As we sit right now, it’s probably fair to say the Melbourne Storm is one of the most hated teams in NRL history. We, rugby league fans, hate the fact they cheated for five years. We hate they fielded an illegal team. We hate that they were better than us. We hate that a few suits at that club ruined their legacy, ruined the last five years of viewing pleasure and rivalry. We hate all of that but for the Melbourne Storm, this very hatred could save them.
I believe we need a team in Melbourne and we need a successful team in Melbourne. Of course there are so many unknowns at this point and these unknowns will continue for a while yet. I have an idea to make the Storm successful in Melbourne. An idea that won’t suit a lot of people, but one I believe could work for the greater good of our game.
For this to work we need to assume four things:
• The announced punishments will stand and be accepted.
• The Storm will survive financially thanks to News Ltd or another cashed up owner.
• The players are largely innocent.
• The NRL is committed to the Melbourne Storm entity surviving as they are.
We need a team in Melbourne and the Storm need to find ways to be forgiven and embraced by the public.
The Hatred
Hatred in rugby league has worked for 25 years – you ask any Queenslander around State of Origin time. We hate NSW and everything about them in rugby league. It is our hatred that has made Origin what it is today, and can make the Melbourne Storm.
Hey, it’s worked for Collingwood in the AFL for many years as well. So the concept is not totally foreign.
The new Storm
My plan is to turn the Melbourne Storm into the most hated team in the NRL. The greatest villains in rugby league history: despised by everyone ... except Victorians.
In their home state the Storm can be loved and adored by their fans. They play a brand of football labelled as “virtually unbeatable” and can rightfully claim to be the best team in the past five years. They can build this on their current players and their coach. They can use the media to connect with their fans while also deliberately alienating fans of other clubs through sheer arrogance or whatever.
Either way, the Storm must try and become hated by everyone north of the Victorian border. In building the hate they also need to be absolutely loved by “their people”.
Six step plan
That sounds good in theory but they, for the greater good of our game, will need to make it happen.
1. The Storm again must apologise and accept that people within the club did the wrong thing. They need to do this as step one in earning forgiveness.
2. Don’t blame the players – use the fact the players were ignorant. Go hard on the guilty administrators but even try and push the players as victims or largely innocent parties.
3. Use the lost premierships to win over the fans. Plead the players’ innocence, promote their sacrifices. Tell the fans that “Sydney took everything away from us”.
4. Tell the Storm fans that everyone in the competition hates us – but we love you. We need you to build this club. We don’t care about the other 15 clubs, they hate us because we are so good. We are so good they stole our trophies from us.
5. For the rest of 2010 the Storm should throw open the gate for their remaining home matches. Tell the fans they can come for free and refund any pre-purchased tickets and memberships. Thank the fans for their support and invite them to reinvent this club.
6. Even go a step further and say fans must be in Melbourne Storm apparel to get in for free – build that hatred in other clubs.
Radical Plan
Yes, this is out of left-field and yes it is risky. The Storm, if they followed this, would effectively turn their back on the rest of the competition. They could take it to the extreme and turn their back on all non-Victorian media as well.
Just do anything and everything to make the Melbourne Storm the most hated team in the NRL – everywhere except Victoria.
I admit this is an extreme suggestion and one that likely is not even possible to make work. But the basic elements to it are still relevant. We need a team in Melbourne and we need it to be well supported. My suggestion is merely one way we could make it happen.
TIPPING
Tips – Broncos, Bulldogs, Warriors, Titans, Storm, Dragons, Tigers, Manly
Last Week – 3/8
Total – 28/56 (50%)
Of course this is just one possible suggestion and if you have a theory you can find me at Sports Australia, Facebook, Twitter (@keyto316) and directly on email at andrew.keyte@gmail.com. I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue and I will respond to all emails.
See you next week,
Keyto
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Qld Teams - Injuries force another Broncos reshuffle
The Brisbane Broncos cannot seem to escape a 2010 injury curse with coach Ivan Henjak again forced into changes.
Following the 36-18 loss to the Bulldogs last week, the Broncos have winger Antonio Winterstein (hamstring) out for at least a week and hooker Andrew McCullough (pectoral) for a month.
The McCullough injury is the more serious with an initial two week prognosis re-evaluated to sideline him until at least after the Round 11 bye.
Utility Alex Glenn has been named at hooker for Friday’s match with the Newcastle Knights at Suncorp Stadium.
In more positive injury news Denan Kemp, who suffered a punctured lung as a result of broken ribs against the Warriors in Round Three, could return to replace Winterstein.
Kemp was expected to be sidelined for at least another week but is pencilled in to face the Knights.
He will face a fitness test later in the week with both Corey Norman and Steve Michaels named on the interchange bench.
Former Cowboys prop Shane Tronc arrived back in Australia last Friday after homesickness cut short his contract with English club Wakefield.
Tronc virtually stepped off the plane and on to ANZ Stadium against the Bulldogs last week.
After impressing off the bench, Tronc has been named in the starting side for the Newcastle game.
Dunamis Lui moves to the back-row as part of the injury-enforced reshuffle.
With both sides anchored towards the bottom of the table, the match is vital for the Broncos before their top stars begin the representative season.
Titans Unchanged
After pulling off one of the most remarkable wins in their brief history last night, the Titans named the same squad for their home match with Penrith Saturday evening.
Still without halfback Scott Prince, the Titans managed to snatch a late 24-22 victory over Manly at Brookvale Oval last night.
The win came despite the Sea Eagles dominating all key statistics and looking in control for the majority of the match.
This weekend the Titans are back at Skilled Park to face the in-form Penrith Panthers.
The Panthers and Titans sit second and third respectively on the ladder with both winning five of their first seven games.
Jordan Atkins made a successful return from a knee injury last night when he started off the bench before sharing the right centre position with Joseph Tomane.
On the other side of the field former New Zealand international Clinton Toopi also made a successful NRL return after a four year sabbatical.
Toopi will likely mark Australian Test-hopeful Michael Jennings on Saturday as the Panthers push for five consecutive wins.
Cowboys facing Storm
The North Queensland Cowboys host the most talked about team in the NRL, the Melbourne Storm, on Saturday night.
After a well documented build-up last week the Storm, who cannot claim premiership points and will finish last after the salary cap scandal, obliterated the Warriors on Sunday evening.
Even though the Storm is not playing for competition points, the Dairy Farmers Stadium encounter is still hugely important for the Cowboys.
After a narrow 24-18 loss at home to the Eels, North Queensland are in desperate need to find some winning form and add to their two wins in season 2010.
Johnathan Thurston made a surprise early return from what most thought was a shoulder injury last week.
However reports from Channel Nine during their broadcast claimed Thurston had actually been hampered by a back injury.
Regardless of the injury, the Cowboys captain is the key player for the Cowboys and will go head-to-head with arguably the form halfback of the competition, Cooper Cronk.
Grant Rovelli has again been named at five-eighth with rookie Ray Thompson resting this weekend.
Rovelli has been named in the side for the past few weeks but has not played for the Cowboys in any of their last four matches.
Prop Carl Webb is out with an ankle injury handing James Tamou a starting position in the front row.
Winger John Williams has been omitted with rookie Will Tupou recalled to the centres and Ash Graham moving to the flank.
Antonio Kaufusi has been recalled to a five man bench while Leeson Ah Mau replaces brother Isaak in the 18 man squad.
The match had already pre-sold 13,000 tickets last week with many in the rugby league community now keen to see how well the Storm draw fans in the wake of their salary cap drama.
The Cowboys 7:30pm match will follow the Titans as part of Fox Sports live Super Saturday program.
The Broncos kick-off Round Eight live on Channel Nine from 7:30pm Friday.
Brisbane Broncos vs. Knights, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
Josh Hoffman, Denan Kemp, Ben Te’o, Israel Folau, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer (c), Ben Hunt, Shane Tronc, Alex Glenn, Mitchell Dodds, Dunamis Lui, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker. Interchange: Lagi Setu, Scott Anderson, Corey Norman, Steve Michaels.
Gold Coast Titans vs. Panthers, Saturday 5:30pm, (Fox Sports, live)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Clinton Toopi, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Jordan Atkins.
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Storm, Saturday 7:30pm, (Fox Sports, live).
Shannon Gallant, Ashley Graham, Will Tupou, Willie Tonga, Michael Bani, Grant Rovelli, Johnathan Thurston (c), Matt Scott, Anthony Watts, James Tamou, Scott Bolton, Willie Mason, Steve Rapira. Interchange: Clint Amos, Steve Southern, Leeson Ah Mau, Antonio Kaufusi, Dane Hogan (one to be omitted).
