BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

The slow-frying death of the National Rugby League continued on Friday in both games – it seeped like a puss, spewing from a wound that was only opened by people that never cared about the true growth of the sport.

Someone is on the take.

Comments are taken with a grain of salt like a double-agent working in World War II.

Almost legitimately, 99.9% of the the rugby league world is now against this blind, outrageous, idiotic “crackdown”.

If it was about protecting the game’s players, Nathan Cleary would have went off for a HIA after he was hit in the game against the Sydney Roosters. He didn’t. Cleary was running around like a pig in mug, two minutes later.

Making it harder to write this article, your writer had to give NRL.com a ‘hit’ on their website to re-watch the incident late in the game between North Queensland and Cronulla.

With the Sharks up by two points, on their own try-line with three minutes to play, Cronulla prop Aidan Tolman took a ball up. He dropped almost to the ground. He was taking a settler. His team was in trouble. Tolman was barely off the ground. Cowboy Reece Robson braced and came in for a normal tackle.

Robson was sent to the sin-bin.

Sharks held on.

Putrid.

Absolutely disgraceful.

A few minutes later, second-placed Penrith Panthers clashed with the fifth-placed Sydney Roosters in what we all thought would be an old-school blockbuster.

With the Panthers on the attack, Roosters forward Siosiua Taukeiaho was defending his own try-line against the incumbent New South Wales Blues halfback Nathan Cleary. In wet weather, Cleary slipped. He was almost horizontal as Taukeiaho made contact.

It was incidental.

Accidental.

The referee sent Taukeiaho to the sin-bin.

Game was over.

Roosters boss Trent Robinson asked in his press conference, “What was TKO supposed to do?”

“What movement would you like him to do?”

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary walked in ten minutes later and agreed with Robinson.

Scarily, two NRL employees agreed with the decisions.

They just happen to be the coach of the Australian Kangaroos and the NSW Blues.

As TKO was binned, Blues coach Brad Fittler went with the call.

Aussie coach Meninga defended the sin-bin in the Cowboys game in Townsville.

How is that possible?

Former first grade referee and premiership-winning player of 105 games Luke Phillips took to Twitter and asked a great question after another shit-pool night for the sport.

“They have to fix this. How is that avoidable? You can’t put them all in the same basket,” he asked.

On point, Mr. Phillips.

Everyone seems to get it.

@woodward_curtis