Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 9:06 am  

Cronus wrote:

And now you'll go and find where I've said otherwise. You can, can't you?

You prove my point. Some people simply can't differentiate between acknowledging the 'earlier stuff' - that Hohaia played a part in instigating and escalating the incident - and what followed. Both players were responsible for escalating the sequence of events disproportionately. Flower, ultimately, took it way too far.

To my knowledge, no-one - myself included - has said that second punch was anything but utterly disgraceful.

I think Rhino's point is that the second punch makes all before it moot. There's little point in acknowledging/discussing who started it, who escalated it and who finished it.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 9:23 am  

Offside Monkey wrote:

I think Rhino's point is that the second punch makes all before it moot. There's little point in acknowledging/discussing who started it, who escalated it and who finished it.

That would be correct if plenty of people weren't claiming Hohaia was an innocent little cherub who did NOTHING at all, and Flower is just a big nasty who knocked him to the floor for no reason as he ran past, and then punched him not once but twice, the second being the worst single incident ever seen in the world, ever.

In any incident, instigation and escalation, responsibility and retaliation are taken into account. This is no different. Hohaia and Flower both played their part, Flower went too far.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 10:04 am  

Cronus wrote:

That would be correct if plenty of people weren't claiming Hohaia was an innocent little cherub who did NOTHING at all, and Flower is just a big nasty who knocked him to the floor for no reason as he ran past, and then punched him not once but twice, the second being the worst single incident ever seen in the world, ever.

In any incident, instigation and escalation, responsibility and retaliation are taken into account. This is no different. Hohaia and Flower both played their part, Flower went too far.

You and a lot of other Wigan fans are just embarrassing themselves with this.

Hohaia did nothing in the initial play to warrant being clobbered from behind by Flower. He may have been attempting to disrupt the Wigan runners from getting to the ball, but so what? He's playing sport at the time, trying to gain an advantage for his team. You will see this at EVERY attacking kick made in Rugby League and it does not entitled you to strike at the player blocking you.

The second point is your and a lot of other Wigan fans assertion that Hohaia should have been sent off for 'elbowing Flower in the face'. It was a shoving motion with the arm, not the elbow and it is incredibly cringeworthy that you lot suggest he should have been sent off for it. If that's a red, you'd have reds in every Grand Final, which clearly doesn't happen.

What happened after it was ridiculous and should have lead to criminal proceedings. Flower is a mindless thug who has no place in the game, he could easily have killed Hohaia with that second punch. And yet the Wigan fans saw fit to celebrate his return with a big fanfare.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 11:57 am  

To suggest that Lance Hohaia played no part in this is as stupid as some Wigan fans suggesting he deserved what he got. He played his part and paid a price but What Flower did makes every action before the second punch completely moot. There's an old saying "For everything a reason".

What we should be grateful for although the game was dragged through the mud is that this wasn't a drugs scandal or a rape claim or even worse a drink driving charge leading to the death of someone. Ben Flower has served his time and both clubs dealt with the situation admirably.

The problem here is typical one eyed RL fans dragging the great game through the mud once again. It's over and been dealt with. Get on with it.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 4:37 pm  

This is now getting boring.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 5:37 pm  

rochdale warrior wrote:

This is now getting boring.

Ye it is, its really sad all this pretend outrage.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 8:50 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

snip

I don't generally respond to you, I find you nothing but a poor man's troll. But against my better judgement I will say this:

The second point is your...assertion that Hohaia should have been sent off for 'elbowing Flower in the face'.

Go and find where I've ever said that.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 9:29 pm  

It's the throw enough mud and hope it will stick tactic. In these political times it's very common, to throw mud, seems like Wiganers are taking the tactic from Westminster and playing it here.

The man has had to end his career and the only thing they can do is have a go.

I'd say it's a bit distasteful. The general attitude of the RL family is to clap an opposition player off when they have been injured. What did you want him to do. Lie about the reason he has had to cut his career short? He's stated the medical reason he has had to retire that's it.

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 10:01 pm  

Cronus wrote:

That would be correct if plenty of people weren't claiming Hohaia was an innocent little cherub who did NOTHING at all, and Flower is just a big nasty who knocked him to the floor for no reason as he ran past, and then punched him not once but twice, the second being the worst single incident ever seen in the world, ever.

In any incident, instigation and escalation, responsibility and retaliation are taken into account. This is no different. Hohaia and Flower both played their part, Flower went too far.

Step away from the shovel lad........you're only digging yourself deeper into a pit of denial!

Re: Lance Hohaia retires : Wed May 06, 2015 10:31 pm  

I think Cronus just needs to get over it.