Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers - Friday night – Suncorp Stadium
I managed to catch the Broncos training run on Saturday morning. They looked sharp and, perhaps more importantly, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Darius Boyd isn't even listed in the seventeen but he moved freely and I expect him to play - State of Origin isn't far away. The Panthers are gradually bringing wounded troops back into the fold, but they are still without their first choice hooker and halves. I can't ignore that - particularly away from home. A chance for the Broncos to shore up their place near the top of the ladder before the representative period of the season takes its inevitable toll.
Verdict – Broncos by 10
Result - Broncos 8 defeated Panthers 5
Sydney Roosters vs Wests Tigers – Friday night – Allianz Stadium
The Chooks are due, and I mean 'final notice' in big red letters due. After four losses in a row they need to resurrect their fortunes - I've convinced myself this is the weekend they make a statement. With the return of Guerra and Aubusson the tri-colours are turning up with a tremendous pack of forwards. I expect the Roosters halves to bring their A-game on the back of the momentum created by the big boys (Laurie Daley take note). Losing is even more contagious than winning, and because of that the Chooks are ridiculously short with the bookmakers. I can't back them but I'm tipping them. The Tigers are playing a great style of football and the Chooks, despite the losses, aren't far off their best. The game of the round.
Verdict – Roosters by 14
Result - Roosters 36 defeated Tigers 4
Canberra Raiders vs Gold Coast Titans – Saturday afternoon – GIO Stadium
I don't break my golden rules of tipping too often, but here breaks one of them. Traditionally I would always take the home team when these sides met - it's a strategy that has served me at least as well as any other crazy strategy I've come up with over the years. The Titans are simply playing great football, and in the process they've gone from wooden spoon favourites to top eight contenders - an extraordinary turnaround in difficult circumstances. Without Greg Bird I'm nervous, because that Raiders back-row have a substantial edge on their counterparts. That said, I like the Titans starting props, and their backline has become a potent force in recent weeks. Many of the Raiders are backing up from the City-Country game where they all performed well - they should come back from that game brimming with confidence. A big win from either side wouldn't surprise but I'm tipping an upset.
Verdict – Titans by 2
Result - Raiders 56 defeated Titans 16
Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday night – Remondis Stadium
Plenty of Warriors are backing up from ANZAC duties, and quite a few are coming back from the Samoa/Tonga international for that matter. Many of them will still be on cloud nine, and a happy Warriors outfit is a dangerous Warriors outfit. We'll know if they're on shortly after kick-off, and if they are on a barnstorming Warriors victory is what we shall see. I'm banking on the comedown factor and the Warriors being 'off'. There's something about turning up to Remondis Stadium for a night game that drags teams down. I'll take the Sharks in what I suspect will turn into a scrappy and ugly ordeal.
Verdict – Sharks by 2
Result - Watriors 20 defeated Sharks 16
North Queensland Cowboys vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Saturday night – 1300SMILES Stadium
This looks like two sides with their seasons travelling in opposite trajectories. The Cowboys have won five in a row while the Bulldogs only recent win was over the team running last. Reynolds is suspended and the Bulldogs will miss his tripping game. Graham is still suspended and the Bulldogs will miss his go-forward and general yelling skills. No-one can step in and replace Taumalolo for the Cowboys, but in front of a big home crowd I think the Cowboys pack will give as good as they get. Hodkinson and Mbye have to find a way to make their halves pairing work, meanwhile the combination of Thurston and Morgan is absolutely singing. How about that...I've tipped all the Queensland sides.
Verdict – Cowboys by 10
Result - Cowboys 23 defeated Bulldogs 16
Manly Sea Eagles vs Newcastle Knights – Sunday afternoon – Brookvale Oval
Manly have won just two games this season and both were against the Melbourne Storm - what a funny funny competition this is. Some weeks ago I saw the Knights in the flesh and I was taken with how much bigger they were than their opponent. They went on to win that game - a game few thought they would, and they did so by outmuscling their opponent. This Sea Eagles side can be out-muscled. They are seriously short of big men in the middle and the Knights are just the team to take advantage of that. Yet again I'm breaking another one of my golden rules here - tipping the Sea Eagles on a Sunday afternoon at Brookie has long been the fall-back selection. After the Sea Eagles surprise victory over the Storm I'm not surprised they're favoured to win, but I can get $2.60 about the Knights and I'm happy to take it. I might even back them with the handicap start as a little bit of insurance. Gamble responsibly.
