The NRL season, under the stewardship of former lawyer David Gallop, has settled into a yearly routine which sits nicely with a sport where games can often deteriorate into lengthy periods of set of six, kick, set of six, kick and so on. In this framework, the end of Round 26 is quickly followed by the annual Dally M Awards night. Tuesday night gave us a bevy of well-dressed players, very well-dressed WAGs but also of mind-numbing structure and the same awards night structure that seemingly has been in place for about 15 years.
It doesn’t need to be this way – you can make your point heard and make a difference to this monotony! Well....you can if you run your own NRL tipping competition, complete with weekly write-up.
Anyway, it’s time for the annual Tuesday Roast™ Awards Night. The players and WAGs are just as well-dressed but the casual, mellow atmosphere of Tuesday night is set to be shattered as the more straight-shooting Tuesday Roast™ awards are read out.
The Palm Motor Inn (where Julian O'Neill notoriously "sh*t in Schlossy's shoe" in March 1999) Award for the best off-field incident
This is the most renowned of the Tuesday Roast™ awards, but season 2011 has not provided many potential nominees for this coveted award. We might have to make it an AFL award next season (when the misdemeanours covered up by subservient Victard media are considered).
The nominees for this award are:
* Todd Carney – got the most column inches but his crimes have been fairly tame. Poor guy just loves a drink...
* Nate Myles – now we’re getting warmer. A previous nominee for this award, Myles was a major influence on Todd Carney. Still, Myles lost his way after signing with the Titans for next season and beyond – it’s surprising this sort of thing doesn’t happen more often.
* Michael Jennings – lost trust of his team-mates despite being selected to the NSW State of Origin team, then turned up to an afternoon training session later in the season struggling to walk after a major drinking binge.
Not surprisingly, the winner is Michael Jennings. For a lean year in this area, our winner would rival many from years gone by.
Jennings’ Panthers completed their difficult, but not entirely surprising, 2011 with a loss in Wollongong to the Dragons. Penrith simply had too much to absorb to remain competitive in the top 8 race much longer after mid season. The Dragons, on the other hand, look to have emerged from their mid-season malaise and might well be in a position to time a run to the title.
Penrith’s fall from grace in 2011 was bad, but there was another 2010 semi-finalist whose 2011 was even worse. They had problems with their incumbents but their additions were....awful.
The Chris Walker Award for the worst off-season signing
One should never to be too quick to put an event into its place in the history books, but this award will almost certainly be renamed for season 2012. The nominees are:
* Brett White – the new starting prop and captain for the ex-Melbourne Storm who look rubbish elsewhere team.
* Blake Ferguson – left Cronulla looking for a team who could win. Left the team who hasn’t won ever for one who hasn’t played in a preliminary final since 1997 and such a dysfunctional nepotistic administrative structure that Cronulla will probably win one before them. Throw in the arrogance and the tantrums and it takes some pure AWFUL to prevent him from winning.
* Matt AWFUL – every team he has left has improved (usually markedly) after he left, he basically pulled a Sonny Bill on Bradford in late 2010, he hoodwinked his way into a three-year contract despite being broken and gave Canberra a grand sum of 6 games for 0 wins before he was ‘rested’.
Matt Orford is the worthiest winner of this award. Ever. Please return your 2008 Dally M, fraud.
Canberra’s worst season since the early 1980s mercifully concluded on Sunday when the Bulldogs launched a late comeback in a bizarre afternoon. Canterbury’s decision to sell out to Star Wars meant there was a weird vibe, with storm troopers, Princess Leias and theme music all around. Ben Barba scored another host of tries (no basketball bounces this week though) but Andrew Ryan’s late try almost resulted in a calamitous injury when he tried to recreate the concept of Luke Patten’s staged post-try celebration from last season.
Canberra is in a potential position to win the next two awards in season 2012. Well, definitely the first award:
The Darren Senter “Addition By Subtraction” award
For those not aware, Darren Senter played for Balmain and the Wests Tigers for a number of years, never getting close to a semi-final game. His hard-working but snarly and negative game was grudgingly admired by Tigers supporters but his retirement unleashed the Wests Tigers attacking juggernaut of 2005 and the club’s first premiership.
The nominees are:
* Michael Bani – the more-than-useless Cowboys winger kept stealing game appearances from far better players into the early rounds of 2011 before coach Neil Henry finally realised the error of his ways and the burgeoning talent of Fai Fai Loa.
* Todd Carney – the Roosters looked far better late in the season without his drug-addled spectre hanging around waiting for yet another chance to come back.
* Ivan Henjak – Brisbane’s coach in 2009, 2010 and much of the 2011 pre-season was, by all reports, disliked and hampering the growth of what is now a very talented, mostly young Broncos squad.
The winner is Ivan Henjak. Time will tell, but Henjak’s replacement Anthony Griffin has no obvious or distinctive coaching talents, yet Brisbane is thriving (again). Clearly, it’s not that hard to coach the dominant team in south-east Queensland.
Brisbane’s final game of the minor premiership was Darren Lockyer day and little else. Manly, as they do with everything ever, ruined this game as a spectacle due to their suspended and injured players after last week, but they played gallantly to stay in this game for some time.
The Paul Whatuira “Buy of the Year” award
Paul Whatuira, with his speed and difficult-to-tackle style plus premiership-winning experience, was the key off-season addition for the Tigers in 2005. This year’s nominees are not likely to follow in Whatuira’s footsteps but have made a profound impact on their respective teams. The nominees are:
* Jeremy Smith – people laugh at Cronulla fairly often, but the fact that they able to buy a player ANY team would have must count for something. Smith had an excellent year, although (again) suffered somewhat due to injury.
* Neville Costigan – Costigan is the hard man amongst hard men i.e. Newcastle. Strangely though, they are a somewhat fragile team collectively despite being full of hard heads like Costigan, Hilder, Edwards and De Gois. Wayne Bennett will be happy to coach Costigan again next year after missing him badly in 2011.
* Dallas Johnson – there were concerns Johnson might vie for a spot on the ex-Melbourne Storm team of players who suck elsewhere, but clearly his body and his concussion-addled brain still had at least another excellent season in them. Feral Thurston would have loved some more guts in the pack like Johnson after the Cowbores have sucked so bad since 2005.
The winner is Dallas Johnson. Even if the Cowboys go out in Week 1 of the finals, the additions of Johnson and Glenn Hall were brilliant additions to a team which always has talent but rarely delivers.
The draw somewhat unfairly sent the Cowbores to Auckland in the season’s last round, but the Cowbores gave a strong account of themselves after a scratchy last month. With that said, they lost to two Krisnan Inu tries – not a great thing to put on the CV.
The final two player awards are both named after halfbacks from the Hunter, who had vastly different career paths.
The Andrew Johns “One Man Team” award
It’s been a few years now, but Newcastle fell apart whenever Johns was injured. It still amazes that Danny Buderus is held in high regard despite his inability to do anything without Johns. The nominees for today’s Johns are:
* Feral Thurston – he was not the one-man-team he quite was in previous years, with Little Matty Bowen™ having some excellent games with Feral out injured.
* Michael Ennis – the Bulldogs’ season never really got back on track after Ennis missed some games with injury/representative duty. His injury eventually saw the other Bulldogs learn to play without him, but it took quite some time and cost the Bulldogs a top 8 spot.
* Paul Gallen – once (still) a grub but now a superhuman forward, Gallen played this role for Cronulla but also New South Wales. People laughed when he named prop for State of Origin 2, but to play a full game in that position, with little prop help on the team, was almost unprecedented, certainly in the modern day.
The winner clearly is Paul Gallen. Interesting to note that each of these players are considered amongst the more irritating players in the NRL. Can we conclude ‘grubbiness’ is just misplaced effort??
Another season with some bright wins but more tough losses ended on the latter for Cronulla on Saturday night. The Tigers looked vulnerable after 7 mostly easy wins but a few dubious refereeing decisions and some Robbie Farah desire saw the Tigers stumble across the line.
The Michael Witt Award for the worst drop-kick/field goal attempt
In 2004, Michael Witt sent supporters of the game into rapturous laughter with a line drop-out at Penrith which, while attempting to loft the kick just across the 10 metre line and win back possession, ended up returning back across the goal line and finished up in-touch in-goal. The nominees for this award are:
* Chris Sandow – Sandow is an excellent field-goal kicker, but his premature celebration after kicking several late-game (but not that late) field goals which were then superseded by opposition tries gave supporters many laughs.
(Speaking of Souths and humour, I hope everyone enjoyed Souths’ second-straight calamitous effort when presented with a win-and-you’re-in game in the final round of the season. Surely the funniest moment was after Newcastle jumped to a 76476476-nil lead after 20 minutes, the Channel 9 cameras cut to the “LOL@50uffs” signs in the crowd)
* Jamal Idris – his first and surely only drop kick came with a line drop-out against the Warriors. He held the ball like he’d never thought about attempting a drop-kick then slipped over in the kicking motion. It would take some effort to beat this.
* Jason Ryles – some forwards have kicked field goals before (Nathan Cayless and Ian Hindmarsh come to mind) but Ryles’ attempt to win the game from 40 metres out against Souths – followed by finger-pointing and shouting between various Roosters – was almost a season highlight. The kick itself wasn’t that bad, but the fact this long-time target of hilarity was in the wrong place at the wrong time....Champagne comedy!
The Roosters completed a very good end of season run in an entertaining win over a deliberately under-strength Melbourne team. Rumours have long swirled about the Roosters and betting in late-season, unimportant fixtures and the way the Roosters celebrated and the way the money flowed for the Roosters with the points start..............
The Tuesday Roast™ awards end with the two team awards.
The Luke Carroll & Anthony Prince ("Dumb and Dumber") award
Carroll & Prince were young Australian men living in Vail, Colorado in 2005, when they decided to rob their local bank. Balaclavas may have hidden their appearance, but their distinctive Australian accents meant their identity was well known to employees of the bank and they were easily apprehended.
