The girls were robbed

[Bates]

I'd say both of their centres look very masculine. Yes we got some dud calls but I do think the Broncos were the better side on the day.... It was just not our day.

Now, I'm not accusing anyone of anything but I am an old dude seeking clarification.

If a person born a woman and transitions to male they wear black suits and take steroids to increase their testosterone. Isn't testosterone (steroids) a prohibited drug? Doesn't that offer an unfair advantage? If a man takes testosterone they would be banned if caught.
Are testosterone tests obligatory in NRLW? We live in complicated times and there needs to be equality across men, women and all in between. Is this a consideration in todays sports world?

Good question.

In world athletics, woman assigned female at birth that have a condition called DSD (difference of sex development) produce testosterone higher than the typical female range are required to take a supplement that will suppress their testosterone levels to the normal female range for 6 months.

I can't imagine that the same rule would apply in the NRLW.

[redwhiteblue]

I'd say more that (don't even know the positions), the had teo yawnion prop forwards who were fresh during the last 15 and couldn't be tackled.

In contrast we were gassed like a park footy team and really struggled.

It's disrespectful I know but it all looked pretty amateur, including the awarding of a 100% unconvincing try to seal the deal at the end (she wouldn't have had a second swing if she'd grounded it... woulda celebrated... and then there was a hand down there the 2nd time).

Get that it's a growing game but passing the ball to a 150kg blob on the last because nobody can bring them down is like watching park yawnion. The tactics were predictable and bland. We simply lacked the fitness to hold them out for another ~6 minutes. Even after a VERY lucky call on a forward pass + knock-on.

I hope you are not referring to one of our players as a 'blob'.

[Andrew Walker]

I hope you are not referring to one of our players as a 'blob'.

I’d hazard a guess and say he’s talking about Broncos centre who looks like a guy

[Michael Jones]

Even that no try to the Broncos player when 18-12 was another dodgy call - knocked on by the Broncos player but not knocked on by the Roosters player as the pass hit the Roosters players body and then somehow was ruled a forward pass even though the touch judge didn't rule it as that. Broncos given the ball.

Roosters were robbed for certain and the so called winning try proves that - at what stage was the ball down for it to be awarded a try.

Hopefully they will bounce back from this set back as they were the best team - Millie Elliot will be back in 2026 but of course uncertain when or if Tarryn Aiken and Taina Naividi will be back in 2026 as both recovering and rehabbing from ACL's which is a 9 to 12 months recovery.

They may need to add players to the squad if either will be available for the 2026 season.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Interested to hear what you think about the situation for sports like NRLW with eligibility to participate in future. Looking at players like Mele, Gail Broughton and Elsie Albert makes me wonder what the game would/will do with transgender athletes. Now I'm not suggesting those players were born anything other than women who have developed strong physicality and some masculity during their lives. But you see in other sports like boxing and weightlifting where athletes born male are transitioning and have excelled against other women like Kramer dominating kids in the dojo. And in many places now blokes only have to say they are female to gain access to girls changerooms and bathrooms. My concerns are with the genuine female athletes not competing on a level playing field. Much ado?

[ism22]

Mate they love that “defensible” argument... the old “can’t disallow it on the basis that the ref wasn’t in a position to see the grounding” routine.

But seriously, if the ref hasn’t actually seen the ball grounded, how’s that a basis for giving a try? The rule hasn’t changed. The ref still has the power to say “try/no try... check the grounding”. The difference now is all optics. Instead of a positive test (“prove it’s down”) we get a negative one (“can’t prove it’s not down”). Makes them look safe either way.

So you end up with two kinds of bunker roulette:

• Try!!! Check the grounding. And because there’s no conclusive angle to overturn it, they just roll with it. Half the time they’ll freeze-frame it at some pixel where it might have brushed a blade of grass and call it “insufficient evidence.”
• No try BUT… check for an escort, forward pass, knock-on, fumble and cob because I’ve got no idea what happened. And then the bunker suddenly finds a clear grounding and flips it the other way.

Teddy was onto this late in the year and started trolling refs with those scattergun challenges. Mention every possible infringement and force the bunker to find something without actually saying 'I am challenging the on-field ruling which I'm not technically allowed to mention as Klein will tell me I cannot challenge it'. Doesn't matter as there's a massive loophole.

End result? Ref’s protected, bunker shrugs, fans go spare. The system’s built to defend the call, not to get the call right. Hence the negative test.

[Batemans Bay Rooster]

Mate they love that “defensible” argument... the old “can’t disallow it on the basis that the ref wasn’t in a position to see the grounding” routine.

But seriously, if the ref hasn’t actually seen the ball grounded, how’s that a basis for giving a try? The rule hasn’t changed. The ref still has the power to say “try/no try... check the grounding”. The difference now is all optics. Instead of a positive test (“prove it’s down”) we get a negative one (“can’t prove it’s not down”). Makes them look safe either way.

