Listened to Radio Manchester on the way back today and one of the issues raised was the standard of the refs, today was as bad as other weeks, they all seem really inconsistent where the same incident is penalised one week to be ignored the next.

Hicks to me just doesn't seem to be able to keep calm and just makes it up, couple of decisions today well say no more. Saints fan on regarding obrien shoulder chage stating that before it was banned several players got sent off, but now it's been banned no players have been sent off, every incident has been placed on report, why?

I can understand a certain element of different actiosn for the same offence week by week (dont necessarily agree, but do understand) as referees take on board feedback from their performances. What is frustrating is where the same offences are treated differently within the same game!!!



As for the reason for so many shoulder charged being put on report.....I can only suggest that the referees do not feel that they have been given sufficient guidance about the offence to make clear decisions on it. I wonder how many time the RFL have directly/indirectly undermined a ref by opting for a lenient sentence for the ref to then think "well if you aint going to back me, YOU make the call"

Hicks' positional viewing of the game is unbelievable. When we were 2 meters out from their line yesterday he was stood with his back to at least four Cas players who were in line with the play the ball. He looks like a startled rabbit most of the time.

One point that I feel really needs looking at is this issue when a ball is lost/ stolen in the tackle, I know the Aussies have two refs and in Gansons interview on Supermen he said we don't have enough officials to go down the two ref route, so there needs to be in my opinion a real effort to resolve this concern. Leeds attack the ball in the tackle, smith alluded to this in his post match interview after the Leeds game, Ratford yesterday in my opinion had the ball stolen and it resulted in a try so its not just costing field position it's costing points.

We tackle the ball with our three in the tackle and are probably as guilty as the other teams but that still doesn't make it right, this multiplied with the ref standards and its becoming a little bit of a lottery.

Standard tackle, taught at all levels from U8's up, is 1st in stops momentum, 2nd clamps ball, third brings man down ...... two eventual markers hold down until 3rd gets back and line is set. What goes on at the ruck whilst the line is set is never watched because the refs don't run backwards when getting the defensive line back the 10m and are relying on the absolutely useless TJ's to watch the ruck......... and lets face it, they can't even tell if a ball has gone between the uprights (anyone else at Cas think the score should've been 30-36?).



Ref turns 'round and sees the ball is loose, so decides what to do based on who's wound him up in the previous 10 minutes.... or in Hicks case, whoever is playing towards the Railway End gets the ball !

we scored a try off an outrageous forward pass, you scored a try from pretty clear obstruction (in that, if it was a Friday night game it'd have been chalked off)



I also think Hauraki's try was a reefed ball in the tackle, but I guess that's just how it appeared on the camera. Even the cas players stopped.



Penalties not consistent - offsides missed for both teams.



We had him v Catalans and he had a whistle-fest that game, I've loathed him sice then so I may be biased....

I spoke to a football referee the other day and he commented without prompting on the poor standard of refereeing in Rugby League

Haurakis reaction was to turn away, awaiting the penalty ....... he couldn't believe his luck when he was allowed to pick the ball up and run with it..... And yep, I expected Laithwaite to get pulled for obstruction when Dwyer went over....



The banter between fans (both Cas & Wire) and the in goal official yesterday was quite funny ........ but I wont say what he said about some decisions or he'll be in trouble

Not enough officials, but then they can afford to have in goal judges at all the non-televised matches. If a referee and the touch judges are any good, they will get in position to see the grounding anyway. You don't even need two senior referees for the two refs system, the NRL don't do it that way.



The refs are missing so much at the ruck, if they're not running backwards and also with them being too far away. There needs to be a ref over it policing all the time, not just when a team gets close to the line and they don't need to run 10, so they can get near to the ruck.

I think both would have been pinged if they were on SKY. I think the result was fair, in so much as we threw the game away and you took full advantage when the cracks started showing, though I do think Mr Hicks is terrified of making a bold call when it directly influences try-scoring.



I think on the video I saw two our ours and two of yours that could've been chalked off - BUT HEY we were thoroughly entertained





you know, the first match I ever went to was Cas v Warrington, and I was about eleven or something. We were stood in the railway end with the majority of the Warrington fans, and there were two blokes behind us, and I still haven't heard ore disgusting language ever since. My dad pulled them up on it and just got a torrent of abuse back.



Since then I always hated Wire fans (though I know we all have our idiots, it's just one of them things that sticks with you, yano) but I have grown up and realised, and been proven time after time, the majority are a great set - Bennie Westwood's dad is actually a friend of some of my family too - so more and more I am wanting Warrington to get the monkey off and win SL.



So all the best for the rest of the year

Back when I was a kid there was a guy called Steve who used to go to the games with his wife and kids. His kids were younger than me, even (this was the mid 90s, so I was around 9-10), and he had the foulest mouth I have ever heard. I always thought it was funny that he was saying swear words, but looking back it was massively inappropriate and he probably had anger management issues, and he'd never get away with it now. He was at every home game and recall being stood with him at Leigh and Cas, too.

Was he aware of the irony of his comment?