Clarke and his Irish cronie are going mad over that, but if they bothered to look he takes Ashe in the knees and the ball actually comes off the Hull player forward to another Hull player. It's the same outcome whether you penalise the challenge or not.

Ganson needs his own show. He's too big a star for Super League. He'll be kicking Hull's winning drop goal at this rate.

I think Ganson has had a pretty decent game tbh.

Awesome game. Ganson MOM?

He's not afraid to make the big calls. Mostly right I think today, the penalty certainly was. Not sure on a few of the passes and their relative directions however.

He just kicked your winning kick and acted as your edge defense instead.

Shrek wouldn't have stopped Roby even without the dummy run straight off the training ground.

Wasn't even talking about his NFL blocking, more to do with the knock-on when the ball played the man.

Did well as a distractor as well, putting his whistle to his mouth so all the Hull players stop and then deciding play on. Luckily the screen was there. Absolute joke that couldn't make his mind up today.

That doesn't happen. Otherwise the whistle wouldn't have a pea.

If, perhaps, he'd tackled round the legs he might have

As I said on the FC board: if Hull's players were watching the ref put his whistle to his mouth, then they deserve a slap. They should be watching the opposition.

"Play to the whistle" is drummed into five year olds. That means listen for the whistle being blown, don't watch what the referee is doing with it.

Sometimes you can't here the whistle though.
And you don't have to be watching the referee all the time to see him put his hand to his mouth. If any player had caught a glimpse of him do that, then they are in the right to assume he had blown the whistle in that kind of atmosphere.

It was a mistake by Ganson that luckily didn't result in a try. He basically changed his mind from "knock-on" to "err... not sure". He should have either trusted his instinct or ignored it, but you can't umm and aah.

Ganson had an excellent game. To suggest either that his putting his whistle to his mouth affected the defence, all of whom had their backs to him, is so ludicrous it's actually bloody funny.

Why not?

Players do it all the time!!!

Loads in the fax-bratfut game - Bradfords second try was a mile forward, with the linesman and ref on hand, and neither gave it. L'Estrange is throwing loads of short ones from dummy half.

It seems certain refs didn't get the rl memo.

Finally, as I type, he's given one!

All had their backs to him? Really? They stopped when they saw he had the whistle in his mouth, as you'd expect. In an atmosphere like that, you can't always hear the whistle, and players are tought to scan their environment, including the ref. He shouldn't have done it.

Of which they're accountable for. Are refs?

Yes.

Not even nearly as much as a player though. If a player made as many mistakes as some refs, they'd be dropped the week after or get subbed.

Only if the team had a better player waiting behind him.

Yes!!!

But not to the likes of you and me, just like the players.

?

If there was a better player, why would they be waiting behind him? Surely they'd already be in front of him?

If there was a better ref, why would they be waiting behind him? Surely they'd already be in front of him?

Perhaps the coach thought the starting player was better until he saw him make all those mistakes you posted about.

Or maybe fancied giving someone else the chance to develop and prove themselves and send a message that such incompetent standards would not be accepted?

No. Coaches never put someone out there just because they "fancied giving someone a chance"
Those chances have to be earned through training, and playing at other levels.