The nominees for stupidity in the NRL in 2011 include:
* Gold Coast Titans – sadly the Titans aged before our eyes, going from premiership threat to basket-case in months. However, their stupid signings for 2012, loading up in positions where they remain strong and not buying anyone in the important spine positions, should ensure the Titans remain near the cellar next season.
* Canberra – two words: Matt Awful. But this is not the Dally Ms so we need another team to win this award.
* South Sydney – somehow this team, who has had to suffer through John Sutton’s inconsistency and one-in-eight game glimpses of talent for close to a decade, chose to re-sign Sutton and allow the more talented, harder to replace Chris Sandow to leave the club. Sandow responded by having a brilliant second half of the season. Sutton will, almost certainly, tease Souths with some excellent games but ultimately disappoint. A lot like Souths themselves really.
Well done to 50uffs – for many supporters, seeing the Rabbitohs get close but (again) fail to make the finals made their season. It never gets old either!
Finally, appropriately, the last award to the team that finished last.
The Western Suburbs Magpies 1999 “Worst Team in the NRL” award
The nominees are:
* Sydney Roosters – who had a disgraceful middle 12 rounds, where they couldn’t score in a brothel and were not even remotely entertaining.
* Canberra – they lifted against the Dragons but sucked against almost every other team in every other match. Would have been worthy winners of the spoon in almost any other year, except for
* Gold Coast – the Titans were somewhat unfortunate to suffer mightily with injury (although it was hard not to laugh at Clinton Toopi’s injury – vertigo. It sounds like an injury Michael Hagan would have – actually, it was. Couldn’t they have made something up that sounded remotely like a footy injury?) but they aged rapidly during 2011 and were deserving winners of the wooden spoon. Were it not for horrendously lucky wins against the Dragons and Raiders, they would have threatened the mighty Magpies’ points total from 1999.
Well done to the Titans, Parramatta certainly did not deserve the wooden spoon.
That brings an end to the tipping season of 2011 and the tipping competition under its current structure (for obvious reasons). Thanks for your patronage and hope you enjoyed the competition.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
Round 26: Tuesday Roast™ Awards Night
Tuesday 30 August 2011
Round 25: Good Calls
“If I had to tip a draw, I’d go for….Parramatta and Roosters. I’d choose a night game (more slippery) and two teams not at their best or not very good.” Edited email from Tuesday Roast to tipster Mark Lawson 26/8/11
Had Parramatta been able to hold on to the ball in the late going, their Friday night game against the Roosters could very well have ended in a draw. Let’s take a look back at Round 25 in the NRL from the perspective of good calls made before or during each game.
Manly v. Melbourne
“Who should we have on the cover this week? Glenn Stewart and Adam Blair, they’re both due a big game…”
Yep, there was a relatively minor fight which, as we all know now, became a massive all-in brawl when the aforementioned protagonists (who were on the front cover of Big League) became reacquainted near the sideline.
In a way, it was unfortunate this game descended into farce, as Manly looked to be well on top of Melbourne and a thorough, 13-a-side thrashing would have given the season a different outlook. As it turned out, the game died a slow death after Tony Williams extended Manly’s lead into double figures late in the first half.
Melbourne looked unwilling for a huge game before the brawl, they looked well and truly due for a loss, but we’ll never be quite sure about that. Check back on this rivalry in a few weeks to see exactly what effect this game had on both teams.
Parramatta v. Sydney Roosters
“They had a great combination last year, Frankie Paul and Braith, remember they scored a couple of tries down in Melbourne, look like they trying to bring that back….(singing) Bring it back, Bring it back….”
Brad Fittler’s insane ramblings from the commentary box complemented this raggedy but nevertheless entertaining game. After an even first half hour, Parramatta again took another solid lead into the heart of this one but couldn’t land the knockout blow. Then, like night follows day, Parramatta gave up another lead.
The game’s final 10 minutes were hectic, as the Roosters dominated and equalised the game, but just couldn’t win it. They had a host of field goal attempts blocked, one of which Jarryd Hayne tried to kick like a soccer ball to the other end of the field. Finally, another Parramatta error led to Braith Anasta’s looped game-winning field goal.
Canterbury v. Newcastle
“Ben Barba, preparing for his NBA debut in the months ahead”
These two teams still had top 8 intentions but delivered a wacky game which would have been far more believable coming from two cellar dwellers. In the first half, Newcastle dominated like few teams in recent history have dominated a first half. Yet, after half time, the Bulldogs returned the favour.
But they only sealed the win with Ben Barba’s second try; a try which wouldn’t have looked out of place on a basketball court given how high the ball BOUNCED. Blind Freddy could tell it bounced but blurry footage and the stupid separation rule meant it was good enough. Bollocks it was.
North Queensland v. Cronulla
“Cronulla with the (+15 ½) start”
This was another excellent call from Tuesday Roast; the Cowboys haven’t been anywhere near their best for a while now. They needed a greater challenge to get themselves prepared mentally than the seemingly gummy Sharks.
Cronulla started well and even held the lead for most of the game. The Cowboys’ cause was not helped by a season-ending injury to Tariq Sims, however they stayed close enough to sneak home with the eight-point win.
Canberra v. Penrith
“Might just check the Canberra Penno result on the phone ay?”
Certainly a good call here from much of the male population of Australia. The possible exceptions here of course were those who wanted to watch Canberra legend Alan Tongue’s last game at home.
As Canberra has for most of the 2011 season — heck, for all of the season except the Dragons game — they disappointed again in this one, failing to match the Panthers’ enthusiasm. Lachlan Coote returned from a long injury lay-off to again garner too much enthusiasm from the commentators (just kidding) but it was Luke Walsh who starred in the win.
On to Sunday’s games and a few misheard referees calls…
St George Illawarra v. New Zealand
“HELD!”
Brisbane v. South Sydney
“FOUR!”
The Warriors had only won once in Wollongong in their entire existence but they looked likely to overcome this jinx with a fast start. However the Dragons might have turned the corner and be ready to again contend this season — especially after events on Friday night. The catalyst here perhaps was Mark Gasnier’s try, which came after Beau Scott was seemingly held in the tackle for an age. Still, there was (gradual) movement and the Warriors should have (cliché alert) “played to the whistle”.
An entertaining first half in Brisbane gave way to a messy ending. Some flashes of brilliance from both teams were seen in the first half; Brisbane took a deserved lead to the break. However, Souths’ premiership run might have stalled for good with a sloppy second half, which featured a major lack of attacking variety or structure, but – more embarrassingly – several occasions where Souths players failed to produce any kick option on the last tackle.
Wests Tigers v. Gold Coast
“Maybe they had a lower…sense of security”
The final game of the round saw the Tigers easily account for the overmatched Titans. On the Fox commentary panel was the often punch-drunk Brett Kimmorley; this was a tough game to make his Monday night debut, given the mismatch between the teams. Nevertheless, his efforts in talking up a Titans comeback in the early minutes of the second half were probably greater than the combined sum of his efforts on the field over 15 years. Never mind that the Titans never looked like scoring against a set defence. This would have been quite annoying to Tigers supporters and neutrals alike, except that Kimmorley’s punch-drunk-ness always produces a few stumbles, such as the one quoted above (referring to possible complacency on the part of the Tigers).
The round ended with a good call by the Tigers; Robbie Farah went for the seemingly meaningless field goal, up by 28 with 5 seconds to go, but this field goal was the 45th of the season. Since 1971, when the value of field goals fell to one point, this is now the fourth most field goals in any one season and the most since 1987, when the likes of Neil Baker were potting field goals almost on a weekly basis.
See you next week for the final Tuesday Roast of 2011.
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Round 24: No No No No NO!
2011 has been an interesting year for prolific rugby league analyst Phil ‘Gus’ Gould. While much has remained the same in his life — his dislike of the salary cap, News Ltd. and much of the game’s administration amongst other things — quite drastic changes in his physical appearance coincided with changes in his analytical style and job title/s.
His return to club officialdom with his first club Penrith, in addition to an already hectic workload, has probably detracted from the quality of his analysis this season. It is still unclear whether being overworked led to his decision to stop pretending he possessed the vibrant hair colour of a much younger man, but it was likely a contributing factor.
His rapidly changing colour prompted many laughs over recent months, but his in-game commentary has also suffered somewhat this season. True, his sometimes-funny-but-mostly-silly banter with Ray Warren has continued, while at times his analysis has been excellent. But the emotion has been somewhat lacking, in particular with some now-famous catchphrases that became prominent in recent seasons.
Maybe, like all teams are aiming to do at this time of year, Gould is pacing himself, saving the emotion for the big games, preparing to finish the year strongly. Whatever the reason, here’s a look back at Round 24 with thanks to some of Gus’ famous catchphrases.
Melbourne v. St George Illawarra
The Dragons started strongly here; they threatened to catch a slow-starting Storm on the hop. But the Storm got going and, despite the close score-line, were never really threatened after half-time.
No No No No NO! Coming up against Melbourne is perhaps the worst environment for an out-of-sorts playmaker to recapture his form, but poor Jamie Soward struggled mightily in this game. His desire might be there to play through pain, but his still-fragile confidence is battered and the Storm made his night a miserable one.
Wow! WOW!!!!! Melbourne’s Gareth Widdop was a capable replacement for Cooper Cronk. While not possessing Cronk’s super-intense focus and ultra-clinical playmaking abilities, Widdop’s feel for the game and ability to find gaps put the usually well-prepared Dragons’ defence on the back-foot. If Cronk is Steve Waugh, then Widdop might just be Mark Waugh.
South Sydney v. North Queensland
Given the awful conditions, this was one of the better games of 2011. After an even first half, the Cowbores took a 12-point lead with under 15 minutes left and victory looked almost certain. But the resilient Rabbitohs weren’t beaten and some Chris Sandow brilliance took the game to extra time. Again, the Cowbores should have won, but Bowen’s field goal attempt hit the post. The ensuing set saw Souths march down the field, but before a field goal attempt of their own, Issac Luke forced the officials to gift the game to his team with his questionable conduct from what should have been an immediate penalty (but often is not, given referee reluctance in extra time).