Verdict – Knights by 4
Result - Sea Eagles 30 defeated Knights 10
Parramatta Eels vs Melbourne Storm – Sunday afternoon – Pirtek Stadium
Does Cameron Smith get cranky? The Storm went down to the Sea Eagles at home, then his Kangaroos went down to the Kiwis for the third time in a row. And people are jumping out of trees to ask him if he's getting too old. Sheesh! I happen to think the cranky old bastard will give the Eels a footballing lesson this weekend. Note that Billy Slater has been named and I imagine he wants his State of Origin jersey back. And this game is worthy of your attention because two Fijian wingers get to go toe-to-toe. Radradra versus Koroibete - two of the nicest (and most entertaining) guys in the game. Looking forward to this one - I'll go purple.
Verdict – Storm by 8
Result - Storm 28 defeated Eels 10
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Monday night – ANZ Stadium
I don't think I've ever tipped a team more reluctantly than my Rabbitohs tip for Monday night. In their last five outings the Rabbitohs have won once, by one point...and they were lucky to get it. How I've ended up on them here is anyone's guess, but the absence of Dugan has probably swayed me. As per every Dragons game this season I'm not expecting a lot of points, and Dugan is the sort of guy that could pick up a try at one end and save a try at the other end. That may prove the difference. Gosh the Dragons have been good...and the Rabbits? This feels dirty...and wrong. I'm off to have a shower.
Verdict – Rabbitohs by 2
Result - Rabbitohs 16 defeated Dragons 10
Wally Lewis - round nine selections (in bold)
Note: tips from Wally will be published on Thursday night or early Friday morning.
- BRONCOS vs Panthers
- ROOSTERS vs Tigers
- RAIDERS vs Titans
- Sharks vs WARRIORS
- COWBOYS vs Bulldogs
- Sea Eagles vs KNIGHTS
- Eels vs STORM
- RABBITOHS vs Dragons
Comments
Submitted by tigerholic on
Gidday Folks
"Thinker" you had me worried there for a while, I was waiting for your tips to go up so we can get back to normal. I really missed the NRL games last weekend, even though the Rep games were OK.
I wish I had the courage to tip my Tigers but as you say Thinker, the "Chooks" are really really due for a win. Is Jamie Soward back for the Panthers?
Have a great weekend
Submitted by christine on
Thinker I actually tipped dragons a week ago for the game against souths but no dugan tells me not to & being a souths member I get emailed their team list which has Sutton named to play so I figure they have to come good sooner or later so I have to be loyal & take souths , '' a '' I can hear you now saying don't change your tip you should never change your tip but you forget I taught you that so sorry it's souths for me .
Submitted by a on
Oh yeah it was last season I think it was the Storm vs Bulldogs game I think
Submitted by mark ashford on
Hi Tigerholic
Jamie Soward has been mentioned as "a possible" as well as Darius Boyd for the Broncos to name just a few.
It's a bit hard on us tipsters when coaches can leave it almost until kickoff to finalise their teams.
It's a bit tough when a teams "star" is ruled out 10 mins before a game when all our tips are locked in but that's life I guess just have to take the good with the bad.
Hey Thinker if the Guru comes back (obviously a workaholic) can we give him an average or something?
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Happy to pause NRL to acknowledge both Aussie and Kiwi (as well as other allied) armed forces last two weekends but does feel like its been a long break since round 8, even though it's really only been a week.
In that time though, I've found something that might interest. Closest comp in living memory, possibly ever? Really? Actually no.
Here is how the current table reads :
12..12..10..10..8..8..8..8..8..8..8..6..6..6..6..4
Here is the 2014 table after round 8:
12..12..12..10..8..8..8..8..8..8..8..6..6..6..4..4
There's only one game in it. If just one of the teams on 10 had beaten one of the teams on 6, the two tables would be identical.
So closest comp ever is not quite true. What is confusing everyone this year is which teams are sitting where.
