People need to get a grip. What's Flower did was stupid but you could say the same about Burgess. One bad knock and he could have been blinded in be eye. Flower needs to apologise and take his ban. Then we can all move on.

don't forget ZH's homophobic abuse of an official.

I think that the only way too dissociate Benjamin Flower's thuggery from British rugby league is to inflict a severe penalty on the perpetrator. A six month ban would seem to be the absolute minimum, though perhaps only a one year ban is likely to have an effect on both players behaviour and the game's public image. But to have the desired effect on public perceptions of rugby league in Britain, the penalty needs to be severe and well publicised.

Ian Lenagan has been silent on this matter. I am sure that he is appalled by Flower's behaviour and is hoping that the RFL will take the appropriate action.

As for the NRL it is worth remembering that James Graham was responsible for Samuel Burgess's injury, and he later not only pole-axed George Burgess, but also knocked unconscious another Souths player, Dave Tyrrell. He didn't do anything as openly disgraceful as Benjamin Flower did, but he demonstrated a capacity for ruffianism that did no good for the game's image, not unlike his biting of William Slater's ear in 2012. So rugby league in Australia also has a rough image.

Shut the feck up bobhead, some people just can't get over it.

Without the Flower incident, the final would've gone unnoticed by 95% of the country, now it's only gone unnoticed by 85% of the country. At least some people have heard of the sport of Rugby League now I guess.

That's ok then. Maybe we should have a half time decapitation for sky games to increase viewing figures.

Never heard of him, do you mean David Tyrrell?

Ben Flower will be punished and Rugby League will move on at all levels.

It's a shame as I thought the RFL did a great job in the organisation and the fans were great, I had goosebumps and my team were not even involved. And the James front man walking around the stadium was a nice touch.

Just a shame was totally ruined by an idiot two mins later

Indeed. He is the gentleman to whom I was referring.

If you think Graham led with his head intentionally then you are a class A idiot. Nobody anywhere has suggested that he did it intentionally.

No such thing as bad publicity.

Exactly. Never has the the phrase 'get a grip' been more appropriate. Ben Flower is now apparently single-handedly responsible for the forthcoming demise of Rugby League. It's comical, it really is. These sort of things never do the damage the armchair loonies predict. Anyone remember a certain Eric Cantona? According the logic of some posters, it's a wonder soccer still exists.

He punched an unconscious man on the ground? Wow, missed that - he was even more of a nutter than I thought.

No, he didn't punch a man on the ground (whom he didn't realize to be unconscious as a result of real life happening in real time, not in TV slow-mo time). He jumped into the crowd and assaulted a spectator if you remember. Imagine an RL player had done the latter. Stop, now imagine it again. Had time to think about it? Right. Bit worse isn't it?

Bit worse? Let me think, would I rather Eric Cantona grazed me with a boot or Ben Flower punched me on the ground whilst I was unconcscious.

Tough one, really!

Cantona's was incredibly stupid and damaging for him, his lcub and the sport but there was no danger of him killing anyone.

We as rugby league fans will move on, a day the game itself will, of course it will.

However I have just come into work in Manchester and lads who aren't even remotely interested in RL know about this and are appalled.

Like it or not this kind of thing has the danger of parents not letting their children participate in RL.

RL has one a long way to changing the perception that we are all Northern louts playing British bulldogs.

Imo the RFU must hand down a serious ban. 12 matches plus.

Having read the disciplinary page on the RFU website, most of the possible aggravating factors are present in this incident.

For someone who lives '10 minutes from Suncorp', you haven't read a lot of the local media then. Plenty of stuff over the last week about it being a deliberate technique.

The 'local media' here consists of two News Ltd tabloids. No-one in their right mind reads that trash.

The RFL has charged Flower with an F, so 8+ is on the cards.

To me it needs to be at least 12 to reflect the aggravating factors and the negative impact on the game of RL.

To Ian Lenagans credit i thought his interview with the BBC was sensible, and he didn't attempt to defend flower, whilst he managed to play down the negative effect on RL.

All that remains is for the RFL to hand down a punishment that clearly sets this incident apart from the norm and we can all move on.

Assuming the police don't get involved, which i believe they won't if the right message is sent by our game.

Despite the damage done to the game's image in Australia by James Graham gnawing at the ear of William Slater in the 2012 Grand Final, the NRL is thriving in Australia. So too is James Graham.

I live 20 mins away from Suncorp and I hadn't seen this either. Everyone hates the Bulldogs though hey?

Agreed. Please give us a list of these multiple sources in the mdeia claiming Graham's actions were deliberate.

Jesus....it must be bad when another sports governing body are getting involved

You mean the made up nonsense because a Pommy Bast'd had owned their blue-eyed boy so decided to stitch him up with not a shred of evidence to support it. Even dental experts stated it wasn't/couldn't be from a bite..but..yeah whatever