This game was also noteworthy for the big individual match-ups: the star Indigenous halfback (Feral Thurston) against the up-and-coming Indigenous halfback (Sandow) but also the battle of the oddly named brothers (Tariq Sims – brother of Ashton – against Fetuli Talanoa – brother of Mark). Someone at Souths has a sense of humour…
Don’t get me started, Rabs, DON’T GET ME STARTED! Many would expect this to go to Issac Luke or to the weak on-field referees, but Cowbores five-eighth Ray Thompson – in conjunction with the Channel 9 commentators – are worthy winners here. Thompson had some nice moments in this game, but made a bunch of mistakes, yet the commentary was excessively positive. His basic late-game kick into the corner and into touch might as well have been a spiralling torpedo from 60 metres out into a fierce gale, based on the reaction of the commentators. It wasn’t as bad as the all-time commentary overreaction, Lachlan Coote’s debut for Penrith in 2008, when Coote struggled mightily, missed all 4 attempts at goal but somehow won Man of the Match, but it wasn’t far off.
Love the Sunday afternoon at the Footy! Chris Sandow’s output in this game swung wildly on the successometer, even within the space of a few minutes. Brilliance was followed up by unprecedented failure, which was shaken off to be followed by more brilliance. Souths can cope with the lows because the highs are becoming higher and more frequent, but one wonders whether Parramatta and their rigid structure will do the same in 2012.
Gold Coast v. Canberra
In contrast, this was one of the worst games of 2011. Both teams were running very low on confidence, although, to be fair, they were also running low on much of their first-choice squads. The Titans somehow found four tries and this was enough to hold off a late Raiders comeback.
No No No No NO! In a game full of poor choices, next to zero confidence and baffling mistakes, a standout was Canberra’s Reece Robinson, who took a kick-return early in the second half, ran towards the sideline with little deception or variation and subsequently was taken across the line with ease. How can Daniel Vidot be behind this hack in Canberra’s pecking order???
Wow! WOW!!!!! Gold Coast’s Greg Bird was almost a lone competent player in this game, especially given that he was playing with a broken bone in his hand. Hard running, solid tackling, always a threat to the defence: there were about 20 of these players in some other games over the weekend, but only a couple in this abomination of a game.
Penrith v. New Zealand
Once again, Penrith fought hard against a big-name opponent and probably should have taken an early lead, but the Warriors are on a roll at the moment. Their knack for creating tries out of very little again came to the fore in this game, ensuring they were never seriously threatened.
Don’t get me started, Rabs, DON’T GET ME STARTED! Clearly, the decision to play Michael Jennings at fullback for Penrith was more disciplinary than an opportunity. Jennings clearly had never played fullback before and appeared to have not even done much preparation for the role. It wasn’t quite as bad as the infamous Braith Anasta game at fullback – which also took place against Penrith, where former Panther Brad Fittler was the offending coach – but it wasn’t far off.
Love the Sunday afternoon at the Footy! New Zealand’s arsenal of speed was again on show in this game, with Kevin Locke and Shaun Johnson wowing the crowd with blazing long-distance tries. The Dragons will be hoping for rain to limit the speedy Warriors’ opportunities on a dry track this weekend.
Sydney Roosters v. Cronulla
If only the Gold Coast and Raiders could have played with the same spirit and desire as these two also-rans. Despite being out of top-8 contention, these teams provided an entertaining and intense game on Saturday night. Cronulla emerged from their recent funk to lead for much of the game, but the Roosters finished with a flourish to overcome a tough opposition, but also a poor record in 2011 in the next match for those who have beaten/drawn with the Dragons.
No No No No NO! There were some poor decisions by the officials in Round 24, but without doubt the worst of them came in this game. Just before half-time, Paul Gallen surged towards the line, but the ball was stripped out by Roosters defenders. After the ensuing struggle, John Williams grounded the ball for Cronulla (which was subsequently awarded as a try) but incredibly the video referee missed Gallen knocking the loose ball into Roosters defenders – an obvious knock-on to all supporters – on no less than THREE occasions.
Wow! WOW!!!!! To the Roosters themselves, who in winning this game, achieved some significant feats. First, they continued to shine without the soak Todd Carney. Also, they finally moved above a team they have defeated in 2011. In other words, their wins in 2011 have come against teams all above them on the ladder. Lastly, this was the second time in 2011 where the Roosters finished with three late tries to win by 11 points.
Manly v. Canterbury
For some reason, the Bulldogs always play well at Brookvale and Sunday afternoon’s game was no exception, as the Bulldogs played their best game for perhaps several months. Manly did little to convince those who have become somewhat wary of their chances for ultimate premiership success, but once again, they did enough to hold off a gallant opponent. That said; the Bulldogs had several excellent opportunities to really threaten Manly.
Don’t get me started, Rabs, DON’T GET ME STARTED! The Bulldogs had an excellent chance to win this game but blew it in a couple of key plays midway through the second half. Firstly, Jamal Idris broke through the line and flung the ball towards try-sneak Ben Barba, but Barba couldn’t hold the pass with the try-line wide open. The pass was high, but still catchable. The next play was worse though, as Steve Matai’s quick run from dummy half – accompanied by an ‘off side!’ call towards the referee somehow confused the Bulldogs’ defenders into letting Matai run free. His try here basically ended the game.
Love the Sunday afternoon at the Footy! After years of frustration for his supporters, Manly giant Tony Williams appeared to have finally realised how effective he can be on Sunday. Notorious for his soft play, Williams rocked Greg Eastwood with a vicious shoulder charge in the second half. It was a big hit, without question, but Eastwood probably suffered more from shock, given the surprise source of the jolt.
Wests Tigers v. Parramatta
Much like the Bulldogs at Brookvale, Parramatta often plays far better against the Tigers than they do against many other teams. However, on this day, the Tigers largely performed as expected. Parramatta tried hard, but they were not able to keep the margin close this time.
No No No No NO! Parramatta came back into this game early in the second half, but a routine scrum play from the Tigers became a try after Jarryd Hayne failed to complete an easy tackle on Blake Ayshford. In all likelihood, Hayne will be a very good five-eighth, but mistakes such as this – not to mention his failure to make best use of his brilliant kicking game – will frustrate Parramatta supporters for years to come.
The Tigers are my FAVOURITE team to watch! The Tigers continue their run of playing well when expected to: this was a rare commodity earlier in the season. This solid play was seen despite the absence of a number of key players. Hence, the likes of Flanagan and Brown were excellent in relief of much bigger names.
Newcastle v. Brisbane
In recent years, Newcastle has performed excellently against Brisbane at home, and with the prize of a top-8 spot almost confirmed with a win here, they figured to be a decent shot to continue this run. However, after a scratchy first half, Brisbane had the better of the second half, and after holding Newcastle out early in the stanza, they did well to create and realise several try opportunities. The Knights were brave, but injury-hit and never really threatened in the last 25 minutes.
Don’t get me started, Rabs, DON’T GET ME STARTED! Newcastle was a good chance to come back and take the lead early in the second half, with much sustained attack. However, they blew their best chance when Kurt Gidley failed to use his support after breaking into the Brisbane back-field. He was tackled just short of the line and Brisbane scored soon after, which was the start of the end of this game for Newcastle.
Love the Sunday afternoon at the Footy! Brisbane’s excellent form of late continued for the most part in this game and was again fuelled by several potentially very good up-and-comers. The main contributors here were Yow Yeh, Glenn and Jack Reed, but there were several others who could have filled this role. Any new Brisbane team in the next few years will have to overcome 25+ years of Broncos’ dominance in the market for young stars in SE Queensland.
See you next week.
Tuesday 16 August 2011
Round 23: State of the Game
In this week’s Roast, we take a look at some dominant trends in the NRL in 2011.
Dominance of (TAB) Favourites
With a return to allowing more physical play in tackles (meaning slower play-the-balls) as well as all teams continuing to make gains in strength and endurance, one of the outcomes has been for those teams with more talent and skill to win more often.
Hence, the bookmakers have done a better job at predicting winners in 2011 than in any time since the NRL returned to a 16-team competition in 2007 (and probably better than any season since 2002 or 2003). As of Round 23, they are tipping at a 66% success rate for the season (compared to 60%, 63%, 62% and 61% at this stage of this season over the previous four seasons).
Lower Scores (& Tighter Margins)
Similarly, scoring is down in 2011 more than any season since 1996. The average score by any team in a game is 19.4 points. This number peaked in the early 2000s as the game’s administrators believed scoring was what supporters wanted (and tweaked the rules accordingly). Since then, slight rule re-adjustments and continued gains in fitness and strength saw points scored fall back. Wet conditions for a greater-than-normal part of the season were also a factor this season.
Not surprisingly, the above factors have seen the average margin of victory in the NRL fall to its lowest level in the NRL’s history (i.e. since 1998) of just 13 points.
More Field Goals
Following on from above, lower scores, closer contests and more wet conditions have led to a greater use of field goals in season 2011. There have been 39 field goals kicked so far in 2011; this is greater than in any full season since 1997, with the field goals per game statistic higher than in any season since 1993.
With 6 more field goals over the season’s final 3 rounds – certainly not out of the question, given players who love to kick a field goal even if it’s not entirely necessary (such as James Moloney, Chris Sandow and Luke Walsh) – this season’s field goal tally will be the fourth highest in the modern era (i.e. after 1970, when the field goal’s worth was reduced from two points to one).
Dominance of Premiership-Winning Coaches
In every season since 2000, there has been 3 or less former premiership winning coaches with teams in that season’s top 8 finals series. This probably explains the 55% success rate for non premiership winning coaches in grand finals during this time.
