And the other thing that annoys me is the perceived need to " even up the count",regardless.
We had a flow of penalties go to us in the first half and you just knew it then and there, an even up is on the way.
And they tend to do it in multiples and quickly AND therefore change the flow of the game.
Jamie was right, dead right and we all know it.
They also seem to feel the need to even up possession: in fact the commentary team talk about how possession will "even up over the course of the game". Why?
At half time we had about 60-40 in terms of possession. They had completed 10 of 15 sets. So they made mistakes (and glaringly obvious ones at that) and consequently gave up 30% of "their" time in possession of the ball.
The half time score reflected this: we were at a 90% or better completion rate and made hay, so to speak, going into the break 18-0 up..
Come the second half and whilst we made mistakes to give up possession, they were granted plenty of "free" ball via poor refereeing. But was it poor refereeing or was it a conscious effort by the NRL?
Taking off my "Manly" glasses (but keeping my tin foil hat firmly in place!), it's a situation that unfolds in pretty much every_single_game over the course of the weekend. Penalties are invariably even-ish over the course of the game, with a run of inconsequential penalties late in the game "squaring up" the count, with no team looking overly favoured, but as we all know, penalties come in two forms: valuable, late tackle count "leg up" style and then the less useful red zone, early count "momentum killer" styles that really don't help... But they look good on the stats..
You could sit back and get pissed about the overt manipulation of the competition via the draw, or the less obvious manipulation of individual games via the officiating... But it is what it is.
At the end of the day we've got to maximize our chances with the ball in hand, so get rid of the stupid errors, hold the pill and play smart footy.... This is the ONLY way to keep on top. Stupid sh*t gives them possession and allows the pink idiots to leg them up with grey area penalties.
So play smarter. Be aware. Grind them down then beat them into submission, the way we used to!!
/mini rant