Bert Newton: Hello and welcome to 20 to 1. This week, it's the top 20 players in the National Rugby League in season 2010. It's not well known, but I've long had an interest in Rugby League....although I must say, most of this has been of uninspiring quality - Don Lane introduced me to South Sydney back in the 60s.
At Number 20, it's a newcomer to the NRL who has done his bit on the entertainment and drama side - especially with me as he plays for South Sydney....
20. Sam Burgess (fresh reserve)
Vince Sorrenti: Yep, Sam Burgess, you know, a biiiiiiiiig forward, love his style. But I can't understand a word he says! And that's coming from a wog, the kings of broken English. I've not understood a word my dad's said in the last 30 years!
Brad Fittler: BIG SAMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh love him! Reminds me so much of Morley!
Sam Burgess: Oh eh oh y'know oh eh oh giv it a shot but oh ah eh oh eh oh ah.
BN: I couldn't agree more Sam! On to Number 19 and I want to be in that number.....
19. Dean Young (fresh reserve)
Karl Stefanovic: Big Deano, the Deanster....ummm...I've got nothing to say. They told me I had to be on this stupid show and I've got no idea who he is, sorry.
Peter Sterling: The Dragons have been the best team of the last two years without many star players. Obviously Wayne Bennett has been a big factor here, but it's the on-field leaders such as Dean Young who make the Dragons the great team that they are. Such a consistent player, so versatile and he is rarely noticed except when he doesn't play.
BN: I don't remember asking for anyone who knew what they were talking about on this show! Anyway, Number 18 and it's a golden star of the game still producing in his latter years...
18. Mat Rogers (fresh reserve)
Daniel McPherson: Yeh, gotta love the Rat you know? He's a Shire boy like me and even though he's with the Titans now, he's still going great.
Richard Wilkins: Rogers has to be one of my favourite players, because he looks older than me but is still relevant. Hey I can dream, can't I?
BN: So much to say to that, but so little time....On to number 17 and the first of the bench players. He's a frequent candidate for a concusssion given his hard running style, but luckily for him, his post-concussion brain scans reveal nothing...
17. Josh Miller (bench)
Barnaby Joyce: Josh Miller! What a nut job! I think he'd run into a concrete wall if asked to! Bloody crazy!
Peter Fitzsimons: Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla
BN: If only he was the real Peter Fitzsimons! Number 16 now, and this guy puts the BIG into BIG...
16. Keith Galloway (bench)
BF: BIG KEEFYYYYYYYYY! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh love him!
Mikey Robins: Yep, big Keith, a great player, reminds me a bit of me before I lost about 1000kg and most of my audience. Someone watch Good News Week please??
BN: Mikey, the secret is to do TV that costs nothing to do and assumes nothing of your audience. On to number 15, and you won't be able to tackle this guy without a good Thai....
15. Sam Thaiday (bench)
Deborah Mailman: What?! I so don't look like him!
Sam Backo: ....whereas I do. Killed it for much of the season but is sinking with the rest of the Broncos minus Captain Lockyer.
BN: Number 14 now and the best place to find a utility player is at the foot of the (Blue) mountains...
14. Luke Lewis (bench)
BF: BIG LUKEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh love him! Penno boy and havin an awesome year!
Mark Geyer: One of my favourites players is Lukey, if I had to pick a team to represent the Solar System right now, he'd be captain/trainer/coach/CEO/all-round legend.
BN: And they say there's a drug problem in the AFL! Now we're into the starting team for 2010, number 13 didn't have much Luck at Brookvale last week, suffering a nasty cut, but has had a Lucky 2010...
13. Micheal Luck (lock)
Robbie Buck (ABC Radio): Luck sounds like a nice enough guy, so I definitely share his pain. Not from his bad cut last week, but in having a last name which rhymes with a swear word.
Michael Witt: It could be worse. Lucky's had a great year, captain and leader of the team. Apart from him though, they can all go to hell! We had such a good year in '08 and they sacked me.....
BN: What a 'wit! Number 12 now and this Tiger is an Ell of a player...
12. Gareth Ellis (second row)
SB: Oh eh oh ah eh oh he's my idol like ah oh eh oh eh ah oh main reason for coming over oh ah eh oh.
Tony Greig: Ellis the hord borsted, he's really made an impact in the lorst year and a horf. He never goes in horf horted, I'll tell you that!
BN: If only Jarrod Saffy made the list! On to number 11 and he would run 500 Myles if it meant chasing down a breakaway winger....
