Well hello and welcome to my final NRL opinion/blog piece of season 2009. I had a fantastic holiday last week but still had a footy fix – we listened to the Broncos beat the Dragons two weeks ago and the Eels topple the Bulldogs last week at the beach, sitting around the camp fire. So now we’re all set for Sunday afternoon where the mighty Melbourne Storm takes on the red-hot Parramatta Eels.
I was going to preview this match but I always find build up to Grand Finals and Origins a little bit boring. Instead, I will offer a few thoughts at the end but for now I’m going to borrow something from Rove McManus and talk about the things we’ve learnt in season 2009.
Off-field behaviour
Ok, let’s start with the shit.. You have to wonder if things are that bad or is the public demanding this information thus leading to heavy media scrutiny and publication? No one wants to see criminal acts such as sexual and physical assaults ... they need to be made public and offenders dealt with accordingly. But is it really that bad if a player has too many drinks and stumbles down Cronulla mall or someone takes a slash on a wall and gets warned away by police? It is the media world we live in and while there’s demand from the audience, nothing will change. While we’re hearing more these days about ‘player misbehaviour’, the reality is most incidents are no worse then what happened 20 years ago ... in fact players are probably better behaved.
Pay structures
The biggest story at the Broncos this year was the defection of Karmichael Hunt to the AFL from next year. Where the game needs to look is to how to generate more money and keep players from defecting to England or another code. I’m not sure what the answer is, but the best suggestion I have heard is to allow a certain number of players at each club to earn as much as they can from 3rd party sponsorships. Something definitely needs to be done at the NRL though.
Two Refs – Potential, but not a long term thing
If it stays I won’t be too concerned but if it goes next year I won’t shed a tear. The biggest concern it raised was the awful quality of our referees. Do you know the reserve referee for the Grand Final this weekend is Ben Cummins? He is a guy who ‘Gus’ Gould on Triple M screamed “HOW DO YOU HAVE A JOB??” during a Monday Night game this year! The overall quality of the current referees is poor, but I too am starting to think their job has become over-complicated. Ideally I would like to see things simplified and maybe after two more years, when these guys have gained more experience, we go back to having one ref.
The most consistent thing about consistency are the inconsistencies (Video Refs)
I give up ... how was Billy Slater not even considered for a try last week and Dallas Johnson awarded one against the Broncos last week? I’m with ‘Gus’ in saying the Video Referee is a joke and probably the biggest blight on the game. It’s honestly a toss of the coin job. If we get rid of the Video Ref next season, again I won’t shed a tear. I don’t think that’s the answer: the best thing to do is allow referee discretion by simplifying rules and stripping the Video Ref down to the barest duties.
Origin is alive
The Maroons have won four in a row but after THAT match up here in July, we can’t wait for next year! For the overall good of the concept the Blues need to win a series or two soon, but for now I’ll cheer on a 5-time Queensland championship.
Queensland is strong
Origin aside, rugby league is super strong in Queensland. Suncorp Stadium and Skilled Park are world class venues while I understand the game is alive and well up north. There are still two dreams for next season: three Queensland sides in the top eight and an all-Queensland Grand Final!
The greatest game
Figures have shown that rugby league is the number one winter sports in Queensland and New South Wales and with a pretty tame cricket summer ahead, I say bring on NRL 2010!!
The Grand Final
I know a few people who have been on the Storm for a while, I was one of them. For two months I have told anyone who would listen I wasn’t prepared to write them off. After seeing them destroy Manly I thought the Storm would brush past either the Broncos or Dragons last week. They have class all over the field and I think they’ll beat the Eels quite well on Sunday. Wouldn’t surprise me if it’s a 20 point margin.
Having said that, like everyone else the Eels have grown on me. I’ve enjoyed watching them play in the last two months and they made history by qualifying from 8th spot. I think their best chance on Sunday is to play from in front. If they fall 8-10 points behind, I can’t see them coming back. Hopefully it will be a good game fitting of a great season.
Tip this week: Storm
Last two weeks: 2/4 (Total: 117/194) – Eels & Broncos; then Dogs & Broncos
Winning percentage: 60%
So, that’s it for the season then. I’ve had a good time bringing this to you each week and I’d like to thank everyone who has sent me mail and opinions throughout the year. I can always be reached at andrew.keyte@gmail.com and hopefully I’ll be back again next year. Be sure to check out Sports Australia over the summer where I may pop up with some cricket stuff.
Have a great summer, Keyto
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Skilled Park
G’day everyone and hello to you all again. Tonight I’m going to talk to you about Skilled Park; a simply wonderful venue for rugby league. I made my maiden trip down there last week, dressed in my best Broncos jersey, and was blown away by the facility. I’m a regular at Suncorp Stadium and south-east Queensland is so lucky to have two world-class rugby league stadiums.
I didn’t intend to head down to the game but when the opportunity came up I jumped at it. My mate and I, who have attended a stack of footy games together, drove down to a nearby area before catching the train one stop to Robina. That station is 200 metres away from Skilled Park and they have set up a nice, easy walkway directly to the venue.
One of the surprising things about the ground is it is literally in the middle of nowhere. I had no idea about that; there were actually cows grazing on surrounding paddocks. Inside the ground is pretty special too.
All reports of it being a ‘mini Suncorp Stadium’ are correct. We were sitting about halfway up the southern stand, behind the goal posts, and had the same sort of view we get in Brisbane. Of course we were in enemy territory too, another first for me. That was great, I wouldn’t call it hostile as such, but I could definitely feel I was in the minority.
There are two massive features of Skilled Park that hit me: flags and noise.
It seemed every Titans fan had a flag! Their ground announcer made the call to start waving flags and looking across the crowd it was a sea of blue. It actually looked like a wave, it was almost hypnotic but a fabulous thing to see as well. Television doesn’t do it justice, you’d have to go down and see it for yourself. I’m not sure if flags are banned at Suncorp Stadium, but I have never seen anything like that up here.
But the noise, my God it was loud. I’d heard the stories about the place but you could almost see the sounds bouncing off the walls. The best way I can describe the design of the stadium is like a cylinder along each boundary. The whole thing just echoes and it’s like the noise can’t escape out the roof. The cheer when Kevin Gordon snared an intercept in the second half and ran 100 metres to score was the loudest I’d heard in rugby league. I’ve been to State of Origins and the one event I can recall coming close was the fight after the ‘up-and-under’ in Origin III this year.
Unfortunately there are some areas for the stadium to work on.
