Huddersfield Giants v Crusaders RL

[StevieM13]

Slowing down a twenty metre restart has been an automatic sin binning for two or three years at least and players and coaches know this.

No it hasn't.

Going back to early SL days, the 1997 season in fact, there was a clamp down on players delaying penalties or restarts by doing what James did. It has to be remembered that in those days the attacking side could take a 20m restart or penalty kick when it wanted, whther or not the defending side were all back 10 and no matter where the referee was.

[Lee]

There are no franchises in rugby league. Crowds are the biggest single indicator of the success of a club. Not only on a match day. Maximising crowds is surely a basic aim of the business irrelevant of any outside requirements?

Our 2 biggest supported club teams couldnt get 10,000 tonight, whats your take on that?

[StevieM13]

Our 2 biggest supported club teams couldnt get 10,000 tonight, whats your take on that?

They got 12k for a Sunday night kick off when most kids have school tomorrow and it was a qualifying play off meaning Wigan have a guaranteed home game anyway.

[Lee]

They got 12k for a Sunday night kick off when most kids have school tomorrow and it was a qualifying play off meaning Wigan have a guaranteed home game anyway.

So its a fail then

[Steve May]

Yep. Lee, Steve May, Giantsrides are going to hate me saying this, but what have Huddersfield ever offered to Super League? Their crowds have increased in recent years, yes, but their support is still relatively poor. I can't remember it ever being great, though I'm sure it was at some point in the past.

Whatever you say mate.

[Steve May]

The one which saw the officials 'change the emphasis', as Noble alluded to post match.

My favourite refereeing call was when that ratboy scrum half with the 'tache elbowed Stephen Wild in the face three times and the resulting kickable penalty went to the Crusaders! I'm still baffled by that one.

[Ant]

For most of the game Thaler was letting Cru lay on at the tackle as long as they wanted, but penalised Wild (to let Cru score a penalty) as he was actually getting up...there was one period in the match when the Huddersfield ball carriers were on their feet after the tackle and pushed back onto the floor and no penalty...so one decision isnt so clear cut, if Thaler had been reffing evenly throughout then it almost certainly wouldnt have been an issue anyway.

As for comments on our crowds, I wont post my real thoughts for worry of being banned, but there are some people that really havent got a clue what they are talking about.

Giants average crowd is higher than about 7 other SL clubs...

It has shown continuous increase year on year since we rejoined SL (up 111% since 2000, have any other clubs managed that?)

Our game this weekend was the only fixture to show an increase over the corresponding league fixture, and thats for a kick off time that is about as unfriendly as it gets to spectators. (with a full local ARL, Cricket, Soccer, RU programme on a the same time, and of course the usual saturday shopping to be done)

As for cheap/free tickets...show me a club that doesnt do that. Seriously. Any single SL club that doesnt do that.

You odious "

[Ant]

Oh, and where were the criticisms of Saints last season when, with over 1000 Huddersfield fans making the trip the crowd there was only 6157?