must be concerns over the preparation for saturdays night match

[Bansai Pipeline]

One thing is certain; the media are going to go ape shit about this if we make the Grand Final.

Guilty or not, it's definitely an unwanted distraction.

Grand Final week ought to be business as usual.

I'd like to think the players will just shrug it off, but that seems a bit like wishful thinking.

Who knows?

PS - homefully Boyd's elevated HGH levels will get that ankle right.

[Andrew Walker]

What a professionally well run football office we now have Short succinct and to the point I am proud to support this club

[Andrew Walker]

The media are going to go ape shit about this if we make the Grand Final.

Guilty or not, it's definitely an unwanted distraction.

Grand Final week ought to be business as usual.

You negative nancy It will not be Havent you read the clubs statement

[Guest]

No the team is just that good It has so far overcome these obstacles along the way Again you are making an assumption that the team could not overcome such adversity Which is not fact Just an opinion

But dude where are your facts that support your conspiracy claims? You may have some stats that show penalty counts against us. But that certainly ain't proof of a conspiracy. Your suggestion of conspiracy is purely conjecture.

And anyway why do you bother to even watch the footy if you think it's rigged? Wouldn't that be like watching pro wrestling? Good for the occasional laugh but obviously not to be taken seriously?

[stsae]

Please come back with some factual evidence not speculation to show such a theory is not plausible I like to deal in facts when reaching what is an assumption mine and many others have come to. Which has now being backed up with strong evidence to support such an assumption Courtesy of Tommy Smith and his penalty count graph

You on the other hand when asked to produce evidence to the contrary come up with nothing but speculation

Going back to 2000 we have made 5 GFs and are a game away from a 6th.

Has there been any other club in that period that have enjoyed that much success???

If there is a conspiracy against us, it's a shit one that's failed miserably.

Thems the facts Shandy.

[Andrew Walker]

But dude where are your facts that support your conspiracy claims? You may have some stats that show penalty counts against us. But that certainly ain't proof of a conspiracy. Your suggestion of conspiracy is purely conjecture.

And anyway why do you bother to even watch the footy if you think it's rigged? Wouldn't that be like watching pro wrestling? Good for the occasional laugh but obviously not to be taken seriously?

I never said it was proof. All I said was it is strong factual evidence to support such claims. You really are a little slow at taking things in But very quick in jumping to conclusions

[roostersrule2]

Going back to 2000 we have made 5 GFs and are a game away from a 6th.

Has there been any other club in that period that have enjoyed that much success???

If there is a conspiracy against us, it's a shit one that's failed miserably.

Thems the facts Shandy.

6 GF's in 13 years, that'd only be second to the 11 GF wins in a row to St George me thinks.

[Andrew Walker]

Going back to 2000 we have made 5 GFs and are a game away from a 6th.

Has there been any other club in that period that have enjoyed that much success???

If there is a conspiracy against us, it's a shit one that's failed miserably.

Thems the facts Shandy.

Lets conveniently forget the fact That 4 of those were before 2007 When all this penalty count rubbish started Yet the one we did make in the period from 2007 Was marred by some dreadful calls that went against us

[stsae]

One thing is certain; the media are going to go ape shit about this if we make the Grand Final.

Guilty or not, it's definitely an unwanted distraction.

Grand Final week ought to be business as usual.

I'd like to think the players will just shrug it off, but that seems a bit like wishful thinking.

Who knows?

PS - homefully Boyd's elevated HGH levels will get that ankle right.

Business as usual???

When has our club ever been out of the spotlight???

This is just another headline, to sell more papers, on another day in the life as an Easts Man.

The players will be doing their thang. I doubt they will even care that the medias just discovered months after the fact.

In fact I bet they were informed and primed for something like this at this exact time.

Players and coaches aren't fanboys remember.

[ism22]

without doubt there must be concerns about the preparation of the side for Saturday given the way this ASADA investigation has blown up, especially for the likes of RTS/Moa/Cordner who have been outed in all the media articles this morning for being the players with the elevated HGH levels.

while it sounds very much like the players haven't done anything wrong, it is hard to imagine how these young men can be fully concentrating on the match ahead with all this news flying around the club.

I guess we won't know until after the match on Saturday whether the events/news of this week affected the players or not but from a Roosters fan the timing of this story breaking before their biggest match of the year is very suspect, especially if it is true the club informed the NRL months ago about those elevated tests.

Oh definitely... this is enough to make us underdogs.

[stsae]

Lets conveniently forget the fact That 4 of those were before 2007 When all this penalty count rubbish started Yet the one we did make in the period from 2007 Was marred by some dreadful calls that went against us

I thought the penalty count count went back to 2000???