Leaving the venue was a real challenge and almost dampened the whole experience. As mentioned we only had to travel one stop on the train to get to the car but that trip took us over an hour. There was a capacity 27,000 crowd there but unfortunately they only have one entry/exit walkway. This wasn’t helped by a series of ‘bottlenecks’ where the crowd was forced to merge into narrower walkways or stadium exits. Some of this trip to the public transport was done in sheer darkness too which could cause problems should someone fall over or a young child get separated.
I did want to write a news story on this for our uni website, www.subtropic.com.au, but ran out of time this week. I have heard from Skilled Park Venue Manager David Lloyd about some of these issues.
Mr Lloyd claimed all patrons were exited and on public transport within an hour and the lack of size of Robina Station (two platforms, one direction) compared to Roma Street or Milton Station (many platforms, various directions), located near Suncorp Stadium, meant it is impossible to compare the systems.
“The venue has a transport plan and over 90% of patrons utilise the public transport services when attending events at Skilled Park,” Mr Lloyd said.
“Whenever 27,000 plus people try and exit the venue all at the same time going in the same direction there may be some minor delays getting on to the transport Hub.”
That really was the only blip on the Skilled Park experience. Not being familiar with the area it’s not appropriate for me to suggest viable suggestions. I’m sure the good people will work on it. That aside, Skilled Park is a fabulous venue and I strongly urge every rugby league fan to try and take a chance to watch their team play at Skilled Park.
Semi-Finals
As for the Titans, I reckon they’ll have a real task on their hands this week. I’m honestly struggling to see them beat the Eels on Friday. Parramatta are playing well and I’m not sure the Titans have the game to win a massive semi-final. They’ve been towelled up by Manly and conceded 40 points against the Broncos last week.
I hope I’m wrong, I really do. Every single Queensland rugby league fan wants to see an all-Queensland Grand Final one day and my word, a Titans/Broncos decider this year would be awesome!
The Broncos I’m a little more confident in. I, like most people, thought the Dragons had a play left this season, something big for the backend of the year. Now, I’m not so sure. I won’t write them off but I can definitely see them slipping out the back door. The Broncos are playing well and despite the 40-32 score last week, I think they have solid defence. Combine that with a lacklustre Dragons attack and I can see a 6-8 point win for Brisbane on Saturday night.
Tips this week: Eels, Brisbane
Last week: 3/4 (Total: 115/190)
Winning percentage: 61%
I’m going on holidays this weekend for a week and won’t actually see the Broncos v Dragons match, but please feel free to email me on andrew.keyte@gmail.com for your thoughts on the finals, Skilled Park or anything else.
I won’t be here next week but my early pick for the Grand Final is Melbourne Storm. They look fresh and are full of dangerous players; they destroyed Manly last week and look really good. Storm to play Bulldogs in the big one.
But if I have things my way, it’ll be Titans vs. Broncos. We, up here in Queensland, can only hope!
I’ll be back in two weeks for a Grand Final preview,Keyto
I didn’t intend to head down to the game but when the opportunity came up I jumped at it. My mate and I, who have attended a stack of footy games together, drove down to a nearby area before catching the train one stop to Robina. That station is 200 metres away from Skilled Park and they have set up a nice, easy walkway directly to the venue.
One of the surprising things about the ground is it is literally in the middle of nowhere. I had no idea about that; there were actually cows grazing on surrounding paddocks. Inside the ground is pretty special too.
All reports of it being a ‘mini Suncorp Stadium’ are correct. We were sitting about halfway up the southern stand, behind the goal posts, and had the same sort of view we get in Brisbane. Of course we were in enemy territory too, another first for me. That was great, I wouldn’t call it hostile as such, but I could definitely feel I was in the minority.
There are two massive features of Skilled Park that hit me: flags and noise.
It seemed every Titans fan had a flag! Their ground announcer made the call to start waving flags and looking across the crowd it was a sea of blue. It actually looked like a wave, it was almost hypnotic but a fabulous thing to see as well. Television doesn’t do it justice, you’d have to go down and see it for yourself. I’m not sure if flags are banned at Suncorp Stadium, but I have never seen anything like that up here.
But the noise, my God it was loud. I’d heard the stories about the place but you could almost see the sounds bouncing off the walls. The best way I can describe the design of the stadium is like a cylinder along each boundary. The whole thing just echoes and it’s like the noise can’t escape out the roof. The cheer when Kevin Gordon snared an intercept in the second half and ran 100 metres to score was the loudest I’d heard in rugby league. I’ve been to State of Origins and the one event I can recall coming close was the fight after the ‘up-and-under’ in Origin III this year.
Unfortunately there are some areas for the stadium to work on.
Leaving the venue was a real challenge and almost dampened the whole experience. As mentioned we only had to travel one stop on the train to get to the car but that trip took us over an hour. There was a capacity 27,000 crowd there but unfortunately they only have one entry/exit walkway. This wasn’t helped by a series of ‘bottlenecks’ where the crowd was forced to merge into narrower walkways or stadium exits. Some of this trip to the public transport was done in sheer darkness too which could cause problems should someone fall over or a young child get separated.
I did want to write a news story on this for our uni website, www.subtropic.com.au, but ran out of time this week. I have heard from Skilled Park Venue Manager David Lloyd about some of these issues.
Mr Lloyd claimed all patrons were exited and on public transport within an hour and the lack of size of Robina Station (two platforms, one direction) compared to Roma Street or Milton Station (many platforms, various directions), located near Suncorp Stadium, meant it is impossible to compare the systems.
“The venue has a transport plan and over 90% of patrons utilise the public transport services when attending events at Skilled Park,” Mr Lloyd said.
“Whenever 27,000 plus people try and exit the venue all at the same time going in the same direction there may be some minor delays getting on to the transport Hub.”
That really was the only blip on the Skilled Park experience. Not being familiar with the area it’s not appropriate for me to suggest viable suggestions. I’m sure the good people will work on it. That aside, Skilled Park is a fabulous venue and I strongly urge every rugby league fan to try and take a chance to watch their team play at Skilled Park.
Semi-Finals
As for the Titans, I reckon they’ll have a real task on their hands this week. I’m honestly struggling to see them beat the Eels on Friday. Parramatta are playing well and I’m not sure the Titans have the game to win a massive semi-final. They’ve been towelled up by Manly and conceded 40 points against the Broncos last week.
I hope I’m wrong, I really do. Every single Queensland rugby league fan wants to see an all-Queensland Grand Final one day and my word, a Titans/Broncos decider this year would be awesome!
The Broncos I’m a little more confident in. I, like most people, thought the Dragons had a play left this season, something big for the backend of the year. Now, I’m not so sure. I won’t write them off but I can definitely see them slipping out the back door. The Broncos are playing well and despite the 40-32 score last week, I think they have solid defence. Combine that with a lacklustre Dragons attack and I can see a 6-8 point win for Brisbane on Saturday night.
