If you want to see...

[Dixpat]

....a grubby game then find a copy of the Origin Game 2 NSW v Queensland played last night.

The number of un-penalised acts of foul play/thuggery is in my view mindblowing

If League administrators in Australia want to promote these games as the pinnacle of their game then they seriously have to have a very close look at themselves :norc:

 

[leaguerefaus]

....a grubby game then find a copy of the Origin Game 2 NSW v Queensland played last night.

The number of un-penalised acts of foul play/thuggery is in my view mindblowing

If League administrators in Australia want to promote these games as the pinnacle of their game then they seriously have to have a very close look at themselves :norc:

The ratings say otherwise.

 

[Dickie E]

The crack down on punching in SoO has led to more underhand foul play particularly in the tackle. Bring back a bit of toe-to-toe biff, I say.

 

[Dixpat]

The ratings say otherwise.

Any forum I monitored during the game was full of negative comment about the rubbish being dished out.

Are you implying that ratings measure how the audience are "enjoying" a program they are watching.

As a league ref:

a) do you condone this rubbish?
b) explain please why an origin game is ref'd differently than a club game by the same refs

 

[leaguerefaus]

Any forum I monitored during the game was full of negative comment about the rubbish being dished out.

Are you implying that ratings measure how the audience are "enjoying" a program they are watching.

As a league ref:

a) do you condone this rubbish?
b) explain please why an origin game is ref'd differently than a club game by the same refs

I'm saying that while they keep breaking ratings records, they have very little motivation to change anything.

From my perspective, there was too much niggle - it was annoying to see it every tackle. I'm glad origin is reffed differently - there is a lot more passion and hate on the field than a club game, so I expect a fair bit to be let go. But last night it was almost like it wasn't been reffed at all.

Also, anyone on a forum instead of in front of the TV with a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other is not a true Origin fan

 

[Dixie]

I'm glad origin is reffed differently - there is a lot more passion and hate on the field than a club game, so I expect a fair bit to be let go.

I won't pretend to know what the Origin game is, nor anything about Rugby Leage, but having stumbled on this thread by accident (Robbie, can you spend my £20 donation on giving anything to do with League a hellish flaming red background to differentiate it from real rugby?), I was intrigued by this statement.

In Union, I personally would expect a ref faced with a match full of hatred and antipathy to crack down firmly and give little or no leeway - certainly not to acts that could be a trigger for violence. It seems League is another world - but then it's the national sport of Hades, so why would that surprise me? Teams should sport the monikers Doncaster Demons, Perth Purgatory, Hobart Hellfire.

 

[4eyesbetter]

Origin literally became popular because Artie Beetson biffed one of his clubmates on the nose because the bloke happened to be wearing a blue jersey that night. Its appeal has always been in large part because it's a slightly weird parallel universe where the normal expectations of conduct don't apply, and lots of people seem to like it that way, so there you go. Just smile and nod and move on.

(For me the most objectionable part of the whole thing is how they still insist that you have to declare international eligiblity for Australia before you can be selected to play Origin, which has deprived pretty much every other SH country of sorely-needed players at some point and directly contributed to the international game being in its current state through lack of competition; that has far more of an impact on the game as a whole than a bit of how's your father between blokes who know what they're getting themselves into.)

 

[4eyesbetter]

I tell you what, after having watched the full thing, by Origin standards that was downright peaceful. Drop out the "we can't fight any more but it's Origin so we have to pretend" handbags and I've seen far, far dirtier NRL games than that.