That's what I read into the stats Gus was talking about. One positive penalty season, 04, in all those years???

So even since 2007, we've made a GF, made the top 4, got a spoon, won a MP and have to win one more game to make another.

That's better than MOST clubs records in that period.

Conspiracy fail.

Tip sheets have been confirmed by Harrogant, unwanted media attention especially off field stuff has occurred constantly, SL we stood against News LTD that's a fact also.

Perceptions of ill discipline.

It's not fair of course but at least facts tend that way when combined with the penalty stats.

As for a conspiracy surely there would be ONE former employee, just ONE who has come out after 14 years to at least HINT at some conspiracy???

Just ONE???

[bondi-boy]

Gotta go from the first whistle!
No 10 or 15 minute drop the ball, poor passes, caught out by 40/20 kicks like in the Sharks game,... "I know, I'll do a shoulder charge", "I'm still getting over the 'drug scandal' and my mind is elsewhere" nonsense/easing into the match...the boys have to play like 'their lives depend on it' from the start...or IMO they'll have 'no chance'.

[player 1]

But dude where are your facts that support your conspiracy claims? You may have some stats that show penalty counts against us. But that certainly ain't proof of a conspiracy. Your suggestion of conspiracy is purely conjecture.

And anyway why do you bother to even watch the footy if you think it's rigged? Wouldn't that be like watching pro wrestling? Good for the occasional laugh but obviously not to be taken seriously?

A few things.

This thread had nothing to do with the refs and us. Mad Rooter, who likes to call "thread hijacker", hijacked it. Well done you knob.

I absolutely do not believe there is an organised plot against Easts by the refs. It seems some here do. Well given the shafting handed out to their side over a long period, it doesn't surprise me much.

I most certainly do believe there are many refs, current and former, who have and have had a biased approach to reffing our games, possibly a result of unfairly and improperly conceived notions about how we play. The penalty stats are consistent with my opinion, but do not prove a cause and effect relationship. The Harrigan/Finch tip sheets are one plausible cause, but there are many others already mentioned by other posters (STSAE, etc). Robert Finch, whose son was discarded by Easts, could plausibly have harboured a grudge. That is only speculation on my part.

There is no conspiracy. As another poster put it, if at Christmas you give a carton of beer to everyone on the street except the bloke across the road, that is not a conspiracy, but the bloke across the road notices it.

When it comes to the refs, Easts are that bloke across the road.

[roostersrule2]

Gotta go from the first whistle!
No 10 or 15 minute drop the ball, poor passes, caught out by 40/20 kicks like in the Sharks game,... "I know, I'll do a shoulder charge", "I'm still getting over the 'drug scandal' and my mind is elsewhere" nonsense/easing into the match...the boys have to play like 'their lives depend on it' from the start...or IMO they'll have 'no chance'.

In your opinion we always have no chance.

I can understand being realistic but you're such a pessimist, we're the minor premiers, the best team in the comp. We could bring our B game and still scrape through, they have to be at their best for the full 80 to win, if not they'll be crunched.

[stsae]

A few things.

This thread had nothing to do with the refs and us. Mad Rooter, who likes to call "thread hijacker", hijacked it. Well done you knob.

I absolutely do not believe there is an organised plot against Easts by the refs. It seems some here do. Well given the shafting handed out to their side over a long period, it doesn't surprise me much.

I most certainly do believe there are many refs, current and former, who have and have had a biased approach to reffing our games, possibly a result of unfairly and improperly conceived notions about how we play. The penalty stats are consistent with my opinion, but do not prove a cause and effect relationship. The Harrigan/Finch tip sheets are one plausible cause, but there are many others already mentioned by other posters (STSAE, etc). Robert Finch, whose son was discarded by Easts, could plausibly have harboured a grudge. That is only speculation on my part.

There is no conspiracy. As another poster put it, if at Christmas you give a carton of beer to everyone on the street except the bloke across the road, that is not a conspiracy, but the bloke across the road notices it.

When it comes to the refs, Easts are that bloke across the road.

Exactly.

Well said mate.

No conspiracy. It's more blatant than that IMO.

What we see is human nature.

The old jail adage, treat them like animals and that's how they will act.

We have been perceived, going back to SL really, as the baddies, on and off the field.

The media use us to sell papers, and they know humans need a baddie, and guess what that's Easts.

I say we embrace the hate, WoManly style.

I hope the club is really getting the players to see what is happening, what outside influences are up to and use it as motivation to stick it up all their ARSES.

Just win baby.

EASTS.