Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:24 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

Flower hits Lance off the ball, Lance goes back and hits him, then flower floors him.

Then when out cold he kneels over him and smashes him again.

If Hohaia was out cold after the first punch, did the second punch wake him up?

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:32 pm  

meast wrote:

no surprise that shaun wane is "standing by" Ben flower

so coach or player don't seem upset that he could have seriously injured a defenceless opponent? just about sums it up!

It's a tough one for Wane. Despite what people on here say I highly doubt he has told his players to get Hohia carried off the field. I can imagine him targeting him for a bit of rough treatment to get him off his game, but that's not an uncommon tactic. This is on Flower, something went in he head and he did something stupid and indefensible.

As a coach you have to stick up for your players. I don't think Flower is a bad person or even a particularly dirty player. He was probably just too pumped up for the occasion. Wane should just say that they will stand by Flower but will accept whatever punishment the RFL see fit, and will be ensuring that no one at the club thinks this is acceptable behaviour. It's also a bit poor that there doesn't seem to be any kind of apology to Hohia.

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:32 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

Lance has a look and deliberately steps into Flower's path to block his kick chase. Flower shoves him out the way and onto the floor. Lance spits his dummy, pursues and forearms Flower in the face. Flower knocks him down with a belting punch.

He then gives him a completely unnecessary jab on the floor.

Edited for accuracy.

The final punch is well beyond the pale, I think we all agree. But the entire incident is instigated by Hohaia's deliberate attempts to impede Flower's kick chase.

I realise Flower is the villain right now, but Hohaia picked the wrong battle. He stepped into Flower's path and got knocked down, and didn't like it.

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:33 pm  

William Eve wrote:

Wales ought to organise the same number of international games during the off-season as the number of games Ben Flower gets banned, if only to annoy the crap out of all the idiot fans of the 7th placed team in Super League.

Your stance on everything is basically the opposite of what the leeds fans have, to try and wind them up.

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:35 pm  

Cronus wrote:

Edited for accuracy.

The final punch is well beyond the pale, I think we all agree. But the entire incident is instigated by Hohaia's deliberate attempts to impede Flower's kick chase.

I realise Flower is the villain right now, but Hohaia picked the wrong battle. He stepped into Flower's path and got knocked down, and didn't like it.

By a swinging arm to the head, would you?

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:36 pm  

Early plea, 2 matches most

The joke of the RL disciplinary committee will strike again

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:39 pm  

For me, there was nothing particularly serious in the contact that Hohaia made with Flower, or indeed anything I would particularly worry about in Flower's reaction to throw a punch. It happens fairly regularly.
The problem is that there was a point when Hohaia was lying on the floor and Flower made a decision to punch him again directly to the head, when he was completely defenceless and barely conscious. Because Hohaia's head was already in contact with the floor and therefore could not move to absorb the impact of the punch, this had the potential to cause very serious injury. It's the sort of punch that, because the head cannot absorb any impact through movement, serious brain injury (and even death) has can be caused.

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:40 pm  

Cronus wrote:

I realise Flower is the villain right now, but Hohaia picked the wrong battle. He stepped into Flower's path and got knocked down, and didn't like it.

Considering Hohaia is now celebrating with a winners medal, and flower is sitting at home a loser, public enemy number one and world against him, I think it's flower that picked the wrong battle.

*snigger*

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:41 pm  

FlexWheeler wrote:

Your stance on everything is basically the opposite of what the leeds fans have, to try and wind them up.

Is it possible to wind up single-celled organisms?

Re: Ben Flower : Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:42 pm  

Cronus wrote:

Edited for accuracy.

The final punch is well beyond the pale, I think we all agree. But the entire incident is instigated by Hohaia's deliberate attempts to impede Flower's kick chase.

I realise Flower is the villain right now, but Hohaia picked the wrong battle. He stepped into Flower's path and got knocked down, and didn't like it.

Hmmm. I reckon if Flower would have taken the knock-back and scored a try it would have been chalked off by the video ref for his foul in back-play.

In truth neither that foul or Hohaia's shove on Flower, which he parried, were much of anything (it's a laugh to hear Wiganers call it a "forearm smash"). I'm not that bothered about the first punch toe-to-toe either. But the second punch was something else entirely.