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2012 Round three :: Panthers v Dragons

joshie

Live Update Team
Messages
3,115
Forum 7s - Round three - 2012

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-V-
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Match Preview: The inform Dragons travel to Penrith to take on the Panthers. Punters may want to get on the upset, but the Willow lead Dragons are keen to extend their run.

Game Thread:
* This is a game thread only. Only game posts can be made here - team lists, substitutions, and articles.
* Any other posts may result in loss of points and is at the discretion of the referee.
* Only original articles, not used in previous games, will be marked by referees.

Naming Teams:
* 5 -V- 5 (+ 3 reserves for home sides; + 2 for away)
* No 'TBA' or changing players named
* Captains must stick with original teams named

Rules: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.php
Official Word Counter: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/wordcount.php

Kick Off: Monday 30th April 2012 (6:00pm AEDT)
Full Time: Sunday 13th May 2012 (Fulltime is at midnight)
Referee: Non Terminator
Venue: Centrebet Stadium

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Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,127
The St George Dragons wagon train has rolled into the wild west. Tanned, Slippery and EA to their own, the team is fighting fit. Looking extra animated, Godz Illa has requested that he is the first to rip into downtown...

:::::TEAM:::::
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ST GEORGE DRAGONS
:::F7s Round 3, 2012:::

Willow (c)
Tanner Ave
Slippery Morris
Everlovin' Antichrist
Godz Illa

Interchange:
Breathingfire
Dragon_psa

Good luck one and all. :thumn
 

Godz Illa

Coach
Messages
18,745
Godz Illa ~ Dragons

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Footy Show production meeting

Where: Somewhere deep inside Channel 9’s Willoughby headquarters
When: 5.30pm Wednesday
Who: Colin Underwood (executive producer), Neil Taddington (head writer), Francis Wittley (director), Mark Evans (intern/contributing writer)

CU: [talking loudly on iPhone]... but hun, we’ll talk when I get home, gotta meeting now. Oh you’re staying at your mothers again? She seemed fine last week. Whose voice is that in the background? Ok... see you tomorrow. Ok... Saturday. Bye babe. [hangs up]. So guys how is the outline looking?

NT: Trying to put the line-up together. Who we got Frank?

FW: Slats is out this week, eyelash implants. We need a co-host for Fatty. Any ideas?

NT: We could push Hadley up there.

CU: I’ve offered it to him before, he won’t do it for any amount of money.

NT: Offer him a 5 minute monologue on the NBN.

CU: Haha, no chance.

NT: 10 minutes on the mining tax? Maybe a Tinkler angle there.

CU: Nah.

NT: 15 minutes on the carbon tax. He won’t resist that.

CU: I’ll text him but I doubt it.

FW: We could get Rebecca Wilson.

NT, CU, FW: Hahahahahahaha!

ME: What about Andrew Voss?

CU: Who's this f**king dickhead talking to me?

NT: Sorry Col, forgot the intros. This is Mark Evans, doing a cadetship here. Big footy fan, I got him on the writing staff. He’s written a few articles or something.

CU: Right. Try not to say anything stupid for the rest of the meeting Mike.

ME: Sorry. I think a league man with a sense of humour would be ideal on the show.

FW: Good point Mark, but Benji is already on the panel. Does Benji know anyone else who’d come in?

NT: Might be too many Tigers. Beau is doing his segment with Heighington, Mark Flanagan, Tuqiri and Bryce Gibbs.

ME: Gibbs plays for Cronulla.

NT: Holy shit he does too. Get rid of him. We’re also visiting Farah’s restaurant and Keith Galloway’s car wash. Plus the chick is interviewing Tim Moltzen.

ME: Now Moltzen is funny.

FW: I don’t think that’s too many Tigers but fair enough. It’ll have to be Brohman then.

NT: Ok, I’ll get Mark to start writing some fat jokes. Mark - remember there are four Rs in Big Marrrrn.

