Official NRL 2014 Thread - Souths winners by default

[Madmya]

Apply the letter of the law the nth degree and it's more try than no try. There are some knock ons in league which technically go backwards but we pick up on them because the player had no control. That's just what the game's about. I just couldn't give that a try. Andrew Voss also has the same opinion, do you think he's a cheat?

It's happened to the Broncos in the past, I'm pretty sure it was against the Dragons too. The game where Riddell kicked a penalty from the sideline on fulltime to win it. I was pissed then.

[jizzlobber]

So you're saying it isn't a try, even though you admit it's more try than no try, because mistakes have been made in the past?

you should be an NRL referee mya... You'd fit right in !

[Madmya]

Hahahah yeah I can see how it reads stupidly. I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise because this is just how I feel, but league shouldn't be officiated in that way. It's a game about control and at no point did Hall have control or even intentionally touch the ball. Considering how close it was the call should go back to the on-field ref's decision as it takes the bullshit out and calls it for what it is.

[jizzlobber]

There is no way he meant to ground it, but he did.

It would have been super unlucky for Australia had they awarded it, no doubt about that.

I just saw the video ref freeze a frame where the ball was on the ground while his finger was being bent backwards on to of the ball, looked like a clear try to me.

Anyway, doesn't look like a big story on the news or anything so I must be on my own.

[Madmya]

It wasn't a news story for Craig Frawley's effort either, but there are plenty of poms crying about it on Twitter, don't you worry about that. I do feel for them in some way, but they've got short memories on how lucky they were vs Samoa.

A weak Australia has actually improved the series. Looking forward to NZ vs England next weekend. How good was little Ben Hunt! He definitely was the catalyst. Cam Smith was having an average game until he stepped on the field, strangely. Hunt and Bird were the standouts for me.

[mxlegend99]

There is no way he meant to ground it, but he did.

It would have been super unlucky for Australia had they awarded it, no doubt about that.

I just saw the video ref freeze a frame where the ball was on the ground while his finger was being bent backwards on to of the ball, looked like a clear try to me.

Anyway, doesn't look like a big story on the news or anything so I must be on my own.

The poms on another forum use this as "proof it was a try":



But looking closely at the pictures, they prove what the referee explained to be true IMO. The first time the hand brushes the ball, the end he touches is in an upwards spiral and is leaving the ground. In the second frame after it, the ball has continued to spin and lift from the ground and has bent his fingers back as it bounces upwards.

If he had any downward pressure, the bounce of the ball would have been changed and the end he had pressure on would not have kept bouncing upwards leaving the other end of the ball on the ground. Then there's this angle, which is better for judging just how little contact his hand had with the ball. THe above angle you can't tell his hand is practically behind the ball, and it looks like he has more of his finger on the ball then he actually did. This angle shows just how barely his finger brushes the ball, even with the blur from the speed at which it all happened.



This angle shows his hand basically just brushes against the end of the ball, and the ball has forced his fingers back as it continued on its way. COnsidering the rules are that a try needs to have downward pressure, these pictures don't prove that he had that... and IMO prove that he simply brushed the ball and had no pressure on it at all. But either way, the evidence is hardly good enough to overturn the onfield referee decision of a no try.

Also watch it in motion at all, and his fingertip touches the ball for a hundredth of a second at best, and the bounce of the ball is in no way altered when he does so. The video referee got it spot on, and the explanation the referee gave to England was spot on too. THe ball was rising... as you can see in the screen grabs. He brushes the ball as it's beginning to bounce upwards and doesn't stop it from doing so. But with how lightly his finger brushed that ball, and how little of his finger touched it. Downward pressure would have been impossible IMO. The only way you could have less effect on the ball is by missing it entirely.

It is funny how people bitch about slow motion in replays, yet in this case they want to focus on a single frame despite the evidence that contradicts it. One frame on its own looks like a try, but the frames around it prove that frame is misleading.

[jizzlobber]

Are you kidding? Those images clearly show the ball being grounded... The ball is still on the ground, and his finger is being bent backwards at the same time... That right there is downward pressure.

Totally accidental but that shows the ball on the ground as his finger is bending back on top of the fucking ball, I don't even see it as debatable.

