Monday Mayhem - Bringing back the biff in the NRL

For the League fans out there, and those who just enjoy watching a good scrap, here’s a clip we’ve come across from last weekend in the NRL in Australia. The match saw the Melbourne Storm and the St George Illawarra Dragons go head to head in a brawl that had three players sent off, and another just three minutes later.

There’s been a lot of talk about the other code lately, with a few big name players moving across to union, striking fears that the money in Union and the salary cap in League will be the downfall of the game.

Whatever the case, there’s no denying the entertainment value in a sport where, when a brawl breaks out, the commentators and crowd egg them on as if it were fight night in Vegas.

An explosive first half in Melbourne saw four players sent to the cooler for their part in incidents that for many were the highlights of the match, with the Storm easing to a 26-0 victory in the end.

As this scuffle kicked off, referee Gavin Badger virtually blew the pea out of the whistle as every player on the field joined the fray.

Rather than big men shaping up to each other, the main event was a bantamweight title fight with Billy Slater and Jason Nightingale throwing a flurry of punches.

After the match, Slater argued that his actions were sparked by being head butted three times by winger Nightingale.

"The third one, that's the one I react to," Slater said. "As he flings me across, he hits me in the head, and then he goes in again. I reacted straight away to that. The first one, I let slip."

He’s since been suspended for one game.

One of the things I found most entertaining about this incident was the reactions of the commentators, who were clearly old school and quite a far cry from what we’re used to in Union, where they would probably choke on their tea and biscuits.


Time: 05:06

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