Re: saints

robjoenz · Post by **robjoenz** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:55 pm

beryl posted:
cheats should be made to feild same team next week by the rugby league and find as well. :sly:

How have they cheated? I am pretty confident that the players went out to try and win.

willie c · Post by **willie c** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:58 pm

beryl posted:
cheats should be made to feild same team next week by the rugby league and find as well. :sly:

i think any team in the postion they are in at the moment top of the league and in the cup final would do pretty much the same as saints did this weekend

beryl · Post by **beryl** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:10 am

i did not mean the players cheated.but the club did feilding that team.iam sure they will not put that team out next week.

GeoffN · Post by **GeoffN** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:11 am

robjoenz posted:
beryl posted:
cheats should be made to feild same team next week by the rugby league and find as well. :sly:
How have they cheated? I am pretty confident that the players went out to try and win.

...and almost succeeded. Good result for us, IMO. Now we need Hull to win tomorrow, not only to keep pressure on Saints for the wakey match, but possibly to be sure of second spot themselves by the time they play uis.
Would anyone here object if, last game of the season, Hull rested all their players for the playoffs?

robjoenz · Post by **robjoenz** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:18 am

beryl posted:
i did not mean the players cheated.but the club did feilding that team.iam sure they will not put that team out next week.

Why shouldn't they be able to do that though? It isn't cheating. Saints have had a fantastic season and have enough points in SL to be able to field a weakened side. They're in the cup final next week, they'll want to rest some players, as they did last week (Graham and Gilmour).

If you consider the wellfare of players; players pick up bumps and bruises this week then push themselve 100% next week increasing their chances of injuring themselves. As it happens though the majority of them didn't play today so there's less chance they'll pick an injury from over exertion next week.

GeoffN · Post by **GeoffN** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:22 am

robjoenz posted:
beryl posted:
i did not mean the players cheated.but the club did feilding that team.iam sure they will not put that team out next week.
Why shouldn't they be able to do that though? It isn't cheating. Saints have had a fantastic season and have enough points in SL to be able to field a weakened side. They're in the cup final next week, they'll want to rest some players, as they did last week (Graham and Gilmour).

If you consider the wellfare of players; players pick up bumps and bruises this week then push themselve 100% next week increasing their chances of injuring themselves. As it happens though the majority of them didn't play today so there's less chance they'll pick an injury from over exertion next week.

Correct. The big difference between this game and the Bradford scenario is the timing. Everyone knew well in advance this time what they were going to do.

robjoenz · Post by **robjoenz** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:24 am

GeoffN posted:
Correct. The big difference between this game and the Bradford scenario is the timing. Everyone knew well in advance this time what they were going to do.

I personally didn't see what the problem was then either. Was it not just the bookies that were hacked off and then subsequent betting scandal and the accompanying negative press?

cpwigan · Post by **cpwigan** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:35 am

Fielding sub standard teams is the road to ruin. The implications had that game been against a potential relegated club are massive, likewise if it had been v a team vying for 6th spot. It is unfair to the opposing team facing them in the forthcoming final. It damages the credibility of the game. Catalan is supposed to be an area we are promoting the game and we give them what, a team of academy players. What about Saints supporters who paid hard earned money to travel to France? The whole episode leaves a sour taste and incredibly Anderson wonders why nobody focuses upon the top of SL when he and the club he represents denegrate the competition.

Bottom line. Not in the spirit of the game.

It sucks in football too but they call it squad rotation.

robjoenz · Post by **robjoenz** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:40 am

cpwigan posted:
Fielding sub standard teams is the road to ruin. The implications had that game been against a potential relegated club are massive, likewise if it had been v a team vying for 6th spot. It is unfair to the opposing team facing them in the forthcoming final. It damages the credibility of the game. Catalan is supposed to be an area we are promoting the game and we give them what, a team of academy players. What about Saints supporters who paid hard earned money to travel to France? The whole episode leaves a sour taste and incredibly Anderson wonders why nobody focuses upon the top of SL when he and the club he represents denegrate the competition.

Bottom line. Not in the spirit of the game.

It sucks in football too but they call it squad rotation.

...but at the end of the day Rugby League is a sport. Sport requires coaches to plan over the whole course of a season and to manage any short term problems that arise. Anderson is doing this in the best way he sees fit and I can fully understand why he'd do it, he doesn't want to bring the game into disrepute he just wants what is best for his players and his team.

cpwigan · Post by **cpwigan** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:52 am

You are correct Rob in terms of the motives re Anderson and Saints. However, the whole idea of governing bodies is surely to protect the integrity of the sport/competition and in doing that they prevent clubs/coaches/players from acting in a manner that whilst beneficial to their own needs is detrimental to the game as a whole. St Helens have laughed in the faces of the RFL, even telling them beforehand that they would do so. The RFL have done absolutely nothing and therefore to blame. Had they taken a tough stance, Saints would have folded and acted in a manner more akin to the spirit of the game as a whole.

Governing bodies cannot well they should not pick which rules they want to enforce and ignore others. Likewise clubs should not be allowed to do as they please.