Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:26 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

It isn’t because it’s St Helens, it’s because it’s a disgrace. Saints fans themselves know that. They, like we all would, will take it but if they’re honest they know it’s a ban every single day of the week and they would be appalled if it was flipped and an opposition teams player got off.

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Spot on. I am amazed he has got off without a ban. I said soon as he did it that it was stupid and he would miss the final.

This week has highlighted just how incompetent the RFL are. They have been forced to overturn a decision based on their wording in the initial appeal hearing. Knowles has actually got off on a technicality; not because he isn't guilty of any wrongdoing. Saints have done what literally every other club would've done - they've spied an opportunity and taken it and have outsmarted the RFL (not hard I know.) People will call it cheating, immoral or whatever else but let's be blunt - every fan from every club would be made up if their club got one of their star players off a ban in the days leading up to the final.

Hopefully the shambolic nature of this week will kickstart some serious changes within the RFL and the disciplinary process in particular.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:27 am  

Egg Chasing wrote:

I won't hide behind "I'm here for honest and open discussion with opposing fans" like your lot do you're right.

It was a joke mate, chill haha. I hate Wigan but am also capable of grown up discussion. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:28 am  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

It was a joke mate, chill haha. I hate Wigan but am also capable of grown up discussion. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Me too, we just never get any on here

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:29 am  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

Spot on. I am amazed he has got off without a ban. I said soon as he did it that it was stupid and he would miss the final.

This week has highlighted just how incompetent the RFL are. They have been forced to overturn a decision based on their wording in the initial appeal hearing. Knowles has actually got off on a technicality; not because he isn't guilty of any wrongdoing. Saints have done what literally every other club would've done - they've spied an opportunity and taken it and have outsmarted the RFL (not hard I know.) People will call it cheating, immoral or whatever else but let's be blunt - every fan from every club would be made up if their club got one of their star players off a ban in the days leading up to the final.

Hopefully the shambolic nature of this week will kickstart some serious changes within the RFL and the disciplinary process in particular.

Absolutely.

Something HAS to change because as I said in my earlier post the can of worms opened here is massive.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:30 am  

Egg Chasing wrote:

Or look at it another way.

Wigan beat Leeds, Bateman is banned for 3 games.

Wigan appeal and he is still banned for 3 games BUT the minutes say something like, it was a bad tackle with no regard for player safety but the game is fast paced and players sometimes end up making tackles they didn't intend to make.

Wigan appeal again and he gets off because the wording says he didn't intend to do it meaning it was an accident rather than a bad tackle with no regard for player safety.

Would that be ok?

Difference being that Atkin played on and completed the game. Sezer was knocked out cold and now misses a Grand Final. Is it right that the original decision was to only give Bateman one extra game than Knowles?

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:37 am  

Egg Chasing wrote:

I hate St Helens with every fibre of my being. This would still be a terrible decision if it was John Bateman or Liam Farrell. Firstly because it was a poor tackle and second because of the can of worms it now opens.

I said last week that Martin couldn't be allowed to get off from his ban (which was a joke decision in the first place) because of the ramifications for the sport and I stand by that this week. Expect there to be appeals and then 2nd appeals galore next season with experts turning up and lawyers looking at every single word used in the minutes for any form of contradiction/error. Not to mention players just pointing to this whenever they get banned for a chicken wing tackle that doesn't actually injure the player.

Is agree it's a poor tackle, but the added level of "it's Saints" makes it worse for some imo. There's no getting away from it. If it was rnd.1 and a guy from Toulouse, half the people wouldn't care half as much?

Why do you hate Saints with every fibre of hour being? Is it because they are successful, produce good players, bring loads of fans and have a rich history? You hate it when people hate on us for it and then do the same. Makes no sense. Personally I hate Hudds more. The bring nothing and add nothing to the sport. In fact, you could make a good argument that they are killing it.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:01 am  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

Spot on. I am amazed he has got off without a ban. I said soon as he did it that it was stupid and he would miss the final.

This week has highlighted just how incompetent the RFL are. They have been forced to overturn a decision based on their wording in the initial appeal hearing. Knowles has actually got off on a technicality; not because he isn't guilty of any wrongdoing. Saints have done what literally every other club would've done - they've spied an opportunity and taken it and have outsmarted the RFL (not hard I know.) People will call it cheating, immoral or whatever else but let's be blunt - every fan from every club would be made up if their club got one of their star players off a ban in the days leading up to the final.

Hopefully the shambolic nature of this week will kickstart some serious changes within the RFL and the disciplinary process in particular.

100% correct.

The fact the process (and people involved) is now that inept that opposition fans are outraged with bans for other clubs players or in this case Saints fans can admit its farcical Knowles will play, just shows where we sit at the minute. This incident and the farce of the Bateman ban being used in games he’d have never played in (just as players used bans in reserve fixtures in Superleague this season) has to be the tipping point. If this continues next season, even a die hards like me is close to becoming that disillusioned with it all that I, at the very least, cut back on games I can be bothered attending. I’m going tomorrow, as I go to every final but I’ve never looked forward to one less. The past few days (and the season as a whole) has just left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:29 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Why do you hate Saints with every fibre of hour being?

Because they're our biggest rivals.

It's called sport

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:35 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

100% correct.

The fact the process (and people involved) is now that inept that opposition fans are outraged with bans for other clubs players or in this case Saints fans can admit its farcical Knowles will play, just shows where we sit at the minute. This incident and the farce of the Bateman ban being used in games he’d have never played in (just as players used bans in reserve fixtures in Superleague this season) has to be the tipping point. If this continues next season, even a die hards like me is close to becoming that disillusioned with it all that I, at the very least, cut back on games I can be bothered attending. I’m going tomorrow, as I go to every final but I’ve never looked forward to one less. The past few days (and the season as a whole) has just left a bitter taste in the mouth.

I agree up until the penultimate sentence. I'm actually looking forward to this as much if not more than the previous few years and I think the controversies of the week have actually got more neutrals talking too.

I think the atmosphere tomorrow will be unreal and it'll be very much Saints v the rest which is fair given what's gone on

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:51 am  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

I agree up until the penultimate sentence. I'm actually looking forward to this as much if not more than the previous few years and I think the controversies of the week have actually got more neutrals talking to.

I think the atmosphere tomorrow will be unreal and it'll be very much Saints v the rest which is fair given what's gone on

Maybe they’re talking but it’s about one thing and not the other stories around the game. This week to me should’ve been all about Woolf going out on a perfect record vs an unbelievable resurgence Rohan Smith has brought about at Leeds but instead it’s just been one huge highlighting of the sheer incompetence of the RFL.

I can also see the end result tomorrow being all about ‘the decision’ and that’s sad. Whatever comes of it anyway, it all needs sorting.