Questions from Robbo's Sharks presser

[ism22]

I thought Robbo's presser was all class as he raised a few queries without being bitter or calling people corrupt/incompetent.

IMO he raised some questions that the NRL needs to answer:

- What was the deal with Collins' try? It wasn't even 50:50... it was a textbook try. How did the ref miss it and then how did the bunker miss it? Also were the bunker's hands tied? They really did seem to just look at one angle for about 2 seconds, make no attempt to look at the 100 other angles available to them and then made a really obtuse ruling along the lines of 'well... I can see that the ball's level with his hand, which is on the try line... but I can't see the ball touching the line because his hand's on the line'. I mean WTF? I swear we will never see that reasoning get used again, OR... a try disallowed so quickly by the bunker based on a quick viewing of a single angle.

- Why did the ref miss Hynes' knock-one and why didn't he then let Teddy challenge the decision to sin-bin Radley on the basis that he'd only gone back into the tackle for 'too long' so that he could cause a stoppage. IMO it was clearly a calculated decision to create a stoppage, which was clever because there's LOTS of situations where the ref stuffs up, then says 'you cannot challenge because there's no stoppage'. IMO if you see a knock-on, it's not unreasonable to hold onto the player, say 'oi gimme the ball, it's a knock-on!!!' and then when the ref says 'no, it's a penalty you gronk' the captain says 'I challenge that, sir... it was a knock-on and my player correctly stopped play for the turnover'.

[Side note, I'm gonna bank the above as an example of other teams getting special treatment when they do things like 5-man strips, sham free interchanges and take forever to leave the field so that the clock runs down for their sin-binning. IMO it was clever and the ref shouldn't have been so farking defensive about it! It's as if he took it personally and had an ego about his call being 'right', rather than being happy to let us challenge it, then learning from the situation as it's a first]

- Should Butcher have been binned?

- Should Cheese have been binned? (Robbo seemed to accept that one, but IMO it was a BS call).

---

Not saying we played an amazing game, but IMO the ref made enough mistakes that it interrupted the natural flow of the game. I'm really disappointed by his lack of attention to detail as it ruined the viewing experience and robbed us of a tight finish.

Saying the above, I'm happy to accept that if Collins' try had been awarded, the Sharks may have still scored 2 more tries. That said, I suspect Cheese wouldn't have been in a position to be binned (the game woulda flowed differently) and the Sharks woulda been the ones playing catch-up rather than us. This would have been far more enjoyable than seeing a late sin-bin that all but sealed the result.

[King Salvo]

Nat Butcher had to be binned unfortunately - The Hip Drop is a dangerous tackle that should have been stamped out long ago - A defending player swinging his weight onto the back of the legs of an attacking player to bring them to ground can cause serious injuries which we have already seen

Nat Butcher will miss a game at least if grade 2 and 2 games if a grade 3 and he takes the early plea

That type of tackle and the cannon ball are as a result of the third man in being allowed which should never have been allowed - two defenders catch and hold the ball carrier and third man in who "tackles" the legs of the ball carrier which can cause an unacceptable risk of injury to the player in possession. i.e forceful, dangerous or unnecessary contact.

That was the fault of the coaches at the time the third man in being allowed - complaining it was too hard to slow the ruck down and the game was too fast - then it was too hard to score so they bring in another blight on the game - the decoy/block runner who is doing nothing other than run interference and obstructing the defence - oh the inside and outside shoulder nonsense

[Steakface]

With the Collins try, the bunker looked like they had a preconcieved decision in mind already that they weren't going to award it. They said no try before Collins momentum had even stopped. There is no question there was evidence to grant a fair try (which it was) but it didn't happen. Very concerning that the ref in the bunker wanted to prioritise making sure we didnt get two 'close decisions' regarding the chalk. No objectivity.

Butcher should not have been binned (though had to be based on seasonal consistency across the comp), and incidents like that should not be binnable unless it is clearly blatant and with deliberate force. It was just an accident...there was literally nothing Butcher could do to remove himself from having his body in that position. A penalty would suffice at most. We're going into oztag territory here with all the black and white bins/legals in tackles these days.

Cheese's high was not deliberate or malicious either, but in keeping with season consistency he had to go for 10.

