Sounds very much like the game I watched at Nomads.
Nomads far too physical for the young Selwyn side and they couldn't handle it. It was fair to say the Selwyn coaching team felt the team weren't protected to the full extent of the law.
Both FC and Selwyn need to learn to deal with it as the message is out on how to beat them - kick them!
Great 3 horse race starting to happen!
No issues with hard, physical play. Yes Nomads were very physical, but to leave feet and go in sprigs 1st, or slide in from behind to take the player rather than the ball isn't on. This happened on numerous occasions with sometimes a card from the referee or sometimes not. As Betty said earlier, seems like the 1st several tackles are freebies. All I want to see is consistency. It seems that it is common knowledge that several teams play in a physical style, and some like to move the ball around and let Football be the winner. You can still be physical in tackles and win the 50/50 ones, you can still be stronger than your opposite player and muscle them off the ball, and I have no problem with mindgames and trying to get inside someone's head. Don't be blatantly violent!
It may be that the teams that move the ball around have to include a physical element to their play, and I am sure that both the referees faced with 2 physical teams, and the teams that are used to giving rather than receiving the physical play could have no qualms about it. I would be interested to see how quickly a referee clamps down on physical play when both teams are up to it.
On the point of teams who give out fouls rather than receiving foul play, one of the Selwyn central defenders was correctly carded for a deliberate handball on a through ball at halfway. Correct call, correct decision. Anyone would think that the Nomads coaches, supporters, bench had seen the same player come up and punch their striker in the head, then stomped on his face as he lay on the ground. Screaming and moaning like little ........ Yes it will be interesting to see how the teams that give it out feel if and when they receive it.........