CU: Panel sorted. What else?

FW: Stuff you may have missed. It’s looking bare though.

NT: We’ll have that beefed up to a good 8 or 9 minutes today. Plenty of material from the GWS game and some Super Rugby highlights.

CU: Nice. Next.

FW: Beau’s street talk thing?

NT: Ready to go. I had Mark watch an episode of Balls of Steel so we have plenty of ideas to work with.

CU: Keep it legal guys, we don’t want a plagiarism suit.

NT: As always, there will be subtle differences between our pranks and theirs.

ME: Theirs are funny.

FW: Speaking of lawsuits, that reminds me. The court-ordered Mario Fenech appearance is due this week.

CU: Jesus Christ, you’re right. Ok where can we fit him in?

FW: Preferably somewhere just out of earshot of the panel. Remember his settlement requires at least 50 loud “Hey Fat”s per appearance.

NT: I’ll get Mark to whip that script up.

ME: Finished.

FW: We’ve taped a perfect partners segment to come on after that. Liam Fulton and his missus are just adorable. Then we cross to Danny Weidler for an exclusive scoop on a big scandal.

CU: Brilliant! What is it?

FW: Neil can write the details in later. Probably something about the Tigers.

NT: Mark’s on it.

CU: Like it. Ratings gold.

FW: Sweet. So that’s pretty much the show outline. The panel can fill in the rest with the usual patter.

NT: Mark can write all that later.

ME: Umm, I just noticed that there is no actual footy talk at all during the show.

CU: Yep.

ME: Well… Parra are having a few issues at the moment, I think it’d be great to bring in a few Parra players maybe to discuss it.

CU: Good thinking Mitch, we do need something for that last half hour of the show. The dead period. Frank?

FW: I’ve got a few Parra numbers. Joel Reddy and Tom Humble are always good for a chat .

ME: Umm.

CU: Good work everyone! Another Logie for the Footy Show. Next on the agenda: new reality show for Tuesday nights. Ideas?

FW: Tug of War. Rival exotic massage parlours compete for…
.
 

Tanner Ave

Juniors
Messages
539
Tanner Ave
St George Dragons

11 of the worst

Sport is one of the toughest, most competitive markets in the world. With all the pressure to perform, the last thing you want when competing for supporters is to brand yourself badly.

All things considered, the NRL have set themselves up nicely. Most teams have good logos and jerseys. They are able to attract new supporters while keeping the traditional and loyal fans. This gives Rugby League a marketing advantage over the other sports as league logos are quite recognisable and less offensive to the eye.

Unfortunately, this cant be said across the Australian sporting landscape.

Here are the worst 11 logos in the great south land:

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11. West coast FEVER (netball)
Apart from a virus, what the hell is a fever? I am not even sure where to go with this. Probably would make the top five in another country but here in Australia we are blessed with an abundance of terrible logos.

10 Wests Tigers (NRL)
This is the craziest tiger in the world! A cross between a saber tooth and Edward Scissorhands. It's just plain weird, also it’s a direct rip off of a college logo in America. This fails on all accounts.

9. TACTIX (netball)
Unfortunately not the first netball logo to make the list. I have no idea how it relates to a 'tactix', or how it relates to netball. In fact I have no idea how this relates to anything at all! I challenge anyone – anyone at all - to make sense of it.

8. Brisbane HEAT (cricket)
Why is it so hard? Seriously there are a million amazing names to choose from and use, but you come up with “Heat”. Unless your roster consists of a certain Lebron James and Dewayne Wade who play like they are on heat, then drop the name. Also Fire, inferno, blaze, flame, all of these names makes more sense if you are going to use fire in your logo.

7. Penrith PANTHERS (NRL)
If that is a panther then I am drunk! Firstly panthers are normally BLACK - not purple! Maybe white albino ones or the famous pink panther but never purple - NEVER. Secondly, don’t use a fat panther. Finally, if I didn't already mention it, panthers are not bloody purple.