Tips this week: Eels, Brisbane
Last week: 3/4 (Total: 115/190)
Winning percentage: 61%
I’m going on holidays this weekend for a week and won’t actually see the Broncos v Dragons match, but please feel free to email me on andrew.keyte@gmail.com for your thoughts on the finals, Skilled Park or anything else.
I won’t be here next week but my early pick for the Grand Final is Melbourne Storm. They look fresh and are full of dangerous players; they destroyed Manly last week and look really good. Storm to play Bulldogs in the big one.
But if I have things my way, it’ll be Titans vs. Broncos. We, up here in Queensland, can only hope!
I’ll be back in two weeks for a Grand Final preview,Keyto
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Silly Sunday’s, Terrific Tuesday’s & Footy Finals
Good evening all and welcome back to the Qualifying Finals edition of my weekly ramblings. I don’t have anything decent to talk about this week … I have no idea who is going to win their games this weekend. I can tell you I was happy to see the Roosters take the wooden spoon last weekend. I went to the Broncos again on Sunday and must say, my headgear’s off to Raiders fullback Josh Dugan for his two great tackles/body-blocks on Dave Taylor in that game. Very brave effort from a player, who I think, is going to be pretty good. Tonight I will run through a couple of things making news this week.
South Sydney’s Silly Sunday
Ok, we’ve had plenty of crap in the game this year that’s seemed to occur about once every 2-3 weeks. We were due … and the Bunnies delivered. I don’t know why but I found this story to be a little bit funny: Big guy leaving the club, not his best season but had his moments, coach on the piss, does something that leaves the player embarrassed, player decks coach.
I just wonder how many other Bunnies players or fans wanted to see the same thing after this season. Hopefully something resembling the truth will come out eventually but if not…Player smacked his coach and I got a laugh.
Dally M’s
The NRL had their prestigious Dally M awards ceremony the other night. I am not a fan of these shows whether they are Dally M’s, AB Medal, Oscars, Logies or whatever … I don’t watch. But I do read the results and I think they were pretty spot on this season.
The Bulldogs were the big winners with a heap of positional awards handed out plus the coach and rookie of the year. If anything that is all good, official recognition of a strong season. But of course the best recognition is on Grand Final Day.
Jarryd Hayne won the Dally M medal for best player in the competition and it’s hard to argue against that. Hayne, like the Eels, had a slow start to the season but for the last three to four months at least he’s been head and shoulders above the rest and a deserved winner.
Moving Finals
I understand most of the talk in Sydney during the week was about why the NRL should or shouldn’t force the Dragons to take their home final against the Eels this week to a bigger stadium. Kogarah Oval holds 18,000 tops, with only half allocated seats, and the argument was this game could draw anywhere up to 60,000 people.
I’m happy for the game to stay there … as a TV viewer Kogarah is probably a better option on Sunday afternoon. The NRL was short-sighted in not granting themselves power to shift games like this. As far as I’m concerned the Dragons are allowed to play wherever they want and no one could blame them for making their choice.
If anything this should be major motivation for the Eels. They can take a real seize mentality into this contest now. But they have to show up this time … they were on the wrong bus last week and now there is no second chance.
All-Queensland Final
South-east Queensland is buzzing this week ahead of the Titans v Broncos game on Saturday night at Robina. Everyone is picking their sides and really looking forward to the game. I’m sensing that no one wants the loser punted out of the competition, but there’s a real possibility that may happen.
The Broncos are favourites but like the Eels above, the Gold Coast will have a real point to prove and will be so determined to win. It’s their maiden finals appearance, they’re at home and they’re playing the Broncos. And rugby league fans in Queensland will be the big winners.
Queensland Cup Grand Final
Northern Pride, one of two feeder teams to the Cowboys, and Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, feeders for Manly, will contest the QCup Decider this weekend. The game was taken away from Suncorp Stadium months ago, I think due to a possible date (not time) clash with an NRL final, and awarded to Kawana. For those outside of south-east Queensland, Kawana is on the Sunshine Coast and is the home ground for the Sea Eagles.
It should be a very interesting game with a few NRL-experienced players running around. For the Pride, their halfback Chris Shepperd has been described as a ‘Brett Kimmorley’ player for them and holds the key. I haven’t seen much of the Sea Eagles but the ‘T-Rex’ Tony Williams has been in great recent form and will be playing five-eighth this weekend.
Live coverage is available through the ABC outlets from 2pm Saturday and if like me you will be avoiding doing something constructive, I suggest you take a look.
Tips this week: Storm, Broncos, Bulldogs, Dragons
Last week: 5/8(Total: 112/186)
Winning percentage: 60%
Well that’s it for this week, please email your thoughts to andrew.keyte@gmail.com, and I will see you again soon.
Cheers,
Keyto
South Sydney’s Silly Sunday
Ok, we’ve had plenty of crap in the game this year that’s seemed to occur about once every 2-3 weeks. We were due … and the Bunnies delivered. I don’t know why but I found this story to be a little bit funny: Big guy leaving the club, not his best season but had his moments, coach on the piss, does something that leaves the player embarrassed, player decks coach.
I just wonder how many other Bunnies players or fans wanted to see the same thing after this season. Hopefully something resembling the truth will come out eventually but if not…Player smacked his coach and I got a laugh.
Dally M’s
The NRL had their prestigious Dally M awards ceremony the other night. I am not a fan of these shows whether they are Dally M’s, AB Medal, Oscars, Logies or whatever … I don’t watch. But I do read the results and I think they were pretty spot on this season.
The Bulldogs were the big winners with a heap of positional awards handed out plus the coach and rookie of the year. If anything that is all good, official recognition of a strong season. But of course the best recognition is on Grand Final Day.
Jarryd Hayne won the Dally M medal for best player in the competition and it’s hard to argue against that. Hayne, like the Eels, had a slow start to the season but for the last three to four months at least he’s been head and shoulders above the rest and a deserved winner.
Moving Finals
I understand most of the talk in Sydney during the week was about why the NRL should or shouldn’t force the Dragons to take their home final against the Eels this week to a bigger stadium. Kogarah Oval holds 18,000 tops, with only half allocated seats, and the argument was this game could draw anywhere up to 60,000 people.
I’m happy for the game to stay there … as a TV viewer Kogarah is probably a better option on Sunday afternoon. The NRL was short-sighted in not granting themselves power to shift games like this. As far as I’m concerned the Dragons are allowed to play wherever they want and no one could blame them for making their choice.
