The most obvious evidence of wrestling is slow play-the-balls, as measured by Prozone. The Roosters-Storm match produced the lowest number of slow play-the-balls of the four games played in the first weekend of NRL finals. Only 1 per cent of the rucks in the Alliance Stadium match were classified as slow, with only three tackles taking longer than three seconds, the speed deemed average for a play-the-ball in the NRL for years. This is half the percentage of the Broncos-Cowboys match, the gold standard of how the game should be played, according to Brisbane's Bennett. The Sharks versus Rabbitohs match produced even more slow play-the-balls, with 8 per cent of the Cronulla rucks deemed slow.

In the 11-10 victory by Canterbury over St George Illawarra, 4 per cent of the rucks were registered as slow. So the match maligned by the Roosters' Robinson as one where the Storm "worked over" his minor premiership-winning team, saw his players produce the same number of slow play-the-balls as the Storm, 1 per cent each, in the 143 times the Roosters had the ball and the 141 times Melbourne had it. Bennett joined the Robinson chorus straight after his victory over the Cowboys, declaring both clubs have never been fans of the wrestle at the ruck. But the Cowboys' play-the-ball statistics, with only 1 per cent deemed slow, are the same as the Roosters and Storm. In fact, the Cowboys may not have been as committed to the "spirit of the game" as the wily politician Bennett promotes, with 3 per cent of the Broncos rucks deemed slow.

Either Bennett's ageing forwards are a bit slower than the Roosters, Storm and Cowboys at getting off the ground, or the Cowboys were holding them down. The Broncos-Cowboys match was described as "State of Origin fast", with the total number of play-the-balls cited to support this claim. The Broncos had 150 play-the-balls and the Cowboys 163, which is a total of 20 more than the 283 in the Roosters-Storm match. However, there were only four tries in the Suncorp Stadium match, compared to six in the Roosters v Storm game. With the game clock ticking during the review of the extra two tries, plus the conversion attempts, the time eaten up would be equivalent to 20 tackles.

Bennett and Robinson are on the rules committee, which ambushed other NRL coaches with Christmas eve changes, designed to speed up the ruck. Are they complaining the referees are now not enforcing the rules? If so, why haven't they been fined for criticising officials? The referee who found no fault with the Storm's tackles in the Sharks match, despite Flanagan's criticism, was the same man who adjudicated Bennett's gold standard match against the Cowboys. Has that referee changed his interpretation in a month? Or, are they saying the Prozone statisticians have trigger fingers on their stop watches? Broncos great Darren Lockyer, who is also on the rules committee, has joined the chorus of Bennett's Boswells, with the Storm accused of producing boring football. Boring is five touch football-style tackles followed by a kick.

Bennett wants fast play-the-balls to allow his brilliant halves, Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford, to run against retreating defences. Yet, according to Prozone, the Storm produced 25 fast, or sub-three-second play-the-balls in their match against the Roosters, compared to the Broncos 15. And the team that recorded the most number of fast play-the-balls, the Cowboys with 40, lost their match. The trio of complaining coaches are preparing the ground should they meet the Storm, rather than encouraging their own players to get off the ground. Maybe Storm coach Craig Bellamy has learnt from his old teammate, Bruce "Sloth" Gibbs, who did take time to climb off the turf but, like the Malaysian red-eyed variety, moved fast when called to action.