This game was good prep for the semis.

Tricky conditions, hostile crowd, bad start.

Made the necessary adjustments at half-time and won.

Great prep for our away game against the Storm. 

Yep Mann could be a broken collarbone usually 6 weeks and hard to speed up.

But players and medical staff can sometimes work miracles this time of year. 

Next 2 games are at home and we should have a big crowd behind us.

Turbo is the main danger in the Manly side. Clarke or Skelton to replace  Critter if  necessary. 

King might just be 2 fines?

Look at us...

Cirro, Burto, Sexy, Manncrush, Curran,Xerri, Tracii Guns...  Harry, hayward... Them all!!!...

And we... 

We don't lay down...

Can't remember the game, but Morrin copped and unpenalised hip drop... Yelped... But got up and played the ball and we scored of the next ruck...

Another 2nd half shit out!!!...

On another note.. I reckon a 2 year ban and points stripped for Critters shoulder charge....

And the Wahs were up for SJ... Well up... Probably the best theyve played all year ..

Play the Wahs in NZ, no matter their form, all that matters is - get in, get 2 points, get out.

Doesn’t matter if it’s 1-0 or 50-49.

Mission accomplished.

8 second half shut-outs.

I think I mocked us home. Thought we were no chance after that start. And apparently Ciraldo blew up delux at half time. Very good coaching. 

He didn’t blow up delux at half time.

Critter 1 week with early guilty- take the rap and fire the boys up from the sideline.

Trying to beat the suspension would require a highly technical defence that somehow he was attempting to wrap his arms and didn't have room. Everyone judges by the outcome, impossible to defend successfully.

I hope that we try young Clarke against Manly. Skelton is going to Tigers and there are some aspects of Shelton's game I am not happy with. The counter argument is we know what Skelton brings and that is plenty.

Wilson probably gone for the season,  but we may get Wilson and Mann back for the GF. :)

I tend to agree.
The fact RTS ended up with Grade 1 HIA and ends his season, will weigh alot on how the MRC reacts to it and how the judiciary rules on it.

I hate to say it.... critta has some elements in his game that are rather dirty and its only his stature as one if the best players im the game that saves his ar'se most of the times. Most other players would be penalised. 

Realistically should have copped 10mins sin bin, but wont be as lucky at judiciary.

I think that the reason he didn't go to the bin was the nature of the incident,  he was too close to the other defender and RTS dropped fairly late. The ref and the bunker perhaps got it right even though the Warriors coach and many in the media don't agree.

However, with RTS wobbly on his feet and cat 1, it was always going to be a week suspension.

Overall the Warriors game was great for us inspite of the collateral damage. 

Even when we start slow, we can turn it around then dominate the second half and ice the game.

The next step for us is starting faster and that is something that the coaches and players need to work on. 

Considering the conditions,  we scored a lot of points.  The Xerri try was great execution and just about impossible for the defence to stop.

So does that mean if a player slips and his head comes into contact with a shoulder, arm, hip or knee and almost gets knocked out, then the defender is responsible..... of course not, it's accidental.
Unless a player leads with a shoulder, arm etc and deliberately contacts the head then it's mitigating circumstances and accidental. The onfield officials deal with it any way they want but the mrc needs to be honest and transparent when dealing with non deliberate incidents.

Having said that, I'm sure that the 'over the top' media narrative and the whinging fans will create a biased decision from the nrLOL to set an example just to appease their 'duty of care' mantra.

Shame that the Storm are thrashing the Fins.

If the Storm and Roosters lost we would be the form ream of the comp.

I am deathriding the Panthers, Sharks and Roosters all the way from here.

To break the line attackers need to run hard and fast.

To stop them defenders need to use thier shoulder.

On wet slippery fields players can slip and defenders don't have the time to adjust.

NRL would be better off doing some R&D on headgear.

Players have been binned for incidents similar to Critter's, but until RTS stumbled most people didn't even know contact had occurred.

Aside from the inconsistency, it isn't a big deal, penalty is fine, suspension is fine.

I prefer them to use the bin for deliberate, reckless or obvious foul play.

Players can and do stay down looking for the penalty. If they bin the defender, the attacker should need to do a HIA test.

RTS was a clear HIA, but if they start routinely binning all headshots, Players will try to milk that.

Sometimes even Wayne Bennett can't get results without talent.

But regardless of how poor the playing squad is,  how many injuries and suspensions they have fans will always blame the coach.

Fans will also believe Wayne is a solution to all of the club's problems. 

I agree on the intentional vs accidental (slip or duck by the attacker) but unfortunately the NRL rules (and attitude) aren't aligned with that.

