Only one major comment this week. I would've written more on the
other four games but I'm just so heated about the Canterbur/Penrith match
at the moment I can't really think what to write about them. Anyway, a
quick warning - race relations comments follow, so the weak of heart
should take the emergency exit to the left (and if you must reply perhaps
it might be preferaly to confine it to email).
* Friday, May 30th 1997
HUNTER 24 def BRISBANE 6 at Topper Stadium, Newcastle
Hunter: Tries - Zisti 2, Beauchamp 2, Ross
Goals - B Kimmorley, Goldthorpe
Brisbane: Tries - Walters
Goals - Lockyer
Referee: G Annesley
Attendance: 7,124
Well at least one thing went right this weekend.
* Saturday, May 31st 1997
CRONULLA 24 def NORTH QUEENSLAND 10 at Stockland Stadium, Townsville
Cronulla: Tries - Ettingshausen 2, Peachey, Bell
Goals - Rogers 4
North Queensland: Tries - Mahon 2
Goals - Phillips
Referee: T Mander
Attendance: 16,095
* Sunday, June 1st 1997
CANBERRA 34 def ADELAIDE 18 at Adelaide Oval
Canberra: Tries - Nagas, Lightning, Wiki,
Daley, McFadden, Kennedy
Goals - Furner 5
Adelaide: Tries - McGuire, Mamando, Stone
Goals - Williamson 3
Referee: S Clark
Attendance: 13,894
PERTH 24 def AUCKLAND 12 at WACA Ground, Perth
Perth: Tries - Horan, Daylight, Wilson, Chapman
Goals - Chapman 2, Ryan 2
Auckland: Tries - Hoppe, Eru
Goals - Ngamu 2
Referee: B Harrigan
Attendance: 10,203
* Monday, June 2nd 1997
PENRITH 28 def CANTERBURY 20 at Belmore Sports Ground
Penrith: Tries - Farrar, M Adamson, Gall, Girdler
Goals - Girdler 6
Canterbury: Tries - McRae, El Masri, Halligan
Goals - Halligan 4
Referee: B Grant
Attendance: 12,431
Disgraceful - on all counts. Rarely have I come away from a match
as seething as I was after this game. Firstly, let me say that Penrith
deserved their win, Canterbury had plenty of chances but just couldn't
hold the ball when they needed to. It's one of the fuundamentals of RL
that you can't win a game without the ball and quite simply Canterbury
didn't have enough of the ball. So that was the first thing that got me
upset. That said, neither side was helped by the performance of the
officials.
Rarely do I attack referees but if Brian Grant is still
controlling first grade next week then SL just aren't serious. Perhaps I'm
just betraying my Canterbury allegiances but I just couldn't believe some
of those decisions. The penalty against Canterbury one metre out from the
Penrith line for not properly playing the ball was strange to say the
least but the penalty against Penrith sixty seconds later for the same
offense was just plain laughable. All I can conclude is that Grant
realised he got it wrong the first time and decided he had to award a
payback one. The fact that the Penrith player was obviously prevented from
properly playing the ball by the Canterbury players didn't seem to matter.
And the decision to deny a try because of a two man scuffle fifty metres
away that sorted itself out just defied belief IMO.
Finally there was the crowd brawl. I realise the above
performances are enough to get peoples hackles up but the events that
occured after this match are just not on in this country. And already
there is talk that the brawling was largely ignited by racial tensions on
what was supposed to be Canterbury's "mutlicutural day". If true then it
doesn't suprise me a bit that what followed was very reminiscent of events
usually confined to the soccer fraternity. Multiculturalism works? Well
when it comes to sport it just seems all these people want to do is battle
out all the ancient ethnic conflicts. Assimilation is often seen as a bad
concept but IMO it's well past the time that these people realised that
they're Australian now, just like the rest of us. And Australians don't
fight and don't need to fight their fellow Australians. No one's a better
Australian or a lesser Australian, we're all as equal as each other and if
those who come here can't accept that then they should go somewhere else.
(end of political statement)
* Points Table - After twelve rounds...
W D L PF PA Pts
BRISBANE 9 1 2 288 181 19
CRONULLA 7 - 5 229 161 14
CANBERRA 7 - 5 276 246 14
CANTERBURY 7 - 5 304 277 14
PENRITH 7 - 5 287 265 14
Perth 6 - 6 209 252 12
Hunter 5 - 7 256 224 10
Adelaide 4 1 7 207 268 9
North Queensland 3 2 7 192 277 8
Auckland 3 - 9 183 280 6
Catchya round, Leigh
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Leigh T. Gillespie * "It takes leather balls *
* Phone - Australia (077) 791219 * to play Rugby!" *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *