News, General Articles and Discussion

[Joe]

I dunno - sometimes I feel like the perspective needs to be different. I would go with:
1) entertainment first
2) perfection second

Feels like we have talked ourselves into this narrative that with technology, 8 refs etc everything will be perfect …….but you know it won’t and so what….its sport……

Take our GF win and an alternative narrative - Sam B gets hit, independent doctors rules him out, James Graham gets 10 in the bin or whatever…..and say we agree all those decisions are “consistent”…

So we gain perfection but we lose the drama and entertainment of sport….

Honestly I think we need to stop overthinking it…..

 

[Pplspoet]

I dunno - sometimes I feel like the perspective needs to be different. I would go with:
1) entertainment first
2) perfection second

Feels like we have talked ourselves into this narrative that with technology, 8 refs etc everything will be perfect …….but you know it won’t and so what….its sport……

Take our GF win and an alternative narrative - Sam B gets hit, independent doctors rules him out, James Graham gets 10 in the bin or whatever…..and say we agree all those decisions are “consistent”…

So we gain perfection but we lose the drama and entertainment of sport….

Honestly I think we need to stop overthinking it…..

Footy should be a life lesson.

Sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes things don’t go your way when they should. Suck it up and get on with it.

Would love to empower the refs to just call what they see. Lose the bunker or just use it for the put down.

And everyone accept that no system is perfect and the refs call is the refs call.

Dont like it? Become a ref and do better yourself.

 

[Joe]

Footy should be a life lesson.

Sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes things don’t go your way when they should. Suck it up and get on with it.

Would love to empower the refs to just call what they see. Lose the bunker or just use it for the put down.

And everyone accept that no system is perfect and the refs call is the refs call.

Dont like it? Become a ref and do better yourself.

Agee wholeheartedly- challenge this, rewind that, slowdown another part….

Just get on with it

 

[Reggy]

I dunno - sometimes I feel like the perspective needs to be different. I would go with:
1) entertainment first
2) perfection second

Feels like we have talked ourselves into this narrative that with technology, 8 refs etc everything will be perfect …….but you know it won’t and so what….its sport……

Take our GF win and an alternative narrative - Sam B gets hit, independent doctors rules him out, James Graham gets 10 in the bin or whatever…..and say we agree all those decisions are “consistent”…

So we gain perfection but we lose the drama and entertainment of sport….

Honestly I think we need to stop overthinking it…..

Pretty good post. Like origin. The pushing and running in shoes passion. We seem to want to eliminate passion from the game.

Omg we scored. Now let's wait 3 mins to ensure it's a try.

 

[Percy Horne]

I know it must just be me but the inconstancies don't bother me. It is a game played, refed and run by humans. The human factor is what makes the game.

The game is now under a microscope due to the unrelenting media coverage and the need for FOX to have stories to fill airtime. One of their favourite chestnuts is refereeing. How many times have your heard "Rosie" Rothfield in his swill voice say "the refs need to be accountable" accountable to who, the media? I can see the stories now filling the dead space they have on FOXNRL with "Grill the Ref" host by James Hooper.

Seriously, refs are accountable. The NRL has a whole unit dedicated to referees. Internally they would be just as accountable as players are internally at their clubs.

I have no issue with the sin bin or send offs. The send off is actually part of the fabric of the game. As far as the send off affecting the outcome, so what. It has since 1908 and should do in the future. If people say it is not good for the punters. Well if you are silly enough to bet on the outcome of a game then you have more money than sense. I am not a gambling Nazi I just know the odds. There are too many things in a game that 34 humans play for 80 minutes that effect the result with the sin bin and send off being just two of them. I have watched more games than I can remember since the mid 60's and the one thing that overwhelmingly impacts results are the players making errors or not playing to the rules.

 

[Pplspoet]

Willie made a comment on Levels that GI is an all time player. That he’s the best outside back he’s ever seen and he puts him against anyone, Mal included.

I know that GI is often put a rung below Immortal status, but when framed like that, which outside back in the history of the game would you have in your side ahead of Greg Inglis?

Are Gasnier, Meninga and (to a lesser extent as he played elsewhere) Fulton a class ahead of Inglis?

The guy was a walk up start for every rep side his whole career. And he absolutely dominated at the elite level. Won premierships. What more would a player need to do than GI did?

 

[Percy Horne]

In all my days I had not seen a player like GI. The number of long range tries he scored with his strength then speed was ridiculous. Fulton I hated but admit he could break a game open with his acceleration. Gaz had blistering speed over 40 metres. Mal was a man mountain who had skill and strength.

I would have GI over all of them.

 

[JessicaRabbit]

Send offs seems to come in and out of fashion:

1998 - 17
1999 - 8
2000 - 8
2001 - 2
2002 - 5
2003 - 6
2004 - 4
2005 - 2
2006 - 4
2007 - 5
2008 - 6
2009 - 2
2010 - 1
2011 - 3
2012 - 3
2013 - 2
2014 - 0
2015 - 1
2016 - 0
2017 - 0
2018 - 1
2019 - 1
2020 - 3
2021 - 7
2022 - 12
2023 - 4
2024 - 2 so far

In that time Souths have done well.