If anything this should be major motivation for the Eels. They can take a real seize mentality into this contest now. But they have to show up this time … they were on the wrong bus last week and now there is no second chance.
All-Queensland Final
South-east Queensland is buzzing this week ahead of the Titans v Broncos game on Saturday night at Robina. Everyone is picking their sides and really looking forward to the game. I’m sensing that no one wants the loser punted out of the competition, but there’s a real possibility that may happen.
The Broncos are favourites but like the Eels above, the Gold Coast will have a real point to prove and will be so determined to win. It’s their maiden finals appearance, they’re at home and they’re playing the Broncos. And rugby league fans in Queensland will be the big winners.
Queensland Cup Grand Final
Northern Pride, one of two feeder teams to the Cowboys, and Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, feeders for Manly, will contest the QCup Decider this weekend. The game was taken away from Suncorp Stadium months ago, I think due to a possible date (not time) clash with an NRL final, and awarded to Kawana. For those outside of south-east Queensland, Kawana is on the Sunshine Coast and is the home ground for the Sea Eagles.
It should be a very interesting game with a few NRL-experienced players running around. For the Pride, their halfback Chris Shepperd has been described as a ‘Brett Kimmorley’ player for them and holds the key. I haven’t seen much of the Sea Eagles but the ‘T-Rex’ Tony Williams has been in great recent form and will be playing five-eighth this weekend.
Live coverage is available through the ABC outlets from 2pm Saturday and if like me you will be avoiding doing something constructive, I suggest you take a look.
Tips this week: Storm, Broncos, Bulldogs, Dragons
Last week: 5/8(Total: 112/186)
Winning percentage: 60%
Well that’s it for this week, please email your thoughts to andrew.keyte@gmail.com, and I will see you again soon.
Cheers,
Keyto
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Hello all and welcome to what is the penultimate week of the 2009 NRL competition and most judges, now more than at any stage this year, have no idea who is going to win this thing! In fact it’s even proving a hard task working out who is playing where next week let alone Grand Final day! Let’s have a look why:
The following takes place between 7:30pm Friday Rd 25 and 9pm Monday Rd 25
The Broncos defeat a spirited North Queensland but don’t have things going entirely their own way. They scrap hard for a win, drop a lot of football, but eventually out-class their northern cousins.
Parramatta Eels don’t just beat the Panthers, they annihilate the Penrith side in what was meant to be top eight shoot-out. It was a shoot-out alright, a dead set fatality as the Eels blazed Penrith off the park with a 48-6 thumping to all but confirm a spot in the final eight.
Moving on to Saturday where the Gold Coast Titans get locked in an attacking battle with a desperate, yet high octane, Wests Tigers. The visitors fought back a couple of times before the Titans turned to veteran Mat Rogers late in the game to get them home. The win, and future results, gave the Gold Coast a shot at a top two finish and meant they passed their toughest test in a month.
The Melbourne Storm, welcoming back star Greg Inglis, said goodbye to the ‘Graveyard’ by burying the Roosters by 40 points. It was clean, methodical and very ‘Melbourne Storm’. Just when you think this team is slipping, they go and fire a few more bullets.
Then came the big one...
The St George-Illawarra Dragons are beaten, humbled, embarrassed and thrashed 41-6 by Souths…South Sydney Rabbitohs of all teams!! An underperforming unit, a few weeks out of finals contention and a big casualty ward, put the cleaners through the side that spent all year leading the comp and carrying premiership favouritism. The Dragons have lost three in a row and are in some trouble. The one thing in their favour is the master coach Bennett, a man who has seen it all, but jeez they’re running out of time to bounce back.
Enter Sunday and what a Sunday it was. Referees’ rob Cronulla of a victory over Manly which not only resulted in the Sea Eagles moving within a point of a top four berth, but also ended the faint hopes of the Tigers. I ended up watching the whole game and, withstanding the fact I should have won $100 on a Sharkies 1-12 win, I was quite shattered for Cronulla. I don’t support that team, but I felt worse for them Sunday than I did when the Broncos lost to the Storm in the last minute of a semi final last year.
Surely that would be the end of the drama with a day of celebration for Hazem to follow?
Nope, the Bulldogs easily beat the Warriors to move into first on the ladder but lose their on-field general Brett Kimmorley. He controls everything at that club with their entire game played out under his command. They have some decent replacements in Roberts, Ennis and Daniel Holdsworth … but neither of them are Brett Kimmorley. ‘Noddy’ might be back for the Grand Final, but the Dogs have to get there first.
Then there is Newcastle who simply had to beat the Raiders in Canberra on Monday night to seal their place in the eight. Right, sounds easy hey? Not quite…The Raiders explode out of the blocks, bring some weather with them, dominate the game, get in a fight and win quite comfortably. Hhmm…Newcastle v Penrith on Sunday for a spot in the top eight. Wow!
So how do we pick a winner from all this? Parramatta are the form team, the Dragons and Bulldogs have sat at the top all year, Manly and Melbourne have done it before, Brisbane are back, the Titans are new at this caper and whoever makes eighth can beat anyone on their day.
I still like Melbourne a bit but not sure why…stuff it, bet on the Dogs because they’ll pay alright now without Kimmorley...
Who am I kidding, I have no idea!
Tips this week: Dragons, Bulldogs, Warriors, Manly, Cronulla, Cowboys, Newcastle, Brisbane
Last week: 7/8(Total: 107/178)
Winning percentage: 60%
Who do you think can win this thing? You can share your thoughts at andrew.keyte@gmail.com or comment below.
Have fun,
Keyto
The following takes place between 7:30pm Friday Rd 25 and 9pm Monday Rd 25
The Broncos defeat a spirited North Queensland but don’t have things going entirely their own way. They scrap hard for a win, drop a lot of football, but eventually out-class their northern cousins.
Parramatta Eels don’t just beat the Panthers, they annihilate the Penrith side in what was meant to be top eight shoot-out. It was a shoot-out alright, a dead set fatality as the Eels blazed Penrith off the park with a 48-6 thumping to all but confirm a spot in the final eight.
Moving on to Saturday where the Gold Coast Titans get locked in an attacking battle with a desperate, yet high octane, Wests Tigers. The visitors fought back a couple of times before the Titans turned to veteran Mat Rogers late in the game to get them home. The win, and future results, gave the Gold Coast a shot at a top two finish and meant they passed their toughest test in a month.
The Melbourne Storm, welcoming back star Greg Inglis, said goodbye to the ‘Graveyard’ by burying the Roosters by 40 points. It was clean, methodical and very ‘Melbourne Storm’. Just when you think this team is slipping, they go and fire a few more bullets.
