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REP MATCH (2004): CITY vs COUNTRY

Anonymous

Juniors
Messages
46
CITY v COUNTRY

Game Thread
Please note - This is a game thread only, therefore only game posts can be made here (Teams, Articles).
Any other posts will result in loss of points and is at the discretion of the referee.
Only original essays, not used in previous games, will be marked by referees.

REPRESENTATIVE CONDITIONS:
Captains to name a total 10 players for each team.
Each team shall consist of 7 players + 3 reserves.

Full Time: Wednesday 2nd June, 2004. 9:00PM AEDT (Sydney time)

Venue: The Front Row Stadium
ground_tfr_1.jpg

Crowd: 23,490
REFEREE: Mystique

**Referee Blows Game On!**
nrl_ball_kickoff_1.jpg
 

Seano

Juniors
Messages
1,198
The City Team runs onto the field with the lineup as follows:

Seano
Willow
El Coconuto
RedDragon
maelgwnau
Thierry Henry
lewis

Reserves
RoosterBoy60
El garbo
Gobbso
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
The Country team follows the City team out to a huge ovation at Front Row Stadium:

1. Big Mick ( c )
2. Half ( vc )
3. Skeepe
4. Ibeme
5. Colonel Eel
6. Frank
7. Ozzie

8. Parra-panther
9. Wal
10. [Furrycat]
 

Anonymous

Juniors
Messages
46
*Willow takes the ball up for the mighty City lads*

Ref bashing in the parallel universe

It never ceased to amaze me how referees always backed the other side whenever we lost. Whenever we won, I saved my criticism for the other team’s supporters who I accused of being sore losers.

When playing the game at a level of underachievement never before realised, I used to have the greatest respect for referees. But once in the stands or on the hill, I’d take great pleasure in giving them hell.

But what if we had a parallel universe? Imagine that a sudden twist of fate occurred in the space-time continuum which saw the NRL rules exchanged for the Forum Sevens rules.

For example, in the 2003 grand final between the Roosters and the Panthers we’d have referee Bill Harrigan marking the players as they compete for the premiership:

First and foremost, the referee takes his own time to show up. On this occasion, he keeps the players waiting for up to two days. During this time, it is mandatory for the players to complain bitterly about this delay. Their impatience however is rewarded when referee Harrigan finally arrives and proceeds to scrutinise the innermost thoughts of every player.

The match begins controversially when Referee Harrigan slaps a word count penalty on Roosters skipper Brad Fittler. A food fight ensues amongst the players before everyone agrees that Fittler simply rambled on too long while extolling the virtues of the salary cap. Outrage is soon replaced with surprise when Chris Walker earns a mammoth 9.5 for his piece entitled, “Player Discipline and the Laws of Rugby League”.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are slugging it out with no nonsense football. Solid stuff and they seem to getting the job done when suddenly Ryan Girdler is hammered with a 7.6 for his attempt at telling everyone his life story, thereby upstaging Harrigan. Very popular with the Girds Brigade but the ref was not amused.

Harrigan then enraged the fans further with a ridiculously predictable 8.5 to Preston Campbell for his droll interpretation on the history of the game. The average score provoked the large crowd into chanting, “another-eight-point-blot, Is-that-all-ya-got?”

The match continued on with some heavy hits from both sides before Todd Byrne begins what looks like an excellent piece entitled, “The Fastest Wingers in the Game”. But in what was the turning point of the match, Byrne suddenly ran out of ideas, offering a dawdling 318 words. After brief deliberation, Harrigan awards a low mark of 7.1 and the crowd is stunned.

Then Craig Fitzgibbon came up front for Easts and produced a massive hit with his opinion on goal kicking. It looked allright but Harrigan waved it away and the crowd jeered at yet another wimpy 8.5.

With the match too close to call, it was the turn of Luke Priddis who barged forward with an item entitled, “The one that counts”. Referee Harrigan, who was under considerable pressure, wanted another look. It should have scored higher but video ref Phil Cooley thought otherwise and it scored yet another 8.5 mark. By now, the crowd and the players from both sides resembled a crèche without toys as they went berserk.

With the clock ticking down, the players began looking to their team mates for one last push before fulltime. The interchange benches were working overtime with both sides desperate for a result. In the dying moments, everyone was ready for the final scores when, just before the final whistle, the lights went out!

After a few minutes, the big screen flashed up the message, “phpbb critical error” and the panic set in as players and fans howled across the abyss. NRL organisers started running around behind the scenes, putting plugs back into sockets. By some miracle, the lights came back, the referee called “time on”, and the match continued.

Moments later, the final articles were in and the players, bruised egos and all, walked from the arena.

It was another two days before the final results were in and, amidst the usual impatience, the referee finally came forward to deliver his verdict: The Panthers had won by 0.1, the narrowest of margins!

In his post match speech, Panthers’ skipper Craig Gower nervously thanked the referee before exclaiming, “It would be remiss of me if I didn’t conclude by saying that Rugby League is the greatest game of all.”

He would have said more but his coach, M.S. Word, was telling him to get off.


*740 words*
 

SP

Bench
Messages
3,376
Lewis in his debut for City, breaks through the Country defence

Lewis, City

Ryan Girdler.......... A Tribute.

As a Panther fan you may have noticed his signing from the Illawarra Steelers Rugby League Club in 1993. Or as a rugby league fan in general you may have noticed him when he emerged in 1995 from a rough previous 2 years inundated with injuries. His status as a major player not only at the Penrith Panthers but Rugby League in general grew in 1997 when he was given the opportunity to star in all 5 matches for Australia and represent 3 times for New South Wales in the Super League season. In the 1998 NRL season, the Panthers didn't have a great year, finishing 14th out of 20, and Ryan Girdler was the top pointscorer for that season. Although he didn't get selected for NSW or Australia in that season, he was still one of the Panthers best for that year.

In 1999 he could no longer be snubbed by the ARL, for his tremendous skill showed all that he was one of the best centres going around and at certain times during that year he made other established centres look 'hapless', most notably in Round 22 against Manly, where Girdler scored 28 points, including 3 tries, he made Terry Hill look like an average reserve grader. He was finally given the opportunity star in the NSW team, and later in the year, for Australia in the Tri Series.

