Happy Grand Final Day **spoilers**

[AyiosYiorgos]

4 nations squad

got this of foxsports..

Squad: Darren Lockyer, Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday, Jharal Yow Yeh, David Shillington, Paul Gallen, Daly Cherry-Evans, Glenn Stewart, Brett Stewart, Anthony Watmough, Tony Williams, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Akuila Uate, Matthew Scott, Johnathan Thurston, Luke Lewis, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, David Taylor, Keith Galloway, Robbie Farah, Chris Lawrence

 

[The Villain]

4 nations squad

got this of foxsports..

Squad: Darren Lockyer, Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday, Jharal Yow Yeh, David Shillington, Paul Gallen, Daly Cherry-Evans, Glenn Stewart, Brett Stewart, Anthony Watmough, Tony Williams, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Akuila Uate, Matthew Scott, Johnathan Thurston, Luke Lewis, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, David Taylor, Keith Galloway, Robbie Farah, Chris Lawrence

maybe a few ? in that squad

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Besides Boyd, no Dragons, which im glad...
3 halfbacks?
Tony Williams?
Looks like a prop short

 

[shane_sharks]

lol shillo the pillow

 

[ljandkg]

Unbelieveably I didn't see the final cos I was at Ireland vs Italy at the RWC - Ma and Pa gave me $100 ticket for my birthday....

Honestly - Manly too good or the refereeing I heard about make the difference?

I've heard from a fan or 2 here that we''ll never be allowed to win a GF....

 

[hairyangryfella]

Unbelieveably I didn't see the final cos I was at Ireland vs Italy at the RWC - Ma and Pa gave me $100 ticket for my birthday....

Honestly - Manly too good or the refereeing I heard about make the difference?

I've heard from a fan or 2 here that we''ll never be allowed to win a GF....

Manly were good... but the Warriors had to chase the game which maybe shouldn't have been the case...

 

[The Mad Hatter]

IMO any team that loses by 30 points in Week One of the finals should NEVER make the Grand Final.

However...that was not the case.

The right team won IMO.

I am not a Manly supporter, but they were top notch 1-13 and a decent reserves bench. Fit, skilled, error free, grinders, hard defence and flashy speed with solid backs amongst their squad. They were the 2nd best team H&A. The result was a good one.

NZ fought hard, and it is preposterous to say refs cost them a GF.

 

[hairyangryfella]

IMO any team that loses by 30 points in Week One of the finals should NEVER make the Grand Final.

However...that was not the case.

The right team won IMO.

I am not a Manly supporter, but they were top notch 1-13 and a decent reserves bench. Fit, skilled, error free, grinders, hard defence and flashy speed with solid backs amongst their squad. They were the 2nd best team H&A. The result was a good one.

NZ fought hard, and it is preposterous to say refs cost them a GF.

2 points:

1 - you say fit, yet Manly were looking tired, when a bit of refereeing helped them considerably...
2 - I'm not saying that the refs cost them the GF, just that they changed the game by being useless. The game could have been much different (or the same) had the right calls been made (at all stages)

 

[GiRDS-]

Manly were good... but the Warriors had to chase the game which maybe shouldn't have been the case...

Exactly, they got the first try on the back of a strip that was called a knock on.

the second try i lost count of how many shepards / obstructions there were.

only call they got right all day was foran's knock on.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I don't ever recall - and being surrounded by both NZ and Manly supporters - anyone question the refs except for possibly marching Rose for the elbow and the Foran put down which everyone agreed was dropped/knocked.

Anyway...NZ should learn from the experience.

PS - I'll give you Checcin. Never should have reffed a GF.

 

[mischap123]

IMO any team that loses by 30 points in Week One of the finals should NEVER make the Grand Final.

However...that was not the case.

The right team won IMO.

I am not a Manly supporter, but they were top notch 1-13 and a decent reserves bench. Fit, skilled, error free, grinders, hard defence and flashy speed with solid backs amongst their squad. They were the 2nd best team H&A. The result was a good one.

NZ fought hard, and it is preposterous to say refs cost them a GF.

Just stirring but George Rose doesn't epitomise fitness in my mind!

 

[thenamesgould]

IMO any team that loses by 30 points in Week One of the finals should NEVER make the Grand Final.

However...that was not the case.

The right team won IMO.

I am not a Manly supporter, but they were top notch 1-13 and a decent reserves bench. Fit, skilled, error free, grinders, hard defence and flashy speed with solid backs amongst their squad. They were the 2nd best team H&A. The result was a good one.

NZ fought hard, and it is preposterous to say refs cost them a GF.