Let's compare how teams are doing compared to this time last year:
Brisbane (12)... (8) ...up 4 pts
St George (12)…(8)…up 4 pts
Melbourne (10)...(8)...up 2 pts
Nth Qld (10)...(6)...up 4 pts
Wests (8)...(10)..down 2 pts
Souths (8)...(8)...same
Gold Coast (8)...(12)...down 4 pts
Penrith (8)...(8)...same
Newcastle (8)...(4)...up 4 pts
Canterbury (8)...(12)... down 4 pts
Canberra (8)...(6)...up 2 pts
Sydney (6)...(8)...down 2 pts
New Zealand (6)...(6)...same
Cronulla (6)...(4)...up 2 pts
Parramatta (6)...(8)...down 2 pts
Manly (4)...(12)...down 8 pts
No prize for see Manly is the big discrepancy, although interesting to see Sydney and Souths and Penrith. All top 4 finishers. All seemingly out of form. All much the same on points at this stage last year.
Submitted by Declan_S on
If you can be bothered Coach, I'd love to see that stat again over the next few rounds to see how we're tracking?
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Actually I don't have football almanacs up to the ceiling, or Steven Hawkings brainpower, or Dr Robert Langdon's da Vinci code. I mostly use the net including a site called
http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org
You can search stats by player, team, coach, even referee, and the results of all the games are there going back to 1908.
Anyone can check at their leisure how the tables compare over the next few weeks but I have a feeling there would be lots of time spent comparing apples and oranges. What seems more and more certain is this year's top 4 and top 8 is destined to be quite different to previous years.
I
Submitted by The Joker on
Broncos
Roosters
Titans
Sharks
Cowboys
Manly
Storm
Rabbits
Goodluck all!!... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Submitted by Coach Potato on
"Wasn't much in it" said Bird after the Test match.
Geez, he had better hope his legal team put forward a stronger defence in court on Friday.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Awesome ! Oh man I am so glad that Rugby League is back on cause I don't know about you but all I've had to watch the last couple weeks is NBA playoffs which isn't good for me because anytime one of Ref's makes bad call I go down to my local Footlocker in mall and yell at all their employees ... Yeah ... Let's get on with this week picks ... ;-D
Panthers - Yeah I know I probably have this wrong but looking at all statistics I have on them when playing up against Broncos, I just have this feeling that their going to pull through. Penrith by four points.
Roosters - Another close game. Sydney City Roosters by two points.
Raiders - Gold Coast Titans will struggle to find points in this match playing Raiders at home in Canberra. Canberra Raiders by ten points.
Sharks - Warriors are still without their fullback. For me that almost makes it certainty that Sharks will win. Cronulla Sharks by six points.
Bulldogs - Jason Taumalolo, Cowboys strike weapon is out for them in this game which makes me think Bulldogs who always had a strong record against Cowboys can continue their winning run. Bulldogs by six points.
Sea Eagles - Playing at home Sea Eagles have been unbeatable so I don't see things changing much in spite of their recent poor form. Sea Eagles by six points.
Eels - Storm are struggling and playing away at home against one of the in form teams of season won't help. Paramatta Eels by six points.
Rabbitohs - Return to form for reigning premiers. Rabbits by twelve points.
Thanks again Thinker ! Thanks everybody ! Good luck with all your picks ! Laters Laters ! ;-D
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
- Also for any of you that think I'm crazy picking Bronco's to beat Panthers then I want you to check out this footage I've just been sent of Corey Parker celebrating his 33rd birthday yesterday with a try at training : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DlF3RgNXU6o ;-D
Submitted by The Thinker on
Keiran Foran ruled out for the Sea Eagles....Knights into $2.20
:-)
Submitted by Coach Potato on
The 30s Club...
