Quite. Cummins' presence is just as annoying as the commentary team's hysteria though, so I'm not sure he "has to" be there.

As was said on twitter last night, Eddie and Stevo need to call the game and leave the rest to the others. Get rid of Cummins, stick Clarkey in a corner and we're good to go.

Agree. The thing is, I don't think Eddie & Stevo are capable of doing changing what they do.

Did I hear Terry O'Connor last night too?

So they had 5 blokes in the studio. Wells and Carney doing the analysis, and then the touchline reporter too chiming in. Fing hell.

Thank god the season has started again.i was starting to lose the will to live when visiting the VT in recent weeks.9 pages on the ref after one game,impressive start guys!

it was a ridiculous reaction but let's not make it out to be something it wasn't. He hit him front on.

One of the best tackles of the night after the Sutton hit on Brown.

Yeh, great hit on a guy who was stood remonstrating about a cheap shot on a teammate and who wasn't even looking..

We really don't, though. We really don't regularly see players being knocked unconscious by full-blooded reckless swinging arms flush to the jaw.

If Paddy hadn't been sent off, then the disciplinary would have given him 2 games or 1 for an EGP. As he was sent off and at an early stage it is possible he may get sending off sufficient given his record. Either way the decision will vindicate Child, as it will confirm his offence merits a short absence from the game.

(But then we will have another argument on how ridiculous the disciplinary decision was etc.)

I'm in no way condoning it. It was a petulant cheap shot but lets not start making things up about it.

I would have leaned towards a yellow card for the Ah Van incident, but I can understand Child making the decision he did. There was clear contact with the head of Charnley, with visible results, so there are grounds for a sending off and Child has to call it as he sees it. Not the decision I think I would have made, but fair enough.

I was disappointed to see Smith only get a yellow, though (not to mention Tomkins going completely unpunished for cleaning out Phelps). As I've always understood it, trips and kicks are automatic red cards, and rightly so - there's a weaselly dishonesty about that sort of behaviour that just runs counter to the spirit of rugby league (although I appreciate that this is out of character for Smith). The message from this game is that a mistimed challenge is a worse offence than a deliberate cheap shot. Regardless of the outcomes for the players on the receiving end, that's not how it should be.

Smith will have to use his EGP to stand any chance of playing in the WCC game against Brisbane since kicking carries a minimum of 2 matches.

i think you are overstating Ah Vans tackle, he was coming over the shoulder downwards and caught him, it happens fairly often. I have no problem with the sending off. It just wasn't a sending off last year and I doubt it will for the rest of the year. I hope it is though

Wow. Now the Video Refs are at it.

What the hell was that call??

Deary me.

These aren't just 50:50 calls that are not being picked up on, they are categorically wrong.

Not saying it was the right decision but did they just go with what Bentham initially called for? NO TRY tackled in air because they couldn't be 100% it was a try due to just one hand on the Saints players arm?