Dogs vs Bunnies
I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the so-called 'controversial finish'. What a joke, no controversy at all. He dived at a kicker and took his legs below the knee - exactly what Felise Kaufusi got a week for after round 1. If it was anyone but a big name, they would be baying for his blood for taking out a player for most of the season! Instead, the fawning commentators all stood up for their mate.
The behaviour of the Dogs fans after the game in throwing bottles at the refs was way out of line too, but, can you blame them when their players on field are screaming abu.se in the refs' faces? Think of the example this sets for children who will now go out in their next match and potentially replicate this. It's deplorable.
The NRL needs to start coming down hard on dissent, plain and simple. It's not just the players blowing up that they need to stamp out either. It's matters of sportsmanship such as throwing the ball away that need to stop too. I've said for years that if they followed the AFL's example and put a penalty (say 10m) for throwing the ball away then it would stop within a week and then we can watch the game, not the drama queens.
And another thing, James Graham may have called for help, but he caused the injury. Calling 000 after belting someone unconscious with a cricket bat doesn't cancel out the first action. These commentators and the dirty dog Graham need to take a good hard look at themselves. I would like to see Channel 9 do something about the behaviour of their commentators who did everything to turn this into a refereeing issue instead of a dirty play issue, fines or public retractions of their erroneous and inciteful statements.
The behaviour of the Dogs fans after the game in throwing bottles at the refs was way out of line too, but, can you blame them when their players on field are screaming abu.se in the refs' faces? Think of the example this sets for children who will now go out in their next match and potentially replicate this. It's deplorable.
The NRL needs to start coming down hard on dissent, plain and simple. It's not just the players blowing up that they need to stamp out either. It's matters of sportsmanship such as throwing the ball away that need to stop too. I've said for years that if they followed the AFL's example and put a penalty (say 10m) for throwing the ball away then it would stop within a week and then we can watch the game, not the drama queens.
And another thing, James Graham may have called for help, but he caused the injury. Calling 000 after belting someone unconscious with a cricket bat doesn't cancel out the first action. These commentators and the dirty dog Graham need to take a good hard look at themselves. I would like to see Channel 9 do something about the behaviour of their commentators who did everything to turn this into a refereeing issue instead of a dirty play issue, fines or public retractions of their erroneous and inciteful statements.
DISAGREE. He was making a charge down of a field goal. That is legal. The fact that he came in contact should be inconsequential.
This is supposed to be a contact sport. There are risks. You can't protect everyone from every damn thing that might happen.
It has become a joke.
Let the players play. I don't even know what game it is that I am even watching anymore.
It is lima lima lima duck embarrassing.
This is supposed to be a contact sport. There are risks. You can't protect everyone from every damn thing that might happen.
It has become a joke.
Let the players play. I don't even know what game it is that I am even watching anymore.
It is lima lima lima duck embarrassing.
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KingHoweofIsrael
- Thunderstorm
- Posts: 636
- Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 9:48 pm
It was dangerous contact. .. so penalty every day of the week - what annoys me most is lack of consistency. ... like how Barba was suspended for a spear takle that he wasn't penalised for. ... and in the titans/broncos game I saw a lot of examples of players not touching the ball with their foot as they played it - my point is that the refs have (or are given) a flavour of the month penalty and seem to forget the rest of the rules. (On another league forum, there was a lot of whining about the penalty given to cam after he was back slammed... so it's not just the refs that forget the rules. ... but I feel it was mostly whining because it was a Storm player..)
That said, at no point is it ok for fans to act like the dogs supporters did. ... they have always been the worst crowd - I went to one dogs home game against the Storm, a final in 02 or 03.... we were humbled to say the least - and I didn't feel at all safe leaving the game. .... no idea how it would've been if we had won. ...I've not attended a dogs home game since, nor do I have any intention to.
Graham can be a great player. ... but he's a grub of the highest order, with a track record. . The more important the game, the worse he gets (ear biting, leading with the head etc etc) ... he could use a stint on the sidelines. ....Tolman should be their Captain if they want to clean up their image - and I don't say that because he was one of ours, but because he always conducts himself professionally. .. you could see he didn't like the way they lost, but was one of the few that didn't throw a tantrum because of it.
From a tipping point of view. .. the best side on the day lost - but had Graham not of had a brain explosion, recklessly charging down a 40 metre attempt at field goal, they probably win.
Also, the behavior of the fans being linked to the behavior of the players is a cop out, the dogs fans are dogs. . Always have been, and I can't see that ever changing. . - and in no way am I defending Graham running his mouth, but that was at the souths trainer, not at Reynolds - the trainer and Graham would both be better off keeping their mouths shut and doing their jobs.
That said, at no point is it ok for fans to act like the dogs supporters did. ... they have always been the worst crowd - I went to one dogs home game against the Storm, a final in 02 or 03.... we were humbled to say the least - and I didn't feel at all safe leaving the game. .... no idea how it would've been if we had won. ...I've not attended a dogs home game since, nor do I have any intention to.
Graham can be a great player. ... but he's a grub of the highest order, with a track record. . The more important the game, the worse he gets (ear biting, leading with the head etc etc) ... he could use a stint on the sidelines. ....Tolman should be their Captain if they want to clean up their image - and I don't say that because he was one of ours, but because he always conducts himself professionally. .. you could see he didn't like the way they lost, but was one of the few that didn't throw a tantrum because of it.
