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, 9 August 2011
Round 22: One That Can Be Read In A MasterChef Ad Break
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.
