If Saints had a full squad available, then there'd be no point playing the season - just give both trophies to us now. We wouldn't lose anywhere, such is the strength in the forwards.



Even having a fit Walsh and Burns will see us win the league. They can leave Percival, Lomax and Vea in the stands. We'd still win it.

Line drawn in line with the ptb (37/38m) and another 10 metres from it (47/48m). Note the ball is already in the hands of the dummy half by this point so the defence have set off with their first step. Likewise Phil Bentham has evidently started moving backwards anticipating the kick. Mossop (2nd man right of Bentham) looks onside for me, we can see he's moving so would have been a fraction further back when the foot touched the ball. Manfredi (furthest man to the right of Bentham) is nearly 20 metres back from the ptb! In fact the only players I'd say would definitely have been offside there when the foot touched the ball are Farrell (on the floor behind the ptb) and Williams (2nd man on the left of Bentham) but neither gets involved. BTW the yellow arrow on your screen is actually pointing at Gelling not Manfredi.

Second player left of Bentham (Williams) is WAY offside he,s half way between the marker and the referee, should have been penalty but Bentham must have turned a blind eye.



On the pic, Turner looks plenty deep enough for the kick, I,m assuming it was a slow pass getting to him or taking too much time executing the kick.

Williams didn't get involved as Saints passed left. Despite his body positioning on this frame he actually stands still whilst the rest of the line moves up, presumably anticipating running downfield after the ball is kicked. The error comes because Hohaia gets the pass and wastes time with a poor dummy to Thompson which the defence didn't buy at all. Turner gets the ball with about 7 metres between him and Mossop, who has had three seconds to build up some speed. There are no blockers and Turner doesn't have the presence of mind to step (a centre should be able to shimmy round a prop, and there was plenty space either side of him) or just take the tackle (it was 4th). Instead he takes a two or three steps forward in taking his kick, by which time Mossop is right on top of him.

Can you definitively say Saints wouldn't of gone left if Williams hadn't of been in that position? No? Involved then. We've been stung by the exact same logic recently.

I don,t think it really matters offside is offside, ALL players except the marker have to be inline with the referee at the play the ball and not 4 or 5 metres in front.

You should have done, he would have had to let you go past him or get penalised

Who gives a ? You carry on dissecting your hollow victory against the current champions of the country, we'll see you later in the season when we aren't decimated by injury upon injury.

Roby/ Cunningham running at offside players has never been as penalised as it should. In fact looking at the photo again, Williams moves up too quickly to protect an overlap and should of been penalised regardless. Anyway as said, moving on

That's not the way it has been officiated, at least for the last 15 years I've been watching. What happens when there is a break? Do we automatically penalise the defensive team for offside off the next ptb when their props are inevitably still working their way back? It would kill the game if the officials were overzealous like this.

Well The Chief obviously does or he wouldn't have posted the picture. I only came on here to see it because FeartheVee posted in on our board. Agreed it will be a different game next time hopefully with better weather and your first choice halves playing, touch wood we'll have Charnley, Flower, O'Loughlin and Powell back in action too.

In that scenario the props are on the wrong side of the ball and deemed out of play, historically Cunningham would run into them as they were joining the correct side of the ball, this brought them back into play and off side.

Williams was on the correct side of the ball and by the rules of the game....offside.