Cowboys have every right to think so.
For those not fans of the game a heated dislike of each other exists between NSW and QLD on the field.
And last year as well as this North QLD Cowboys had clearly wrong decisions cost them games in the finals.
And saw them end the session unfairly.
Why then is this NSW tragic and supporter of the team that ran second last telling about this?
While my sport is not subject of much talk here, apart from Rechtub and me.
We must consider and ask just why are the vast majority of NRL fans are questioning and talking about referees.
Asking is our game fair dinkum.
And my following comments unlike as they will be are majority ones.
Soccer yesterday felt the harsh truth, crime has infiltrated it.
League once the working mans joy seems welded in the hands of gamblers and criminals.
For 12 years no NRL fan has had confidence in those in control of games referees and their bosses.
A future search and look back, in say 20 years need look no further than the $10.000 fines! for coaches who dare question? referees.
And have no doubt it is that group not players who may be found to have been far less than honest.

My comments may seem harsh.
Even a fans bitterness, but I am no fan of both Queensland teams.
It could be worth understanding this sport like any other is adictive.
Too mates made while playing the game are for ever.
I can a sure readers my comments are shared, all over this country.
And if buying a paper or getting a cab, even getting a hair cut, the thought emerges both think the game is no longer fair dinkum.
And my views on referees? not just as in my first post but truely unprintable.

Gambling stole the heart our of Australian sport.
It now owns NRL remember the N stands for National.
To even think of cleaning up NRL and maybe other sports we must stop the betting houses .
Teams in WA and South Australia did not get a fair chance .
Murdock , the man behind our near death *super League* owned Melbourne Storm Souths are in private hands Broncos too.
The ten thousand dollar fine, for saying it like it is, is proof enough our game is in trouble/openly bent.
No hard feelings Queenslanders I understand and share your pain.

Just one more foul up, from the business interests that took over the game.

I started to loose interest in club stuff with the super league fiasco, & finally stopped watching even state of origin a few years back.

Every time I even start to get interested, something like this reminds me it is a mugs game today.

Yes Belly, what's actually tragic is that there were no fewer than SIX officials, officiating on that game, and NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM picked it up.

Talk about asleep at the wheel.

These so called first class refs are on thousands per game and, as you rightly say, like it or not, there is a lot of money at stake, not only in prize money, but also sponsorship.

Furthermore, the game has adopted this culture of sacking coaches, mid season, for under performing, so why not refs.

My suggestion, if it is found there is an error, and that error leads to points, then if the offending team wins by that amount of points, or less, then they should decide the game via the golden point rule.

At least then the team on the wrong end of the deal gets a chance to reclaim their win.

As for the officials, all six should take no further part in this seasons finals.

Go the rabbits, my second pick!

with a bit of luck soccer will overtake this mugs amusement. A game with a proper round ball & skill instead fumbling brutism & all will be good.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/refs-howler-proof-that-captains-call-would-work-20130916-2tv79.html
Rechtub this mornings link is one of ten that could have been placed here.
The fact all six officials have been stood down will not weaken the cowboys case, the game should be replayed.
Hasbeen many think like you.
I played and love forever the game.
But consider it it enemy hands.
One Link called for a multi thousand dollar fine,for the games highly paid under worked top dogs.
Yet far more than sport is at risk here,this country can not ever again point at any other and claim rampart corruption is the way things work, we have that down to pat and are letting it slip past us.
Still, I knew few would want to get involved in this thread, most are fixed anti sport or AFL fans.
I am grateful however to have got the chance to comment, with news papers and TV owning our game,and fineing honest men, for being honest.
I doubt other places would print any comment linked to the truth, the game is bent.

Sorry that bloke who throws in one line hand grenades purely to disturb seems unaware the round ball game had 10 arrested yesterday, for match fixing!
No sport that allowed betting and not one that has media ownership is free from this rot.

Belly, I have been a pup porter and follower of the game for the best part of fifty years myself, and I agree with all you say, however, given that it's the finals, there is simp,y no way a replay could happen, as even if it did, the eventual winner would have only a few days to recover and would therefore stand very little chance of going all the way.

The unfortunate truth is that money spoils most sports.

Yes Rechtub but how would you or I be if we followed the Cowboys.
Lets face it last years wrong result robbed them of any chance of a finals birth.
This year? even more disgusting.
We are not going to break in to a gallop in this thread .
Yet it marks Social change in our country.
You and I remember rules about local players for local teams, I even paid for my own insurance in the early years.
Today the massive money to be made by high TV ratings, paper sales has us truly thinking, many at least our game is little more than world champion ship wrestling.
Social change? yes our tribalism in almost all sport is being used against us by the new owners media owners.
Bribes seem part of life these days.
Again , maybe the last post in this stalled thread to fine a teams coach for? telling of faults in the referees is in my view proof our game is bent.

