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.