I’m 50/50.

On the one hand we should be looking to consolidate our position in the league. Saints are rapidly closing the gap (as expected) and there are 2 points we shouldn’t be losing IMO. So to that end full throttle, full strength. Don’t forget, we’ll also have a 2 week break when the CC final is on so plenty time there to rest up bodies and have a few days off.

On the other I can see the sense in resting players for what will be a tough run in and play off series.

If I’m pushed I think I’d plump for full strength. The higher up the league we finish the “easier” the games we get in the play offs with home advantage too. Plus, as I’ve already said, we get a break with the CC final which is plenty time to refresh and re energise.

You were seriously ok with the red card NK? That decision was appalling! You get sent off and banned for someone (literally) head butting your shoulder? There is absolutely no way that could be direct contact to the head. It would have to go against the laws of physics for that to be the case. Utterly incompetent decision.

I'm trying to word this correctly. I was ok with that decision based on the fact that similar incidents are also seeing players given red cards, so I didn't feel too harshly treated in that regard. Do I think a challenge like that should be a red card? Not in the slightest, in fact I wouldn't even give a penalty for it but we are, where we are and the game is that nervous of litigation, they're going to extreme degrees with any sort of contact with the head. The powers that be seemingly want to do away with the fact that 'accidents can happen' in games and somebody has to pay a price in all incidents. It's wrong, I fully agree but that's the ridiculous place we find ourselves in and as such, I was able to deal with the red card and not think it was an appalling decision by the ref/video ref because it's the position they've been put in and it's not fair on those guys either. What there was no excuse for in that game was Liam Moore freezing in the last 10-15 minutes and deciding to stop making any decisions whatsoever. He may as well have walked off the field on the hour mark.

I look at this Ellis ban and I just think it highlights the absolutely ridiculous position the game is in. People have said Ellis shouldn't have done it but done what? put pressure on from marker and go to make a tackle? It's a tackle that didn't even look late to me but if it was, it was by a fraction of a second. The players aren't robots. I think fans will just turn away from the game if something doesn't happen to change the direction we're going in.

Ah right! I get where you're coming from now and totally agree that the game, refs, players and the clubs themselves are being put in an impossible position at the moment but the element of overreaction is exacerbating the situation in my opinion. The "someone has to pay" to every incident is ruining the game. I can sort of understand the refs getting it wrong but I can't excuse the video refs or disciplinary in the same way. They have time to reason these situations through and are not doing so.

I can understand and accept people making mistakes. I can't accept those mistakes being compounded as they currently are. The sending off and subsequent banning of Joe Shorrocks will add zero to the safety of the game. He'll make the same tackle hundreds of times in the future, and rightly so as he did nothing wrong apart from fail to remove his shoulder from his body so Lewis' head couldn't impact it when it shot forward. Alternatively he could have made sure he was a few inches shorter when he grew up then Lewis' head would contact with his own and it would have been an "unfortunate clash of heads".

Utter madness when you think about it.

The one thing that I really struggle with is when I watch the NRL and it is chalk and cheese. They're looking for contact with the head, of course they are, but there seems to be leeway to actually be sensible and not think everything automatically has to be a red card and a ban. It's the same sport and the same risk of litigation, so why is it so different? It seems like they are prepared to admit they cannot make the game 100% safe but we are not. I don't know what the answer is but we can't keep going down this path because the game is becoming less enjoyable and we cannot afford for that to be the case.

Could that not be explained by the legal action that past players are trying the take again the RFL? I don't think that it is a coincidence that we are seeing similar action and panic against head contact being taken by Rugby Union as they also have past players trying to take legal action against them.

I don't believe that the NRL are having these issues with past players, at least not publically or what i have seen. You could also make the argument that the NRL are far ahead of us when it comes to player safety from contact to the head. The bunker system is always looking out for any level of head contact and players are more frequently brought off the field for a HIA and this is mostly off the back of something seen by the bunker, not the referee. Players who would have probably played on in Super League if involved in a similar contact are going for HIA's in the NRL because the bunker is in place to spot these things.