Baggy

Great work mate, you're on top of the table just like your team. Have a great week.

Tiger

can anyone clarify which refs cuddled up to which teams to tell them the rules?

Hey BigPete

Sorry to hear of your injury, luckily you have the footy back to fill in the time. Take care mate, have a great week. Manly played extremely well last weekend.

Tiger

The Thinker Waiting for ur preview 🤔 i like it when u take ur time

Evening SFTH - Cant recall any cuddling up mate, as social distancing laws precluded that.
But will agree in some ways, things appeared a little confusing to some players. It'll work itself out, just like the fitness of one ref will.

Cheers, keep well and welcome to Thinker chats and banter.
Big Pete

Big Pete,

Good to see you in print again. Your posts are too few and far between these days!! Manly looking good so far. Will be a real test for them this weekend. Wishing you a speedy recovery my friend.

Enjoy the footy!!

@ Mark A - love being here and didn't go far, as I'd been reading exchanges made, but butted out of some remarks and watched some music that was posted.
Long term op is reconstruction, short term is ankle brace being made to support foot/ankle, as op is a number of weeks off foot. Another eye op for floaters next month - that'll make both eyes done.
I apologise for cheerio you posted a few weeks ago and didn't answer, but I'm otherwise ok and still standing upright, when not seated. Walking is just a little slower and I'm starting to see many that have the same ankle issue. My sports days, I take it didn't help and being tall and mostly walking, along with the dreaded word ageing, assisted the process.
I hit the "clickety click" two weeks ago, so days of work are now in the deep thinking mode.

@Steely - thanks mate for post and I'm hanging in there, like an NBA Slam Dunker.

Others here - keep well

Big Pete

Big Pete
So you have made the "clickety click" just a tad behind me old mate.
Our young sporting days often leave us with problems as we age.
But oh the memories wouldn't change a thing. All of us here wish you a painless op and a speedy recovery. Not sure if this is an appropriate song but it's a favourite of mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r9T7_MVqtE

I remember moving out of home with a female flat mate which my mum wasn’t happy about being a strict Catholic so I invited her over for dinner to erase any suspicions.
The first thing my mum noticed was Wendy was very attractive and after watching us interact she gave me that look which prompted me to say “we’re just flat mates.”
About a week later Wendy said “since your mum was here I can’t find our silver serving tray, you don’t think your mum took it “?
No way ,so to prove her innocence I called her and left a message on her machine
“Mum don’t take this wrong but is there any chance you took the silver tray “?
About a week later when I was work she replied to my answering machine
She said son is there any chance your sleeping with Wendy because if you weren’t she would of found the tray by now I put the tray under the pillow of her bed.
DJ good song
I was actually at Milsons Point when this was filmed enjoy https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RnK8e-Uo1CA

Butcher - I like that one and have seen before in a run of jokes I get sent. Milsons Point eh. My uncles lived in Neutral Bay for years and played darts at Rest Hotel and Albert Hotel. A very good friend of theirs, Harry Thompson used to play piano and sing occasionally at Milsons Pt RSL - many, many years ago.

Truly your humour reminds me of another member we had here and he also followed Roosters. But where u were in hospitality/Mgt, he was in other and supposedly worked in Sydney Trains. Then he fled here, but you remind me so much of him and we got on well.

Regards - Big Pete

The Butcher
Good yarn mate. Someone else must have known about the silver tray as I'm sure I've heard your tale before.
How about JPY in the sailor suit? Great entertainer.

Baggy
Your Eels v Manly may well be the game of the round. Both teams had convincing wins last weekend and both teams were very good. Ask yourself who had the harder game? your Eels away or Manly at home.
Were the Broncos easybeats or were the Dogs just out of form.
With due respect to Big Pete I have tipped the Eels to continue on their winning way.

