Player 1's take on things

[trewhella]

Do you also want us to believe Wayne Bennett is not pushing the envelope? Secondly, how do you explain receiving the least penalties? Does he coach the team to allow the opposition to be more disciplined? I think these issues go far more deeper than our coach.

Yes, Bennett does coach his teams not to concede penalties.
He sees them as excuses for tired players.

As I said, if the refs know we are bending the rules they are hardly going to be sympathetic towards our plight, especially when we have been winning games!

[TheLoneRooster]

interesting stat.....

Still,I dont feel there is an agenda against us.
We are coached to push the envelope. The refs know this about our style of play, they do watch videos of the games.
Perhaps the disparity lies in the fact that Cronulla finished near the tail and we finished near the top. Losing teams often garner sympathy votes from refs in my opinion, especially towards the end of games.

Respectfully trew, your argument falls apart when you consider the Fittler coached Roosters of 2009 finishing stone motherless last yet garnering ZERO sympathy from refs at any stage of the game. The penalty stats for the 2009 Roosters reads almost like the penalty stats for the Smith coached 2010 Roosters. Unless of course both Fittler and Smith, AND NO OTHER coach in the NRL, coaches their teams to push the envelope in the ruck.

[Cockadoodledoo]

Yes, Bennett does coach his teams not to concede penalties.
He sees them as excuses for tired players.

As I said, if the refs know we are bending the rules they are hardly going to be sympathetic towards our plight, especially when we have been winning games!

He pushes and gets away with it.. In attack he coaches his team to take 2 steps off the mark repeatedly with the variation being taking a step or 2 to the side to get the markers not standing square. All designed to either take the opposition markers out of play or drawing a penalty. This followed by flat or marginally forward passes. The NRL have done nothing to stamp down on a tactic plain for everyone to see.

I also notice when oppostion teams make breaks against the Dragons, the following tackle they will retreat no more than 7 metres back until they get their defensive line fully set. Again rarely are they penalized, however when the Dragons make a break and oppostion teams do this they are invariably penalized.

[Cockadoodledoo]

interesting stat.....

Still,I dont feel there is an agenda against us.
We are coached to push the envelope. The refs know this about our style of play, they do watch videos of the games.
Perhaps the disparity lies in the fact that Cronulla finished near the tail and we finished near the top. Losing teams often garner sympathy votes from refs in my opinion, especially towards the end of games.

I watch both the roosters and sharks closely.
I guarantee that if I sat down with you and showed you the niggle that goes in every defensive set that slows down the play the ball you could understand the refs frustration.
That is where Smith is a good coach.
However, cause it goes the wrong way on Grand Final day you have to simply wear it because it is not like it was out of character for our club.
Saints are experts at NOT giving away penalties. It seems clear to me that the 28 games preceeding the GF helped dicate the close decisions in the decider.

As I said,
Live by the sword, die by the sword.

The normal rule of thumb is that the weaker teams are the most heavily penalized as they use spoiling tactics to stifle the stronger teams. We play a fast expansive game and yet struggle to get an offside penalty. Go figure....