Round 25: Goodbyes...and Hellos

Apart from the occasional one or two for a joint-venture team in previous weeks, Round 25 brought on the start of the annual Goodbye season to a host of players (of varying abilities and ages).

However, there were Goodbyes for more than just departing players and for every Goodbye, there has to be a Hello (this point was raised approximately 28653865876347637673 times after the departure of Sonny Bill Williams).

Without further ado, here’s the rundown of Round 25 — in terms of Goodbyes and Hellos.

Manly v. Gold Coast

Goodbye: to Steve Menzies. He said Goodbye to Cliffy Lyons about 10 years ago and Hello to carving out a reputation as a champion player free from one of the best ball-players in the modern era.

But Manly said Goodbye to Beaver and Hello (in a way) to Ben Kennedy. Since Kennedy’s retirement at the end of 2006, Manly has improved markedly. While Kennedy’s effort was always huge, Manly of 2005 and 2006 was a team with relatively little structure and often sought to make the huge tackle or hit-up to fire themselves up when their initial fire had waned. Manly of 2007 and (most of) 2008 have been far more consistent. Des Hasler quietly upgraded the skill level throughout his team (so they didn’t have to totally rely on huge efforts every week to win games) even without Michael Monaghan.

So it was somewhat of a surprise to see them return to their Kennedy style of play against the Gold Coast last night, but the Titans have to be commended for the resistance (despite their semi-final hopes crushed by previous results). Manly was obviously primed for a huge effort for the departing Menzies and deviated from their emotional consistency of the last two seasons when they ran into such a committed Titans team.

The final margin of 18 did flatter Manly somewhat: much like the previous game between these teams, Manly’s gutsy defence and some strokes of luck with the ball blew the game open. So while the Titans said Goodbye (officially) to their semi-final chances, surely their resolve and talent will allow them to say Hello to September rugby league in 2009.

New Zealand v. Penrith

Goodbye: to Ruben Wiki, Logan Swann and Wairangi Koopu. It’s hard to believe Swann and Koopu aren’t both about 35 years old: they seem to have played for the Warriors forever, while Wiki is not far behind Menzies in terms of tenure in the NRL.

The Warriors also said Goodbye to the rainy conditions which have been present at almost every home game this season and Hello to a highly entertaining style of play which would not have looked out of place on a highlights tape from 2002 or 2003.

They led Penrith 30 to 4 at half-time, but Penrith was the better team for the first 15 minutes or so. Penrith’s sizeable pack (even without potential Goodbye-ee Frank Pritchard) was on top and they had several good chances. After a far-too-long unforced absence, Penrith said Hello to prodigious talent Jarrod Sammut again and looked a more threatening team than they have for many weeks.

However, Penrith made Sammut say Hello to defending at the right centre position: something he’d clearly not done before. Consequently, Penrith said Goodbye to the Warriors on the scoreboard as the Warriors frequently attacked Penrith down Sammut and Michael Gordon’s side of the field.

To Penrith’s credit, they didn’t fold completely and gave the Warriors a few uneasy moments in the second half, but the Warriors composed themselves (especially the rather volatile – to put it mildly – Wade McKinnon) and in doing so said Goodbye to Penrith’s season.

Bulldogs v. Brisbane

Goodbye: to Steve Folkes, Corey Hughes and also to the Bulldogs’ unusual but traditional method of player recruitment/retention. While the Bulldogs have stayed within the family for the next coach, the loss of a host of star players in recent years for a number of reasons will inevitably see the Bulldogs become just another team. Another team that places more emphasis on feasting on the scraps of those over the salary cap rather than focusing on junior development. Another team that is wary of putting too much effort into bringing juniors through the ranks because of the diminishing returns to this effort (due to the salary cap but also because of the dying trait of loyalty and as the game increasingly favours athleticism more than experience). And…another team that doesn’t systematically cheat (this point was conveniently glossed over in interviews with Steve Folkes over the weekend).

After North Queensland’s win on Saturday night, the Bulldogs seem destined to say Hello to the wooden spoon (legitimately) for the first time in over 40 years. The Bulldogs will probably rise again, but their 40-year dynasty since Peter Moore took over in the late 1960s is now over. It’s been dying for perhaps 6 or so years now, but events of 2008 have killed it off. They’ll never win a competition, they’ll never threaten to win one, they’ll never be the same again.

That said, they are saying Hello to some rather good players for next season, including Brisbane’s Michael Ennis. Ennis said Goodbye to playing in this game due to the ‘flu and Brisbane missed his energy. Periodically they lifted and overwhelmed the gallant but nowhere-near-good-enough Bulldogs, but one wonders if they’ve said Goodbye to any hopes of premiership success this season due to their indifferent form over the last 3 months. Sure, they still have a lot of experience and talent, but turning up for an important game and playing at the necessary level is not like flicking a switch (for most teams anyway).

Sydney Roosters v. Souths

The Roosters have also discovered this fact in recent weeks, but they looked to have discovered the secret to say Hello to a strong motivated effort in the first half against Souths. They definitely said Hello to a unique new strategy on Friday night: scoring tries without resorting to kicks. Souths was probably as shocked as everyone else and the Roosters realised attack isn’t as difficult as they’d made it appear in recent weeks.

The Roosters jumped to a 22-nil lead but, as they have in almost every game this season, they said Goodbye to hopes of a sustained effort over 80 minutes. Souths said Goodbye to hopes of success in 2008 many weeks ago, but have enjoyed saying Hello to teams with ambitions of semi-final rugby league with a carefree attitude and some of the game’s most exciting players (in Chris Sandow and Isaac Luke).

