Jinking Jimmy

Silly of me to cast doubt

At the same time?

A London player is tackled without the ball but both referee and touch judge miss it and a knock on is given.

It was a great game.

I met him when he was CEO of the South Queensland Crushers in 1994. I was in Brisbane for the Wigan WCC game and had been asked to take a highlights tape of a player to show him. I was invited up to his office and had a good chat with him. He was a really friendly man and gave me a Crushers sweat shirt as a souvenir. Out of interest the player concerned wasn’t invited over but went on to have a very good career in Super League.

From the Sydney Morning Herald In this fixture, you need a lot to go your way: Let’s get the most important thing out of the way: Wigan were absolutely sensational and nothing should detract from what was a super performance on a night of high emotion at the DW Stadium. But if you’re Penrith, you’re starting to see why you need a lot to go your way to win this game. The crowd is against you. The conditions are foreign (it was barely four degrees at kick-off). Your opposition has already started their season. The international rules used are tricky. And then there are one or two refereeing/video refereeing decisions which might not fall your way. Let’s put aside Taylan May’s no try call in the last second and concentrate on Wigan centre Jake Wardle’s second-half try, the only score of the second half, which proved to be the matchwinner. It’s hard to see how the ball got to the line, and why referee Liam Moore sent it upstairs on the field as a try. “I didn’t see the ball over the line on that one,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said. But as Cleeary said, Wigan executed better - and for that no one should begrudge them this win.

If that’s a penalty try why weren’t Hull awarded one in the first half when a try was saved by contact to the head?

That’s got to be one of the most ridiculous dismissals ever.

I think there’s a difference between a “spear” tackle, or “dump” tackle, to use the Aussie description, and a “tip” tackle. If you look at the Cleary tackle on YouTube I think you’ll agree it was far worse than the Smith one. In my opinion Cleary would not have been banned by the NRL for a tackle similar to Smith’s a week before a WCC. I understand if you disagree.

After the tackle Watts approached Dupree and offered a handshake which was accepted. Call me old fashioned if you like but there was a time when that would have settled it and they both would have just got on with it. I thought he was very unlucky to be sent off and now it seems he could be facing a lengthy suspension. It’s going to ruin the game if this carries on. As for Smith, I was expecting him to be suspended for one match as was Adam Keighran after last season’s GF for a similar tackle. If Wigan had been playing Leigh this weekend would he have been banned? I think quite possibly but if this had been Nathan Cleary in the NRL would he have been banned. I think not.

If I remember rightly Adam Keighran was only sin binned for a similar tackle to Smith’s in last season’s Grand Final, which I think falls within your 10 year period.

The River Caves at Central Park

I think the tackled player is Shaun Wane.

Wishing you a Happy Christmas too. I know we very rarely agree with each other but it’s all well intended.

Such positivity really should not be allowed on this forum!