6. Adelaide BITE (baseball)
I am looking at a logo for a team called the “bite” who have a mascot of a shark with virtually no teeth! That will do me.

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5. Perth GLORY (A League)
*Deep sigh*. What are you expecting the graphic artist to do with a name like "Glory"? You deserve what you get. Nothing resembling glory. Nothing resembling anything really except a soccer sun thing.

4. NSW SWIFTS (netball)
OK, the blue circle is a ball right? The weird NSW outline with the S in the middle is a ring and net? Why is the ball bigger than the ring? This has to be the most random of all logos. Thank goodness the count down is all most over.

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3. Geelong CATS (AFL)
So you call yourselves cats. You can choose any cat from the animal kingdom. You can even mesh them together and have Edward Scissorshands and paint it purple. But you play it safe and go with the common house cat? This makes me want to swear at a bouncer knowing I will have my head smashed in. As it's the only way I can stop myself thinking about how this logo got the go ahead.

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2. GWS GIANTS (AFL)
You spend billions of dollars trying to win the hearts of Sydney’s west, you poach players from rival teams and draft all the talented young players and want to be taken seriously. So then what do you do? Find an old computer with a 1997 word program, load up clip art and choose the weirdest looking 'G' you can find. The only team in the world with less imagination than GWS are the Cleveland Browns. WOW.

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1. Central Coast MARINERS (A League)
Surely this wasn't the only option on the table? Surely there were others that came closer to a 'mariner' rather than a flushing toilet? Until they change their logo, the CCM win the gong for the worst logo in Australian sport!

The message for NRL marketing is obvious, steer clear of the worst of the worst. When you compete in the sporting market in Australia, you need to be on top of your game.


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Messages
42,632
EA for the Dragons.

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Watch out, we’re mad.

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We’ve all seen them play Rugby League, the bloke who runs at the line as though he’ll never eat again if he doesn’t break through it, the player who thinks that anyone who tackles them has infringed their basic human rights and the guy who seems to have taken an everlasting dosage of angry pills, the nut-bags. They’ll have been described as hard-running, whole-hearted or passionate by the commentators but to the fans, they are just simply lunatics that we either admire or despise.

Examples are plentiful but for mine there are a few stand-outs in recent memory.

Les Boyd.

Les had a screw loose. There, I said it. His one-time Coach Roy Masters said of Boyd that he would be fired up to the point of no return. Roy also lamented that it appeared that Boyd had no off switch, so once he was fired up, there was no coming down until long after the players had left the field. His main weapon of choice was his elbow and the imprint of that weapon is probably still on the heads and throats of many players that took the field against him. He used it so often it wouldn’t have surprised many if he ran onto the field with his right arm in the cocked position.

Brendon Tuuta.

Brendon played 34 games for the Western Suburbs Magpies in 1989 and 1990. He developed cult status quickly thanks to his running style which resembled the Cannonball Express at full throttle. The figures aren’t available but I would put a week’s pay on Tuuta being, pound-for-pound, the hardest runner of all time. Brendan’s problem and why his career in Australia didn’t span more than a couple of seasons was that he tended to put all his effort into running as hard as he could and left other less menial tasks, like catching the ball first, as secondary. Often he would explode through the defensive line only to realise that the ball was already heading toward his own team’s goal line in the arms of an opponent.

Martin Lang.

Martin was to put it mildly, unusual. The imprint in the memory of Lang’s head cracking backwards as he hit the line will live long in anyone who saw him play. What made Martin Lang different, and some would say crazy, was that he never, ever over the course of nine seasons in the NRL changed his running style. Self-preservation was not an item in Lang’s playbook; it was straight ahead, balls-out from day one to the last day. Our household had a game we played over the course of a season; it was called “Count how many times Martin Lang passes the ball in a year”. 2004 became “Lang’s year” for us when he raised his own bar to the giddy heights of eight passes in one year.

Ron Gibbs.

