What is wrong with GI?

Greg Inglis is tackled by Storm's Will Chambers. Source: Mark Evans / DailyTelegraph

IS there something holding Greg Inglis back?

Before the champion fullback suffered his knee injury Souths were building their season around his amazing kick returns.

He was the best player in the game by a country mile and a standout for the Dally M Medal.

On Friday night you had to go searching to make sure he was even on the field before he bobbed up late to send Issac Luke over for the match-clinching try.

In the first half Inglis had six runs for 51 metres.

Billy Slater had 12 runs for 106 metres.

In fairness, some of Inglis' defensive work was exemplary and he shut down several try-scoring opportunities.

But it definitely wasn't the Inglis we remember from earlier this season.

In recent weeks Michael Maguire has made a point of saying it was Inglis' decision to play on each week when many couldn't understand why he didn't have a rest prior to the finals.

At least now Souths have the week off it gives Inglis extra time to get ready for the next stage of this mission.

If the Rabbitohs are going to end their 42-year premiership drought, they need GI at his explosive best.

WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE, DAVE?

Friday night definitely didn't equal E-squared.

Remember Dave Smith's infamous call from early in the season, his grand vision to take the game into the future?

Well, if Friday night was it we have a major problem.

Last Sunday at the MCG 94,000 turned up to watch Carlton and Richmond.

On Friday night they had 21,609 at ANZ Stadium for a semi-final - and if you were at the ground you would be debating that figure.

One fact people in Club Land keep bringing up is that Smith has three times as many staff as David Gallop had at his disposal.

But has he made three times the difference?

There was a wonderful initiative Friday night that allowed any junior rugby league player under 12 to attend the game for free - but how many parents were made aware of this?

For all the criticisms of Gallop at least he always put his head up and got his message across.

Smith is the new Mr Invisible.

Always too busy to tell the fans what is going on.

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BRING BACK BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT

Surely at the end of the season referees boss Daniel Anderson will admit he stuffed up with the new ref's call rule.

It is robbing the game of common sense.

A few weeks back it was exposed in Manly's controversial loss to Souths when a Steve Matai try was denied.

On Friday night Sisa Waqa got dudded and Storm fans have every right to be blowing up because that try could have turned the match.

You can accept Shayne Hayne's "no try" ruling because referees make mistakes.

But the real issue is how the video ref is then forced to back up a bad call because there is not "sufficient information" to overturn a rotten call.