Sa-wat-dee krup,

First off, thanks for “Horse With No Name” Mr Ashford. Absolute classic from America (the band not the country). Well they are from America but you know what I mean 😁. Nice post, really nice post brother. One of those songs that chills me out so very easily. Thanks mate.

A bit shocked to be sitting up towards the tipping ladder stratosphere but only 3 rounds in so I have plenty of time to come tumbling down. I’ve made a mental note to have a go at shortening my posts but man it’s a big ask. Pretty hard to change a lifelong habit overnight but I’m trying 😁. For those of you who have Monday off, enjoy it and have a nice sleep in. We gotta work over here in WA and pretty sure Qld do too. Not to worry, we had last Monday off for WA Day. Boom! 💥 OK, let’s get into it…

Broncos vs. Roosters 30-70 @ Suncorp
Ladder Position = Broncos
Bookies Favourite = Roosters

The Broncos seemed like they were still in the contest last week only trailing by 6 at half time but then got blown away and held scoreless in the second, eventually losing 34-6. They were just too sloppy in my opinion. No-one to blame except themselves I’m afraid. They’ll need to get things right and adapt to this 6-again rule before I can tip them with any degree of confidence. The Broncos’ lack of possession was telling to say the least. You can’t win games of footy if you don’t have your hands on the ball. As we all witnessed last week, if you don’t have the ball and you’re forced to defend all the time, you’re gonna run out of gas. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to the Broncos. Then we had the 2 bombed tries from Boyd and Milford. Yikes! I’m still shaking my head about those two “efforts” (or lack of) a week later. There were so many stats that show just how far out of the contest the Broncos were last week. Far too many to mention here but the ones that stood out for me (besides the six tries to one) were possession (37-63), completion rate (57-73), post contact metres (482-716), tackle breaks (27-41), missed tackles (44-27) and ineffective tackles (40-12). Notice that Kotoni Staggs will be sitting out this game after he was suspended for a week.

The Roosters led 12-6 at half-time and then carried on with it in the second, outscoring the Rabbitohs 16-6 to run out 28-12 winners. They were far too good for the Rabbitohs in a bruising physical encounter and finally managed to register their first win of the season. Woo-Hoo! Tedesco was outstanding, running 314 metres and scoring an important try just after half time. One of the highlights for me was Brett Morris’ try-saving effort running down Burns and then wrapping up Alex Johnston. After the break, the Roosters jumped out to a commanding 22-6 lead with just 48 minutes on the clock. The Bunnies got one back (after a somewhat questionable (?) try from Tom Burgess) and (sorta) looked a slight chance with 20 to go. The Roosters defence managed to hold on in their typically determined fashion and got the win after Jake Friend grubbered ahead for himself and scored untroubled. Stats were pretty much shared between the Roosters and Bunnies so I’m thinking there’s not much point in noting any this week. Great to see JWH got off with just a fine 😁.

Verdict: Really, you need to ask? Roosters of course. Begurk! 🐔 Begurk! 🐔

Panthers vs. Warriors 65-35 @ Campbelltown
Ladder Position = Panthers
Bookies Favourite = Panthers

The Panthers looked to have their match all sewn up last week against the Knights. They raced out to a 14 point lead, the Knights had lost Pearce and Watson and the Chocolate Soldiers were continually pressuring an under siege Knights outfit. The Panthers let the Knights score an unlikely try on the stroke of half-time but the Panthers would’ve still been feeling confident at that point. What followed in the second 40 was nothing short of incredible. The Knights kept chipping away and the Panthers failed to register any points of their own. The game goes into extra time, the Panthers miss 4 attempts at field goal and the lollies are shared. What a game! Even after the Knights had fought back and levelled the scores, I was impressed with how the Panthers (just like the Knights) defended every time the Knights got a roll on. Inspiring stuff from the Panthers no doubt but they should’ve won that game, given the circumstances and the stats. They had more possession (59-41), more line breaks (6-3), more tackle breaks (33-24), forced more drop outs (3-0), made less tackles (449-526) and missed less tackles (24-33).

