In SL 2013 - I'd suggest relatively few clear-cut punches to the head (retaliatory or not) were dealt with so leniently. Even fewer if thrown at a player looking the other way. It was a rather flippant point though - hopefully after the sanitised World Cup is over we can have our game back - warts an all.

It's the first punch up I've seen involving an NRL player in years where a decent punch actually connects.

Still a long to go till he gets to Gordon Tallis levels

Except Lee Briers

I guess that would have to be classed as one of the few of the relatively few - Ablett does appear to have one of those faces.

So Slater tries to go back in a Club for his Coat. Some Clown thinks "Holy Wonderwall! This guy is Queue Jumping, I think I'm hard so I'll slap his Face." Slater feels the side Slap and takes his jaw clean off. I think this is standard for doylems starting trouble. RFL Rules and UK Law aren't the same and this was self-defense. Believe me, if Slater had ignored him, he would have done summat else.

There's a great post on the TOTALRL forum - someone commented if the Aussies were stopping in Newcastle, Slater would have got a slap for having a coat !

This.

The first aggression seems to come from the other guy. I am struggling a bit to see where the ongoing threat to Slater is that he feels the need to defend himself from, and whether it was necessary to defend himself in that way.

Which in no way amounts to any sympathy for the mystery assailant. Any kind of slap to the head in that situation counts as picking a fight where I come from. From his point of view don't start nothing, won't be nothing.

Excellent choice of venue from Mr Slater. He should try the original (and best) one though.

Just being a baggy Manc is justification enough. Don't start something you can't finish, don't let your mouth overload your ar$ehole, sow the wind reap the ...etc....etc. Trying to impress your bird can be done in so many better ways than slapping an apparently harmless stranger outside a nightclub. You never know when they might turn out to be a world class athlete who plays the toughest sport in the world and has survived being knocked around by some of the biggest meatheads on the planet (not to mention having his ear eaten by a fat ginger scouser).

All good fun.

Sums it up perfectly for me , surprised the old Bill didn't just give the pair of them a bollocking and send em on their way tbh .

Wishful thinking on our part. Maybe you should find out where they're going next time and go slap Slater. Can't believe you're calling him the aggressor. How can putting your hand on someone's shoulder be aggressive?

CCTV with no audio is not the best who know what else was happening. You also don't need to get chinned to act in self defence, you can do a preemtive strike and still be acting in self defence.
That said if it was just two ordinary blokes from Manchester both would probably have been nicked and charged with affray

I love the fact that Gotcha would allegedly punch anyone whoever patted him politely on the shoulder.
And he's trying to go on about Bailey's off-field behaviour on another thread