Anyway you look at it it was an embarrassing statement. Ellis wasn't only the best 2nd rower he was the best player on the park. You went 10-0 up and looked reasonable comfortable. Ellis went off and we scored 16 and you looked rattled and lost a bit of discipline. Ellis back on and the whole team seemed to calm down and play.

Massive influence and almost goes unnoticed as its what he does, remember Mick Vella having a similar influence with us back in the day.

Ellis always makes the big drive to get us on the front foot again, it's easy as an onlooker to forget how much harder defending is when you're constantly tracking back instead of getting up in their faces

Certainly doesn't go unnoticed with me, he's absolutely fantastic and we are without doubt a different team when he's off the pitch. It happens week after week, look at how many tries we concede when he has his spell on the sidelines, it isn't a coincidence. Radford generally rests him 10 mins either side of half time and for me I count down the minutes for his return.

Is it just me but think Bowden has been quiet the last couple of games. like to see Thompson back in the squad maybe instead of washbrooke

Although trying to work out exactly what the logic behind the disciplinary procedures and panel is rather like trying to knit fog... they seem to be undervaluing and underplaying the spear tackle.

On the pitch you now get done for a spear tackle if the legs come over the horizontal, which has resulted in some harsh penalties. But once it gets to the disciplinary procedure we're seeing some horrible ones, like Lunt's get one match or nothing at all. Dave Taylor has been dropping people on their head for weeks and only copped one match.

Similarly, since that Fanny Maguire nonsense with Sneyd last season, any sort of contact around the knees and what have you is massively over punished, resulting in that ridiculous charge for Watts after Wigan. You are meant to tackle low down at the end of the day, but because there's been a couple of high profile injuries they're now punishing perfectly good tackles.

Of course, all of this goes out of the window when somebody gets injured. If Watts had broken his neck on Sunday, which he could easily have done having been deliberately turned upside down and driven into the turf well after the ball had gone, then no doubt Lunt would have got six to eight games, but because he was lucky and didn't get hurt he only gets one. Which is a farce in itself - look at Ellis last season, really bad injury with nobody near him. Shouldn't be in consideration when looking at these things.

Been saying it all year, the injury caused should have no bearing on the ban. we had it earlier in the year when Boudebza got pinged for crocking Shenton, the week later Danny Brough did a worse one but fortunately there was no injury caused therefore sending off sufficient. Looking at Lunts it was no better than Ah Vans who got 5(??) because it caused a shoulder injury.

The rules need to be set and applied, Taylor would have been banned most of the season for dropping people on the head multiple times, yet he gets away with it, all this does is make him do it again as has been seen. His technique is terrible but he (or his opponents) have been lucky so far so he doesn't get a ban. The disciplinary panel is becoming a raffle more and more.

We got the rub of the green this week from the panel and I'm grateful for that but it doesn't make it right.

Lunt free to play against Catalans after taking early guilty plea. Allgood one match ban.

It comes to something when tipping a player up is treated more leniently than touching the ref. I agree the latter needs stamping out before it gets out of hand, but seriously?


Agree with Barham and Barnet about the injury having nothing to do with the punishment too. The Boudebza thing was very harsh and there was (to me) a good example of inconsistency in the game on Sunday. Accidental contact as the player slips and gets injured (Taylor) gets a penalty and on report. Virtually identical incident soon after where Yeamo slipped and was hit, but not injured, nothing.

I can understand why the Taylor one was on report, but shouldn't have been a penalty.

Contact with the head is now always a penalty regardless of intent, what tends to happen is if there is an injury the ref has to then do something, if the screen is there he gets another look. I would assume the Yeaman one the ref thought it wasn't contact to the head, can't remember the incident so not sure what happened.

I've seen quotes referencing what a great leader Cramp-easy is and what a great influence he has on the Rovers team. In fact, I think some of those quotes came from Jamie Peacock (who was a truly great on-field leader).

Having watched his petulant, niggly performance this weekend, I think Ellis showed anyone watching what a true leader is. No petulance, no tantrums, no niggle, just focused, direct aggression, leading from the front and taking his team with him. To me, Taylor's influence is sometimes underestimated in this regard, I think he also possesses those qualities, but from a squad perspective the team fed off Ellis' lead and that, alongside the reintroduction of Mini, Taylor and a game changing cameo from Carlos, won us the game.

Campese is clearly a top drawer player, I am genuinely glad to see him back on the field after all of his injury troubles, but I thought he led his team poorly on Sunday.

As for Lunt, simply no class at all. Decent player, no doubt, but I've no time for him whatsoever.

Agree totally..

Absolutely spot on.

What I don't understand is how Lunt`s tip is only deemed grade A when the one by Carney on Bridge is deemed grade B. Defies logic and consistency.

Great post. In particular I like your comment about Taylor's influence that's gone under the radar. Before he signed for us I knew he was a good player but I underestimated just how good he is on and off the field.

Taylor's like a bulldozer. if ellis can stay fit and we finish the season well he must be in with a shout for MOS. Must be well respected by every player at every club in the game. if a grub like hardaker can win it then it would be fitting for a player of ellis' integrity and standing in the game to win it