11. Nate Myles (second row)
BF: BIG NATEYYYYYYYYYYYY! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh love him! Sorry about getting you on the drink last year when you had the runs old mate, your great year this year has made that a distant memory!
Midget: Yeh he does look like an oversized version of me, you're right! Hahahaha
BN: Now we're on the lower half of the countdown and number 10, and this big man will always get his Wey...
10. Michael Weyman (prop)
Laurie Daley: Mick's had a 'uge year, 'e gits plenty of metres up the middle for the Dragons and I can't wait to pick 'im in my first NSW Origin side in 2011.
BN: I think we just lost several million viewers in NSW due to shock. Anyway, number 9 is a Friend in need for the Titans.
9. Nathan Friend (hooker)
PS: Why do I only talk about the less exciting players? Anyway, Friend has been a rock of consistency for the Gold Coast since their inception. Brilliant in defence and does enough with the ball to keep defences honest.
Barry Ward: An absolute little terrier is Friendy, but I love him coz he's the 5-time winner of Rugby League's ugliest man, eclipsing my 3-year stranglehold on the crown.
BN: Where's Anthony Mundine when you need him?? On to number 8 now and he's a real metre-eater and has been for over a decade...
8. Petero Civoniceva (prop)
Ita Buttrose: Civoniceva's all about success. It's that simple. He's simply stunning at winning, so successful and straightforward. What a sexy superstar!
MG: Can't believe Brisbane stupidly let this guy go in 2007. If they were picking a team of all-time legends, Petro definitely be on it.
BN: Now the money positions and Number 7 has been in Prince-ly form for the Gold Coast this year...
7. Scott Prince (halfback)
Paulini: Princey's one of my faves. He's been playing forever and still looks good - black don't crack hey?? Haha. Truthfully though, as long as any footy player's not named Naiqama, I'll like him.
BF: PRINCEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh love him! I love his pin-point accurate kicks and the way he looks umm.....lost my train of thought. WOOOOO!
BN: Now onto number 6 and plenty of people asked "Can he?" after his year in the wilderness but he told them "Carney"...
6. Todd Carney (five-eighth)
PS: Finally someone not boring! Carney's been a revelation this year, not in what's he doing, but in that he's disciplined enough to do it without the silly off-field stuff. Could very well cap it off with a Dally M medal.
Mitchell Pearce: Yeh Toddy's 'avin' a great year ay, me and him play off each uvva so well, is just garn great ay.
BN: Ummm...surely he doesn't always talk like that....does he? Number 5 now and Uate know better if you're thinking of stopping this guy...
5. Akuila Uate (wing)
Andrew Johns: Awesome player but also awesome athlete, I mean he has a backside you could sit a drink on!
BN: Ummm....ok.....why did we keep this immoral brother and get rid of the other immoral brother? On to number 4 and he'll cross the Lyon with ease...
4. Jamie Lyon (centre)
Paul Vautin: Go Menly! He's pretty much carried Manly on his back this year, scored about 1000 tries and kicks goals at about 1000000% success rate!
SB: Oh ah eh oh St Helens oh ah eh oh oh ah oh eh Man of Steel oh ah eh oh.
BN: The countdown moves to number 3 now but you wouldn't know it if we didn't tell you. Introducing "Rowdy"...
3. Chris Lawrence (centre)
Matthew Johns: Love the Tigers and love Tim Sheens' set plays, many of which are run for Chris Lawrence, maybe the quickest player in the game. Rowdy, you're on my show a bit, tell me about your 2010.
Chris Lawrence: Um yeh.... it's been ok.
Benji Marshall: Can't shut him up eh bro?
BN: Two to go and introducing....the Beast
2. Manu Vatuvei (wing)
Megan Gale: Two to go, surely I can win the award for most obscure celebrity commenter?? But yeh, big Manu, he's a sight to behold when he gets going!
PS: That's right Megan, possibly the hardest player in the game to tackle since the Tigers' Tuiaki suffered injury. But most importantly, his hands have improved significantly from a few years ago.
BN: Number one now and one of the most popular players in the NRL, hey Presto here he is!
1. Preston Campbell (fullback)
MG: Presto, what a player, so small yet keeps going in hard. If there was a team of small guys named Preston, he'd definitely be in it.
Ernie Dingo: I just love the fact that Presto sounds a lot like my almost pretend Aboriginal voice, it's definitely extended my career. Oh, do I count as more obscure than Megan??