Roosters, St George - 11
Cronulla - 10
Manly, Auckland/NZ - 8
Melbourne, Canberra - 7
Nth Q, Gold C - 6
Wests, Penrith, Parra, Newcastle - 5
Brisbane, Canterbury - 4
Souths - 3
Penrith - 2

 

[Kent Brockman]

Your correct in saying it's run by clowns, but I'm not sure all those clowns are in admin. Admin are puppets ,the real clowns are those in the media and a certain club director with fingers in many pies , who are driving the bus. I also think V'Llandys is doing a good job under the circumstances.

Agree, I sometimes see decisions where I think they are trying to second guess what the reaction from the media is. Just ref the way you want. That's the only way you will get consistency.
The last person you want to listen to is Gould. Was he tampered with as a kid by a ref? He does have a weird obsession with calling them out.

 

[Kent Brockman]

I know it must just be me but the inconstancies don't bother me. It is a game played, refed and run by humans. The human factor is what makes the game.

The game is now under a microscope due to the unrelenting media coverage and the need for FOX to have stories to fill airtime. One of their favourite chestnuts is refereeing. How many times have your heard "Rosie" Rothfield in his swill voice say "the refs need to be accountable" accountable to who, the media? I can see the stories now filling the dead space they have on FOXNRL with "Grill the Ref" host by James Hooper.

Seriously, refs are accountable. The NRL has a whole unit dedicated to referees. Internally they would be just as accountable as players are internally at their clubs.

I have no issue with the sin bin or send offs. The send off is actually part of the fabric of the game. As far as the send off affecting the outcome, so what. It has since 1908 and should do in the future. If people say it is not good for the punters. Well if you are silly enough to bet on the outcome of a game then you have more money than sense. I am not a gambling Nazi I just know the odds. There are too many things in a game that 34 humans play for 80 minutes that effect the result with the sin bin and send off being just two of them. I have watched more games than I can remember since the mid 60's and the one thing that overwhelmingly impacts results are the players making errors or not playing to the rules.

As Terry Kennedy used to ask callers complaining about refs on Big Sports Breakfast, "when was the last time a team won the comp that didn't deserve it?"
It all comes out in the wash.
Makes me laugh that the toughest sport in the world has the biggest whingers.

 

[Joe]

As Terry Kennedy used to ask callers complaining about refs on Big Sports Breakfast, "when was the last time a team won the comp that didn't deserve it?"
It all comes out in the wash.
Makes me laugh that the toughest sport in the world has the biggest whingers.

Hmm, hold my beer, Google “VAR and premier league”

 

[fixer]

.

Willie made a comment on Levels that GI is an all time player. That he’s the best outside back he’s ever seen and he puts him against anyone, Mal included.

I know that GI is often put a rung below Immortal status, but when framed like that, which outside back in the history of the game would you have in your side ahead of Greg Inglis?

Are Gasnier, Meninga and (to a lesser extent as he played elsewhere) Fulton a class ahead of Inglis?

The guy was a walk up start for every rep side his whole career. And he absolutely dominated at the elite level. Won premierships. What more would a player need to do than GI did?

Fulton was a freak! (and he knew it too!) It's no fluke he was one of the first immortals. I'll go and wash my mouth out now.

 

[Bully]

Willie made a comment on Levels that GI is an all time player. That he’s the best outside back he’s ever seen and he puts him against anyone, Mal included.

I know that GI is often put a rung below Immortal status, but when framed like that, which outside back in the history of the game would you have in your side ahead of Greg Inglis?

Are Gasnier, Meninga and (to a lesser extent as he played elsewhere) Fulton a class ahead of Inglis?

The guy was a walk up start for every rep side his whole career. And he absolutely dominated at the elite level. Won premierships. What more would a player need to do than GI did?

I’m one of the younger ones on here so I’m the worst person to answer your question but what I will say is the longer GI is retired and the more I see his highlights, the better and more elite he is looking.
He was unreal and to think he did it in our colours.

No one is close to doing what he did in the 5 years he has been retired.

I think he has a very strong case to be an immortal.

 

[Robrab]

GI's highlight reel go's for six hours.

 

[kor3]

I’m one of the younger ones on here so I’m the worst person to answer your question but what I will say is the longer GI is retired and the more I see his highlights, the better and more elite he is looking.
He was unreal and to think he did it in our colours.

No one is close to doing what he did in the 5 years he has been retired.

I think he has a very strong case to be an immortal.

The other thing that stands above any of the other great backs named in that list of greats, is GI could easily play at fullback, wing, centre and 6 and be top 3 in everyone of those positions. No other backline player comes close to that, absolute freak