Not trying to breath a road kill back to life.
But this mornings goggle headline story needs to be added to this thread.
Soccer is the header and the advice world wide match fixing is infiltrating that game.
Multi hundreds of millions are involved.
We have seen Cricket involved and in my view now, maybe for a long time the NRL.
To Queensland Cowboys? who must confront *two sessions of heart break*?
Nothing I say can make up for that but I share your pain my great game is hurting.
Sport plays a big role in Australian minds and life styles but not this surely, puppeteers seem in control.

Gentlemen,
If you could see the millions that are gambled on Australian sport of all kinds and all levels in and through the Manila Yacht Club daily nothing would shock you where there is a controversial decision made by sporting judge or jury.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/xxxx-me-can-the-conspiracy-theory-20130918-2tzqu.html
Well I dis say there is ill feeling between the states.
If we wish to look at this clap trap, from my side of the border.
And to know it is mirrored from the deep north.
We then should understand it is a paper selling half witted media lead traveling junk pile.
Chris Gaff, I understand and agree, in truth until my work life ended bet on just about every thing.
From my childhood pocket money at the local SP booky to just about anything, but horses every day.
Gambling always brings corruption, depending on your age you may well know of the uniformed Cops take from SP bookys.
No one should be surprised on the day some in my game are unmasked.
And no half witted satire can cover up the theft of two games in two years from the Cowboys.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/why-i-can-no-longer-tolerate-leagues-lies-20130921-2u6xf.html
While the thread is now dormant I thought the odd browser who loves the sport may find this interesting.
I see it as proof results and events in the game are manipulated.
The then coach was and is a remarkable informed man, about the game in every way.
But if he has a mate? must be the bloke he sees in his mirror.

The probably lost count because of Thurstan's relentless yelling and winging in the refs ear. Maybe if he stopped trying to influence the ref all game they would be able to count better.

"That's 1! Two! Three! What's that? Sorry mate all I can hear in my ear piece is Thurstan whinging about the 10 metres. Three! Four! Five! Dominant tackle John, they're allowed to hold him down. Four! Were we up to four?"

H are you being too harsh.
Heard that *thing* Ennis?
Or any five eight Manly ever put on the field?
For that matter this years has seen every team have at least one player taking up the roll of asking the men in charge *are they fair dinkum*
In my view the only answer is no.

I thought Thurstan was indigenous. Never known one that didn't whinge.

Its a pathetic grub who stoops to insult a fellow human being because of the colour of their skin. My partner is "black" but as a human being she is so far above the pathetic racists she has encountered all her life. If anyone should be bitter and hateful towards others she should be, but instead she shows love and kindness to all she meets, white and black, colour means nothing to her.

Paul1405
That exposes your social stance. See if she picks up a gun to defend you when the Islamic horde come for your head. I'm sure you wouldn't, sorry couldn't. I spent a lot of time hunting black, brown and yellow militants and I still sleep like a clear a baby.
Incidentally the white ones I hunted were just plain criminals.

Paul Chris, like a lot of others has a sense of entitlement.
He comes from a group that contains both the very best and the very worse of us.
The Police force.
It is for some a culture to abuse even harm, those they come in contact with.
No man prepared to make such a throw away and quite needless comment has not come from the wrong part of that organization if still in uniform that comment would not go unanswered.
Yes we should be free to comment,even free to target individuals.
But this bloke is as many of his race are, a sportsman of great merit, in his personal life trying to help those of his people in need.
Just a thought.
But I ask for it to be considered.
Our media farms for daily headlines, any one will do, they can make any ant hill in to a mountain.
Do we want such a statement to blacken us all, is there *any substance*
behind that insult to the man?

Belly, the NRL has a very high percentage of indigenous, islander and Maori players. It is good to see that many try to be roll models for the young in their communities. The footballers help to give the kids a feeling of self worth and steer them away from crime and drugs.
In defense of some members of the police force, some try to make a difference in the communities they police, working with young offenders, many being indigenous kids, all suffering from some form of disadvantage. These police try in various ways to set young offenders on a straight course. Other coppers however are, what can I say, you know what they are.

Paul I am aware of all, and agree.
http://www.news.com.au/national-news/nsw-act/judge8217s-swipe-at-nrl-fans8217-intellect-as-wati-holmwood-told-he-must-serve-two-months-for-origin-streak-after-downing-eight-schooners/story-fnii5s3x-1226725989502
But me no buts however, see this link
What a complete Goose this judge is, and too the idiot defending fool who made claim fans liked this type of thing.
See fans would have liked to see the streaker get 12 months his lawyer 18 months and the Goose judge? a seat along side the racist formers Aboriginal woman magistrate in prison for the same time.
A sense of entitlement does exist in our law givers.
I truly honestly feel more fools could be found in lawyers and judges magistrates than any place.
No way I am ignoring a post that needlessly opened a door that is needless and insulting while nothing to do with the thread just an opportunity to insult a whole race.
Remember if reading the link, not just NRL but almost every sport is targeted by some who think them selfs better than us the riff raff
Intellectual self focused and unable to play sport the pillory it instead.