Then came the big one...
The St George-Illawarra Dragons are beaten, humbled, embarrassed and thrashed 41-6 by Souths…South Sydney Rabbitohs of all teams!! An underperforming unit, a few weeks out of finals contention and a big casualty ward, put the cleaners through the side that spent all year leading the comp and carrying premiership favouritism. The Dragons have lost three in a row and are in some trouble. The one thing in their favour is the master coach Bennett, a man who has seen it all, but jeez they’re running out of time to bounce back.
Enter Sunday and what a Sunday it was. Referees’ rob Cronulla of a victory over Manly which not only resulted in the Sea Eagles moving within a point of a top four berth, but also ended the faint hopes of the Tigers. I ended up watching the whole game and, withstanding the fact I should have won $100 on a Sharkies 1-12 win, I was quite shattered for Cronulla. I don’t support that team, but I felt worse for them Sunday than I did when the Broncos lost to the Storm in the last minute of a semi final last year.
Surely that would be the end of the drama with a day of celebration for Hazem to follow?
Nope, the Bulldogs easily beat the Warriors to move into first on the ladder but lose their on-field general Brett Kimmorley. He controls everything at that club with their entire game played out under his command. They have some decent replacements in Roberts, Ennis and Daniel Holdsworth … but neither of them are Brett Kimmorley. ‘Noddy’ might be back for the Grand Final, but the Dogs have to get there first.
Then there is Newcastle who simply had to beat the Raiders in Canberra on Monday night to seal their place in the eight. Right, sounds easy hey? Not quite…The Raiders explode out of the blocks, bring some weather with them, dominate the game, get in a fight and win quite comfortably. Hhmm…Newcastle v Penrith on Sunday for a spot in the top eight. Wow!
So how do we pick a winner from all this? Parramatta are the form team, the Dragons and Bulldogs have sat at the top all year, Manly and Melbourne have done it before, Brisbane are back, the Titans are new at this caper and whoever makes eighth can beat anyone on their day.
I still like Melbourne a bit but not sure why…stuff it, bet on the Dogs because they’ll pay alright now without Kimmorley...
Who am I kidding, I have no idea!
Tips this week: Dragons, Bulldogs, Warriors, Manly, Cronulla, Cowboys, Newcastle, Brisbane
Last week: 7/8(Total: 107/178)
Winning percentage: 60%
Who do you think can win this thing? You can share your thoughts at andrew.keyte@gmail.com or comment below.
Have fun,
Keyto
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Big Guns Return
Well it must be Finals time because all of the contenders are getting their big guns back. Hello everyone and welcome to the 25th edition of my weekly dribble. While players at clubs like the Rabbitohs and Tigers are doing as their premiership hopes are, dropping off the radars, the powerhouse teams are getting their big guns back for the end of season shootout. Tonight I will have a look at the four big names returning this week and how they will shape the 2009 Finals.
Israel Folau
This bloke is a superstar but of the big four he is probably less important to his teams’ success. Make no mistake about it, the Broncos or any other team would move mountains to get this man mountain firing in September. Folau is a try scorer and a real go to man. When Brisbane need a try they can always call ‘kick it to Izzie’ knowing there’s a better than 50% chance of him delivering. He will be returning in the centres though, probably on the left side of the field. In his career Folau has been primarily a right side winger or centre. So the change may take a bit of time or Folau, being the superstar that he is, might have no trouble at all. Regardless, the Broncos attack is much stronger with Folau roaming around somewhere.
Greg Inglis
The Storm lifted his suspension today and the NRL rubber-stamped his return for this weekend. As above, GI is an absolute superstar of the game. Inglis tends to go missing a bit at times during the season but he seems like a bloke that loves the big stage. His best days have been in Origins, Test Matches and Finals so every other team has to look out from here on in. The two weeks off might have been physically good for Inglis as well after a busy rep period. His presence alone makes the Storm a much more formidable team.
Ben Hannant
The Bulldogs haven’t struggled without him in terms of win/loss, but Hannant is their forward leader and has big game experience. In the last couple of years Hannant has risen to Origin level, won a Grand Final and become a regular 70 minute prop forward. The ‘Polar Bear’ leads by example and the rest of the Bulldogs pack follow him, allowing Kimmorley and Ennis to do their thing before guys like Morris, Idris and Patten to score the points. Then there’s Hazem to kick the goals. All of this revolves around the forwards and Hannant is the new ‘Steve Price’ of the Bulldogs. Hannant’s return is a major boost heading into the finals.
Brett Stewart
This is the return that everyone in Sydney is talking about…and most other rugby league regions as well. Stewart played just two games this year before injuring his knee…some five, nearly six months ago. If you believe the papers Stewart is expected to be the ‘saviour’ or the ‘x-factor’ to propel Manly towards another Grand Final. My word that’s a big ask…the guy has had a pretty nasty knee injury. Darren Lockyer and Willie Mason took 18 months to get over their bad knee injuries and most other players follow similar paths.
Granted Stewart did not have a knee reconstruction like Lockyer and Mason, but knee injuries appear to be the hardest to come back from. I would doubt the Manly camp are pinning their hopes solely on Stewart, I would hope they’re not. It’s great for the game to have a star player come back now but realistically it would be unfair to expect anything more from Stewart other than to be solid at the back and to pop up in attack. He won’t be at the level we saw last year, but if he can be even a shadow of that player then Manly will remain a force in season 2009.
So, they are the big four coming back this week into clubs I believe have qualified for the finals. We saw Souths drop out of the race last week and I think a depleted Tigers team will suffer the same fate on the Gold Coast this weekend.
The way I see it the loser of tomorrow night’s Parramatta v Penrith game will probably drop out too. The only way for the loser of that game to qualify would be to win their Rd 26 match and hope one of Manly, Brisbane or Newcastle lose their last two games. Exciting times for all involved.
Tips this week: Brisbane, Eels, Gold Coast, Dragons, Storm, Manly, Bulldogs, Canberra
Last week: 6/8(Total: 100/170)
Winning percentage: 59%
Thanks for reading and if you have a comment or a complaint you can find me at andrew.keyte@gmail.com, Facebook or using the comment function below.
Enjoy your week,
Keyto
Israel Folau
This bloke is a superstar but of the big four he is probably less important to his teams’ success. Make no mistake about it, the Broncos or any other team would move mountains to get this man mountain firing in September. Folau is a try scorer and a real go to man. When Brisbane need a try they can always call ‘kick it to Izzie’ knowing there’s a better than 50% chance of him delivering. He will be returning in the centres though, probably on the left side of the field. In his career Folau has been primarily a right side winger or centre. So the change may take a bit of time or Folau, being the superstar that he is, might have no trouble at all. Regardless, the Broncos attack is much stronger with Folau roaming around somewhere.
