BY DAN

The rugby league world was upset with the Panthers this week because they rested their players for Thursday night’s blockbuster with the Dogs.

A lot of people got pretty upset. Some had good cause. They made the argument about fans having booked this game months ago hoping to see the game of the season. Others made less serious claims about competition integrity, which seems less convincing given this is designed to win the competition. Either way people were mostly cranky because it was the Panthers, and people are annoyed they’ll win the comp from 7th. Well, I am.

People will be less upset when the Raiders do it this week. I wonder if this is because it’s Canberra, or because their position at the top of the ladder suggests it’s something they’ve earned. Given they’re locked into third, Canterbury might also walk the the same path. I’ll be interested if they, and the Raiders, get the Panthers treatment.

One: Pushing the limit

Ricky Stuart complained about a ruck that was treated with ambivalence by a referee intent on ‘staying out of it’. That turned into a game where the Tigers closed the quality gap through ruck-based shenanigans. It’s a time-honoured approach and a useful test for the Milk before finals. I got why Sticky was complaining about it. It’s about positioning for the finals, trying to stop teams doing to Canberra exactly what they’re doing to everyone else.

This isn’t worth the discussion it will get. This act is a fact of life, and all you can do is win the battle in the conditions its fought. Sticky will tell his chargers the same, but in public he’ll do what he has to.

Two: Here come the Broncos?

Speaking of rucks, the Bronx had a training run against the deeply unserious Cows. The ruck was faster than Seinfeld with a head start and looser than your mu…shoelaces. It was a fun game to half-watch with celebration whisky in hand. The Cows never really looked like winning. Sure, Brisbane’s first few tries felt a little flat to the more handsome impartial observers, but that’s nit-picking. If they strung together three rucks and two passes, they made a line break.

So are they good? Everyone seems to think so. Freddie Fittler, the sharpest mind on Channel 9, has them pencilled into the grand final with the Storm. In a comp this flat, they’ve got as good a chance as anyone.

Not having Reynolds matters less with Hunt steering. Mam’s absence is the bigger problem. Walsh is the trump card. He’s capable of beating anyone by himself. Including the Broncos.

This week they’ll face a near full-strength Melbourne. If they win, they’ll lock in a top-four spot. Cue TV execs salivating over two guaranteed Broncos finals games and commentators lining up to crown their new favourite.

Three: I don’t know what to do with the Sharks.

After dismantling an already broken Newcastle, the Sharks have also smashed the Titans, beaten the Cows, lost to the ’Phins, and enjoyed a bye in August. Their last real top-eight opponent was everyone’s dark horse, the Roosters, who they handled comfortably. The last top-four side they faced was back in June, when the Storm pantsed them.

So… are they good? I have no idea. Beating up on the Titans and the Knights isn’t really telling us much, especially in the absence of other red letter victories. They’ll probably finish with 15 wins if the Dogs roll over. The Sharks fans I follow online despise this team. The pundits are unconvinced. Fitzgibbon keeps insisting he’s building a September side. If he’s wrong, things could get ugly.

Four: In defence of discretion

On the Titans Dolphins coverage on Sunday, a contentious extension of advantage after an error led Warren Smith to trot out his favourite idea – that of removing referee’s discretion of advantage as a concept.

Warren would like us to make the entire play post error ‘free’ – i.e without consequence for the attacking team. No longer is advantage at the discretion of the referee, it extends to as long as a play lasts. It’s a refrain we often here in rugby league. Remove the discretion. Make it black or white. It’s plagued obstruction calls for years.

This appeals to people who like their sport (and life) in binaries. They want the computer to spit out yes/no decisions. No judgment, no grey. Maybe it’s mistrust in institutions, maybe frustration that life is complicated. But in footy as in life, it’s a fool’s errand. There’s no such thing as black and white. We must empower people to make decisions and be accountable for those.

Having said that, I quite like the free play idea.

Five: Downstream impact

One of the curious downstream effects of resting players is what it does to finals in the lower grades. The Raiders will be playing an elimination final in NSW Cup next week, potentially without most of their best players. The Jersey Flegg team will be playing a final, also without a host of players who will be drawn up to Cup.

It’s not really fixable, but it stings. Players spend a season chasing a prize, only to fight for it at the last moment with one hand tied behind their back.

Six: It’s almost here.

One more week, then rugby league’s Christmas season begins.

After 26 rounds we still don’t know who’s good. That’s a win for everyone outside the clubs involved. The last five years have felt like a two-team race. This year? Anyone could win it, especially if the Riff stumble in an elimination game.

I cannot wait.

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