2000 was the season where the Panthers made the finals for the first time since 1991, and 2000 was the start of Ryan’s biggest achievements to date. When he broke all kinds of records, not only breaking his own and others for Penrith, but breaking some in State of Origin (In game 3 where New South Wales won 56-16 Ryan scored 32 points from 3 tries and 10 goals from as many attempts, his 10 goals in game 3, beating the previous record of 7 set by Mal Meninga in 1980, equalling Chris Anderson and Kerry Boustead’s 3 try hauls in State of Origin and finally his 52 points in the series , breaking Garry Belcher’s record he set in the 1988 series). Ryan still holds these records today. Another record set by Ryan is his 46 points in Australia’s 110 - 4 win over Russia in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, breaking the record of 32, set by Mat Rodgers in the RLWC game against Fiji, his 17 goals also set a new International mark.

The following year 2001 was miserable for Penrith’s 'Star Centre' with some dismal performances on field from all of the team and with more injuries sustained by him, there seemed nothing they could do to inspire each other and came away with the dreaded wooden spoon.

In 2002 Penrith started with a new coach, some new management personnel, and a team with some new faces. Girds was to change roles and play the 5/8th position, to the despair of Ryan, who at the time was emerging a good combo with other teammates was to sustain a knee injury that would rule him out for 1/2 the season. But nevertheless he still managed to break records within the club and the NRL on coming back at the end of the season and again starring in some brilliant wins and even steering one of those games as a 'stand-in' captain.

The 2003 season, the signing of Preston Campbell, along with lower grade players and local juniors all taking the big step up and making a huge impact in the team. Ryan Girdler managed to injure his sternum dangerously in the 1st round and Ryan was out until Round 14. But in the meantime Penrith had managed to string together some great wins and Penrith were not going to be easybeats anymore. Upon Ryan's comeback and after a few games of establishing himself back in his centre position and finding once again that great centre & wing combination with Luke Rooney he helped Penrith entrench themselves in the top 4 and come away with convincing wins to earn themselves the Minor Premiership and the one that means the most, the Premiership.

Sadly, 2004 will be Ryan’s final year in Penrith colours, as he will be retiring at the end of the season, along with Martin Lang. So the Penrith boys will be hoping to send Ryan and Martin off with a high, like they did with Scott Sattler, a grand final win.

746 Words

References
http://www.geocities.com/girdlerettes/index.html
http://www.abc.net.au/nrl/origin2001/last-season.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/world_cup_2000/group_1/1007712.stm
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Big Mick runs out on the field with his mighty country team as they attempt to snatch back the shield they lost last season. After City's early mount of possession, Mick takes a huge hit up to inspire his team, lol.

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Does Media have too much Influence?

I’d hope many of us would be asking ourselves this question in the wake of controversial events that have attempted to and, in most part, succeeded in destroying and degrading the image of Rugby League. The media does have too much influence on our lives in general. It is so pivotal in our everyday lives that we cannot escape any median of information.

We felt the full rathe of the media a few years ago when the Bulldogs salary cap scandal arose, and we saw then what influence media could have. We saw them change our game with one word, “Scandal”. Our game is now filled with scandals in this new found witch-hunt that has arisen.

The media has the power to manipulate our thoughts and turn us against the game we so dearly love. This season we have seen such things as the events in Coffs Harbour, players walking out and most recently the bonding sessions for our games premier event, the State of Origin. These events have a detrimental effect, not particularly on adults, but to the children that are viewing their heroes behaving badly. What do they think of their heroes after seeing this? Where do we draw the line?

Do we say a player does not have a right to privacy due to the fact he is a rolemodel for the youth of Australia? Perhaps. However we can also make the same argument that players need their privacy to act like human beings. Due to the media having such an important influence in our lives, it is imperative to analyse a past event in conjunction with what has happened recently.

In the past few years, we’ve seen few scandals, but one which springs to mind is of cricket hero Shane Warne, who was caught text messaging and calling a woman in England, sending erotic text messages and leaving “filth” on an answering machine. This event got media coverage of course due to Warne’s position in the sporting world, but no penalties resulted. Two Wednesdays ago, Mark Gasnier phoned a woman while under the influence of alcohol, speaking to her in a very sexist manner. Gasnier got fined $50,000 and dropped for one game by his club, St.George-Illawarra and got dropped from the State of Origin team.

How does this compare to Warne. Warne got a warning. Now one has to ask, which is more offensive and illegal. How many of us have not called someone when we are under the influence of alcohol. However, Warne committed his acts while in a sane state of mind, yet did not receive as harsh a penalty. This is because of media exposure. Mark Gasnier’s one night of stupidity cost him his dream, yet Shane Warne can continue playing after committing the same offence twice.

The media are proving to be pivotal player in shaping the now tarnished image of rugby league. Everyday we hear stories of negativity. Journalists are searching for negative stories to print, more “Scandals” to uncover. However, what they don’t write a three page exposé about is for example when Penrith played Nth.Queensland a few weeks back. Joe Galuvao and the Puletua brothers entertained the patrons in a Townsville pub, through singing. However, such an event isn’t big enough, or more appropriately negative enough to cover in a story.

The media are mounting so much pressure on the younger generation, or even seasoned players, that many are being forced to leave the game. For example, at the beginning of the year, we heard so much about players leaving the game for breaks from the “pressure” of it all. The exposure these players get, the need to always be gracious just to not get into the spotlight is enough for these players to quit. The media are taking away these players rights to be human.

It is sad to say, that I believe the media has too much influence on our game. I believe our game will find it difficult to recover from this year’s event. The journalists of today are finding new ways to disrupt the development of our sport by smothering it with negativity, when in fact we need to look at the positives that arise from our game. I only wonder, if Chippy Frilingos was here today, would he agree with me? I think he would. It’s time to stop the media from transforming the best year of rugby league in 2003, to the worst in 2004.

749 Words
 

ibeme

First Grade
Messages
6,904
Ibeme lines up to take the next hit-up for the mighty Country side

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The Making of a Football Player


Never have we seen our Rugby League stars' behaviour come under as much scrutiny as now. Never have so many questions been asked of them to explain their perceived lack of respect for our daughters and sisters. Too much spare time, and too much money seems to be the favoured explanation, but it has to be more than that. It's worth looking at the path they take to become a Rugby League star.


