TE-BO: State of Origin … The Wrap for 2014.

Please note – this new theme is on trial and feedback is welcome if anyone is having trouble reading this new layout. There have been some reports already and changes made. Please use this e-mail link with your browser detail, and what your viewing issue is … thank you. TE-BO: State of Origin … The Wrap for 2014.  |Author: TE-BO| Date: July 10th, 2014. It is a new dawn for eight years NSW have been the butt of all SOO jokes because they have not been able to compete at the same level as Queensland.  Well that all ended a few weeks ago when they wrapped up the series 2-0 in Sydney. In the third game last night QLD avoided the clean 3-0 sweep in emphatic fashion with a 32-8 defeat of the same NSW side they lost the first 2 games to.  What was different – Cooper Kronk – he proved last night the value of his kicking game to this QLD side is invaluable, and to have lost him after 7 minutes of Game 1 was the reason NSW won this series.  QLD’s performance last night showed how lucky NSW were to win the series – it was not based on the talent of players … more on this later. As a QLD supporter I won’t carry on for too long about the pathetic call’s QLD received in Games 1 & 2 – most notably was the game changing call in Game 2 when the QLD kick off after NSW scored going dead when Woods allowed to ball to brush him on the chest.  The next 7 minutes from the resulting penalty allowed NSW to dominate field position where the review referees should have called the play back and forced NSW to kick off from their own goal-line.  Hell – that’s football right – and I’m sure NSW fans have their gripes over the last 8 years as well. To finish this point off one has to ask – why were NSW so confident of their win that they pre-spent $100,000’s on a fireworks display that all hinged on a NSW win, why did the NSW Coach Laurie Daly have an unsanctioned and private meeting with Referee Shane Hayne prior to Game 2?  Conspiracy theories abound but again that’s football … right. What is not football – is the boredom and want to switch the TV off I felt last night for the first time when NSW players persistently confronted the referee.  Gallen, Bird, Hayne, Reynolds, and other NSW players demonstrated this again last night when Referee calls went against them.  The QLD’s also would throw their arms in the air and remonstrate but none bar the Captain would approach the Referee, and Smith’s approach was always respectful.  Gallen was ‘in your face’ and no matter how many times Maxwell told him to ‘get back’ he persisted with his physical presence and intensity.   This is a very poor example from our showpiece of sport shown the world over.  NSW players proved again last night what grubs they are and how well earned the ‘cockroach’ tag has been earned.  Here are some more examples – Greg Bird – glassed his girlfriend and scarred her for life – yet because of his football talents his career has been allowed to develop.  He thinks the fans have forgotten who he really is – did you see him last night when he was replaced in the 1st half how he goaded to the QLD fans with the NSW emblem – he has lost his humility at where he came from and that he was given a 2nd chance when not should have been allowed.  If he had integrity and respect for the game – he would just allow his football to do the talking – once a thug always a thug.  His dive last night that led to the penalty that produced NSW’s only try was worthy of an Oscar nomination – he went off the field as Myles was placed on report, and returned less than 5 minutes later with apparent vigor and new energy and ‘no’ ill effects from the threatening throat problem his acting talents portrayed. All night Bird pushed the ‘grub’ niggle that has become a blight on our game.  Players fear the ‘sin-bin’ if the instinctive punch they want to throw is thrown – so it is all about the push and shove, the niggle, all encouraged by coaches to try and force a mistake in the ruck … I love watching competitive and hard football – but the game last night was all about the NSW niggle trying to stop QLD’s momentum and the referees played to NSW’s tune.  QLD were hellbent on playing football last night and proved again what it bis that makes this team a team of champions.  What NSW served up was kindergarten stuff – QLD rose above and played honest fast football.  I rang a friend after 20 minutes to say I was bored watching – who gets bored watching SOO … he was a NSW supporter and of course he disagreed … In the first half QLD dominated field position and whenever the play was inside the 10m line of NSW’s goal line the play the ball infringements by NSW were all worthy of a penalty – yet the referee fearing a tainted game let it go.  If one was to watch the game and count the seconds between when a player is on the ground and when he is allowed to get up and play the ball –  NSW received favouritism all night, fatigue and defensive effort should never allow referee compassion.  Even in Channel’s pre game coverage – Daly’s instructions on tactics in how to slow the play the ball down were broadcast for all to hear.   If the NRL does not address the issue of 3,4 and 5 in a tackle where the ‘flop’ has apparently become legal again, then the ball carrier is going to get hurt in a way that will embarrass the NRL and hurt the game and its image. The Clubs and NRL have rubbed players out of the game for private and personal off-field incidents – it is about time to do the ‘Les Boyd’ thing and rub players out of the game for dirty and disgusting play.  I saw last night a deliberate stomp on a players ankle by Gallen as he measured himself when getting up in the ruck and to get back to marker.   It happens all the time and is let go – but the players in the NRL know which players dish it out and they in turn have it dished back to them in square-ups.  Some times the ‘biff’ brings something to the game and that was all when punches were allowed – now with no pressure release the niggle factor has established itself as the release valve and it is hurting the game. We all heard Hayne’s blowup last night when the referee ruled a penalty to QLD for a NSW player being off-side when replays clearly showed it was Thiaday who raked the ball back.  Hayne believed he was entitled to swear at the referee and highlight his mistake – he should have spent time in the sin-bin for descent and lack of respect.  It’s a professional sport and referees have been encouraged to 2nd guess their decisions with the video replay option – then why not go to the video on the Woods touch on the ball in Game 2?  Players are frustrated at the number of 50-50 calls that they get wrong – and our game deserved better – yet at the same tile an example must be sent when players cross that line.  The players have shown restraint on the ‘punch throw’ repercussions – other indiscretions should be dealt with the same way. Players need to be respectful and the on-field protocol for this stuff lies with the Captain.  Yet Gallenis directed by the coaching staff to get in the referee’s face to force the issues because it highlights the referee more than the player incident.   Gallen – a winging snivelling grub and no way was man of the series – there were plenty of other and more deserving contenders … Another reason for the remonstrating is that it allows fatigued players to catch their breadth … the time-lapse between a whistle blowup and a scrum is packed gets longer as the game progresses – it is all about setting defensive lines – Beau Scott went down last night on his 10 meter line as QLD had a scrum feed and his players needed a rest.  This is what is destroying the integrity of the game – playing on referee’s patience and reluctance to blow penalties when they are deserved.  Make a fuckin’ decision I say and rule the game as if you were a tyrant king – bring back ‘The Grasshopper’ … Well that was SOO for 2014 and for mine I will never accept that NSW won this series on merit – they had help from many different sources – least of all the refereeing and video calls … […EYE-BALL…]

Tags: NRL, NSW Rugby League, Queensland Rugby League, SOO 2014, State of Origin 2014

This entry was posted by TE-BO - [The EYE-BALL Opinion].

• July 10, 2014
• EYE-BALL, Eye-Ball TEBO, Sport
• 3 Comments