In all seriousness can somebody clarify the RL ruling. When clearly seen is it or is it not an immediate sending off offence?

Ditto clear shoulder charges (the one soon after on Ablett)?

Did Bailey get sent off when he aimed one/punched Blanch at Headingley three games ago?

Mr McDermott states that when the player walks over to the area and aggravates the situation, Mr McDermott states it is widely accepted that ‘verbal’s’ occur in the game. The player was simply explaining to his opponent that he had gone in to touch. The opponent then proceeded to throw an open handed punch towards the player and Mr Bailey subsequently reacted which Mr McDermott says quite wrongly is wrong and the player is guilty of the this offence. Mr McDermott does not accept that the player provoked the situation.[/i

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I was surprised Briers wasn't sin-binned and I expect he'll get a date with the judiciary but I wonder what caused Briers to lash out like that - I'm not convinced that it was the actual tackle but it may have been.

it seemed to be Ablett telling him to get up, since no high tackle occured, and Briers seemed to be appealing for a penalty

maybe Briers was upset that Ablett had got to him twice on the last tackle?
or maybe Briers was still angry about being showed up in last years Grand Final?

nothing justifies an attack on a player from behind imo

I think the RFL have to bring him to the disciplinary and hand out a minimum 1 match ban - punching or striking to the head intentionally. Childs had a game altering send off or stay on, I don't see the place for a yellow in the situation.

The next tackle was a Leeds penalty due to the shoulder charge.

Methinks Briers may still be thinking about last years grand final and the 'treatment' he received from Ablett. I'd love to know what Ablett said to Briers after the grand final try and for that matter yesterday.

He will get away with it, pathetic from the officials.

Could be my imagination but I got the impression that Warrington were really out to make amends for previous play off defeats.

Lets hope they got it out of thier system.

I'm absolutely sure Ablett said something, it's what he does. But I can't imagine it was offensive enough to warrant that. Winding up your opponents is part of the game, and you have to keep your discipline in the face of it. I was amazed he wasn't at least sin binned.

I don't know, we've been on the end of that before from them. But if we manage to limp through and play them again, i'm fairly sure they won't be half as expansive when the stakes are a bit higher. It would be a totally different game.

Play-offs seem similar to State of Origin, you can do vitually anything without punishment beyond a penalty to the opposition at worst.

Old school

Good innit or at least a slightly better approach given how sterile the modern game has become.

In addition all Play-Off games should be played in the evening and under floodlights and if we had a sensible format they probably would be.

I think there is something in that.
The refs become very 'rule book', but at the same time allow some serious transgressions.

Deary me...this thread is good.

great four tries from Benny though...outstanding effort.

I'M just going to watch the highlights.By the way are you still banned from totalrlfans forum