Possible Spoiler: [Raiders vs Drag-Queens]

[Johnny Tobin]

You're so right. Brett Morris trained so hard to pass that ball from row 8 in the Gf and not be actually over the sideline.

And he trained just as hard to push Perrett in the back and not have a penalty awarded against him.

[Kingbilly]

I think the bias is definitely there.
I don't think its a conscious effort more like intimidation and incompentence.

Its been there for years and I remember it being extremely obvious when Harrigan was refereeing so it isn't going to get any better.
It is often called "letting the game flow"


Its a fine line for teams on the end of the penalties, if they dominate in the ruck, they get penalised, if they don't they get steam rolled.

[Guest]

There is a definite biased towards the top teams from the refs and it is so blatant. Melbourne, Manly, Saints, they are allowed to hold players down for an extra second or two, whereas any perceived attempt to slow the play down when they are in possession is immediately penalised. Saints get away with 4-5 forward passes from dummy half every bloody game. Manly players are allowed to bully and intimidate the refs. Manly players are always running at refs when if they perceive a bad decision. They must have 14 captains. Melbourne could hang an opposition player from the goal posts and receive a penalty for that player being offside!

The refereeing bias towards these teams is rubbish.

Chook.

They get the rub(s) of the green because they are brilliantly coached, adaptable and highly disciplined

We're just among the teams who are none of those things

Hence we whinge about the good sides

The harder you work, the luckier you get

[mightyrooster]

They get the rub(s) of the green because they are brilliantly coached, adaptable and highly disciplined

We're just among the teams who are none of those things

Hence we whinge about the good sides

The harder you work, the luckier you get

So where do West Tigers fit into this??

[supermario]

I won't say that there is an obvious bias, but i do think that the refs fall into the trap of trying to make 2 wrongs into a right.

Case in point last night.

Cooper pushes McCrone in the back while chasing, referee is on the spot but does not call the penalty, the ref may have been playing advantage, but as soon as the Dragons touched the ball, penalty should have been blow. This lead to a momentum shift and the Dragons getting in position for the field goal. Incorrect desicion or lack of desicion from the ref.

Fast forward to the 80th minute. Dugan scores....or does he????? No doubt he got to the ball first, but was the ball grounded correctly. Dragons players were well within their rights to ask for a replay.....request fell on deaf ears, try awarded. (not saying it was a wrong call, but looking at it at full speed, any defending player is within their rights to ask the question)

If the replay was to show dugan did not ground the ball, we have 2 wrongs that have made a right (being that the call of "try" still stands) and it seems the refs are running on that philosiphy.

On much the same way as "evening out" the penalty counts. it is a useless act as the lopsided penalty count, more often than not, would have already decided the result of the game.

Consistancy is needed, not interpretations.

[Guest]

So where do West Tigers fit into this??

Somewhere above us

[mightyrooster]

Hmm.... which would explain why they got all the run of the penalties the other night. Because they are heaps and heaps more professional and disciplined than us right??

[Pass the Ball]

And there you go - Not such a difficult concept at all...

[mightyrooster]

Sorry I get the Storm, rule benders with their boring wrestling style, but I refuse to believe Wests are that much better than us in discipline and professionalism. And I'm sure the Dragons earnt every one of those dodgy 50/50 calls in the GF as a result of their briiliant professionalism.

[Guest]

They get the rub(s) of the green because they are brilliantly coached, adaptable and highly disciplined

We're just among the teams who are none of those things

Hence we whinge about the good sides

The harder you work, the luckier you get

Whilst I agree those teams are well coached etc, that shouldn't make one scrap of difference to rule interpretations. A forward pass is a forward pass not matter who throws it. But there appears to me to be a distinct lack of willingness by the refs to call these teams up for indiscretions they call against other teams.

Chook.

[Guest]

Sorry I get the Storm, rule benders with their boring wrestling style, but I refuse to believe Wests are that much better than us in discipline and professionalism. And I'm sure the Dragons earnt every one of those dodgy 50/50 calls in the GF as a result of their briiliant professionalism.

We've won a handful of penalty counts in x amount of years

No doubt the standard of refereeing is at a very low point, and that was a diabolical call on that pass

Those calls, you can't do anything about them

But our problem is in and around the ruck. There is no current side who are as ill-disciplined or as constantly out of position and chasing their tails around the ruck as we are

The smart teams work out how they can push the envelope and develop workable systems THAT THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH

We have the skipper and the coach sitting in press conferences complaining ad nauseam about decisions

Great idea - make the players think they're victims and they'll take even less personal responsibility, if that's possible

[supermario]

We've won a handful of penalty counts in x amount of years

No doubt the standard of refereeing is at a very low point, and that was a diabolical call on that pass

Those calls, you can't do anything about them

But our problem is in and around the ruck. There is no current side who are as ill-disciplined or as constantly out of position and chasing their tails around the ruck as we are

The smart teams work out how they can push the envelope and develop workable systems THAT THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH
We have the skipper and the coach sitting in press conferences complaining ad nauseam about decisions

Great idea - make the players think they're victims and they'll take even less personal responsibility, if that's possible

The bolded part.

Lets use a hypothetical,

If the Roosters and the storm were to use the same tactics in the Ruck and the Roosters were penalised more often than the storm, would you say that we are using the wrong tactics???

the "interpretations" of the Rules are too subjective and waiver too many times through a match.

[Guest]

The bolded part.

Lets use a hypothetical,

If the Roosters and the storm were to use the same tactics in the Ruck and the Roosters were penalised more often than the storm, would you say that we are using the wrong tactics???

the "interpretations" of the Rules are too subjective and waiver too many times through a match.

Tactics are one thing. Implementation is entirely different.

[Guest]

The bolded part.

Lets use a hypothetical,

If the Roosters and the storm were to use the same tactics in the Ruck and the Roosters were penalised more often than the storm, would you say that we are using the wrong tactics???

the "interpretations" of the Rules are too subjective and waiver too many times through a match.

I would agree with Dubai - we mustn't be doing it properly