TLA Player In Focus Limited Edition Cards - Released Each Monday 12pm

[Rocket1908]

Yes and half was illegal lol

Seazer could of been a bitch like Slater and layed down causing a six week suspension too, lucky his tough and isn't an actor wanting to ruin other players and fans seasons.

Personally I think Sam would be lucky if just two weeks again and don't think he has the slightest chance of being this week's player in focus when he got put on report for a head high that knocked the focus out of our half!

Had a small chance though before putting on that shot

"Putting on a shot"... lol ... Sezer slipped into it. Surgess's hit would've been legal if he didnt slip.

 

[Sharks16]

Yes and half was illegal lol

Seazer could of been a bitch like Slater and layed down causing a six week suspension too, lucky his tough and isn't an actor wanting to ruin other players and fans seasons.

Personally I think Sam would be lucky if just two weeks again and don't think he has the slightest chance of being this week's player in focus when he got put on report for a head high that knocked the focus out of our half!

Had a small chance though before putting on that shot

Knocked the focus lol.

 

[BenjiRaiders]

"Putting on a shot"... lol ... Sezer slipped into it. Surgess's hit would've been legal if he didnt slip.

So would soliola's if Slater didn't slip.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Sam's was a good hard hit. Nothing in it. 60 minutes of utter destruction. Canberra lucky Souths didn't get 60 put on em. I haven't seen a forward be completely dominant in a while.

 

[Rocket1908]

So would soliola's if Slater didn't slip.

Sia launches himself at Slater with a swinging arm and the ball had already gone. Sam is bracing for a normal tackle.

 

[Brendan_B]

I didn’t get to watch the game as I was away but after seeing Souths beat the Roosters last week and Surgess returning fired up from a very deserved suspension I knew that it was likely a long afternoon for Canberra, especially with their edge defence still being questionable.

Souths pack is as big as Canberra and far more mobile. With an even share or better of possession they are hard to stop.

I watched the highlights and regarding the Burgess high shot he deserves 2-3 weeks especially with his form. I agree he is a hard nut but Sezer wasn’t slipping, he had lowered his body position to throw a pass, his legs were split and he was looking to the side. Absolute high shot, lucky to stay on the field. Whitehead deserves a week or two for his off the ball number.

The sin binning of Croker was also a bit harsh. Certain penalty but no way does Crichton beat him and score, the contact was minimal and only just prior to him gaining possession. This was a big call, cost Canberra 12 points but I still think that Souths would have won.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Burgess didn't deserve 2 weeks last time. Didn't even deserve a penalty. Joan Morris put an Oscar winning performance. Was lucky to be alive the way he went on. Did it again following week clutching leg. Gets his defensive line good rests though.

 

[Brendan_B]

Forearm to the throat is a very dangerous play, Burgess uses the forearm regularly in carries, absolutely deserved time. Remember the injury is really irrelevant, it is the actual contact.

 

[Jaede]

based on player stats weighing the pros and cons of each player I wouldn't give it to Burgess, I would give it to Damien Cook over him, he had less errors, no penalties conceded and isn't on report. But if i was to go based purely on stats and performance and not on a player I prefer, would be Pearce

 

[Rocket1908]

Forearm to the throat is a very dangerous play, Burgess uses the forearm regularly in carries, absolutely deserved time. Remember the injury is really irrelevant, it is the actual contact.

Burgess prepares to make the tackle at Sezer's standing height. If Sezer stays at that height the arms hit the chest and it's a legal tackle. There is no way that should've been on report let alone 2 weeks

 

[Rocket1908]

based on player stats weighing the pros and cons of each player I wouldn't give it to Burgess, I would give it to Damien Cook over him, he had less errors, no penalties conceded and isn't on report. But if i was to go based purely on stats and performance and not on a player I prefer, would be Pearce

Yeah good performance from Souths but i don't think any individual was stand-out enough for in-focus, was a team effort. I'm gonna say it'll be Luke this week.

 

[Brendan_B]

Burgess prepares to make the tackle at Sezer's standing height. If Sezer stays at that height the arms hit the chest and it's a legal tackle. There is no way that should've been on report let alone 2 weeks

So based on that Logic Sezer should catch the ball, stay completely upright while preparing to pass so Burgess doesn’t hit him high?

He didn’t slip, he lowered his body position to pass the ball, a normal physical movement.

How about some onus on Burgess? Yep he plays hard & tough and puts pressure on halves, no issues with that but playing with that kind of mongrel is a fine line and he got this wrong, time for a breather (again) Sam.

 

[Rocket1908]

So based on that Logic Sezer should catch the ball, stay completely upright while preparing to pass so Burgess doesn’t hit him high?

He didn’t slip, he lowered his body position to pass the ball, a normal physical movement.

How about some onus on Burgess? Yep he plays hard & tough and puts pressure on halves, no issues with that but playing with that kind of mongrel is a fine line and he got this wrong, time for a breather (again) Sam.