Greg Inglis
The Storm lifted his suspension today and the NRL rubber-stamped his return for this weekend. As above, GI is an absolute superstar of the game. Inglis tends to go missing a bit at times during the season but he seems like a bloke that loves the big stage. His best days have been in Origins, Test Matches and Finals so every other team has to look out from here on in. The two weeks off might have been physically good for Inglis as well after a busy rep period. His presence alone makes the Storm a much more formidable team.
Ben Hannant
The Bulldogs haven’t struggled without him in terms of win/loss, but Hannant is their forward leader and has big game experience. In the last couple of years Hannant has risen to Origin level, won a Grand Final and become a regular 70 minute prop forward. The ‘Polar Bear’ leads by example and the rest of the Bulldogs pack follow him, allowing Kimmorley and Ennis to do their thing before guys like Morris, Idris and Patten to score the points. Then there’s Hazem to kick the goals. All of this revolves around the forwards and Hannant is the new ‘Steve Price’ of the Bulldogs. Hannant’s return is a major boost heading into the finals.
Brett Stewart
This is the return that everyone in Sydney is talking about…and most other rugby league regions as well. Stewart played just two games this year before injuring his knee…some five, nearly six months ago. If you believe the papers Stewart is expected to be the ‘saviour’ or the ‘x-factor’ to propel Manly towards another Grand Final. My word that’s a big ask…the guy has had a pretty nasty knee injury. Darren Lockyer and Willie Mason took 18 months to get over their bad knee injuries and most other players follow similar paths.
Granted Stewart did not have a knee reconstruction like Lockyer and Mason, but knee injuries appear to be the hardest to come back from. I would doubt the Manly camp are pinning their hopes solely on Stewart, I would hope they’re not. It’s great for the game to have a star player come back now but realistically it would be unfair to expect anything more from Stewart other than to be solid at the back and to pop up in attack. He won’t be at the level we saw last year, but if he can be even a shadow of that player then Manly will remain a force in season 2009.
So, they are the big four coming back this week into clubs I believe have qualified for the finals. We saw Souths drop out of the race last week and I think a depleted Tigers team will suffer the same fate on the Gold Coast this weekend.
The way I see it the loser of tomorrow night’s Parramatta v Penrith game will probably drop out too. The only way for the loser of that game to qualify would be to win their Rd 26 match and hope one of Manly, Brisbane or Newcastle lose their last two games. Exciting times for all involved.
Tips this week: Brisbane, Eels, Gold Coast, Dragons, Storm, Manly, Bulldogs, Canberra
Last week: 6/8(Total: 100/170)
Winning percentage: 59%
Thanks for reading and if you have a comment or a complaint you can find me at andrew.keyte@gmail.com, Facebook or using the comment function below.
Enjoy your week,
Keyto
Thursday, August 20, 2009
I Love My Footy!
Good evening everyone and just how good has the footy been? Last weekend was outstanding, one of the most enjoyable weekends of rugby league I can remember. And, we’re in for even more fun this weekend with the official program, Big League, declaring it as the ‘Round of the Decade’. You can smell the Finals and I think it’s fantastic that so many teams are alive and almost every game from here on in really means something.
Let’s jump back a week and walk through just why the footy was so good. Of course we all know what had dominated the headlines…another, must be around at least the 10th, off-field incident was the talk of the town. But just when you think this great game is at its lowest point you get a whole heap of talented, committed footballers delivering some outstanding skills, resulting in some high-class entertainment.
Friday night I loved the Cowboys v Bulldogs game. And, I learnt a lot from it too. I’m not convinced the Cowboys can make the top eight. For the second week in a row they fell away and I’m not saying this is what happened, but seeing it for the second time in a row had me thinking of a kid throwing the toys out of the cot. The Cows didn’t give up or anything like that; they just ran out of questions and then couldn’t find the right answers.
It also told me that the Bulldogs are going to be right up there as the team to beat. Most knew that anyway; but in Townsville they had nothing going for them and lost three props but still won fairly easily.
I stayed on to watch the Titans game against Souths and of course the biting thing was the sticking point. Watching it ‘live’, I did hear Jamie Simpson yell at the touch judge he’d been bitten as soon as it happened. And on replay it did not look good for Zillman. However it happened and whether or not he bit, for mine there’s a clear second movement consistent with a bite. The vision didn’t look good and I think the 4 week suspension he got last night was about right.
I covered the Manly v Roosters game Saturday night and the only thing worth watching was the tries scored by the Sea Eagles. They’re a really funny team at the moment and I don’t quite know what to make of them. This Sunday in Melbourne is a massive test for them.
I watched the game of the season after that, Canberra v Dragons. This game was exactly what rugby league was about…it had drama, entertainment, big hits, fights, sin bins, great tries, big crowd, terrific comeback…it had the lot. As a viewer it was brilliant to watch, and I reckon people want all of that. I’m sure many fans of the NRL watch to see players doing things they could only dream of doing themselves. How many of us fans could do what Canberra’s Josh Miller did to Weyman…pull off such a hit and then pump his side up?
The sheer entertainment in this game was brilliant, I can’t talk highly enough about it. It does make you wonder where the Canberra Raiders could be. They have a magnificent team of kids and footballers down there and all I think are about ready to peak. I think most of them are sticking around next year and if they stay injury free, the Raiders should be thinking Top 4 in 2010.
The Dragons will be sweet, a loss shouldn’t hurt them much.
Parramatta put the Warriors to the sword so good on them. Their big game is tomorrow night against the Wests Tigers…the winner will just about seal a top eight spot I think. As for the Warriors, bring on 2010!
I had a great time at the Broncos on Sunday. After two months of garbage it was good to see my side rack up a few points. People, even me, quickly forget the talent in the side. When you look down the list there aren’t many dud names there. If the Broncos can play like they did Sunday for the rest of the year they’ll give themselves a shot. If they play like they had been, don’t even bother showing up for the finals.
I felt a bit sorry for the Panthers; they simply had no answer to such a second half onslaught. I’m not giving up on them yet and I think they’ll beat the Rabbitohs quite comfortably in Penrith this weekend.
I didn’t see any of the Sharks v Tigers game but it seemed more of the same…Cronulla decimated and not up to NRL standard while the Tigers were at their attacking best. As before, Cronulla looking to 2010 and the Tigers have it all to do tomorrow night against the Eels.
