Blog with Kenty: Tackling the Smith, Storm issues
The past week has provided a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the NRL and the Melbourne Storm. Chat live with Paul Kent from 1pm.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The past week has provided a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the NRL and the Melbourne Storm.
It all came to a head, literally, with Melbourne captain Cameron Smith appearing to try and scrub the ears off Canberra’s Bailey Simonsson.
The first battle is the grubby wrestling techniques Melbourne introduced that can injure opponents — think the grapple (twisting the neck), the rolling pin (dropping a knee on opponent’s calves) and the chicken wing (twisting the arm behind the back).
BLOG LIVE FROM 1PM WITH KENTY AND READ HIS FULL COLUMN HERE
The Storm say everybody wrestles and they are being picked on because they just do it better than every other team. They did not address the incidents directly but instead argued it all under the broad wrestling banner.
They also claimed it was an agenda driven from Sydney media, jealous an out-of-Sydney club is being successful.
Live stream the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >
Then it switched to a “two wrongs make it right” defence after a picture was leaked of a tackle a minute before Smith’s attack on Simonsson where Raiders back rower John Bateman had a similar dig at Smith’s ears.
Fouling tactics are not new to rugby league but there seems to be a systematic approach to it that suggests coaching and makes the defence of such moves absurd.
BLOG LIVE FROM 1PM WITH KENTY AND READ HIS FULL COLUMN HERE
The coaches appeal to the NRL for a clearer interpretation of the rules and consistency within those interpretations, in a bid to bring down their penalty count.
Instead of taking the advice under the goodwill it is offered, though, for many years coaches have used that information against the game. If these are the parameters, how can we bend the rules to our advantage within them?
As soon as the NRL identifies and cracks down on one fouling method the coaches, with the help of their jujitsu coaches, moved it along the spectrum.
What a sad state the game is in.