35 YEARS OLD
Willie Manu, Jeremy Smith, Willie Mason
34 YEARS OLD
David Fa'alogo, Nathan Friend, Brent Kite, Glenn Hall
33 YEARS OLD
Paul Gallen, Chris Heighington, Jamie Lyon, Pat Richards, Corey Parker
32 YEARS OLD
Justin Hodges, Kurt Gidley, Jeff Robson, Dene Halatau, Anthony Tupou, George Rose, Nigel Plum, Johnathan Thurston
31 YEARS OLD
Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, David Shillington, Anthony Watmough, Todd Lowrie, Luke Lewis, David Stagg, Michael Gordon, Frank Pritchard, Cooper Cronk, Matt Ballin, Glenn Stewart, Robbie Farah, Ryan Hoffman, Jacob Lillyman, Michael Ennis, Brad Tighe
30 YEARS OLD
Richie Fa'aoso, Beau Scott, Matt White, Ryan Hinchcliffe, Steve Matai, Greg Bird, John Sutton, Jamie Soward, Antonio Kaufusi, David Simmons, Isaac De Gois, Brenton Lawrence, Ben Hannant, Dane Tilse, Chris Houston, Daryl Millard, Benji Marshall, Brett Stewart, Ben Creagh, Ben Lowe, Feleti Mateo
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Since we seem to be focusing on stats......source is a newspaper article...
MOST SUSPENDED PLAYERS SINCE THE NRL WAS FORMED IN 1998
John Hopoate: 45 weeks
Luke O'Donnell/Craig Smith: 32 weeks
Danny Williams: 28 weeks
Jason Stevens/Adrian Morley: 26 weeks
Greg Bird 21 + 8 weeks
BIRD-BRAINED
GREG BIRD'S SUSPENSIONS SINCE HIS NRL DEBUT IN 2002
2004: Striking ref - 10 matches
2004: Dangerous throw - 3 matches
2005: Dangerous throw - 2 matches
2011: Striking - 1 match
2014: Dangerous throw - 2 matches
2014: Dangerous throw - 2 matches
2014: Dangerous throw - 1 match
*No bans resulted for Bird after judiciary appearances in 2003 and 2013.
And now the latest ban after the weekend's test match.....8 weeks
Submitted by The Joker on
New Tips..
BRONCOS
ROOSTERS
TITANS
WARRIORS
BULLDOGS
KNIGHTS
STORM
BUNNIES
Submitted by mark ashford on
Morning all
This may well be the end for Birdy with the judiciary deciding they have had enough.
15 years ago his style would have made him a hero but not today and probably just as well.
Being a Qld'er I'm no fan but do admire his passion for club, state and country. Maybe a coach (not you potato) somewhere should have said NO MORE BIRDY!
As for Josh Reynolds I'm sick to death of hearing what a great bloke he is off the field. 99% of us never see him off the field only his pathetic antics while playing. A week is just silly and nothing for his hit on David Mead? The judiciary is just creating another Birdy or is this Dessie's doing?
Hey Coach if we're not really any different from this time last year then could we have waited until now to start the season?
You know award the points as they are now and save all the clubs those crippling injuries.
We could have origin and the test out the way and just get on with the regular season. (kidding of course)
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Nice one Steel. So Bird will be 3rd all time, and only one good poke in the ass away from the record!
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Mark are you happy for Broncos to wipe their slate? My guess is thanks but no thanks
Submitted by The Thinker on
I wonder how much the 'trouble-maker' players cost their employers, above and beyond their contracted salary.
Legal support, counseling, media and brand management, corporates (fuzzy numbers I know....but still numbers). The Titans also need to find additional match payments for anyone playing while Bird isn't.
He's a great player to have on your side when he's on, but when you add it all up Greg Bird looks expensive...I think.
Submitted by mark ashford on
Ha Ha Coach just a thought but of course a silly one.
Now for this week
Broncos even though I'm scared of the Panthers
Roosters Pearce will want to show he's ready for Origin
Raiders Having second thoughts about Ricky
Warriors Kiwi's will be up after that win
Cowboys JT was quiet in the test, won't be here
Manly Time for the boys to "manly" up
Storm This will be close, Storm by 2 points
Rabbits No Dugan and Inglis to make amends
A ps about Birdy he was not suspended for 12 weeks for striking a ref. It was 12 weeks for a knee to the head of Shane Marteene from Souths back in 2004. This has been incorrectly reported elsewhere and as bad as he is he has never hit a ref!
Submitted by RexV on
Hey Mark, I bet he has thought about hitting a ref though
Submitted by Baggy_Gee on
Well I'm gladdened that he got the 8 weeks, when the commentators ask why you would lift in this day and age, you realise how frowned upon the practise is. Now lets get the ref's on side and have a 3-5 seconds of held being called held, not a varying window where players think that they still have to go though with the tackle to get the play to be called.
