Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:57 am  

On a similar vein, Phil Clark has called out Saints for purposely slowing the ball carrier out over and over again. He notes that Saints would prefer to reset the tackle count in exchange to give the defensive line time to organise themselves. He claims this style of cheating needs to be addressed. I personally think it is just playing to the referee - there is nothing stopping opposition teams doing the same. https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/phil-cla ... eld-71287/

On a similar vein, Phil Clark has called out Saints for purposely slowing the ball carrier out over and over again. He notes that Saints would prefer to reset the tackle count in exchange to give the defensive line time to organise themselves. He claims this style of cheating needs to be addressed. I personally think it is just playing to the referee - there is nothing stopping opposition teams doing the same. https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/phil-cla ... eld-71287/

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:26 pm  

Leeds_Luke wrote: On a similar vein, Phil Clark has called out Saints for purposely slowing the ball carrier out over and over again. He notes that Saints would prefer to reset the tackle count in exchange to give the defensive line time to organise themselves. He claims this style of cheating needs to be addressed. I personally think it is just playing to the referee - there is nothing stopping opposition teams doing the same. https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/phil-cla ... eld-71287/ Indeed. Hull did it far more blatantly the week before, but Phil didn't mind that as he didn't want us to win that game either. It's a goal of all teams to slow the play down, it goes without saying. There is a valid debate about whether six agains work as they are intended to though. Pretty much all teams now abuse it on the 1st as ensuring a set defensive line to start the set is preferrable to one less tackle. Referees are then very reluctant to give another six again in the same set of six and it's rare that they do. It's also something attacking teams try to play the system on as much as possible too. If you watch the game last night, I lost count of the number of times Peats deliberately ran at markers who weren't set because Huddersfield got a quick play the ball or moved off the mark and then stopped and threw his arms up, in an attempt to con the referee into giving a six again. Ashton Golding even ignored a 4 on 2 overlap to do that and appeal to the referee. Moving off the mark is another thing that winds me up about our game, it sets the markers off square and the defensive line two yards offside and the crowd and attacking team baying for a penalty or six again. Again, all teams do it and the refs rarely ever send them back. It's a sad indictment on Super League really that our coaches and players are this obsessed with playing the system. I watch the NRL this morning and it's genuinely like watching a different sport. Clean play the balls, both teams striving for the win rather than going through the motions like we see over here and competing.

Leeds_Luke wrote: On a similar vein, Phil Clark has called out Saints for purposely slowing the ball carrier out over and over again. He notes that Saints would prefer to reset the tackle count in exchange to give the defensive line time to organise themselves. He claims this style of cheating needs to be addressed. I personally think it is just playing to the referee - there is nothing stopping opposition teams doing the same. https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/phil-cla ... eld-71287/ Indeed. Hull did it far more blatantly the week before, but Phil didn't mind that as he didn't want us to win that game either. It's a goal of all teams to slow the play down, it goes without saying. There is a valid debate about whether six agains work as they are intended to though. Pretty much all teams now abuse it on the 1st as ensuring a set defensive line to start the set is preferrable to one less tackle. Referees are then very reluctant to give another six again in the same set of six and it's rare that they do. It's also something attacking teams try to play the system on as much as possible too. If you watch the game last night, I lost count of the number of times Peats deliberately ran at markers who weren't set because Huddersfield got a quick play the ball or moved off the mark and then stopped and threw his arms up, in an attempt to con the referee into giving a six again. Ashton Golding even ignored a 4 on 2 overlap to do that and appeal to the referee. Moving off the mark is another thing that winds me up about our game, it sets the markers off square and the defensive line two yards offside and the crowd and attacking team baying for a penalty or six again. Again, all teams do it and the refs rarely ever send them back. It's a sad indictment on Super League really that our coaches and players are this obsessed with playing the system. I watch the NRL this morning and it's genuinely like watching a different sport. Clean play the balls, both teams striving for the win rather than going through the motions like we see over here and competing.

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Fri Mar 24, 2023 1:53 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Only boring because we've won a couple on the spin and you're realising that maybe we're not as bad as you were hoping.

yeah, that must be it

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Fri Mar 24, 2023 1:54 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Moving off the mark is another thing that winds me up about our game, it sets the markers off square and the defensive line two yards offside and the crowd and attacking team baying for a penalty or six again. Again, all teams do it and the refs rarely ever send them back

You regularly criticise Walmsley then do you? He makes more yards between the tackle and the PTB than he does in the actual carry.

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Fri Mar 24, 2023 2:05 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

It's a sad indictment on Super League really that our coaches and players are this obsessed with playing the system. I watch the NRL this morning and it's genuinely like watching a different sport. Clean play the balls, both teams striving for the win rather than going through the motions like we see over here and competing.

It's all down to the officials. NRL refs wouldn't let it slide, thus players have to play a fairer game.

Really we need to tighten up on unsporting play, but that would only cause bigger issues as our officials are not good enough or trained well enough to do so consistently. I'd rather see every player get away with cheating a yard at the play of the ball or slowing the ball carrier, than half getting away with it whilst half get penalised. Sad really.

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Fri Mar 24, 2023 2:11 pm  

Leeds_Luke wrote:

It's all down to the officials. NRL refs wouldn't let it slide, thus players have to play a fairer game.

Really we need to tighten up on unsporting play, but that would only cause bigger issues as our officials are not good enough or trained well enough to do so consistently. I'd rather see every player get away with cheating a yard at the play of the ball or slowing the ball carrier, than half getting away with it whilst half get penalised. Sad really.

Consistency is and always has been the problem for me.

Players banned one week and not the next. We all say it's because they play for our team when it happens to us, but really the level of officiating (and as such the review panel) just isn't good enough.

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Fri Mar 24, 2023 3:55 pm  

Egg Chasing wrote:

You regularly criticise Walmsley then do you? He makes more yards between the tackle and the PTB than he does in the actual carry.

He's 13 foot tall so when he plays the ball and stands upright, he's moved 6 foot, not his fault.

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:17 am  

Saddened! wrote:

He's 13 foot tall so when he plays the ball and stands upright, he's moved 6 foot, not his fault.

He should get penalised for it in every match I watch saints play, but never, ever does, no doubt because the rfl have got it in for saints.

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:42 pm  

CW8 wrote:

He should get penalised for it in every match I watch saints play, but never, ever does, no doubt because the rfl have got it in for saints.

It's not technically a penalty, they are just sent back to play it from where it should have been from. We got sent back twice against Huddersfield, so it is another thing they hammer us for that they don't apply to other sides.

Re: Saints squad, can they be stopped? : Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:47 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

It's not technically a penalty, they are just sent back to play it from where it should have been from. We got sent back twice against Huddersfield, so it is another thing they hammer us for that they don't apply to other sides.

Ok ok we give in you can be Grand Final, CC Cup and LLS winners this season if it will shut your bleating.