2022 NRL season thread

I think both have suffered from the changes in rules, especially the Titans.

The game is much more like 2019 than it is 2020/2021 post 6again rule implementation and now post 6 again rule reduction.

The free flowing, open style of play that the new rule set promoted really favoured teams like the Titans. Tommy Turbo was pretty much a cheat code last year.

I don’t actually think it gets enough/any coverage in the media, all of sudden some power running forwards who had quieter years through covid are now having strong seasons again and creative ball players are having “quieter” seasons.

 

Biggest under performers would have to be the Roosters.

Lost to Knights, Dragons, Bulldogs & Raiders.

Vs top 8 sides they are 4 & 4
Vs Bottom 8 side they are 3 & 4

Really should have won 3 of those 4 games against the bottom 8 sides and should be in the top 4 but just played like gash in those games and are now in the bottom 8 themselves with Penrith to play after the rep weekend.

 

Ponga needs to make the transition to 5/8, how do you get caught out of position on that play? It’s tackle 3 with just over a minute left to play and you you try to stack a short side defensively? Just doesn’t seem to be able to read the game defensively as a fullback.

 

Gerard Sutton penalising Sam Verrills for that “dangerous lifting tackle” sums up every time this cunt refs us. Just seems to find a new interpretation of the rules every time. Can’t stand the bloke.

 

Nights like tonight make you wonder why you bother being a fan.

Getting pumped by the Bunnies, winning nail bitters, winning grand finals, winning a spoon, incompetent ref calls, ridiculous off field behaviour etc. it’s all such a fucking ride of emotions, but it’s all love.

Watching a game where the ref just so clearly dislikes your club and has for years and you can see it in random interpretations, protocol breaches, the way he speaks to players over years and years just leaves you feeling empty.

Penrith win that game 8/10 without Sutton, but they win it 10/10 with him, not pretending we were robbed because we probably lose that game anyway but fuck it’s hard to watch when you just know there’s some bullshit right around the corner.

I don’t necessarily blame him for being biased against a side because if I officiated I reckon it would be near impossible for me not do similar against say the Rabbitohs, we’re all human and I’m sure all refs are biased in some way shape or form. But you’ve got to recognise that and remove yourself from the situation or be more conscious of it. He’s just to arrogant to do so from what I can tell.

Fuck you Mr Sutton.

 

I can accept referees having a bad day or doing a bad job at the end of the day. Good for a laugh/can be infuriating depending on what side of the fence you sit on but they’re human like everyone else so meh it adds to the drama. Happens in every sport, every fan thinks their sport has the most incompetent officials and every fan think it gets worse every year and every fan thinks their club is most hard done by.

 

Can’t recall seeing a pitch this water logged in a long time, you’d think the newer stadiums would have better drainage than this. Real slug of a game as a result.

 

https://twitter.com/tony_lyall/status/1543469686603390976?t=tJsGlCYAcgsJHeUv9i_rGg&s=19

The one place in the world you wouldn't streak for any amount of money

 

https://twitter.com/BlueBetAu/status/1543749501407862785?s=20&t=wwBaf6tgtOuiKMPYWmZWeg



So good to have footy back in NZ.