There's no doubt that most players start out as excited, wide eyed kids, running around on the field with their mates. They enjoy the physical nature, the competition, and the team work. They idolise the players they see on television, and visualise themselves being in their shoes one day. They create a image in their mind of what it is to be a rugby league star. Boozing and womanising is never a part of this persona. Instead, it's about signing autographs, and making their fans' day when approached in the street. They start out as typical kids.


As they get older, their potential starts to emerge. Those with promising talent soon start to shine, and are rewarded with representative honours. Parents start to realise that their boy has something special. The idea of their son having a successful career in Rugby League starts to become a reality. As a result, they do what all good parents would do – they support their son in his pursuit to realise his potential. They make sacrifices. They become chauffeurs. They start to do medial tasks for him, so he can focus on building his career.


In his mind though, he's just a normal teenager. He's one of the boys and his hormones have well and truly kicked in. The gap between his hormones' appetite and his ability to satisfy it is excruciatingly cruel. Any success in his quest to satisfy this appetite is the exception rather than the rule. Life is about football and girls, and thanks to his parents, he has few concerns outside this.


Eventually the inevitable occurs. The talent scout watching over the last few weeks has finally delivered, and he's signed up to play in the NRL. His hard work, and his parents' sacrifices have paid off. His career is underway. But unbeknownst to him and his parents, something is missing – responsibility. He's been shielded from it for too long to understand it. He'll be shielded from it even more now by his club. Football is his focus, and his sole responsibility.


Things have swung around off the field also. Rather than having to chase girls, they're now the chasing him. Nature has been thrown out of balance. No longer is his sexual appetite teasingly drip-fed by the underwhelming supply of willing partners. No longer does he have to hunt to feed that appetite. He now has an overwhelming supply sitting on his doorstep in the form of 'groupies' and star-struck young girls. It doesn't take long for the constant availability to become the rule rather than the exception. His expectations have evolved, along with his perception. He now expects women to throw themselves at him. They're their for his taking. He knows, because they've told him so in more ways than one.


Life couldn't be any better. He's got everything he's always wanted. He's making a living doing what he loves. All he has to do is train hard, play hard, and as a bonus, he can party hard.


Late one night though, something happens. He meets a girl. He knows she wants to be with him. It's only a matter of working out the details. Absent minded, he makes his move, only to be hit with shocking disbelief. His world has betrayed him. This girl is not like all of the others. She doesn't want him. In fact she's repulsed by his advances.


He's confused, and asking himself what he did wrong. His parents are asking themselves the same questions. The public can't believe that he can't see it.


Life has played one of it's cruelest tricks. It's given him a free ride, but now wants him to pay up. He now has to understand and accept those responsibilities that he's been shielded from for so long. He's now been exposed to the harsh realities, and he's been found wanting. He's realised that his earlier blessings were in fact demons in disguise. Nature will always strive for balance, and it will always win.

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746 words (in Star Office)
 

Anonymous

Juniors
Messages
46
El Garbo pulls on the city jumper for his rep debut...
--------------

The Spectator

A worm takes time out from eating dirt and slides its slimy, bald head out from the soft soil of Stadium Australia.

He is confronted by a psychotic sensory overload.

Dew gathers and slides down blades of grass of immaculate green, dampening the soft soil below. The grass is dense, yet perfectly tended; a toe-high hedge of immense girth. Just above, the air is heavy and thickened by an acrid cocktail of smoke, mist and the electric buzz of artificial lights. The atmosphere is swollen; close to implosion from sheer mass of energy.

A wall of sound collapses upon the worm: an emotion charged tidal wave of cheering, jeering, laughing, screaming and amplified music. Beer gurgles as it slides down the throats of the collected thousands. Drums chant a repetitive beat, guitars wail and synthesisers groan with the tune. The gathered masses unknowingly sway to the rhythm of the beat. The worm sees nothing but senses it all.

He hears the click of studs on concrete and the blaring commentary of the speakers and the sudden increase in the rhythm of the crowd. He hears the coin get tossed and two distant giants reluctantly shake hands. He hears the glorious national anthem, and holds his slimy tail to his heart. And then, he hears the whistle blow.

State of Origin is upon him… again.

Bodies collide. Bones crunch. Tendons snap and ligaments twang. An earthquake rumbles its way back and forth up the pitch. Great chasms open in the dirt around him. Blood spurts from open wounds. A punch is landed with a sickening ‘thwock.’

The crowd demands blood and when blood is delivered, they scream for more like a pack of ravenous wolves. A player hits the turf with a thud. More punches fly and another bone snaps. Tackle after tackle after bloody, bruising tackle.

And then it stops and the air is still. Dew, trampled into the turf, begins beading again. The crowd is hushed… and then the whistle blows and the bloodbath begins anew.

The carnage is punctuated by rare moments of glory. A player ignores the pain searing through his body and slides over the chalky white line. The crowd erupts, the whistle blows and trumpets trumpet. And then another bone is broken.

Teeth tinkle as they are knocked loose from their holding. The crowd groans collectively as two behemoths collide and get knocked flying.

And then a siren screams in the distance and one team screams with delight.

And the worm, somehow a survivor amid the chaos, surveys his surroundings.

The immaculate hedgework of the turf is devastated; a cyclone hit mess of divots and destruction. The heavy air is thinning, the pyrotechnic smoke has long faded and the lights flicked off. Darkness has descended on the war-torn arena and silence is all that can be heard.

There are no more drums and no more guitars. The groan of the synthesisers has disappeared and the crowds have dispersed into the cold winter’s night. The monsters that roamed the arena have gone back into hibernation, leaving only their blood, sweat, saliva and the devastation as a reminder of the battle that once raged here.

The clicks, the whistles, the groans and the national anthem: all long gone. That psychotic sensory overload has faded away.

The worm takes one last look around and slithers his way back into the ravaged soil. He knows that the grass will be re-laid, the soil turned and the pyrotechnics restocked. He knows that the crowds will return and the monsters will reawaken, ready to do battle on this bloody arena once more.

In seven weeks time he will poke his head up again to witness the finest spectacle rugby league has to offer.

But until then, he will do what worm do best: he will eat dirt.

Word count: 638
 

The Colonel

Immortal
Messages
41,810
Colonel Eel, proudly makes his rep debut for Country.........

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"When your arse is dragging on the ground ... "

The ball thuds into your hands.

It hurts.