The put the onus on the defender no matter what and penalise and charge the defender - in order to be "seen" as "protecting" the players.

I personally prefer the AFL's interpretation whereby if you duck and cop a high shot, you dont get the free kick (unless its completely intentional)

Another option is to give a club a replacement player when a player is ruled out HIA. Pick from 4 standby players. 

Then award the penalty and allow the judiciary to sort it out.

Deliberate/reckless stands out ut is usually 1-on-1 or a late move with a lot of force. If there is no drop height from the ball runner, assume deliberate. Bin deliberate/reckless, but it needs to be clear cut.

Coaches are going to coach their players to lead with the head in attack knowing full well it will be easily the get half of the opposition players binned or suspended for the slightest contact. 
I believe there are no uulonger any "rules" to the game, they are now just guidelines and are open to interpretation and misuse.

I don’t agree with the rule. But I think it’s fair because if the HIA. 

Obviously contact that not avoidable and accidental like a player falling in not a knee of a defender can’t be a sin bin. But Critter went into the tackle and did make contact with the shoulder. Yes it was accidental but he should have gone to the bin. At least on what we have seen this year. We got very lucky with that call 

They have been binning all head shots all year. Players including our own have been milking them all year. And it’s fair because if the HIA rules. 

Binning a player doesn't compensate for a guy ruled out HIA, more flexibility in replacing the guy would do that.

Some players who didn’t deserve to be binned were.

Out of all the clubs we handle having a guy in the bin..

Not a big deal we would have won anyway. 

That says plenty considering how hard the Warriors players tried and how badly they wanted it.

The whinge by the Warriorsc oach in the Presser was the only straw he had left to grasp.

The whinge was justified, but doesn't matter now that the game is over.

But being down 2 centres made it tough for them. If they coild have replaced RTS with a specialist centre, that is more advantage than Critter binned. 

One of the Manly guys that got binned wasn't even suspended,  the Tigers player wasn't hurt.

I wanted the Tigers to win, so I was happy with that. 

The problem does happen with regular injuries,  but when players are not 100%, the team should have cover for that.

We had Foxy come off injured a couple of times and handled it well.

But a 5 man bench would be a good  idea.

I don't like to see forwards playing in the centres or on the wing, that isn't how the game used to be. 

He 100% should have been sin binned. And suspended.

The way most players run the ball any tackler who doesn't use their shoulder in tackles will not be playing NRL long.

Given the standard set this season, yes a binning and suspension is consistent with that. 

But they are consistently inconsistent, any time we are asking the bunker and ref to judge force and intent that is a receipe for a long break in the game while the watch slow mo replays from multiple angles.

While attackers run hard and can slip at the last moment and defenders tackle with their shoulders, that kind of contact is going to happen.

We could reduce HIA and injures of all kinds by playing more games in the middle of the day, players train during the middle of the day. The footy would be better to watch when played in dry conditions and it would suit families with young kids. 

My main objection is that the game has been overshadowed by a single inconsistent bunker decision that probably had no impact on the eventual result.

It was a great game of footy, but people just love to whinge.

I would like to ask the ex-player who are whinging about this what they would have done in Critter's position.

Any critic here is welcome to describe the type of tackle they would have made.

Critter could perhaps have anticipated that RTS might have slipped and got a bit lower, that is all he could have done, there was no room to wrap the inside arm.

The game is fast paced defenders doing have a lot of time to think before attempting a tackle.

The fundamental problem was Critter ended up too close to the inside defender. If Critter drops his level,  he might cop the shoulder of the inside defender or RTS.

If the in the bunker watched the Tigers and Manly game,  he is definitely binning Critter, 

Being consistent is more important than getting it right.

That is the big problem with the Annesley regime, refs and bunkers go off script or no one knows what the script is. 

He often defends inconsistencies and we know certain refs have thier own style which can be very different. 

Players, coaches and fans get annoyed by the inconsistencies.

For starters all match officials should watch every game and there should be an open review with tricky or controversial decisions discussed in a group meeting. 

How much we pay the refs and whether the refs have time for that could be an issue. Refs should be fully time professionals, with structured development of young refs earning them a full time contract when they make the grade. Doesn't need to be massive salaries, they can have a longer career and get fewer injuries. 

Egos are an issue here, some refs might not like feedback,  but those are the refs we don’t want.

Players who retire or have their careers ended early by injury should be included in development programs.

Bloody Dragqueens are hopeless. 

What a great weekend....
Bulldogs (NRL) and Hawks (AFL) secure finals footy after a number of years in the wilderness.

Both might be in elimination finsls territory but both playing finals type footy.

Its going to be a fun September!