Hi All
Thanks for the wishes about my fishing trip. As someone said the fish and Fraser will be there next year. Happy to be at home with my new lady friend and a good supply of delicious food ( she is an incredible cook ) and lots of grog. Who said lockdown is a pain.

"Dia duit gach duine" i dteanga ní mo theanga féin,

Wow, what a stressful week last week was. Glad the NRL got it all sorted and glad the Qld gooberment gave them a chance. Pretty hectic here in the Newbie household what with those late games on Monday setting my “schedule” back a day but I managed to get everything done on time. Ran at the line and took the bruise (as Gus says) for the team 🤪. Seeing as I have no chance in the tipping (my worst year so far) just be warned I have 3 crazy tips this week and no, the Roosters are not one of them 😁. “No guts no glory” as they say. I’m thinking at best I might get 4 but then again I might get 8, you never know. Let’s do this thing …

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

Knights
Except for their diehard supporters, I think the Knights surprised most people last week when they played the Raiders. The Knights’ first half was first rate. They came out focussed and earned themselves a handy 22-6 lead heading into the sheds. They scored a lot of points down the left edge and Ponga, Best and Clifford were excellent. More of the same in the second half and if it wasn’t for O’Brien giving KP an early mark, they might’ve scored a few more points or at least restricted the Raiders in scoring those 2 late tries. Even so, the Knights ran out 34-24 winners. The final score suggests it was closer than it was but the Knights were never in doubt. Where oh where has this form been hiding this year? All in all a great showing, just a shame they haven’t been more consistent this year. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 52%
Completion Rate - 85% (35/41)
Line Breaks - 5
Tackle Breaks - 30
Missed Tackles - 27
Ineffective Tackles - 10
Errors - 8
Penalties Conceded - 3
Ruck Infringements - 4

Broncos
In a somewhat hectic first half last week against the Cowboys, the Broncos led 10-0 after 16 minutes and 22-12 at half-time. Even though it was (sorta) close for the first 40, you got the sense that the Broncos were up for it and would run out winning. The final score of 37-18 proved that in the end. The Cowboys did give them a scare though and if not for a couple of disallowed Cowboys tries it might’ve been closer. It was a great display from the Broncos (they’ve had a couple this year so far) and gives me the impression they’re slowly building. Even though I hate his guts (not exactly sure why but I do) I thought Tyson Gamble had a ripper. The Broncos have found a good one there. Most of the damage was done in the first half and when the Cowboys threatened in the second, the Broncos were good enough to keep them at bay. A very confident win I must say. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 52%
Completion Rate - 88% (36/41)
Line Breaks - 5
Tackle Breaks - 41
Missed Tackles - 19
Ineffective Tackles - 12
Errors - 8
Penalties Conceded - 5

Verdict: Knights.

Raiders vs. Dragons 70-30 @ Cbus
Ladder Position = Raiders
Bookies Favourite = Raiders

Raiders
The Raiders first half effort was a bit sluggish and clunky. They had some opportunities but couldn’t seem to convert. They just didn’t look themselves compared to their last few outings. Heading into the sheds they were trailing 22-6 and looking pretty average. They managed to score 18 points in the second half but I reckon they may have been aided when Ponga was given an early mark. Maybe, maybe not. Just sayin’. The Raiders’ right-side defence leaked some points and I’m sure Ricky will be looking at that no doubt. Even though the Raiders only fell by 10 points (34-24), they didn’t look like troubling the Knights to be honest. They had some dropped ball, were undisciplined at times and didn’t seem to have as much desire as they had 2 weeks ago. "We didn't start anywhere near where the way we had to. We lost all our momentum through our start to the game and that sucked a lot of juice out of us and we just looked very flat then," Stuart said. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 48%
Completion Rate - 82% (31/38)
Line Breaks - 5
Tackle Breaks - 27
Missed Tackles - 30
Ineffective Tackles - 14
Errors - 7
Penalties Conceded - 5
Ruck Infringements - 3

Dragons
Even though the final score of 50-14 doesn’t reflect it, I thought it wasn’t such a bad effort from the Dragons last week against the Bunnies. In the first half the Rabbitohs jumped out to a 12-0 lead but the Dragons dragged themselves back into it and were only trailing 12-10. A lapse in concentration allowed the Bunnies to run in a couple of more and the Dragons went into the sheds trailing 24-10. The Dragons did pretty well hanging in there with the contest for as long as they did but nothing lasts forever and in the last 15 minutes or so the Bunnies went “wooshka” and ran in 4 tries to well and truly put this one to bed. At least they had a crack and not a bad effort considering all the drama with suspensions and so on. Ben Hunt had a go and tried his best as he usually does and had a number of good kicks which helped. Yeah, in the end the Dragons were outgunned but not for lack of effort. "Tonight, the disappointing thing was the last 15 minutes," said coach Anthony Griffin. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 41%
Completion Rate - 79% (27/34)
Line Breaks - 1
Tackle Breaks - 13
Missed Tackles - 57
Errors - 12
Penalties Conceded – 3

Verdict: I realise this sounds crazy but I’m tipping the Big Red V this week.