BN: Sorry Ernie, but sorry Megan, the winner is Ita Buttrose. See you next week.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Round 25: 20 to 1: NRL Edition (no, not the odds Ryan Tandy got for giving away a penalty, but the TV show)
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Round 24: Live from the NRL Tally Room in Canberra
Kerry O'Brien: Hello and welcome to the NRL Tally Room in Canberra for what promises to be an extremely engrossing night of viewing. Whereas previous election nights only focussed on a handful of key seats with the outcome in the remainder known well in advance, on this night, a close contest is expected in most seats, with a number of underdogs threatening to steal victory. As usual, I'm joined by the ABC's Election Analyst Antony Green, and Antony, how's the computer predictions looking thus far?
Antony Green: Well Kerry, there has been somewhat of a swing towards the sitting members in Penrith and Townsville, but not much else to report at this early stage. This is of course, hardly surprising, as we've received less than 5% of the vote so far, mostly from the outer booths at the north end of CUA Stadium. To borrow a Rugby League metaphor, we're only a few minutes into the contest, with a good 75 minutes still to play.
KO'B: Thanks Antony, now let's welcome our more interesting guests for tonight: left-wing and right-wing stooge. Welcome gents.
Left Wing Stooge: Thanks Kerry and it's looking good in Penrith! My information is that our lead out there has extended further! So much so that I'm almost calling that seat for us!
AG: I wouldn't be quite so confident at this stage....hang on, I can confirm the information from left-wing stooge and can also confirm another very strong result. Approaching 25% of the vote counted, this seat can almost be given back to the sitting member for Penrith.
Right Wing Stooge: Let's not count our chickens yet, Kerry, the pre-poll and postal votes out Penrith way would probably favour us, but on to other matters and we're looking very good in Townsville! The big-name candidate for Townsville recently of south-western Sydney might have thought he was a chance in this tight seat but it's a big lead for us early on!
AG: History tells us the early booth results from Townsville are notoriously poor predictors of the final outcome, I'm not sure why this is the case, but I won't be calling anything here for a while.
KO'B: Let's move on to some of the key seats and firstly Newcastle.
AG: This has long been a left-wing stronghold despite the poor quality of candidate since the retirement of the very successful sitting member in 2007. Internal fighting and criminal charges threatened to take this seat away from the left in recent months, but a late turnaround in fortunes for the left has seen their polling results improve markedly in recent weeks. The big-name right candidate, who grew up in Brisbane, is under real pressure here.
RWS: I'm not sure about that Antony, I've heard we've started well in early polling and my scrutineers tell me there was a significant officiating error but it was dismissed. We might here more about that later. Anyway, we're on top in early polling.
AG: I can confirm this, with about 25% of the vote counted, the candidate from Brisbane is favoured to win from here, according to the computer prediction.
LWS: We won't give up Newcastle without a fight, this is a loyal community, I'm confident they'll stick with the local.
RWS: Didn't you hear Antony? I think you've got too much pink batts stuck in your ears...
KO'B: And now onto another key western Sydney seat and Parramatta, where the popular sitting member is backed to retain his seat but is at risk after a difficult campaign riddled with very public whispers of in-fighting. His opponent is also popular, also leans to the left (despite representing a merged entity) and has taken on the sitting member in numerous contests over the years but almost never comes close to a victory.
AG: This is true, Kerry, but recent polling suggests the sitting member is at risk. One wonders why he didn't decide on staging the election at night and hence denying the merged opponent his preferred timeslot. Early booths suggest this seat is still too close to call, although our exit poll suggests it would not be a surprise to see the challenger take an early lead.
LWS: This is my information Antony, the local member could be in trouble here.
KO'B: Now the seat of Canberra, where the local left-wing member has seen better days but has an uncanny record of success against challengers from the far-right Red V Party. Red V has enjoyed a very successful last few years, but ultimate success continues to elude them and of course, they've not had a win in Canberra since 2000. Antony, how is it looking?
AG: Well the computer is predicting a Red V win, only a fairly small swing is required and the widespread support for Red V could very well deliver this. My early information is that Red V has infact taken a lead and with counting nearing 50%, has maintained this edge, despite pressure from the local member. Maybe a drought-breaker here Kerry?
LWS: Hahaha we're very confident here, we'll finish strong, our recent momentum should mean the pre-polls and postals are favouring us, I'd be surprised if we lost this one.