However, this season will almost certainly be different. Barring the unlikely outcome of Canterbury leapfrogging both Souths and the Tigers into a top-8 spot, there will be at least 4 premiership winning coaches in this year’s top 8, with the possibility of 5 (if Souths pushes Newcastle out). If this does happen, it will be the first time a finals series has featured 5 former premiership winning coaches since 1998 (when it was a top-10 finals).
But….So Few Grand Finals Between Premiership-Winning Coaches
Perhaps 2011 will see the end of a quite amazing drought when it comes to premiership-winning coaches. Since 1970, there have only been three grand finals featuring a match-up of former premiership-winning coaches. Two of these three took place in 1990 and 1991, when Tim Sheens and Phil Gould took their teams into battle.
So much for premiership experience off the field being a vital component of a team’s success….
Difficulty of Winning 5 Straight After Final Origin Weekend and Winning Premiership
Finally, let’s examine the historical obstacles Melbourne (and, to a lesser extent, the Tigers) will run into trying to win this year’s premiership.
With solid wins in Round 23, Melbourne and Wests Tigers each won the five games following the round after the final Origin game. Since 1999, 15 teams have done this (17 teams if you include going undefeated for five games, as opposed to winning all five games).
Only three of these teams went on to win the premiership: Brisbane in 2000, Canterbury in 2004 and Wests in 2005. Most of the rest of these teams fell at either of the final two hurdles in an NRL season.
Melbourne will more than likely have to overcome winning the minor premiership in order to win the 2011 premiership. Since 1999, only four teams have won the minor premiership and gone on to win the premiership: Brisbane in 2000, Penrith in 2003, Melbourne in 2007 and St George Illawarra in 2010.
That should be more than enough for you to ponder… On to the games from Round 23:
Friday’s action shamefully started (in NSW) with Penrith taking on the Tigers, as opposed to the Cowboys against Brisbane. This was not surprisingly a far better game but featured Australian elite rugby league’s first 350-game player in Darren Lockyer. Anyway, the Tigers let Penrith hang around for a while but won quite comfortably in the end. The far better game in Townsville was broken open by several Brisbane long-range tries. Lockyer mentioned some significant injuries he has received in Townsville, but Brisbane has very happy memories of the far north, with just two losses there in their history.
Saturday kicked off with another cracker in another rotten timeslot: New Zealand up against Newcastle. Both teams needed this one to stay clear of the chasing pack and an excellent game was seen. Newcastle had the better of the early going, but the Warriors continued their pattern of strong second halves and came home with the win. Next up, the resilient Eels once again came close to defeating a highly-ranked opponent, but some very cheap points given to Manly early in the second half saw Parramatta record yet another close loss. Finally, Melbourne easily accounted for the Gold Coast, but an injury to Cooper Cronk will make their final few weeks a little trickier than they would otherwise have been.
Sunday started off with Souths continuing their red-hot form smashing Canberra. With any luck, Souths will register another well-received ninth placed finish, but their last few weeks, whilst brilliant, surely can only be teasing the likes of Lang, Crowe and Richardson. Incoming coach Michael Maguire should probably avoid watching lest he thinks they normally play so well. The late game saw the Roosters play their best and most intense game in many years. But this should not detract from the fact that St George Illawarra was poor, especially the supposedly fit Jamie Soward, who should have worn a skirt given how he played.
The round ended on Monday with one of the worst games of the season. Somehow Canterbury has won two games in a row and remains in finals contention. I guess you can only beat the teams you’re drawn to play…but it’s hard not to see their season ending against Manly this weekend.
See you next week.
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Round 22: One That Can Be Read In A MasterChef Ad Break
Round 22 was one of contrasts. Points were well earned on Friday night, for teams near the top of their game as well as those struggling. Saturday threatened more upsets but will be remembered for delivering two of the best tries in recent memory, while Sunday and Monday saw mediocrity well and truly put in their place.
While the Tigers are well known for their point-scoring abilities and the Dragons played in a 58-point shootout the previous Sunday, it was not surprising that the much-anticipated matchup between these teams was low-scoring. In-game oddsmakers gave some thought to a tryless 80 minutes, but the game opened up in the second half. Sadly, the game was decided by Jamie Soward's unfortunate back injury, although it could be argued that his effort in slowing the Tigers as they attacked his spot in the defensive line was poor, especially as his struggle to run was replaced by more of a sprint as Benji Marshall went to put the ball down. The night's other game had some big hits and a few tries but is now being used in trials of amnesic drugs....
On Saturday, Penrith's cavalier attitude and long-held tendency for upsets, combined with Melbourne possibly being due for a letdown after two months of stellar play, meant they were a sneaky upset chance at AAMI Park. This view was shared by a rather prominent former Balmain and NSW hooker, who informed North Shore locals of his four-figure bet (with the start) in a rather loud and been-in-the-pub-all-afternoon way after Penrith scored the game's first try. But from then on, Melbourne slowly gained control and won comfortably. More evidence of Cooper Cronk's Steve Waugh-like behaviour: the crowd loved Billy Slater's leap and try early in the second half, but few noticed Cronk leap in advance of Slater and put a sneaky knee into Luke Lewis' mid-section, making it difficult for him to take the catch.
Next up, Brisbane hosted New Zealand in a highly entertaining and intense affair. The Warriors may well have had the best of the crowd support, which inspired them further. However, supporters of all persuasions had to enjoy two top-shelf Warriors' tries; the 70-metre jinking, stepping run by Johnson and Kevin Locke's excellent finish after a movement covering a similar length. Brisbane fought back to take an 8-point lead in the second half, but the Warriors came again. The popular ending would have had 349-game started Darren Lockyer knocking over the winning field-goal, but the home team was more than happy to accept Peter Wallace's one-point contribution. This was one of the best games of 2011.
Saturday's night-cap saw the poor Sharks struggle valiantly, dominate possession and attacking field position, but ultimately come up 4 points short of the Titans. This game probably wasn't as bad as many reports indicated but David Mead's incredible on-the-fly pickup and try means (an excerpt) from this game will be played for years to come. Mead's look of shock at the touch judge reminded some (ok, just me) of Michael Jordan's surprise and shrug to the crowd after nailing his 6th 3-pointer (almost as unlikely as Mead's pickup) in the first half of Game 1 of the 1992 NBA finals.
Sunday and Monday saw three very capable teams easily dispose of mediocre opposition. Newcastle was led by Mad Dog MacDougall as the Knights thrashed Canberra. MacDougall could school young defenders for another decade - so long as Newcastle had three byes after each game - but poor Canberra suffered more injuries in this game, so much so that Matt Awful might be pulled out of mothballs for their next game. In the day's other game, it took Manly a little while to get going, but once they did, they easily defeated the Roosters.
Lastly, Parramatta's excellent run of strong efforts was shattered by a rampant South Sydney. Souths tore up Parramatta, especially with their left-edge attack. One can only wonder how they so rarely play to their potential in this aspect of their attack, but have killed the Eels twice this season with it. Souths coach John Lang will do well to ignore any thoughts about the enigma that is his team in his retirement.
See you next week.
Tuesday 2 August 2011
Round 21: Roast’s Rant: Manly and their (unwanted) likeability
Since their first premiership win in 1972, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles have won the most premierships of any top-level rugby league club in Australia (alive or merged). For most of this time, Manly represented a particularly objectionable target for opposition players and supporters alike.
This view still continues today in many circles, however a closer inspection of today’s Manly reveals a vastly different club and team; one with many common elements to more broadly popular teams. This subtle likeability comes despite Manly’s continued and increasingly vocal (and not very successful) attempts to bolster their old ‘hated’ image.
Manly’s success in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s was broadly built upon a foundation of wealth. Long before Roy Masters’ labelling of them as the Silvertails, Manly had acquired a reputation as a team willing to buy key inputs for success, rather than the more traditional method of developing these resources based on local talent. Manly’s popularity (or lack thereof) was not helped by the fact that many of these newly acquired players came from well-regarded but poor clubs.
Another element of Manly’s success during these decades was dubious tactics and/or accusations of bias from officialdom. In the late 1970s, Manly benefited substantially when being refereed by Greg ‘Hollywood’ Hartley, much to the chagrin of opposition coaches. In the mid 1990s, Manly’s status as the ARL darlings during the organising body’s battles with News Ltd. saw any favourable official’s call often interpreted as bias, especially from those soon-to-be Super League clubs.
However, it was dubious on-field tactics which continued to stoke the fires of hate from opposition supporters towards Manly. A common element here was Manly star player then Coach Bob Fulton. Fulton was one of the great talents in his playing days, but these talents extended to gaining advantages in less legal ways. Not surprisingly, his teams of the late 80s and mid 90s were full of players well versed in these cunning arts, such as Matthew Ridge pioneering the sliding-feet challenge on the potential try-scorer and Steve Menzies diving at the knees of kickers in his early years.
One of the great joys of rugby league in the late 1990s was watching Manly slide towards oblivion, with Fulton unable to arrange a dignified exit. Most of his leading players from the halcyon days of the mid 1990s had moved on, but some stayed, due to loyalty (Menzies), being eligible for the pension (Cliff Lyons) but also those for whom massive unpopularity/grubbiness would impact on their ability to find other employment (Hill, Hopoate, Field, Serdaris etc.)
Ultimately, Manly survived into the new millennium but only because another team was deteriorating faster than they were – North Sydney. Were it not for a major La Niña event in 1998 (with heavy rainfall continuing into 1999), as well as some bad luck in major games a few years prior to this, North Sydney would likely have completed their move to the Central Coast and secured their place in the NRL on their own. Instead, the northern Sydney rivals formed an unsteady alliance to share the 16th spot in the new competition; a spot which didn’t sit well with each traditional supporter base.
Not even four-plus years of mostly sorry, rarely entertaining rugby league from Manly or their merged entity could make people feel sorry for them. The seeds for the ‘new Manly’ were sewn after Norths became insolvent, could no longer participate in the merger and private ownership saved Manly from extinction. This new environment allowed a combination of new talent, a popular acquisition and a much more amenable attitude to emerge.
