A case in point is last week’s State of Origin encounter between NSW and Queensland.

While it was an excellent result, the game itself was disappointing.

Dirty tactics all the way through marred the match as any sort of spectacle.

Niggling forearms and hands across the face, cheap shots, a head butt or two, at least one dangerous tackle, late hits, push-and-shove melees and a slap almost turned the clash into a farce.

Yes it was tough and bruising, but it was just bash-and-barge football.

Now here I go again, but in the “good old days” there was a softening up period for the first 10 minutes of any big match and then it was game on.

OK, there were a few wild punches thrown but nobody was ever seriously hurt.

Once all the rubbish was out of the way the players settled down and football became the objective.

Australian football and rugby league are both highly physical games with plenty of body contact.

But now footballers are becoming increasingly frustrated and unfortunately they are venting that frustration through foul play.

And much of that is occurring way behind the action.

All the violent, dangerous and cheap shots need to be taken out of the two codes because that’s when players do get seriously injured.

But if “bring back the biff” means two teams slugging it out, face to face, in the opening minutes of a big clash – then so be it.

Now all the “do gooders” out there will be saying I am advocating violence, but I am not.

Of course there will be cries of “it’s bad for the kids” as it sets a bad example.

Well, hello, has anybody seen just what they’re watching at the movies or on TV?

And don’t talk to me about their X-Box games.

As I said, no-one ever got maimed during the settling in period of a big game in either of the two codes.

State of Origin became legend on the back of some ferocious encounters.

Players ripped into each other without fear of favour and then they eventually went on to play some amazing football.

Similarly it was the same with Australian football.

Who will ever forget those wild grand finals of the 1980s and early 1990s and again – who got seriously hurt?

Turning highly combative team sports into “nanny state” games is fraught with danger.

That’s when the participants will get hurt.

Thankfully the “gentlemen’s” game of rugby union is steering clear of all this nonsense.

In rugby if it’s on – it’s on – and then after the game they all go to the pub and have a beer together.

All I can say to that is – Amen.