RWS: I'd love to argue this, but I've been burned too many times calling Canberra for us. Anyway, on to better news, and some right-wing strongholds: we're looking solid in Manly and Bondi against some tough opposition in the early going.
AG: Yes, the computer has you guys predicted to get up in these right-wing seats, but the early results are somewhat unexpected: the Polynesian candidate for Manly surprised in all the pre-surveys and is holding his own here, while the Party Party Party candidate for Bondi (formerly of the Gold Coast) is also faring well, it's roughly neck-and-neck approaching 50% of the vote counted in Bondi.
LWS: That's a great showing there by those two candidates in tough-to-win seats. I thought they both ran excellent campaigns.
KO'B: Back to Newcastle, and Antony, I understand there's been some developments there.
AG: Certainly has, with 65% of the vote counted now, the local member has pulled well in front and I can't see him losing from here. A massive swing of over 10% when only about 2% was needed. However, the merged candidate has pulled further in front in Parramatta, important to note here the local member's margin was diminished after the redistribution and computer is now predicting a merged victory.
RWS: Good to hear, I also hear we're slowly getting control in Manly in a real arm-wrestle, while the member in Townsville has a strong lead also.
LWS: Here we come in Canberra, back in front according to my sources, I don't know how Red V will come back from here, while the local Penrith member is on the way to a huge victory! Throw in the Party Party Party candidate now in the lead in Bondi and it's a great night for the left-wing of Australian politics!
KO'B: I'm not supposed to be happy about this, but on the inside I'm doing cartwheels! Let's summarise for the night, Antony, a wrap-up please.
AG: Ok, as was said, a huge swing and an easy win for the local members in Penrith and Newcastle, it looks like the member for Manly will hold on although this outcome probably won't be confirmed until the pre-poll and postal votes are counted, an easy win for the local member in Melbourne....I've just heard the Townsville member has shockingly fallen behind, proving again the fallibility of relying on the early booth results, that one will probably go down to the wire.....the Red V looks like recording another solid defeat in Canberra, while it's a surprise defeat for the member for Bondi and........the member for Parramatta has had a late surge of support, but NO! Two votes which would have seen them retain the seat have been deemed informal!
KO'B: On that note, it's good night from Canberra.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Round 23: Get Me 1 Good Stat from each game...STAT!
On Friday night, the winning runs of two of the NRL's better teams came to an end...
Parramatta was not at their best, but an excellent game from soon-to-be-ex-Eel Feleti Mateo, another strong game from Jarryd Hayne and a solid debut capped off by a late try from Anthony Mitchell was enough to get them home over the Broncos. Brisbane missed Darren Lockyer, but possibly also suffered delayed effects from the tough game against the Dragons and tricky Cowboys game from recent weeks.
STAT!: Friday the 13th has not always been so unlucky for Brisbane and the Roosters. Brisbane had a 3 win, 2 loss record in their 5 previous Friday 13th games, winning all 3 at 'home' (one loss came against the Titans at Suncorp, but this was a Titans home game). Meanwhile, the Roosters had never lost on Friday 13th, winning all 4 games. However, these had all been home games. For Cronulla, their win was a (small) measure of revenge against the Roosters for a Friday 13th loss in week 1 of the finals in 2002. For Parramatta, this was only their second Friday 13th game after winning at Penrith in 2007. Avid followers of NRL scheduling will watch for which teams are drawn to play on Friday 13th May 2011...
On Saturday night, the Gold Coast looked to be doing it easy against an understrength Cowbores, before the Cowbores shockingly struck back with 3 tries in 10 minutes. Ultimately, the Gold Coast won well but it wasn't as easy as it might have been. In Sydney, the understrength Bulldogs somewhat surprisingly reached a 14-6 lead against a Canberra side which looked far better on paper but had to overcome the obstacle of backing up from Monday night. A mounting Bulldogs injury count and strong play from the Raiders saw them come back strongly and record an impressive win.
STAT!: Steve Michaels played only his 4th game for the Titans after switching teams mid-season from the Broncos, but at the risk of reaching a premature conclusion, Michaels has transformed his game significantly. In 59 games for the Broncos between 2005 and 2010, Michaels scored 22 tries and enjoyed a win-loss percentage of just above 50%. In his 4 games with the Titans, he has scored 4 tries and the team won all 4 games (after losing their previous 3 games). But his renewed career can't be expressed in tries and wins. Michaels was a defensive blubbering mess in his final days with the Broncos, routinely being abused by even medicore right-sided attacking players. Now...he is a defensive hitman and is playing a key role in a team which was searching for defensive intensity and guys to play centre competently. He might not yet be 'buy of the year' but he is probably great value for money for the Titans.
