That's exactly the problem, the referee by doing nothing to control the PTB is deciding who wins the armwrestle by allowing foul play to go unpunished! It was a disgrace and like someone has posted, reached new levels last night. Have you noticed we are still top and in the cup despite the poor enforcement at the PTB, not because of it. Teams need to step up to the standards of Saints and Leeds, not the RFL and referees drag us down with their directives. They do still penalise for holding down in the NRL you know! If this carries on it will ruin the spectacle and standards will go down and not up. So will fitness levels if a quick play the ball becomes as rare as a Hot Sunny day. I'll tell you what let's go back to freezing cold winter rugby, 6 inches of mud and 6-4 scorelines every single week. I'm sure it was John Kear who said that last year on telly(in jest).

Totally agree, they keep on saying that superleague is levelling out because of the salary cap. the real reason is because creative play is now stifled because the game is slowed right down at the play the ball. The mediocre teams are not complaining though, the last 4 play off teams will probably be decided on points scored difference.
Another point to raise is that the ref in allowing all this messing around at the tackle/play the ball has near enough made the yellow card redundant, even a high tackle isn't carded anymore its just put on report.

This is probably the worst post I have ever read. The referees job is to referee not let them get on with it.

If you are trolling well done you havecaught me hook line and sinker. If you are serious them you should chnage the name to Bilko instead of Wilko.

Yep, you've been trolloped I'm afraid.

yeah well now you know how I feel when some saints retard posts that pryce is world class!!

there is only one world class player born in this country and that my friend is one Kieran Cunningham END OF

i agree sgt wilko, this thread was set up and since the first post there have been twenty odd posts jumping on the bandwagon.

yes he made mistakes, notably the 5th tackle which was 4th. every ref makes mistakes in every sport, but i think friday nights decisions were not mistakes in the main. He noticed unsporting antics and decided there was no disadvantages so why slow play down and penalise minor misdemeanors.

surely the referee is allowed to use his discretion.

Because pooperman, if not then we might as well just let eddie and stevo ref the game on tv. scrutisnise every decision and end up playing 4hours like american football.

truth in the matter is "pooperman" refs get the blame from the majority of losers fans! yes, wiganers.
And then from the winners, because a minority of fans are just grumpy ole gits!

So are we all agreed now?

The ref was shocking at enforcing the play the ball and the amount of holding down that was permitted was way over the top. Thaler is a weak and lazy referee, needed to set the stall out early with a few pens for holding down, then the players know where they stand and get their act together.

I take it you are fourteen years old and just going through puberty so I will ignore the pathetic attempt to rile me. If the ref uses his discretion, then he is getting involved Wilkos post was all about referees not getting involved and letting people get on with it.

Your context, like your wit, is very poor.

I am glad you agree that your post is poor.

if we followed your rules we would all be listening to

42 38 77 hut hut hut

I think it's you who is the child!! The game is over refed!! I'm board of ganson smith and bentham!! Most of the others arnt much better!! the fact that a saints fan posted in this thread that he would rather see 30 pens in a game and 12 trys than half a dozen pens and 4 trys says it all!! As I have already said I'm sick of watching the refs march teams around the park for 80 mins!! Of course as saints fans you want this!! And it's obvious why!! But most of you are unwilling to recognize your teams floors so we can't have a reasoned debate about it!!

the referee is there to police the established rules, otherwise the game would end up in a "free for all brawl" every match, the rules my friends have been devised over many years to produce an entertaining game and promote a fair playing field and if they are now to ignored just so the worst teams in the compitition can cheat their way to a win we all might as well start watching world wrestling . THE REF WAS CRAP AND DID NOT DO THE JOB BASED ON THE CURRENT RULE BOOK.

I said that and I still say it. On the assumption that the penalties were for genuine offences. An offence is still an offence whether the ref turns a blind eye or not.

Explain to me how Friday's game was under reffed. It was positively under reffed. If there is a such a term! Does a boxing referee not step in and pull two boxers apart when they start holding each other and it gets scrappy? The same principal applies. SL is about skill, speed,athleticism and entertainment. It is not a wrestling match. Give the penalties where needed and set the stall out that holding down won't be tolerated. That way you might get a skilful entertaining match without the 30 pens! Let the players push it to the limit and you get this slow, boring garbage that you seem to crave. I'm sure the great Wigan side of the 80's and early 90's wouldn't have liked being stifled by weak refereeing either. Then again I don't think the likes of Holdsworth was shy with the whistle unlike Bentham.

You still haven't explained how, despite all this woefully weak refereeing, we are still top and in the cup? Doesn't seem to make any difference in terms of pulling us down does it? It is ruining the spectacle though. Perhaps you really want that.