Despite their return as a sole club, Manly came very close to folding in 2003 before Max Delmege’s involvement saved the club from extinction. Over the next year and a half, Manly was not successful in terms of finishing in the NRL’s top 8, but their young talent (locals such as Watmough, smart buys such as Monaghan and transplanted juniors such as the Stewart brothers) saw them emerge on the NRL radar.
This improvement was enough to attract one of the better players in the NRL, Ben Kennedy, to sign with Manly from the 2005 season. Kennedy thrived away from the second-rate Newcastle club infrastructure and instantly became Manly’s leader. His combination with another of the NRL’s more popular players in Steve Menzies played a big role in the improved standing of Manly during this time. This standing took a few steps back when Terry Hill played one final season at Manly in 2005, but his retirement saw this process continue.
Some thought Manly’s ‘Silvertail’ status was returning when Matt Awful signed with the club for a four-year, far-too-many dollar contract from 2006, but as Manly continued to win and move higher up the ladder, this success did not translate into much profit for Delmege or new co-owner Scott Penn. As a result, there has been little to no talk of salary cap rorting at Manly.
2007 saw Jamie Lyon return to the NRL after several years in England, where he went in 2005 in order to avoid playing for Brian Smith. While some Parramatta supporters showed their disgust at Lyon, most understood his motives. After Ben Kennedy retired at the end of 2006, the emergence of Glenn Stewart to take over from Kennedy helped Lyon’s game flourish. Stewart’s rarely-seen ball-playing skills made Manly more entertaining and a better team at the same time.
During this time, Manly – coached by former premiership winner Des Hasler – had developed a relentless, physical style of play, but a style of play without excessive rough stuff or Melbourne Storm-like constant bending of the rules. Also, it became obvious in this time that Manly was a very tight-knit and loyal team. When they thrashed Melbourne 40-0 in the 2008 grand final, neutrals, almost as one, hailed Manly’s win with the sentiment that “I hate Melbourne, about time someone thrashed them”, but few admitted to themselves that this was no longer the club they grew up hating with such a passion.
Over the last few years, events have further confirmed Manly as a much more likeable team than they once were. As has happened with every team he has ever played for, Matt Awful’s departure from Manly saw him replaced by someone far more capable and attractive to watch. However, the main new player for Manly in this time is Kieran Foran, an exciting combination of toughness, guile and savvy at the five-eighth position. Surely the only supporters to dislike Foran are old Norths supporters, for two reasons: 1. he plays for Manly and 2. Foran would have been a Norths junior.
While the ‘new’ Manly has not lost any support from their traditional constituents on the northern beaches, the Manly powers-that-be are clearly conscious that this more likeable Manly team has not made much impact elsewhere. Hence, there have been an increasing number of attempts to make Manly more hateable. These usually involve some sort of variant on ‘everyone’s against us’ or ‘Brett Stewart is still being treated unfairly’, but these are gaining less traction each time they are trotted out now, especially with Manly’s 2011 resurgence, partly built on the emergence of up-and-coming talent (very difficult to hate).
With that said however, it was quite satisfying to watch the Wests Tigers defeat Manly on Friday night. They stayed in the game despite a strong Manly performance then put on three tries in 10 minutes to take a lead they would not relinquish. The other Friday night game saw Brisbane easily dispatch Cronulla.
On Saturday, the Roosters and Bulldogs exchanged the lead (and attempts to throw the game away) on several occasions. Amazingly, the Roosters took the match-winning lead after two Jason Ryles mistakes instead benefited the home team via incorrect refereeing decisions. The other game saw the Cowbores defeat Penrith, who couldn’t keep up after losing Lewis and Jennings to injury.
On Sunday, the Warriors accounted for Canberra, who couldn’t back up from their grand final win. Next up, Newcastle ended an 11-game streak of scoring less than 20 points spectacularly by exploding for the NRL’s first 50-point effort in 2011, despite a tight first half against the Gold Coast. Finally, the Dragons got off to their third incredibly fast start in three weeks but, for the second straight week, gave up this lead as the hot-and-cold Souths finished with the amazing comeback win.
Finally on Monday night, it looked like Melbourne’s run of wins had come to an end against a deserving Parramatta line-up. But then Melbourne tried for 10 minutes and Parramatta’s 18-point lead had disappeared. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy was very happy, but now has to wonder how he’ll manufacture their usual end-of-season soft patch before the finals. For Parramatta, they deserve far better than second last on the ladder, but they might struggle to discard this position before the end of the season.
See you next week.
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Round 19: Home Stretch Preview
With roughly 3 quarters of the minor premiership now past, this week’s Tuesday Roast takes a look at how the remaining quarter (and beyond) of the season might turn out for each of the 16 teams.
Melbourne: currently on 32 points (+199 points difference).
Still to play: Brisbane (h), Parramatta (a), Penrith (h), Gold Coast (a), St George Illawarra (h), Manly (a), Sydney Roosters (a)
Predicted finish: 42 points — equal 1st
Incredibly, Melbourne finds themselves on top of the ladder after 19 rounds despite having to get rid of a host of players to satisfy NRL salary cap regulations. Granted some of these losses benefited the team considerably (Ryan Hoffman), but any team that can make Adam Woolnough, Jaiman Lowe or Maurice ‘Bobby’ Blair into important parts of a premiership-contending line-up deserves high praise.
Over the remainder of the season, Melbourne has a middle-of-the-road draw in terms of difficulty. They have to play three of their fellow top-five teams, but two of these matches are at home. They also have three lowly teams to come. A top-2 spot seems almost certain.
Manly: currently on 30 points (+155 points)
Still to play: Penrith (a), Wests Tigers (h – Gosford), Sydney Roosters (h), Parramatta (a), Canterbury (h), Melbourne (h), Brisbane (a)
Predicted finish: 42 points — equal 1st
With Melbourne and Manly dominating, it feels like 2007 and 2008 once again. Some say it feels like 2007 and 2008 in the world economy, but that’s a discussion for another time. Manly’s return to the upper echelon of the ladder is almost as surprising as Melbourne’s. Their much-vaunted physical edge over most teams faded during 2010 and with little potential apparent for improvement from new signings or emerging youngsters as well as their stars getting one year older, 2011 looked to be a year where sneaking into the top 8 would be welcomed.
Instead, their physical edge has returned. They have some of the most promising young talent in the NRL and, more importantly, their veterans are back to near their best. They should keep rolling on towards September, accumulating wins with not too much difficulty. A relatively good draw will help them to a probable top-2 finish.
St George Illawarra: currently on 29 points (+145)
Still to play: Canberra (a), South Sydney (h), Wests Tigers (a — SFS), Sydney Roosters (h), Melbourne (a), New Zealand (h), Penrith (h) — all home games at Wollongong
Predicted finish: 39 points — 3rd
Waiting for either of the top 2 to stumble will be St George Illawarra. They have emerged from a difficult State of Origin period with their line-up almost intact and are still comfortably in the top 4.
The Dragons are a somewhat more capable team, with more variety in attack and perhaps more resilience in defence, than in 2009 and 2010, it’s hard to shake the feeling that they are missing one or two more physically threatening forwards. This absence may only be apparent in a few games over the remainder of the season and the finals, but it might cost the Dragons back-to-back premierships. They were excellent on Monday night, but they can’t rely on almost monopolising possession and winning the penalty count comprehensively when the game is up for grabs every week.
Brisbane: currently on 28 points (+70)
Still to play: Melbourne (a), Cronulla (h), New Zealand (h), North Queensland (a), Newcastle (a), South Sydney (h), Manly (h)
Predicted finish: 38 points — 4th
After Greg Inglis turned Brisbane down to sign with LOL@$ouff$ for 2011, some expected Brisbane to miss the top 8 for a second consecutive year. Others, perhaps cynically, thought Brisbane would bounce back into the 8, but not as convincingly as in years past.
Instead, Brisbane could be a dark horse (hohoho) for this year’s premiership. Their group of emerging young talent, combined with some of their veterans playing at or near career best form (led, incredibly, by Darren Lockyer) has surprised many this season. They should cruise to a top-4 spot.
North Queensland: currently on 26 points (+64)
Still to play: Gold Coast (a), Penrith (h), Canterbury (a), Brisbane (h), South Sydney (a), Cronulla (h), New Zealand (a)
Predicted finish: 32 points — 5th
The injury to Feral Thurston might prevent yet another contender from having another very successful bounce-back season. However, his likely return in Round 23 and some astute off-season signings (who have contributed on and off the field) should see the Cowbores compile enough points while Thurston recovers to maintain their top-5 position.
The Cowbores’ forward pack has had an excellent year. Matt Scott is perhaps the best prop in the game, Dallas Johnson and Glenn Hall have provided much-needed starch and experience, while young tearaway Tariq Sims is absolutely nothing like his slightly retarded brother Ashton; hence Tariq is regarded as a future State of Origin player. Also, Little Matty Bowen™ has had his best year since 2007 after having successful knee ligament, care and attention span transplants. Any of the top 5 has a legitimate chance to win this premiership.
New Zealand: currently on 22 points (+31)
Still to play: South Sydney (a), Canberra (h), Brisbane (a), Newcastle (h), Penrith (a), St George Illawarra (a — Wollongong), North Queensland (h)
Predicted finish: 28 points — 8th
Despite being in the NRL since 1995, becoming fully accustomed to the 26-week minor premiership and having some wonderful veteran leaders over the years, the Warriors are still a team whose best and worst play is as far apart as any team in the NRL. They defeated Melbourne earlier this season, yet also lost meekly to the Roosters and Parramatta.
They have some excellent pieces, a nice mix of size, speed, youth and experience: James Maloney in the halves, Mannering and Luck the stalwarts in the back-row, the Inconsistent Twins of Mateo and Vatuvei plus a host of up-and-comers (Elijah Taylor, Kevin Locke and Shaun Johnson). But….it’s hard to see them stringing three or four good weeks together to win the premiership. With that said, they probably won’t mind finishing 8th and facing Melbourne in week 1 of the finals.
