CROSS FORUM NRL 2022 Round 24 Discussion

[BroncsFan]

It really is staggering. I don't mind the fine system tbh, but this is a farce. I'd be fine with players copping a fine on the first and second offences but after that it's a fine and a week...a fine and two weeks etc etc.

I love how last year certain people were pushing the "hit them in the hip pocket, that'll hurt them" narrative and now it's "fines don't work, hit them with game time, that'll hurt them". Muppets

There should definitely be suspensions once you've picked up multiple charges, but it should be on the 2nd offence rather than the third.

Loading used to mean that your 2nd offence would tick you over to a suspension, because early pleas would put you at around 80pts.

They should also bump up the fines to be a percentage of their wage or "match fees"... and add that to the suspension as well.

Make the fine 50%, or even 100%, of their "match fee" instead of just blanket $1500, $3000, etc.

If you're picking up your 5th act of foul play within a year you should be copping 2-3 weeks on the sideline and also hit them with a fine on top.

If NAS is handing out $50k-$60k in fines plus weeks on the sideline he might actually pull his head in... same with JWH, Victor, etc.

 

[Cult]

It really is staggering. I don't mind the fine system tbh, but this is a farce. I'd be fine with players copping a fine on the first and second offences but after that it's a fine and a week...a fine and two weeks etc etc.

I love how last year certain people were pushing the "hit them in the hip pocket, that'll hurt them" narrative and now it's "fines don't work, hit them with game time, that'll hurt them". Muppets

Fines for accidental, weeks for dog shots. It's pretty simple. Player backs into the defense and you fall with them? Crusher and a fine. Drop an elbow into a players face? Weeks.

 

[Harry Sack]

Fines for accidental, weeks for dog shots. It's pretty simple. Player backs into the defense and you fall with them? Crusher and a fine. Drop an elbow into a players face? Weeks.

Yeah, to be clear when I said that I wasn't specifically targeting the NAS situation although I quoted it. He should have sat out a few weeks a number of times this year. Even if you want to call what he did accidental, the second time...stiff shit if it was an accident, fine and a sit down is what I was getting at.

 

[Cult]

Yeah, to be clear when I said that I wasn't specifically targeting the NAS situation although I quoted it. He should have sat out a few weeks a number of times this year. Even if you want to call what he did accidental, the second time...stiff shit if it was an accident, fine and a sit down is what I was getting at.

If it's accidental, it's reckless and still dangerous. Raising an elbow to drop on someone's face isn't accidental though. You don't point your elbows in this sport. A player falling into a high tackle, backing into a tackle and falling and finishing off a legs tackle is accidental. Swinging arms, elbows, trips, cannonballs, chokes etc. are intentional because they are unnatural to what your taught when you play the game. Well, unnatural to most teams that aren't the Melbourne Storm.

 

[Sproj]

It really is staggering. I don't mind the fine system tbh, but this is a farce. I'd be fine with players copping a fine on the first and second offences but after that it's a fine and a week...a fine and two weeks etc etc.

I love how last year certain people were pushing the "hit them in the hip pocket, that'll hurt them" narrative and now it's "fines don't work, hit them with game time, that'll hurt them". Muppets

This sounds like it is taken straight from Brett Read on NRL Tonight and I almost completely, frustratingly disagree with it. Which fans actually said this? I cannot speak for fans of other clubs but I will tell you one thing, I don't know of anyone who was saying give players more fines and less suspensions, I genuinely don't think I have ever heard anyone at all say this except maybe V'landys.

I tell you what fans have been screaming out for, consistency. Whether that is more fines or more suspensions makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. Honestly, who cares which one they want to go with, the issue from last year to this year is 100% the same - no consistency.

The talking idiots go on about protecting player welfare, etc and then one sentence later are talking about elbows to the head being just part of a kid's initiation.

I cannot believe that on that same episode of NRL Tonight...last night, Steve Roach of all people made the most sense. He said who are the MRC to say that the elbow from Munster on Walker for example was not forceful or not forceful enough. Does it matter either way? If they genuinely care about the players, get that rubbish out of the game and to do it, guess what, you need consistency.

 

[Harry Sack]

If it's accidental, it's reckless and still dangerous. Raising an elbow to drop on someone's face isn't accidental though. You don't point your elbows in this sport. A player falling into a high tackle, backing into a tackle and falling and finishing off a legs tackle is accidental. Swinging arms, elbows, trips, cannonballs, chokes etc. are intentional because they are unnatural to what your taught when you play the game. Well, unnatural to most teams that aren't the Melbourne Storm.