Just because the team that you think deserved to win, did so, that hardly excuses the refs having a huge impact on the result. Warriors never got a shot thanks to them, and given the final score (taking away the try in the last few seconds when the game was beyond saving) the Warriors may very well have been cost the game by the refs.

There was:

The obstruction in Manly's second try.
The two on one strip that gave Manly possession for their first try.
The non-penalty for Johnson being tackled after kicking.
The non-penalty for Inu being taken out in a kick-chase by Matai.
The sideways play the ball and dropped ball by Watmough all at once, that was neither penalised or scrum called.
George Rose not being marched for a deliberate forearm to a defenseless player's head.

All huge calls that IMO did have a huge bearing on the result.

If that's an example of the reffing when the Warriors make the GF, then it's fair enough to say they'll never be allowed to win one. Mind you, it was probably more down to the NRL wanting the golden boys Manly to win the premiership - wouldn't be the first time they've been handed one on a silver plate.

 

[ljandkg]

Obviously a range of opinions on it then....

As excited as we were to have the Warriors in the GF, there was a line of opinion here that NZ currently has the WC, the 4 nations and to win the GF as well would just be too much.

Not saying that those are my thoughts but it's been mentioned. As I said I haven't seen the game.

I did see the Tigers game where the refs tore us a new one and we still won. Maybe every league fan feels their team is hard done by but Warriors fans certainly do. WHen I saw who was reffing I was pleased cos Maxwell and Hayne had smashed us in the Brisbane and Tigers games...was just disappointing to hear about 50/50's not going our way again..

As for the try with obstructions - I presume the tv refs ruled on this so can't blame Archer/Checcin for that...or did they just give it...

 

[thenamesgould]

I'm a Knights fan and I haven't blamed the ref for any of their losses all year. But the Warriors were dudded against Wests, and again in the GF.

On the obstruction call, the player got tackled and they scored off the next tackle, so they couldn't go to the video. Apparently one of the refs put his whistle to the mouth to blow a penalty, but didn't ... I didn't see that though, but it sounds about right!

 

[ooneil]

Not the greatest display from the refs but i dont think it really had that much of a bearing on the game IMO

On another subject did anyone see the Toyota Cup and NSW Cup Grand Final. I cant remember reserve grade grand finals being that entertaining. If you didnt watch them you missed out on a couple crackers.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

All three games were crackers.

As for the refs, said it before, didn't notice anything at the game. That's the problem with TV, they show you 3 million angles whilst the ref is on the spot. If you want perfection, we'll have a three hour NFL-style game. If Manly got the rub of the green, so be it...but as I said I didn't see anything.

And I ain't defending refs. I'm a Souths supporter...

---------- Post added 04-10-2011 at 09:14 AM ----------

Forgot to add...don't remember Manly making any clangers.

The NZ player who dropped the ball in goal for Foran to almost to score. There's your difference.

 

[Diggaz TC]

Of course the refs had a huge impact, they do every week. Watmough playing the ball sideways was allowed, then didn't manly get a repeat set the next tackle and score their first try of that set??? That makes it a huge stuff up. Without a time machine we'll never know what would have happened if even that first call was made correctly. It's in the past now and Manly was rock solid for those first 60 minutes...just would have been nice if we didn't have to mention the refs at all.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

I still can't believe all the officials missed Watmough's play the ball sideaways, it was the worse play the ball i have seen for the last 10 years....

 

[thenamesgould]

All the issues I mentioned in my post I noticed live on the first view - the relays only enforced my opinions. I don't think watching it on tv has much to do with it.

I don't know what an almost try by Manly has to do with anything. Warriors defence was rock solid all game under huge pressure, but they don't seem to be getting any kudos for that.

Anyway, if the correct decisions were made then there would have been two less tries to Manly, and that's my final word. Whether or not people think Manly deserved it or whatever, those calls did change the scoreline from a Warriors win to a Manly win.

 

[GiRDS-]

All the issues I mentioned in my post I noticed live on the first view - the relays only enforced my opinions. I don't think watching it on tv has much to do with it.

I don't know what an almost try by Manly has to do with anything. Warriors defence was rock solid all game under huge pressure, but they don't seem to be getting any kudos for that.

Anyway, if the correct decisions were made then there would have been two less tries to Manly, and that's my final word. Whether or not people think Manly deserved it or whatever, those calls did change the scoreline from a Warriors win to a Manly win.

i agree 100%

---------- Post added 05-10-2011 at 01:00 PM ----------

Beau Scott called into Kangaroos - NRL.com

Stewart has pulled out