Ron was another whose hard-running style saw him quickly build up a cult following, but that may not be the only thing he will be remembered for. Gibbs was a fidgety player who would be in a state of nervousness befitting an expectant father before each game. As anyone who had season tickets in the bottom rows of the western grandstand of Campbelltown Sports Ground during Gibbs’ tenure with the Magpies can attest to, his nervousness almost always manifested itself into two or three minutes of uncontrollable vomiting just prior to kick off. It was always a good idea for ground staff and other players to watch where Gibbs went to take care of this problem, otherwise a boot or shoe covered with the remnants of Ron’s breakfast might be the result of not bothering to take note.

Justin Hodges.

Anyone who has seen the movie “The New Guy” will remember the character played by Eddie Griffin whose signature move to put any opposition off-guard was called crazy eyes. Justin Hodges has those crazy eyes. It seems that being tackled by anyone is immediately a reason to dislike the tackler as though he’d just spit on Justin’s birthday cake. His penchant for looking daggers at anyone with the audacity to tackle or touch him has brought even State of Origin players to the point where backpedaling is the best option, as Ben Creagh can attest to.

Love them or hate them, these nutters have been, are and will be in the future, part and parcel of the great game.

741 words including title.
 

LeagueNut

First Grade
Messages
6,972
It's probably naughty to post before the team has been named but I'm going to give it a shot anyway and throw myself on the mercy of the court...

LeagueNut - Panthers

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Statistically speaking

“Statistics are like mini skirts – they look great but they hide the best bits” – a famous quote in sporting circles that’s been credited to many greater minds than mine. The words may change slightly but the basic message is still the same – you just don’t get the full picture.

These days it appears some poor saps have taken that up as a challenge. They’re suddenly determined to give us as many statistics as possible in the vain hope that it’ll somehow turn into a complete picture, some sort of mathematical crystal ball of certain prophecies that will shine a light on the one whole truth.

Well d’ya wanna know a secret? I DON’T CARE!!

There are some pre-game statistics that are useful – number of match-ups, win/loss records for each side, performances at certain venues – that basic sort of stuff. It used to be a pretty harmless filler before the main event – much like a bowl of pumpkin soup really. It can also give the ravenous media dogs something to chew on as they scavenge for pre-game titbits instead of lurking around the dark alleyways of Kings Cross eagerly awaiting the next moron to put his contract at risk.

It can be interesting to note things like the Dragons horrible record in Canberra or the Warriors unusually good record at Brookvale. Breaking “hoodoos” is another angle to generate a bit of extra spice and it gives the fans something to talk about.

So after my pumpkin soup I’m ready for the main course – right?

Nope, not yet. Next on the menu is a range of bizarre individual statistics. This stuff is sort of like the prissy little salad that shows up before the real food starts. I’m sure it’s quite healthy and someone’s put a lot of work into making it look presentable but it’s really not what I’m here for.

Do I really need to know that Todd Carney has never lost a match against any of his previous clubs? Or that Corey Parker needs only 6 points to bring up 100 points against the opposition? It’s not going to make jack shit difference when it comes to the actual match – in fact it’s more of an annoying distraction than anything else.

Right – now bring on the steak!

Hang on, first I’ve got to wade my way through a selection of bread rolls and other fancy looking things. This stuff is specifically designed to fill you up so you can’t carry on – but it’s not going to slow me down today.

This is where I learn that the Raiders haven’t scored a point in the first 15 minutes of any match this year, or that the Titans have conceded the first try in six of their eight games so far. Who bloody cares? None of this is going to make the steak taste any better – in fact you’re just trying to make it less enjoyable by telling me exactly how it’s going to taste before I’ve had a chance to taste it for myself!

Finally, the steak arrives! But what’s this? It’s covered in fancy little garnish things!! I don’t need any garnish on my steak, it’s fine just the way it is thanks very much.

