Thurs 17th March : SL : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers KO. 8:00pm SKY

[Kenilworth Tiger]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

I thought you said you were done?

in any case, there's an illicit contraposition fault in your logic. 

 

[bobbruce]

3 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

This is exactly what our and many other sports administrators will be faced with, I don't expect that any participants of contact sports who initially choose to do them do so with any fear that in the future they will suffer later life consequences and consider well if that does happen I will be able to sue!

I make no apologies in saying that anyone who plays sport for lifestyle and monetary gain should realise there is a miniscule chance that injury could happen to them, if they do or if don't they should be told so and invited to sign a contract for their governing body to exonerate them from future liabilities, it is the players decision to make.

 

This I think is why contact team sports like RL,RU and American football are having to jump through more hoops than boxing or UFC. When you go into boxing or UFC you know you are going to be punched in the face and it’s a risk the competitor takes. Nowhere in the laws of RL,RU or American football does it say you can be hit in the head. So it comes back to the governing bodies to go overboard on clamping down on it because if they don’t it starts to look like they were complicit in allowing this to happen. That’s were the lawsuits will come from at present and in future. 

[JonNgog]

7 minutes ago, Chris22 said:

On the one hand, we don't want players to be robotic.

On the other, I can't think of another professional sport where athletes would post in the manner that our players do.

But if our players give out the message that our sport is actually pretty rubbish, why would a casual viewer give is the time of day?

Yeah let’s be more like football where players outsource their personality to PR companies and avoid even the bare minimum interaction with fans. Some people on here sound unbearably dull and pretentious,  ‘how dare the players express an opinion in such an uncouth manner’. This is what most players are thinking, warts and all, I don’t see the purpose of hiding it behind PR platitudes and pretending everything is okay.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, JonNgog said:

Yeah let’s be more like football ...

With its popularity, its continuous growth, its clubs in every village, town and city in the country?

Yeah, that'd be awful.

[JonNgog]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

With its popularity, its continuous growth, its clubs in every village, town and city in the country?

Yeah, that'd be awful.

Yeah that’s the ticket. If only our players became automatons who were banned from expressing themselves in a normal human manner, we would be assured continuous growth and clubs in every village. If only we knew all along how easy it would be.

[bobbruce]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

People like this need to be careful. Keep pushing this narrative, turn fans off, lower crowds, you lose your job or wages go down. 

Players shouldn't be fuelling the "game has gone..." narrative. Of course he has the freedom to say these things, but he is effectively bagging his profession, which isn't wise. 

 

1 hour ago, JonNgog said:

This reminds me of people that complain about protesters making too much racket and getting in the way. Sorry, but very little gets done without kicking up a fuss, and the players understand better than any of us how this threatens their profession. Time for a bit more solidarity and a bit less ‘why can’t they talk about nice things for a change’.

So do we listen to the players saying the games gone soft or the past players currently suing the RFL for failing to protect them. What’s to say in ten years time these same players moaning won’t also be contacting solicitors. 

[Jughead]

6 minutes ago, JonNgog said:

Yeah let’s be more like football where players outsource their personality to PR companies and avoid even the bare minimum interaction with fans. Some people on here sound unbearably dull and pretentious,  ‘how dare the players express an opinion in such an uncouth manner’. This is what most players are thinking, warts and all, I don’t see the purpose of hiding it behind PR platitudes and pretending everything is okay.

At least someone would censor the misogyny, racism, covid conspiracy theories and “games gone” tripe that social media seems to have littered the sport over the past few years. 

[JonNgog]

5 minutes ago, Jughead said:

At least someone would censor the misogyny, racism, covid conspiracy theories and “games gone” tripe that social media seems to have littered the sport over the past few years. 

Those unsophisticated working class oiks ought to be seen and not heard. They can put their body on the line for my entertainment every weekend, but I draw the line at them expressing opinions I don’t like on social media. Censor them at once.

[Jughead]

3 minutes ago, JonNgog said:

Those unsophisticated working class oiks ought to be seen and not heard. They can put their body on the line for my entertainment every weekend, but I draw the line at them expressing opinions I don’t like on social media. Censor them at once.

Christ. 

[Jughead]

https://mobile.twitter.com/netherton_jason/status/1504762110366171138

https://mobile.twitter.com/netherton_jason/status/1504779616908685313

My word. This is depressing. 

[Niels]

For me, the flair players such as Field need protection. They attract new supporters. 

Football realised this years ago and gave protection so that Ronaldo, Messi et al were not constantly fouled or injured. 

The players who make the hard tackles do try to hurt and injure but they are numerous and not particularly skilful.

For me, I would rather the game reward skill and smaller players by reducing any tackles that could cause injury. For me the skilful side of the game distincts us from Union. 

[meast]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

There is a good discussion to be had here on this, in that we have allowed ourselves to get into a place where players make tackles on players without the ball. It has always been seen as part of the game until recent years. In reality, off the ball hits should never have been part of the game. We do still see cynical late hits on passers and that is what we are challenging. 

I'm OK with your last para. Maybe that would be a positive outcome?

These things should really be discussed away from the game threads but..

There's a complete difference in a cynical late hit on a ball player, either passing or kicking to rough him up, put him off his game, "Show him you're there" kind of thing which is rightly being clamped down on and punished, Watts on Mikey Lewis for example, that's a premeditated late hit, which doesn't really achieve anything, they're not trying to tackle the man, just to put one over on him.

