Opinion NRL Consistency and favouritism

[True Blue]

Maybe it is only me, but over the weekend I watched most games and I found the reaction of the Match Review Committee quite disturbing and inconsistent. I look at the hit by Kikau on Nicol-Kolstad and scratch my head. Firstly N-K was forced out of the game at a very early stage and the only benefit that the Raiders received was a penalty. I then compare that to the tackle of DWZ on Nathan Cleary in our match against the Panthers. Both tackles were the result of being caught out by the attacking player stepping away from the defender. The result being an arm thrown out in despair by both defenders. Neither was a "swinging arm". The result was that DWZ was binned, reported and suspended for 2 weeks. The incident for Kikau(who has developed a bit of a record) was simply a penalty.....no report and certainly not picked up at match Review. Please tell me where the consistency is............or is it simply a case of the top teams receiving the benefit of doubt........

 

[gibbo2]

The six again constantly ruled against us further highlight it. Ref needs to be micd up so they can explain each one. We have been canned every week. Yet I see our blokes held down much longer and other teams are right in our face.

 

[Scoooby]

NRL favours its pets and the top runners making them the big coin aka - panthers, storm , chooks , Rabbits..

Now If the doggies hit top next year then You watch our luck turn, we won’t be on the dud end of the calls, the rub of the green will sway, we will get more penalties and repeat sets.. the nrl only want to feather their own nest, it’s what it’s about, the game is no longer fair by any means.!!!

 

[UmoGus]

I have noticed that when the rabbits are going good they seem to get everything in their favour.

 

[wendog33]

NRL favours its pets and the top runners making them the big coin aka - panthers, storm , chooks , Rabbits..

Now If the doggies hit top next year then You watch our luck turn, we won’t be on the dud end of the calls, the rub of the green will sway, we will get more penalties and repeat sets.. the nrl only want to feather their own nest, it’s what it’s about, the game is no longer fair by any means.!!!

Just watching the other games to evaluate these 6 agains.

And there is NO other nit picking canning of other teams. They all flop in tackles, wrestle, some lie in the ruck, some have even pushed defenders in the ptb...absolutely no 6 agains called.

We do have dumb, ill disciplined players for sure but the level of one way attention we get from refs MUST be orchestrated bc we are NOT that bad by comparison.

Every misdemeanour, we get penalised against and other teams don't. Watch any game. They get to play reasonably constant footy with opportunities to control possession and build pressure.

We are NOT allowed that level of consistency bc of the heavy one sided scrutiny.

Not our only problem by any means but everyone can see this 2021 game is all about building pressure and possession.

Our team is heavily scrutinized and can't get any roll ons. (Of course then we drop the ball but that's on us ...not the ref manipulating possession unfairly).

 

[Bull Terrier]

Have to agree with posts on here. Refs have complete control who wins a game today. 6 again is a replacement for a penalty and most times only they know what its for. Ref decides who gets the ball and if you dont have the ball your done.When the top teams play a bottom team they get all the calls and end up with a big score. Even Munster before the game said the dogs dont get the 50/50 calls.

 

[TABOO]

Maybe it is only me, but over the weekend I watched most games and I found the reaction of the Match Review Committee quite disturbing and inconsistent. I look at the hit by Kikau on Nicol-Kolstad and scratch my head. Firstly N-K was forced out of the game at a very early stage and the only benefit that the Raiders received was a penalty. I then compare that to the tackle of DWZ on Nathan Cleary in our match against the Panthers. Both tackles were the result of being caught out by the attacking player stepping away from the defender. The result being an arm thrown out in despair by both defenders. Neither was a "swinging arm". The result was that DWZ was binned, reported and suspended for 2 weeks. The incident for Kikau(who has developed a bit of a record) was simply a penalty.....no report and certainly not picked up at match Review. Please tell me where the consistency is............or is it simply a case of the top teams receiving the benefit of doubt........

Have to agree there. Its a pretty clear cut example of VERY similar situation and Kikau with a worse record gets off.

Also, the Ogden/Asofa Solomona incident; Ogden just pushed Munster over who was the key instigator of the problem and gets a contrary conduct charge. Nelson comes in with a swinging arm/closed fist punch and gets the same charge (Despite prior 'non-similar' charges).

