2012 FOUR NATIONS Round 1: Australia vs Papua New Guinea

[Non Terminator]

Forum 7s - 4 Nations - 2012
AUSTRALIA KANGAROOS -V- PAPUA NEW GUINEA KUMULS

-v-

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:
* 3 -V- 3 (+ 2 reserves for both teams)
* 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: Wednesday 7th November (2100AEST)
Full Time: Wednesday 14th November (2100AEST)
Referee: Non Terminator
Venue: ANZ Stadium​

 

[joshie]

The new look PNG side runs out onto the field!

1. Joshie (c)
2. Titanic
3. Cobydelaney

 

[Timmah]

Australia's lineup for the 2012 Four Nations opener:

1. Timmah (c)
2. Jobdog
3. W.B.2.S.O.S

 

[Titanic]

Titanic for PNG (734 OWC)

__________________________________

Taking a lend of legendary legends

On a sure to be hot and sunny afternoon at Port Moresby’s Lloyd Robson this November the 18th, two teams will take the field in an exhibition game of gargantuan proportions or so we are being led to believe. PNG will take on Australia in the land where payback is so much more than a seven-letter word.

The concept of “legends” matches is fine and noble. A parting look at the receding hairlines and bourgeoning waistlines of our aging gladiators does not diminish the respect that these players earned with their exploits on the field in days of yore. Many have been the debate, often beer-fueled, comparing past champions with their contemporary versions.
Not that these events will belay such arguments, as they are more likely to pose more questions than answers. The transitions within rugby league in PNG have been tumultuous to say the least.

From the humble beginnings of armed servicemen playing on temporary airfields during the Second World War rugby league enmeshed itself into the fabric of contemporary PNG culture. In the ‘50’s hardened miners working the goldfields around Wau/Bulolo competed against expatriate plantation owners from exotic islands and the wild west-like highland regions.

Always at the forefront were the media darlings; the Australian public servants in Port Moresby who played for such quaint clubs as Magani, Kone and Paga. Arguably the first PNG legend was John Kaputin, later to become a member of the national parliament, who carved his name into the history books by being the first Papua New Guinean to play First Grade in 1963.

After Independence in 1975, rugby league became dominated by local players as the expatriate population diminished. Names such as John Wagambie emerged from obscurity to become household heros. One of the last expatriate players of that era was Sean Dorney, better known these days as the ABC’s man in the Pacific.

The fervor with which PNG embraced the Greatest Game of All didn’t go unnoticed in Sydney and several players were invited to trial in the “bigtime”, most notably DCA’s Tara Gau, who trialed with Balmain. Two of his wantoks will play in the exhibition game this November: the flashy centre Dairi Kovae and ironman Arebo Taumaku who played every position in the Kumul pack throughout a wonderful career.

Other legends of those by-gone times include Lloyd Robson whose name lives on in perpetuity for his contribution to league in Port Moresby as the groundsman. Sir Jim Jacobi, the elder statesman, who ruled the roost as President for more than forty years and the irrepressible Bruce Flynn; player, sponsor and Patron. In more recent times, the names of Kevin Murphy, an ex-kiap turned rugby league administrator and Tubuseria’s Tau Peruka, the first local president of Port Moresby Rugby League made their marks.

Arguably the highlight of PNG’s forays with international rugby league came during the period 1986-1996. Wins over Great Britain and New Zealand, the introduction of a fully national competition, entry into the Queensland Cup and the fallout from the Super League debacle all made PNG a lively place for those who followed the thirteen a-side game. Etched in many peoples’ minds are also the exploits of the Port Moresby Vipers in the seven-a-side version of the game during the now defunct World Sevens. Acrobatic try scoring antics, Melanesian passion and fearless tackling made every game a must-view for the curious Sydney fans.

Many of the players on show took part in those heady days. Since then rugby league has followed the path of professionalism in fits and starts. Great players have emerged; Adrian Lam, Stanly Gene, Marcus Bai and most recently David Mead. However, with the media fixation firmly rooted on the NRL and the inability of rugby league across the South Pacific Islands to gather any combined momentum, the sport is currently at a crossroads.

It is not likely that the PNG Bid can gain enough support for entry into the NRL in the near future, nor is it likely that Pacific tournaments will attract the financial support that it so badly requires to attract back their stars. Those stars who should be role models for their people will only become legends for their Australian or New Zealand clubs.

The conundrum for the ARLC and the International body is where will the next batch of PNG legends come from? Wapenamanda or Wagga Wagga?

 

[Jobdog]

*Jobdog comes up with a crunching hit for the Kangaroos*

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Newcastle: the rebirth of a steel city.

Two years ago, the Newcastle Knights were a basketcase. Struggling financially and bereft of success for almost ten years, life after Andrew Johns and several other stars wasn't kind to the once-proud club.
Similarly, the Newcastle Jets A-League football club were on the brink of collapse. With dwindling crowds, poor on-field results and a lack of community engagement, the very real risk of not playing out the current season let alone starting it loomed large.

First, Nathan Tinkler sorted out the Newcastle Knights Football Club. He received 97% of the members votes and all of a sudden the Knights were a private entity with ambitions of becoming as big as the Brisbane Broncos. But these things don’t happen overnight. The first season (bar the first quarter of it) wasn’t as expected and despite the Knights making the finals in 2011 hopes were understandably high for 2012 after it became apparent mastercoach Wayne Bennett would head up the F3 from St George Illawarra.