Wests Tigers: currently on 20 points (+8)
Still to play: Sydney Roosters (h — Leichhardt), Manly (a — BlueTongue Stadium), St George Illawarra (h — SFS), Penrith (a), Parramatta (h — SFS), Gold Coast (h — Campbelltown), Cronulla (a)
Predicted finish: 30 points — equal 6th
The Tigers FINALLY announced the signing of Adam Blair last week; this coincided with their best win for some time against the Cowbores on Saturday night. Can that win (and some belated certainty about the playing roster for 2012) be the catalyst for a late-season run? Possibly, but if they do make the finals, it will need wins over some high-placed or bogey teams (or both). With that said, these challenges are probably necessary so as to prevent laziness and complacency and promote some consistent, high-quality play.
Penrith: currently on 20 points (-4)
Still to play: Manly (h), North Queensland (a), Melbourne (a), Wests Tigers (h), New Zealand (h), Canberra (a), St George Illawarra (a — Wollongong)
Predicted finish: 24 points — equal 10th
Penrith has been a nice story in recent months. After a slow start, Penrith has rebounded and shrugged off a coaching change — with another coaching change to come — to play some very good rugby league over the last few months. However, their run home is the most difficult in the NRL, with only one game not against a team in the top 8 (at Canberra: a possibly difficult game as well). It will take sustained consistency and effort for Penrith to threaten a top-8 run from here: qualities not normally associated with a team in flux like the Panthers.
Newcastle: currently on 20 points (-21)
Still to play: Cronulla (a), Gold Coast (h), Canberra (h), New Zealand (a), Brisbane (h), Canterbury (a), South Sydney (h)
Predicted finish: 30 points — equal 6th
It has been easy to watch Newcastle in their last two games and dismiss them as finals contenders. However, when their friendly remaining draw is examined — which includes 5 home games and 5 games against teams currently outside the top 8 — their task of playing in September is suddenly much easier. With that said, continued loss of players to injury will hurt their chances, but a top-8 appearance would be quite an accomplishment for Newcastle, even if they stand little chance of progressing.
Cronulla: currently on 18 points (-43)
Still to play: Newcastle (h), Brisbane (a), Gold Coast (h), Canterbury (h), Sydney Roosters (a), North Queensland (a), Wests Tigers (h)
Predicted finish: 22 points — 12th
Cronulla’s four-game winning streak before Monday night planted the seed of thought in some minds that the Sharks might be a chance of playing in September. This seed was promptly crushed by the Dragons and their relentless first-half play on Monday, but while Paul Gallen might disagree, season 2011 can be a stepping stone for Cronulla even if they miss the top-8. Some more good signings and continued development and depth in key positions should see Cronulla a much better chance of playing finals in 2012.
South Sydney: currently on 18 points (-62)
Still to play: New Zealand (h), St George Illawarra (a — Wollongong), Parramatta (h), Canberra (a), North Queensland (h), Brisbane (a), Newcastle (a)
Predicted finish: 26 points — 9th (again)
Now we move on to the disappointments for 2011. Well….perhaps Souths deserve an exemption from such a harsh branding. Their injury toll has again been significant, while John Sutton and Rhys Wesser (for whom “the body’s good, except for a few bad limbs”) have remained injury-free: no team deserves such a considerable handicap.
With all that in mind, Souths probably still has a good chance of sneaking into the 8 this season. Their remaining draw has a number of games against nearby opposition, with the injury toll slowing easing. However, the greater likelihood is that Round 26 will once again end Souths’ season, as it has ever since their last premiership in 1655.
Canterbury: currently on 18 points (-65)
Still to play: Parramatta (h), Sydney Roosters (a), North Queensland (h), Cronulla (a), Manly (a), Newcastle (h), Canberra (h)
Predicted finish: 24 points — equal 10th
What started in the mid 2000s as a departure from their long-trusted model of player development was completed last week (when Kevin Moore was qu-ushed (quit + pushed) from the head coaching position): the family club is no more. A top-8 appearance looks unlikely, even allowing for a sacked coach bounce-back in the next few weeks. With that said, a relatively easy draw should see them pick up a few wins to end the season on a more promising note.
Parramatta: currently on 15 points (-92)
Still to play: Canterbury (a), Melbourne (h), South Sydney (a), Manly (h), Wests Tigers (a — SFS), Sydney Roosters (a), Gold Coast (a)
Predicted finish: 19 points — 13th
Amazingly, the Eels could finish below 20 points this season but coach Stephen Kearney could be a strong contender for Coach of the Year. There have been some ugly moments and they need to learn how to close out games, but Kearney has done much of the hard work to set this club back on the long road towards premiership success. The laziness/slackness/complacency of the Smith/Hagan/Anderson days are long gone. They probably won’t ruin many contending team’s chances (with the possible exception of the Tigers) but watch out for them in 2012.
Canberra: currently on 14 points (-102)
Still to play: St George Illawarra (h), New Zealand (a), Newcastle (a), South Sydney (h), Gold Coast (a), Penrith (h), Canterbury (a)
Predicted finish: 18 points — equal 15th
Canberra’s season has proceeded beautifully, with plans for the ultimate game well-advanced. Building on last week’s game, they are in a potentially good position…….to beat the Dragons. Unfortunately, Canberra only plays the Dragons once this season and being embarrassed in a handful of games so far this season might create the motivation for their annual Dragons upset, but it won’t lead to anything like a good season by conventional indicators.
Fortunately for Canberra coach David Furner, it seems the family club has moved to the nation’s capital, where David’s brother Don makes the decisions and one board member commented earlier this season “If it was between David and a coach who did nothing but pursue wins all the time, we’d have David every day of the week……David would have to lose 30 games in a row to get the sack”. What is it about ex-Canberra players now coaching and being surrounded by idiots??
Sydney Roosters: currently on 14 points (-104)
Still to play: Wests Tigers (a — Leichhardt), Canterbury (h), Manly (a), St George Illawarra (a — Wollongong), Cronulla (h), Parramatta (a), Melbourne (h)
Predicted finish: 18 points — equal 15th
How the mighty have fallen — but they also yo-yo. They are at risk of falling from the grand final to the wooden spoon in one season, but remember they also won the 2009 wooden spoon. Several other clubs do the yo-yo quite well across seasons, but none quite so well as the Roosters.
Mathematically, it’s possible they could make the finals, but realistically, they will miss the finals and possibly play a decent spoiler role for some finals contenders. The combination of their rarely-seen talent and the absence of pressure and expectations with the finals no longer possible could make them quite dangerous in the weeks to come.
Gold Coast: currently on 12 points (-167)
Still to play: North Queensland (h), Newcastle (a), Cronulla (a), Melbourne (h), Canberra (h), Wests Tigers (a — Campbelltown), Parramatta (h)
Predicted finish: 16 points — dead last
After coming within one game of a grand final in 2010, the Titans were always going to struggle in 2011 as their roster, especially in key positions, was getting too old. However, few thought they would fall so far so quickly.
Their best hope for the remainder of 2011 is to unearth some key-position/spine talent and to provide some excitement to the few remaining local supporters, for whom things can’t get much worse. Not only is their economy and real-estate market down the toilet, but the only ray of sunshine is a much cheaper seat in a crowd populated by expatriate Victards watching a sport where xenophobia and over-the-top nationalism is compulsory.
The Roast will have its second bye for the season next week; see you in two weeks.
Tuesday 12 July 2011
Round 18: Queensrandah!
There are 6 states and 2 (internal) territories which make up the wide brown land of Australia, but of these, surely the most parochial, the most proud, the most….in love with their pathetic beer has to be Queensland. However, when you scratch beneath the surface, Queensland’s Australian-ness is not quite what it seems. Note the following unusual similarities:
* Maroon vs. Cherry Blossom
* Floods and Cyclones vs. Earthquakes and Tsunamis
* Australian Government is sending hard-earned money from NSW because they didn’t have enough insurance vs. Australian Government is sending them hard-earned money from NSW because they didn’t have enough insurance
* Great slabs owned by Japanese vs. Great slabs owned by Japanese
* Emperors (Wally Lewis), dynasties (Origin 2006-2011, National Party 1968-1989) and old dudes (Lockyer and Petero) vs. emperors, dynasties and old dudes
* Digs up lots of Aussie coal vs. Uses lots of Aussie coal
* Sumo wrestlers (fat guys everyone worships) vs. Arthur Beetson (a fat guy everyone worships)
The evidence is overwhelming: Queensland is Japan. As a tribute to the ongoing Queensland dynasty in State of Origin play, this week’s Roast will be told in Haiku.
Parramatta v. Wests Tigers
Turmoil at Tigers
Made worse by eager Eels
Benji not ready
Wests Tigers coach Shifty Sheens went into his trick bag and snuck Benji Marshall back into his team for an important game vs. Parramatta on Friday night. Usually when Sheens brings someone (or more) back from injury early, the team will often respond with a much-improved effort, but Benji didn’t look quite right and nor did his team-mates.
Meanwhile, Parramatta had to make do without Geoff Robson again this week, but Jarryd Hayne returned from Origin to play in the halves. He looked about infinity times more comfortable there than he did when last playing in the halves (early 2009) but this night was more about the Eels’ enthusiasm and effort. They worked their way to 20 points, but kept the Tigers to nil for much of the game thanks to efforts such as Ben Smith’s in chasing down Marshall just before the try-line and putting him into touch.
After a slack game last week against Brisbane, it was a return to form for Parramatta at home in this game and the top 8 dream stays alive (just). Meanwhile, the Tigers are in the thick of the race for the bottom 3 spots in the 8 but probably don’t deserve to be after their patchy last 2 months.