But the garnish tries to throw me off course as well. Although I’m trying to enjoy my steak it’s impossible to avoid the curly little bits of information that keep popping up – like the fact that the Panthers concede an average of 18.4 points per first half, or that the Storm’s completion rate is the highest in the NRL for the first 20 minutes of every match.

Pretty soon it becomes clear that this steak hasn’t been the finest choice. It’s full of gristly bits that make the whole experience a complete letdown. These gristly bits get progressively worse as I get further into the steak, and tell me things like how the Knights have only ever recovered from a 16 point halftime deficit twice before in their history, or how the Roosters have never lost a match when the same person has scored the first try in each half, or how the Cowboys concede an average of 4 penalties in a second half when refereed by this particular moron.

Can’t I just eat my steak in peace? Please??


Disclaimer: All of the stats above were made up off the top of my head so please don’t point out any obvious errors – it’s all just to make a point.

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Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Panthers team to take on Dragons:

1. Leaguenut
2. Madunit
3. Big Mick
4. Abpanther
5. Broncoman

RES:
6. [Furrycat]
7. The Piper
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
International Rugby League: What a shambles!​

While the majority of blame for the mass exodus of our stars to union, AFL or Super League over recent years has rested with the salary cap, one has to beg the question, is it purely just the money? In reality, it is the attraction of the international game that secures talent overseas as they want to showcase their skills on a world stage. This is something professional rugby league administrators have abandoned for far too long. But how can we strengthen our international presence?

Every year we have media publications about how good it would be to have a thriving international game to rival union, however, in the same breathe we also have statements proclaiming there is too much strain on the player’s and we cannot have an extended representative season. How after all this can these struggling developing nations continue to develop?

Throughout the world, rugby league is finally starting to have a presence thanks to very determined people risking all to start up a game in a foreign land. According to RLIF, League now has more than 50 affiliated countries. In recent years we’ve seen the remarkable development in emerging nations such as Malta, Holland, Lebanon, Serbia, United States, Cook Islands, Russia, Samoa to name a few and more recently with Latvia. Rugby league is quickly becoming a strongly contested game in these regions, but what can our professional ranks within England, Australia and New Zealand do to help these nations develop even further?

The answer is not purely money or grants, the answer also lies in experience and training. The NRL and ESL are required to combine in a collaborative effort to developing structures within these upstart competitions. One way would be to take on a nation’s development, taking the nations best players under their training regime at the start of the off-season.

Through the off-season the members of this national team, both coaches and players, will shadow an NRL club. The Nation’s representatives would see how a professional club operates and train’s to make them the elite professionals they are. The will learn about nutrition, tactics and the physical barriers these players push through on a yearly basis. During this time it will provide emerging players with great experience and the ability to better their games and improve their potential as players. But some may ask what the clubs get out of this?

The clubs would get grants from the NRL with the new TV rights to enable them to facilitate these countries development, but should one of these emerging nations’ players be good enough, and up to rigorous standards of first grade, then that player will be exempt from the salary cap. For example, should Samoa merge with Penrith Panthers and the Panthers discover a player with enormous potential and believe he may have the ability to play in the NRL, that player will be exempt. Only then will we see clubs opening their doors and taking a gamble on these emerging nations’ players as it will bear minimal risk for a potentially maximum pay off.

While it appears like a salary cap loophole, an NRL club would be limited to 4 players, all of which must be born in that country, played in their local systems and must continue to represent that country in International Fixtures. If the player chooses to change affiliates to Australia etc, that player would be charged at 150% of their value to the salary cap. This would encourage not only development of the player, but also of the National teams of these emerging nations.

The development of the International game is our duty. All major professional leagues must band together and help the International game develop. By offering developing nations an opportunity to train in a professional environment and play competitively year round is a stepping stone to something better, something that we have long craved for, a REAL International competition.

These developments will help retain our stars along with unearthing and exposing an entirely new catchment area as the game develops internationally. The responsibility is on us to help these nations and in the end our efforts will be rewarded by having a competitive International game that we can be proud of. It’s time that International Rugby League becomes more than a second thought; it should be a priority to take our game to the next level.

736 Words
 

Slippery Morris

First Grade
Messages
7,395
Slippery Morris
St George Dragons


CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - NRL STYLE

One of the biggest and richest tournaments at club level in all sports is the EUFA Champions League which generates huge dollars and is viewed by many countries. Soccer clubs all over Europe qualify for this tournament each year based on their achievements in the league. Teams that win their league or even come in the top four of some leagues can qualify. The winner of the tournament is crowned world club champion and takes with it a stack of cash. Clubs then gain sponsorships from other countries as reward and get more recognition internationally.

In Australia, we often hear about the battle of the football codes between the NRL, AFL and ARU. The AFL has a great national competition whereas the ARU have a great international competition. The NRL have a great club competition much better than the ARU and if not equal with the AFL very close to it. On the world stage the NRL have a better international competition than the AFL but not as strong as the ARU. Both the AFL and ARU would probably kill to have strong competitions in both arenas, and not just the one. The NRL is not that far off having both. In that regard the NRL are sitting on a gold mine.

The NRL currently have a world club championship but it is limited to a one off game between the best the two teams that win their respective Grand Finals in England and Australia.

Why not expand this concept and make it bigger?

Having your club play against a team from Europe is a great thrill for the fan. Being crowned best club in the world is one trophy to be proud of, that is for sure. Surely expanding this to top four for both countries is a great move, and to come fourth in the league and then win the the world club competition is a fantastic effort. It gives the fans something to look forward to if their team misses out on the Grand Final. Liverpool, for example, came fifth a few years ago but won the Champions League against the best team in Italy.

Super League floated this idea and we saw some huge blow outs but since then the English Super League is much stronger as we can all see by the list of English Clubs that have won the World Club Challenge since.

To make it work, clubs can play at least three trial games at the start of the season, perhaps in England where there is more on the line. They may struggle in the league for the first few rounds but it will only make them keener to get back out there again the following year to go for the crown. But I personally don’t believe they will struggle. St George came back from England and lost one of their first 10 games. Up until Origin they were cruising to a Minor Premiership. The England trip did not seem to impact them as much as Origin.

A better alternative is to play this competition at the end of the season. After the Grand Final, players get a week or two to freshen up then away they go. Champions League here we come!

The money this tournament can generate is huge. It may take a while just like the European cups did for soccer but in the end it could end up more popular than the State of Origin. Chelsea have guaranteed the biggest-ever television money windfall from the Champions League after beating Barcelona to make the final this year. The club will earn at least £45m, with a further £2.8m to come if they win the trophy, from UEFA's payments of TV cash alone. Clubs can then double that income from ticket sales, sponsorship and merchandise.

NRL team won’t get nowhere near that amount of turnover but they will certainly get something. They will possibly get more sponsorship dollars from overseas if anything and their clubs will become much more popular.

Jersey sales alone will increase, perhaps selling overseas at double the price of what they cost here. Just like the English Premier League jerseys cost us more that if you go over there.

To top off, winning this cup leaves a great taste in the mouth of any supporter.

“My team is the World Champions!” How good does that sound?

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Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,127
Willow | St George
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Mother's Day

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It's true what they say, some football players have a face that only a mother could love.

When a battered and bleeding Benny Elias celebrated a New South Wales' State of Origin win in 1992, his mum Barbara was there at full time embracing her son while inadvertently smearing herself with his blood. It was a beautiful mother and son moment.

Truth is, Benny's mum had plenty to be proud of.

In an exciting Origin encounter, NSW took a series lead by defeating Queensland 14-6 at the Sydney Football Stadium. Blues hooker Elias earned himself 10 stitches after copping a head gash. Meanwhile, Maroons second-rower Gary Larson left the field on a stretcher and team mate Steve Jackson suffered severe concussion early in the match. I remember Triple J's Roy and HG calling the match on the radio, the comedy duo salivating at the toughness of the clash, while affectionately calling Elias 'Backdoor Benny' - a nickname that would stick forever more. NSW went on to win the series.

Born in Tripoli, Lebanon in 1963, young Benjamin Elias (لبني الياس in Arabic) moved to Australia with his family. A Ryde junior, Elias gained representative honours in the Australian Schoolboys Rugby League sides of 1979 and 1981. He was graded by the Balmain Tigers in 1981 before making his first grade debut in 1982. By 1984, Elias was a household name in Leichhardt, and tipped to go onto great things.

Well regarded amongst the world's best hookers in his day, Elias was as sharp as they come at dummy half. His marker play was excellent in the days when players could contest the play-the-ball, and as rake he won numerous scrums against the feed.

That's not to say Elias was always an angel on the field.

In 2007, Elias confessed on The Footy Show that he once bit his own hand and blamed South Sydney's Mario Fenech who was subsequently sent off. Somewhat ironic considering an incident in 1986 where Elias was accused of biting, and the vigorous defence he received from his mum. In an article by Peter Peters in the Sydney Morning Herald, Benny's parents were reportedly 'sick to the stomach' when the biting accusation surfaced against the 22-year-old. According to Peters, the accusation upset Benny's father, Norm, so much that he was on the verge of seeking medical advice.

"It's a slur on Ben's character and good name." Norm said.

If only the Elias household had a crystal ball into 2007.

But Elias had a stellar career. He was selected for NSW from 1985-1994 (22 appearances) and Australia from 1985-1990 (14 appearances). He captained NSW and toured the globe playing the game he loved. A one club man, Mrs Elias's son played no less than 230 games for the Tigers between 1982-1994, a club record at the time. In 2005 he was named one of the 25 greatest ever NSW players.

Suffice to say, the man's playing record speaks for itself.

Following retirement, Elias graduated from University and then ventured into the pioneering industry of retail mobile phones. He was also a Rugby League radio commentary in Sydney.

But Backdoor Benny's post-playing career does tend to get somewhat muddy at times. In 2010, Elias's company Chameleon Mining was placed in receivership. The matter dragged on before a reported $25 million settlement was reached. The latest news suggests that Chameleon may indeed alter its appearance with a name change on the cards. A report in The Australian in April 2012 referred to company as 'better known for its courtroom battles than any mining operations'.

In 2011, Elias suffered his greatest defeat at the hands of the Maroons when he was forced to make a public apology following some insensitive remarks about the Queensland floods. In one of those 'too soon' moments, Elias joked about the natural disasters and told the Maroons to expect a Blues side that will "make those floods back in Queensland... look like an absolute mimic". History shows that Queensland belted NSW.

Well, that one backfired. But for the most part Benny has been one of the game's great sledgers, and usually the one to have the last laugh.

Benny has a drive that shows no sign of letting up. In an amazing life on and off the football field football, Backdoor Benny has been called clever, competitive, conniving and any other 'C word' you can think of.

A son to make any mum proud. Happy Mother's Day.

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Ref | Image: Front page Rugby League Week (1992)
Ref | Rugby League Project Link
Ref | Sydney Morning Herald Link , Link
Ref | Herald Sun Link
Ref | The Australian Link
Ref | Wikipedia
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Big Mick posting by proxy for Madunit:

NRL Cinematic Classics

The midseason is fast approaching and fast with it comes the lowest period of excitement for the year before the build up running into the finals begins. In 2012, the NRL has decided to overcome this apparent boredom by releasing NRL versions of Classic films of yesteryear. Following are the synopsis of some of the more notable classics.

Wests Side Story

The love story in troubled times between two gangs, Wests and Illawarra. The Wests gang, lead by Robbie is seeking to obtain premiership glory, but they have to overcome Illawarra, run by Peter.

In a confusing love triangle, Robbie’s sister, Tim, is set up in an arranged marriage which she agrees to with one of the Illawarra gang members, but before long Tim soon learns she is in love with Wests gang member Benji. This tryst leads to a more passionate warfare between to the gangs. Will Tim get to be with her true love? Who will win the premiership? Who cares?

Dial ‘M’ For Murdoch

A successful media magnate hatches a plan to murder a game that had committed the crime of not giving him massive amounts of money he did nothing to earn nor deserve, but when the murder fails he concocts a brilliant Plan B, but he has the tough detective Ian Schubert on his case, who plans to bring the whole sordid affair to light

Die Hard With a Whimper

In this actionless packed blockbuster, Stephen Kearney is on a one man mission to bring down an organisation that has been committing crimes against the public. He finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and with a group of useless bumbling idiots whose failure to work as a team see’s them all being picked off, one-by-one, by Kearney.

Picnic at Redfern Station

An Australian cinematic masterpiece, tells the story of a bunch of unknown girls who go walking about at Redfern train station one day, only for John, Sam and Greg to all go missing, leading to an area wide search over several weeks, focussing strongly on the top 8, but cannot find them. Will they ever appear in finals football again?

The Replacements

During a prolonged run of injuries and player ineptitude, football head coach Ivan is forced to compete with a gang of replacement players, including an alter boy, a farmhand, a lazy drunk and a bald man. They come up with some not so surprising results.

Mary Shelley’s Furnerstein

In the sequel, and almost reversal, of the original classic, Dr Furnerstein had a perfectly functioning and able bodied daemon, which he created, but who continually falls apart. Dr Furnerstein is constantly on a mission to try and find body parts, to repair his creation with so that he can live. The soundtrack is headed by Metallica’s song “The God That Failed”.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

An epic story about Gal and the creation, life and teachings of the Shire’s new messiah, Todd. Go with Todd as he preaches about being the son of Gal and the lessons we can all learn from Gal’s wise words, most notably “When you see a wall, don’t waste time by going round it, simple go through it. Be more wall than the wall itself.” You will leave this movie inspired to do something, be it great or alcoholic. Screening only in the Shire, due to popular demand.

The Invention Of Lying

A modern comedy/drama with an unusual twist. Follow Craig and his mates around in a world where lying doesn’t exist. Until one of Craig’s mates, Greg, tells the first ever lie for his own personal gain. The fact everyone else knows the truth fails to deter Greg , who is committed to teaching all of Craig’s friends how to lie as well.

The Life of Wayne

A comical masterpiece from Newcastle surrounding the arrival of Wayne into their world, who is accidentally referred to as a messiah from the first day of his arrival. Watch in great laughter as Kurt the leper begs for money and Willie, the loudmouth moron living in a hole in the ground starts tweeting instead of speaking when he is disturbed.

There are many more great NRL films coming your way later this year.

Also, please feel free to take some treats with you while watching the movies. Prices are below.

Pie - $8
Sauce - $4
Pie and Sauce combo - $20
50ml Soft Drink - $10
Alcohol – Bring your chequebook

745 words, including title
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Bugger.

5 minutes too late.

Was meant to post this by proxy but just got home.

Sorry all.

Sorry UNIT! most of all.
 

Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,127
It's up to you Mick, and of course the ref.

I'm not worried about five minutes. But given the numbers, would it prudent to keep it for next time?

Either way, I'm happy to with whatever you guys want to do.
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
I'll leave it up to Unit tomorrow morning when he gets back on.

We knew we'd be short but credit to Unit & Nut. They still wanted to turn up despite knowing the result.
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
If everyone is happy for it to be included in the game, then that'd be awesome.
 
Messages
17,427
Hello all, seems like I will be dedicating the next period of time to marking this game. Good to be back online in the new house. Madunit, no worries on my end as Willow is happy, so I will mark yours. Hope everybody is well!
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
cheers NT, especially for doing this on such short notice, really appreciate it mate.
 
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