling and wrestling is.

Watching 3-4 dudes hold up, arm bar, and take down the ball runner 300 times per game is absolutely tedious. A sped up ruck with a couple haymakers here and there would be an infinitely better product.

A couple of haymakers would produce a better product? You're a deadest idiot.

Research has shown that a punch thrown in any sporting code turns mothers (who ultimately decide what sport their child plays) off that code. It's that f**king simple. If you want kids to play our code showing a player punching another player won't attract them.

If you want to impress a bunch of duncesaurs, then haymaker away.

Chook.

 

[Paullyboy]

There is no point in worrying about turning mothers away if every fan hates the product mothers like.

I challenge anyone to watch origin 2 (once again, ignoring the emotion from the result) and say it's enjoyable. Rugby league is a significantly weaker product and has been declining for a while. Pandering to mothers is a big reason for it. Mothers will always find something they don't like, so stop trying to please them above all else.

 

[ek999]

There is no point in worrying about turning mothers away if every fan hates the product mothers like.

I challenge anyone to watch origin 2 (once again, ignoring the emotion from the result) and say it's enjoyable. Rugby league is a significantly weaker product and has been declining for a while. Pandering to mothers is a big reason for it. Mothers will always find something they don't like, so stop trying to please them above all else.

I don't think anyone would say that Origin 2 was a good game by any stretch of the imagination. I don't think getting rid of the automatic sin bin for punching is the solution though

 

[Mr Spock!]

When I watched the odd game of AFL growing up, it always struck me how much a group of pussies they were.

Can't touch over the shoulder, banned shoulder charges, banned punches and had girly pushing instead.

I used to think thank God for rugby league which doesn't have these mamby pamby rules.

Now it's the same.

 

[Mr Spock!]

I'm just glad I am old enought to have enjoyed watching the game when it was the toughest game in the world, when shoulder charges where spectacular entertainmnet and when blokes sorted outt he niggly shts in the way blokes should. I sound like my dad but this sanitised mummsy decade ahead is going to be secome so bland, risk averse and sanitised that the game will soon be as much a contact sport as netball.

Watching Mason the other night messing around and jokingly getting involved in a handbag pushing melee just showed the level of mockery the game has got to in a very short space of time in regards to this.

This!