Eels vs. Rabbitohs 35-65 @ Cbus
Ladder Position = Rabbitohs
Bookies Favourite = Rabbitohs

Eels
Not quite sure what happened to the Eels last week against the Roosters. They, just like the Roosters did, started poorly and made far too many errors. The Eels controlled large chunks of the game but will want to forget the amount of dropped ball and missed opportunities (17 tackles in the Roosters’ 20-metre zone). Losing RCG and Waqa Blake didn’t help matters either. They seemed directionless in attack without Mitch Moses and it was strange for me to see their “predictable” attacking moves. In the end they were embarrassed 28-0 and the only thing they can do now is move on and try and get back into their groove. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 50%
Completion Rate - 74% (28/38)
Line Breaks - 2
Tackle Breaks - 35
Missed Tackles - 22
Ineffective Tackles - 11
Errors - 12

Rabbitohs
The Rabbitohs seemed to play in “spurts” last week against the Dragons. They got out to a 12-0 lead early in the first half and let the Dragons close within 2 points before they ran in a couple of more in the closing stages and they went into the break leading 24-10. Souths didn’t look like they were desperate enough (to me anyway) and with 15 minutes to go in the match they decided to go “wooshka” and run in 4 more tries to make the score look flattering at 50-14. As they sometimes do, they weren’t at the very best for the full 80 and I got the impression they need to get more consistent or else those 2 teams above them will find them out. Just sayin’. But yeah, it was a good effort nevertheless, especially from Mr Mitchell. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 59%
Completion Rate - 76% (32/42)
All Run Metres - 2,044 (vs. 1072)
Post Contact Metres - 685 (vs. 378)
Line Breaks - 13
Tackle Breaks - 54
Missed Tackles - 14
Errors - 11
Penalties Conceded - 5

Verdict: Rabbitohs.

Warriors vs. Sharks 35-65 @ Cbus
Ladder Position = Sharks
Bookies Favourite = Sharks

Warriors
Really average first half effort from the Warriors last week but after an impressive effort in attack in the second half they came away with an 18-16 win against the Tigers. It was a massive win for the Warriors. I’m wondering if there was possibly a “let’s do this for Roger” pep talk in the sheds at half-time 🤔. Building on their momentum from late in the first half, the Warriors had a much better effort in the second half and scored 3 tries in 14 minutes shortly after the second half started. Even though the Tigers got one back, the Warriors held out for a gritty win. Good efforts from Hiku and Aitken. "I think the boys certainly would have wanted to put on a good one for his departure," coach Nathan Brown said. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 50%
Completion Rate - 75% (33/44)
Line Breaks - 3
Tackle Breaks - 27
Missed Tackles - 36
Ineffective Tackles - 20
Errors - 12
Penalties Conceded - 1

Sharks
Things weren’t looking good for the Sharks last week when Manly scored 3 quick tries but to their credit the Sharks fought back with a couple of their own and heading into the sheds they were only behind 16-10. The second half start from Manly (4 quick tries) destroyed any chance the Sharks had of challenging in the match. They still managed to get 2 late tries themselves but eventually went down 40-22. When they had a bit of momentum the Sharks were able to score tries late in each half. A bit more of that and they may have made a game out of it. Too many missed tackles (50) and ineffective tackles (26) certainly would’ve hurt. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 46%
Completion Rate - 85% (35/41)
Line Breaks - 5
Tackle Breaks - 22
Missed Tackles - 50
Ineffective Tackles - 26
Errors - 8
Penalties Conceded - 7
Ruck Infringements - 2

Verdict: Another crazy one here? Warriors.

Roosters vs. Panthers 40-60 @ Suncorp
Ladder Position = Panthers
Bookies Favourite = Panthers

Roosters
The Roosters had a pretty average start to last week’s match against the Eels. They were guilty of too many schoolboy handling errors but they steadied and managed a couple of tries, kept the Eels scoreless and found themselves leading 12-0 at the break. The Roosters showed a little bit more desire in their attack than the Eels and ended up with a comfortable 28-0 win. In the end it was a fairly good effort considering the number of outs they have and also considering they were up against a quality side. I was impressed with young Egan Butcher even though he only played for 27 minutes. With a bit of luck he looks like having a bright future. Still can’t quite believe Joey Manu ran for 331 metres. Add a couple of line breaks and a try and you have a classy effort for mine. The missed tackles are still driving me insane 😣. Trent needs to get some serious tackling practice into ‘em. Last week was the first time this year that the Roosters have beaten a top 4 side and the first time they’ve held a team scoreless. Woo-Hoo! Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 50%
Completion Rate - 76% (31/41)
Line Breaks - 8
Tackle Breaks - 22
Missed Tackles - 35
Ineffective Tackles - 27
Errors - 11

