Catalan game : Sun Sep 03, 2017 8:46 pm  

Has it actually got to the point where games are now fixed in favour of super league teams? On today's showing by Chris Kenndel I'm more convinced it has.

I try to look at the referees as impartiality as I can, so if I see a set of 6 where our opponents are off side I then look at Fax in the next set to see if there is any bias, today Catalan were offside almost every set, yet Fax were penalised for being offside where the French were not for most of the game, we also seemed to get more penalty's deep in our own half when in the last 10 minutes when we were dead and buried, perhaps to even up the count.

The amount of foul play that went amiss in the game was woeful high shots, punches, forward passed, flop tackles, shoulder charges you name it.

It completely ruins the game, why turn up and pay if no matter how good your team is you're never going to win, and it's blatant which just winds you up so you spend 80 minutes frustrated.

Re: Catalan game : Sun Sep 03, 2017 8:57 pm  

Something I responded to on a fb post which Jamie Bloem also commented on.
'' Hence why I left... being told to cut penalties and even who should win the penalty count!!!!''
I have followed this game for 50 years and just knew that we would not get a fair deal today. The RFL have spent millions keeping Catalan in SL; funding,exceptions of overseas quota;immune from relegation etc. There was always going to be a protection policy for Catalan by the RFL as a result in order to ringfence the RFL CEO's policy of expansionism outside the rugby heartland.I accept Fax couldn't break them down today but blatant foul play being ignored; penalising Fax everytime we got into Catalan red zone to relieve pressure, and Jamie Bloem's candid comments above just bring me to despair. If it wasn't for my loyalty to Fax for all the enjoyment they have given me over the years, I would have walked away from the game. Sadly thousands over the tenure of this RFL Board have already done that. No matter what spin they try put on it. #dyinggame.

Re: Catalan game : Sun Sep 03, 2017 8:59 pm  

Read few things on twitter regarding dirty play from Cats. Thought Warrington got a fair few dubious calls yesterday a couple of which basically shaped the result.ive watched 4 games since Thursday and the 3 televised ones have been poor from refs/video ref.i expect Catalans to get extra help in remaining games

Re: Catalan game : Sun Sep 03, 2017 9:06 pm  

My view is that there are two/three SL refs. who don't seem to be up to it. We (Leigh) have had them regularly this season, and have regularly fallen foul of them. Sure, we may have deserved it, but yet we don't seem to fall foul of the better refs, such as Thaler and Bentham. (alright, we got caned by Thaler today, but deserved what we got, and Widnes were well punished, too)

My point is that we don't play differently for different refs, (we probably need to wise up to that!) yet seem to upset some of them, consistently! There seems, in some cases, to be a pre-conception, that the 'lesser' of the teams must be indisciplined, because of their 'lowly' status'

Here's hoping that, whoever gets the Leigh v 'Fax game, sees it that way!

Re: Catalan game : Sun Sep 03, 2017 9:17 pm  

Hewer was decent today in a game that had a few flare ups.He seems not to get the tV games nowadays but for me is the fairest ref and calls the same penalties on both teams which is all you can hope for.

Re: Catalan game : Sun Sep 03, 2017 9:18 pm  

Poor display today from the officials.
Kendal missed more than he saw, especially head shots, laying on and the main stand second half touch judge may just as well have been a cardboard cut out being pulled up and down the line on a piece of string for what use he was.

It was more frustrating than game costing and insults your understanding of how the game is played it was so obvious.

Shame we couldn't get a score or two with the first half possession to get them panicking a bit more as Cats looked shaky and you can see why they are where they are.

Second half started badly for us and we never really got going or had any rhythm and was a pretty scrappy affair.
We looked tired at the end but the lads did their best and stuck at it.

Re: Catalan game : Sun Sep 03, 2017 9:28 pm  

I don't like to comment re referees so I'll leave it to others but I do have one point to make. I'm a fan of both codes and watch games live and on tv. It does seem to me that union take much more seriously foul play including high tackles , spear tackles etc. The number of high tackles in league is getting ridiculous. The game has a duty of care to its players ; so much has been said and written on head injuries in American football and rugby union but virtually nothing on league. Yes some tackles are accidental but it's about time the RFL take positive action. More yellow and red cards must be issued while the spear tackle like today's one automatic red card . I also think the RFL like to project league as a tough macho game but eventually someone is going to be seriously injued ; only then will they act.

Re: Catalan game : Mon Sep 04, 2017 7:03 am  

I thought it was the worst performance I have seen down the Shay or any other game from the officials yesterday. The tackle on Grady, multiple late shots on Murrell, numerous high shots that went unpunished and a pretty bad spear tackle that probably warranted red rather than just 10 minutes in the bin. The funny thing with that one was that it was Bird that got sin binned yet I think it was his late shot on Murrell that wasnt given and was so bad that Ben Heaton actually stopped as though he just expected the penalty then when he did play on he ended up in an awful tackle.(Theirs some highlights kicking about and Bird made both tackles by the looks of it) I thought from the way the decisions went in the first half we were not going to be "allowed" to win that game.

Its a shame that after the players put in another solid performance against the odds we will mostly be talking about a shambolic referee performance.

Re: Catalan game : Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:56 am  

It's a rough tough game and tbf we were outclassed with pace and power with some clinical finishing - similiar to when we played Widnes. The difference between the Widnes game for me was the amount of head high shots and professional fouls taking place yesterday. There were three potential red card incidents in the match and Kendall did not take action or demonstrate his authority on the match.

I hope to see the disciplinary panel come down harshly on the tactics employed by the coaching staff of Catalans with several bans.

Re: Catalan game : Mon Sep 04, 2017 9:13 am  

OK blaming officials all time,but we shot ourselves in foot big time yesterday.Playing well,on top penalty in their 20 against 12 men and what do we do ? yes kick a needless grubber 10 yards dead on third tackle,probably the dumbest play i've ever seen.Catalans then with 7 tackles trundle downfield,Barber misjudges a bomb and we're behind,gamebreaker and there's no way back as we are totally clueless in their 20,as we have been most of season.