Following the 36-18 loss to the Bulldogs last week, the Broncos have winger Antonio Winterstein (hamstring) out for at least a week and hooker Andrew McCullough (pectoral) for a month.
The McCullough injury is the more serious with an initial two week prognosis re-evaluated to sideline him until at least after the Round 11 bye.
Utility Alex Glenn has been named at hooker for Friday’s match with the Newcastle Knights at Suncorp Stadium.
In more positive injury news Denan Kemp, who suffered a punctured lung as a result of broken ribs against the Warriors in Round Three, could return to replace Winterstein.
Kemp was expected to be sidelined for at least another week but is pencilled in to face the Knights.
He will face a fitness test later in the week with both Corey Norman and Steve Michaels named on the interchange bench.
Former Cowboys prop Shane Tronc arrived back in Australia last Friday after homesickness cut short his contract with English club Wakefield.
Tronc virtually stepped off the plane and on to ANZ Stadium against the Bulldogs last week.
After impressing off the bench, Tronc has been named in the starting side for the Newcastle game.
Dunamis Lui moves to the back-row as part of the injury-enforced reshuffle.
With both sides anchored towards the bottom of the table, the match is vital for the Broncos before their top stars begin the representative season.
Titans Unchanged
After pulling off one of the most remarkable wins in their brief history last night, the Titans named the same squad for their home match with Penrith Saturday evening.
Still without halfback Scott Prince, the Titans managed to snatch a late 24-22 victory over Manly at Brookvale Oval last night.
The win came despite the Sea Eagles dominating all key statistics and looking in control for the majority of the match.
This weekend the Titans are back at Skilled Park to face the in-form Penrith Panthers.
The Panthers and Titans sit second and third respectively on the ladder with both winning five of their first seven games.
Jordan Atkins made a successful return from a knee injury last night when he started off the bench before sharing the right centre position with Joseph Tomane.
On the other side of the field former New Zealand international Clinton Toopi also made a successful NRL return after a four year sabbatical.
Toopi will likely mark Australian Test-hopeful Michael Jennings on Saturday as the Panthers push for five consecutive wins.
Cowboys facing Storm
The North Queensland Cowboys host the most talked about team in the NRL, the Melbourne Storm, on Saturday night.
After a well documented build-up last week the Storm, who cannot claim premiership points and will finish last after the salary cap scandal, obliterated the Warriors on Sunday evening.
Even though the Storm is not playing for competition points, the Dairy Farmers Stadium encounter is still hugely important for the Cowboys.
After a narrow 24-18 loss at home to the Eels, North Queensland are in desperate need to find some winning form and add to their two wins in season 2010.
Johnathan Thurston made a surprise early return from what most thought was a shoulder injury last week.
However reports from Channel Nine during their broadcast claimed Thurston had actually been hampered by a back injury.
Regardless of the injury, the Cowboys captain is the key player for the Cowboys and will go head-to-head with arguably the form halfback of the competition, Cooper Cronk.
Grant Rovelli has again been named at five-eighth with rookie Ray Thompson resting this weekend.
Rovelli has been named in the side for the past few weeks but has not played for the Cowboys in any of their last four matches.
Prop Carl Webb is out with an ankle injury handing James Tamou a starting position in the front row.
Winger John Williams has been omitted with rookie Will Tupou recalled to the centres and Ash Graham moving to the flank.
Antonio Kaufusi has been recalled to a five man bench while Leeson Ah Mau replaces brother Isaak in the 18 man squad.
The match had already pre-sold 13,000 tickets last week with many in the rugby league community now keen to see how well the Storm draw fans in the wake of their salary cap drama.
The Cowboys 7:30pm match will follow the Titans as part of Fox Sports live Super Saturday program.
The Broncos kick-off Round Eight live on Channel Nine from 7:30pm Friday.
Brisbane Broncos vs. Knights, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
Josh Hoffman, Denan Kemp, Ben Te’o, Israel Folau, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer (c), Ben Hunt, Shane Tronc, Alex Glenn, Mitchell Dodds, Dunamis Lui, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker. Interchange: Lagi Setu, Scott Anderson, Corey Norman, Steve Michaels.
Gold Coast Titans vs. Panthers, Saturday 5:30pm, (Fox Sports, live)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Clinton Toopi, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Jordan Atkins.
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Storm, Saturday 7:30pm, (Fox Sports, live).
Shannon Gallant, Ashley Graham, Will Tupou, Willie Tonga, Michael Bani, Grant Rovelli, Johnathan Thurston (c), Matt Scott, Anthony Watts, James Tamou, Scott Bolton, Willie Mason, Steve Rapira. Interchange: Clint Amos, Steve Southern, Leeson Ah Mau, Antonio Kaufusi, Dane Hogan (one to be omitted).
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Melbourne Storm are Cheats
The best NRL team we’ve seen this decade is a fraud. The Melbourne Storm, with two Premierships from four consecutive Grand Finals are cheats. They cheated their way to those titles, they cheated their fans and they have cheated the rugby league community. There can be no justification.
At 4pm AEST today NRL Chief Executive David Gallop announced the Melbourne Storm would be:
· Stripped of the 2007 and 2009 Premierships
· The 2006 and 2008 Minor Premierships
· Forced to repay $1.1 million worth of prize money
· Fined a further $500,000
· Lose all 2010 competition points and will NOT earn ANY more competition points this season
The Storm have cheated the salary cap to the tune of at least $1.6 million over seven years: using a complicated method designed to pay players more money than they were allowed. The full NRL press release is available here.
I’m writing this less than an hour after the news was confirmed (I had to scrap a previously written piece on the Refs – that will keep!!). I’m feeling a range of emotions to this story – shock, anger, sadness, disappointed, used, deceived and so on.
The one overlaying thought that is popping up everywhere is – the Melbourne Storm are cheats. And they are, there’s no beating around that bush.
For what, five years or so, I and most rugby league fans watched what we thought was an absolute champion team. We paid good money to watch these guys play. As a Broncos fan I looked forward to playing the Storm because I know they were that damn good and we’d have to be at our very best to beat them. But today I know the Storm should never have been that good.
Storm Players
I’m not taking a shot at the individuals in the Storm team – the superstars are still absolute champion players. I would pay money every day to watch Slater, Cronk, Smith, Inglis, Folau, Johnson and the rest.
But the thing is – we should never have been watching them all play together in the Melbourne Storm team.
Implications
In the next 24 hours this story will shift towards general salary cup discussions – how players should earn more money, how every club cheats but the Storm got caught, why this wasn’t found sooner.
There is a heck of a lot to this story but the thing that’s going to annoy everyone is Melbourne Storm went to a massive effort to hide it. They knew they were cheating and they’ve been punished. It’s a sad day for their fans and the rugby league community.
Triple M journalist and their Monday Night Football commentator Dan Ginnane sums it up perfectly on Twitter:
“An hour ago Melbourne Storm were three time champions, now they're the biggest cheats in the history of the game.”
TIPPING
Tips – Broncos, Eels, Panthers, Knights, Canberra, Roosters, Storm, Manly
Last Week – 5/8
Total – 25/48 (50%)
There’s plenty to say on this issue so please share your views with me at Sports Australia, Facebook, Twitter (@keyto316) and directly on email at andrew.keyte@gmail.com.
Hopefully we can get a heap of good footy this weekend.
Cheers,
Keyto
At 4pm AEST today NRL Chief Executive David Gallop announced the Melbourne Storm would be:
· Stripped of the 2007 and 2009 Premierships
· The 2006 and 2008 Minor Premierships
· Forced to repay $1.1 million worth of prize money
· Fined a further $500,000
· Lose all 2010 competition points and will NOT earn ANY more competition points this season
The Storm have cheated the salary cap to the tune of at least $1.6 million over seven years: using a complicated method designed to pay players more money than they were allowed. The full NRL press release is available here.
I’m writing this less than an hour after the news was confirmed (I had to scrap a previously written piece on the Refs – that will keep!!). I’m feeling a range of emotions to this story – shock, anger, sadness, disappointed, used, deceived and so on.
The one overlaying thought that is popping up everywhere is – the Melbourne Storm are cheats. And they are, there’s no beating around that bush.
For what, five years or so, I and most rugby league fans watched what we thought was an absolute champion team. We paid good money to watch these guys play. As a Broncos fan I looked forward to playing the Storm because I know they were that damn good and we’d have to be at our very best to beat them. But today I know the Storm should never have been that good.
Storm Players
I’m not taking a shot at the individuals in the Storm team – the superstars are still absolute champion players. I would pay money every day to watch Slater, Cronk, Smith, Inglis, Folau, Johnson and the rest.