New Zealand v. Gold Coast
Mat the Rat came back
But left almost as quickly
New Zealand won well
After a month of losing, the Warriors turned their season around with a solid win over the Gold Coast in the early Friday night game. Despite being at the bottom of the ladder, the Titans with their still-experience-laden line-up are a threat to perform if enough players perform and the motivation to have a big game for the return of Mat Rogers figured to be significant.
Sadly, Rogers broke his foot and his career will likely end on 200 games. It was almost as sad a departure from the game as it was for his father. Time for some more kids to be played by the Titans I think.
Cronulla v. Canberra
Gallen returned
But Sharks didn’t need him
Canberra rubbish
A month or so ago, this game looked like one to miss, but the recent return to form of these teams added a little interest to this Saturday nighter. Cronulla, mostly on the back of Paul Gallen but without him last week, had won three in a row, while Canberra looked like they might have been about to start one of their patented late-season runs after a big win over the Roosters last Monday night.
Ultimately, while this game had its moments, both teams would have struggled to beat other opposition. Blake Ferguson returned to his former home ground and was booed strongly all game. While he scored Canberra’s first try after a Gallen pass went awry, he helped his old team to their first two tries by poor defensive plays. Canberra dropped enough ball to lose 3 games in the first half, but somehow was down by just two at half time. Their luck turned in the second half and Cronulla did enough to record a comfortable but not convincing win.
Canterbury v. Melbourne
Dogs in their hell
Not Adelaide, but losing
Too easy for Storm
Melbourne is always vulnerable to a loss or two during and after representative season, especially with their cut-back, salary-cap-abiding (probably) team. Pushing thoughts towards the “they’re due for a loss” side was their incredible defence in their last 5 games, where they had kept all opponents under 10 points.
However, the Bulldogs are a dead team walking. This is sad in a way; their old model for developing talent (get them in at 15 and make them loyal) was pretty much dismissed by the salary cap and some high-profile departures. So, the adaptable club that they are, they changed to a more instant player development scheme, buying solid to very good players from other teams. With 2011 rapidly going down the toilet for them, what do they do? They’ve never sacked a coach, never mind a coach from “the family”.
But the players apparently don’t care and with Michael Ennis absent after damage to internal organs in State of Origin, they were no chance in this game. The Storm even conceded three tries, ending their sub-10-points-conceded streak, but never looked like losing.
Sydney Roosters v. Penrith
A mistake-a-thon
Chooks least, smashed 13
Penrith retarded
The woeful Roosters took on the suddenly flying Panthers in the first Sunday game. After the Roosters’ team sheet did not contain the names of Minichiello or Waerea-Hargreaves, then Penrith scored the first 8 points with ease, a massive Penrith win looked likely.
However, the game went strange after that. The Roosters suddenly found confidence, quick play-the-balls, bullet-like and accurate passing and, most importantly, a hatful of points. Even though they conceded about 60 per cent of a hatful in return, they were never really threatened in this game after the 25 minute mark.
While this game featured plenty of tries and lots of speed and ball movement, it was one of the worst games of the season. Penrith gifted all the important tries to the Roosters (by the time the Roosters crossed the line without massive assistance, the game was as good as over), while the Roosters gave plenty of points as well. Has a team ever not successfully kicked for touch TWICE after a penalty on a dry, clear day? Has a team ever threatened to concede a long-range try after almost every time they dropped the ball? The Roosters showed plenty of spirit to overturn a long spell of futility, but the winners were those who had something else to do on Sunday afternoon.
Manly v. South Sydney
Manly eased off
But Souths teased again
LOL@$ouff$
The bye week coming after Manly’s tough game against the Dragons a few weeks back figured to mean they’d be right to go against Souths on Sunday afternoon. However, after starting well, Manly struggled to maintain their pace and Souths came back to take a surprise lead. This was somewhat fortunate though, as Nathan Merritt had a foot on the dead ball line when flicking it back in for a try and Greg Inglis hadn’t made a great play for Souths before Sunday and probably won’t make another one; his sharp sidestep left the unlucky Manly forward for dead and set up Merritt for his second try.
Once again though, Souths teased their supporters into thinking they might steal a win before reality returned (and laughter ensued). Kieran Foran was the instigator of Manly’s comeback, but all who tipped Manly to win by more than 13 were cheering loudest at David Williams for his try after the siren.
Newcastle v. North Queensland
No Feral Thurston
But Knights very lazy
Cowbores are tough
The injury to Feral Thurston in State of Origin last Wednesday saw most people figure a Newcastle win in the final game of Round 18 to be a certainty. It was revealed the Cowbores had won only 7 out of 25 games Feral has missed since 2005, but these are not the same old Cowbores, who were far too reliant on Thurston. The off-season signings of hard-heads Dallas Johnson, Glenn Hall and Brent Tate (even though Tate has yet to play this season) have clearly improved this team’s focus, attitude and consistency. Throw in a vengeful Cory Paterson – who was playing his first game for his new team after being told he was not part of future plans in Newcastle – and the Knights had a much tougher game than they expected.
With that said, however, if Newcastle had even a little more focus and attention to detail, they probably would have had a decent lead heading into the last quarter of this game. Instead, the score was knotted at 12 and Newcastle was staggering towards the finish line, perhaps waiting for Ryan Stig to set something up again, but the Cowbores were finishing fast.
They ran and hit much harder, but the key plays were on North Queensland kicks. Tardy tracking back by Wes Naiqama and several others saw North Queensland gain great advantage when kicks were not cleaned up adequately. There were some lucky bounces, but Newcastle really didn’t deserve the ball to bounce their way. When Paterson stormed across the line to seal the win, the boos aimed at his petulant display towards former supporters should probably have been aimed at the complacent and lazy home team.
Til next time, Sayonara.
Wednesday 6 July 2011
Round 17: My Special Friend
Hello and welcome to a special edition of the Tuesday Roast. This forum has been the vehicle for hard-hitting opinions, overwhelming praise and damning criticism of all in the world of rugby league for many years now. We aim up and deliver without fear or favour, with no quarter asked and none given. If someone deserves a Roasting – or a toasting as the case may be – then they damn well receive it, no matter who they are.
But sometimes, extra sensitivity needs to be taken. Sometimes, we have to remember that this is just a game and that the game of life takes far greater precedence. This, my friends, is a game that isn’t played over 80 minutes with a bench you can rest on when things get tough. No sirree. Life is for the long haul. You don’t back out of a handshake deal in life without copping a lot of grief somewhere down the road.
Similarly, when you have a slow start to the season in life, there’s no contract that can be terminated to allow you to find a better team, there’s no season-ending surgery that will make everything better, there’s no phantom injury you can suffer to allow lesser players to fight out those tough games when the top 8 seems a million miles away.
I’d like you to meet John, my special friend. John here is the bravest man I know.
Keep smilin’, keep shinin’, knowin’ you can always count on me, for sure
That’s what friends are for……..
John may not have been dealt the best hand in life, things, you know, they don’t always go his way. But you know what? When he plays those one or two games a season where he doesn’t kick the ball out on the full, or doesn’t butcher an overlap, or doesn’t forget the words to ‘Glory Glory to South Sydney’, the smile that lights up his face could bring a tear to a glass statue, there’s nothing surer.
For good times, and bad times, I’ll be on your side forever more
That’s what friends are for……….
Somehow, John (or Sutto as his mates call him) has overcome so many obstacles in life. 147 in fact, all of them games he’s played for South Sydney since his debut in 2004. Few on this planet are worthy of fighting the battles against the haters that wearing the cardinal and myrtle brings with it. Fewer still can fight these battles for over eight seasons. It helps being a retar.... I mean, luckily for John, he shrugs off the slurs, absorbs the punches from society, ignores the incessant laughter from opposition supporters and is an inspiration to us all. He has a thick skin, but a huge heart.
Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you got to do is call, and I'll be there yeah yeah yeah,
you've got a friend.
As you might expect, this story doesn’t have a happy ending. John’s cousin got out of Long Bay on Saturday; he’d never seen John run out for the mighty Bunnies. He took his seat in the front row in the north-east corner of Toyota Stadium. Emotion got the better of John as the kickoff floated towards him, standing in that very same north-east corner. At the last second, he reached out to hug his cousin, a reaffirmation of mateship with a long-lost relative, but the ball arrived and John instead took young team-mate James Roberts – and the ball – into touch.
The day didn’t really improve for John. Cronulla jumped out to a strong lead and John, well, it just wasn’t his day. The kicking boots weren’t on, nor were the passing hands or the thinking brain. Luckily for John, he wasn’t alone in having a tough day, but while the weight of world was on his shoulders, it shrunk in comparison to the joy he felt seeing his cousin after the game.
You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I´ll come running, oh yeah baby, to see you again… You’ve got a friend….
John and cousin’s post-match embrace was delayed for another few milliseconds as John accidentally poked his cousin in the eye in a hug gone wrong, but this was a minor obstacle to a victory for John in the biggest game he’ll play. The game of life.
Hmm really makes you think doesn't it? That's all from Frontline this week, I'm Mike Moore, good night.
In other Round 17 action:
* Even though Parramatta was hit fairly hard by injuries before and during this game, Brisbane’s narrow win in this game was very well earned. They too were missing plenty of players and coming off a tough game in monsoon-like conditions in Perth and (of course) a long flight made this game a tricky one. A lucky bounce and great speed saw Gagai run away for his second try, while Gillett sealed the win with a 30 metre run.
* The Bulldogs missed NSW hooker Michael Ennis, but also missed the verve and enthusiasm which Penrith possessed in large doses (even without Lewis and Civoniceva). Penrith, led by Luke Walsh’s running and kicking game, won this one easily.
* The Dragons looked on the way to a win after holding some excellent Newcastle efforts out in the first half on Sunday afternoon in Wollongong. But the Knights came back again in the second half and the Dragons couldn’t go with them. Injuries threatened to rob the Knights of momentum late on, but the Dragons did not have enough points in them (especially with the poor goal-kicking of Ben Hornby).