For Canberra, this was their 5th away win of the season: only the third time they have passed 4 away wins in a season since 1999. Usually, whenever a Canberra team wins close to half its games away from home, they're a lock to play in September, but their scratchy home form (just 5 wins and 5 losses; their equal 3rd worst home record after 10 games in their history) means they probably need to win each game until the end of the minor premiership. Lucky for them they play the Dragons this weekend...
On Sunday, the Warriors got a much better game from Newcastle than they were expecting but the Warriors did just enough - thanks to a bit of help from some dubious refereeing decisions and a lucky bounce late in the game - to get away with the win. Next up, Melbourne gave another brief reminder of better days as they looked on track to soundly defeat Souths, but the resilient Rabbitohs almost made it two huge comebacks in a row. The tired Storm held on for the win. Finally, Wests bounced back nicely from their embarrassing play of recent weeks to dominate Penrith in the forwards - a rare feat - and win comfortably.
STAT!: New Zealand's Manu Vatuvei continued his great run of form with 3 tries. He now has 11 tries in his last 9 games and 10 tries in his 10 career games against Newcastle. Melbourne continued their pattern of home wins and away losses since news of their salary cap breaches: they have won their last four games in Melbourne and lost their last 5 away from Melbourne. For the Wests Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall, Sunday's game was his first success against Penrith after 7 losses. This game was also Benji's 37th consecutive NRL game - a noteworthy achievement for a player who has suffered so much injury.
Finally last night, the Dragons were clinical in their 32-10 defeat of Manly. Manly enjoyed some good field position but their limited attack and some excellent Dragons defence made it difficult for them to cross the line. Meanwhile, Manly errors meant the Dragons scored much too easily.
STAT!: Despite suspicions of Mark Gasnier's try not being legitimate due to the bouncing of the ball just before the line, under-fire referee Bill Harrigan has assured the Tuesday Roast this was the correct decision. Hence, the stat from this game is Bill Harrigan's self-confessed error count over the course of his career - zero.
See you next week.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Round 22: Haiku Roast
An unwelcome consequence of ongoing increases in the speed and intensity of NRL matches ― as well as the stagnant salary cap and its meagre concessions ― has been a phasing-out of the canny veteran, the wily older player. He may have lost a step or two and may slur his words every so often but can still be highly valuable for young and impressionable team-mates.
If you look closely, some teams still have these older players, and while they are almost always highly appreciated on their teams, the game as a whole probably doesn’t give them the respect they deserve. One only has to look at the relatively poor recognition for Brett Kimmorley’s 300th game a few weeks back or that still-valuable players such as Colin Best, Luke Priddis, Mat Rogers, Luke Patten and Adam MacDougall will struggle to find a club (or be forced to play for Cronulla) next season.
These players deserve far better. Every team should have a few such players, if not in first grade then at the very least mentoring up-and-comers in the lower grades. No-one wins when these older players run off to England or start media careers prematurely. There’re only so many comic talents like Brad Fittler out there…
Hence, this week’s Roast will draw from the culture which is perhaps the most respectful towards wisdom, age and experience: the Japanese. Yep, it’s Haiku time.
Gold Coast v. Parramatta
Parra started strong
But Gold Coast’s play was regal
Hayne Plane on tarmac
The round started with a potentially riveting match-up between the desperate Eels and the resurgent Titans. A 12-nil lead to Parramatta suggested a bounce-back for one of the NRL’s most enigmatic teams, but Gold Coast responded with 34 unanswered points, many of which came from the boot of Scott Prince. Prince’s speed and elusiveness may have waned but his craftiness hasn’t, nor has the accuracy of his kicking game.
After looking unlikely a few weeks ago, the Gold Coast is now back in contention for a top-4 spot, while for Parramatta, they are increasingly swapping scenarios with the Gold Coast…
North Queensland v. Brisbane
Brisbane’s task was tough
After Saints, but Feral’s loss
Helped; an easy win
Of the teams who have beaten the Dragons this season and played the next week, only the Gold Coast had won in their next match. Throw in a short turnaround and a ‘local’ rival keen on disrupting solid momentum and this match in Townsville was quite a prospective challenge for the Broncos.
However, the Broncos confirmed their standing as one of the most improved teams in the NRL with a robust performance. The injury to Feral Thurston probably lowered their motivation, if anything, and made this game closer, but Brisbane was not a risk of losing.