But the thing is – we should never have been watching them all play together in the Melbourne Storm team.
Implications
In the next 24 hours this story will shift towards general salary cup discussions – how players should earn more money, how every club cheats but the Storm got caught, why this wasn’t found sooner.
There is a heck of a lot to this story but the thing that’s going to annoy everyone is Melbourne Storm went to a massive effort to hide it. They knew they were cheating and they’ve been punished. It’s a sad day for their fans and the rugby league community.
Triple M journalist and their Monday Night Football commentator Dan Ginnane sums it up perfectly on Twitter:
“An hour ago Melbourne Storm were three time champions, now they're the biggest cheats in the history of the game.”
TIPPING
Tips – Broncos, Eels, Panthers, Knights, Canberra, Roosters, Storm, Manly
Last Week – 5/8
Total – 25/48 (50%)
There’s plenty to say on this issue so please share your views with me at Sports Australia, Facebook, Twitter (@keyto316) and directly on email at andrew.keyte@gmail.com.
Hopefully we can get a heap of good footy this weekend.
Cheers,
Keyto
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Qld Teams - Broncos Hunt new halfback
The Brisbane Broncos have named 20-year-old rookie Ben Hunt at halfback for Friday night’s match against the Bulldogs in Sydney.
Hunt, no relation to departed fullback Karmichael, debuted last season in an Origin-affected loss to Cronulla and has four NRL matches to his name.
After spending the last two seasons starring in the Under 20’s competition, Hunt has spent most of 2010 in the Queensland Cup with the Rockhampton-based Central Comets team.
This year Hunt played two NRL games off the bench for the Broncos in the heavy losses to the Roosters and Dragons in Rounds Four and Five.
Having spent those two appearances mainly on dummy-half duties, Hunt now gets his shot at his more preferred halfback position.
He comes in for the injured Peter Wallace who faces a four-to-six week stint on the sideline with a knee injury suffered in the 44-16 win over Cronulla on the weekend.
Utility forward Matt Gillett suffered the same injury as Wallace, a medial tear, and will join the former New South Wales halfback on the casualty list.
Ben Te’o replaces Gillett in the centres for the key match against Canterbury at ANZ Stadium.
Alex Glenn moves into the back row after lock Corey Parker made a successful early recovery from his knee injury against the Sharks.
Exciting prospect Corey Norman returns to a five man bench after a week in the Under 20’s while Steve Michaels, who has spent all year with Wynnum-Manly in the Queensland Cup, could play his first NRL game of the season.
Prop Nick Kenny was a late omission for the Sharks game after tearing a calf muscle at training on Saturday.
He faces another three weeks out of the game but the Broncos are expected to have the services of former Cowboys prop Shane Tronc in the near future.
Tronc signed with English Super League club Wakefield for this season but he and his family struggled to settle in to the new lifestyle.
Having played for Wakefield on Sunday, Tronc was expected to arrive in Brisbane this week but those plans may be delayed following air traffic closure across Europe.
When he does arrive in Brisbane Tronc will play the rest of the season with the Broncos.
Mason to start
The Cowboys controversial off-season signing Willie Mason has been named in the second row for the first time this year.
Although he eventually started against the Dragons in Round Three, Mason has spent the other five matches cooling his heels on the interchange bench for the opening 20 minutes or so.
Mason was one of the Cowboys best in their disappointing 36-18 loss against Newcastle and wins his first starting jersey for the important home match with Parramatta on Friday night.
Carl Webb, who moved from 18th man to starting in the back rower against the Knights, joins Mason in the run-on team for the Eels match.
Prop Antonio Kaufusi, interchange forward Manase Manuokafoa and backs Will Tupou and Ty Williams drop out of the squad.
The Cowboys were terrible in the first half against Newcastle as they slumped to a 30-6 deficit at halftime.
On the back of Mason, Webb and hooker Anthony Watts the team rallied to send a second half fright through the opposition.
North Queensland, still without Johnathan Thurston, Aaron Payne, Luke O’Donnell and Matt Bowen, are in desperate need of a victory over Parramatta.
Ash Graham played in the halves against the Knights but moves to his more accustomed centre position this weekend.
Winger Michael Bani and five-eighth Grant Rovelli, who was cut from the squad last week, have been named to make their returns after spending the past few weeks in the Queensland Cup.
Forwards Steve Southern and Isaak Ah Mau are also set for a recall while 20-year-old back rower and the Cowboys 2009 Toyota Cup Player of the Year Dane Hogan could make his debut from the five man bench.
Prop Matt Scott will again captain the side.
The match kicks-off at 7:30pm in Townsville and will be televised on Channel Nine following the live broadcast of the Broncos match.
Toopi returns
Former New Zealand centre Clinton Toopi will play his first NRL game in four years when he debuts for the Titans at Brookvale Oval against Manly on Monday night.
Toopi, a veteran of 129 NRL games for the Warriors and 22 Tests for New Zealand, left the NRL midway through the 2006 season to join Leeds in the English Super League.
He spent last year playing rugby union in New Zealand before joining the Titans on a trial basis in the 2010 pre-season.
Toopi’s NRL return comes at the expense of fellow veteran Mat Rogers, who faces up to 12 weeks sidelined with a medial ligament tear in his knee suffered in the 19-6 loss to the Dragons.
In the only other change to the squad winger Jordan Atkins has been named on a five man bench.
Atkins, who exploded onto the NRL scene with a four try debut against the Cowboys in Round One 2008, has been hindered by a knee injury so far this season.
The Titans will be looking to bounce back from a flat performance against the table-topping St George-Illawarra side on Friday night.
They are currently in the middle of a ten day turnaround before facing an in-form Manly side on Monday night.
The Sea Eagles have won four in a row including a determined 18-16 win over the Storm in Melbourne last night.
That result came ten days after the Titans defeated Melbourne 20-16 at Skilled Park.
With the Manly match happening Monday night Titans halfback Scott Prince could be a possible late inclusion since four weeks would have passed since he broke his thumb in Round Three.
The game will kick-off live on Fox Sports at 7pm Monday.
Channel Nine will have the Broncos game live Friday night and a replay of the Cowboys match will follow.
Brisbane Broncos vs. Bulldogs, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
Josh Hoffman, Antonio Winterstein, Ben Te’o, Israel Folau, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer (c), Ben Hunt, Dunamis Lui, Andrew McCullough, Mitchell Dodds, Alex Glenn, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker. Interchange: Lagi Setu, Scott Anderson, Corey Norman, Gerard Beale, Steve Michaels (one to be omitted).
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Eels, Friday 7:30pm, (Channel Nine, delayed 9:20pm)
Shannon Gallant, John Williams, Ashley Graham, Willie Tonga, Michael Bani, Grant Rovelli, Ray Thompson, Matt Scott (c), Anthony Watts, Carl Webb, Scott Bolton, Willie Mason, Steve Rapira. Interchange: Clint Amos, Steve Southern, Isaak Ah Mau, James Tamou, Dane Hogan (one to be omitted).
Gold Coast Titans vs. Manly, Monday 7pm, (Fox Sports, live)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Clinton Toopi, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Jordan Atkins, Will Matthews (one to be omitted).
Hunt, no relation to departed fullback Karmichael, debuted last season in an Origin-affected loss to Cronulla and has four NRL matches to his name.
After spending the last two seasons starring in the Under 20’s competition, Hunt has spent most of 2010 in the Queensland Cup with the Rockhampton-based Central Comets team.
This year Hunt played two NRL games off the bench for the Broncos in the heavy losses to the Roosters and Dragons in Rounds Four and Five.
Having spent those two appearances mainly on dummy-half duties, Hunt now gets his shot at his more preferred halfback position.
He comes in for the injured Peter Wallace who faces a four-to-six week stint on the sideline with a knee injury suffered in the 44-16 win over Cronulla on the weekend.
Utility forward Matt Gillett suffered the same injury as Wallace, a medial tear, and will join the former New South Wales halfback on the casualty list.
Ben Te’o replaces Gillett in the centres for the key match against Canterbury at ANZ Stadium.
Alex Glenn moves into the back row after lock Corey Parker made a successful early recovery from his knee injury against the Sharks.
Exciting prospect Corey Norman returns to a five man bench after a week in the Under 20’s while Steve Michaels, who has spent all year with Wynnum-Manly in the Queensland Cup, could play his first NRL game of the season.
Prop Nick Kenny was a late omission for the Sharks game after tearing a calf muscle at training on Saturday.
