Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:05 pm  

Absolute joke.

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:42 pm  

I might be alone in thinking the Prior one deserved a ban. Maybe one game but with his record you can see why it has nudged upwards.

The situation regarding what is happening week after week with St Helens players is becoming an urgent issue now though - it's being talked about across the game.

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:57 pm  

Does feel like one rule for Saints and another one for everyone else

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:03 pm  

The Ghost of '99 wrote:

The situation regarding what is happening week after week with St Helens players is becoming an urgent issue now though - it's being talked about across the game.

Agreed - that’s three weeks on the bounce the opposition have got frustrated and attacked one (or more) of our players.

I assume that’s what you mean, unless you think Lees should have been banned for standing still last week and Sione for tackling a player taking the ball to the line? Even Wigan fans (known for their tolerance of saints players) say it was never a ban.

The “one rule for st Helens” appears to be try to fabricate a ban each week. I think we’ve had more bans than any club and i don’t think o can remember a bad tackle (eg Napa, Tetavano, Singleton against us in the last few games) amongst any of them.

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:22 pm  

The Ghost of '99 wrote:

The situation regarding what is happening week after week with St Helens players is becoming an urgent issue now though - it's being talked about across the game.

Is it? By who? For all the claims that we're given preferential treatment, I think we're 3rd in terms of charges and bans behind Leeds and Catalans. We've had many a ban this year and far more charges than most teams.

The successful appeals are weird though, I'll admit that.It shows that the disciplinary board itself has major problems. For a charge to be brought I thought they had to agree on it. To agree on it, decide it's a ban, then agree that they were wrong 24 hours later is bizarre. But in the end the right decision has been made. Does anyone know if it was the same people who brought the charge who then dealt with the appeals, or is it different people?

It just feels like the displinary panel is reaching and trying to hit a number, or find something in certain games. I've spotted all season that there seems to be a big trend that when there is a controversial decision going one way, they'll usually find a charge for the other team, no matter how minor. It's almost like they're trying to fend off criticism by trying to balance it. It certainly felt that way with Mata'utia's ban given the Singleton incident and how borderline red/yellow that was. How they even found that to bring the charge is beyond me, it's so innocuous. It was also that way with Lees ban, you're banning three from Catalans, so they just find something to bring a charge, even if it's just for someone running into you.

FWIW I thought Prior's ban was very harsh. For me that's fine, it's a tiny bit late but at worst it's a yellow and no ban. Jason Hooper would have had to stack shelves if these rules existing in his day. I understand what they're trying to do with these bans, but they're going too far. Everyone can tell the difference between a nasty, sly shot on a kicker/passer and a genuine attempt, except the panel it seems.

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Tue Jul 12, 2022 11:42 pm  

I don't think there's evidence of bias, more that they are being hugely overzealous on the bans generally. Its a physical contact sport and sometimes contact will be a bit late or high entirely by accident or due to fatigue, and anyone who has been around the game would agree that its cleaner now than it has ever been.

As you say, everyone can recognize (or ought to be able to) the difference between a pure accident/low risk contact and something with intent/malice and the in-between of reckless.

Tetevano was for me a deliberate attempt to hurt Hurrell with no regard as to the consequence, and deserved a long ban. Holroyd's punching probably didn't deserve 10 games, but at the same time its something that can be stopped as its under the complete control of the player. As an example it may be useful to remind other players.

But some of these other bans don't do anything except confuse players and leading to weakened sides playing every week. The number of suspensions is just ridiculous and damages the quality of the sport at a time when most teams are running paper thin squads with far less depth than in previous years.

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Wed Jul 13, 2022 6:21 am  

Swoggy Loiner wrote:

I’ve watched it about a hundred times, and can’t for the life of me see how he’s supposed to just pull out of the tackle in full flight. Ludicrous decision

Same here. It’s absolutely outrageous he got a ban and a 2 game ban at that. Absolutely outrageous. If I was a top player here I’d seriously consider trying to move to the nrl, the game here is a joke because of the judiciary panel

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Wed Jul 13, 2022 6:32 am  

Having watched it a few times, I can’t see much in the prior one, his head is already ducked etc and in a tackling motion as the ball leaves Richardson’s boot for me and he’s therefore committed.

Has anyone seen the wording of the charge and ruling (asking because I haven’t) because I’d be interested to see if it got two games purely for the lateness or because they thought it was a touch high? If it was just late, in their opinion, then 2 games seems incredibly harsh when you’re talking fractions of a second.

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Wed Jul 13, 2022 7:04 am  

The only reason he was fractionally late was because he didn't hit with full force. Had he opted to clean Richardson out completely he'd likely not have been charged.
Pressure on kickers has never been lower than it is now, they've pretty much got free rein to launch bomb after tedious bomb on the fifth as it is. It's not an area of the game that needs this degree of policing right now.

Re: 2022 | Injuries & Suspensions : Wed Jul 13, 2022 7:15 am  

Does anyone have a clip of the Prior tackle?