Broncos - Again I hate tipping the Ponies but with the way they played as a team last outing, the panthers missing half a roster of players, its very hard not to back them.
Roosters - I detest players who step up each year for the origin cycle and then fade away nearly as much as I detest the keep the incumbent idea. Pick the best and let the chips fall where they may. That said the Roosters seem to be the best side in the comp with out a win in their last 4 starts
Raiders - Blake Austin. He was great in a losing team and a hat trick at any level puts a bit extra bounce in your step. The wheels might be starting to wobble on the Titan's wagon.
Sharks - Ben barba gets space, Fifita is back and the team looks settled. With both teams coming off loses makes this a tight one but home ground and the Warriors in Australia. Here's to hoping.
Cowboys - Cowboys at home, hasn't been the greatest of venues for them so far this year, BUT........... the Bulldogs are still missing key personal. Could be a nail biter but the Cowboys should get the job done.
Knights - Hard game to figure out, Knights win less for the last 4 rounds after stunning the comp with 4 wins out of the first 4 games. Manly have only been able to beat the Storm twice this season. I'm going to lean towards the Knights to bounce back and win in a close one.
Eels - BOYS BOYS BOYS. I now am starting to understand the pain of membership. I watched us get out player all over the field only 10 mtrs from where Hodges conned a penalty out of Norman, argh, we didn't show up. Chris didn't smile, and our outside backs didn't defend wide enough. I could spend a long time breaking it down but all it comes down to is backing the BOYS cause that's what you do.
https://youtu.be/zc4e-HdlhPY
Rabbits - I don't think that the Dragons have the nesscary points in them to get the points here. The Rabbits are out of sorts and need a rocket up them. If GI comes out of the tunnel at near light speed, a schelacking might be the order of the day for the dragons.
Submitted by Declan_S on
Broncos
- Home ground, minimal rep round involvement, versing a team with a pretty raw backline
Roosters
- Many Roosters players will be putting in the extras to try and impress origin selectors, plus 5 losses in a row is a daunting figure
Raiders -
Solely because of Mr Thinker's backrowers mismatch theory, with a little bit of Blake Austin magic on the side (hopefully)
Warriors
- Hoping that the win over Australia has motivated them not drained them, plus no Paul Gallen for the Sharks; look what happened without him in Rnd 8
Cowboys
- Even without Scott Bolton they have the size in the forwards to get the job done, plus they're coming up against a 2nd tier Bulldogs backline
Knights
- The first week of the season we've been able to field our best players from 8-13, hopefully it'll be too much for the Manly forward pack (possibly one of the worst in the comp?) Kieran Foran is out also
Eels
- Who would tip against Eels at home when they're fielding close to their best team? They've knocked off Manly at home and started the Rabbitohs losing streak. You could probably count on one hand how many games Radradra has lost at Pirtek also
Rabbitohs
- Some stability in the halves, plus no Dugan; the Dragon's winning streak is coming to an end sooner rather than later
Submitted by Tailspin on
Hey everyone, hope you all have a good weekend and the footy is great
Broncos by 12
Roosters by 10
I'm with the thinker on this one - Titans by 4
Not real sure on this one but Warriors by 2
Cowboys by 10 of course
I'm going Knights by 4, Foran out for manly and knights due.
Storm by 18
Bunnies by 4 in a good game
Submitted by The Thinker on
J Mullen is 50/50 for the Knights this weekend - toe injury
:-(
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Mark.....it's funny I can't ever recall Bird striking a ref either and I was thinking exactly that at the time I was reading the article. I do however recall the knee to the head incident. Correct me if I'm wrong.....Bird made the tackle and while moving to be square at marker he knee'd Marteene in the side of the head as Marteene was bent down playing the ball. It was all Marteene's fault for having his head in the wrong place...haha....
Submitted by mark ashford on
You're right Steel Panther.
Birdy said he'd received a couple of elbows in the tackle and while moving to marker was attacked on the point of his knee by Marteene's head.
