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59-0 against an understrength Broncos team and all the experts bemoan how poorly the Brisbane team performed.
There was only a cursory nod to the great performance of the Roosters. The poetic sweeps across the field from one side to the other. The rampant forward charges through the middle and the ability of every player to score or potentially score.
I have followed Easts since the great 1974-75 victories and like most supporters......I've witnessed in frustration as we became the most penalised club (by the referees) for over a decade.
All the statistics clearly show this and whilst players and coaches have come and gone....nothing it seemed, would stop the majority of refs controlling and penalising us differently to most other teams.
This was mostly in the area of discretionary penalties such as lying too long in the ruck or strictly maintaining the 10 metres but also very often, in viewing the 50:50 calls of 'stripped' balls or 'loose' carries.
To try to combat being penalised out of the game......under Trent Robinson, we have become the quickest club to release the opposing tackled player whilst the other clubs have been given total latitude in wrestling, holding-down and slowing our play-the-balls.
Despite (or perhaps because of) this uneven policing over the years......Easts have had to become greater and better than any other club, to achieve the victories and successes it has
And now we have the six-again rule and suddenly the other teams have to release us quickly from the tackles........whilst we simply play the same way we have developed over the last five years without wrestling or slowing the play.
And now we have the Captain's Challenge as well, to expose biased adjudication with knock-ons, strips and loose-carries.
I expect us to rack up similar scores against better opposition throughout this season and if we do.....complacency will be our only nemesis
There was only a cursory nod to the great performance of the Roosters. The poetic sweeps across the field from one side to the other. The rampant forward charges through the middle and the ability of every player to score or potentially score.
I have followed Easts since the great 1974-75 victories and like most supporters......I've witnessed in frustration as we became the most penalised club (by the referees) for over a decade.
All the statistics clearly show this and whilst players and coaches have come and gone....nothing it seemed, would stop the majority of refs controlling and penalising us differently to most other teams.
This was mostly in the area of discretionary penalties such as lying too long in the ruck or strictly maintaining the 10 metres but also very often, in viewing the 50:50 calls of 'stripped' balls or 'loose' carries.
To try to combat being penalised out of the game......under Trent Robinson, we have become the quickest club to release the opposing tackled player whilst the other clubs have been given total latitude in wrestling, holding-down and slowing our play-the-balls.
Despite (or perhaps because of) this uneven policing over the years......Easts have had to become greater and better than any other club, to achieve the victories and successes it has
And now we have the six-again rule and suddenly the other teams have to release us quickly from the tackles........whilst we simply play the same way we have developed over the last five years without wrestling or slowing the play.
And now we have the Captain's Challenge as well, to expose biased adjudication with knock-ons, strips and loose-carries.
I expect us to rack up similar scores against better opposition throughout this season and if we do.....complacency will be our only nemesis
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