Great first half effort from the Warriors saw them leading 12-0. After keeping the Dragons scoreless again in the second and adding another 6 points themselves, they ran out comfortable winners 18-0. A really great reward for the sacrifices they’ve made so far. As we all know by now, on the way to a completion rate of 46 from 48, the Warriors set an NRL record of most sets completed in a row with 44. Probably ranks right up there as one of their better efforts maybe? Stats-wise, nothing much to report other than the Warriors’ great completion rate (96-83) and a slight edge in possession (53-47). They did have more ineffective tackles though (13-7) but had less errors (4-9).

Verdict: I’d like to stick with the Warriors but the Panthers are stiffer opposition than the Warriors had last week. Panthers for me.

Storm vs. Rabbitohs 65-35 @ AAMI
Ladder Position = Storm
Bookies Favourite = Storm

Again, teams that don’t score in the second half rarely win. And that’s exactly what happened to the Storm. Being down by 12 against quality opposition at half-time, the Storm needed something special in the second 40. They did come out and play better but the Raiders countered the Storm’s “structured play” admirably and were too good for them. Interestingly, if not for the final minute try from Canberra, both sides would’ve remained scoreless in the second half. The Storm blitzed the stats but still couldn’t make a dent. They had more possession (55-45), more metres run (1688-1542), more post contact metres (473-432), more tackle breaks (36-26), more offloads (12-9), more passes (224-188), more dummy passes (20-17) and more forced drop outs (4-2) but still managed to lose. Makes you think eh?

The Bunnies were still in the hunt at half-time last week and were only 6 points down. Unfortunately for the Bunnies, the Roosters came out in the second and outscored them 16-6 and ran out comfortable 28-12 winners. The Rabbitohs were basically dominated in the forwards by the Roosters. Not sure how they would’ve gone if Cody Walker had played in last week’s game but fairly confident it would’ve been closer. They were good in patches and pleasing to see a bit of physical stuff from them at times. Not convinced Latrell Mitchell is quite suited to fullback just yet. I’ll reserve my judgement on that one until I see a few more games. He had solid effort but nothing to get enthused about. Like I mentioned in my Roosters comments, the stats were pretty much shared in the Roosters and Bunnies match last week so I’m thinking there’s not much point in noting any this week.

Verdict: They’ll definitely wanna bounce back so I’ll play safe and tip the Storm at home.

Eels vs. Manly 55-45 @ Bankwest
Ladder Position = Eels
Bookies Favourite = Eels

The Eels were simply outstanding last week. Even though the Broncos were close at half-time (12-6), the Eels came out in the second and strangled the life out of them with a ton of possession. Force the opposition to defend continuously and they’ll run out of fuel. After that it’s easy pickings. Easy enough that they managed a comfortable 34-6 win. The Eels’ fans would have liked the ruthless aspect that showed itself in the second half and the fact they kept the Broncos scoreless. There was a lot to like in their performance last week for sure. Six tries to one tells the story and the Eels’ stats were impressive. Far too many to mention but the ones that stood out for me were possession (63-37), completion rate (73-57), post contact metres (716-482), tackle breaks (41-27), missed tackles (27-44) and ineffective tackles (12-40).

The Manly boys ended up beating the Bulldogs last week fairly convincingly. Up 14-0 at half-time and carried on with it in the second half, eventually increasing the margin and running out easy 32-6 winners. As happens from time to time, Tom Trbojevic had a blinder, scoring 2 tries and setting up another 3. There were plenty of good contributions from others as well and overall, just an outstanding effort. Stats-wise Manly enjoyed a possession rate of 57%, made 671 post contact metres, had more line breaks (8-0), more tackle breaks (43-11) and only had 11 missed tackles compared to the 43 from the Bulldogs.

Verdict: Both these sides were impressive but based on who they beat, my money’s on the Eels.

