SL Grand Final

Chogan

Chogan


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Wow!!!
 
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winchesterref


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Just seen the forearm smash followed up by BF's punches and the mass brawl. Surprised only 1 card emerged really, 2nd punch hugely out of order, first one at least understandable (but clearly not condoned!).
 
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leaguerefaus


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Unbelievable. Aside from the fact that's disgusting in any match, what a selfish prick for leaving his team down to 12 men for 78mins in the grand final. Just shocking.
 
Ian_Cook

Ian_Cook


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That is beyond disgraceful. It shouldn't just be a red card, it should be a couple of years banned from the game, and then criminal assault charges.
 
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dave_clark


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wow - the first punch was bad enough, but to follow up again on the deck...

although something that gary lineker twittered might amuse - "If only other team sports could match the on-field behaviour of football."

:wtf:
 
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RobLev

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Holding down a dazed player and deliberately targeting his eye; that's not a rush of blood, it's deliberate cold-blooded brutality. He should be looking at a GBH/attempted GBH charge (depending on injury caused), and definitely ABH. He won't of course - it'll be a 2-3 week ban and NFA.
 
Simon Thomas

Simon Thomas


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Disgraceful in this modern professional age of either code of rugby.

We can only hope at his club dismisses him, that no other club will pick up his contract, and the RL authorities give him a long long ban.

Police action for assault should also be prosecuted.
 
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dave_clark


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Simon Thomas said:
Disgraceful in this modern professional age of either code of rugby.

We can only hope at his club dismisses him, that no other club will pick up his contract, and the RL authorities give him a long long ban.
Click to expand...

sadly not going to happen, his coach has already publicly backed him.
 
Browner

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I was surprised by the Red Card , I can only imagine he must've used some inappropriate RL language .( take that you blaggard )

Cos in RL, that thuggery must surely only get a 'on report' sanction at worst !?!?!?

:-!
 
Treadmore

Treadmore

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dave_clark said:
sadly not going to happen, his coach has already publicly backed him.
Click to expand...

"backed him" in the sense of stand by him after he's received his punishment to make sure it doesn't happen again. He didn't defend his action, to be fair

BBC said:
Asked how he could defend the punch, Wane responded: "You can't. It's a rush of blood.
"It's the Wigan-Saints derby and everybody is getting whacked off the ball and he made an error.
"He'll be really upset with what he's done to his team-mates, but that's just the character and why we love Ben Flower so much.
"The RFL will deal with that [the punishment] accordingly, and whatever he gets, I'll stand by him. I'll make sure he understands that sort of thing can't happen again.
"He'll learn. There will be nobody who needs to have a go at Ben Flower for that, as he'll be feeling bad today."
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Personally I'd like to see a long ban (at least one season) and a prosecution though I doubt either will happen.

I don't suppose the build-up to these games helps either, for example BBC headlines the day before referring to "bitter hatred" between the teams http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/29520154

I didn't like reading that headline the day before either.
 
Ciaran Trainor

Ciaran Trainor


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What that clip doesn't show is the wigan player hitting the saints player off the ball following the initial high kick, that's waht insensed the saints guy into the forearm smash.
Saints guy actually should have got a yellow for starting it even though he was knocked out.
 
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RobLev

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Treadmore said:
"backed him" in the sense of stand by him after he's received his punishment to make sure it doesn't happen again. He didn't defend his action, to be fair

Originally Posted by BBC
Asked how he could defend the punch, Wane responded: "You can't. It's a rush of blood.
"It's the Wigan-Saints derby and everybody is getting whacked off the ball and he made an error.
"He'll be really upset with what he's done to his team-mates, but that's just the character and why we love Ben Flower so much.
"The RFL will deal with that [the punishment] accordingly, and whatever he gets, I'll stand by him. I'll make sure he understands that sort of thing can't happen again.
"He'll learn. There will be nobody who needs to have a go at Ben Flower for that, as he'll be feeling bad today."
Click to expand...

...
Click to expand...

The coach doesn't get it, does he? It isn't "What he's done to his team-mates" that matters; it's what he did to the Saints player. That is what he should be feeling bad about; and what, given the coach's reaction, is what someone needs to "have a go at Ben Flower" about
 
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RobLev

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ctrainor said:
What that clip doesn't show is the wigan player hitting the saints player off the ball following the initial high kick, that's waht insensed the saints guy into the forearm smash.
Saints guy actually should have got a yellow for starting it even though he was knocked out.
Click to expand...

Not quite sure how the Saints player started it if he was reacting to to the Wigan player hitting the Saints player off the ball? :shrug:
 
Ian_Cook

Ian_Cook


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4eyesbetter said:
Here's a better clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkL4eN4jpWE

"He was reacting" is a massive red herring and hopefully whoever passes sentence will see that. The alleged "forearm smash" is only one when watched through cherry-tinted specs.
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That forearm from Hohaia is just par for the course in RL. You see that every day of the week in both SL and NRL. At the absolute worst it gets "on report" if its a bad one.

What Flower did however was an act of vicious, mindless thuggery. That he lined Hohaia up with the punch which knocked him cold was bad enough, but to then pin down the unconscious player and punch him in the eye-socket was simply unacceptable and the act of a rank coward.

Flower does not deserve the privilege of playing any kind of team sport. If I was his manager/coach, I would cut him loose just as soon as I could. I would want to put some distance between him and my team and myself.

Also, I don't buy the rush of blood excuse. No-one can perpetrate such an act unless they have a predisposition to that kind of criminal violence. He really ought to be changed by the Police with assault/battery/GBH/ABH whichever is appropriate in English Law.
 
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