Even tucking it against your chest requires effort.

You sense the opposition forward who is about to thump you.

More hurt.

Hauling yourself to your feet to play the ball only brings more of the same.

No time to relax, you have to shift your feet and trail the ball.

You need to be there just in case he can get his arms free.

The ball is dropped and your lungs scream for oxygen as you run to dive at it on the ground.

Stand up and suck in the deep breaths.

Get some water into you.

Don’t let them get on top.

Make them work for it. Make them earn it. Make them want it more than you do.

Exhaustion isn’t an issue anymore. You’ve passed that point and your body is screaming at you to stop.

You can’t stop.

The opposition has the ball.

You need to tackle.

Get back the ten.

In line with the ref – go now, GO NOW!

Your head feels clouded but that single agonising thought remains – keep going.

Stop the ball carrier and put him on the ground.

Don’t work him - no penalties, NO PENALTIES!

Quick, back in to marker.

The pain hammers your body.

It pounds in your knees, your ribs and even the skin between your fingers.

Don’t think, just move.

Chase him hard.

Wrap up the ball - can’t let him pass.

Hound the kicker – he’s got it away.

Have to scamper back and take the ball up.

The ball thuds into your hands.

It hurts…


This could quite simply be how the final minutes of the recent Origin game was decided. By those players that managed to put aside the pain when it counted the most. It truly was played until the last man stood. Despite Origin being a game many consider as the quickest imaginable, what about when the clock nears its end. Those final moments, while fleeting to those watching, feel like a lifetime to those that have to endure them.

They have to choose to get off the ground or they lose. Pain should no longer be considered an issue. They are playing football, in the biggest game of their careers, in front of tens of thousands of people. Not to be forgotten are all those people watching on the television at home and in hundreds of pubs and clubs throughout Australia and the world. Their frailties will be front-page news if they dare admit defeat and stay down. Beat the pain, stand up and carry on and they will talk about their battle waged against the odds.

Shane Webcke played through the pain of rib damage for 75 minutes. His determination not to fail is typified by a tackle late in the game. Stopped by two of the NSW forwards he backed his way inch by inch, ignoring his pain, to grind out a further 8 metres.

A torn medial ligament did not stop Craig Gower from two attempts at field goal. Normally, such an injury would have seen him leave the field immediately.

There were players like Cameron Smith, who despite being physically ill at half time carried on to make over 50 tackles in the game.

They chose to get up and play on.

The NSW players did exactly as they were told before they ran onto the field for the start of the game.

"When your arse is dragging on the ground ... get up and keep going." [1]

The Queensland players did exactly as their previous captain had said they would.

"Never write us off and we'll never let you down." [2]

It was the battle of two like-minded foes, neither wanting to show the other they were hurting. It was a contest of wills both as stubborn as the other.

In the end a field goal decided it, ironically by a man whom, when his arse dragged and his career looked over, did what many were not expecting – he stood up and kept going.

[1] Ritchie, D. Troop’s earn badge of courage, Daily Telegraph 28/5/2004 -
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,9679666-23209,00.html

[2] Kent, P. Battle to very end, Daily Telegraph 27/5/2004 –
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,9671082-23214,00.html


683 words not including references.

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skeepe

Immortal
Messages
45,582
skeepe dons the Country jumper for the second time and gets straight into the action!

For the Love of the Game

What is it about league? No, really. What is it that makes thousands of predominantly heterosexual blokes want to spend 80 minutes a week touching, grabbing and laying on top of other blokes? There are several schools of thought on this one, but none of them really answer the question. Let’s have a look at a couple.

Male Pride – What could be better for a man’s pride than to thump other men? The feeling of domination and strength is certainly a powerful one, and one that many men crave. But that doesn’t explain Souths.

Female Attention – Similar to the male pride theory, there is a school of thought that showing how tough you are to women will make them fall instantly in love with you. This is not always correct, as Mark Gasnier found out much to his, and his team’s, embarrassment. But this theory doesn’t explain Ian Roberts.

Separates the Men from the boys – League is often talked about like this. “Take a few heavy hits and bounce straight up, then you’ll know you’re a man.” But what’s so wrong with being a boy anyway? Less responsibility, less worries in the world. And you don’t have to shave everyday. Gee, boys have it good. And this theory doesn’t explain Karmichael Hunt (or all the juniors come to that).

While they are all good points, none of them really conclusively answer the question. So it’s time to devise a new, earth-shattering theory on why people love to play league so much. Firstly, there is a need to have a look at the negative aspects of league. The most obvious negative aspect is injuries. But despite the obvious pain and suffering of injuries, people still carry on. Look at Andrew Johns. Flat on his back more often than Chasey Lain and he still wants to keep playing. Fancy that!

Then there are the negatives that aren’t talked about. Playing with guys that don’t shower for one. Nothing worse than being a second rower packing into a scrum when your prop’s last wash coincided with World War II. Then there is playing with guys who spit on the field. Hands up who wants to have a conversation with the dirt right where Michael Crocker just unloaded a gob-full. Thought so.

So, for this new theory to succeed, we need to identify a reason to play league that is so strong, it outweighs the possibility of injuries and the need for nose-plugs and full-face headgear when playing. But does such a reason exist? What could possibly be strong enough to make people put up with all of that, just to bash yourself and each other up for 80 minutes a week?

Bingo! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME. So simple, yet such a complicated statement. But there is the new, ground-breaking theory. People play simply because they love the game. Now, before the men with straight-jackets get here, perhaps a little explanation. Pretend rugby league was a lover. When you’re in love with someone, you would do anything for them, even if that meant the possibility of personal harm to yourself. No, really, it’s true. If someone’s lover was in a burning building, but the only way to save their life was to cause burns to 50% of their own body, 9 out of 10 people would do it. So it really isn’t that hard to understand why people would do the same for league now, is it? People probably wouldn’t burn themselves to save league, which is a good and sensible thing considering the state of the game at the moment. In fact burning anything at all to save the game is strongly condemned. Back on topic, despite all of the negative aspects associated with the sport, people really do love it. Call off the straight-jackets, the people are happy!

The love of the game is why some people devote their whole lives to it while other people choose to get real jobs. Of course, as in life, there are a select few who only do things for the money, but they are few and far between. But that is beside the point. What usually starts as playing for a junior team because your parents insist you play a sport to keep fit can become a lifetime passion for many, simply because they love the game.

