I'd like to say a big thanks to Steve Ganson for sin-binning Sam on Friday night. Possibly the best lesson he's ever had so far in his senior career.

In the 114 year history of rugby league, no referee has ever changed his mind after giving a decision because a player has kept yapping at him.

Walk away.

So called it was due to Sam cheering the Salford score to Mr Ganson!

To be fair i understand where you are coming from but i thought it was poor from Ganson. If he was going to bin him he should have done when he brought him over.

There are a few stories going round about what he said when he walked away ie regards Saints, but i think that is more bravado. Seemed he had accepted he was wrong and put his thumb up genuinely to acknowledge Ganson was in the right, had it been a sarcastic thumbs up fair play but it seemed to me to be genuine and acceptance that he has in the wrong. Least that how i saw it.

Jonh, from where I was sat in the West Stand it appeared that Ganson had already given Sam 10 minutes before he called him over, after Sams second piece of backchat.

Ganson definitely raised both hands in the air to signal 10 minutes before he called Sam to him.

Seemed to me he sent him for a walk on seeing him raise his thumb.


If it is as you say fair play with it. One thing about Ganson that you have to respect he is not scared of making a big decision.

Can you come and talk to my 10 year old? he won't believe me!!!!!!

After watching it again on TV Brian I thought Gansen put his hands in the air to signal to stop the clock

He was rightly sin binned, you can't just keep mouthing off to the ref whether you think he's wrong or not, at the end of the day he's never going to change his mind!!

It could be that I've misinterpreted it. My first reaction was that he had given him 10 minutes.

Does anyone else think that the patronising way that ganson speaks to players inflames the situation even more? He likes to give it the big "I’m the boss sonny Jim, I run this game, i get payed to be in charge not you etc " when I good stern "Look mate, mouth shut NOW!!!!" would suffice.
Players should never chirp off to refs, but he does not help by winding them up in the first place with his patronising manner.
Just my opinion

Speaking to Sam, he only said, 'Gano you fat pig, you can have this up your choc-a-sombrao', as he gave the thumbs up.

Totally agree, Ganson's ego is beyond belief, Phil Clarke mentioned in commentary, that players will in the end just give up trying communicate with refs if there just told to immediately shut up, players should be able to get there side of the story over on occasions.

It didn't matter if he is was sin binned or not really. It has no impact on us really.

thats the main point........he is the boss.

he said as much to joel when he joined in after sam was flattened by that coward.

if they keep backchatting then bin em, they might shut up then.

and if you backchat to a ref when he gives a penalty they get marched another 10 dont they??

i agree with the OP , and stevo said the same, its the best thing that could happen to him and might teach him summat so early in his career.

the only person allowed to question a decision is the captain, and refs do respect that right, and listen to them before explaining their reason for whatever action the refs taken .

the rest of the team have no right whatsoever to talk to a ref and question anything.
one day hey might learn to shut up , cos me for 1 dont want the game going down the same road as footy, where a team full of prima donnas are surrounding refs every time they make a dodgy decision.
if i was a footy ref there would only be me left on the pitch at the end....i'd send the lot off.

.

No what you want is for the ref to realise that he has no right telling players like Tomkins that they are wrong!! Ganson has never been in any of those situations and for him to tell others to keep their cool stinks of the big man attitude he has. Pull the shirt on yourself Ganson and watch your little bro get an elbow to the face and see what you’d do. Tomkins imo had every right to pile in at that situation at the end of the day it’s a man’s game and if some thug wants a cheap shot like that he should expect to get one back.

The sooner the powers of the ref are majorly cut down and you can challenge calls the better.

I’m sick of egotistical biased refs like Ganson who are ruining our game. I’ve gone to the rugby to watch players like Sam play not sit on the bench cause they dared to talk to Ganson. Fair play if you take someone’s head off they have to go but other than that it ruins the game and serves no purpose other than to boost the fat mans ego.

I agree he is the boss, but imagine every time your manager or whoever at work told you to do something he then reminded you that "IM THE BOSS!!" it would get your back right up.

You lose respect by giving it the big "I am".

Sam should never of gobbed of and deserve to have been sin binned, but ganson largely ignited the situation instead of calming it down.

some of you lot must be deaf watch and LISTEN tomkins says "ok beltin" and puts his thumb up, ganson is a fat ignorant lump who dosen't understand wigan.
the sin binning was wrong, ganson spat his dummy for nowt.

Yes Ganson is an idiot, however had Sam not said anything there wouldnt have been a problem.

Much rather it this way than it is in football.

I'm not saying that the sin-binning was the correct decision but the facts remain that he wasn't going to change his mind and Sam should have shut up and got on with the game.

I'd sooner Sam got binned when he did on Friday that the first half of a crucial game.

Lesson learned hopefully and therefore Ganson has done the club a favour.

some of older ones remember "sergeant major" Eric Clay......if you think Gansons got ego probs , i wonder what you would have made of Clay?

he WAS the boss, and he never tired of reminding players by getting out his red card.
and i cant remeber anyone EVER giving him backchat.
what they gave him was respect, and like it or not the refs all deserve respect, but dont always get it.

I agree in part, but if players would realise that he is the boss, then maybe he wouldnt have to keep reminding them??

Of course they do. Refs are there for two reasons, firstly to protect the players, secondly to enforce the rules.

Ganson has done everything spot on. If Ganson had ignored the charge on Sam, then by all means Joel pile in but you will have to take the consequences. He saw it, he punished it as he saw fit. So there was no need for Joel to come running in. I've seen players sent to the bin for running in, so IMO Joel got off lightly.

Secondly Sam has to learn to shut up and walk away. If he doesn't keep talking then he doesn't get sent off.

It's true but he really got sent off when he put his thumb up, which just makes no sense.

Wasn't that what he was trying to do when he gave Ganson the thumbs up?

It seems to me Ganson binned him incorrectly and for no good reason. Sam was acknowledging Ganson was in the right and was moving away.

If this is what happened there is no need for the holier than thou posts in this thread about it being right he got binned and a lesson learnt and all that because Ganson got it wrong.



The only lesson learnt will be Ganson is a pr @t if this is how it all transpired.

Dave