Ganson "not my fault blame him".
As has been said this appointment will sorely test McGuire's tact & diplomacy.
I just hope all the discussion after the game is about the players & not the ref.
I doubt it somehow.
Can't we have Thaler for all our games, surely as treble winners we deserve that at least.

We had Child preseason v Leigh, predictably awful he was.

He missd two drop balls in the tackle on the same set to which we then scored, if i was supporting the opposite side i would have been livid.

Maybe we've been given Child as a form of handicap?
Seriously, his problem is has apparent inability to develop any form of rapport with the players.
He gives the impression that he thinks he's somehow better than them.
He talks down to them, not to them.

He played v Fev on Sunday. Against backdrop of injuries to ward, jjb and mulalley - that is a long way down the list.

Not a great child fan but appears to be reasonably poor to both sides

He does. I remember Child reffing us at open age level when he seemed 14/15 years old (he may have been a little older) and he was very much like this then, as he probably saw it as the only way to get respect and his point across to the old veterans and virtually all the players who were much older than him. Always seemed like he had a big point to prove and that hasn't changed as he has moved up the ranks.

Pretty much. The job of the referee should be to work with the players to enforce the laws in a way that makes the game both better to watch and to play in.

Some games you won't be able to do that, because sometimes players don't want to work with you for whatever reason. Too much adrenaline or emotion, unable to cope with pressure etc.

The problem with Child is that every game seems to be one of those where he can't get players to work with him, mostly because his communication is limited to only when absolutely necessary.

Listen to the likes of Thaler, Ian Smith when he used to ref, even Bentham sometimes. They'll have a little laugh and a joke with players during breaks in play, smile at a player when he tries it on pleading his case. Child does none of that, he's like some sort of humourless drone.

It always feels like it's him versus the players, rather than them being there for the same reason.

The referee was Ganson, but the call was made by the linesman....James Child. It was the correct call, but after a season of watching referees in almost every game fail to enforce the offside rule, he picked a damn good time for you lot to start didn't he?

Smiling at players when they try it on. Bunch of flirts these refs. Little flirty pants.

Hardaker
Briscoe Watkins Moon Hall
Sutcliffe McGuire
Galloway Burrow Cuthbertson
Ferres Ablett
Delaney

Garbutt Singleton Keinhorst Lilley

Russell
Lineham Evans Currie Penny
Gidley Sandow
Hill Clark Sims
Westwood Hughes
Westerman

Dwyer King Cox Julien

No Falloon then ? Bugger,was looking forward to seeing him play

It's a great opener isn't it... wish i could have made it.

James f**king incompetent Child.....doesn't even go to the screen for one of the most obvious obstructions.

Still....he's 'earned' this big gigs.

If that wasnt obstruction, i struggle to see the point of having an obstruction rule. He literally just stood in the defensive line and stopped Ablett moving across and Sandow went through the gap that created.

I wouldnt actually mind if that was the rule and we carried on with that, but we wont and at some point in the season we will see some fantastic and well worked attack ruled out for far less than that.

I know you are still obsessed with his willy, but it makes you look sillier than him.

Being the best of a bad bunch, doesnt mean you are good.