He faces another three weeks out of the game but the Broncos are expected to have the services of former Cowboys prop Shane Tronc in the near future.
Tronc signed with English Super League club Wakefield for this season but he and his family struggled to settle in to the new lifestyle.
Having played for Wakefield on Sunday, Tronc was expected to arrive in Brisbane this week but those plans may be delayed following air traffic closure across Europe.
When he does arrive in Brisbane Tronc will play the rest of the season with the Broncos.
Mason to start
The Cowboys controversial off-season signing Willie Mason has been named in the second row for the first time this year.
Although he eventually started against the Dragons in Round Three, Mason has spent the other five matches cooling his heels on the interchange bench for the opening 20 minutes or so.
Mason was one of the Cowboys best in their disappointing 36-18 loss against Newcastle and wins his first starting jersey for the important home match with Parramatta on Friday night.
Carl Webb, who moved from 18th man to starting in the back rower against the Knights, joins Mason in the run-on team for the Eels match.
Prop Antonio Kaufusi, interchange forward Manase Manuokafoa and backs Will Tupou and Ty Williams drop out of the squad.
The Cowboys were terrible in the first half against Newcastle as they slumped to a 30-6 deficit at halftime.
On the back of Mason, Webb and hooker Anthony Watts the team rallied to send a second half fright through the opposition.
North Queensland, still without Johnathan Thurston, Aaron Payne, Luke O’Donnell and Matt Bowen, are in desperate need of a victory over Parramatta.
Ash Graham played in the halves against the Knights but moves to his more accustomed centre position this weekend.
Winger Michael Bani and five-eighth Grant Rovelli, who was cut from the squad last week, have been named to make their returns after spending the past few weeks in the Queensland Cup.
Forwards Steve Southern and Isaak Ah Mau are also set for a recall while 20-year-old back rower and the Cowboys 2009 Toyota Cup Player of the Year Dane Hogan could make his debut from the five man bench.
Prop Matt Scott will again captain the side.
The match kicks-off at 7:30pm in Townsville and will be televised on Channel Nine following the live broadcast of the Broncos match.
Toopi returns
Former New Zealand centre Clinton Toopi will play his first NRL game in four years when he debuts for the Titans at Brookvale Oval against Manly on Monday night.
Toopi, a veteran of 129 NRL games for the Warriors and 22 Tests for New Zealand, left the NRL midway through the 2006 season to join Leeds in the English Super League.
He spent last year playing rugby union in New Zealand before joining the Titans on a trial basis in the 2010 pre-season.
Toopi’s NRL return comes at the expense of fellow veteran Mat Rogers, who faces up to 12 weeks sidelined with a medial ligament tear in his knee suffered in the 19-6 loss to the Dragons.
In the only other change to the squad winger Jordan Atkins has been named on a five man bench.
Atkins, who exploded onto the NRL scene with a four try debut against the Cowboys in Round One 2008, has been hindered by a knee injury so far this season.
The Titans will be looking to bounce back from a flat performance against the table-topping St George-Illawarra side on Friday night.
They are currently in the middle of a ten day turnaround before facing an in-form Manly side on Monday night.
The Sea Eagles have won four in a row including a determined 18-16 win over the Storm in Melbourne last night.
That result came ten days after the Titans defeated Melbourne 20-16 at Skilled Park.
With the Manly match happening Monday night Titans halfback Scott Prince could be a possible late inclusion since four weeks would have passed since he broke his thumb in Round Three.
The game will kick-off live on Fox Sports at 7pm Monday.
Channel Nine will have the Broncos game live Friday night and a replay of the Cowboys match will follow.
Brisbane Broncos vs. Bulldogs, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
Josh Hoffman, Antonio Winterstein, Ben Te’o, Israel Folau, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer (c), Ben Hunt, Dunamis Lui, Andrew McCullough, Mitchell Dodds, Alex Glenn, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker. Interchange: Lagi Setu, Scott Anderson, Corey Norman, Gerard Beale, Steve Michaels (one to be omitted).
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Eels, Friday 7:30pm, (Channel Nine, delayed 9:20pm)
Shannon Gallant, John Williams, Ashley Graham, Willie Tonga, Michael Bani, Grant Rovelli, Ray Thompson, Matt Scott (c), Anthony Watts, Carl Webb, Scott Bolton, Willie Mason, Steve Rapira. Interchange: Clint Amos, Steve Southern, Isaak Ah Mau, James Tamou, Dane Hogan (one to be omitted).
Gold Coast Titans vs. Manly, Monday 7pm, (Fox Sports, live)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Clinton Toopi, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Jordan Atkins, Will Matthews (one to be omitted).
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Second Teams
Everyone reading this has their favourite team – the team they support, the team they tip and the team they love. You're either a Dragons supporter, an Eels fan, a Rabbitohs diehard or some other type of supporter for any of the other teams. But who of you has a ‘second’ team? Or a third or a fourth?
Your ‘second’ team plays great football at times, don’t have many enemies and you don’t mind when they win. I’m thrilled the following three sides have made strong starts to the season and I would love so much to see them all in the Finals come the end of the year – unless it comes down to one of them against the Broncos!!
Wests Tigers
I think everybody has got some love for the Tigers. They are a wonderful, skilful team to watch and most rugby league supporters would enjoy seeing them play well week to week. So what is it that we love about the Tigers?
For one their attack and flair is fantastic to watch. Guys like Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah, Lote Tuqiri and Tim Moltzen are great. You have up and comers like Chris Lawrence thrown in, cult figures such as Taniela Tuiaki and hard-heads Keith Galloway and Gareth Ellis. They are a very positive team that stays clean off the field. You hardly hear a bad word about the Tigers and when that is combined with their football, it becomes hard to be a hater.
Just on a sad note – as far as rugby league tragedies go, the injury to Moltzen the other day was up there. He is a very, very good kid coming through and covering that match I was extremely disappointing to see him go down. I know he will be back bigger and better next season.
Penrith Panthers
I love the Penrith Panthers – without a doubt they are my second team. I really enjoy their home games when the Panthers are playing well. The place is always close to full and there are so many children making up the crowd.
The Panthers are a football side – it is not a team of pure athletes or muscles heads, they have footballers like Luke Lewis, Luke Walsh, Lachlan Coote, Petero and Kevin Kingston. Plus of course their stars Jennings and Pritchard.
Two of my favourite footballers to watch are the two Luke’s – Lewis and Walsh. These two guys are hard workers and a bit of a throwback to the older days. They are natural players that just know the game. What’s more they hold the key to the Panthers fortunes this season.
Canberra Raiders
Earlier this season I picked the Raiders to make the Top 4. This group of kids is something very special down there. Canberra won the 2008 Toyota Cup and slowly the nucleus of that side is coming through the NRL level. Guys like Dugan, Carney, Thompson, Vidot, Croker and Fensom amongst some pretty decent (and massive) forwards, a great playmaker and under the leadership of Alan Tongue makes for a pretty good side.
Take a look at the current Raiders squad and make a note – if they are able to keep this squad together (maybe lose one or two), this Canberra Raiders side will play in at least one Grand Final in the next three years.
I can’t quite put my finger on it or explain what I see, I just know when I watch Canberra play well I get the feeling we are seeing the early buildings of something special.
TIPPING
Tips – Bulldogs, Titans, Newcastle, Roosters, Warriors, Brisbane, Parramatta, Melbourne
Last Week – 3/8
Total – 20/40 (50%)
As you can see I haven’t actually tipped any of the mentioned three sides this weekend, but that’s the nature of ‘second’ teams! If you have any thoughts you can find me at Sports Australia, Facebook, Twitter (@keyto316) and directly on email at andrew.keyte@gmail.com.
There are plenty of good games on this weekend so if you have a chance to go and support your side (or second team) hopefully it works out well.
Talk to you later,
Keyto
Your ‘second’ team plays great football at times, don’t have many enemies and you don’t mind when they win. I’m thrilled the following three sides have made strong starts to the season and I would love so much to see them all in the Finals come the end of the year – unless it comes down to one of them against the Broncos!!
Wests Tigers
I think everybody has got some love for the Tigers. They are a wonderful, skilful team to watch and most rugby league supporters would enjoy seeing them play well week to week. So what is it that we love about the Tigers?
For one their attack and flair is fantastic to watch. Guys like Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah, Lote Tuqiri and Tim Moltzen are great. You have up and comers like Chris Lawrence thrown in, cult figures such as Taniela Tuiaki and hard-heads Keith Galloway and Gareth Ellis. They are a very positive team that stays clean off the field. You hardly hear a bad word about the Tigers and when that is combined with their football, it becomes hard to be a hater.
