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.