Why?

You mean we should keep it all secret squirrel and not let anyone in on it? Surely transparency is the best way forward?

Or is it because it's another of those "we've always done it this way" so that's why we continue to do it. Regardless of its obviously broken and being abused to the benefit of those making these terrible decisions.

Drag the see you next Tuesday's in front of the camera after a match and ask them why they find it acceptable to have such contempt for paying fans. Bring them down several hundred pegs and then we'll start to talk about respect for them.

Refs are the single biggest thing wrong with RL, if not sport as a whole.

Why? Because it brings the game into disrepute. There are hundreds of referees who will be subject to unfair criticism, insults and threats as a consequence of SL coaches going public. Whilst I don’t disagree that the level of officiating is generally sub standard, this is not the best way to deal with it. We need to encourage more ex-professionals into refereeing and the rules need to be simplified. And, the touch judges need to do more than just running up the touch line waving a flag now and then. The game is asking too much from the guy’s with the whistle.

I have said before that I would like the referee to put incidents such as Lees/Greenwood on report rather than making hasty decisions however, we are then relying on the inconsistent disciplinary panel to get it right!

The game is already in disrepute with the weekly poor decisions being made by the refs + the failures of the disciplinary panel.

The games a mess and the people responsible for causing it also happen to be the ones getting the most protection too. It's a dictatorship, they look after their own and come down hard on dissenters.

Meanwhile fans get taken for mugs and worse still, some bend over and actively take it by sticking up for them. The main reason we weren't at Wembley this weekend was because some to$$er with a whistle dropped a massive f up.

Saints are appealing Lees ban

Saints are appealing Lee's ban

I agree about the Shorrocks decision and that incident should have been put on report. Referees are actively being pushed to make those decisions as a consequence of the rules being forced upon them from the powers that be. By the way, it wasn’t the referee who made the decision it was the idiot using the video. I would stick a former professional in there to make a more informed decision.

I am not sticking up for them and they certainly need to improve but to lay all the blame at their door is ridiculous. I am willing to bet that there are players who make more mistakes on Friday, should they be hauled before the TV cameras? What about player’s feigning injury or deliberately breaking the rules?

The thing is, they are hauled in front of the camera or at least their mistakes are. I remember the 1st game of last season Vs KR. The young KR winger had a bit of a mare under the high ball and sky showed it repeatedly. The lad couldn't have been more than 20/21 - didn't stop the commentators going in at him. If a ref makes a howler then nothing is said, or it's certainly not brought up over and over again. Worse still they simply ignore it and put it down to player error. Case in point this weekend - Ipape had a clear ball steal against him given as loose carry (think it was on 38 mins or so). The TV clearly shows the hand in there, but all the commentators say is "what a costly error" etc.

Should be interesting reading which ever way it goes, one would assume Saints think they've got a watertight reason for appealing even if they don't get it reduced/overturned, an extra game for a frivolous appeal really would test Saints strength in depth in the pack

Agreed. Wellens did say that they don't appeal every ban just those where they feel we have a real chance to win. As you say though an extra game would leave us desperately short given the losses already.

Its not just RL though is it? Owen Farrell has just won his appeal so that was the wrong decision and even though I'm a Utd fan, how Wolves never got a penalty last night I'll never know. The ref and the VAR team have now all been dropped for next weeks game as a result.

On the Saints site saying lost the appeal.

Yeah lost the ban but no extra game.

I think they have done away with the extra game ban, at least I have not seen reference to it since earlier in the season.

Can't wait to hear Wello's presser this week

All jokes aside, since Wellens went in on the RFL failing to protect players, he’s had one of his own players doing an Asiata style tackle and he’s then seen his club appeal a ban that looks pretty clear cut. They’re not making things easy for him on his crusade to protect the games players and make it safer for ‘everyone’ concerned.