Panthers
Even really good sides can come unstuck when they start to lose gun players. The Panthers found that out last week when the Storm gave them a 37-10 touch-up. They did have some decent cracks attack-wise but the Storm’s defence was just too good on the day. They’ll obviously find their groove again once all of their injured players return (just in time for the finals) so everything’s not lost just yet. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 50%
Completion Rate - 76% (31/41)
Line Breaks - 3
Tackle Breaks 28
Missed Tackles - 37
Ineffective Tackles - 13
Errors - 16
Penalties Conceded - 6
Ruck Infringements - 4

Verdict: Roosters. Begurk! 🐔 Begurk! 🐔

Manly vs. Storm 35-65 @ Suncorp
Ladder Position = Storm
Bookies Favourite = Storm

Manly
Manly dominated early in the match last week against the Sharks and they ran in 3 quick tries in 6 minutes. The Sharks got a couple back and at half-time it was 16-10. Manly came out in the second half and just blitzed the Sharks. Any chance the Sharks had was blown away when Manly put on 4 tries in 15 minutes shortly after the second half started. Even more astounding was that Turbo Tom scored 3 of those himself in an 11 minute period. How good is this bloke eh? In the end Manly won it 40-22 but I reckon it could’ve been more had they not allowed the Sharks to score late in both halves. That’s the only downside I could get out of that match actually. Maybe they need to tighten up their defence just a little heading into the pointy end of the season. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 54%
Completion Rate - 73% (33/45)
Line Breaks - 10
Tackle Breaks - 50
Missed Tackles - 22
Ineffective Tackles - 8
Errors - 15
Penalties Conceded - 2
Ruck Infringements - 7

Storm
The Storm were simply too good for the Panthers last week. Their attack and defence gave the undermanned Panthers no chance and in the end the Storm did it easy, winning 37-10. Too sharp, too classy. Wanna give them the shield now? Solid games from Munster, Hynes, Hughes and Grant especially. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 50%
Completion Rate - 85% (34/40)
Line Breaks - 7
Tackle Breaks - 37
Missed Tackles - 30
Ineffective Tackles - 17
Errors - 7
Penalties Conceded - 6
Ruck Infringements - 6

Verdict: Storm.

Bulldogs vs. Tigers 35-65 @ Cbus
Ladder Position = Tigers
Bookies Favourite = Tigers

Bulldogs
The Bulldogs were making a few errors in the first half last week against the Titans but they weren’t totally out of it (sorta) until the Titans scored a couple of late ones and at the break the Bulldogs found themselves 16-0 down. The Doggies’ second half was average and they made too many errors and were outscored 3 tries to 1 and finally went down 34-6. It looked like the Bulldogs’ heart wasn’t in it. They were totally dominated by the Titans but at least they managed to get on the board through a try from Bailey Biondi-Odo. Compared with the Titans, the Bulldogs’ stats were on par and in some areas better so I’m at a loss to explain their poor showing. Maybe they’re just going through the motions until the season ends. Dunno. Final word from Trent Barrett … "I thought we were our own worst enemy. A lot of ill-discipline, errors; gave them too much footy, not good. We've got a few blokes in there who need to have a good look at themselves." Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 51%
Completion Rate - 81% (29/36)
Line Breaks - 3
Tackle Breaks - 27
Missed Tackles - 21
Ineffective Tackles - 11
Errors - 10
Penalties Conceded - 4

Tigers
The Tigers were leading the Warriors 10-0 at half-time but the Warriors came out in the second stanza and fought their way back outscoring the Tigers by 12 points and the Tigers went down in a close one 18-16. They seemed to fall off in the second half and their forwards looked flatter than they were in the first half. It was telling that they let in 3 tries in just 14 minutes shortly after the second half started. They got a bit desperate towards the end and were trying to get out of jail with a couple of 40-metre field goals. Biggest blunder they had was not getting someone into dummy half when they were just 2 metres from their try-line. Unforgivable 😱. "You work every week to give yourself an opportunity. And the second half was definitely not the style we planned" coach Maguire said. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 50%
Completion Rate - 77% (27/35)
Line Breaks - 5
Tackle Breaks - 36
Average Set Distance - 54.7m
Missed Tackles - 27
Ineffective Tackles - 12
Errors - 13
Penalties Conceded - 3

Verdict: I’m going for the trifecta of “crazy” tips this week. I’m on the Bulldogs in this one.