* On Monday night, Canberra finally played somewhere near their potential when they were expected to do so and away from home (a rare double in 2011). The Roosters showed some spark for 20 or so minutes but simply were not capable of much more. This was a thrashing by the Raiders.
* Finally, last night, the Queensland forward pack fought back well after being beaten in Game 2. They gave their team the edge in the first half, which through some excellent halves play and some NSW mistakes, saw Queensland take a match-winning lead to half-time. NSW’s lack of combinations killed off any comeback hopes.
See you next week.
Tuesday 28 June 2011
Round 16: If You’re Statty And You Know It….
Statistics in Rugby League have come a long way since success rates – for goal-kickers but also for hookers (in scrums) – were read out by Rex Mossop (or Barry Ross) in the 1970s and 80s. Sadly for supporters, things still have a long way to go. Many statistics are not available for free consumption by the official NRL stats providers, freely available statistics often differ between providers and statistics displayed on television broadcasts usually show the dominance of one team (or the evenness of the teams) but give no insight as to how the game is being won.
Here at the Tuesday Roast… well… we haven’t done anything about this, sorry. Anyway, here’s a look back at Round 16 in the NRL with a few interesting statistics from each game.
Wests Tigers v. Canterbury
Wests Tigers: Wests Tigers’ win-loss record without Benji Marshall since 2005 fell to 12-21 with the loss to the Bulldogs (compared to 73-60 when he does play). At Campbelltown, without Benji Marshall since 2005, the Tigers are 1-4 (compared to 13-4 when he plays).
Canterbury: Canterbury returned to the winners’ list in line with their ‘spine’ all playing again. When their ‘spine’ (Barba, Keating, Hodkinson and Ennis) plays this season, the Bulldogs have a 7-4 win-loss record. Without any one or more ‘spine’ member, they have a 0-3 record.
South Sydney v. Brisbane
South Sydney: By completing two wins in a row with success over Brisbane in horrendous rain in Perth on Friday night, South Sydney improved their record in their last 15 premiership matches to 6-9. Remarkably however, these 15 matches have followed a three-loss, two-win (repeated twice) pattern.
Brisbane: This was Darren Lockyer’s final regular season club game in Perth and the end of a stellar career in the west. It started auspiciously enough in Round 9, 1996, when Lockyer came off the bench as the Broncos defeated the Western Reds 22-14. Wendell Sailor starred with two tries. Another highlight came in 1997, when the Broncos defeated Perth 26-16. Lockyer led the way with 14 points. Finally, there was Friday night, where Lockyer was solid but not good enough.
Gold Coast v. Cronulla
Gold Coast: With their loss to Cronulla, this gave the Gold Coast a 2-6 start to the season at home, by far their worst start to a season at home (2007: 5-3, 2008: 7-1, 2009: 8-0, 2010: 5-3).
Cronulla: Cronulla recorded back to back wins twice in a season for the first time since 2008 with their win over the Gold Coast. However, the main stat from this game is the 100% possibility that Paul Gallen is still a grub. Don’t be fooled by a few weeks of excellent play, the man is a grub (witness his grubby stepping on hands against Newcastle a few weeks back). Next time one of his teams isn’t getting everything their own way, look for the combustible Gallen to revert back to old ways.
Canberra v. Parramatta
Canberra: Canberra kicked their first field goal since Round 8, 2010 and their first field goal at home since Round 4, 2009 in this game. There have been 28 field goals so far in 2011, or 0.243 field goals per game: the 7th highest number per game since field goals became 1 point in 1971.
Parramatta: Parramatta is now one of four teams yet to kick a field goal in 2011. Their field goal-less streak is now 29 games (since Luke Burt knocked one over against Manly). Parramatta’s last five field goal kickers are Burt, Jarryd Hayne, Brett Finch and those two noted super boots, Nathan Cayless and Ian Hindmarsh.
New Zealand v. Melbourne
New Zealand: New Zealand was attempting to beat Melbourne twice in one regular season for the third time in their history on Sunday, the other two times being 1998 and 2002. Newcastle and Parramatta have also beaten Melbourne twice in one regular season on two occasions, but Canterbury is the only club to have beaten Melbourne twice in one regular season on three occasions.
Melbourne: In keeping the Warriors to less than 10 points, Melbourne kept their opponents to less than 10 points for the fifth straight game. This hasn’t been done in the modern era of rugby league (not that could be found anyway).
Penrith v. North Queensland
Penrith: Penrith’s win under new coach Steve Georgallis took the record of teams in the first game after a new coach has been appointed mid-season to 5-4 since 2002. Incredibly, there has been one coaching change during the season in the past six seasons and that team’s first result has varied exactly between wins and losses in that time.
North Queensland: For reasons climate and social, the Cowbores almost never play a home game on a Sunday, meaning they rarely play on Sundays at all. Since 2007, they’ve played just 10 Sunday games, winning 4.
Newcastle v. Sydney Roosters
Newcastle: Incredibly, Newcastle’s win over the Roosters on Sunday was their first win at home against the Roosters during the regular season in 8 attempts (and almost 11 years).
Sydney Roosters: By scoring just 10 points, the Roosters stretched their streak of scoring 13 points or less to 10 games. One has a feeling they won’t get beyond 13 points until they reach 12 Steps™…
St. George Illawarra v. Manly
St. George Illawarra: The Dragons weren’t quite back to their best in this game, but they did repel Manly for almost 6 full sets of 6 tackles late in the first half. However, this isn’t quite as amazing as it sounds; Manly’s attack was rather pedestrian at this point and asked very few questions of the Dragons’ defence.
Manly: After scoring a rare win at Wollongong in 2003, Manly’s recent trips to WIN Stadium have been very rough. In 2005, after a surprisingly strong start, the overhyped and overdue Dragons pumped them. In 2009, the vagaries of the draw in Origin time meant Manly fielded a near reserve grade team, while the Dragons were almost at full strength. St George Illawarra won easily. Then last night, Manly was overdue for a loss. They tried hard, but their effort was too much for their rhythm; this saw Manly get frustrated and become prone to cheap shots.
See you next week for a special Origin edition of the Roast.
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Round 15: RIP Piggy (And Also To The Lofty Dreams Of The Un-athletic)
It was a sad day for Rugby League on Saturday. Yep, Mark “Piggy” Riddell announced his immediate retirement from the game. Riddell was only a shadow of his former self (in terms of ability and impact) in 2011 so his decision wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was the fact that he cast a far larger shadow on the field (literally) in 2011 which kept the flames of hope flickering in the minds of all would-be rugby players in pubs across the country. “If Riddell can have a muffin-top happening and still be good for a short stint of first-grade per week…….”
As a tribute to the average per game appearance by Riddell in 2011, that brings this week’s Roast to an end, except for one final thought. While the un-athletic may no longer have someone to relate to in the NRL, at least the physically challenged still have Matt Orford (PS Good luck getting over that ‘virus’).
In Round 15 action:
* On Friday night in Brisbane, the Broncos started slowly before having too much for a tired Dragons team. This was a bizarre game; the Dragons were playing ‘catch-up’ rugby league whilst in possession of the early lead. Obviously Wayne Bennett knew his team needed points and plenty of them. A host of mistakes by officials added to the weird feel of the game, but the Dragons lost this game with a number of uncharacteristic errors. Jason Nightingale was the main offender, failing to ground the ball for a fairly easy try in the first half, before being lazy to retreat and hence allowing Darren Lockyer a momentum-changing 40/20 in the second half.
* The other Friday night game saw Souths easily (eventually) account for the pathetic Titans. Souths could have won by 50 but the Titans stayed far closer than they deserved to until the final 15 minutes. All 28 people at ANZ Stadium enjoyed some entertaining, if low-quality, action.
* On Saturday night, Newcastle and Penrith struggled their way to a close, fairly exciting finish. The poor play of both teams is somewhat understandable given major changes in their coaching structure looming. Hopefully the game is remembered for the impressive debut of Newcastle five-eighth Ryan Stig, who exhibited a running game rarely seen amongst halves today. His success after two years of play in open-age rugby league (below the NRL) after playing Toyota Cup comes after Manly’s success with Hodkinson and Cherry-Evans, who followed a similar path playing Queensland Cup after Toyota Cup. Sadly for Daniel Mortimer, Parramatta probably can’t afford to do the same thing for him, even though it would help his game immensely.
* The other Saturday night game saw the Cowbores finish with a flourish and continue the Warriors’ tough run of late. The Warriors rarely succeed in Townsville (the scarring from being forced to play on a Sunday afternoon in 2007 in their black jerseys in Townsville probably still remains) and the Cowbores, despite a horrible night of goal-kicking, were far too good again here.
* On Sunday, the woeful Bulldogs again went down, this time to the resurgent Sharks. To be (somewhat) fair, the Bulldogs were without pest Michael Ennis, Trent Hodkinson and Jamal Idris, but the Sharks were far too good. The return of key forward Jeremy Smith helped, but the continued brilliance of keyer forward Paul Gallen was again crucial for his team’s success.
* The other Sunday game saw Melbourne end the Tigers’ seven-match winning streak at Leichhardt. The Tigers’ tendency to lift and threaten the very best teams was snuffed out by an excellent Storm defence, but also by some refereeing decisions. The decision not to award Bryce Gibbs a first-half try was probably the right one, but in years (or even months) gone by, it would have been awarded. Good to see the ludicrous separation rule has finally changed.
* Finally on Monday night, Manly’s easy recent run of games caught up with them somewhat as the up-and-coming Eels came close to a major upset. This was a battle of two of the best performing coaches so far in 2011: Manly’s Des Hasler, who has regenerated his playing roster considerably from last year without any major signings from other clubs and Parramatta’s Stephen Kearney, who is showing signs of overhauling what looked to be a mess of a roster in just half a season. It looked like Parramatta would get away with the win – Manly looked unable to get enough far enough down field – until a freak late play. David Williams’ strange cross-kick sat up nicely for Kieran Foran to score the match-winning try.
See you next week.
