Just seen the reply.

It was a red - no argument.

Fair play to the ref - far too many refs take the easy route and put the incident on report. It's just a shame that there is no consistency in these type of decisions - some players are marked men and are judged on reputation.

He is not the 1st person to have hit someone late and high this season but he's one of the few who have been sent off for it.

Just one recent example of blatant inconsistency - Paul Woods punched a player square on the jaw in the CC final early in the game - penalty.

MM punched a player after lots of niggle a month ago - straight red.

3 players sent off for punching in the previous Wigan - Saints game - 1 for a single punch.


Just because MM gets sent off he's highlighted as stupid and reckless - Woods does exactly the same thing in a far bigger game - hardly a mention of it.

Last weeks TV game of Hull v Bradford - there was the clearest case of a spear tackle i've seen - only a penalty awarded. I'm pretty certain if MM had done that it would have been red - and he would be slagged off on the forums.

It is the ref's inconsistency and pre-judged opinions about certain players that is frustrating.

I'm not defending MM's tackle or disciplinary record - but there are a number of very lucky players where if the same rules were applied then would be missing games too.

He is the worst ref in the league - Fact. Id rather have Alibert. Only thing he has got right all season is that red card - Although you can guarantee if the the EXACT same thing happens next week the player will NOT see red, I would bet my house/wife/kids/money on it. The biggest problem with the reffing in Super League is consistency.

If you get a minute look for a match report from the Hudds v Leeds game and read about the fiasco of the red card in that game.

Other examples?



Not late & high. It was handbags.



I didn't see it so cannot comment. Perhaps it was stamp down on the niggles you identify? Plenty call for ref's to do that.



It was a mass brawl at a showpiece event, the ref's would have been under direction to act firm. Personally i miss that aspect of the game, but when you've got a pair of illterate muppets in the Sky box ranting about it being a disgrace what do you expect?



Maybe his reputation does go before him. His whole game is around aggression, IMO there's nowt much else there, O'Loughlin sails very close to the wind every week but has the class to be able to get away with it.



Except it wasn't. It was a dangerous throw onto his back/shoulder.



Of the thousands of incidents that occur hardly any are identical, hence the different interpretation. There is far less consistency on these boards than from referees.

The McIlorum decision was spot on, it was a definite red card and was very foolish by McIlorum. I hope he will now learn is lesson because it is nigh on impossible these days to beat the other top teams with a man less for 65mins.

Couple of things:

1) I haven't got a list of late high challenges - there have been lots - some with leading elbows - if you think this is one of less than a handful in the season then you're probably not watching very closely.

2) The Paul Woods punch was in the CC Final - if that isn't a showpiece I don't know what is!

I too think the game is getting too sanitised - there's room for a punch or a flare up - but the rules should be consistently applied:

Tuson hit the Saints player with a single punch - that's what he was sent off for. MM hit a player with a single punch - that's what he was sent off for. Woods hit the leeds player with a single clean punch -only a penalty? Clear as day - no interpretation needed, everyone saw it, some tackles have lots of room for interpretation, was it intended, was it shoulder first, etc - there's no room for interpretation when someone smacks you in the jaw with a clenched fist.

3) So does a 'dangerous throw' which may easily have broken a players neck not warrant a sending off? Lifting a players legs high above the horizontal, dumping them onto their shoulders - it was only luck he didn't land on his head - and therefore a spear tackle. No attempt to pull out of the tackle once the legs had gone in the air. No other players involved in the tackle to alter the players momentum.
Entirely down to the tackling technique of the defender - potential for far more damage to a player than a punch.

I suggest you watch that incident again.

Heheh - my memory is going!

Mossop not Tuson!!

I am not aware of any leading elbows to the head that have gone unpunished. Please name any.



Are you saying every punch is the same & should be a sending off, or no punches warrant a sending off, it's one or the other, whichis it? Presumably the punishment for each has to be the same for consistency? A broken jaw is the same as Woods girlie slap?

You're absolutely sure that no one other than the two TJ's is wired up to the referee?

Ganson gave Childs the advice to send him off
Childs had picked up on the penalty but did not know the severity of the challenge.

The daft thing about all this is that I don't think people would necessarily have a problem with the referees getting more help - God knows they need it - but without more openness we just don't know what's going on, which is outrageous. Red Mountain seems sure of his/her position. My own experience would suggest he/she is wrong and your posts over the years on her suggest you know what you are talking about so my conclusion would be Ganson was in contact with Child.

I should add that while I don't have a problem with refs getting more advice Ganson would not be my first choice to advise any referee. His advice seemed not to be given when Saints were committing dangerous play against our players...

As it does at the moment with the video ref for tries.