Manly v. Melbourne
Storm away from home
Put them out of their misery
Yawn – they just don’t care
After repelling some early Storm attack, Manly crossed for several well-worked tries…and this game was basically over. Melbourne clearly couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to stop Manly’s solid but hardly world-beating attack (with the possible exception of Jamie Lyon) and showed few signs of mounting a comeback.
Sadly for the gallant Rabbitohs, Melbourne will probably put in a better effort this Sunday and deprive a hard-working, popular, legal team of points.
South Sydney v. Wests Tigers
Injuries galore
For Souths; but Tiges’ focus gone
SS marches on!
The incredible run of success for Souths’ coach John Lang against Tigers’ coach Tim Sheens looked set to come to an end on Saturday night, with Souths missing almost a full team of regular first grade players, while the Tigers were almost at full strength and in need of a strong performance.
But Souths still had their ‘spine’ and although they allowed the Tigers to score some hilariously easy tries, they gave some easy tries back to stay close enough. With about 20 minutes to go, the Tigers’ focus slipped terribly and Souths started their comeback. They were aided by numerous Tigers’ errors, missed tries and premature field goal attempts and incredibly eliminated a 16-point deficit with 3 minutes left in normal time.
The usual mess that is extra time ensued, with missed or charged down field goal attempts and several thousand offences not penalised by gutless referees, and a draw seemed certain. But then Rhys Wesser – of all people – somehow broke through a tackle on what looked to be one of the slowest line breaks in history to set up an incredible match-winning try.
This was one of the more famous victories in Souths’ long history and especially so because they had shown nil signs of getting a win under pressure in recent years. But for the Tigers, the charmed run they had pulling lucky wins out despite playing poorly against struggling or under-strength teams finally came to an end (and deservedly so).
Cronulla v. Warriors
Sharks were due a win
For new coach, but still rubbish
Warriors too good
After some very bad luck received in last week’s loss to the Tigers, many looked at Cronulla’s first home under new coach Shane Flanagan as a great chance for a rare win. This was especially so with the Warriors looking poor against the Gold Coast last week after their long run of wins.
But after a solid start, Cronulla fell away in this one and the Warriors cruised to an easy win. It’s hard to see how, even with heaps of salary cap cast-offs from other teams, that Cronulla can be competitive on a consistent basis any time soon.
Newcastle v. Canterbury
Newcastle’s good form
Continued; these Dogs appear
To have had their day
It may end up being a case of ‘too little, too late’ but Newcastle’s overdue run of form continued on Sunday as they thrashed the Bulldogs (whose run of form appears to be over). Many teams struggle to back up after a Monday night win and also to back up after playing Manly, but Newcastle achieved both of these in style, putting the game out of reach by half time.
Sydney Roosters v. St George Illawarra
Attack v Defence:
The classic battle, Roosters
Lost but not shamed
It was to be the toughest test yet for the white-hot Roosters; cracking the best defensive team (by some margin) in the NRL. Ultimately, they probably lost this game not by failure in the points-scoring area of the field but due to too many errors in possession. Still, it was a brave effort, especially in defence, where much Dragons possession only rarely led to points.
It has been an unfortunate mix of circumstances for the Dragons in the last month: the loss of Weyman, the return of Gasnier as well as the draw serving up four teams either running into form or at/near their best against big-name teams. That the Dragons have come out of this stretch with a solid buffer intact should give them strong impetus for the remainder of the season.
Canberra v. Penrith
Two strong teams Monday
While Penrith impressed; the win
Given to the Refs
This game featured some entertaining moments and some strong periods of play, more so from Penrith than Canberra, but it left an unsavoury taste in the mouth: referee decisions played a significant role in this game. Not necessarily the final score or the winner, but the momentum shifts in the game were mostly driven by penalties given.
Canberra certainly lifted their game after half time, with the end of the season staring them in the face if they lost, but they certainly received a solid leg-up from the referees. Penrith failed to cope with a more desperate Canberra, but they benefited somewhat in their excellent first half from dubious referee calls.
Once it became apparent that Canberra was on a roll in the second half, their comeback was almost expected; as such, Canberra probably can’t take as much from the game as Penrith, who looked very strong against a good forward pack and at a difficult venue.
See you next week.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Round 21: Thanks Jason Robinson
Those rugby league followers in attendance or watching Saturday night's game between Wests and Cronulla have been unable to properly function ever since, due to one of the most bizarre refereeing decisions being given.