From a tipping point of view. .. the best side on the day lost - but had Graham not of had a brain explosion, recklessly charging down a 40 metre attempt at field goal, they probably win.
Also, the behavior of the fans being linked to the behavior of the players is a cop out, the dogs fans are dogs. . Always have been, and I can't see that ever changing. . - and in no way am I defending Graham running his mouth, but that was at the souths trainer, not at Reynolds - the trainer and Graham would both be better off keeping their mouths shut and doing their jobs.
I think the charge down was a legitimate play with an unfortunate consequence. Should it have been penalised? I don't know. At the time I thought not.
What is absolutely unacceptable though was the abuse and threatening behaviour by Graham and Klemmer. Two much bigger men standing over someone and screaming obscenities would be enough to intimidate anyone. Bullying pure and simple, and in a real world workplace that would easily be enough to get you sacked. Dreadful for the image of the game.
Graham carried that intimidation of the refs through the whole game from the moment he started defending his players when they kneed and kicked Isaac Luke in the head.
I think it's worth a week or two tops for the chargedown - I think it was a shit-happens moment but will understand if it is classed as "careless".
The bullying though; that deserves a much longer time on the sidelines, completion of an anger management course, stripping of the Captaincy (permanently) and a full public apology - and then he should feel fortunate. If he worked in an office, a shopping centre or a building site that would be goodnight Irene, and their union rep would be holding the door open for them on the way out.
What is absolutely unacceptable though was the abuse and threatening behaviour by Graham and Klemmer. Two much bigger men standing over someone and screaming obscenities would be enough to intimidate anyone. Bullying pure and simple, and in a real world workplace that would easily be enough to get you sacked. Dreadful for the image of the game.
Graham carried that intimidation of the refs through the whole game from the moment he started defending his players when they kneed and kicked Isaac Luke in the head.
I think it's worth a week or two tops for the chargedown - I think it was a shit-happens moment but will understand if it is classed as "careless".
The bullying though; that deserves a much longer time on the sidelines, completion of an anger management course, stripping of the Captaincy (permanently) and a full public apology - and then he should feel fortunate. If he worked in an office, a shopping centre or a building site that would be goodnight Irene, and their union rep would be holding the door open for them on the way out.
We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately
100% right TC. Nobody is suggesting he set out to hurt Reynolds, but, he made late contact below the knee of the kicker and that is a penalty and report, it is not very different to the Felise Kaufusi incident in round 1 which we all thought was careless so why should he get treated differently because he is a big name? If it was say Tim Browne from the same club, he would've been hung, drawn and quartered by now.
As for the bullying, he absolutely set out to do this and has done so in many games. If the Dogs fail to act on this, they send the message that they condone bullying
As for the bullying, he absolutely set out to do this and has done so in many games. If the Dogs fail to act on this, they send the message that they condone bullying
Matt, Yes the dogs need to take action. But they have passively condoned this kind of behaviour from Graham for years so they are partly complicit. No pats on the head if they hit him with a rolled up newspaper now it's too late.
More important is what the NRL do.
If the NRL don't hand down their own severe punishment then they're opening the door for any other player to do the same. They have plenty of options; dissent, bringing the game into disrepute and others.
More important is what the NRL do.
If the NRL don't hand down their own severe punishment then they're opening the door for any other player to do the same. They have plenty of options; dissent, bringing the game into disrepute and others.
We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately
Why was a guy who had previously bitten an opponent's ear given the captaincy in the first place?
How bad was the vision of Klemmer and Graham standing over the ref, pointing fingers and giving him a gobful? Particularly for something that is a penalty according to the rules.
There may have been no intent from Graham in terms of Reynolds incident but he made dangerous contact with a kicker. It is the same as someone going to lay a tackle and the player falls into tackle resulting in a high tackle. That is a penalty no matter the intent.
How bad was the vision of Klemmer and Graham standing over the ref, pointing fingers and giving him a gobful? Particularly for something that is a penalty according to the rules.
There may have been no intent from Graham in terms of Reynolds incident but he made dangerous contact with a kicker. It is the same as someone going to lay a tackle and the player falls into tackle resulting in a high tackle. That is a penalty no matter the intent.
Contact sport, as rugby league is supposed to be, is inherently dangerous.
Everyone use to be OK with that. It used to be sold as gladiatorial.
The fact is sometimes people are going to get injured by accident. That doesn't lima lima lima duck mean that you penalize every lima lima lima duck little thing that happens or put people on report.
The game is no longer what it once was. It is a game full of crybabies, wimps and apologists. Everyone should be out there in Diapers and sucking on lima lima lima duck pacifiers.
You can't shoulder charge, you can't punch, you can't make any kind of accidental contact while trying to make a perfectly legal play, you're not allowed to bleed.
It lima lima lima duck sickens me what has happened to the game. Their one step away from being soccer.
Everyone use to be OK with that. It used to be sold as gladiatorial.
The fact is sometimes people are going to get injured by accident. That doesn't lima lima lima duck mean that you penalize every lima lima lima duck little thing that happens or put people on report.
The game is no longer what it once was. It is a game full of crybabies, wimps and apologists. Everyone should be out there in Diapers and sucking on lima lima lima duck pacifiers.
You can't shoulder charge, you can't punch, you can't make any kind of accidental contact while trying to make a perfectly legal play, you're not allowed to bleed.
It lima lima lima duck sickens me what has happened to the game. Their one step away from being soccer.