Carvell springs to mind

Morleys was a hard, fair shoulder. Nothing in it.



Bridge, threw a petulent arm after Richards was starting to make him look stupid with 3 fends. Penalty at the very most. Move on.

Morleys hit was brutal but fair.



Its a mans game and that sort of stuff is part of the appeal. Shades of ian Roberts on Mick cassidy. HH did very well to hold on to the ball.



As for Bridge he thinks hes a bit of a hardman but has nothing to offer but cheapshots.



It seemed to me as if Pat tapped him on the midrift after the swinging arm as if to say "calmdown sunshine" i dont think he was that bothered at all.

Agreed.



Morley should no way be cited for that whereas Elima on the other hand could well be.



That incident started as a shoulder thrown towards Lomax(like Morley threw at Hansen) but at the last minute for some reason he raises the elbow and looks as though he's gone out to catch him.



Elima could be looking at a ban but in a way he's sat out a full game already so a fine and a warning could be the decision.

On the BBC SL show today they commented how well Hansen did to stick hold of the ball after the hit and they showed it several times.



If you watch Morely what he does he stiffens his arm by his side and pivots his body so he hits Hansen with it. I think it was quite deliberate and it wasn't a mistimed shoulder charge and he certainly made no attempt to tackle Hansen in the conventional sense. I also think you will see him do this again with similar results and while its great when hard tackles are going in a player can't develop a technique such as this that leaves the opposite number concussed. IMO.



Dave

In Rugby Union Morley would be looking at a long bang for that 'tackle' last night simply because they wouldn't view it as a tackle. They have to make an attempt to wrap their arms around the player in Union but to me thats all part and parcel of the game.



He nailed him fair and square with the shoulder and everybody loves seeing hits like that. Lets make no mistake they're dangerous but this is a dangerous game and everybody loves seeing a good bashathon!



Those sort of hits could get Morley in trouble if he times them slightly wrong but luckily enough for him last night I thought he got it bang on.

Whilst I have no particular objections to Morley's hit, but I was pretty sure league has the same rules - an 'attempt' must be made to tackle rather than just make an impact

Morley's hit was absolutely superb at such a crucial part of the game too. Had Hansen knocked on then it would have been one of the best plays of the game. Luckily, Hansen did brilliantly to keep hold of the ball and take one for the team.

That was my understanding as well. Anyone got a rule book? Morely just charged in pivoted a bit to swing his stiffened arm to make contact. It's obviously a deliberate technique of his and I don't think it's legal if my understanding of the rules is the same as yours.



Dave

I honestly believe Hansen saved the game for us at that moment. To have withstood a blow like that, having already played nearly all the way through one of the toughest matches of anyone's career, was pretty remarkable.



Wild cheers accompanied Morley's big hit, but they should have been reserved for Hansen. There was only one hero in that situation, and we all know who he was.

technically I think the morley 'tackle' was illegal and under the rules should have been a penalty as he didn't make an attempt to use his arms - but I think it's the sort of challenge that makes the sport great to watch so I'm happy to see it go unpunished and should continue to do so - as long as contact isn't made to the head

But that's the problem with it. Mistime it and it's very dangerous IMO. As I said I think Morely will continue to use this technique and I reckon sooner or later he is going to do someone some serious damage.



Dave