It was good to see Newcastle have a win (which by the way I predicted before Brian Smith left on Saturday). The Knights are a real unknown here too, big test for them against the Cowboys on Saturday. As for Melbourne, I’m not putting the black line through them yet. They’ll still have plenty to say this season.
Tips this week: Brisbane, Eels, Cowboys, Penrith, Warriors, Titans, Storm, Bulldogs
Last week: 5/8(Total: 94/162)
Winning percentage: 58%
Right so that’ll do it for this week. Keep your emails coming in andrew.keyte@gmail.com and I’ll be back next week.
Cheers,
Keyto
Let’s jump back a week and walk through just why the footy was so good. Of course we all know what had dominated the headlines…another, must be around at least the 10th, off-field incident was the talk of the town. But just when you think this great game is at its lowest point you get a whole heap of talented, committed footballers delivering some outstanding skills, resulting in some high-class entertainment.
Friday night I loved the Cowboys v Bulldogs game. And, I learnt a lot from it too. I’m not convinced the Cowboys can make the top eight. For the second week in a row they fell away and I’m not saying this is what happened, but seeing it for the second time in a row had me thinking of a kid throwing the toys out of the cot. The Cows didn’t give up or anything like that; they just ran out of questions and then couldn’t find the right answers.
It also told me that the Bulldogs are going to be right up there as the team to beat. Most knew that anyway; but in Townsville they had nothing going for them and lost three props but still won fairly easily.
I stayed on to watch the Titans game against Souths and of course the biting thing was the sticking point. Watching it ‘live’, I did hear Jamie Simpson yell at the touch judge he’d been bitten as soon as it happened. And on replay it did not look good for Zillman. However it happened and whether or not he bit, for mine there’s a clear second movement consistent with a bite. The vision didn’t look good and I think the 4 week suspension he got last night was about right.
I covered the Manly v Roosters game Saturday night and the only thing worth watching was the tries scored by the Sea Eagles. They’re a really funny team at the moment and I don’t quite know what to make of them. This Sunday in Melbourne is a massive test for them.
I watched the game of the season after that, Canberra v Dragons. This game was exactly what rugby league was about…it had drama, entertainment, big hits, fights, sin bins, great tries, big crowd, terrific comeback…it had the lot. As a viewer it was brilliant to watch, and I reckon people want all of that. I’m sure many fans of the NRL watch to see players doing things they could only dream of doing themselves. How many of us fans could do what Canberra’s Josh Miller did to Weyman…pull off such a hit and then pump his side up?
The sheer entertainment in this game was brilliant, I can’t talk highly enough about it. It does make you wonder where the Canberra Raiders could be. They have a magnificent team of kids and footballers down there and all I think are about ready to peak. I think most of them are sticking around next year and if they stay injury free, the Raiders should be thinking Top 4 in 2010.
The Dragons will be sweet, a loss shouldn’t hurt them much.
Parramatta put the Warriors to the sword so good on them. Their big game is tomorrow night against the Wests Tigers…the winner will just about seal a top eight spot I think. As for the Warriors, bring on 2010!
I had a great time at the Broncos on Sunday. After two months of garbage it was good to see my side rack up a few points. People, even me, quickly forget the talent in the side. When you look down the list there aren’t many dud names there. If the Broncos can play like they did Sunday for the rest of the year they’ll give themselves a shot. If they play like they had been, don’t even bother showing up for the finals.
I felt a bit sorry for the Panthers; they simply had no answer to such a second half onslaught. I’m not giving up on them yet and I think they’ll beat the Rabbitohs quite comfortably in Penrith this weekend.
I didn’t see any of the Sharks v Tigers game but it seemed more of the same…Cronulla decimated and not up to NRL standard while the Tigers were at their attacking best. As before, Cronulla looking to 2010 and the Tigers have it all to do tomorrow night against the Eels.
It was good to see Newcastle have a win (which by the way I predicted before Brian Smith left on Saturday). The Knights are a real unknown here too, big test for them against the Cowboys on Saturday. As for Melbourne, I’m not putting the black line through them yet. They’ll still have plenty to say this season.
Tips this week: Brisbane, Eels, Cowboys, Penrith, Warriors, Titans, Storm, Bulldogs
Last week: 5/8(Total: 94/162)
Winning percentage: 58%
Right so that’ll do it for this week. Keep your emails coming in andrew.keyte@gmail.com and I’ll be back next week.
Cheers,
Keyto
Thursday, August 13, 2009
My GOD...I agree with Gus!
Phil ‘Gus’ Gould is arguably the most opinionated man and expert in the rugby league world. He has managed to irk just about everyone at some point, especially Queenslanders, with his opinions on all things he perceives to be right and wrong with the game. But, you know, the man is nearly always right! Where he goes wrong is that he often comes across as such an arrogant prick and most people tend to switch off, bag him or rebel against him. Hello everyone and welcome to a week where I agree with the great Gus-Wonder!!
Video Referees...Gould has been so vocal against these guys and the whole refereeing system and structure in 2009. And you know what, he’s banged on so much about these things that I finally agree with him. Listening to Monday Night Football last week on Triple M, where Gus is the co-commentator, it became painstakingly obvious to me that he is on to something. In a nutshell, the video refereeing system is boring. It slows the game down and it bores the fans as they take minutes to scrutinise super slow-motion vision.
It was painful to listen to let alone watch on TV...not to mention those poor hearty souls at the ground who had to sit through it. Here you had a classic example of two shit teams (Brisbane and Cronulla) in a real dog of a match that was slowed down by the ground officials constantly checking upstairs.
Seriously, are there any league fans that care if a player has lost control of a ball for a split second and therefore isn’t awarded a try? On Monday Night Football Gus makes two points:
“If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!”
Translation – If it looks like a try, it’s a try!!
We don’t need to slow every little thing down by going upstairs to see who touched what or who bumped who...there are FOUR on-ground officials to make those decisions man!! And if they can’t see blatant discretions, than good luck to the team that benefits! Things like that over a long season will eventually even themselves out.
The other point Gus regularly makes is the video referee should only be used for grounding of the ball. I can live with that, but I don’t really want to see the super slow motion stuff. I don’t care about separation and things like that...all players and most fans like myself know when something looks like a try and we could all live with it.
I regularly follow the Queensland Cup and it seems to get by fine without video referees, in fact it gets by fine with just one actual referee! While on that subject, I’m not sold on these two officials we have had in the NRL this season. They are just getting things wrong and it’s very frustrating when, normally, the younger ref blows a penalty that just makes no sense. Some of these blokes have no idea...it’s not their fault, they aren’t ready, but under the current set up they need to be.
