Madness to send 3 players off. Just a sinbin for each team would have been fine. Cool things down. 3 red cards is just daft really. How can you pick out 3 players from a brawl like that?

Well in this case it's easy. You pick out the two Wigan players and the one saints player throwing punches like maniacs.



I don't think Louis actually did anything other than not let hock get the outside head.


Hock had him in a bloody single collar tie, or dirty boxing clinch at first when he let fly with several uppercuts

Hock & LMS yellow cards - 6 + 6. Magennis red + long ban. Tuson, red, sending off sufficient. Mossop, a pat on the back & free drinks all night.

I cant believe that there are some the don't like a punch up in a derby game?

This is RL, it is part and parcel of the game.

I don't "get" people who don't like the rough stuff. It all adds to the spectacle. If it had been a SOO game it would have been lauded as business as usual.

I also don't get why people act so spitefully toward Hock?. Its a game people, we all need a panto villain.

Its all part of the fun of the fair. Stop being so bloody soft

should have been all yellow apart from
Magennis, this is RL for Christ sake.

the way i see it is lms and hock bit niggly head to head, then hock throws punches, i didnt see lms throw a punch..im under the opinion that thaler has sent the players off who have threw a few, i feel if lms had thrown punches he would be in the bin aswell.

you could argue he gave red cards instead of yellows as he didnt want to risk it boiling over again when they all came back on, which to be honest would be likely.

overall i thought thaler had a good game, and it was a cracking bit of biff aswell

Yellow for Hock and Reds for the other two for me.

Games going soft.

Cracking punch up and back only 6 or 7 years ago they'd have all just got 10 mins each and that would have been the end of it.

As it is I think Hock, Tuson, Mossop, Mangennis and surely McCarthy Scarsbrook will be looking at bans.

No need IMO.

I understand that they may have shortened the footage for the purpose of fitting everything else in, but was that it? I've seen far worse on many occasions. A total overreaction by the officials.

From reports I've read I got the impression that it was akin to the apocalypse!

2 yellows and get on with the game, 3 reds killed the game off

Fighting is part and parcel of our game, if red-hall want to eradicate it then at-least let everyone know (including the fans) that there will be zero tolerance.

Think this is pretty much what happened. Thaler got it spot on for me and i LOVE brawls.

LMS and Hock, were rubbing each others faces, Hock decided to go one further, in comes the other players, bit of pushing and shoving, Hocks starts throwing haymakers while other player was been held. He got dragged away, then Magennis came throwing in escalating the situation and went in about 2 or three times. Tuson also throwing haymakers while a player was been held.

I love brawls, but players throwing 5 or 6 punches while the other is been held deserves to go IMO.

But Thaler got the decisions correct, Hock red for escalating the situation and throwing punches while a player was been held, Magennis for running in and escalating the situation 10x, and Tuson for throwing 5 or 6 punches while a player was been held.

Hocks an aboslute idiot though and his lack of a brain is why i wouldn't have him in the England squad (and if Wane had any sense he would stop putting Hock in the front row at scrums as always seems to be some bother when he's there)

At 30+ points lead he should have just walked away and pointed to the scoreboard. He could have cost Wigan that game. The Aussies will have a field day with him.

hock is a joke and wants banning for a few. He seems to think he is above the game!

about time a ref stood up to thuggary like that. well done thaler for me.

Ref got it right....end of.

same here. Love seeing a good fight, but this holding of players by the oppo is creeping into the game and needs stamping out

Think LMS should of got the same punishment as Hock. Should they of all got yellows instead? Well if they did and all 4 came on 10 mins later i'm pretty sure it would of gotten out of hand again pretty quickly.

Mr Thaler got it exactly right for me - Hock nutted LMS in the face in the scrum then came up swinging when he couldn't get one over on him - he then landed several upper cuts whilst LMS was being held by other Wigan players. The ensuing brawl was mostly handbags, apart from Magennis and Tuson, the latter of whom totally lost the plot - he was windmilling like a psychotic maniac and deserved to walk.

Can I just say, as a neutral, well done to Wigan and Saints for spoiling what should have been the showcase finale to a fantastic weekend of rugby, and providing what few headlines the game will get in tomorrow's papers. Great job!

Hock nutted LMS? Didn't happen. They rubbed & banged heads in the scrum then stood up. At no point did Hock throw his head in. If you watch, the only player to dip his head in is LMS, and that's when it went off. And in reality Hock was the only Wigan player to hold LMS. No other Wigan players hold him even for a moment - he's actually surrounded by Wilkin, Puletua, and Flannery. McIlorum has a hand on him for a second and moves away. Don't make stuff up, you just look stupid.

Tuson lost his rag because that sh*tbag Magennis swung one at him from behind as he walked away. Should he take that? If he actually watch and pay attention you'll see Magennis doing plenty of windmilling but failing to actually connect before Mossop puts him on his backside.

I love the 'alternate universe' version of reality that seems to be doing the rounds, and the muppets who are so eager to believe it. Try actually watching the footage.

Well luckily for you it didn't happen. The only Wigan player to hold LMS at any point is Hock.

As for Magennis, yes Tuson lands a couple when Lockers grabs him, but the sh*tbag deserves it for throwing one from behind. Only took Mossop one to plant him on his backside, and no-one was holding him at that point.

Again, people should try watching the footage and engaging their brains before making accusations.

I'm loving the Saints fans "Wigan started it" claim and the Wigan fans "Saints started it" riposte.

I watched the footage. Hock was idiotic as usual, LMS was silly too. The rest was frankly handbags and did not warrant anything more than sinbin.

I watched it about ten minutes ago and crucially, without cherry and white spec's on; that's how I formed my view.

The incident was a disgraceful end to a weekend of great rugby and all the players censured by Mr Thaler deserved to walk; lengthy bans incoming for Messrs Hock, Tuson and Magennis, all thoroughly well deserved.

I was talking generally. Seen it in a few games and havent seen the footage of this one yet as I was at the game watching live, and you admit anyway that O'loughlin grabs him. Being a sh*tbag presumably makes it acceptable?

Can't believe some people are saying Louie should of been carded as well. He doesn't even get to throw a punch, even after Hock uppercuts him 4-5 times while he's holding him close to him.

Doesn't take any specs to see that no Wigan players are holding LMS while Hock throws a few. The only player holding him is, in fact, Hock himseld. It's painfully clear.

If your view is still that "LMS was being held by other Wigan players", I suggest you get some specs, whatever colour.

So which Wigan players, in your view, are holding LMS while Hock belts him?

Perhaps O'Loughlin should stand idly by and observe? Or perhaps he should stick up for his team-mate by grabbing the other guy.

It wasn't a case of "Sean, you grab him, I'll deck him", it was a brawl with players grabbing and pulling each other all over the place. And yes, if Magennis is going to throw cowardly shots from behind and then start swinging at anyone who comes near then perhaps he does deserve a slap.