Radley? Well....I am actually a bit concerned about him. His style of play would be perfect for the 90's, or the early millenium. Now? He is just a penalty generator, and is a liablity to the team (and a liability to our season, as these penalties and binnings and HIAs are leading directly to losses). I wouldn't mind seeing him given time in reserves to get his head right and go with Nat Butcher in the 13 instead for a while.

[Easts75]

With the Collins try, the bunker looked like they had a preconcieved decision in mind already that they weren't going to award it. They said no try before Collins momentum had even stopped. There is no question there was evidence to grant a fair try (which it was) but it didn't happen. Very concerning that the ref in the bunker wanted to prioritise making sure we didnt get two 'close decisions' regarding the chalk. No objectivity.

Butcher should not have been binned (though had to be based on seasonal consistency across the comp), and incidents like that should not be binnable unless it is clearly blatant and with deliberate force. It was just an accident...there was literally nothing Butcher could do to remove himself from having his body in that position. A penalty would suffice at most. We're going into oztag territory here with all the black and white bins/legals in tackles these days.

Cheese's high was not deliberate or malicious either, but in keeping with season consistency he had to go for 10.

Radley? Well....I am actually a bit concerned about him. His style of play would be perfect for the 90's, or the early millenium. Now? He is just a penalty generator, and is a liablity to the team (and a liability to our season, as these penalties and binnings and HIAs are leading directly to losses). I wouldn't mind seeing him given time in reserves to get his head right and go with Nat Butcher in the 13 instead for a while.

Nat at 13 ? Fark no

[Vasco]

Nat at 13 ? Fark no

He's better suited to this position.

[Steakface]

Nat at 13 ? Fark no

Mate, he came up through grades playing mostly in the 13

That is actually his best position.

I think he is a good edge backrower (without being brilliant), but at 13 he is better.

I'm all for it, Can't stand the sight of Radley in the team at the moment i'm sad to say.

[Kramer]

I thought Robbo's presser was all class as he raised a few queries without being bitter or calling people corrupt/incompetent.

IMO he raised some questions that the NRL needs to answer:

- What was the deal with Collins' try? It wasn't even 50:50... it was a textbook try. How did the ref miss it and then how did the bunker miss it? Also were the bunker's hands tied? They really did seem to just look at one angle for about 2 seconds, make no attempt to look at the 100 other angles available to them and then made a really obtuse ruling along the lines of 'well... I can see that the ball's level with his hand, which is on the try line... but I can't see the ball touching the line because his hand's on the line'. I mean WTF? I swear we will never see that reasoning get used again, OR... a try disallowed so quickly by the bunker based on a quick viewing of a single angle.

- Why did the ref miss Hynes' knock-one and why didn't he then let Teddy challenge the decision to sin-bin Radley on the basis that he'd only gone back into the tackle for 'too long' so that he could cause a stoppage. IMO it was clearly a calculated decision to create a stoppage, which was clever because there's LOTS of situations where the ref stuffs up, then says 'you cannot challenge because there's no stoppage'. IMO if you see a knock-on, it's not unreasonable to hold onto the player, say 'oi gimme the ball, it's a knock-on!!!' and then when the ref says 'no, it's a penalty you gronk' the captain says 'I challenge that, sir... it was a knock-on and my player correctly stopped play for the turnover'.

[Side note, I'm gonna bank the above as an example of other teams getting special treatment when they do things like 5-man strips, sham free interchanges and take forever to leave the field so that the clock runs down for their sin-binning. IMO it was clever and the ref shouldn't have been so farking defensive about it! It's as if he took it personally and had an ego about his call being 'right', rather than being happy to let us challenge it, then learning from the situation as it's a first]

- Should Butcher have been binned?

- Should Cheese have been binned? (Robbo seemed to accept that one, but IMO it was a BS call).

---

Not saying we played an amazing game, but IMO the ref made enough mistakes that it interrupted the natural flow of the game. I'm really disappointed by his lack of attention to detail as it ruined the viewing experience and robbed us of a tight finish.