Submitted by christine on
give bird time he hasn't glassed a ref yet
Submitted by a on
Here are my tips
Broncos by 8 I think the Broncos will have that strength to beat the Panthers at Brisbane
Roosters by 10 The Roosters are due I repeat again The Roosters are due
Titans by 2 I think Titans will win in a cracker of a game here
Sharks by 6 I think the Sharks will continue Warriors misery here
Cowboys by 10 I think the C.O.W.B.Y.S W.I.L.L W.I.N 6 I.N A R.O.W H.E.R.E
Knights by 2 I hope Knights keep manly at the bottom here
Storm by 8 Billy Sllater back no chance for the Storm
Rabbitohs by 8 I think Dragons are due for a loss and it will be aganist Souths
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5VsfRuyWF8
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Penrith Panthers
Wests Tigers
Canberra Raiders
New Zealand Warriors
Canterbury Bulldogs
Manly Sea Eagles
Melbourne Storm
St George-Illawarra Dragons
Feels like I'm tipping lots of upsets again, but then I think, what makes the bookies so sure they suddenly have it all worked out after having no idea for the first two months.
Submitted by Shanghai on
Ahh .... its good to be back into it. For me this week:
Broncos
Roosters (must win game)
Raiders (dart in the board)
Warriors
Cowboys
Knights
Eels
Dragons (another dart for me)
Good luck one and all ......
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Kasey Badger adjudicates the touchline round 7 and round 8, but not this week. Was the historic appointment of a female touchjudge just a token gesture? Are the male touchjudge fraternity still not comfortable with flag-sharing? Do female touchjudges get Mother's Day weekend off? Or does she just have a syndosmosis injury? I'd like to know which one.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
I hope Coach that it's not a token gesture. For me to wait this long to have female ref in our national game when say compared to AFL who has had female umpires since 2009, I find it degrading and disgusting, as I sit here and type this while watching Tampa Bay Tampax take on Chicago Bliss in their latest game in Lingerie Football League. God The Footy Show has gone completely crap lately ... :-(
Submitted by a on
Do they have a female ref this weekend
Submitted by Coach Potato on
What a joke it would be if brothers Tariq and Corbin Sims play against each in State of Origin. Sure brothers can disagree sometimes, but they just can't hate each other like NSW and QLD players are meant to. They'll have to fake it. I dont want to have to see fake intensity on Origin night.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Just read online that Issac Luke is coming to Warriors next year. I know you guys long enough by now that I'm not going to lie to you but I think I wet the bed a little just from reading that !!! " Honey ? Why is middle of bed suddenly all damp and what is that god awful smell ? That's just Issac Luke coming to Warriors honey, you go right back to sleep ! " Dude, that is so AWESOME !!! ;-D
Submitted by a on
You think Issac Luke is going to the Warriors
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Isaac Leak ??
Submitted by mark ashford on
Christine that is a classic comment about Greg Bird. I can't stop laughing!
A hypothetical question for Coach or anyone else for that matter.
In the unlikely event of a Broncos/Cowboys grand final can you see the game being played in Brisbane/Townsville as surely that would be the fairest option for the fans AND really how many people in Sydney would want to go?
Submitted by Steel Panther on
I actually enjoyed the week off last week as the NRL tipping has not been kind to me. Logic just doesn't cut it in this comp. Frustration = lack of enjoyment!!
Broncos - I'd keep Kahu at fullback and put Boyd on the wing. Before being injured, Kahu had been the stand out for the Broncos so far this season.
Roosters - I thought there was no way the Chooks would lose four games in a row but they did. They are a better team than that so surely it won't be five in a row.
Raiders - Not often I tip Ricky's mob but I'll tip them at home against a flightless Titans.
Warriors - I hate tipping this inconsistent mob but I'm hoping Johnson's form in last weekend's Test match can carry on.
Cowboys - I haven't got a game involving the Dogs right for the past four rounds. Nothing to trip the Cowboys up.
Manly - The loss of Foran and Matai hurts but I'm balancing that against the Knights horrendous record against the Sea Eagles plus the beach is open again.
Storm - The Melbourne forward pack to lay the platform here. Eels need Sandow to fire. Storm in a close one.
Rabbitohs - As disappointing as they have been of late I'm tipping the Bunnies purely because it's hard to keep winning in this comp. Dragons going for seven in a row!!!
Have a good weekend everyone and good luck with your tips!!
