Have David Smith and Paul Gallen Ruined State of Origin ?

[Mr Fourex]

There should have been a punch up in last Wednesday nights match and pre-David Smith, there would have been.

What should have occurred, was an all out brawl....a place for the players to rid themselves of the hyperbole built up by the week long media barrage. Blow off steam ....have a stink and then let's play footy. It has been this way since the origin concept first started. Instead, what we got last night was 60-70 mins of niggle, spoil and wrestle.

To the over sensitive minority who David Smith kowtows to, they've seen the game as a great spectacle of RL. In reality, league fans know that in the grand scheme of origin history, last nights games was one they'll easily forget for it's unmemorable nothingness.

Let's be honest. Smith has NFI about State of Origin history. He barely has any knowledge about RL at all and because one loud mouthed PC nazi screams "what about the children !!!", Smith immediately rolls over and changes our great game forever. One punch and you're off ....mandatory ruling. Referees have the power of discretion taken away from them by a welsh wanker who has no appreciation for anything other than making a quick buck.

The prick should be the NRL's top bean counter and nothing more. He should have no power whatsoever to make rule changes that affect you, me and the entire RL community for years to come. There's no going back from this rule now.


In his two short years of office, he's successfully fucked State of Origin.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Grub Gallen gets a mention because of him being the one who's actions caused the rule makers to actually listen to the softcock minority in the first place.

 

[CaptainHook]

I think Game 1 last year was a real turning point. Gallen blatantly punching Myles and copping no punishment kind of forced their hand. The NRL are too gutless to support their refs. Instead of saying we got it wrong, they needed to take a hard line because of all those impressionable soccer mums out in Western Sydney who might think twice about letting their kid be involved in RL. If the referees had the courage to sin bin him like they should have this would have all been avoided. It's a real farce now.

 

[CaptainHook]

Ps: I hope it changes soon. I heard a lot of talk about how Game 2 was such an intense, edge of your seat experience. I was watching a different game. It was the first Origin match I was nodding off to towards half time. I don't know what it was but it wasn't Rugby League.

 

[Broncoman]

I stand and applaud sir that was a very enjoyable piece and I agree with it 100%

The biff was one of Origin's most popular and selling trademarks and it always got everybody out of their seats and pumped out everyone even more. It also got the stress out of players and if there was a blow up the game would've been better and both teams could concentrate on the game more after it. Let's not forget Artie's punch and swinging arm on Mick Cronin in 1980 is what fired the concept up and ended any doubts that players would go easy on each other.

Dave Smith is more interested in catering to soccer mums and the highest bidder.

 

[Browny]

Whilst I don't want it to return to Les Boyd rubbish, maybe the refs could have you know controlled the game

 

[Morkel]

The Soccer Mum brigade, and invariably the husband that earns a comfortable living so said Soccer Mum can have a black 4wd, not need to work, and spend her days at day spas, are the people that are most easily relieved of their money. And now that they've learned how to express their liberal disgust via social media, it is commercial suicide to not bow to their opinions.

 

[Brett]

If you think Rugby League needs to have fighting in it, you've lost it, IMO. Rugby League is NOT about fighting, or "the biff", or whatever you wanna call it. If you wanna watch fighting, go watch UFC - it's fantastic!

The last Origin game was a terrible spectacle for our sport, again IMO. The quality of Rugby League was not even NRL standard. The ruck speed was horrendously slow and a result defences were set very early and so the ball never got out wide. We saw basically no expansive Rugby League being played.

These guys are getting paid massive dollars to play Rugby League, not niggle with each other like a bunch of egotistical boys.

I want to see skillful and high level Rugby League being played. I don't want to see a bunch of testosterone filled boys getting their knickers in a knot over bullshit.

 

[Morkel]

If you think Rugby League needs to have fighting in it, you've lost it, IMO. Rugby League is NOT about fighting, or "the biff", or whatever you wanna call it. If you wanna watch fighting, go watch UFC - it's fantastic!

The last Origin game was a terrible spectacle for our sport, again IMO. The quality of Rugby League was not even NRL standard. The ruck speed was horrendously slow and a result defences were set very early and so the ball never got out wide. We saw basically no expansive Rugby League being played.

These guys are getting paid massive dollars to play Rugby League, not niggle with each other like a bunch of egotistical boys.

I want to see skillful and high level Rugby League being played. I don't want to see a bunch of testosterone filled boys getting their knickers in a knot over bullshit.

And they'd be able to play League if there was a simple avenue to vent their frustrations. We're not calling for the biff because we only want to see fighting (most of us anyway), we want it so they can blow their loads and get on with their job of playing football.

 

[broncos4life]

I love this whole push of "we have to bring back the biff to stop the niggle"

Here's an idea. The refs could do their fucking jobs and penalise the niggling shot out of the game. But hey the useless pricks can't even count to 6 effectively so we better not give them too much responsibility.

 

[Morkel]

And to expand on that, they were frustrated because the refs outright refused to penalise the bullshit cheap shots. With each one being ignored by the refs, the players each just got worse and worse, both sides feeling that they're being hard done by by the refs when their opponents get away with it. So they either keep going and going until the ref blows the whistle, or they take matters in to their own hands and punch on.

 

[Kaz]

[MENTION=8361]Brett[/MENTION]

I suggest you turn off RL & watch something else.

I few fights in a game is OK, as long as it's one on one. And Gallen gets knocked out.

 

[Brett]

And they'd be able to play League if there was a simple avenue to vent their frustrations. We're not calling for the biff because we only want to see fighting (most of us anyway), we want it so they can blow their loads and get on with their job of playing football.

They're professional footballers and grown men. Do you mean to tell me they don't have the self control and/or professionalism, to just play Rugby League and not carry on like children?

@Brett

I suggest you turn off RL & watch something else.

I few fights in a game is OK, as long as it's one on one. And Gallen gets knocked out.

I'll assume you're being serious. I disagree entirely. Rugby League is not about fighting. It's about Rugby League. I want to see two skillful teams playing this great game.

 

[Unbreakable]

Whilst I don't think it's beneficial that there's a fist fight every game.. in the overall scheme of things, is it really worse than 80 minutes of forearms and elbows in the face / throat in tackles and constant late shots, because that's what the trade-off is.

 

[Brett]

Whilst I don't think it's beneficial that there's a fist fight every game.. in the overall scheme of things, is it really worse than 80 minutes of forearms and elbows in the face / throat in tackles and constant late shots, because that's what the trade-off is.

Again, I disagree. The players are there to play Rugby League, not rub their elbows and forearms into peoples throats. That is not what Rugby League is.

 

[mrslong]

The reason they stopped the punching wasn't soccer mums, it was the people trying to crack down on punching in nightclubs. You can't have rugby league players punching each other as heroes on the field and it not flowing thru to society. Be a man ffs and CONTROL your temper.

the entire qld & nsw team lost their marbles when Gallen was allowed to get away with the shot on Billy, and some of those shots on dce, and went gangbusters in the niggle. Gallen gets pinged for the shot on slater the game goes to a normal tempo; it didn't need a brawl ffs.

 

[vertigo]

How about a gentleman's agreement before a game that they ALL punch on, you can't bin everyone.

No instigator, just a simultaneous flurry of fists.

 

[Cult]

Swinging arms and spear tackles are more dangerous than a 1 on 1 punch up. Gallen didn't hit Slater in the shoulders. He hit him in the face. Watmough and Reynolds should both have been sent off for their spear tackles. Reynolds should be suspended and fined after every game he plays for bringing the game into disrepute.