Just on a sad note – as far as rugby league tragedies go, the injury to Moltzen the other day was up there. He is a very, very good kid coming through and covering that match I was extremely disappointing to see him go down. I know he will be back bigger and better next season.
Penrith Panthers
I love the Penrith Panthers – without a doubt they are my second team. I really enjoy their home games when the Panthers are playing well. The place is always close to full and there are so many children making up the crowd.
The Panthers are a football side – it is not a team of pure athletes or muscles heads, they have footballers like Luke Lewis, Luke Walsh, Lachlan Coote, Petero and Kevin Kingston. Plus of course their stars Jennings and Pritchard.
Two of my favourite footballers to watch are the two Luke’s – Lewis and Walsh. These two guys are hard workers and a bit of a throwback to the older days. They are natural players that just know the game. What’s more they hold the key to the Panthers fortunes this season.
Canberra Raiders
Earlier this season I picked the Raiders to make the Top 4. This group of kids is something very special down there. Canberra won the 2008 Toyota Cup and slowly the nucleus of that side is coming through the NRL level. Guys like Dugan, Carney, Thompson, Vidot, Croker and Fensom amongst some pretty decent (and massive) forwards, a great playmaker and under the leadership of Alan Tongue makes for a pretty good side.
Take a look at the current Raiders squad and make a note – if they are able to keep this squad together (maybe lose one or two), this Canberra Raiders side will play in at least one Grand Final in the next three years.
I can’t quite put my finger on it or explain what I see, I just know when I watch Canberra play well I get the feeling we are seeing the early buildings of something special.
TIPPING
Tips – Bulldogs, Titans, Newcastle, Roosters, Warriors, Brisbane, Parramatta, Melbourne
Last Week – 3/8
Total – 20/40 (50%)
As you can see I haven’t actually tipped any of the mentioned three sides this weekend, but that’s the nature of ‘second’ teams! If you have any thoughts you can find me at Sports Australia, Facebook, Twitter (@keyto316) and directly on email at andrew.keyte@gmail.com.
There are plenty of good games on this weekend so if you have a chance to go and support your side (or second team) hopefully it works out well.
Talk to you later,
Keyto
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Qld Teams - Titans prepare for next big scalp
The unchanged Gold Coast Titans are set to host their second consecutive Friday night blockbuster this weekend.
Seven days after handing premiership heavyweights Melbourne Storm their first loss, the Titans will face fellow co-competition leaders, and another title favourite, St George-Illawarra this weekend.
Both sides have dropped just one match this season to share the premiership lead with Melbourne and Wests Tigers after five rounds.
Gold Coast can be even more impressed with their start to the season considering their best player, halfback and captain Scott Prince, has missed the last two games with a broken thumb.
While it is unlikely Prince could make a surprise return against the Dragons, he seems likely to miss only another two matches at the most.
The Titans have had the luxury of naming virtually the same squad for all matches this season.
Coach John Cartwright listed the same 18 man squad that defeated Melbourne 20-16 last week for the Dragons clash.
Meanwhile the NRL has cleared the Titans of salary cup breach allegations lodged against the club.
The Dragons have injury concerns to their forwards stocks meaning the Titans may eventually start the match as favourites.
Cowboys lose stars
The North Queensland Cowboys are still licking the wounds from a brutal clash with Wests Tigers last weekend.
Captain Johnathan Thurston (shoulder, 3 weeks), hooker Aaron Payne (ankle, 6 weeks) and representative lock Luke O’Donnell (suspension, 3 week) are all casualties from the 23-16 loss on the weekend.
Early Saturday night reports suggested Thurston’s season, and possibly his NRL career, were over due to a shoulder injury that saw him leave the match in the 30th minute.
However after scans earlier in the week the Cowboys believe Thurston should only miss a handful of matches.
Grant Rovelli has been recalled after two weeks to play five-eighth against Newcastle this weekend with rookie Ray Thompson moving to halfback to replacing Thurston.
Following what some are calling a “minute of madness” in which he was penalised four times and eventually sin binned, lock forward O’Donnell accepted a three match ban for a high tackle.
James Tamou comes into the starting side for O’Donnell with Carl Webb recalled to a five man bench.
Hooker Payne, who moved to halfback when Thurston was injured against the Tigers, injured his ankle late in the match and faces a longer spell on the sideline.
Utility Anthony Watts will start at hooker with fellow rake Clint Amos named on the bench for his first game of the season.
Outside back Ty Williams has also been recalled to the bench while youngster Will Tupou and the experienced Ash Graham have switched positions to centre and wing respectively.
Newcastle has not won since Round One and has named captain Kurt Gidley to play his first game of the season following an injury in the Indigenous All Stars game.
Broncos Overhauled
The Brisbane Broncos will have five players return for Sunday’s match at Suncorp Stadium with Cronulla Sharks.
Superstar centre Israel Folau, who missed the last two matches with a dislocated finger, returns.
Coach Ivan Henjak, after four consecutive losses, named a completely new look side for this weekend.
Only halves Darren Lockyer and Peter Wallace, hooker Andrew McCullough and back-row duo Sam Thaiday and Lagi Setu have been retained in their named positions from last week.
Winger Jharal Yow Yeh (knee) will play his first game of the season after he was injured in the Indigenous All Stars match.
Prop Nick Kenny is back on the bench after missing last weekend’s brave 34-16 loss to the Dragons with a back injury.
Tardy pair Antonio Winterstein and Ben Te’o, who played Queensland Cup last weekend after being late for Broncos training, will return against the Sharks.
The new look backline includes Matt Gillett to partner Folau in the centres while Josh Hoffman replaces Corey Norman at fullback.
Norman and winger/centre Gerard Beale drop to a six man bench.
After impressive performances last week young props Dunamis Lui and Mitchell Dodds have been rewarded with starting spots against the Sharks while Scott Anderson drops to the bench.
Alex Glenn will start at lock while young playmaker Ben Hunt has been retained on the extended bench.
Broncos skills coach Allan Langer returned to duty today following his hearing yesterday for a drink driving charge.
Langer was fined and disqualified from driving but will resume all duties at the Broncos.
Both Brisbane and Cronulla are desperate for victory with the loser to possibly sit alone at the bottom of the ladder.
All three teams are live on television this weekend starting with the Titans on Channel Nine Friday night.
Fox Sports have the Cowboys live from 5:30pm Saturday and the Broncos live from 2pm Sunday.
Gold Coast Titans vs. Dragons, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Mat Rogers, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Riley Brown, Will Matthews (one to be omitted).
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Knights, Saturday 5:30pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Shannon Gallant, John Williams, Will Tupou, Willie Tonga, Ashley Graham, Grant Rovelli, Ray Thompson, Matt Scott, Anthony Watts, Antonio Kaufusi, Scott Bolton, Steve Rapira, James Tamou. Interchange: Clint Amos, Ty Williams, Willie Mason, Manase Manuokafoa, Carl Webb (one to be omitted).
Brisbane Broncos vs. Sharks, Sunday 2pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Josh Hoffman, Antonio Winterstein, Matt Gillett, Israel Folau, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer (c), Peter Wallace, Dunamis Lui, Andrew McCullough, Mitchell Dodds, Lagi Setu, Sam Thaiday, Alex Glenn. Interchange: Gerard Beale, Ben Te’o, Scott Anderson, Nick Kenny, Ben Hunt, Corey Norman (two to be omitted).
Seven days after handing premiership heavyweights Melbourne Storm their first loss, the Titans will face fellow co-competition leaders, and another title favourite, St George-Illawarra this weekend.
Both sides have dropped just one match this season to share the premiership lead with Melbourne and Wests Tigers after five rounds.
Gold Coast can be even more impressed with their start to the season considering their best player, halfback and captain Scott Prince, has missed the last two games with a broken thumb.
While it is unlikely Prince could make a surprise return against the Dragons, he seems likely to miss only another two matches at the most.
The Titans have had the luxury of naming virtually the same squad for all matches this season.
Coach John Cartwright listed the same 18 man squad that defeated Melbourne 20-16 last week for the Dragons clash.
Meanwhile the NRL has cleared the Titans of salary cup breach allegations lodged against the club.
The Dragons have injury concerns to their forwards stocks meaning the Titans may eventually start the match as favourites.
Cowboys lose stars
The North Queensland Cowboys are still licking the wounds from a brutal clash with Wests Tigers last weekend.
Captain Johnathan Thurston (shoulder, 3 weeks), hooker Aaron Payne (ankle, 6 weeks) and representative lock Luke O’Donnell (suspension, 3 week) are all casualties from the 23-16 loss on the weekend.