[Madmya]

[mxlegend99]

Are you kidding? Those images clearly show the ball being grounded... The ball is still on the ground, and his finger is being bent backwards at the same time... That right there is downward pressure.

Totally accidental but that shows the ball on the ground as his finger is bending back on top of the fucking ball, I don't even see it as debatable.

His fingers touch it as its bouncing upwatds and the upward bounce bends his fingers back. A fingertip on the edge of the ball is not downward pressure. His fingers bend back from the upwards pressure of the bounce. His hand had zero influence on the ball, but the ball had an influence on his pinkie.

How much possible pressure can the tip of a pinkie against the edge of a ball have? if the rules were a finger on the ball counts as grounding, its a try. But it needs downward pressure from his arm, wrist, hand, finger or torso. Which he clearly didnt get.

Throw in needing sufficient evidence to overturn it, and its 100% the right decision by the rulebook.

[mxlegend99]

Oh and both frames prove the reason for the video referee disallowing it. The ball his rising as he makes contact, and continues to do so. The first frame where his hand brushes the ball that end of the ball is just off the ground, in the next frame that end of the ball is a few centimetres from the ground and his finger is bent backwards.

Watch it in motion and you see he touches the ball for a hundredth of a second, with zero pressure and its an obvious knock on. Even slowed down it looks this way unless you focus on a single frame and ignore what happens after it.

No downward pressure. I dont think its possible for a pinkie to put downward pressure on a ball travelling at that pace. Maybe a ball laying motionless on the ground, but not one that has momentum and is rolling end over end.

[Megaman]

Looks to me like he is attempting to tackle GI without the ball. Why don't we replay eight times and frame by frame it until we award a penalty for that?

[mxlegend99]

Also most telling was that Hall difnt claim a try, nor did any teammate celebrate one. They all thought he missed it entirely and that England had forced a dropout.

Players claim tries even when they know its a obe in a million kinda deal. Trying to sell it to the referee. This try coukd have won the game yet no one celebrated. Had they claimed it, the referee may have bought it and sent it up as a try.

[Madmya]

How good does it look, Candy?

And a random thought, I'd like to go back to having only one Friday night game. It's absolutely killed the novelty of having a Friday night game.

[pilonv1]

That's pretty good, better than this years atrocity

[pilonv1]

Barba off to the Sharks. I guess that clears up everything, Darius at #1, Milford at #6

[mxlegend99]

Absolute joke the Barba situation. He leaves the Bulldogs due to being "homesick", and a year later he is now looking at coming back to Sydney.

Personally glad to see him get fucked around. Even in his supposedly great 2012 season, I never thought he looked that great. So many of his tries were simply right place at the right time situations, which were 90% luck and not really the sort of things you could replicate. Sure he was an elusive player and came up with the odd special play, but honestly I think he's only a slightly above average player at his best.

Wayne Bennett knows he is shit, and has choosen to go with a no frills player in Darius Boyd over him. He has his x-factor in Milford. No need for an inconsistent player like Barba. He and Milford in the same team never made sense anyway. Too similar of a player, suited to the same position.

[Madmya]

Barba was pretty special in 2012. I saw him win games on his own. He wasn't perfect, but he won the Bulldogs many games. But I do agree with you mx in that we can't have both Milford and Barba as they're too similar. I'm surprised to read the headline tonight, I thought we'd at least see how this year plays out. Boyd is definitely the better option at fullback though. Interesting times. There's a real buzz around Brisbane with Wayne being back, it's weird. I'm liking it.

[westical]

RIP diagonal jersey. At least my 2014 one was free. Just not sure on the white sleeves.

[Madmya]

Yeah I hate the white too.

Meanwhile, this game is delayed into QLD. I mean, what the fuck!

[Madmya]

It still hasn't even started!

[AgOnNy]

Agree with both of you, the white on the jersey shouldn't be there. Also, is it just me or do they not know that the jersey should be maroon, not purple?

[Madmya]

I've always thought it was maroon. I can see what you're saying though, I've just never thought of it like that before. I think it's okay.

[westical]

I have to say, we've magically developed a nice little team at Red Hill over the last few weeks...

[Candy Arse]

Agreed, they're undefeated in November so far!

[westical]

No doors smashed either.