He can't read minds. His goal is to shut down the player he's marked against by tackling around the arms and whether that player ducks to make the pass or not isn't something he can magically know. The precedent is now set and players are able to essentially force themselves into a position where any potential hit is high and will get their opponent penalised. He is quite clearly aiming to pin Sezer's arms and prevent the pass. If he goes low in anticipation that the opposing player might change his body height then it's ineffective. That's not how the game is played. If every player has to start only hitting below the chest because the attacking team might duck to pass and you'll get penalised for a high shot then there'd be no point in tackling seeing as they'd just get an offload every time. Watch other defenders make arm pin tackles on passing opponents. Sam's tackle was the exact same. There is absolutely nothing dangerous (as far as regular NRL goes, there's always risk in contact sport) about what he did.

 

[Brendan_B]

He can't read minds. His goal is to shut down the player he's marked against by tackling around the arms and whether that player ducks to make the pass or not isn't something he can magically know. The precedent is now set and players are able to essentially force themselves into a position where any potential hit is high and will get their opponent penalised. He is quite clearly aiming to pin Sezer's arms and prevent the pass. If he goes low in anticipation that the opposing player might change his body height then it's ineffective. That's not how the game is played. If every player has to start only hitting below the chest because the attacking team might duck to pass and you'll get penalised for a high shot then there'd be no point in tackling seeing as they'd just get an offload every time. Watch other defenders make arm pin tackles on passing opponents. Sam's tackle was the exact same. There is absolutely nothing dangerous (as far as regular NRL goes, there's always risk in contact sport) about what he did.

Trying to pin Sezer's arms and prevent the pass? You are kidding right? His only intention was to hit the opposing number 7 and chief play maker as hard as he could to either put him out of the game or make him look next time he had the ball. He wasn't being held by another player either so Sezer wasn't trying to offload either.

Do you really think a player would be stupid enough to deliberately duck into a swinging arm for a penalty? Head injuries can be catastrophic and Sam is a big strong bloke.

Of course Burgess can't read minds but what he can do is take some responsibility for his technique and try and hit a player legally. We all know tackles go wrong but this hit didn't even bounce off the ball or shoulder, it was flush contact with the head to a player not watching the defensive line (as all good halves are taught) and looking to feed his outside men. Sezer didn't force himself into this position, it is perfectly normal. Go outside, pick up a ball and pass without looking straight ahead. You will naturally lower you body position in order to use the power of your torso to pass and control the ball.

There is a reason Burgess has been to the judiciary 6 or 7 times in the last few seasons.

 

[Rocket1908]

Trying to pin Sezer's arms and prevent the pass? You are kidding right? His only intention was to hit the opposing number 7 and chief play maker as hard as he could to either put him out of the game or make him look next time he had the ball. He wasn't being held by another player either so Sezer wasn't trying to offload either.

Do you really think a player would be stupid enough to deliberately duck into a swinging arm for a penalty? Head injuries can be catastrophic and Sam is a big strong bloke.

Of course Burgess can't read minds but what he can do is take some responsibility for his technique and try and hit a player legally. We all know tackles go wrong but this hit didn't even bounce off the ball or shoulder, it was flush contact with the head to a player not watching the defensive line (as all good halves are taught) and looking to feed his outside men. Sezer didn't force himself into this position, it is perfectly normal. Go outside, pick up a ball and pass without looking straight ahead. You will naturally lower you body position in order to use the power of your torso to pass and control the ball.

There is a reason Burgess has been to the judiciary 6 or 7 times in the last few seasons.

I get the feeling you've just been skimming these posts and not actually taking anything in. I never implied Sezer deliberately ducked but players could just end up staying low to the ground to make sure their passes get away because now the precedent is set. I also said that if he hits Sezer low he would've been ABLE to offload which meant he hasn't done his job.

Look at where his arms are positioned relative to how Sezer is standing before he shapes to pass. He moves in looking to hit the chest with the arms, still with impact mind you because that's how the game is, but to imply Burgess is looking to deliberately injure when nothing in his positioning supports that because his positioning is identical to that of arm pin tackles. He can't do anything more except just not touch Sezer because the tackle's ineffective if he can't pin the arms and prevent a potential offload. It's why Cowboys scored on the last play of the 2015 Grand Final - Parker goes low, doesn't pin Thurston's arms and the ball keeps moving. It is very much possible to pass from a standing position, too, which coincidentially enough, happens when a player goes low for the tackle.

 

[Sharks16]

I get the feeling you've just been skimming these posts and not actually taking anything in. I never implied Sezer deliberately ducked but players could just end up staying low to the ground to make sure their passes get away because now the precedent is set. I also said that if he hits Sezer low he would've been ABLE to offload which meant he hasn't done his job.

