Official 2024 NRL General Discussion

[Sparkles]

news corp

Gotta agree with a lot Gal said
Freddie - BLINDSIDE ?

NRL legends clash in heated dispute on live TV​

It seems the NRL match review agrees with Paul Gallen.
The former NSW State of Origin captain was embroiled in a heated debate with Brad Fittler and Johnathan Thurston on Thursday night after the Panthers’ crushing win over the Broncos.
The result has been overshadowed by an ugly incident that has left Broncos star Reece Walsh with a fractured cheek bone.
Referee Gerard Sutton subsequently placed May on report.
However, May was not charged when the NRL match review announced its verdict of the incident on Friday morning.
Gallen was outnumbered in the heated debate on Thursday night with Fittler and Thurston both calling for May to be charged over the incident.
Gallen’s argument that the collision was a simple accident in a contact sport was supported by the NRL match review.
Here’s a brief transcript of how the post-match segment on Channel 9 went down.
Paul Gallen: For me it was totally accidental. I’m surprised he was put on report and was penalised for it. You can tell it’s totally accidental there. Hopefully Reece Walsh is OK. That he hasn’t broken his cheekbone and might only miss a week, but that does not look good.
Brad Fittler: I think if you come in on someone’s blindside you are responsible to tackle below their shoulders.
PG: No Freddy. I don’t care, I know it’s an accident. But you are totally responsible. It’s a head clash.
BF: I know that, but you are responsible. It’s still contact above the shoulders.
PG: He can’t control where Reece Walsh steps or what Reece Walsh does.
BF: You can control how high you tackle. You are going in on someone’s blindside.
PG: He didn’t even tackle him.
BF: Of course he tackles him.
PG: He tipped the ball on and he tried to stop, to brace himself for a collision.
BF: He went in to tackle him and you are responsible.
PG: It’s a collision sport Freddy.
BF: I understand that. You’re responsible mate.
PG: So Reece Walsh has no responsibility. He can step wherever he wants.
Johnathan Thurston: I’ve got to agree with Freddy.
PG: It’s an accident guys.
JT: We know it’s an accident.
PG: Then why should he be charged or suspended for it.
BF: Because he hit him in the head.
JT: You have a duty of care. And you can tell he’s actually not gone in for the tackle. He’s jumped up.
PG: He braced. He didn’t jump. He braced.
JT: He braced yes, but you’ve got to lower your target.
PG: It’s an accident.
JT: You have to lower your target.
Fittler said May should not have been suspended but believes the Penrith centre should have been fined.

Do they give Walkley"s to sports journalists?

 

[apezza]

Can Dale get two weeks credit for his head clash the other year?

 

[HaroldBishop]

@BurgoShark , we were discussing the actual amount of game time a few weeks back.

I watched the Eels v Manly game last night on delay. Skipped whenever the ball wasn't in play, for example after a try, penalties, challenges etc. Got through the entire game in a bit less than an hour.

There were a lot of tries tbf.

 

[MrDravid]

According to SMH:

Vegas 2025 - Penrith locked in, other teams between Storm, Warriors, Knights, Cowboys, Raiders and Dolphins.

Sign off will happen later this week.

 

[bort]

According to SMH:

Vegas 2025 - Penrith locked in, other teams between Storm, Warriors, Knights, Cowboys, Raiders and Dolphins.

Sign off will happen later this week.

I'm surprised they aren't considering us to try and get our rich guys to bring their rich friends along into a suite

 

[HaroldBishop]

According to SMH:

Vegas 2025 - Penrith locked in, other teams between Storm, Warriors, Knights, Cowboys, Raiders and Dolphins.

Sign off will happen later this week.

Glad they aren't capitulating to Manly and Roosters.

 

[Gards]

Good to see they've stuck with the rule about not putting off an opposition player catching the ball.

Lasted one round

Got my Sharks goggles on but we have copped the early season interpretations pretty rough over the years. Just off top of my head

Chad for his accidental love tap against Souths players head (cost us game)
McInnes "Hip Drop" in opposition red zone (swung the game)
Kennedy baulking (still won game but was bs)

It's garbage from a process point of view the NRL isn't training it's refs properly in pre-season to iron out the kinks and lock down what are reasonable and unreasonable interpretations of newly introduced rules.

Teams shouldn't have to suffer from game changing ridiculous interpretations in the first 3 rounds cause the refs and management haven't got their **** together.

Criteria should be established before pre-season and then trained, tested, questioned and amended as appropriate all before a ball is kicked in Rnd 1 and it should be clearly communicated to teams, coaches, fans ect with examples of what is ok and what is not. Alot of this already happens I know but then the question is why is it still not working properly from the outset?

There should not be confusion or debate about a new rule 3 rounds in. Ok there will always be debate around if a rule should exist at all but a ref should know the correct criteria like the back of their hand and understand the real purpose of the rule.

They shouldn't need to get it wrong in the NRL season before being told how to get it right. The opening month of footy shouldn't be a test bed for experimental officiating.

I think the refs are scared of not showing they will pull up infringements around new rules and prove they are clamping down but they get too eager to enforce it and come up with exaggerations of what the rule is supposed to be.

@BurgoShark , we were discussing the actual amount of game time a few weeks back.

I watched the Eels v Manly game last night on delay. Skipped whenever the ball wasn't in play, for example after a try, penalties, challenges etc. Got through the entire game in a bit less than an hour.

There were a lot of tries tbf.

I watched the game live and felt the game flowed pretty well and that wasn't much in the way of dead or wasted time - cracking game

 

[SF]

Vale Ian Heads OAM

Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) Chairman Peter V’landys AM today paid tribute to a legend of Rugby League media, Ian Heads OAM, who died this morning following a long illness.

www.nrl.com

Sad news, used to love all his books and RLW material.

Including two of my favourites with Jack Gibson... "Played Strong, Done Fine" and "Winning Starts on Monday"

 

[Sparkles]

Vale Ian Heads OAM

Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) Chairman Peter V’landys AM today paid tribute to a legend of Rugby League media, Ian Heads OAM, who died this morning following a long illness.

www.nrl.com

Sad news, used to love all his books and RLW material.

Including two of my favourites with Jack Gibson... "Played Strong Done Fine" and "Winning Starts on Monday"

A couple of ripper titles there. Hope the first is put on his headstone. RIP

 

[bort]

Here’s one for the wokes

I’ve been attending NRL games since I was a little girl and after witnessing the most vile, offensive behaviour I have ever seen at a game last weekend, it’s time men learned the footy is not a magical place where the rules of polite society do not apply.

In our world you cannot get away with calling a stranger in the street a pussy and a gay c–t, or yelling at them in another language based on their ethnic appearance.

It would be entirely unacceptable to start singing made-up lyrics referring to sexually assaulting women or rough-housing so much you nearly take out the people around you.

Yet this is what I witnessed from a band of obviously intoxicated Tigers fans on the hill at Leichhardt Oval when the Tigers played the Sharks on Saturday.

Cards on the table: I’m a Sharks fan, but I have been attending Tigers games at Leichhardt Oval since childhood due to a long line of Balmain fans in my family.

On the hill I witnessed Tigers and Sharks fans alike subjected to an endless torrent of homophobic, racist, misogynistic and intimidatingly violent language without any intervention from security, staff or police.

The vibe was off from the jump when a man with palpable rage in his eyes started screaming at everyone to “get the f—k up, it’s Leichhardt” (the game hadn’t started).

He and his mates then proceeded to scream at players that they were “pussies and gay c—ts”, screamed in Fijian at Sharks players of Pacific Islander appearance, and rumbled with each other without regard for anyone around them.

One elderly man was nearly knocked to the ground, while another was addressed with a threatening and aggressive tone when he politely asked them to watch out for his small grandson while they were staggering around.
Shame on the men around them who laughed and said nothing.

Shame on the school that apparently employs one of these clowns, spotted carrying on like a goose by his students who started calling out “yeah, let’s have a beer, sir”.

And shame on those who – when I posted on X about this experience – said I’m soft, this is what footy is like, and I should cop it or get out.

Men are using violent, offensive language towards players and about women and *I* should leave the game because that’s “just how things are”?
Footy matches are not special places where men get a pass from behaving like respectable human beings.

It is also not a special place where you can be one kind of intensely offensive person who speaks in such a revolting fashion and then switch it off when you leave.

If you are a man who lobs homophobia, racism and misogyny for a laugh at the footy, you are homophobic. You are racist. You are a misogynist. I’m worried about your wives and girlfriends. You are not to be tolerated by polite society.

Boys will not be boys. Boys will be men who take accountability and stop behaving in such a puerile, putrid manner because they think they are entitled to do whatever they want in community spaces.


I have voiced disdain many times for the NRL’s patchy approach to setting standards of accountability by the way it punishes players for their own on and off-field misbehaviour.

The game cannot wait another day to set higher standards for its fans and culture, and to say that homophobia, racism, misogyny, and abusive behaviour is just not footy.

I for one say overturn the result if they are going to behave like that.

 

[HaroldBishop]

Here’s one for the wokes



I for one say overturn the result if they are going to behave like that.

That kind of behaviour is not on, don't care where it is.

 

[MrDravid]

Nathan "I don't have a hamstring injury" Cleary out for a month

 

[HaroldBishop]

P

Nathan "I don't have a hamstring injury" Cleary out for a month

Plenty of injuries early in the year

 

[BurgoShark]

@BurgoShark , we were discussing the actual amount of game time a few weeks back.

I watched the Eels v Manly game last night on delay. Skipped whenever the ball wasn't in play, for example after a try, penalties, challenges etc. Got through the entire game in a bit less than an hour.

There were a lot of tries tbf.

That's about normal.

Sharks first 3 games BiP has been 54, 55, 55.

 

[MrDravid]

Interestingly, Uncle Graham isn't content with telling us how the refs are doing, he's also commenting on the MRO.

Lucky Dale's out this week, cos someone is copping a charge for a head clash.

 

[Sharkbyte]

Moses out 6-12 wks w broken foot

 

[Sevshark]

Interestingly, Uncle Graham isn't content with telling us how the refs are doing, he's also commenting on the MRO.

Lucky Dale's out this week, cos someone is copping a charge for a head clash.

Hear Graham is pushing to have Dale banned for life for introducing such a heinous tactic to the game.

 

[HaroldBishop]

Moses out 6-12 wks w broken foot

Man so many quality players out

 

[Gumby]

Apparently Cleary is also going to be ruled out for 4+ weeks apparently **

 

[Gumby]

Penrith are set to be announced as the next team locked in for Las Vegas next season.

Nrl has stated they want to be taking 4 new teams.

From what’s being written we haven’t been mentioned as even a possible long shot to be there which is a shame.