Why would I go to a game I don't like (in the early morning after a weeks graft), to tell people who play the game I don't like, that I like to refer to their game as 'fannyball'. The point is, in my opinion it is a game that involves a ball as is played by cabbies. You however are referring to Saturday/Sunday league football where the game is played by Chavs and thugs as a stereotypical whole. Where no one really cares for others safety, so yes I am inclined to agree the people you want me to tell play a hard game.


That however does not detract from the fact that it's an incrediblely boring game to watch. In the professional game the players are bits of kids with egos far to large, when they get kicked in the shin they roll on the floor clutching their face, if there was no money in it half of the players you see wouldn't be playing. Nor does it detract from how the sport is now one of the most corrupt businesses on the planet.

People who call football wendyball or fannyball are just embarrassments to themselves, not to mention blinkered and in total denial about rugby league.

Think about rugby league. Last weekend, I lost count at how often I saw massive Kiwi players throw themselves face first into the turf at the play-the-ball when no contact was made. What happened? Penalty, penalty, penalty. What a load of massive WendyFannies they all are. I’ve seen RL players ‘take themselves out’ after kicks or run directly into defenders and go down like Ronaldo, looking for a penalty, and defenders doing likewise running into attackers when trying to get tries chalked off for obstruction. It’s just a way to try and earn an advantage within that sport.

Don’t get me wrong. I much prefer rugby league and cricket to football, but I accept that footballers rolling around on the floor, clutching their faces after being blown a kiss, or diving for penalties when there’s no contact is just that game’s version of gamesmanship. It’s done to try and earn a free-kick, win a penalty, get an opposing player booked/sent off or rile the opposition into playing badly or overly aggressively. It’s wrong, embarrassing and laughable, that it just the way in which you try to earn an advantage within that sport.

This may be unpalatable to the noble few RL fans, but it happens in every sport. Cricket has its sledging; boxing its low-blows, and horse racing has so many dodgy things happen, it’s amazing that anyone bothers betting on it at all.

The original point of this thread was a proud Warringtonian trying to garner support for one of the town’s growing sporting teams, the running of which he is heavily involved in. They are doing well and trying to progress up the league and build a fan-base, but this thread, as usual, descends into a load of negative tripe (and the thread was labelled as an O/T before anyone says this is a RL forum). Here’s a thought: if you’re not interested, then just don’t comment at all.

F.A.O. Garyskent
Any news on when the rearranged game will take place?
Did paying supporters who attended on the night get their money back or a voucher that can be used for a free entry at the rescheduled game?

One thing I've noticed creeping in is if the ref misses a high shot, the players stays down knowing the tv replay will catch it, if he stays down long enough. Check out when Sam gets hit on the NZ game he does exactly what I've been seeing.

Got to agree with moving on - boring game to watch most of the time. I used to be huge football fan 6 years back and got into RL by accident after going to a Wire game with a mate. Used to argue that RL was poo and footy was better, but now the idea of paying to watch a game where after 90 minutes the score could end up nil-nil, where diving and cheating is the norm, and the stupid amounts of money involved - No thanks, RL for me.

I couldn't care less whether you like football or not. My point is that there are loads on here who use terms like wendyball to insinuate that because they watch a tough game like Rugby League fans it gives them some kind superiority over football fans and footballers.

You make a clear distinction between the players in the top games and those playing Sunday League. I used the Sunday Leagues as a example but you could go up through the semi professional leagues and through the professional leagues to the very top. You wouldn't tell 99.99% of players to their face that they are soft and play a girls game.

As for your comment that Saturday/Sunday players are chavs and thugs, I've never heard anything more ridiculous in my life. The last team I played for was in the Mid Cheshire leagues and was filled with people in very successful jobs and running successful businesses. There's just as many thugs playing amateur Rugby League than there are playing Warrington Sunday League football.

Monsieur Invisible makes some good points about gamesmanship as well.

It's certainly that as well.

Why is it?

It's a rugby forum for people who like rugby, if anyone doesn't like it or thinks it's puerile to call it Wendyball tough titties really.

I used to like football, I had a period between 2002- 2005 in when I gave football a complete wide berth and then tried to get back into it and never really have since.

I look out for the Utd score, I wind up some people at work (Spurs/Arsenal and Chelsea fans) but don't bother with it

It depends how you look at it. I'd say it was a forum for Rugby League fans, which generally mains Rugby League related topics but also a number of off topic threads; like this one.




That goes for anyone's opinion on anything you don't agree with. But people should have to be prepared to back up an opinion and be open to a debate on it.

Just out of interest, you hardcore footballing types, do you give rugby league the same defence and argument when other footballing types refer to it as 'egg chasing' or playing with odd shaped balls in a derisery fashion?

Yes. As long as what they are saying is wrong. On football forums, you often see people just seeing Rugby as one code. A lot of the Rugby Union stereotypes are also applied to League.

I was a huge football fan before I got into Rugby League, but I'm still a football fan.

Using the excuses of diving, too much money and games ending 0-0 to explain why you don't like football anymore is just poor.

I'll be honest, I don't really know why I lost interest in football, I played junior RL at 8 and played for Parkside until a few injuries ended my ability to play, maybe it's not playing football in the first instance that helped kill it off.