Saying the above, I'm happy to accept that if Collins' try had been awarded, the Sharks may have still scored 2 more tries. That said, I suspect Cheese wouldn't have been in a position to be binned (the game woulda flowed differently) and the Sharks woulda been the ones playing catch-up rather than us. This would have been far more enjoyable than seeing a late sin-bin that all but sealed the result.

Every action has a reaction. Once the try is awarded then everything changes. Then Cronulla may not have scored again.

[mightyrooster]

Most ‘tries’ that close, they look at a thousand angles before making the decision. This one for some reason they decided one was enough.

[player 1]

Most ‘tries’ that close, they look at a thousand angles before making the decision. This one for some reason they decided one was enough.

Yep - I smell something very, very stinky, on top of the complete rort by the ref during the previous 75 minutes.

[Vasco]

Yep - I smell something very, very stinky, on top of the complete rort by the ref during the previous 75 minutes.

The penalty stats over the last 20 years are there for all to see. Last night was next level.

[Bowie79]

Mate, he came up through grades playing mostly in the 13

That is actually his best position.

I think he is a good edge backrower (without being brilliant), but at 13 he is better.

I'm all for it, Can't stand the sight of Radley in the team at the moment i'm sad to say.

In short, Rads best attribute ie the great defensive hits (which we all loved) has been taken away due to the excessively rigid rules introduced by the d..k..ds in charge. I reckon his ill discipline is directly due to being neutered from playing his naturally tough game and that's frustrated him to the point where maybe he's not even enjoying the game. Definitely sad but they've f..k.d up the game in which we'll never see the modern day likes of the axe Gillmeister, and cement Gillespie.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

That was about the least impressive I've seen Robbo at a presser. Even one of the hacks who I couldn't place per voice, called him out a couple of times.

I'm still a bit confused about Rads action and subsequent bin. Was Robbo on board with that to try and allow a challenge on a previous play??

[Funky Chicken]

The penalty stats over the last 20 years are there for all to see. Last night was next level.

I couldn't agree more, last night Atkins (who I thought was a pretty decent ref) seemed intent on only policing one side. Sharks were able to lay all over us, be offside without any fear of a penalty. We did get away with a couple of forward passes, but despite the baying from the crowd, no more than the home side.

As punishment last night I made myself read through pages of intellectual banter on the U/NRL Reddit page and this is what I learnt;

• Victor is no longer the 'Inflictor' his new nick name is the 'Bin Chicken'.......not going to lie this did make me laugh
• The 14-4 penalty count was deserved as we are a very ill disciplined and grubby team (was said by a number of Vermin fans which I found amusingly hypocritical)
• Apparently the penalty stats against us for the last 20 years aren't right, we're just 'salty flairs' (their words not mine) and the penalty counts are because we're a grubby team.
• Broncos fans are forgetting their late season capitulation last year, and acting as if they have the Minor Premiership all sown up.
• Despite their team being total dog shit this year, many Cowboys fans were doing a lot of smack talking...I felt obliged to remind them that as average as we have been, we're still ahead of them.
• Generally a lot of hate around our team, and lots of glee around us falling outside the Top 8.
• Quite a few Roosters fans who fired some great comebacks that made me smile.

We have shown some glimpses of brilliance to start the year and I have no doubt we will come good, but boy we are tough to watch at the moment. I wish I was a band wagoner so it wouldn't be so depressing, but as a complete Roosters Tragic it's hard. But thankfully I'm not alone, I know that most of you guys and girls are in the same boat and doing it just as tough. But when the business end of the season starts, we'll be like Winx screaming home to win!! GO ROOSTERS!!!

[Les Tricolores]

The penalty stats over the last 20 years are there for all to see. Last night was next level.

This is very true… and well documented

But many of the penalties last night were also well earned… we had plenty of chances and simply weren’t good

We got thrashed by an average side last week and struggled to do anything against a weak defence last night

Just like last year… the club is underachieving again… that’s the sad fact today

[Inflictor]

That was about the least impressive I've seen Robbo at a presser. Even one of the hacks who I couldn't place per voice, called him out a couple of times.

I'm still a bit confused about Rads action and subsequent bin. Was Robbo on board with that to try and allow a challenge on a previous play??

Sounds like Teddy called it and it was a great call if the ref knew the rules ffs.