Cowboys vs. Sharks 55-45 @ Townsville
Ladder Position = Cowboys
Bookies Favourite = Cowboys

The Cowboys led 14-6 at half-time and then dominated the second half, scoring four unanswered tries to run out 36-6 winners. They should feel pretty happy with the way they dominated the Titans but the real test will be against tougher opposition. The new 6-again rule change worked perfectly for the Cowboys’ forward pack and quicks. I can’t believe Taumalolo only had 76 metres in the first half but then went on in the second to eventually rack up an amazing 290 metres. What a player! What a shame he’ll be missing this week. An impressive display from the Cowboys except for the 2 sin bins from Dunn and Hess. Not that it mattered really as on both occasions they actually increased their lead when they were a man down 💪. The Cowboys had an impressive possession rate (66-34), post contact metres (744-454), tackle breaks (33-17) and forced drop outs (5-0), less tackles made (241-426) and less missed tackles (17-33).

It’s a well known fact that teams that fail to score in the second half rarely end up winning. The Sharks were another side that proved that true last week. I mean to say, you’re leading 16-10 at half-time and then getting rolled 28-16 does not engender me with much confidence. They did manage to grab some momentum back after the Tigers jumped out and had 2 tries on the board after just 6 minutes but after half-time it all went south for them. Last week against the Tigers, the Sharks had less possession (49-51), less tackle breaks (25-54) but had more missed tackles (54-25). I see Townsend is out. Hmm…

Verdict: The Cowboys only beat the Titans and have JT out while the Sharks were pretty ordinary but got dusted by a good side. Dunno, this is tough. What the heck, I’ll tip the Sharks.

Raiders vs. Knights 65-35 @ Campbelltown
Ladder Position = Raiders
Bookies Favourite = Raiders

The Raiders must’ve been feeling happy going into the sheds at half-time leading 18-6. Moreso given it was against the Storm in Melbourne. Beating the Storm in Melbourne and beating them by 16 points is an indication that the Raiders are right on track for this year’s Premiership. They did make silly errors in the second half but so did the Storm. But that was just the pressure of the game and the Raiders’ defence stood firm. Even without Bateman, it was a great display from the Canberra boys and they thoroughly deserved to win. It was an absolutely awesome effort from George Williams too. The Raiders pretty much were behind in all the stats last week against the Storm. The only area they actually did better in was in their completion rate (78-68). They were basically beaten everywhere else stats-wise. And yet they won comfortably. What’s that telling us?

The Knights lost Pearce and Watson early on in their game against the Panthers last week and looked like they were down for the count at 14-0 down. Right on the stroke of half-time the Knights score a (very) unlikely try to make it interesting. Their defence was superb against a relentless Panthers outfit and to my total astonishment they fought back and managed to level the scores at 14-all at the end of regulation time. With no designated field goal “expert” to rely on, it was always gonna be hard to grab that extra point and win. A mighty effort against the odds though. I was pretty impressed with the Knights’ toughness and their desperate defence for sure. The Knights had an opportunity to get the win in extra time but for some reason Bradman Best opted to pass to Edrick Lee instead of taking a chance and going through that gap and trying to score himself. I’m pretty sure he would’ve made it but then again, what would I know eh? Just saying I thought it was a (genuine) chance gone begging. Still, it was a pretty good effort considering the missing troops. I get the feeling they shouldn’t have done as well as they did looking at their stats. They were behind in possession, line breaks, tackle breaks, forced drop outs, tackles made and missed tackles and yet managed to draw the match through sheer guts and determination. Nice effort.

Verdict: Even with Ponga back and McCullough playing his first game for the Knights (I think), Canberra will be too good. Raiders a good thing.

