And almost for the Manly-Newcastle game last week.
I’m calling it now.
It’s absolute and total manipulation of the game through penalties to ensure a close finish , preferably Golden Point.
And lays fair and square at Greenslimes feet!
Have to agree, I am so sick of tuning in to watch a game when the is so many blatant decisions / missed decisions affecting the the run of the game to get that close finish. It has been getting worse every year but this year most games are going that way, just like a WWE script. It is so very blatantly obvious it doesn't even seem like they are trying to be discreet.
It frustrates and angers me when its happening against us, I go off big time, but at the same time use the old us against them mentality, the agenda against Manly as a reason.
For that reason I like watching other games, as I am not as emotionally attached to the result, could both appreciate any good play, bag any bad play and point the finger at any grub tactics, all for enjoyment. I use to watch most games with my father, now he has passed I watch a few with my either my Daughter, or Sons sometimes both when they are over, I miss my father, I miss watching the games and listen to him go on, but watching the games bring back fond memories and good times spent together. Thing is I can't do that anymore, more so this year, not with any sense of enjoyment, this agenda driven close finish crap, through penalty runs and missed fouls of any type (the so called 50/50) in favour of a certain team or the team trailing by a large margin, is just ruining that enjoyment, getting stressed, getting angry at what I am seeing and it is isn't even my team playing, just the frustration of these blatant decisions or lack of.
I was just slapping my head last night dumbfounded at the missed forward passes, the blatant run of penalties and the like.
Funny thing, I was watching the game last night with my daughter, she was over for Good Friday Fish (or is that Friday's Good Fish) and was having an enjoyable evening, and was looking forward to watching two competition heavyweights, even though cheats, rorters and grubs, but still potentially a good game. It was ruined by the refs calls, its was ruined by the blatant agenda. I don't care about the golden point close finish, it should never have been, I didn't enjoy the game as a whole because of that, neither did my daughter.
In fact Mr Todd Greenberg, if you want to quote your Daughter, here is one from mine " If they continue doing this to get a close finish I am not watching anymore non Manly games".
This agenda driven ref whistling, through either incompetence or downright skullduggery is doing more damage to the game than any off field behaviour can ever do.
Sorry about the long winded post, wasn't meant to be, just wound myself up the more I wrote lol.
