littlerich wrote:I normally go through 4 cigs during a match. Last night i got through 11. That's how tense and thrilling it was.

Champions win somes games "ugly" throughout the season. This could be one of them for Fax in 2012. Top o' t'league!!!!

halifaxjohn wrote::MOTOR:
No disrespect intended but rather a silly comment. Perhaps you were the one who also said it on leaving the East Stand last night. Yes he did play for us and Castleford and Huddersfield and Widnes, he also played for South Africa and Scotland. He is also a personal friend of Brian Smith at Warrington and Brian Mcdermott at Leeds. Now, if he realises his ambition to referee in Super League, by your estimation that's quite a lot of games he will have to miss. Having also played in France that probably means he can't referee Catalans. Incidentaly he has a very attractive blonde wife but this didn't disqualify him from referreing the Nordic Cup between Norway and Sweden.
Hopefully he will be playing today for Stainland Staggs against Halifax Irish. He should try and win this as he has no Irish connection. O'h blast, he likes Guiness.

Just because he spotted that knock on late in the game?

Stealth Comic wrote:I was in the South Stand last night so that wouldn't have been me.

All I ask is that would you have been perfectly happy if the situation had been the other way around and it was a former Keighley player who'd been one of the officials?

I actually think he's a good ref, having seen him referee our game down in Toulouse in the NRC this season and I don't think he affected the outcome of the game. But let's be honest, if he used to play for Halifax and he still turns out for an amateur team in the Halifax area it's not exactly what you'd call a neutral official is it? Especially for a derby game.

Stealth Comic wrote:I was in the South Stand last night so that wouldn't have been me.

All I ask is that would you have been perfectly happy if the situation had been the other way around and it was a former Keighley player who'd been one of the officials?

I actually think he's a good ref, having seen him referee our game down in Toulouse in the NRC this season and I don't think he affected the outcome of the game. But let's be honest, if he used to play for Halifax and he still turns out for an amateur team in the Halifax area it's not exactly what you'd call a neutral official is it? Especially for a derby game.

MICKY1920 wrote:On the subject of the ref being linked to Fax,
I don't think it effected things in the slightest.

I have seen games when it has had the opposite effect before and they are
even harder on the club they are linked to.

I have also seen Clubs question a choice of Ref with the RFL before saying, "By the way the ref you have picked is linked to our club for..............whatever reason"

The response the RFL will give is We Choose the ref. End of Chat.

He had a good game on the whole.

What was good was the atmosphere in The Shay, both sets of fans had some good banter and it was in my opinion Rugby League the way it should be.