Now, this theory could go further and explain exactly why it is that people love the game, but, you know.

750 words including title
 

roosterboy60

Juniors
Messages
1,735
Roosterboy60 pulling on his first Rep Jersey for City:

My first Roosters Grand Final.

My first Grand Final I went to with the Roosters in it has to be one of my favourite games of Rugby League of all time when we beat the Warriors on October 6th 2002. But some don’t know that this really shouldn’t have been my first Roosters Grand Final as we did have tickets to the 2000 Grand Final against Brisbane, but I was unwell and couldn’t make it.

It was just over a week before we played the Warriors in the Grand Final and we still had to take on the Broncos which I was nervous about. I watched the AFL Grand Final earlier that day and saw that the Brisbane Lions had won there second premiership in a row, which for some reason didn’t boost my confidence. We got to the game and saw a very tense battle and it was not over until the siren went, in the end the Roosters advanced to the Grand Final beating the Broncos 16-12.

We always go to most final games, but that weekend was not just important for me but on the Sunday my Dad’s team the Warriors were playing in the other game that weekend against the Sharks. So we made it out to Telstra Stadium and watched the Warriors make it through to the Grand Final to take on the Roosters on the first Sunday in October.

We knew that we were in for a tough week at home with the two teams who the house supported playing in the Grand Final. It was also School Holidays and I was going to get out and soak up the atmosphere in Bondi.

On the Tuesday my Mum and I went to the Roosters fan day, to watch the last open training session and meet the players, and about thirty minutes into the Training Session my Dad turned up and we stayed there until about 6.30pm.

As the week dragged on we were getting more nervous but in the same instance more exciting as well.

Finally it was Saturday Night and we watched about two movies, but that only took us up until about 10.30pm, so we decided to stay up for a little while longer, that little while took us up until the end of a news program on the Comedy Channel which I won’t elaborate further on. I finally got to sleep at about 12.30am.

I woke up at about 7.30am and got straight out of bed and got ready for the big day. The hours until about 2pm when we finally left seemed like days.

We had to pick up a work colleague of my Dads (who sadly died this time last year of cancer) in Bexley and off we went to Telstra Stadium to watch the Grand Final of 2002.

We arrived at the ground and had to make the way up the ramps and the stairs to finally take our seats way up on the top level and we arrived just in time to see the Roosters Jersey Flegg team win the premiership in there grade.

We sat and watched most of Premier League and talked about the game up coming as the crowd continued to file in.

After Premier League the crowd started to get excited and when the Ground Announcer announced the Pre-Match entertainment was about to begin the crowd started chanting Billy, Billy, Billy. Of course we know what happened with Billy Idol and after a while he went off the ground.

The first half was very tough with only one try scored. The try went to the Roosters Shannon Hegarty. Although the Warriors did have some points on the board through the boot of Ivan Cleary and as the players went up the tunnel the Roosters were leading 6-2.

In the first ten minutes of the second half was when I started to get worried as Stacey Jones went in for a Try to the Warriors and Cleary converted and all of a sudden the Roosters were down 8-6.

The Roosters went on to score 4 more tries to win the Grand Final 30-6. But for sixty minutes the Warriors were always a chance of winning the game.

So we saw the Trophy lifted high by Brad Fittler and went home to have something to eat and go to bed.

What a night and following year it was to come, little did I know that in 12 months things would be very different.

748 Words Including Title.
 

Collateral

Coach
Messages
13,792
RedDragon - City

Inspiration

Where do you look for your inspiration in life? What do you need to be inspired for?

A question that I would love to ask players like Shane Webcke, Luke Bailey, Gorden Tallis, Brad Fittler and some of the not so big names such as Reece Simmonds, Lincoln Withers and Dean Young.

There are so many people that I would like to ask the question of inspiration to. In fact, there is a whole league full of them.

These people have been playing Rugby League and some Rugby Union as well, since as early as the age of 8. Lets just say the person now is 28. That’s twenty years of football, week after week for about 20 weeks a year, for twenty years.

How do these people manage to get up every game morning, ready to go out in front of thousands of people and risk life and limb? To go out onto a field with twenty-six other people, some of the over 190cm and 105kgs, and think of nothing but running a ball up into them flat out, or letting those giants run into them flat out. To be committed to nothing but winning a game for 80minutes. How do they do it?

How can they get up the next morning? Bruises, swollen and damaged limbs. Often players will wake up the next morning knowing that they will be unable to play for weeks due to a broken bone, or Ligament damage. However, instead of thinking “Sweet, few weeks off!” they think of nothing but getting healthy as quickly as possible so they can get back out onto the place where they last left injured.

How do players like Luke Bailey, play for so many years, when he suffers from such a horrible pre game symptom? That symptom being Nervous to the point of almost being sick, not being able to sit still and chewing fingernails non stop.
Nervous nerves are such a debilitating thing to have before a game, and for Luke Bailey to go through it so often is truly admirable.

These people are going out so often in dangerous circumstances, that you would think they have some sort of magic rock to take inspiration from. Maybe some do, I don’t know. I do know, however, that not all these players have the magic inspiration rock.

Maybe some players don’t need inspiration. Maybe they are playing purely for the love of the game, the greatest game of all. I’m sure some do. I’m also sure that some players just love being able to go out and legally bash someone in front of a large crowd.

Some might have no inspiration until they are out on the field, with 12 other mates, in front of thousands of people.

Some get their inspiration from the roar of the crowd and others from the roar of the opposition.

But the question I ask; how can they get this inspiration every week. To fight and put their bodies on the line week in and week out is something that only the brave would do, but even some of the brave don’t do it willingly.

Where do the little halfbacks and wingers get the inspiration to go out and take on giants every week. A lot of wingers and halfbacks don’t play for the love of belting people, simply because they cant. So what inspires them to play? What gets them out of bed every morning to play in a game so rough?

The fact is, that whether you are a bone-headed forward, a slippery back or a cheeky halfback, every body who plays in the NRL are not only truly great footballers, but also brave. They get their inspiration from somewhere, and use it. Whatever it is, it is something that they are lucky to have.

Some people don’t have any inspiration at all to play on and are still good enough to make the grade. They might not love the game that much and are just playing it to keep them out of trouble. So Imagine if they had some of that Magic Inspiration to help them when they get out on the field.

Anybody who makes Premier League is a cut above the rest in the Skill and bravery department, and no matter what becomes of them, they themselves are an inspiration to others.

Every person who plays Rugby League and Union consistently should be respected.

Word Count 739
 

half

Coach
Messages
16,735
half | Country

Nathan Hindmarsh Magazine

Editorial

Whether I’m having stitches put in my ankle, relaxing in the bath, cooking a steak or out shopping for clothes, it’s always on my mind. You know what I’m talking about!

half


Gossip

Implants???

Rumours recently spread about Parramatta star and NRL pin-up Nathan Hindmarsh having buttock implants on a mysterious trip to Thailand last year. Asked about the rumours, Hindmarsh refused to say anything, commenting “ ”.

With official sources at the Eels also remaining tight-lipped, a close friend told us “Nathan is very humble about his great asset. He’s been working out in the off-season and that should explain the further growth”. With this news in mind, hopefully we can put the rumours behind us.

Hindy and Mason: Fracas Ensues...

Willie Mason is reportedly furious about the press Nathan Hindmarsh has recently received about his hair. Whilst the Coffs Harbour and NSW bonding scandals have taken their toll on the big forward, it’s the lack of attention his own hair has received lately that’s of most concern. Says a close friend of the Bulldogs star, “Willie would love to grow the afro large again but understands that won’t help. He knows Nathan has the better hair”.

The chemistry between the pair has been rocky ever since their teams, the Eels and the Bulldogs, auditioned for the lead role of the Sunsilk Essentials campaign. A bitter brawl broke out between players of both camps when Mason accused Hindmarsh of wearing a wig, suggesting no natural hair could ever be that beautiful. Due to the poor behaviour of both teams, the commercial campaign fell into the lap of the Roosters, leaving both NSW stars seething.

“He knows Nathan has the better hair”

With the pair not on speaking terms but spending time together in Origin camp, friends hope they will patch up their problems soon.



Find-A-Word

Can you find 11 hidden words relating to Parramatta Eels champion Nathan Hindmarsh?

<pre>B U T T O C K S
A M S B U N S R
C A N G T B S E
K M Y H L I A T
S O R U M P N S
I B O T T O M I
D E R R I E R E
E I H S O O T K</pre>Answers at the bottom!


Haiku

Haiku is a form of poetry with foundations in the mystical world of Japan. Whilst early haikuists Basho Matsuo and Buson Yosa would never have known haikus would expand to the Westie world and be used to communicate succinct and inspirational messages about Nathan Hindmarsh, I’m sure this news would excite their living relatives immensely.

Mystic River

Nathan Hindmarsh runs
No one will ever stop him
Nathan Hindmarsh scores

Untitled

There he goes again
Scoring yet another try
He’s so hot right now


Fact Sheet: Nathan Hindmarsh (Biggus Buttocus)

Classification

Class: Mammalia | Order: Primates | Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo | Species: Hindy

Size
Height: 186cms | Weight: 107kgs

Range
range.gif


Habitat
Grassy plains

Appearance

The body of the Hindy is robust and muscular, yet supple. Keen observer Brian Smith notes the Hindy has “a swayback, fat gut and funny bum”. These features only combine to enhance the reputation of the species as an athletic machine of significant influence.

Hair
A shining coat of rich brown hair extrudes from the scalp of the Hindy. It grows up to 30cms long.

Blubber
The blubber is acknowledged as the most notable physical aspect of the Hindy. It acts as insulation during the cold winter months, featuring prominently around the rump. With the vertical fracture through the mid-section used as lure during mating season, the Hindy often reveals its blubber in well-populated surroundings. Some reports suggest it is over 8cms thick.

Behaviour

The Hindy is more inspirational and devastating than all other primates, no exceptions. Deadly and carnivorous, the Hindy humbles its prey into submission with a grand foray of tackles and bone-cracking charges. No other primate inspires fear into others quite like it.


5 Reasons to Love Hindy!

1. Won’t block you on MSN (he doesn’t even use the Internet!)
2. When there’s trouble in the camp, there’s always a pizza waiting for you at Hindy’s
3. Australia’s ideal rebuttal to the Grand Canyon
4. Is to rugby league what Steve Prefontaine is to middle-distance running
5. Even with his fantastic hair, isn’t laming up your TV with lame shampoo ads


Crazy Captions

caption.jpg


The Tigers must like buns more than the Bulldogs!
G Willikers, Portsmouth

Maccers buns only have 5% sugar now, but these buns are 100%!
D Peters, Kensington

Hahaha keep up the good work, guys. That’s some fantasstic wordplay!


Find-A-Word Answers: Ass, Backside, Bottom, Buns, Buttocks, Can, Derriere, Keister, Rump, Tail, Tooshie


----

Note to ref: The Find-A-Word may flaw a MS Word word count. Please keep this in mind - I have counted it as 11 words as I believe that's fair.
 

ozzie

Bench
Messages
4,704
Ozzie shows his Country colours with pride
*************************************

CITY V COUNTRY A GREAT TRADITION &#8211; BUT DOES IT MEAN MUCH ANYMORE?

Country teams used to look forward to the battle with the boys from the City! Now days, in my opinion, it doesn&#8217;t mean much to them as much as it did before. Many footballers from the bush used to fight for positions in the two teams that were picked. These games then exposed them to the selectors and to be considered for further representative honours. Sure, the games were sometimes uneven as the Country players used to lack the fitness and skill levels of the city teams. However, we shouldn&#8217;t lose sight of some of the players that were discovered in these games and then bought by City Clubs.

Two players who immediately spring to mind are Graeme Langlands and Mick Cronin. Both were South Coast boys and went from Country teams to be legends with St George and Parramatta respectively, as well as NSW and Australia.

Graeme Langlands was a product of the Wollongong area, and played for the Country side in 1962. A chance meeting with Frank Facer in the St George Leagues Club was instrumental in him being graded with St George the following year. However, Facer, while congratulating Langlands on his game for Country told him he wouldn&#8217;t be able to find a spot for him.

The following season Langlands nearly signed up with Manly but when Brian Graham, the incumbent full back for St George was transferred to Papua New Guinea, Facer quickly got out his pen and signed up Langlands to a contract. How pleased they would have been if they could have foretold the future?

Langlands played for Australia that year and at the end of his career his representative honours read: 36 games for NSW and 90 games for Australia including tour matches and World Cup appearances.

He had the best side step I have ever seen and Brad Fittler, at his best, nearly matches it. He was also a cunning footballer and his partnership with Raper and Smith led to several premierships for St George. In hindsight I believe that Langlands went one season too long and injuries prevented him from going out in a blaze of glory. It is a shame he will always be remembered for that one bad day and the white boots.

Mick Cronin was a product of Gerringong. He first played for Australia, while still playing for Gerringong, in 1973-75. Many tempting offers came his way in those days however, like the unassuming guy that he is, he turned them all down to stay in the coastal town.

However, Parramatta made him an offer that was too good to turn down and he commenced a ten-year stay with them in 1977. What glory days they were to be for Parramatta. A lot of people don&#8217;t know it but he was on a handshake deal, no contracts, but just the word of a gentleman. In fact Newtown, when Singleton was the CEO, tried very hard to entice him away from Parramatta, but to no avail.

Cronin had a phenomenal record with the boot and was a scoring machine. In fact, he held the record for the most goals kicked in a row with 26 until Halligan defeated it in 1998.

His record of 282 points in 1978 stood for twenty years until bettered by Ivan Cleary.

Cronin&#8217;s stature in the game led Parramatta to 4 grand final wins in the 80&#8217;s and since his retirement the club has struggled ever since. An eye injury eventually led to him retiring back to his beloved hotel in Gerringong.

One only has to look at his point scoring record to see what a champion he was: 173 points for NSW, 201 points in test matches and over 1900 points for Parramatta.

As originally stated, the City Country matches are no longer the catalyst for a country boys career like they used to be. Both these two players may not have made the grade if they hadn&#8217;t played in the City V Country matches.

Besides the two fine players mentioned above, have a look at the role call of players who were selected from the bush and went on to further representative honours. Steve Morris, Greg Brentnall, Laurie Daley are just a few.

Should we resurrect the original idea of City V Country? Yes, let&#8217;s not let this game go the same way that country football is going &#8211; down the gurgler!
 

Anonymous

Juniors
Messages
46
Thierry Henry- City

Credentials

I played rugby league for one year. The year was 1990 and I was five, and I can’t remember anything except that I didn’t like it. All the other kids were bigger than me, faster too. Most of the time I hung out the back of the action, making mud pies and waiting to taste the sweet, sweet half-time oranges. It wasn’t until 1992 that I actually realised rugby league existed, and funnily enough I’d retired from it by then, and was running in tries at will (perhaps a slight exaggeration) against typically flimsy rugby union defences.

So who am I to talk about rugby league?

Does anyone want to hear my opinion? Unlikely. Does what I say carry any weight? I’d rather not answer that one, although I do have at least two, count em, two friends who will ask my opinion on league related matters. That’s my reward for over a decade of following the game intensely, thinking about it, analysing it, trying to appreciate the subtleties and nuances.

Thank God, Allah, Buddha, the Ubermensch, and Francis Meli for the Internet.

On June 20, I will celebrate two years of sharing my views with rugby league fans around the world the only way I know how- a blank stare, a swift mouse-controlling right hand, and fingers bashing violently on the keyboard. In between finding out how to make bombs, and visiting bighooters.com, I will be hammering out my thoughts on the issue of the day (probably the Warriors getting flogged again), and expecting people to read them. And best of all, people will read them- sometimes they’ll even reply. The great thing is that everyone’s equal online, although some are more equal than others. Inevitably the Internet attracts the same old know it all conversation killers that you find among the crowd on any rainy Sunday afternoon at the footy. There’s the old fart who thinks everything was better 30 years ago, the 13-year-old girl who thinks that Craig Wing should captain Australia *^*^*coz hez sooooooo hot*^*^*, and then there’s the guy with credentials.

Doesn’t everyone hate those guys?

They’re the ones who have a level three coaching certificate, who had their promising careers ruined by injury, or worst of all, who actually achieved something as a player. They could be an ex Junior Kiwi, a former fringe first grader, or an anonymous current player, and they think that this alone makes them more knowledgeable about rugby league than me or you.

Luckily, this phenomenon is less prevalent online, simply because the burden of proof is too onerous for most ex footy stars. I suppose this explains why they end up on TV and radio. I know I’m not the only one who has listened to Laurie Daley or Daryl Halligan or any former player, and thought that what they were saying was, simply, wrong. The instinct in this situation is to immediately assume that you are mistaken- how could I know something that Laurie doesn’t, when I played mud pies for half a season, and he played first grade for 14? This train of thought is unfortunate. It’s a cliché, but footy isn’t rocket science, and the players aren’t Rhodes Scholars. It’s one thing to be able to see what’s happening on the field, and another to be able to get out there and do something about it- luckily for us punters, the former is an insight shared by all fans to an extent, and not necessarily correlated to the latter.

Journalism does offer some consolation to the less athletically gifted potential league expert. The New Zealand Herald’s Peter Jessup has retained his job for years, despite never having played league to a high level AND knowing nothing about it- what an inspiration. Richard Becht of the New Zealand Sunday Star-Times, and Australian writers like Big League’s Neil Cadigan, have attained expert status via career paths more closely linked to penmanship than penalty counts. The opinions of these journalists are probably more credible than those of the less erudite former players they grudgingly afford column inches to. It is certainly satisfying to know that sometimes a years worth of orange sampling is more than enough to qualify oneself as a budding footy expert. Now that’s something to remember the next time a former North Queensland under-16s superstar who can’t spell his own name tries to tell you that you don’t know what you’re talking about.


739 words
 

frank

Juniors
Messages
516
Frank pulls on the Maroon and Gold in his rep debut for Country



--------------------------------------


Nothing Better



I've watched a lot of Rugby League. Probably more than would be considered healthy.

I've come close to hypothermia at Bruce, eaten a pie at Brookvale, shaken hands with Captain Charger at Carrara and been swathed in the emotion of Lang Park on Origin night.

Whilst each of these experiences is worthy in its own right, there's a notion among city dwellers that Rugby League ceases to exist outside the big smoke.
Some are of the opinion that when you're not paying $6 for a warm beer or parking the car further away from the stadium than you actually live, you're not watching footy.

I'm here to tell you, it's not true. There's more to it than that.

