*Tomkins. I don't know how people still get this spelling wrong.

If it didn't make a huge difference, why did you cave in and edit your post.....?

Most of the refs would have sent themselves off if Hanley had demanded it, and rightly so! He earned the right to be the most influential man in rugby league, who else would have been GB coach while he was still a player?

it was clearly upsetting greg th wire so i thought it appropriate to edit the offending content for his sake

I must admit I was thinking the same the other day. Living in a household of football fans I always sit, arms folded, disgusted with the players lack of respect, I hate it when they circle the ref.

Don't get me wrong as has been mentioned there are plenty of past players who couldn't keep their mouths shut, but outbursts like Graham's seemed so much more angry? You will never stop Monas or Briers with their 'quiet words' in the refs ear. All part of the game I guess. But out and out anger and dissent needs to be checked in a game where safety has to be paramount?

I suspect Graham's anger was borne out of frustration at the way the game had turned away from him & Saints, and he saw a decision going against him to add fuel to his fire. The guy plays to win & hates losing as we have seen plenty of times - nothing wrong with that, in fact if more British sportspeople were like that we would not be the laughing stock we so often are.

There is a large difference between his outburst & the way it was handled (penalised & ticking off from ref), compared with the chirping away at the ref all decent half backs have done since Alex Murphy was a lad, and both are a million miles away from the Roy Keane style surrounding & hounding a ref when a decision goes against them. RL by and large has not got an issue with lack of respect for officials from anyone other than the fan on the terraces, the communication between players & referees is usually very good & the refs can generally handle the dissent as it arises by penalising & pushing back 10 metres as appropriate...