talk about being robbed blind!

Barrackers,

Now here's something to get outraged about - you should be furious - talk about being robbed blind!
The Western Suburbs fans who'd turned out at Campbelltown on Friday night last were beside themselves, and the Bamfords needed a security detail of at least half a dozen big brown fellas in hi-viz vests and a couple of cops to escort them off the field, as they were getting a gobful from the crowd, but, remarkably, Mighty Tiges supporters once again showed their reputation for being civilised.
They would have been well within their rights to lob a few golly's and full beer cans in the direction of the transgressing referee, they were that cranky, but they didn't.
Who could blame them if they did?
It's not going to bring back the two Premiership points the boys were so shockingly and shamefully thieved of, is it?
Mugged out of the blue, by a highway robber pretending to be the authorities, and deprived of what would have been a Glorious Victory, and the chance to go undefeated after three games, against arguably the three best teams in the comp.
Really, really, really?

After a real mongrel of an arm wrestle of a game featuring a single un-converted try with the scores all tied up at 7-7 at full-time; in the second period of extra-time Balmain are pinged for not having the markers straight at the play-the-ball in the mad scramble for field position - just about the most technical penalty in the book that you could possibly thrown at them under the circumstances.
The ref had absolutely no concept of "match awareness", in a period when it's customary to 'put the whistle away', he must therefore be a moron to gift Brisbane a shot right in front of goal, which they duly teed off over the black dot to go 9-7 up to tremendous howls of heaving protest from the faithful - and it is game over; the first time ever in the history of the Broncos club they'd had ever won a game without scoring a try.
The jaw drops, flabbergasted and speechless.
As G.Gould said on the telly when Balmain were walloped with another dodgy penalty against them during regular time "it's like being done for going 61 in a 60 zone".
It's not just not-picking, it's highway bloody robbery.
There was no comfort in the midday radio news on Saturday as the Boss of the Bamfords admitted that the referee in question was wrong - got it, dead wrong - in awarding the the penalty to the visitors, but there was no apology, and the worst that will happen to the joker is being given a light tap on the wrist and demoted to reserve grade for a couple of weeks to learn his lesson.
Then he'll come back to haunt them.
There was no order from NRL HQ to have him taken out the back an shot at dawn and Brisbane stripped of their fraudulent victory, was there?
Oh, no siree.
The Tiges could have gone 3rd on the ladder, instead of 6th, and in one of the most open seasons in years, every Premiership point will count toward the pointy end of the year.
If it comes to that, referee Ashley Klein - someone knows where you live, and it's not in Balmain, because yr not welcome there.
Simply outrageous.
Flabbergasted and speechless, again, just thinking about it.

Coach Clearly it's Cleary has clearly seized on a season plan with what amounts to a brand new team, and it means winning ugly...very ugly.
Defence at all costs - defend, defend, defend - and deny the opposition any chance to go over the line, but it's no good if yr ill-disciplined, and give them pot shots at penalty goals.
There's no problem with the pack, with The Refrigerator from Tonga and the Meanest Man in Football in the front row - when they hit you like a bus, you stay hit - but the backs need some tidying up, Brooks is at sixes and sevens for mine and you've got a winger playing at full-back and another winger playing in the centres.
The Great Benji Marshall has found a new lease of life on his return to the Spiritual Home at 33, but despite his vast experience, he's two or three yards too slow, and should be spending more of his time at dummy half.

The plan looks promising, but there's always the danger of the wheels falling off once other coaches find the way to get around it, and injury gets in the way.
It rides roughshod over the commonly held belief that the best form of defence is attack.
But you can only use what you've got.
The rusted-on die-hards know it's been seven long years now since they even made the finals

WESTS TIGERS 7. Tries: Chee Kam. Goals: Marsters (2). Field Goals: Brooks (1).
BRISBANE BRONCOS 9. Goals: Isaako (4). Field Goals: Isaako (1).
At Campbelltown Sports Ground.
Crowd: 11,434.
[After extra-time. Full time: 7-7]


meantime over in Aussie Rules Land...everything's just bloody beewdiful in the glorious Golden West.
My Spy at the Ground - who had made the journey across the Nullabor for the first ever Rules game at the new footy ground in Perth - was pleased to report that it has been named "The Buddy Franklin Entertainment Centre".
There is no beating a Buddy bag, but they do have ruck problems and troubles out back, that will tax SC Horse all year.
Nothing surer.
Likely to be found out by better sides, but at least the 0-6 hoodoo voodoo to test the guru from the start of last season has now been expunged.
Excorscism complete.
5th on the snakes and ladders after Round 1 will do.
Sure beats Stone Motherless Last.
The Pygmies go top, and it will be hard for anyone to dislodge them.
Watch this space.

WEST COAST: 4.2, 5.3, 10.7, 13.8 (86). Goals: Darling 3, LeCras, Hurn, Masten, Duggan, Ryan, Naitanui, Waterman, Yeo.
SYDNEY: 5.1, 9.5, 11.6, 18.7 (115)). Goals: Franklin 8, Hayward 2, Lloyd, Towers, Heeney, K.Jack, Jones, Hewett, JP Kennedy, Parker.
At Optus Stadium, Perth.
Crowd: 53,553.