HOGWASH - Round 22

Are we rewarding mediocracy in Rugby League, is near enough good enough?

If a little knock on is a knock on, why is a little bad play the ball not a penalty?

If a little knock on is a knock on, why is a little forward pass not a scrum?

Why are there grey areas in Rugby League, when all the rules are rules and were set up so that all shapes and sizes can play Rugby League?

Referees have created a rod for their own backs by allowing refereeing by perception, which is totally unfair.

We reward people in this game who already have advantages of speed and size and allow them to flaunt rules that were put in place as a leveller in this great game.

If it was all about the fastest and the biggest ruling this game we would not have boundaries, the fast blokes could run via Bourke and Alice Springs and come in through the back of the stadium and score.

Tronc the giant forward from the Cowboys is bigger than most, aimed at little nuber sevens and sixes who play 80 minutes and he is allowed to just jump up and roll the ball through his legs. How many advantages does he want or should he get? If you cant play the ball properly, dont reward them.

The load of crap about balls thrown backwards floating forward was perpetrated when a Referee missed a blatant forward pass and got a times and motion man to put on some magical display at headquarters to justify their stuff up, now the forward pass epidemic is a greater health concern to League followers then the dreaded Swine Flu and they are pleading they are Egyptian ( in De Nile).

Naiqama, on the fly in the Eels v. Knights game yesterday actually threw a perfect pass on the run that went backwards, is this not a skill, is this not a rule? He should have been sent from the field for showing that it can be done, the upstart.

A few weeks ago the marker tackled the dummy half and the referee penalised someone back nine and a half metres for being inside the ten and had the audacity to say he was interfering with the play and then they went and awarded a try when there was a clear obstruction but judged that the man was not in the play, two rulings by perception that favoured the one side, a big, big momentum turner in this game. How do they justify who should be the little transgressor and the big transgressor, you cant and you should not.

Coaches will coach players to encroach while they can get away with it and they will rein them in if they are getting penalised. Referees are there to rule on a game, that is their charter, they are not there to judge on whos mistake is bigger than the other.

If a Captains challenge comes in and I believe it will, a scenario, the ball is rolled through the legs, the winger scores , the opposition captain lodges a protest, should it stand as a try, if yes why have the rule, if no why was it not pulled up?

The only answers to rules are they are black and white, a split second extra to play the ball could produce the panacea to a lot of things that stink in this game.

One poser, The play the ball rule is stand up foot on the ball and play it back. If it has got to the stage where it is now, haphazard at best, where will it be if they make the rule you roll it between your legs?

Zero tolerance, if you are a dummy and you cant play the ball, get a better coach, if you cant throw the ball backwards, play gridiron in the park, if you cant catch the ball, go and play with your sisters dolls. Why should a little bloke have to bust his butt all his life to prove others wrong about his status in this game and then give a leg up to players without the gumtion to improve their game and being endorsed by whistle blowers who have never played the game.

Already we have designated kick off catchers, because every one cannot be trusted to catch the ball, what first graders?

Anyway Hogsters enough of a rant and as a special treat this round, yes the round of 23, we will have our ratings to you early Wednesday morning before the TAB has got out of bed. This will give you the one off chance to get set as soon as the TAB and others put their prices up. The early Pig scoring Big, so to speak!

So keep an eye out for the early ratings!