This is always going to be an issue the only thing that changes is the fidelity at which we look into these instances. The quality of the cameras and replays mean we can see way more in retrospect than the ref can live so I do think that we need to take that into consideration with the live decisions. I'm personally for video to be considered more when it comes to these decisions on the day. Maybe it does slow the game down but we aren't going back to grainy black and white so this is the medium we need to live with.
Yeah I get it, its a physical game I totally get that and that needs to be considered. I don't envy the refs position but trying to have one foot in the old-school door and one in the modern door ain't working and never will.
Thought
Ponga was 50/50. Looked like he was half going for the ball half looking to push off Chee Kam, the players are coached to do pretty much anything it takes to stop a tackle but yeah he switched from going for the ball to shouldering Chee Kam, it wasn't an accident. Careless? Reckless? Dangerous? For people more experienced than me to decide.
Cotric was dangerous/careless. Intentional no, I don't get Sticky's argument on that one. For me even an accidental dangerous action needs to be penalised. Send off, strong call but fine if you want to stop it in its tracks then ok I get that.
Turbo. This is where the NRL loose people. It was just about as bad as Cotric's if not the same. Annesley was on 360 the other night defending that decision and it was very very similar to Cotric's. His argument that they look at it for hours and look at every minute moment doesn't give me too much optimism. Please, he picked him up and put him on his neck/head. Dangerous, careless, intentional whatever way you want to spin it, to most people it put the player in a vulnerable position so should be given the same penalty as Cotric's.
I don't think that any of the players above had any 'intention' to hurt the other players. I don't get why that comes up so often. Intention or not it should still be penalised. If its clearly intentional then they should exacerbate the fine even more because that's just a brain explosion in the moment. Deliberate eye gouge anyone?
Again for me the big issue is that this all happens so fast and the refs are forced to make a live decision and they get it wrong sometimes and always will. We need the video to step in here.
Don't get me started on the Warriors forward pass