 

[cookieman909]

I’ve always said Top teams get all the calls. You only have to look at the Good Friday game as an example against Souths. Couple of instances.

-Mitchell gets aggressive in a tackle, leads to Hoppa getting up and standing toe to toe with him, Mitchell hits the ball out of Hopoates hand. Everyone saw it. Ref rules knock on and Souths ball. Lucky we challenged it, and got the correct call. But fuck me calling a knock on in the first place, really?

-Hetherington getting penalised for an attempted shoulder charge that missed. Piggy back up the field for Souths.

Now with the 6 again, the top teams get 50-50 calls and bottom teams can’t stop the momentum.

 

[Malla]

Top teams don't get the calls because they're top teams, they get the calls because they are genuinely better and opposition try and bend the rules to slow them down.

Last night when Parra were on the front foot, Dragons were laying all over them set after set - they were lucky to only lose 1 man. Honestly it was rubbish from Dragons. Penrith get all the 6 agains because they play so fast and team especially late in halves, struggle to keep up. I don't think its that the shit teams dont get calls, it's just that the shit teams are shit.

There are always the couple howlers tho - that's a given. But I would not even consider worrying about reffing.

 

[Powerslide]

Have to agree there. Its a pretty clear cut example of VERY similar situation and Kikau with a worse record gets off.

Also, the Ogden/Asofa Solomona incident; Ogden just pushed Munster over who was the key instigator of the problem and gets a contrary conduct charge. Nelson comes in with a swinging arm/closed fist punch and gets the same charge (Despite prior 'non-similar' charges).

During the game I expected to maybe get hit with a Penalty for Ogden pushing Munster but expected NAS to go to the bin for the punch. and when you compare what happened in the Raiders/Penrith game between Crichton and Tapine (where Crichton was charged)... no consistency for us

 

[D- voice]

Maybe it is only me, but over the weekend I watched most games and I found the reaction of the Match Review Committee quite disturbing and inconsistent. I look at the hit by Kikau on Nicol-Kolstad and scratch my head. Firstly N-K was forced out of the game at a very early stage and the only benefit that the Raiders received was a penalty. I then compare that to the tackle of DWZ on Nathan Cleary in our match against the Panthers. Both tackles were the result of being caught out by the attacking player stepping away from the defender. The result being an arm thrown out in despair by both defenders. Neither was a "swinging arm". The result was that DWZ was binned, reported and suspended for 2 weeks. The incident for Kikau(who has developed a bit of a record) was simply a penalty.....no report and certainly not picked up at match Review. Please tell me where the consistency is............or is it simply a case of the top teams receiving the benefit of doubt........

This is worse...
Against Souffs Hetherington was penalizes for a crusher tackle when the Souffs player's turning his back action caused it, moments later he was penalized again for a missed shoulder charge yet
Walker deliberately stepped on a player on the ground, guess what, the referee the 2 touch judges and the video ref all missed it...
Or did they ???

 

[True Blue]

Top teams don't get the calls because they're top teams, they get the calls because they are genuinely better and opposition try and bend the rules to slow them down.

Last night when Parra were on the front foot, Dragons were laying all over them set after set - they were lucky to only lose 1 man. Honestly it was rubbish from Dragons. Penrith get all the 6 agains because they play so fast and team especially late in halves, struggle to keep up. I don't think its that the shit teams dont get calls, it's just that the shit teams are shit.

There are always the couple howlers tho - that's a given. But I would not even consider worrying about reffing.

In this instance Malla, I was talking about the inconsistency of the Match Review Committee. I partially agree with your argument on refs and the top teams. The top teams thrive because they are generally fitter and usually end up with a possession stat well in their favour at crucial points in the game. It is up to the lower teams to improve their fitness and importantly their discipline. But please the inconsistency with the MRC is so bloody obvious........

 

[liljohny]

Match fixing in world sport goes a lot deeper than the player.... The nrl is proof of this

 

[Bulldog1966]

^^ the above to me is complete BS i do not believe for a minute this is happening.

Anyway moving on I agree with Malla, refereeing is the least of our problems i don't think we're getting treated that badly.Teams like us are getting reamed because they get exposed when under the pump, try to slow things down often illegally and then get pinged and it's a domino thing too, if the opposition don't score quickly there is a chance of another indiscretion and a further 6 again.
Better teams are rarely if ever under the pump so they aren't often burnt by it.

I don't remember the Kikau incident that well but assume there wasn't much contact otherwise he would have been cited? or did he get concussed from his head hitting the ground not sure.Personally though again i don't think their favouring him because he increases viewership vs being out suspended.

 

[bowleggedwog]

You have to run hard and straight to get the calls. Play direct with speed and you get momentum. We seen that last week for 20min with Thompson we can do that and get the calls.

 

[Chris Harding]

The six again constantly ruled against us further highlight it. Ref needs to be micd up so they can explain each one. We have been canned every week. Yet I see our blokes held down much longer and other teams are right in our face.

True, but I also watch our players holding down for too long or massaging the faces of the tackled players. If I can see this happening, so can the refs.
It infuriates me - we're defending on our line, and some idiot thinks it's a good idea to give them an extra six tackles.

Why can't we just get off and set our defence? All we do is give away another set, or leave gaps for their dummy half to run through.

 

[wendog33]

True, but I also watch our players holding down for too long or massaging the faces of the tackled players. If I can see this happening, so can the refs.
It infuriates me - we're defending on our line, and some idiot thinks it's a good idea to give them an extra six tackles.

Why can't we just get off and set our defence? All we do is give away another set, or leave gaps for their dummy half to run through.

Agree wholeheartedly.

Some of our dumb players make it so easy for refs to cane us.

The responsibility for getting those silly mistakes out of their game lies with Baz and Furner.

So over to them. Coach it out of them or shake hands with Potter till you stop.

This year is gone. Teach them some discipline, and what it takes to be a firstgrader for your team mates under 6 again rules, in the meantime.

 

[Malla]

In this instance Malla, I was talking about the inconsistency of the Match Review Committee. I partially agree with your argument on refs and the top teams. The top teams thrive because they are generally fitter and usually end up with a possession stat well in their favour at crucial points in the game. It is up to the lower teams to improve their fitness and importantly their discipline. But please the inconsistency with the MRC is so bloody obvious........

Yeah I can't argue with you, but I think the root cause of the inconsistency of the MRC is too much grey area within out rules as well as too many rules within the rules.

I could have sworn that when you impede a player that is trying to score a try that is a professional foul and is a sin bin. Nathan Brown held back Dufty - was awarded a penalty try but Brown stayed on the field - does it matter that it was a penalty try? He still committed the professional foul and deserved a spell in the sinbin. This is inconsistent with the rule that says professional fouls deserve 10 in the bin.

So yeah I agree with you, but I think the root cause is beyond the refs application of the rules, I think the rules are too grey and some rules have way too many technicalities within the rules, its just a fucking headache to follow.

An example of grey is Sutton calling the Graham charge down on Reynolds a penalty in 2015 'black' friday game. The rule does not cover the intent of the player, it simply states you can't attack the legs (or something like that), as mad as we were at Sutton (I fucking hate the dog ****), it wasn't his fault as he applied the rule but what the rule doesn't really cover is the intent of the player. Why the fuck would Graham be diving at the direction of his legs? Because he's trying to charge the fucking ball down. If the ball even as much as flicked his finger nail it would have been play on. Thats jus an example of the grey the exists in our game. Don't get me started on the ruck penalties and 6 agains. Fucking joke.

 

[D.O.W.]

NRL favours its pets and the top runners making them the big coin aka - panthers, storm , chooks , Rabbits..

Now If the doggies hit top next year then You watch our luck turn, we won’t be on the dud end of the calls, the rub of the green will sway, we will get more penalties and repeat sets.. the nrl only want to feather their own nest, it’s what it’s about, the game is no longer fair by any means.!!!

All I know is the Storm, Roosters and Broncos seem to get the rub of the Green year on year, it doesn’t matter how Shyte their going...

We will just have to make our own luck at the end of the day.

 

[Expedite]

The 6 again rule is so open to rorting and match fixing its not funny. It is so easy for the refs to control the outcome of every game. The cynic in me makes me wonder just how deliberate implementing this was and who was actually behind the idea.