Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:43 pm  

I'm not sure why people are shocked?

It's pretty obvious that they are circling the waggons. Instead of apologising and saying he got it completely wrong (don't forget the VR thought it was a yellow), they are doubling down.

This, like I've been saying for weeks, is the biggest issue facing RL. Not concussions, not grading points, not player drain to the NRL - it's the refs, MRP & general RFL all protecting their own. It was wrong when we benefited from it with Watts. It was wrong when Bell missed last week and now it's wrong for Byrne.

I wonder what defence the ref sh@ggers will come up with for this one.

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:43 pm  

The Reaper wrote:

The MRP are a joke really

Grade E is preposterous considering there was clearly no intent in it. Also 2 games for an accidental head clash? Ridiculous. 1 game for the elbow is fair (although did someone say it’s not even for that?)

It’s just dumb, and it’s crazy how conditioned to players getting banned we have become that people are just accepting bans in general. Realistically the only ban we should see from this game is Byrne, only as an automatic ban for a straight red and not even because I think it deserves a ban in isolation

I’d much rather just scrap the MRP entirely and use a similar system to football with cards triggering an automatic ban rather than this nonsense every week. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be achieving? Have high tackles reduced since the MRP started banning people for it last year? Certainly doesn’t seem so to me, so not exactly the deterrent they’re saying it is. All it’s doing is killing the sport and effecting match results needlessly. RL is a tough sport and teams have loads of injuries to deal with in a season without all these suspensions as well

He also wraps his arms and doesn't lead with the shoulder. The grade E is basically for being too upright in the tackle. If that's enough reason for a grade E then Lees on Thompson should be a grade E too (it shouldn't of course but you get my point). The situation is becoming farcical.

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:53 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I'm not sure why people are shocked?

It's pretty obvious that they are circling the waggons. Instead of apologising and saying he got it completely wrong (don't forget the VR thought it was a yellow), they are doubling down.

This, like I've been saying for weeks, is the biggest issue facing RL. Not concussions, not grading points, not player drain to the NRL - it's the refs, MRP & general RFL all protecting their own. It was wrong when we benefited from it with Watts. It was wrong when Bell missed last week and now it's wrong for Byrne.

I wonder what defence the ref sh@ggers will come up with for this one.

I’ve seen this narrative that the video ref said it was a yellow and that there was mitigation all over the shop but there’s no actual evidence this is the case lol. It comes from the commentator saying it, but if you listen to what he was saying he doesn’t actually have a clue. His wording was something like “I heard the video ref say something about mitigation so I think he’s going to get 10 minutes” which, if he wasn’t listening properly then he shouldn’t be saying that at all. It’s highly possible he heard the video ref say “there’s no mitigation” as he clearly only caught the one word lol

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:57 pm  

Phuzzy wrote:

He also wraps his arms and doesn't lead with the shoulder. The grade E is basically for being too upright in the tackle. If that's enough reason for a grade E then Lees on Thompson should be a grade E too (it shouldn't of course but you get my point). The situation is becoming farcical.

I agree it was a legitimate attempt to tackle yeah. He gets it wrong due to Percival dipping and the red is fair enough under current rules because the onus of safety is on the defender even though I don’t agree with the current rules anyway. Giving him a huge ban for essentially failing to dip in time is ridiculous though. It’s one game max

I don’t see the point in banning someone for an accidental head clash. Deterrent for hitting someone with your own head and risking a concussion to yourself? Obviously nobody is doing that on purpose. It makes no sense

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:58 pm  

Phuzzy wrote:

It's ridiculous NK. No issue with a ban but Grade E?!?

I sat thinking about it this morning and my thought were ‘he’ll get 2 games and worse case maybe 3’ and in my mind I’m comparing it to Percival against Salford and thinking it’s similar and if anything he at least attempts to wrap the arms and then I fall off my chair with Grade E.

Paul Wellens said Good Friday is as close to Origin as we’ll see here but we can’t have those high intensity games in this country at the minute, well you can but you’ll have multiple players sat down after them.

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:02 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

I sat thinking about it this morning and my thought were ‘he’ll get 2 games and worse case maybe 3’ and in my mind I’m comparing it to Percival against Salford and thinking it’s similar and if anything he at least attempts to wrap the arms and then I fall off my chair with Grade E.

Paul Wellens said Good Friday is as close to Origin as we’ll see here but we can’t have those high intensity games in this country at the minute, well you can but you’ll have multiple players sat down after them.

The bottom is absolutely right, and the disciplinary system needs to be moved to the top of the priority list for IMG to sort out. They’re going to breed the intensity right out of this game and then it’ll be attractive to nobody

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:03 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

I sat thinking about it this morning thinking ‘he’ll get 2 games’ and worse case maybe 3’ and in my mind I’m comparing it to Percival against Salford and thinking it’s similar and if anything he at least attempts to wrap the arms and then I fall off my chair with Grade E.

Paul Wellens said Good Friday is as close to Origin as we’ll see here but we can’t have those high intensity games in this country at the minute, well you can but you’ll have multiple players sat down after them.

I thought the same. 2 maybe 3 if they wanted to "show the ref was right" so to speak. Byrne hasn't got a particularly bad disciplinary so I'm assuming that doesn't come into it, he wraps his arms and doesn't lead with the shoulder. As I said to The Reaper, if being upright alone is enough justification for a grade E then we're going to see a lot of players missing large chunks of the season.

You're right about the SOO. Neutrals everywhere have been saying this game was several levels up from the run of the mill SL game. We're not encouraging that intensity with ludicrous decisions like this.

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:04 pm  

And ftr I’ve no issue with them physically changing the rules of what is and isn’t allowed in terms of head contact and protecting players heads. Change the rules, deal with indiscretions on the day with cards or whatever is needed. Theres no way the insurance companies are demanding players being banned for getting tackles wrong so there’s no need for it to be happening

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:16 pm  

The Reaper wrote:

The MRP are a joke really

Grade E is preposterous considering there was clearly no intent in it. Also 2 games for an accidental head clash? Ridiculous. 1 game for the elbow is fair (although did someone say it’s not even for that?)

It’s just dumb, and it’s crazy how conditioned to players getting banned we have become that people are just accepting bans in general. Realistically the only ban we should see from this game is Byrne, only as an automatic ban for a straight red and not even because I think it deserves a ban in isolation

I’d much rather just scrap the MRP entirely and use a similar system to football with cards triggering an automatic ban rather than this nonsense every week. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be achieving? Have high tackles reduced since the MRP started banning people for it last year? Certainly doesn’t seem so to me, so not exactly the deterrent they’re saying it is. All it’s doing is killing the sport and effecting match results needlessly. RL is a tough sport and teams have loads of injuries to deal with in a season without all these suspensions as well

Brian Carney’s idea is similar and far more practical. We need to remember the speed at which the game is being played at. This is not 70’s thuggery.

Re: Saints (a) : Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:16 pm  

The Reaper wrote:

The bottom is absolutely right, and the disciplinary system needs to be moved to the top of the priority list for IMG to sort out. They’re going to breed the intensity right out of this game and then it’ll be attractive to nobody

We’re breeding players lying down looking for penalties and guys like Field and French signalling for ten minutes the other day and that is extremely sad to see. I hope Peet has had a strong word with those two after that.