I don't disagree at all, as I said he should have sat out a number of weeks already this season. How they ruled the Egan situation as accidental I have no idea. That's another discussion though. My point is, even if they want to call this kind of shit "accidental" or whatever, you should only get one accident that you can respond to with a fine. After that, it's a fine and a suspension. No player for any reason should be charged 7 times in a season and not miss a game.

This sounds like it is taken straight from Brett Read on NRL Tonight and I almost completely, frustratingly disagree with it. Which fans actually said this? I cannot speak for fans of other clubs but I will tell you one thing, I don't know of anyone who was saying give players more fines and less suspensions, I genuinely don't think I have ever heard anyone at all say this except maybe V'landys.

I tell you what fans have been screaming out for, consistency. Whether that is more fines or more suspensions makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. Honestly, who cares which one they want to go with, the issue from last year to this year is 100% the same - no consistency.

The talking idiots go on about protecting player welfare, etc and then one sentence later are talking about elbows to the head being just part of a kid's initiation.

I cannot believe that on that same episode of NRL Tonight...last night, Steve Roach of all people made the most sense. He said who are the MRC to say that the elbow from Munster on Walker for example was not forceful or not forceful enough. Does it matter either way? If they genuinely care about the players, get that rubbish out of the game and to do it, guess what, you need consistency.

Not fans, media. I can't recall exactly who but have heard it on 360 I'm sure of it. Ironically, probably from Blocker or Spud Carrol haha

 

[BroncsFan]

This sounds like it is taken straight from Brett Read on NRL Tonight and I almost completely, frustratingly disagree with it. Which fans actually said this? I cannot speak for fans of other clubs but I will tell you one thing, I don't know of anyone who was saying give players more fines and less suspensions, I genuinely don't think I have ever heard anyone at all say this except maybe V'landys.

I tell you what fans have been screaming out for, consistency. Whether that is more fines or more suspensions makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. Honestly, who cares which one they want to go with, the issue from last year to this year is 100% the same - no consistency.

The talking idiots go on about protecting player welfare, etc and then one sentence later are talking about elbows to the head being just part of a kid's initiation.

I cannot believe that on that same episode of NRL Tonight...last night, Steve Roach of all people made the most sense. He said who are the MRC to say that the elbow from Munster on Walker for example was not forceful or not forceful enough. Does it matter either way? If they genuinely care about the players, get that rubbish out of the game and to do it, guess what, you need consistency.

The issue that happened with the previous system was loading and carry over points to the point where someone would miss a week for a minor slap across the face because the MRC charged it as a grade 1 and players would just accept the charge so they didnt miss a week.

The issue now is shit like NAS dropping his entire body weight onto someone's head is graded and charged at the same level as a minor accidental slap across the face .... or even less.

So under the previous system someone like Flegler, who is barely allowed to be aggressive on the field without copping a penalty and going on report for "tackling too hard", ends up racking up grade 1's for minor high shots and misses weeks through loading, etc. whereas under this new system someone like NAS is out there throwing elbows and getting minor charges that amount to nothing.

The charging from the MRC is the issue.... NAS was a grade 2, at minimum, if that same action goes slightly wrong and he gets him anywhere below the eyeline he's straight to the judiciary getting months rather than weeks, because if it gets a more vulnerable part of the head it would've broken a cheekbone, jaw, eye socket, nose, etc.... but you then get fuckwit talking heads Parker and Gordie talking it down immediately after the match like it's an initiation to get you face caved in, and so NSWRL take that as the narrative and sweep it under the rug with a grade 1.... exactly the same as JWH on Fulton where he's forcefully and intentionally pushing the point of his elbow into his head... it was talked down as initiations and bullshit like that so NSWRL have their narrative to sweep it away.

Then you get Carrigan and the NSWRL begging for blood.... BSmith a couple weeks later, nah that's all good... Collins on the weekend immediately talked down as a lesser charge even though Eisenhuth is now done for the year.

The only reason NAS is being talked up is because it exploded on Twitter via Martin Lang, but it happened after the grading. So the MRC missed the trick and went with Parker's "ok to cave his face in" grading instead of consensus from the masses.

MRC is reactive and determine their charges based on whatever the media narrative is... so Fitler, Johns and the NSWRL biased media are basically charging these players based on the narrative they choose and they inherently protect the golden child clubs that they like whilst throwing every other club under the bus to be made an example of.