Early Saturday night reports suggested Thurston’s season, and possibly his NRL career, were over due to a shoulder injury that saw him leave the match in the 30th minute.
However after scans earlier in the week the Cowboys believe Thurston should only miss a handful of matches.
Grant Rovelli has been recalled after two weeks to play five-eighth against Newcastle this weekend with rookie Ray Thompson moving to halfback to replacing Thurston.
Following what some are calling a “minute of madness” in which he was penalised four times and eventually sin binned, lock forward O’Donnell accepted a three match ban for a high tackle.
James Tamou comes into the starting side for O’Donnell with Carl Webb recalled to a five man bench.
Hooker Payne, who moved to halfback when Thurston was injured against the Tigers, injured his ankle late in the match and faces a longer spell on the sideline.
Utility Anthony Watts will start at hooker with fellow rake Clint Amos named on the bench for his first game of the season.
Outside back Ty Williams has also been recalled to the bench while youngster Will Tupou and the experienced Ash Graham have switched positions to centre and wing respectively.
Newcastle has not won since Round One and has named captain Kurt Gidley to play his first game of the season following an injury in the Indigenous All Stars game.
Broncos Overhauled
The Brisbane Broncos will have five players return for Sunday’s match at Suncorp Stadium with Cronulla Sharks.
Superstar centre Israel Folau, who missed the last two matches with a dislocated finger, returns.
Coach Ivan Henjak, after four consecutive losses, named a completely new look side for this weekend.
Only halves Darren Lockyer and Peter Wallace, hooker Andrew McCullough and back-row duo Sam Thaiday and Lagi Setu have been retained in their named positions from last week.
Winger Jharal Yow Yeh (knee) will play his first game of the season after he was injured in the Indigenous All Stars match.
Prop Nick Kenny is back on the bench after missing last weekend’s brave 34-16 loss to the Dragons with a back injury.
Tardy pair Antonio Winterstein and Ben Te’o, who played Queensland Cup last weekend after being late for Broncos training, will return against the Sharks.
The new look backline includes Matt Gillett to partner Folau in the centres while Josh Hoffman replaces Corey Norman at fullback.
Norman and winger/centre Gerard Beale drop to a six man bench.
After impressive performances last week young props Dunamis Lui and Mitchell Dodds have been rewarded with starting spots against the Sharks while Scott Anderson drops to the bench.
Alex Glenn will start at lock while young playmaker Ben Hunt has been retained on the extended bench.
Broncos skills coach Allan Langer returned to duty today following his hearing yesterday for a drink driving charge.
Langer was fined and disqualified from driving but will resume all duties at the Broncos.
Both Brisbane and Cronulla are desperate for victory with the loser to possibly sit alone at the bottom of the ladder.
All three teams are live on television this weekend starting with the Titans on Channel Nine Friday night.
Fox Sports have the Cowboys live from 5:30pm Saturday and the Broncos live from 2pm Sunday.
Gold Coast Titans vs. Dragons, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Mat Rogers, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Riley Brown, Will Matthews (one to be omitted).
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Knights, Saturday 5:30pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Shannon Gallant, John Williams, Will Tupou, Willie Tonga, Ashley Graham, Grant Rovelli, Ray Thompson, Matt Scott, Anthony Watts, Antonio Kaufusi, Scott Bolton, Steve Rapira, James Tamou. Interchange: Clint Amos, Ty Williams, Willie Mason, Manase Manuokafoa, Carl Webb (one to be omitted).
Brisbane Broncos vs. Sharks, Sunday 2pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Josh Hoffman, Antonio Winterstein, Matt Gillett, Israel Folau, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer (c), Peter Wallace, Dunamis Lui, Andrew McCullough, Mitchell Dodds, Lagi Setu, Sam Thaiday, Alex Glenn. Interchange: Gerard Beale, Ben Te’o, Scott Anderson, Nick Kenny, Ben Hunt, Corey Norman (two to be omitted).
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Origin, Already?
Sydney media seems to suggest it is State of Origin time already. They’re naming halfbacks, captains and why they (NSW) will win ... in April. REALLY? State of Origin series are not won in April and certainly are not won on the back of newspapers.
G’day folks, I hope you all enjoyed your Easter break. I spent mine in Sydney, rugby league heartland (at least in media land), and had a great time. I was going to talk this week about television scheduling but apparently, it’s State of Origin time already!
Origin in Newspapers
If you have picked up or clicked through to Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph in the last two weeks you would be forgiven for thinking the 2010 Origin series was about to kick-off. They’re talking about who should be in the NSW team, they need a captain, why Darren Lockyer is ‘too old, too slow’ and the reason why they have a squad that is destined to end Queensland’s four year streak.
I love State of Origin but REALLY!! Hold the phone, we’re barely in April and Origin I is late May!! It’s great that maybe Sydney has a bit of passion for the 2010 series but State of Origin is not won in newspapers.
I would suggest everyone down there take a break and enjoy the NRL for a little while. Origin time will come around soon enough but there’s absolutely no point in declaring Mitchell Pearce the NSW halfback and searching high and low for a captain.
But then again I’m a Queenslander and don’t really care what they’re doing down in Sydney.
Darren Lockyer
I would be lying to say there has been absolutely no Origin talk in Brisbane this season, because there has. It has all revolved around Darren Lockyer and following his announcement to play-on in 2010; all Queensland Origin talk here will disappear until we’re just about ready to pick the team for Game One.
As I’m sure most of you know, Lockyer announced on Tuesday he would once again be available for representative football this season. I must admit, leading up to the announcement I had no idea which way Locky would go.
As a Broncos fan and season member I would like to see Lockyer at the Broncos for the duration of the season. Everyone can see that now the club needs him more than ever. I also think Queensland is in very good hands with Scott Prince and Cooper Cronk waiting on the sidelines.
On the other hand I can’t wait to see him go around again. I wasn’t around to see the likes of Wally Lewis and Peter Sterling play and didn’t know enough about the game to really appreciate the likes of Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart at their best.
Darren Lockyer is the best player I have ever seen (and I remember seeing him in his debut season). He has absolutely earned the right to do with rep football whatever he likes and as usual, will be first picked for the Maroons this season.
Sydney Football Stadium
On Friday night I made my first trip to the SFS since probably 1998. I really enjoyed it ... General Admission seating was good with patrons able to sit pretty much wherever they wanted. We could get nice and close to the action and the Roosters fans created a good atmosphere.
Of course I am comparing it to the venue I visit most, Suncorp Stadium. A couple of things I thought the SFS lacked included the replay and sound facilities. I thought both were poor (and this might be a Roosters thing, not sure). Whenever a try was set to be replayed a sponsorship ad was splashed on the screen, meaning fans could see nothing of the points just scored.
Also, we could not hear the ground announcer all evening. Fans I’m sure want to hear who just scored the try and who has been replaced. These are two little things I noticed but overall I would be happy to go back.
And thanks to the Roosters fans who weren’t too hard on those of us sporting Broncos apparel!!
TIPPING
Tips – Brisbane, Melbourne, Souths, Cowboys, Bulldogs, Manly, Penrith, Parramatta
Last Week – 3/8
Total – 17/32
Thanks for reading and as always you can find me on email, andrew.keyte@gmail.com, twitter (@keyto316), over at Sports Australia and Facebook.
See you next week,
Keyto
G’day folks, I hope you all enjoyed your Easter break. I spent mine in Sydney, rugby league heartland (at least in media land), and had a great time. I was going to talk this week about television scheduling but apparently, it’s State of Origin time already!
Origin in Newspapers
If you have picked up or clicked through to Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph in the last two weeks you would be forgiven for thinking the 2010 Origin series was about to kick-off. They’re talking about who should be in the NSW team, they need a captain, why Darren Lockyer is ‘too old, too slow’ and the reason why they have a squad that is destined to end Queensland’s four year streak.
I love State of Origin but REALLY!! Hold the phone, we’re barely in April and Origin I is late May!! It’s great that maybe Sydney has a bit of passion for the 2010 series but State of Origin is not won in newspapers.
I would suggest everyone down there take a break and enjoy the NRL for a little while. Origin time will come around soon enough but there’s absolutely no point in declaring Mitchell Pearce the NSW halfback and searching high and low for a captain.
But then again I’m a Queenslander and don’t really care what they’re doing down in Sydney.
Darren Lockyer
I would be lying to say there has been absolutely no Origin talk in Brisbane this season, because there has. It has all revolved around Darren Lockyer and following his announcement to play-on in 2010; all Queensland Origin talk here will disappear until we’re just about ready to pick the team for Game One.