Look at where his arms are positioned relative to how Sezer is standing before he shapes to pass. He moves in looking to hit the chest with the arms, still with impact mind you because that's how the game is, but to imply Burgess is looking to deliberately injure when nothing in his positioning supports that because his positioning is identical to that of arm pin tackles. He can't do anything more except just not touch Sezer because the tackle's ineffective if he can't pin the arms and prevent a potential offload. It's why Cowboys scored on the last play of the 2015 Grand Final - Parker goes low, doesn't pin Thurston's arms and the ball keeps moving. It is very much possible to pass from a standing position, too, which coincidentially enough, happens when a player goes low for the tackle.

Nothing wrong with the tackle imo.Its rugby league and if you don’t want to be tackled go play golf. The idea of the small man “being sezer “ is to target the tired forwards as they are quicker . Unfortunately for him he got nailed in a hard rugby league tackle . If forwards are supposed to give a small agile player like sezer a extra second to pass or side step , forwards won’t be making any tackles . If you don’t want to be takled by a monster , don’t run at one of the hardest men playing the game??As for trying to hit the playmaker as hard as possible , yeah that’s exactly the point of the game . Makes him think twice about hitting the line again . Ask JT about being targeted lol

 

[Sharks16]

Trying to pin Sezer's arms and prevent the pass? You are kidding right? His only intention was to hit the opposing number 7 and chief play maker as hard as he could to either put him out of the game or make him look next time he had the ball. He wasn't being held by another player either so Sezer wasn't trying to offload either.

Do you really think a player would be stupid enough to deliberately duck into a swinging arm for a penalty? Head injuries can be catastrophic and Sam is a big strong bloke.

Of course Burgess can't read minds but what he can do is take some responsibility for his technique and try and hit a player legally. We all know tackles go wrong but this hit didn't even bounce off the ball or shoulder, it was flush contact with the head to a player not watching the defensive line (as all good halves are taught) and looking to feed his outside men. Sezer didn't force himself into this position, it is perfectly normal. Go outside, pick up a ball and pass without looking straight ahead. You will naturally lower you body position in order to use the power of your torso to pass and control the ball.

There is a reason Burgess has been to the judiciary 6 or 7 times in the last few seasons.

The reason is cause he’s as tough as nails . Probably how he played and stared in a gf with a fractured cheekbone. If you take the big hits out of the game we are left with a terrible product . I think old “BJ” or Joey as he calls himself now , little dog shot uppercut was worse . Hitting a player surrounded is a massive cheap shot . Bet he don’t run at Sam again either lol

 

[BenjiRaiders]

On the bus again

 

[Brendan_B]

I get the feeling you've just been skimming these posts and not actually taking anything in. I never implied Sezer deliberately ducked but players could just end up staying low to the ground to make sure their passes get away because now the precedent is set. I also said that if he hits Sezer low he would've been ABLE to offload which meant he hasn't done his job.

Look at where his arms are positioned relative to how Sezer is standing before he shapes to pass. He moves in looking to hit the chest with the arms, still with impact mind you because that's how the game is, but to imply Burgess is looking to deliberately injure when nothing in his positioning supports that because his positioning is identical to that of arm pin tackles. He can't do anything more except just not touch Sezer because the tackle's ineffective if he can't pin the arms and prevent a potential offload. It's why Cowboys scored on the last play of the 2015 Grand Final - Parker goes low, doesn't pin Thurston's arms and the ball keeps moving. It is very much possible to pass from a standing position, too, which coincidentially enough, happens when a player goes low for the tackle.

Actually I have read all of the post in great detail. If you had also you will notice I make certain concessions to your very subjective view.

Yep, Burgess is a hard nut and plays tough. The fact that his role is to target halves is not in dispute but in this instance he got it wrong IMO, the mitigating circumstances are minimal at best. Sezer gets hit flush in the head while not looking, of course it is difficult to pull out of but he needed to at least try as there was that split second when I am sure he knew the tackle was going wrong.

Sezer didn’t fall, it was his natural body position as he was looking to pass. There has to be some sort of judicial punishment for this hit. Maybe if the hit came off the ball or shoulder there would be less of a case to answer.

The JT offload in the 15 GF is not even comparable. It was a broken defensive line and NQ were desperate to move the ball to the edge. Maybe Parker should have just hit him in the head like Burgess did?

Essentially, IMO, your defence of the tackle is telling me that Halves should stand upright when looking to pass and not present as an easy target so blokes like Sam don’t go high. Poor Sam that rascal of a half forced me to hit him in the head!

At no point did I ever say it was intentional but it was dangerous hence the grading.

No doubt Uncle Russ will hire the best silk and fire every excuse at the panel though.

@Sharks16, for once we agree, BJ is a grub, niggles and quite cheap off the ball. Every team has these players though, look at Gallen & Fifita, they spend more time on dirty, cheap play than most.

Anyway gents I digress. Wrong forum for this chat, we clearly have our own opinions which is fine and subjective to the respective teams we support.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

If you take hard hits out of the game we’ll be left with ‘bumps’ and Hilites each week.