There are however two refs I can’t stand watching and they have been around for a few years now. Part of my job is to watch rugby league and I cringe when I check my games each week and see either of these two blokes in control. And for the record Tonie Carroll and his stray knee a month or so ago took out the wrong bloke!
While the referee’s are hurting the game a bit, it’s something we can overcome. As for off-field dramas, when is ENOUGH GOING TO BE ENOUGH!!
A few players’ antics away from the field are hurting the most. You can argue player’s aren’t role models and are over-scrutinised until the cows come home but the actions of Greg Inglis, whatever they were, have already hurt the code, again.
Obviously the matter is before the courts and will be played out in due process, but Greg’s NRL career could be over. What a damn shame.
The worst part is, as good as GI is on the field he seemed to have come on in leaps and bounds off the field. I watched him on the Footy Show two weeks ago and sat there thinking how good it was to see this bloke all grown up. He wasn’t that shy kid who broke in a few years ago, he was funny and spoke confidently. He’s done charity work, carved it up on the field at all levels and was a star.
Now, whatever happened on the weekend, it may be tarnished forever. Brett Stewart’s name hasn’t been the same since the start of the season. These guys can turn it all around (see: Sailor, W) but as a fan it’s so disappointing to see this stuff dominating the news.
But to finish on a positive...how exciting is the run home to the finals!! Plenty of teams are still in contention, I can’t tip a winner to save my life and just about every game has something of great importance riding on it.
For whatever it’s worth, in my opinion the top five (Dragons, Dogs, Titans, Storm and Panthers) are all pretty much locked in. As for the other three spots...I have no idea. Without having an in-depth look at the runs home for all the sides, I would say Manly and North Queensland will likely play in the finals.
As for the last spot, I would like to say Brisbane but on current form they won’t do anything even if they get there. Same with Newcastle. I would like to see the Tigers make it but if the Eels or Souths continue their good form they will be worthy finishers as well.
Tips this week: Cowboys, Souths, Manly, Parramatta, Dragons, Tigers, Broncos, Newcastle
Last week: 6/8(Total: 89/154)
Winning percentage: 58%
I’m off to a game this weekend, got an afternoon off so heading out to my first Broncos game of the season to watch them play my number two team Penrith. Should be good fun and I’m really looking forward to the battle between Hodges and Jennings. Anyway, any thoughts before then hit me up at andrew.keyte@gmail.com or comment below.
See ya later,
Keyto
Video Referees...Gould has been so vocal against these guys and the whole refereeing system and structure in 2009. And you know what, he’s banged on so much about these things that I finally agree with him. Listening to Monday Night Football last week on Triple M, where Gus is the co-commentator, it became painstakingly obvious to me that he is on to something. In a nutshell, the video refereeing system is boring. It slows the game down and it bores the fans as they take minutes to scrutinise super slow-motion vision.
It was painful to listen to let alone watch on TV...not to mention those poor hearty souls at the ground who had to sit through it. Here you had a classic example of two shit teams (Brisbane and Cronulla) in a real dog of a match that was slowed down by the ground officials constantly checking upstairs.
Seriously, are there any league fans that care if a player has lost control of a ball for a split second and therefore isn’t awarded a try? On Monday Night Football Gus makes two points:
“If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!”
Translation – If it looks like a try, it’s a try!!
We don’t need to slow every little thing down by going upstairs to see who touched what or who bumped who...there are FOUR on-ground officials to make those decisions man!! And if they can’t see blatant discretions, than good luck to the team that benefits! Things like that over a long season will eventually even themselves out.
The other point Gus regularly makes is the video referee should only be used for grounding of the ball. I can live with that, but I don’t really want to see the super slow motion stuff. I don’t care about separation and things like that...all players and most fans like myself know when something looks like a try and we could all live with it.
I regularly follow the Queensland Cup and it seems to get by fine without video referees, in fact it gets by fine with just one actual referee! While on that subject, I’m not sold on these two officials we have had in the NRL this season. They are just getting things wrong and it’s very frustrating when, normally, the younger ref blows a penalty that just makes no sense. Some of these blokes have no idea...it’s not their fault, they aren’t ready, but under the current set up they need to be.
There are however two refs I can’t stand watching and they have been around for a few years now. Part of my job is to watch rugby league and I cringe when I check my games each week and see either of these two blokes in control. And for the record Tonie Carroll and his stray knee a month or so ago took out the wrong bloke!
While the referee’s are hurting the game a bit, it’s something we can overcome. As for off-field dramas, when is ENOUGH GOING TO BE ENOUGH!!
A few players’ antics away from the field are hurting the most. You can argue player’s aren’t role models and are over-scrutinised until the cows come home but the actions of Greg Inglis, whatever they were, have already hurt the code, again.
Obviously the matter is before the courts and will be played out in due process, but Greg’s NRL career could be over. What a damn shame.
The worst part is, as good as GI is on the field he seemed to have come on in leaps and bounds off the field. I watched him on the Footy Show two weeks ago and sat there thinking how good it was to see this bloke all grown up. He wasn’t that shy kid who broke in a few years ago, he was funny and spoke confidently. He’s done charity work, carved it up on the field at all levels and was a star.
Now, whatever happened on the weekend, it may be tarnished forever. Brett Stewart’s name hasn’t been the same since the start of the season. These guys can turn it all around (see: Sailor, W) but as a fan it’s so disappointing to see this stuff dominating the news.
But to finish on a positive...how exciting is the run home to the finals!! Plenty of teams are still in contention, I can’t tip a winner to save my life and just about every game has something of great importance riding on it.
For whatever it’s worth, in my opinion the top five (Dragons, Dogs, Titans, Storm and Panthers) are all pretty much locked in. As for the other three spots...I have no idea. Without having an in-depth look at the runs home for all the sides, I would say Manly and North Queensland will likely play in the finals.
As for the last spot, I would like to say Brisbane but on current form they won’t do anything even if they get there. Same with Newcastle. I would like to see the Tigers make it but if the Eels or Souths continue their good form they will be worthy finishers as well.
Tips this week: Cowboys, Souths, Manly, Parramatta, Dragons, Tigers, Broncos, Newcastle
Last week: 6/8(Total: 89/154)
Winning percentage: 58%
I’m off to a game this weekend, got an afternoon off so heading out to my first Broncos game of the season to watch them play my number two team Penrith. Should be good fun and I’m really looking forward to the battle between Hodges and Jennings. Anyway, any thoughts before then hit me up at andrew.keyte@gmail.com or comment below.
See ya later,
Keyto
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