Then there's the "late tackle on a passer/kicker" like Fonua and McGillvary's which are literally tackles that just happened a second or so too late which causes no real issue, it's a genuine attempt to wrap the man and ball up or at least stop them, there's no malice involved, just players doing their jobs.

I'm all for clamping down on foul play, the swinging/lazy arms, the cannonball and crusher tackles, lifting the legs etc but we need to get away from penalising players and teams for simply tackling.

[JonNgog]

6 minutes ago, Jughead said:

https://mobile.twitter.com/netherton_jason/status/1504762110366171138

https://mobile.twitter.com/netherton_jason/status/1504779616908685313

My word. This is depressing. 

You will find the majority of RL players and fans outside the safe space of this forum will agree. It may be depressing but you’re going to have to come to terms with it rather than censoring. 

[Jughead]

Just now, JonNgog said:

You will find the majority of RL players and fans outside the safe space of this forum will agree. It may be depressing but you’re going to have to come to terms with it rather than censoring. 

I’d be surprised and saddened if many subscribed to this train of thought. 

[Tommygilf]

The decision that "ruined a game of Super League" was even brought up in NRL coverage this morning.

Denying that fears of being sued have nothing to do with this is utter nonsense. It is front and centre. I only hope it is worth it.

[gingerjon]

8 minutes ago, JonNgog said:

You will find the majority of RL players and fans outside the safe space of this forum will agree.

And yet it looks like attendances are holding or going up, viewing figures are healthy and we're getting more games covered by TV ... even as a few voices online say the game is ending.

So, I think most people are actually fine with it.

[Dave T]

15 minutes ago, meast said:

These things should really be discussed away from the game threads but..

There's a complete difference in a cynical late hit on a ball player, either passing or kicking to rough him up, put him off his game, "Show him you're there" kind of thing which is rightly being clamped down on and punished, Watts on Mikey Lewis for example, that's a premeditated late hit, which doesn't really achieve anything, they're not trying to tackle the man, just to put one over on him.

Then there's the "late tackle on a passer/kicker" like Fonua and McGillvary's which are literally tackles that just happened a second or so too late which causes no real issue, it's a genuine attempt to wrap the man and ball up or at least stop them, there's no malice involved, just players doing their jobs.

I'm all for clamping down on foul play, the swinging/lazy arms, the cannonball and crusher tackles, lifting the legs etc but we need to get away from penalising players and teams for simply tackling.

Agreed. 

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

See my follow up post. If these players were balanced and also posted good stuff I think you can live with criticism, but if the only time you tweet it's to complain about refs, you should be challenged. 

Point out where Burgess has criticised or complained about the ref, to me he was pointing at those who are giving the directives and all that it encompasses i.e. "The Game"

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Harry Stottle said:

Point out where Burgess has criticised or complained about the ref, to me he was pointing at those who are giving the directives and all that it encompasses i.e. "The Game"

Absolutely. I think there is increasing sympathy for the refs as fans, players and coaches recognise that the objective is being given to the refs from above. They can only referee how they are told to do so.

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

Point out where Burgess has criticised or complained about the ref, to me he was pointing at those who are giving the directives and all that it encompasses i.e. "The Game"

He complains about something a ref has done. The RFL haven't at this stage validated that refereeing decision. 

[Dave T]

Just now, Tommygilf said:

Absolutely. I think there is increasing sympathy for the refs as fans, players and coaches recognise that the objective is being given to the refs from above. They can only referee how they are told to do so.

It is a strange turn of events when refs are getting free passes. 

Maybe the refs got it wrong last night. 

[Tommygilf]

7 minutes ago, Dave T said:

It is a strange turn of events when refs are getting free passes. 

Maybe the refs got it wrong last night. 

And with Huddersfield last week too? 

That there is a clampdown is clear, and no one referee is behind that.

[Harry Stottle]

56 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

But it's foul play or borderline foul play that is being penalised.

So, if you're not talking about that, then what are you talking about?

Read back the post you have taken that snippet from, I am not talking or highlighting any particular incident I am reiterating the fact that if you play this sport there is a possibility of an injury accuring to yourself, it doesn't have to be foul or borderline foul it can be a complete accident these things happen, but some posters seem to want to go looking for someone to blame in innocuous incidents, looking for something malicious when there us nothing there. If there was a clash of heads in the Fanoua incident then so what it wasn't intentional he was trying to effect a tackle, it wasn't late by any means are player's supposed to wait and see which direction an attacker is going to take before moving in for God's sake.

It seems to me that some posters would prefer to see what Chris Hill was ridiculing with his Media message showing the implement that is worn in tag rugby, fine go and watch that I want no part of it, and if it carries on I won't have.

[Rugbyleaguesupporter]

I missed last night's match, but from what I've read (in the 20pc that isn't about a yellow card) it sounded close- great field try and cas bombing chances

Quite why this entire chat and various social media chat is about one decision- which resulted in one player missing 12.5% of the match is mystifying. 

[gingerjon]

8 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

It seems to me that some posters would prefer to see what Chris Hill was ridiculing with his Media message showing the implement that is worn in tag rugby, fine go and watch that I want no part of it, and if it carries on I won't have.

To be honest, it's not a day of the week without you threatening to walk away from the game if some imagined thing comes to pass.