Submitted by mark ashford on
Hey Johnny Ray I just read that Isaac is returning to NZ next year for "family reasons" and that Souths are ok with that. Fantastic signing for the Kiwi's along with RTS and others.
They must surely be premiership contenders in 2016.
A thought regarding last weeks test.
On looking through the kiwi team the vast majority of players are currently playing for Australian clubs with only a handful from the warriors.
Should we have a system similiar to super league where there is a limit on how many "foreign" players a club should have?
The Aussie coaches (surely the best in the world) are developing superstars who are declaring allegiance to other countries.
A club should be allowed say 4/5 "foreign" players and the rest must declare their allegiance to Australia.
Otherwise we are just creating stars who will play against us and not developing our own stars.
There has been a lot of criticism of the current Kangaroos but really who else would you have picked?
If the NRL reduces the interchange next year it will go a long way to increasing Australia's stocks as smaller players will be able to compete more with the huge Islanders.
Submitted by christine on
johnny ray bro you stole my bro
Submitted by Coach Potato on
Mark, its a bridge run that many a Sydney fan is thankful is yet to be crossed.
I fear the NRL would buckle under the weight of QLDer angst, although I dont believe it would be necessarily right. QLD based, and Canberra teams were included in the NSWRL comp, which then led to Nth QLD and Auckland joining a National comp, but I feel the traditional home is still Sydney. This is just like interstate teams joining the VFL and then got renamed the AFL.
2004 marked the first time the AFL needed to cross that bridge when Port Adelaide and Brisbane met in the big one. I'm sure there were similar calls as to why the MCG should be the venue. Consensus probably won, telling that the sport should hold dear, the traditional Grand Final venue. Almost 78,000 people attended. The next year Sydney played West Coast and 92,000 people attended.
I know Sydney has gone from SCG to Football Stadium to Homebush, but (desperately trying to think without bias), I think Sydney is where the GF should be played.
Submitted by mark ashford on
Thanks for your thoughts Coach and I think you are most probably right. Sydney is the traditional home of the GF
I guess the only real test would be an all Queensland GF and see if it's a sellout.
Submitted by Coach Potato on
The hint came in recent years where Townsville got to hold a home semi in the second week, which suddenly gives them a home final, and the yet the same rule gave Manly not one, but two away finals last year against lower ranked teams.
Manly, Wests, Parramatta, St George, Cronulla, and Penrith fans were treated like poor NRL cousins. The only six teams that require to play away from their home ground in the second and third weeks.
There's not a rule that suits all at the moment. I think what should be in place though, is if by chance, a game suddenly shows as scheduled to be played at the lower ranked teams' venue, then that game automatically must revert to the higher ranked teams home ground. Crowd numbers become second priority not first.
I last years finals because of the nuance, Manly would have played Souths at Brookvale in the first week, and then again against Canterbury in the second week. Penrith could not have played the preliminary final at home bush, so must then be played at Penrith Park. That's what I think anyway.
Submitted by Steel Panther on
Mark....interesting thoughts regarding players from other countries being developed in Australia then playing against Australia. A lot will say that this makes the game more global instead of the continued dominance of Australia in the sport. In the past NZ would win about 1 game in 10 against the Aussies and this was usually as a result of Australia playing bad, not NZ playing well. The playing field does however seem to have levelled up a bit recently but I wonder if this is because some current Kangaroo players have gone stale?? Cronk, Smith, Thurston & Inglis all spring to mind. These guys also all play for Q'ld. I thought the same at Origin level last year. The hunger just doesn't seem to be there anymore. For years Melbourne were the only team I penned in each week but not so much these days.
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Yeah sorry about that Christine. I can't think how as Rabbitohs supporter you must be feeling right now losing probably the single best hooker playing in competition right now ...
Submitted by christine on
j ohnny ray like I said bro you stole my bro look after the hobbit for me ,warriors will be a team to watch next season that's for sure
Submitted by Coach Potato on
A weaker champion QLD team against a team probably full of new combinations including a fair share of debutants. Makes for unmissable viewing. Go the BLUES !!! >:-/
Submitted by christine on
Johnny ray there will be an announcement about izzac going to the warriors over the next few days but I don't no when he is going or how long for at this stage so let me know if you know more about it mate
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