Penaltyathon

[ivanhungryjak]

 

[Alec]

Hopefully they can find a good middle ground. I do hate 30+ penalties because thats boring, but I want players to stop pushing it too. If they can finally fix fucking wrestling and slowing down, it would be a dream come true.

 

[Foordy]

well, that's it then ... the NRL crackdown will be over as of next week ... the NRL wouldn't want to be seen agreeing with Bennett

 

[Harry Sack]

Opinion piece tomorrow calling Bennett a hypocrite about slipped standards because he hired Lodge.

 

[Aldo]

Opinion piece tomorrow calling Bennett a hypocrite about slipped standards because he hired Lodge.

Don't forget the one about losing the playing group because he blames his own players for not confirming to the crackdown.

 

[Rally Towel]

Pleasingly, the majority of comments from players and clubs has been accepting of the current standard, and acknowledging that they have to clean up their game.

Just the media having a cry for the most part.

It's not as if we're dealing with the introduction of new rules. Simply enforcing actual standards that have existed and been continually pushed for years.

 

[Rellum]

Pleasingly, the majority of comments from players and clubs has been accepting of the current standard, and acknowledging that they have to clean up their game.

Just the media having a cry for the most part.

It's not as if we're dealing with the introduction of new rules. Simply enforcing actual standards that have existed and been continually pushed for years.

Most fans are happy with them cracking down as well it seems. Seems only a few media tossers trying to drum up popularity are driving any sort of resistance to it.

 

[heartly87]

The media are a joke. I have sat and watched these same hacks talk about the refs not blowing penalties not using the bin and on and on. The game was allowed to be turned into a wrestleathon because the speed of the game was to fast because basic rules were allowed to be violated. Now their blowing and sending and they are complaining about it. The coaches and the players need to fucking shut up and play by the rules. You think there is know obvious reason why the storm and cowboys are struggling. There game plan doesn't suit the rules. The first team to get it right will be the team who shines.

 

[Kimlo]

NRL says ruck infringement crackdown here to stay

It will be a case of 'short-term pain for long-term gain' according to NRL's Head of Football Brian Canavan as the League is not budging from the edicts issued to all coaches and clubs about the referees' stance on ruck infringements in the 2018 Telstra Premiership season.
Canavan said he was pleased to see both coaches, Shane Flanagan and Craig Bellamy, from Friday night's Cronulla Sharks-Melbourne Storm game say it was up to the clubs to pull themselves into line with what NRL head of referees Bernie Sutton had mandated.

Senior players Luke Lewis and Wade Graham also spoke on Saturday about wanting to work with referees to get the amount of penalties blown back under control.
"I stress this is not a recent thing. The NRL's competition committee with some of the most respected names in the game decided on this course back in November last year," Canavan told NRL.com.
"Since then we've had referees visit every club in the pre-season to officiate scrimmage sessions.
"That invitation is open to all 16 NRL clubs throughout the regular season as well. Referees will come to training and work with players and coaches."

NRL referees' boss Bernard Sutton also visited each club individually before round one and has been emailing clubs regularly about stopping attempts to slow play down.
The debate on holding down players, correct play-the-balls, being off-side, reached crescendo this Easter Weekend with 57 penalties blown in just two games – 24 in the South Sydney Rabbitohs' 20-16 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and 33 in the Sharks' 14-4 defeat of Storm.
"Wayne Bennett has also come out this morning in support of referees trying to clean up these areas," Canavan said on Saturday.
"We will have a much better product at the end of this rugby league season I can assure you. So it's pain now and gain later.
"I know there have been some individuals jumping up and down about it, but they are making something simple look complicated.

"These are not new rules. They are current rules being enforced harder."
The success of the crackdown will be discussed at the next Competition Committee meeting in mid-May and then at an NRL coaches conference in June. Canavan will chair those meetings.
Former ARL Commission head John Grant has stepped down from the committee, but there is an open invitation for new chair Peter Beattie to attend.
Other members include Australian Test coach Mal Meninga; former Test, Queensland and Brisbane Broncos captain Darren Lockyer; current player Greg Inglis; current NRL coaches Ivan Cleary and Paul Green; former premiership-winning coach John Lang; ARL Commissioner Wayne Pearce; NRL General Manager of Elite Competitions Jason King; referee senior managers Tony Archer and Sutton; and NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.

There is also an open invitation for current Test captain Cameron Smith to attend. He was one of two players sin-binned in the Sharks-Storm game.
A total of 43 sin-bins were given during the 2017 Telstra Premiership season, which was more than double the figure of 17 in 2016.
So far in 2018, with three round-four matches still to be played, there have been 13.
Last November the Competition Committee agreed that referees should continue the trend and look at using the sin bin more for breaches such as repeated goal line infringements aimed at slowing down the play and deliberate or dangerous foul play, and professional foul incidents.

 

[Mister Wright]

I applaud the refs. For years we have watched them allow players to get away with ‘blue murder’ only for them to be crucified for making a ref error. They have lacked respect and and let the players run all over them. These same blokes that are criticising the penalty crack down are the same people that bagged the refs for not doing more.

 

[Huge]

As long as they stay tough (become tough ?) on players stepping forward,crowding the marker and vice versa the ruck will be better. I've hated that for years.

 

[Aldo]

As long as they stay tough (become tough ?) on players stepping forward,crowding the marker and vice versa the ruck will be better. I've hated that for years.

Yeah, I've thought about giving up the game because of the shit that goes on. Be really nice to see the best, most talented team win for once instead of the best team in pushing the rules.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Most fans are happy with them cracking down as well it seems.

Yeah...but

nobody wants to see the ref blow the pea out of the whistle every game as either.

 

[Astro]

Yeah...but

nobody wants to see the ref blow the pea out of the whistle every game as either.

The penalties will stop, once the players get it through their heads that they can’t get away with this shit any more.

 

[Super Freak]

Cameron Smith is the most penalized player in the game.

9 penalties conceded in 4 games. That's 3 less than his total in 2017.

 

[Browny]

Be interesting to see how the ref Origin this year

 

[Super Freak]

I feel like once these penalties start to die down when teams finally switch on that we will start to see the teams that are flying high at the moment struggle.

Teams like Storm and Cowboys benefit from the ball being in play a lot. They use their pack to get them on the front foot and get a lot of momentum. They keep coming at you and tire you out. Right now they can't do that, and it's hurting them.

Teams like the Dragons and the Warriors, they have never been able to handle that. They haven't been tested like that this year. They are benefiting from these penalties because their opposition haven't been able to expose their weaknesses.

 

[Super Freak]

There is one area the refs need to crack down on, it's dives.

The fact that Lewis was punished for this and Slater wasn't is ridiculous.