Titans vs. Tigers 35-65 @ Suncorp
Ladder Position = Tigers
Bookies Favourite = Tigers

The Titans lost yet again and even though it’s early days, they look like they’re headed for the wooden spoon in 2020. Interesting stats I saw last weekend was that “the Titans are the only team in NRL history to concede 24 points or more in 14 straight games and if they don't get a win by round five they will have gone a full year without an NRL win.” Yikes! Is it worth mentioning any more on how poor they were? Suffice to say their possession was woeful (34%), they missed 33 tackles, made no forced drop outs and had to make 185 more tackles than the Cowboys. They really need to start having a crack.

After jumping out of the blocks and getting 2 tries after just 6 minutes, the Tigers allowed the Sharks back into the game and were behind by 6 points at the main break. They needed to respond and respond they did. They took control of the match courtesy of some Benji Marshall magic and some sloppy Sharks defence. Last week against the Sharks, the Tigers won the possession (51-49), made more tackle breaks (54-25) and had less missed tackles (25-54).

Verdict: Tigers will have too much class and should win fairly easily you’d think. Tigers for me.

Bulldogs vs. Dragons 50-50 @ Bankwest
Ladder Position = Dragons
Bookies Favourite = Dragons

It wasn’t one of the Bulldogs’ best efforts last week against Manly to be honest. Poor handling cost them, amongst other things. It took them 70 minutes before they could register their first points of the match. Hells Bells! Not much to say about their effort last week except that it was poor. They simply posed no threat to Manly and were unable to mount any serious attacking moves. It’ll be very interesting seeing how they go this week against the Dragons. Pretty sure they have some questions to ask themselves about last week’s performance. I think they need to go back to basics if the stats are telling me anything. Their possession was down (43-57), they had less post contact metres (465-671), less line breaks (0-8), less tackle breaks (11-43) and had more missed tackles (43-11). At least it looks like Foran is back.

The Dragons really need to ask some tough questions as well and make some tough decisions if they’re any chance of digging themselves out this hole they seem to be in. For most of the contest the Dragons didn’t look all that interested in playing competitive footy and seemed incapable of creating much in attack. Mary certainly has his work cut out for him I must say. Stats-wise, nothing really stands out. The Dragons and Warriors were pretty much on par with each other. Well, other than the Warriors’ great completion rate that is. Mind you, the Dragons did manage less ineffective tackles though (7-13).

Verdict: Simply no idea with this one. Tossed a coin and it’s come up …. Dragons.

Let’s finish off with another “Song of the Week”…

OK, gonna throw something up that none of you will see coming. Y’all wanna hear some smooth urban keys? Chillin’…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx_u3DC3VlM

OK kids, good luck with your tipping and may your team win by 40 points! Until next week people. Cheers.

Hi Newbie,

Enjoyed the read - and the music!!!

Cheers,
Mary

Hello everyone here are my guesses for round 4:
Roosters
Panthers
Storm
Eagles
Sharks
Raiders
Tigers
Bulldogs

Hi Thinker

I missed adding my tips for Round 3 - forgot I was in this comp - sigh.

Would you accept a screen shot of my ESPN footy tips for round 3 as adequate evidence for inclusion.

Its worth a shot.

Thanks

Rob181

Forget the high temp, he was sick enough to be struck off by the team before flying in to Brisbane. That gives them a glimmer of a hope tonight, might be time for an upset of the best kind.

Here are the Baggy girls tips for round 4
Roosters
Panthers
Rabbits
Manly
Sharks
Raiders
Tigers
Dragons

I think it is the mental aspect that will help them fire. One less strike weapon, I do agree that it isn't enough to be a sure thing Mark, but sometime all a young team needs is that glimmer of confidence, I think Roosters by 1-12.

The Butcher
Watched that Victor Radley tackle a few times and while it may hurt my team I'm glad he got off. There was no malice or intent to injure so I'm happy he's free to play. On another matter JWH is also free to play after a $1600 fine (with his record are they kidding) Just hope he doesn't injure too many of my young Broncs.

What did you think of the hit by Staggs last weekend Mark?