Cronulla's Ben Pomeroy was tackled just short of the try line but maintained some sort of momentum for a few seconds. This momentum slowed, when referee Jason Robinson called held, but it didn't stop completely. Just after the 'held' call, Bryce Gibbs joined the tackle and pushed Pomeroy towards the try line, when Pomeroy reached out for an apparent try.
Incredibly, Robinson penalised Pomeroy for attempting to reach out for the line after the 'held' call, rather than penalising Gibbs or realising his mistaken call and awarding the try. The stunned Leichhardt crowd could barely believe their ears. Any subsequent attempt to rationalise Robinson's thought process or logically discuss these events has left the sharpest minds of today in a state of torpor. Fermat's Last Theorem, The Big Bang, The Monty Hall Problem....these are now well and truly superceded by Robinson's Blown Call to confuse brains the world over. This is a truly amazing accomplishment from the code which brought you Mander's C**k-up on the Israel Folau "try" just 10 days ago.
Regular service will hopefully resume next week.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Round 20: Masterchef Bye Week
This week's Roast was all ready to go before we learnt we would be shafted by the timing of the Masterchef grand final and there was no alternate timeslot available. Sorry guys.
So here's a brief summary of last weekend's events:
* Was it a train? Was it a plane? It may very well have been SuperHayne as Jarryd helped the Eels to a smoking start on Friday and despite a Bulldogs comeback, this was a strong win to Parramatta.
* The injury-hit Titans shocked the Dragons with a golden point win. The inclement weather probably helped the underdog but the Dragons must now prove themselves as being able to win big games late in the season.
* Cronulla started strongly coming off a big loss and a coach resignation but Canberra did enough to eke out the win.
* Both teams struggled in Melbourne, but ultimately the Storm was too much for the patchy Panthers.
* Newcastle made a late surge to force extra time, but the Cowboys scored the golden try (albeit from a pass which looked much less than golden) to get the win.
* Souths produced a brilliant second half and some desperate late-game defence to score a morale-boosting win over the streaking Warriors.
* The Tigers started strongly, but Manly held their nerve and exposed Wests' defensive frailties on their way to a fairly convincing win.
* Finally, Brisbane took an hour to get going but get going they did, overwhelming a huge Roosters' lead. But the Roosters hardly flinched and scored the match-winning try with more of their eye-pleasing play.
See you next week.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Round 19: Rivalry Round - Best Round of the Season (so far)
“I tell you what… this competition, and we flower it up all the time and we love the superstars, they’re great players, this is the weakest competition I’ve seen in a long long time alright. Anyone can win this, because our no. 1 team is only a very average team. But they look so much better than everyone this because at least they’re consistent and they’ve got some intensity. This is crying out for a Tigers 2005, for someone to get on a roll now and they’ll just beat everyone….it’s baying for one team now to stand up and get it done, they’ll win the comp…”
Phil Gould’s brutally honest – but quite unpopular – assessment of the NRL on Sunday could have sent many followers of the game into the foetal position. They might have wondered why they waste their time following a season for close to 30 weeks, when all that is required is to tune in sometime in August to find which team is building momentum best for a late-season run to the premiership. They may also have wondered about the ongoing prospects of a competition which has lost a good portion of its depth to England and a worryingly high portion of its star power to other sports, whilst pursuing an agenda of expansion in the not too distant future.
However, Rugby League has a long history of producing entertaining product to make its followers (temporarily) forget about the game’s deep-seated problems and Round 19 – Rivalry Round – was just another example of this. There were some cracking games, high scores, great comebacks and just enough spice to make things interesting without invoking the Helen Lovejoys (i.e. vested interests in the media pushing the AFL perspective) of this world.
The game of the round saw Penrith take on Parramatta. Most expected Penrith to bounce back after their loss to the Warriors last week, with their attack to lead the way. The Warriors kept one of the NRL’s highest scoring teams to just 6 points, which gave voice to the growing number of critics of Penrith’s attack, who accuse it of being one-dimensional (relying too much on kicks).
While Penrith’s attacking game probably needs some variation to minimise the possibility of a point-scoring drought in a key late-season game, Parramatta’s generous defence against the kick was not going to encourage any Penrith attacking innovation any time soon. Penrith led 22-nil after 20 or so minutes, with several tries coming off a poor defensive response to fairly standard Penrith kicks.