As I’m sure most of you know, Lockyer announced on Tuesday he would once again be available for representative football this season. I must admit, leading up to the announcement I had no idea which way Locky would go.
As a Broncos fan and season member I would like to see Lockyer at the Broncos for the duration of the season. Everyone can see that now the club needs him more than ever. I also think Queensland is in very good hands with Scott Prince and Cooper Cronk waiting on the sidelines.
On the other hand I can’t wait to see him go around again. I wasn’t around to see the likes of Wally Lewis and Peter Sterling play and didn’t know enough about the game to really appreciate the likes of Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart at their best.
Darren Lockyer is the best player I have ever seen (and I remember seeing him in his debut season). He has absolutely earned the right to do with rep football whatever he likes and as usual, will be first picked for the Maroons this season.
Sydney Football Stadium
On Friday night I made my first trip to the SFS since probably 1998. I really enjoyed it ... General Admission seating was good with patrons able to sit pretty much wherever they wanted. We could get nice and close to the action and the Roosters fans created a good atmosphere.
Of course I am comparing it to the venue I visit most, Suncorp Stadium. A couple of things I thought the SFS lacked included the replay and sound facilities. I thought both were poor (and this might be a Roosters thing, not sure). Whenever a try was set to be replayed a sponsorship ad was splashed on the screen, meaning fans could see nothing of the points just scored.
Also, we could not hear the ground announcer all evening. Fans I’m sure want to hear who just scored the try and who has been replaced. These are two little things I noticed but overall I would be happy to go back.
And thanks to the Roosters fans who weren’t too hard on those of us sporting Broncos apparel!!
TIPPING
Tips – Brisbane, Melbourne, Souths, Cowboys, Bulldogs, Manly, Penrith, Parramatta
Last Week – 3/8
Total – 17/32
Thanks for reading and as always you can find me on email, andrew.keyte@gmail.com, twitter (@keyto316), over at Sports Australia and Facebook.
See you next week,
Keyto
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Qld Teams - Lockyer plays on as Broncos hit rock bottom
Darren Lockyer will play representative football this year despite the Broncos languishing at the bottom of the NRL ladder.
Lockyer announced his desire to steer Queensland to a record fifth straight series win over New South Wales as a key motivation.
The 33-year-old veteran of 50 Tests and 30 Origin matches said a strong pre-season left him physically prepared for another representative campaign.
The announcement came after speculation and media debate as to whether Lockyer was needed at the Broncos all season.
Brisbane has made a terrible start to the 2010 season with three poor performances eliminating a Round One victory and sending the club plummeting to the bottom of the ladder.
The Broncos plight got worse on Monday with winger Antonio Winterstein and makeshift centre Ben Te’o axed for Friday night’s clash with the Dragons for disciplinary reasons.
Both were late for a training session and will play Queensland Cup this week.
Winterstein’s suspension breaks a run of 31 consecutive matches for the Broncos with the winger playing every game since his debut in Round One last year.
The drama follows weekend News Limited reports of a verbal altercation at Broncos training last week involving two members of the coaching and support staff, the suspension of assistant coach Allan Langer following a DUI charge and a host of injuries to some of the club’s highest paid and most damaging players.
Henjak makes changes
On the back of three consecutive losses, Broncos coach Ivan Henjak has made a host of changes for Friday’s Wollongong clash with the Wayne Bennett-coached St George-Illawarra side.
Fresh from a four try performance in the Under 20’s competition, centre Dale Copley will add to his handful of NRL games this weekend.
Gerard Beale, who has started the last two matches from the bench, replaces Winterstein on the wing with rookie Mitch Rivett retained after a decent debut in the 25-6 loss to the Roosters.
Ashton Sims moves into the front row and Lagi Setu to the back row with Nick Kenny to play off the bench.
Back-rower Dunamis Lui, also from the Under 20’s side, could debut from the bench while Mitchell Dodds has replaced Josh McGuire in the squad.
Josh Hoffman, one of the candidates for Karmichael Hunt’s vacant fullback position at the start of the season, is the last man on the five man bench.
Last season the Broncos knocked the Dragons out of the competition with a 24-10 win in the second week of the Finals series.
However the Brisbane side is full of new faces and their form pales in comparison to that side last year, installing the Dragons as heavy favourites to win Friday night.
Laffranchi back
Key back-row forward Anthony Laffranchi is named to tackle the Storm on Friday night after missing the Titans 32-18 loss to the Cowboys.
Laffranchi was a late withdrawal due to a lower back injury as the Titans struggled without him and halfback Scott Prince.
Coach John Cartwright blamed poor ball control rather than the absence of key players for his side’s first loss of the season.
Ten years after making his debut with Brisbane, Titans lock Ashley Harrison will play his 200th game when he runs out to face Melbourne at Skilled Park Friday night.
Cartwright has added Laffranchi to the squad that played the Cowboys while centre Joseph Tomane will play his first match against his former club.
The Storm, undefeated after four matches, sit alone on top of the table.
In a rare Friday night double, two of Queensland’s three NRL sides will feature but the Titans game will be televised on delay across the state.
Cowboys unchanged
Coach Neil Henry has stuck with the same side that defeated the Titans for Saturday night’s home match against Wests Tigers.
He has added Steve Southern and Manase Manuokafoa, both who played Queensland Cup last week, to a six man bench but the rest of the team is unchanged.
Henry brought youngsters Will Tupou, Ray Thompson and James Tamou into the side before dropping Carl Webb for Leeson Ah Mau in the lead up to the Titans match.
Former Tiger Shannon Gallant was a late call up to replace the injured Ty Williams (ankle, biceps) at fullback and also performed well against the Titans.
Tupou, Thompson, Tamou and Gallant have been retained for the Tigers match as the Cowboys continue working on eradicating their slow start to the season.
The Dairy Farmers Stadium match will feature on Fox Sports Super Saturday this weekend.
Channel Nine’s Friday Night Football will show the Broncos match live from 7:30pm with the Titans game to follow from about 9:20pm.
Brisbane Broncos vs. Dragons, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
Corey Norman, Gerard Beale, Dale Copley, Alex Glenn, Mitch Rivett, Darren Lockyer (c), Peter Wallace, Ashton Sims, Andrew McCullough, Scott Anderson, Lagi Setu, Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett. Interchange: Ben Hunt, Mitchell Dodds, Dunamis Lui, Nick Kenny, Josh Hoffman (one to be omitted).
Gold Coast Titans vs. Storm, Friday 7:30pm, (Channel Nine, delayed 9:30pm)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Mat Rogers, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Riley Brown, Will Matthews (one to be omitted).
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Tigers, Saturday 7:30pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Shannon Gallant, John Williams, Ashley Graham, Willie Tonga, Will Tupou, Ray Thompson, Johnathan Thurston (c), Matt Scott, Aaron Payne, Antonio Kaufusi, Scott Bolton, Steve Rapira, Luke O’Donnell. Interchange: Anthony Watts, James Tamou, Willie Mason, Leeson Ah Mau, Steve Southern, Manase Manuokafoa (two to be omitted).
Lockyer announced his desire to steer Queensland to a record fifth straight series win over New South Wales as a key motivation.
The 33-year-old veteran of 50 Tests and 30 Origin matches said a strong pre-season left him physically prepared for another representative campaign.
The announcement came after speculation and media debate as to whether Lockyer was needed at the Broncos all season.
Brisbane has made a terrible start to the 2010 season with three poor performances eliminating a Round One victory and sending the club plummeting to the bottom of the ladder.
The Broncos plight got worse on Monday with winger Antonio Winterstein and makeshift centre Ben Te’o axed for Friday night’s clash with the Dragons for disciplinary reasons.
Both were late for a training session and will play Queensland Cup this week.
Winterstein’s suspension breaks a run of 31 consecutive matches for the Broncos with the winger playing every game since his debut in Round One last year.
The drama follows weekend News Limited reports of a verbal altercation at Broncos training last week involving two members of the coaching and support staff, the suspension of assistant coach Allan Langer following a DUI charge and a host of injuries to some of the club’s highest paid and most damaging players.
Henjak makes changes
On the back of three consecutive losses, Broncos coach Ivan Henjak has made a host of changes for Friday’s Wollongong clash with the Wayne Bennett-coached St George-Illawarra side.
Fresh from a four try performance in the Under 20’s competition, centre Dale Copley will add to his handful of NRL games this weekend.
Gerard Beale, who has started the last two matches from the bench, replaces Winterstein on the wing with rookie Mitch Rivett retained after a decent debut in the 25-6 loss to the Roosters.
Ashton Sims moves into the front row and Lagi Setu to the back row with Nick Kenny to play off the bench.
