\u2018Can\u2019t fine everyone\u2019: AJ\u2019s cheeky message on field storming flies in face of Bennett\u2019s call<\/a><\/p>\nAlex Johnston is on the cusp of history. Picture: NRL PhotosSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see why it should happen, no comprehension of why it should happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the respect of the game that\u2019s the important thing here. We play for 80 minutes, you (fans) stay off the field regardless, and I believe in that. The end of the game? No problems.\u201d Bennett added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing I want to see is a game of football (stopped)\u2026 how many are we going to allow on the field? When is it going to stop? How long before the game gets started again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBe respectful to the game, for him and everyone playing the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a line that was followed by his skipper Cameron Murray on Tuesday<\/p>\n
Murray has spent his entire career alongside Johnston. Both players have been active players on South Sydney\u2019s roster since 2017.<\/p>\n
Historic record could happen next week?! | 04:44<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible moment for \u2018AJ\u2019, but I think it goes against the spirit of the game a bit by running onto the field before the full-time siren,\u201d Murray told the media.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as I can empathise with the fans wanting to run on and celebrate, I think it goes against the spirit of the game and it\u2019s not really us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would cause a few more disruptions during the game than we\u2019d like to deal with, particularly if we have to stop for a fair amount of time.\u201d <\/p>\n
But while Bennett and Murray may have hoped to dissuade the 40,000 plus crowd expected on Friday, one legend says it could have the opposite effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Aussies go against the grain a lot of the time,\u201d Tigers great Steve Roach said on NRL Tonight this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tell them not to do it and all of a sudden they will.<\/p>\n
Roach also dismissed player safety concerns that have been raised. The NRL and Venues New South Wales have reminded fans around potential punishments for storming the field, including a $5,500 fine and risking 12 month bans from major stadiums across the state.<\/p>\n
Wayne urges fans to not storm the field | 05:39<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s going to hurt them? Who\u2019s going to take on the Souths pack?\u201d Roach asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t usually go against Wayne Bennett but I think we should celebrate it. <\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, Ken Irvine\u2019s record stood for 50 years. I reckon they should sound the siren, and then five minutes later sound the siren again and then get them off\u201d Roach added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if it takes another 50 or 60 years to break the record, when he actually gets the record?\u201d<\/p>\n
The debate also reached NRL 360<\/p>\n
Fox League\u2019s Paul Crawley said a crowd surge was inevitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NRL have to do that (threaten bans) don\u2019t they? From a safety point of the game, they have to say \u2018don\u2019t do it\u2019,\u201d Crawley told NRL 360.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce one kid throws his foot over the fence, 5000 will follow. I actually think it\u2019ll be great for the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not just one game of rugby league when it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Code Sports reporter David Riccio agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NRL will be disappointed that we are supportive. We will never see it again in our lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what if AJ doesn\u2019t break the record this Friday night?<\/p>\n
If the wait continues after full time on Friday, the Rabbitohs next face the Tigers in Gosford in round three. The club will then have the bye in round four.<\/p>\n
So, what happens if Johnston is still stuck on 211 tries after those weeks? Well, South Sydney then have the big stage of their Good Friday clash against the Bulldogs to look forward to. The same game which drew over 60,000 fans to Accor Stadium last year.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll definitely be speaking about this again if it gets to that stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wayne Bennett made his position very clear: \u201cThat\u2019s not our game\u201d. Four years ago Swans and Hawthorn great…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-532511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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