Many who wondered whether the Eels’ effort against the Cowbores last Monday night was the start of a late-season run or an easy win against pathetic opposition were answered in the remainder of the first half on Saturday night, as Parramatta cut Penrith’s lead to just 10 and probably should have cut it even further. They clearly had a great momentum and continued it after half time as Wright and an extremely calm Inu crossed for tries to give Parramatta a lead.
Most importantly, however, for Parramatta, was that their often-dormant superstar Jarryd Hayne had woken up and was involved in everything; a danger sign for whoever the opposition is when this rare event takes place. He played a key role in each of Parramatta’s first four tries then broke the game open with his spectacular 80-metre kick return. It probably didn’t deserve the orgasmic reaction it got from the commentators, but it marked the start of what Parramatta supporters hope will be an eruption lasting several months.
Penrith responded (via a kick) and some errors gave them chances to re-take the lead, but Parramatta held on for a famous win. This was one of the better games so far this season, but it was made even more memorable by a ground record crowd packed into CUA Stadium at Penrith. Sadly, this may end up leading to more Penrith-Parramatta games moving to larger stadiums, but hopefully there can be room for games – and crowds – like this at suburban stadiums as well.
Other notable games from the Rivalry Round saw the Roosters and Bulldogs square off as well as the Tigers host the Cowbores. The perplexing Roosters – who struggle against lowly teams, defeat good teams and rarely string similar results together – should have had the goods to beat the Bulldogs, but the Bulldogs’ recent momentum and confidence gained saw them jump to a strong lead after early back-and-forth of tries in the opening 30 minutes.
The Roosters – and especially Braith Anasta – seemed to lose their way as they suffered from several refereeing errors and became increasingly frustrated. Anasta already gave away a penalty for dissent after a dubious forward pass call, then he looked like he’d have a stroke when correctly denied a try soon after.
Somehow during this time, the Roosters dominated possession and mounted a comeback against the gallant but tiring Bulldogs. Eventually the Roosters re-took the lead and held on for an unlikely win. While Anasta gained (eventual) satisfaction, fellow milestone gamer Kimmorley added to his legacy of crapping the bed in big games, thanks to numerous errors and penalties conceded. Afterwards he complained of not being recognised for reaching 300 games. Hey Brett, here’s a statue of you throwing the intercept pass to Bowen, now go away.
On Monday night, the Tigers took the resurgent Cowbores far too lightly and woke up to find themselves 16-nil down. Luckily Feral Thurston missed his first conversion, perhaps due to his nasty black eye. Apparently one of his victims fought back this time…
Once the Tigers got going from late in the first half, the 16-point deficit was quickly rubbed out but the stalemate continued for far longer than expected despite both teams having numerous chances to take the lead. Actually, the Tigers had about eleventy hundred chances, most of which were Benji Marshall missed goal or field goal attempts. But then he sets up a try with a brilliant chip and chase and all is (seemingly) forgotten. Until he costs them a finals game with his erratic play that is…
Finally, the surprisingly impressive Fulton sealed the win for the Tigers, who after winning 7 of their last 8, must surely be due for a loss against Manly on Sunday.
The Warriors and Melbourne have had a somewhat heated rivalry over the years and despite Melbourne’s season rapidly losing relevance, this game stoked the rivalry to greater heights.
The Warriors backed up well after their Herculean effort to defeat Penrith last week to jump to 12-nil lead early on against the Storm, but the Storm slowly fought their way back. The Warriors’ newly found defensive resolve continued and maintained their lead, but eventually Melbourne scored. Rather than suppressing the crowd, this made them louder as a chorus of “CHEAT CHEAT CHEAT” rang around Mt Smart Stadium as Cameron Smith lined up the conversion attempt.
Melbourne almost scored in their next set of six, but ultimately couldn’t score again and the Warriors held on for their fifth win in a row – a difficult feat in the NRL this season. The next Melbourne v. Warriors game should be one to look forward to…
Friday’s game might have been more memorable in a normal round: Souths gave a very good account of themselves in almost defeating the Dragons, while Brisbane slowly but surely overhauled the Titans, with a run of 24 straight points after the Gold Coast had a 10-nil lead. The Titans were somewhat unlucky though to suffer from a dubious sin-bin for the second straight week. To rub salt in the wound, they lost Bird and Harrison to injury.
The final two games of the round were closer to Phil Gould’s description of the game than the standard from the better games of this round: Manly and Canberra jumped to massive first-half leads over insipid opposition in the form of Cronulla and Newcastle respectively.
See you next week.