While Souths was given a significant leg-up back into the game from Roosters’ mistakes, their enthusiasm and energy made this one of the games of the season as Souths almost erased the Roosters’ lead. But for a conversion attempt that was a few metres or so to the left and a 40-20 kick whose actual path evaded eyes of official on the ground and up above, Souths may have stolen the win here and said Goodbye to the Roosters’ top-4 chances. Thanks to their efforts over the game’s first 45 or so minutes and the inconsistency of teams just below them, the Roosters can right the wrongs of the last 2 months and secure a home game in Week 1 of the finals with a big effort this Friday night. They’re overdue for one.

St George Illawarra v. Parramatta

Goodbye: to the potential-loaded disappointment in the Red V we’ve come to know and love…? Until this team is celebrating on the first Sunday in October, there’s always a chance for Dragons’ memories of haunting losses to re-emerge in the present-day players, but maybe – just maybe – the Dragons and their very talented team is saying Hello to their potential in Nathan Brown’s final days as coach.

The Dragons were clinical in thrashing Parramatta on Saturday night. Newcastle’s upset win over Melbourne meant this was Goodbye for Parramatta: it seems so sudden. After 6 months of ongoing discussion about Parramatta and how they will come good soon, come good for the finals (which they were always going to qualify for)….within 2 hours on Saturday night, it was over.

One wonders if Parramatta knew the urgency of the situation after Newcastle’s win. If they did know, they gave few signs of showing it. When Jarryd Hayne meekly put the ball out across his own dead-ball line at about the 20-minute mark of the game, his brief Hellos for season 2008 (maybe 1 game in 10 – apart from their games against the Tigers) were finally replaced by a Goodbye, accompanied by the standard hang-dog expression on his face.

But enough about the bad news Eels. The Dragons might have left their run late (it’s almost 5 seconds to midnight if Brown’s coaching tenure at the Dragons was one day) and may not win the ultimate prize before Brown says Goodbye, but there’s no team in the NRL who wants to say Hello to the Dragons in the month ahead if the Dragons are on their game.

Newcastle v. Melbourne

Goodbye: to Danny Buderus, one of the best hookers in this era and maybe the last hooker who will be a huge success without any sort of kicking game (although his replacement, Isaac De Gois, has spent the last two seasons doing a fairly good Buderus impression for Cronulla).

While Newcastle has struggled for consistency over 2008, they’ve regularly lifted for big games. They would have said Goodbye to 2008 if they couldn’t win this game, so the combination of the big-name opponent, the desperate need for a win and the celebration of Buderus’ career was always going to be difficult for the Storm to overcome.

To Melbourne’s credit though, even when they appear vulnerable, they never fall too far behind and when Inglis swooped on a lazy pass for the intercept, Melbourne only trailed by 2 points. The game was tied when Melbourne’s lethal Cronk to Folau combination struck and Melbourne’s ability in close games looked sure to get them home.

However, they hardly deserved it, so when Scott Dureau kicked a 40-20, Matt Hilder set up a try for Jesse Royal and Dureau extended the lead to 7 not long after, it looked like the right result would happen. Newcastle did hold on, but not without some anxious moments after the Storm moved to within 1 point.

The full-time whistle brought rapturous celebration and other results meant Newcastle is a very good chance of saying Hello to the top 8 after a two-year absence. You could even saying Newcastle is within….spitting distance of the finals. Even if Hilder did spit at Anthony Quinn, he should escape sanction due to Quinn being extremely deserving of such treatment. For Quinn to take offence to anything short of attempted murder on the field is nothing short of hypocritical.

North Queensland v. Canberra

Goodbye: firstly to North Queensland’s pathetic, boring style of play. Sensing a vulnerable and weakened opponent but also a chance to dump the wooden spoon, the Cowbores went away from their rather predictable and quite impotent side-to-side play and instead attacked Canberra through the middle. They were not quite on their game otherwise they may have put 40 on the brave but under-strength Raiders, but the Cowbores showed signs they will be back in 2009.

While other results (and their upcoming schedule) meant Canberra have almost certainly said Hello to a well-earned top-8 spot, their hopes of progressing any further looked to be significantly reduced when it became apparent Terry Campese was playing injured. While the extent of Campese’s injury is still uncertain (was he badly injured but playing because Canberra had no-one else?), Canberra was a shadow of what they had been over the last 2 months on Saturday night with Campese as a passenger.

If Campese is unable to perform over the next two (or more) weeks, Canberra can say Goodbye to being anything more than 2008’s feel good story.

Wests Tigers v. Cronulla

Goodbye: to Brett Hodgson. His toughness and leadership will be missed, but has there been a better ball player (apart from Darren Lockyer) at the full back position in the modern era? While the final score gave little indication, the Tigers did give a far greater effort than they had in recent weeks for Hodgo’s final game at Leichhardt.

Unfortunately, they gave Cronulla far too much ball and too many attacking opportunities in the game’s first 20 minutes and lacked some finishing and some luck when trying to chase down the Sharks. Benji Marshall tried hard — if only he could have said Hello again to several of the highlight-reel plays he produced against Cronulla from 2005 — but ultimately was little more than a one-man show.

Meanwhile, Cronulla has probably waved Goodbye to Greg Bird, but showed they could still be a real threat to say Hello into September and October. Brett Seymour won man of the match, but Fraser Anderson was far more pivotal to Cronulla’s success. The wide-running back-rower dominated the weak edge defence of the Tigers.

On that note, it’s Goodbye to Round 25 and Hello to Round 26 and the final Tuesday Roast for the season – see you next week.

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