So you end up with two kinds of bunker roulette:

• Try!!! Check the grounding. And because there’s no conclusive angle to overturn it, they just roll with it. Half the time they’ll freeze-frame it at some pixel where it might have brushed a blade of grass and call it “insufficient evidence.”
• No try BUT… check for an escort, forward pass, knock-on, fumble and cob because I’ve got no idea what happened. And then the bunker suddenly finds a clear grounding and flips it the other way.

Teddy was onto this late in the year and started trolling refs with those scattergun challenges. Mention every possible infringement and force the bunker to find something without actually saying 'I am challenging the on-field ruling which I'm not technically allowed to mention as Klein will tell me I cannot challenge it'. Doesn't matter as there's a massive loophole.

End result? Ref’s protected, bunker shrugs, fans go spare. The system’s built to defend the call, not to get the call right. Hence the negative test.

One of your better posts.

What is your solution to a situation like the no grounding try?

[The Cool Dude]

One of your better posts.

What is your solution to a situation like the no grounding try?

Have a chip inside the ball & have sensors in the in goal area that light up when the ball is grounded...otherwise revert to Gridiron where the ball just has to break the goal line play without being grounded.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Have a chip inside the ball & have sensors in the in goal area that light up when the ball is grounded...otherwise revert to Gridiron where the ball just has to break the goal line play without being grounded.

I've been toying with the merits of your last sentence for quite a while now. I think, overall, I would like to see it introduced. It ensures skill is always rewarded to get the ball across the line, without being knocked back for a dud call or bobble over the line. The counter argument is how the game has progressed with wingers doing crazy acrobatics to land the try. Well, they can still do that just don't have to ensure correct grounding. I would like to see it at least explored.

Yes, I get under these rules Mele scores the try anyway....but at least the rules would be clear and consistent.

[The Cool Dude]

I've been toying with the merits of your last sentence for quite a while now. I think, overall, I would like to see it introduced. It ensures skill is always rewarded to get the ball across the line, without being knocked back for a dud call or bobble over the line. The counter argument is how the game has progressed with wingers doing crazy acrobatics to land the try. Well, they can still do that just don't have to ensure correct grounding. I would like to see it at least explored.

Yes, I get under these rules Mele scores the try anyway....but at least the rules would be clear and consistent.

Even with fantastic whiz bang technology it is impossible to see a grounded ball in a human centepide situation such as Sunday's game.

That ref just had a plain old guess & hoped the video ref would come to the rescue.

It didn't appear to be grounded....it was literally a season defining decision.

[Michael Jones]

The standard of refereeing in the NRLW is sub standard to say the least - The Roosters were never going to get a fair go - Whether NRLW or NRL it's the same as the officialdom just don't like the Roosters.

An understrength Roosters more than matched it with a full strength Broncos - would have been a different story if Tarryn Aiken , Amber Hall and Taina Naividi played.

Not sure why Tavarna Papalii wasn't in the 17 when Amber pulled out or even Taneisha Gray as Jayde Herdegen didn't get on the field.

Talea Tonga and Mahlie Cashin could possibly be elevated to the top 24 in 2026 - Coco Marsters a development contract perhaps - 17 though

[The Cool Dude]

The standard of refereeing in the NRLW is sub standard to say the least - The Roosters were never going to get a fair go - Whether NRLW or NRL it's the same as the officialdom just don't like the Roosters.

An understrength Roosters more than matched it with a full strength Broncos - would have been a different story if Tarryn Aiken , Amber Hall and Taina Naividi played.

Not sure why Tavarna Papalii wasn't in the 17 when Amber pulled out or even Taneisha Gray as Jayde Herdegen didn't get on the field.

Talea Tonga and Mahlie Cashin could possibly be elevated to the top 24 in 2026 - Coco Marsters a development contract perhaps - 17 though

There's no conspiracy there.

The girls did fantastically to come back & lead by 6 late in the game & were coming home strong...until that low percentage pass into heavy traffic...it was all Broncos from that point.

Also with 3 of them busted up right at the end didn't help either...towards the end there the Broncos had more ball in better field position which swung things.

[redwhiteblue]

Have a chip inside the ball & have sensors in the in goal area that light up when the ball is grounded...otherwise revert to Gridiron where the ball just has to break the goal line play without being grounded.

Excellent idea..See I did say to Jack your intelligence had been sadly missed around here. I think in this day and age this sort of technology is feasible.

[Vasco]

Definitely robbed.

[The Cool Dude]

Excellent idea..See I did say to Jack your intelligence had been sadly missed around here. I think in this day and age this sort of technology is feasible.

Thanks - COOL response to a COOL post!

I wonder who you think i maybe might have been..hopefully someone really COOL!

Yes definitely- if they can send a rocket to Mars & land it on a dime then they can definitely put a chip in a footy!