Bailey had a really really good game. Possibly our best forward last night.

My question was, at what point does Kearney become the player JJB needed to be 10 meters away from? Why is he the designated point and not any of the other players who were also not touching the ball and at what point did he need to be ten metres away from him? When he played and missed at the ball the first time? Or when he played and missed it the second time? Why was it Kearney and not whitehead (?) who was literally right behind him when he missed the ball a second time and going for it?

Watched the game last night and left Headingley feeling that I had watched a really good entertaining match.

Felt bit hard done to by the Ref but watched it this morning on Sky, Bentham had a good game just made a few mistakes like we all do.

The tackle on JJB was so fast and I felt at the ground it's just one of them things nothing seemed nasty about it.

The niggling thing during the match was Bradfords last try came about with Sammut pushing Danny as he played the ball. The same thing cost us a drop goal but cost Bradford nothing.

The second Leeds try that was disallowed was correct but harsh.

More games like that please ......

Jones-Buchanan was in front of the kicker and within ten metres of both those players at the point they were in a position to collect the ball. They clearly didn't but had either the Bradford players touched the ball Jones-Buchanan was within the ten and offside at that point as the kicker had not advanced beyond him to play him onside. The video referee (Ian Smith) didn't appear to think whether the ball was touched by a Bradford player at that point made a difference to the ruling - I have to defer to his knowledge of the laws of the game.



Sorry but this is plainly an inaccurate statement, IMO. Moon at no point prior to Hall planting the ball advanced beyond Jones-Buchanan.



I disagree. The rule is simple at present but what you propose appears to introduce more subjectivity. The rule is fine as it is. If you're in front of the kicker stay outside the ten metre zone between you and the ball unless the kicker advances ahead of your position or until an opposing player touches the ball - then you're onside.

I think that was the best refs performance this season

He used common sense when he had to,agreed he got the short drop out decision wrong,but also we dropped out to Leeds after Ryan Hall knocked the ball dead and not Kear

It's about time we scored at the death,although it was to draw

How many times have Leeds done that to us to win,and usually very controversial, so I'm very happy this morning

I agree with you rhinoms.

Was a really good game of rugby league and I am pleased that Bradford are a competitive outfit once again and playing good rugby too. For us it was a point lost as as player errors and the critical ref decisions going against us proved the difference.

It was a million miles from the best ref performance, not even close. We have had Thaler twice this season, lost both, and he has been absolutely excellent in both, by far the best ref. Don't give us sour grapes rubbish, losing points isn't an issue, consistency and fairness are, something Thaler can do and Bentham can't.

And he didn't only make one mistake against Leeds, he made double figures mistakes. He also made them against Bulls also.

Had we won that game my view on him would have been no different.

Me too but only because Ablett has been showing his limitations as a centre.

Im not sure you can argue the rule is simple, but that you don’t really understand it and will defer to Ian Smith. Doesn’t seem simple to me to be honest. And you seem to be saying that had either Bradford player touched the ball, at that point JJB was offside, but there were 11 other Bradford players who also didn’t touch the ball, so why is it judged in relation to Kearney and Whitehead and not the 11 other Bradford players on the pitch? He was certainly 10 metres away from the winger on the other side, he also didn’t touch the ball.

So you are saying that Hall, who was onside, picking up the ball from a Moon kick was the point at which JJB became offside? And JJB needed to be 10 metres away from his own man? I have never heard of an attacking player having to give his own player 10 metres.

Jeez it wasn't half as bad as you make out. He made a couple of mistakes but who doesn't? He got far more right than wrong.

At the end of the day it wasn't him that lost a league point for Leeds.

He missed a fairly obvious ball strip, invented a knock on, managed to miss a touch from Kearney that couldn’t really have been clearer, and I thought his reffing of the ruck became entirely random., im sure Bradford fans will remember stuff he got wrong that went Leeds way as well.

The game was a great game, it really was, and I would never say a referee was responsible for a result. I think it was a pretty fair result. But it was a good game in spite of Bentham, not because of him and we should and can expect a higher standard than what he delivered last night.

He had an influence in Leeds losing points, just has the players and the coach did. He did not just make a couple of mistakes, he made lots. It's so easy to forget when the bias kicks in having got the result you wanted. Main issue for me was no consistency, which is absolutely clear watching it.

How was Bentham the only person in the ground to believe that the Bulls should have another six late in the game, the one where the Bulls knocked on. Yes it was corrected by people shouting at him. But how did he come to the thought he had first? It was absolutely clear all around the ground no matter where you was.

Are you suggesting that a player has to stay down injured before a red card is justified? IMO that JJB got up is irrelevant. The tackle is either a spear tackle or not for a red card. However the tackler had used a dangerous technique which could have proved very serious despite leaving go before contact with the ground and in my view deserves a greater penalty that offside or sarcasm.

Correct, had either Bradford player touched the ball Jones-Buchanan would have clearly been offside. The only doubt in my mind is what happens in a case where the ball is not touched and it would appear from the ruling that an offside player is still offside in that situation. Whether I know the intricacies or otherwise of the law is neither here nor there - the video referee however should and his interpretation showed that it doesn't affect the offside ruling in his view - which I'm happy to accept until proven otherwise.



I wouldn't worry too much about the other eleven Bradford players in this situation. Lets try to concentrate on the two closest to the ball and Jones-Buchanan's position in relation to them.



And you still haven't from me.

I'm saying Jones-Buchanan was offside as he was in front of the kicker and encrouched within the ten metre zone between himself and the ball/defenders. At no point was he played onside by the kicker contrary to your earlier statement. I don't think the onside Hall picking up the ball can negate Jones-Buchanan being offside - only the kicker can do that.

I've said all along that this is a slightly unusual case in that the defenders don't touch the ball but that was clear for all to see including the video referee who I presume (until proven otherwise) has made the correct ruling.