Play the Ball Try

[kmank2]

Even up until the mid 1990s a player could play the ball forward if he chose to. It was a rarity and usually only seen when the markers weren't present or when a player had just been tackled after a long break and the dummy half was too far away to play the ball quickly. Alfie Langer used to do it quite a bit.

[ThisIsRugbyLeague]

If the markers ain't square you can play the ball in any direction you want. And no they wernt square they were both on ether side of him.

[living0in0arms]

thumbs up if you were like wtf when you saw this

[kroqster]

i remember watching this try live and calling it a penalty to manly straight away. i still haven't heard anyone else call it like that. but Fittler clearly dives off the mark. to the side of the maker, allowing him clear space to the ingoal. he actually dives so far to the side hes in front of another manly player. then moves back a little to be nicely in between them. should have been a penalty to manly. i called it then. and watching this vid, that call still holds up. i call it like it is

[AFC991]

@israelfolau1234 yeah mate, not any more though! :)

[carntspell]

Cliff Lyons slowed him down by hammering Freddie`s hip with his jaw. Class.

[DPAC98]

its a penalty

fitlers the best go roosters

[dodger922]

RABS AT HIS BEST!

[kezzkezzkezz3]

number 5 was john hoppoate

[dtaylor4]

You could legally play the ball in any direction. He takes advantage of the markers not being square, which is itself a penalty. Wally Lewis did it in the 1984 Panasonic cup final. There's proof on youtube.

[kroqster]

@dtaylor4 the markers arent square. but why arent they square? check fittler diving so far to his left (twice) hes actually in front of a completely different player (!) then moves back a little bit to his right to be perfectly in between both the players. Hopoate flopped on filttler (may not have been that frowned upon back then) but doesnt move from the mark. it was fittler moving. i called it a penalty to manly straight away watching it live. and i still back that call watching this now...

[dtaylor4]

@kroqster He was moving because he was still being held by the ankles. If anything, that's a penalty for not releasing.

[kroqster]

@dtaylor4 well thats a separate issue... and speculative... even if thats true it should not be a try but penalty to roosters... (because what fittler did was illegal)... but then you could say Fittler used their advantage by playing the ball, and because he did it illegally youre back to penalty manly... either way it should not have been a try but the holding on argument is speculation and a bit weak.. ive never seen a player dive so far sideways being held on to... its unnatural...

[AcTuRsElF]

thank god they got rid of this rule, every1 in the nrl would do it now lol.

[amitavinashsingh]

This was pretty funny from Bradley Fittler

[steviedropknees]

that is disgusting Freddy

[pythonman7]

League used to be so creative, nowadays you get penalised for everything

[mrgetemkid]

abahahahabhahahahahah FITLER! FITLER ! HEADING FOR THE CORNER! Ray Warren is the man.

[carntspell]

brilliant. that was a 70s/80s move, a la Tommy Raudonikis, Johnny Gibbs and I swear I once saw Bob the Bear O`Reily do it at Cumberland.

[TheMicky20]

How good is Rabs call so much emotion.

Manly won this btw, setting up a grand final win.

[twinspur]

Greatest player in the past 20 years easly he done every week for years

[speedyandquick]

fuck the roosters

[AussieKid1234]

it was a penalty, off a penalty yu can kicck the ball atleast 1 metre and you can score off it, im guessing it was a penalty for either the flop or the holding on too long

[aussiewogfob]

@AussieKid1234 did you hear the referee's whistle for the penalty?

[GingaMatty]

@AussieKid1234 its not a penalty, fittler played the ball to himself like you used to be able to do, then they got rid of the rule.

[simoalley]

@AussieKid1234 no, they used to have this rule where you could kick it instead of playing it

[aussiewogfob]

Manly no. 5 did a FLOP, how did he get away with that?

[huntergatherers]

lol how dumb do you have to be to honestly think fittler > lockyer or johns? the level on which johns and lockyer think about and manage the game is unparalleled... freddie just had a big step, come on be serious

as for "doing drugs", aside from the fact that what an adult puts into their own body during the offseason is their own business, ecstasy is not exactly considered performance enhancing, moron.

only a douchey easts fan could be so stupid. faggy bondi area fags and whatnot

[masqeurain3]

@huntergatherers - No, Andrew Johns sucks. Took drugs his whole career and gets praised. He wasn't spectacular. He's a dirty piece of shit like his half-wit closet-gay brother.

[aussiewogfob]

Why did they get rid of this rule??

[ashattack10]

@aussiewogfob because its shit

[JacobDuggan]

@aussiewogfob i no right such a good rule

[tcsonline]

huh? how the fuk did he do that? Is that even legal these days?

[daveman2003]

It isn't legal anymore, but you used to be able to kick the ball forwards from the play the ball and regather it yourself (which is what he did).

[kalcium321]

im a huge roosters fan but fittler did do drugs

[daveman2003]

You're thinking of Andrew Johns..

[ingenespr]

only as a teenager, the only 'drug' he took in his playing career was sudafed which nearly every player would have

[masqeurain3]

Brad Fittler is so easily the best player. I can't believe people praise Andrew Johns. He is a wanker. He did drugs his whole career and the media just brushed it off. Fittler never did drugs and he was still 1000 times better than Andrew "Wanker" Johns.

[stereophobia19]

I agree with u 100% there, Brad Fittler was always the best, an inspirational leader you can tell how valuable he was to a team when he left and the roosters were left in a struggle, Andrew Johns is like Darren Lockyer, just getting all the hype when their really not that great.

[tripodi540986]

cliff lyons got axed

[verboetim]

did you see him drop cliff lyons in the background with the shoulder!!!!!!!!!!!

[dazzadidja]

great try, brig back the tap in the play the ball.. GO THE ROOSTERS....

[neeknitsuj1]

Rooster pride

[stillmatic2101]

Is a try like this even allowed anymore?

[roostersrule2]

nut but who cares

[masqeurain3]

It was when he made the try, the rule has been changed since.

[daveman2003]

Not anymore. You are now only allowed to play the ball backwards.

[tw25rw]

Think you can still if there is no marker.

[daveman2003]

No, you can't. The rule was changed a few years ago.

[starmellie]

I have never seen a try like this... I love Fittler.. I love the Roosters..