Because I'm such a grand fellow, I'll steer you through. I'll impart some wisdom, give you the skinny and slip you the tips that'll ensure you never think that way again.

So throw the kids in the Prada and head west down the M4, clutching this invaluable bit of literature -


Frank's 7 Step Guide To Country Rugby League.

Step 1.

See how the graffiti becomes less prolific? Notice that the road gets narrower and the signs out the front of the shops have more spelling mistakes.
Are there 26 council workers staring into a ditch, scratching their chins? Does the air smell funny?
Good. You're in the country.

Step 2.

Take particular care to read each town's population sign as you drive through. What we're looking for here is any number under 6000. Ignore any town with more than this as their footy ground will probably have some sort of grandstand, the local team will have matching jerseys and you're still going to be paying $6 for a beer.
An even better idea is to look for a town with one of those 'shire population - 1200' signs. In these towns, the 'shire' includes the cattle and the kangaroos, so you're pretty much assured of no more than 300 townsfolk.
You're also assured of a ripper game of footy.

Step 3.

Now that you're in the proper type of town, keep your eyes peeled for moving traffic. If it's local traffic (you can tell by the lack of number plates), follow them.
If these cars arrive at a poorly fenced, bindi infested paddock with a concrete cricket pitch in the middle, congratulations.
You're at the footy.

Step 4.

There will be a grizzled old man wearing a shiny tracksuit standing at the gate as you drive in.
He'll put his hand out and demand money as you wind down the window to greet him. The exact amount demanded will depend on how fancy your car is.
I hope you've been brushing up on your haggling skills down at Paddington Markets 'cause you're going to need every negotiating skill you've got when you're behind the wheel of a car that cost more than his house.
But be nice. He's also the bloke that'll be selling the hot dogs and you don't want one of last week's. Trust me.

Step 5.

Find a park on the dead-ball line. Send the kids off to collect empty cans to subsidise the shafting you just copped at the gate.
Take a seat on the bonnet of the car, taking care to leave one person behind the wheel.
It's their job to honk the horn and flash the lights if the home team scores. This person is also handy if the honking and flashing is mistakenly directed at the opposition, in which case things could get ugly and a quick getaway might be in order.

Step 6.

Sit back and marvel as these men from the bush dish out an education in the way our great game should be played.
Grimace at the ferocity with which the props collide, be spellbound as the cheeky halfback puts a rampaging backrower through a hole in the defence, witness the power of the hooker as he burrows through to seal the game for the locals.
And after the courageous hooker thrown the ball in the air in euphoria, run over and thrust a cold one into his meaty little hand.
You've just doubled his match payment.

Step 7.

Ring all your mates to tell them of the wonderous day you've had and start planning your next trip to the country.

Now that you've seen the game in it's barest, most beautifully brutal form, I'm sure you'll agree.

There's nothing better.


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741 Words Between The ------
 

Seano

Juniors
Messages
1,198
With the dark clouds lifting and the sun breaking through, Seano makes the final lunge towards the line:

Where is the inspiration?

I sat down on a sunny Saturday afternoon and attempted to create a work of pure genius. Then, realising I had absolutely no inspiration I got up and walked away. I found it extremely strange that I was having so much trouble “putting pen to paper” considering my love of Rugby League – however this should not have come as too much of a surprise to anyone at all.

It is depressing enough when your favourite football team couldn’t beat time with a stick, however it becomes infinitely times worse when there does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. In the past I have attempted to remain positive – hoping that the classic Australian mantra of “she’ll be right mate” would again prove the case. However, this time I don’t think that will be the case at all – far from it in fact.

Throughout the media this year, we have heard excuse after excuse mainly centred on the “horrendous” injury toll at South Sydney, which to most Souths fans is a huge cop out. Before the injuries occurred, the Rabbitohs lost such promising players such as veterans Terry Hill, and Scott Pethybridge. While these players have been &lt;sarcasm>HUGE losses to the club (surely their services could have been secured to mentor our younger players) &lt;/sarcasm>, the fans would like to know why they were even signed in the first players.

The most obvious answer to this question revolves around general comments made in relation to the remarkably similar 2003 Rabbitohs side. Many of the media interests in the game of Rugby League mentioned that South Sydney lacked on-field leadership and experience on the pitch, and they were completely correct. The Rabbitohs most definitely were missing this experience, however the problems arose when the management and coaching structure at South Sydney realised this problem too. Damn.

Now while I am usually a very forgiving person, I am also young. Having been born in 1982 I was only 7 years old when the Rabbitohs were actually a decent team – I challenge any person to follow a team for 15 fruitless years. It would be great if the management team, realising the attitudes of the fans, would show some inclination to improve how the club is ran. While not saying the management are trying to hurt the club, a few strategic replacements would be a very good start.

I don’t plan to spend the next 10 minutes venting my spleen over who I think should have their file stamped “not to be re-employed” – but I really cant help myself. In my opinion the club should be, and is supposed to be actively seeking, a replacement for current CEO David Tapp who seems hopelessly out of his depth in this level. The other major change would be to replace current coach Paul “Can I fit my whole finger up my nose?” Langmack, whose current nickname of Boogers has absolutely nothing to do with the camera constantly catching him with his finger up his nose.

I will finish this story having found my inspiration. Its early Wednesday night and South Sydney has finally provided some joy in my life. With the news last night that Boogers had finally been sacked and Arthur Katinas appointed interim coach, I have found a feeling that has eluded me for such a long time. Optimism, is a simple word really – but so hard to obtain. There has been talk recently of how Boogers was hard done by but in essence he was a dud coach. Irrespective of the effort exerted, if you cant coach well you cant coach. Arthur Katinas is a very well respected coach, both by his players, and also other coaches (most notably Phil Gould). With this appointment South’s should be able to retain the services of those players they wish to retain for 2005 and beyond.

This feeling of optimism has increased ten-fold with the news filtering through that South Sydney have snuck under the guard of the Penrith Panthers and signed their highly respected CEO Shane Richardson. This single appointment could possibly be the turning point of South Sydney’s dark past, having replaced the man dubbed “the biggest joke in Rugby League” recently by 2GB broadcaster Andrew Moore. Shane Richardson will bring professionalism currently unknown to the South Sydney administration and hopefully, the scent of success.

Words 730
 
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