Back-rower Dunamis Lui, also from the Under 20’s side, could debut from the bench while Mitchell Dodds has replaced Josh McGuire in the squad.
Josh Hoffman, one of the candidates for Karmichael Hunt’s vacant fullback position at the start of the season, is the last man on the five man bench.
Last season the Broncos knocked the Dragons out of the competition with a 24-10 win in the second week of the Finals series.
However the Brisbane side is full of new faces and their form pales in comparison to that side last year, installing the Dragons as heavy favourites to win Friday night.
Laffranchi back
Key back-row forward Anthony Laffranchi is named to tackle the Storm on Friday night after missing the Titans 32-18 loss to the Cowboys.
Laffranchi was a late withdrawal due to a lower back injury as the Titans struggled without him and halfback Scott Prince.
Coach John Cartwright blamed poor ball control rather than the absence of key players for his side’s first loss of the season.
Ten years after making his debut with Brisbane, Titans lock Ashley Harrison will play his 200th game when he runs out to face Melbourne at Skilled Park Friday night.
Cartwright has added Laffranchi to the squad that played the Cowboys while centre Joseph Tomane will play his first match against his former club.
The Storm, undefeated after four matches, sit alone on top of the table.
In a rare Friday night double, two of Queensland’s three NRL sides will feature but the Titans game will be televised on delay across the state.
Cowboys unchanged
Coach Neil Henry has stuck with the same side that defeated the Titans for Saturday night’s home match against Wests Tigers.
He has added Steve Southern and Manase Manuokafoa, both who played Queensland Cup last week, to a six man bench but the rest of the team is unchanged.
Henry brought youngsters Will Tupou, Ray Thompson and James Tamou into the side before dropping Carl Webb for Leeson Ah Mau in the lead up to the Titans match.
Former Tiger Shannon Gallant was a late call up to replace the injured Ty Williams (ankle, biceps) at fullback and also performed well against the Titans.
Tupou, Thompson, Tamou and Gallant have been retained for the Tigers match as the Cowboys continue working on eradicating their slow start to the season.
The Dairy Farmers Stadium match will feature on Fox Sports Super Saturday this weekend.
Channel Nine’s Friday Night Football will show the Broncos match live from 7:30pm with the Titans game to follow from about 9:20pm.
Brisbane Broncos vs. Dragons, Friday 7:35pm, (Channel Nine, live)
Corey Norman, Gerard Beale, Dale Copley, Alex Glenn, Mitch Rivett, Darren Lockyer (c), Peter Wallace, Ashton Sims, Andrew McCullough, Scott Anderson, Lagi Setu, Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett. Interchange: Ben Hunt, Mitchell Dodds, Dunamis Lui, Nick Kenny, Josh Hoffman (one to be omitted).
Gold Coast Titans vs. Storm, Friday 7:30pm, (Channel Nine, delayed 9:30pm)
William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Mat Rogers, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey (c), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matthew White, Michael Henderson, Sam Tagataese, Riley Brown, Will Matthews (one to be omitted).
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Tigers, Saturday 7:30pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Shannon Gallant, John Williams, Ashley Graham, Willie Tonga, Will Tupou, Ray Thompson, Johnathan Thurston (c), Matt Scott, Aaron Payne, Antonio Kaufusi, Scott Bolton, Steve Rapira, Luke O’Donnell. Interchange: Anthony Watts, James Tamou, Willie Mason, Leeson Ah Mau, Steve Southern, Manase Manuokafoa (two to be omitted).
Thursday, April 1, 2010
More Sunday Football please!
G’day readers ... I have a confession to make – I LOVE Sunday afternoon rugby league. It’s the best time of the weekend to watch your team and I know I’m not the only one who thinks so.
This week I’m going to look at what makes Sunday footy so good and where I want to see the next round of television agreements to go.
Sunday Football
I think all rugby league fans have a soft spot for the Sunday timeslot. It is ideal for families – a 2 or 3pm kick-off allows plenty of time to get out to the game, spend a couple of hours in the sun, and get home to put the kids to bed at a reasonable hour.
For those without kids Sunday football can be very fun. Most of the grounds have facilities nearby to allow fans to go and get a drink or a coffee and ‘talk tactics’ with their mates pre and post-match. There are plenty of debrief venues around and you can still get home for an early night before work the next day.
The night games don’t finish until nearly 10pm sometimes and for mine, night games outweighing the day games is something we need to fix.
TV Scheduling
One thing that must be made clear – television is vital to our game. Both Channel Nine and Fox Sports pay plenty of money for the broadcast rights and they both do a very good job. The current schedule we have (two Sunday games most weeks) is what they want. The games rate well in the slots they’re given and most people want the games live.
I have proposed a new TV schedule below that I know is very unlikely to get up. There are all sorts of money, rating, advertising and stakeholder issues to deal with, but I’d love to see this change.
The below schedule has been based around a discussion on the excellent Channel Nine NRL show, The Sunday Roast, last week.
My Proposal
First things first – scrap Monday Night Football. It is great for TV and Fox love it. I watch it too when I can. But attendance is often down at the grounds indicating to me that fans do not seem to like it. I’m not sure the players like it that much either. It must be frustrating to have to sit through an entire weekend waiting to play your game. And it’s been fairly well documented teams tend to struggle the week after a Monday Night game.
Having said all that, I am happy to compromise and keep Monday Night Football.
Ideally I would have 4 games played on a Sunday afternoon. However that will not happen in an eight game weekend. Here is my proposal:
This week I’m going to look at what makes Sunday footy so good and where I want to see the next round of television agreements to go.
Sunday Football
I think all rugby league fans have a soft spot for the Sunday timeslot. It is ideal for families – a 2 or 3pm kick-off allows plenty of time to get out to the game, spend a couple of hours in the sun, and get home to put the kids to bed at a reasonable hour.
For those without kids Sunday football can be very fun. Most of the grounds have facilities nearby to allow fans to go and get a drink or a coffee and ‘talk tactics’ with their mates pre and post-match. There are plenty of debrief venues around and you can still get home for an early night before work the next day.
The night games don’t finish until nearly 10pm sometimes and for mine, night games outweighing the day games is something we need to fix.
TV Scheduling
One thing that must be made clear – television is vital to our game. Both Channel Nine and Fox Sports pay plenty of money for the broadcast rights and they both do a very good job. The current schedule we have (two Sunday games most weeks) is what they want. The games rate well in the slots they’re given and most people want the games live.
I have proposed a new TV schedule below that I know is very unlikely to get up. There are all sorts of money, rating, advertising and stakeholder issues to deal with, but I’d love to see this change.
The below schedule has been based around a discussion on the excellent Channel Nine NRL show, The Sunday Roast, last week.
My Proposal
First things first – scrap Monday Night Football. It is great for TV and Fox love it. I watch it too when I can. But attendance is often down at the grounds indicating to me that fans do not seem to like it. I’m not sure the players like it that much either. It must be frustrating to have to sit through an entire weekend waiting to play your game. And it’s been fairly well documented teams tend to struggle the week after a Monday Night game.
Having said all that, I am happy to compromise and keep Monday Night Football.
Ideally I would have 4 games played on a Sunday afternoon. However that will not happen in an eight game weekend. Here is my proposal:
Friday Night Football - Two games live (One on Fox at 7pm, One on Ch 9 at 8pm)
Super Saturday – Two games live on Fox (5:30pm, 7:30pm)
NRL Sunday – Three games (two live):
Fox Sports live at 3pm
Channel Nine live at 2pm (followed by 4pm game on a one hour delay)
Monday Night Football – One game live on Fox (7pm)
(Alternatively shift this game to 7pm Sunday)
That schedule I believe is very fan friendly to those that regularly attend matches, while probably doesn’t favour the television audience as much. It also allows the possibility of more ‘Double Headers’ particularly at the bigger venues.
In the coming weeks I want to have a look at how we can get all teams on free-to-air television and why we should NEVER adopt the AFL system of a pre-determined draw.
TIPPING
Tips – Melbourne, Brisbane, Parramatta, Cowboys, Manly, Canberra, Newcastle, Bulldogs
Last Week – 4/8
Total – 14/24
I would love to hear your thoughts on Sunday football and television scheduling. Best way to reach me directly is on the email, andrew.keyte@gmail.com. You can always track me down on Facebook or over at Twitter (@keyto316) and of course using the comment section below.
I’m on the road this weekend, down to Sydney for the Easter break. And I will make a return, after more than 10 years, to the Sydney Football Stadium for the Broncos big match with the Roosters.
Catch you all later,
Keyto
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