Titans vs. Cowboys 65-35 @ Cbus
Ladder Position = Titans
Bookies Favourite = Titans

Titans
The Bulldogs made the Titans work for their money in the first half last week. A couple of late tries and the Titans were leading 16-0 heading into the sheds. The Titans maintained the pressure in the second 40 and at one stage were 34-0 up but a late consolation try from the Bulldogs saw the final score finish at 34-6. In the end it was a pretty comfortable win but not all that convincing if that makes any sense. It was good but not convincing. I thought Taylor’s kicking game wasn’t too bad though. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 49%
Completion Rate - 73% (30/41)
Line Breaks - 10
Tackle Breaks - 21
Missed Tackles - 27
Ineffective Tackles - 13
Errors - 10
Penalties Conceded - 4

Cowboys
The Broncos scored 2 early tries last week but the Cowboys fought back and it was tit-for-tat and at half-time the Cowboys were down 22-12 but still in it. The Cowboys stepped it up a notch in the second half and it was 28-18 with 22 minutes left on the clock. The Broncos’ defence and a couple of disallowed tries (one of which was a dubious call from the bunker) most probably contributed to the Cowboys falling short in the 37-18 loss. Then again, they did make some critical errors in significant parts of the game that didn’t help either. I’m sure they would’ve been disappointed with the result. Some stats possibly worth a mention:

Possession - 48%
Completion Rate - 78% (29/37)
Line Breaks - 2
Tackle Breaks - 19
Missed Tackles - 41
Ineffective Tackles - 10
Errors - 12
Penalties Conceded - 4

Verdict: This is a tough one. I’m leaning ever so slightly towards the Cowboys. They’re due I reckon.

Let’s finish off with another “Song of the Week”. This one just gets better and better as time goes by…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANNqr-vcx0

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

Hey everyone, my tips for this week are:

Knights by 10
Dragons by 2
Rabbitohs by 12
Sharks by 6
Panthers by 14
Storm by 7
Tigers by 4
Titans by 22

Awesome! Good luck with everyone's team for this week and with everyone's tips for this week. Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Newbie
Thanks for taking the time to post your comments in this time of lockdown in SE QLD. Only allowed to travel 10 k's to shop for groceries or maybe some grog supplies. Have done both as food and drink is essential. My new lady friend is a great cook and enjoys a little drink so lockdown for me is very bearable. Hope you are well my WA friend.

Sorry my tips are
Brisbane
Canberra
Souths
Sharks
Melbourne
Penrith
Tigers
Titans

Hi 'a', Cossy Posse, JKBubble & MGM,

Where are your tips - not too late to put them in the comments section!

Cheers,
Mary

🔊 (Mr Ashford) …. “Thanks for taking the time to post your comments in this time of lockdown in SE QLD.”

@ Mr Ashford
Thanks for the kind words, it’s my pleasure. Yeah, feeling your pain with the lockdowns mate (and those of you in NSW too). Seems like we have them in WA on a semi-regular basis and with this Delta thing roaming around I wouldn’t be surprised if we were thrown into a lockdown shortly ourselves. Just have this feeling we’re headed that way here. Anyways, the “no more than 10kms” thing and all the rest of the T&Cs is trying I know but until we say enough is enough and start doing the right thing (staying home if we’re unwell etc) then this BS will never end. It’s a bit disheartening and stressful to have to go through this time after time after time but what can you do eh? What gets me angry is being told “2 weeks to flatten the curve” some 18 months ago and we’re worse off now 😣.

Yeah bud, I’d consider food and drink “essential” too. Only problem I see is over indulging ‘cos we have all this extra time stuck at home. And seeing as your new lady friend is such a good cook, you might be over indulging there as well 🤪. Mate, you want to hope the lockdown stops as soon as possible just so you can work off any extra weight gained 😁.

Doing fine over here in the West at the moment. Only downside is the weather which has been bloody terrible the last 2 weeks. Rain, cold, hailstones and storms but not too bad the last couple of days. It was actually sunny on Friday and got up to 22C I think. Today was pretty average though with temps down again and some light rain. Meh!

Today was also pretty average seeing as my beloved Roosters went down to the Pink Panthers. We had our chances but when you give the Panthers 2 shots at penalty goals, one try after JWH got sin-binned and Keighran misses 2 from 3 conversion attempts (12 points in total) then you have no-one to blame except yourselves. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.

OK, I’m outta here, it’s nearly 11pm here and I’ve got a few things to do online before I say hello to the “Sandman”. Have a good one and hang tough in these trying times. Stay safe and healthy my friend. That goes for the "missus" as well 😉. Cheers 🐔 🐔 🐔.