The spokesman for the Rugby League Medical Officers Association of club doctors, orthopaedic surgeon Sam Sorrenti, warned us last year: "It is only a matter of time before there is a major disaster.

"It's very dangerous and if it goes wrong, there can be terrible concussion. There is no point reacting after something has gone wrong. We don't want to turn rugby league into a sissy's game but we have a duty of care for the players' welfare."

lol at League players; have to repay faith in me by staying off alcohol for 6 weeks.

Fark do they have no self control?

Then on the shoulder charge debate;



Who the fuck says that?

What is a "sissys" game?

What is a "sissy" in general?

-PB

may as well have said "we don't want the game to be full of gaycxxxs"

So Parra have signed Corey Norman on a 3 year deal. What's the bet they'll be paying him $350k+ a season :lol:

The shoulder charge should never of been banned. If done properly its a legitimate technique. Should we get rid of all tackling just in case someone gets hit in the head with a swinging arm. No, there would be an uproar, the shoulder charge should be no different.

Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary warns NRL could head down soccer's diving path
REFEREES boss Daniel Anderson has been warned he risks turning rugby league into a game like football - where players will be encouraged to dive.

A frustrated Cleary said: "Is that how we want the game to go? I'm not sure."

While not blaming his side's five-tries-to-two loss on one bad call in the opening five minutes of the match, Cleary said the rule is tearing apart the fabric of the game.

"They have got to fix it up," Cleary said. "One thing about our game that separates it from soccer is that no one dives.

"But that rule is encouraging people (to dive)."

The obstruction rule controversy has been bubbling since Anderson took the referees job.

Match centre: Game details and stats



He has a black-and-white approach that decoy runners who initiate contact with defenders will be penalised.

Yesterday Tom Humble lucked out in the fourth minute when he was denied the opening try after Greg Bird appeared to run straight into his opposite Sika Manu.

From there Penrith bombed three more first-half scoring chances to go to the break trailing the Titans 12-0.

In fairness, Gold Coast thoroughly deserved the win and that was not the issue being debated after the match.

Bird was adamant he didn't take a dive.

"Not at all," he said. "Falling over is the last thing on your mind. I wasn't really looking at him. I was looking out and he sort of bumped me."

Cleary was careful not to accuse Bird of deliberately diving, and said the rule was to blame, not the defending players.

"I am not casting aspersions on anyone but if you are a defender and you are not looking to run into someone then you are probably not doing your job," Cleary said.

Gallery: Best action snaps from the game

Cleary is a part of the NRL's Competition Committee that changed the rule this year.

But he said at no point did he agree with the black-and-white approach of Anderson.

"Honestly, I can't remember anything being spoken that it was going to be black and white in any meeting I have been in," Cleary said. "I am not sure where that came from.

"We have got people up in the box, video refs now who are ex-players, and supposedly they have a little bit more feel for the game.

"They are not being given the opportunity to actually have that feel for the game. Some of the rulings of late have been really, really bad.

"Black-and-white decisions are being made on something that is not black and white. Those (second man) plays have been in the game for a long, long time but at the moment it is almost impossible to put a second-man play on.

"There are so many good things happening as far as the referees go but that one needs addressing.

"You can't have black-and-white decisions. There is no such thing in our game."

Yesterday's loss means Penrith have just one win from four games and they have a tough clash on Saturday against the Cowboys in Townsville.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/gold-coast-titans-beat-penrith-panthers-in-nrl-round-four/story-e6frexnr-1226609878837

:lol: Well done Josh Dugan. Twat

:lol: Well done Josh Dugan. Twat

Come on Parra, a win would lift us into 7th.

Its going to be a loooooong season.

Stuart must be thinking WTF did I get back into club football - should have stayed SOO coach :lol:

Yeah but he wasn't winning there either.

Still can't believe Thaiday is facing a suspension. Common sense has clearly gone out the window.

Common sense went out the window years ago - as for thaiday deserved more than 1game should be automatic 2 games, no player in any code has the right to touch a ref/official.

Common sense went out the window years ago - as for thaiday deserved more than 1game should be automatic 2 games, no player in any code has the right to touch a ref/official.

:lol:" The Eels must be hoping for a huge increase in the salary cap or they could be in a bit of trouble.

Cap increase may be tilting level playing field
Steve Mascord

IT'S time we had a close look at just how the increase in the salary cap has affected the competitive parity of the NRL, which has been its biggest strength since 1998.
We've had nine premiers in 15 years but results like Monday night's 50-0 win by Sydney Roosters over Parramatta at least suggest that this year – for whatever reason – we have a new underclass.
The salary cap has gone up from $4.4 million to $5.85 million but that includes a big hike in the marquee player allowance, from $300,000 to $550,000.
I recently wrote a feature on this and the conclusions I drew from talking to a variety of agents and football managers was that more good players are staying where they are and mid-range players are demanding big sums to move.

This may be having the effect of shoring up the most powerful teams and severely stretching the resources of the clubs trying to catch up.
Roosters football manager Peter O'Sullivan said: “Your $240,000 players are going to be asking for $400,000 and if you don't give it to them, they WILL leave.
“But if clubs do give it to them, they are going to be stuffed because all their cap will be spent at the top and middle of their squad with nothing at the bottom.”
Sure, the players deserved their cut of the $1.025 billion TV deal. But I wonder how much work was done on the impact of the cap increase on competitive parity.
Also, we're not going to give the strugglers time to catch up. The cap will keep going up, to $7 million in 2017. Could the gap between haves and have-nots increase at a commensurate pace?
We don't want to get to the point where we see scorelines like those in England on Monday – 84-6 and 64-6.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/cap-increase-may-be-tilting-level-playing-field-20130403-2h6x6.html#ixzz2PUc1CuBV