Joining Bennett in the red and blue was former NSW and test winger Timana Tahu along with Danny Buderus, Kade Snowden, Adam Cuthbertson and Queensland winger Darius Boyd. Expectations in the Hunter were that Bennett would slot in seamlessly to the Knights coaches’ hotseat. But with expectations comes pressure and it’s fair to say the Knights didn’t meet those expectations, but they will be better for it looking toward 2013.

On the other side of the equation the Newcastle Jets were clinging on by their fingernails as Tinkler felt he couldn’t sort out differences between himself and the FFA regarding to the A-League. Somewhat amazingly Tinkler tried to hand back his A-League license and the Jets appeared headed down a similar path to many of their round-ball namesakes before – restricted to the history books.

Luckily for the city of Newcastle (not only Jets fans) Tinkler met with FFA chairman Frank Lowy in a Brisbane Airport hangar where they sorted out their differences and the Jets A-League license was put back on the table.

If that didn’t put the smiles back on the Newcastle sporting public’s faces, the signing of former England International Emile Heskey with the club several months later ensured Tinkler was in it for the long haul. Perhaps Heskey is the man the Jets have needed for several seasons to turn themselves into A-League championship heavyweights.

Not only did the arrival of Emile Heskey help the clubs profile, Hunter Sports Group ensured the Jets ticket prices were the most affordable in the country. Fans responded to it in strong numbers with the Jets running second in ticketed members to the Melbourne Victory.

But not only did Jets members go through the roof, early indications are the Knights will be up towards the top of the tree with ticketed members for the 2013 season with 20,000 the target.

Knights fans received a glimpse of what their team is capable of in small segments of the 2012 season where they had a six-week stretch without losing a game – an indication Bennett’s philosophy was beginning to take hold.

Not only will the Knights be much better for the 12 months spent with Bennett in 2012 they will welcome New Zealand and former Cronulla enforcer Jeremy Smith into the forward pack along with former Dragon Beau Scott. Those two alone will add more starch to the forwards that perhaps has been missing for several years.

Two years into the Nathan Tinkler-era the Knights and the Newcastle sporting public certainly have more positives to look ahead to. The financial struggles which have plagued the club for the best part of 25 years have been wiped and Knights fans can rest easy in the knowledge a bank guarantee is in place for the club should everything go pear-shaped.

After several years in the wilderness perhaps it’s time for the real Newcastle to stand up, starting with the Newcastle Jets in A-League 2012/2013 and then followed up with the Knights in 2013.
Back-to-back titles might be a stretch but in the sporting world anything is possible especially when players know their future is secure.

One thing is for certain, the low crowds pre-Tinkler may well become a thing of the past as the Hunter Sports Group attempts to make good their promise of a “Sporting Newcastle”.

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722 words using official word counter

 

[Timmah]

Timmah makes his return to the green and gold, taking the second hit-up of an intense match.


*****
It could be so much better… but it’s already great:
An Open Letter to Mr. P. Rothfield.

Much of the coverage of the NRL in certain corners over the last few months, particularly since the formation of the Australian Rugby League Commission earlier this year, has been largely negative and highly critical.

Perhaps the most vocal critic, is the Telegraph’s resident Sharks tragic Phil Rothfield. If I’m being honest, I do take issue with the content of many of his rants against the ARLC, which has been doing much of the grunt-work in the absence of a CEO following David Gallop’s departure in June.

Most of the criticism levelled at the commission was summed up in an article penned on November 5*, titled “50 Ways to Fix Rugby League”. To his credit, a good percentage of the list were viable and fair points were made – many of them suggestions from journalists and fans to improve the game which have been mentioned at varying times over the past few months, mixed with some personal opinions of his own, of course. He capped it with the lovely suggestion that the NRL prepare to engrave his beloved Sharks’ name on the 2013 Premiership Trophy.

With that, here’s what Buzz thinks is wrong with the NRL today, and why I think he’s way off the mark:

2 Appoint a new chief executive to work on the points we've raised.
While there are plenty of people out there who might agree, I would imagine the ARLC’s thought process on this, and the thoughts of many switched-on rugby league fans, is that if the right person is found to take on the role then it shouldn’t matter how long it takes. Granted, 5 months is a long time. But you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who could strongly criticise Interim CEO Shane Mattiske for the job he’s done.

3 Sign a naming rights sponsor for the competition.
Is this really top of the tree? The NRL is one of the premier elite sporting competitions in the country. There won’t be a shortage of companies wanting to get their name on the competition – it will happen.

5 Finalise the draw for next year. The AFL has already done its schedule for every game and every round.
Given Rothfield wrote this on November 4, I find his insistence on this quite premature. The NRL season is a more complicated one to plan with more factors to consider than most other codes – especially now 20 rounds are being scheduled in advance. It’s also worth mentioning the 2012 draw wasn’t released until November 9, 2011.

Now, with respect, Phil, it’s not kind to speak on behalf of everyone…
10 Scrap City-Country. Only Queenslanders like it.
When it comes to Country v City Origin, there are thousands of people in Country and Regional NSW and even in the Sydney area who still find value in this game. With spots in the NSW Origin side more hotly contested each year, it’s actually become even more relevant in recent seasons – not less.
25 Tell Channel 9 to stuff its night-time grand final and play it in the afternoon, where we all want it to be.
Is this really that big of a deal? The excuses of afternoon BBQ’s and late nights for kids hold little water – even less so now that Queensland has a public holiday on the first weekend of October as well now.
26 Stop taking Origin games to Melbourne. No one down there cares.
While I can’t say I love the concept, to suggest no one in Victoria cares is at odds with the ground record 56,000-plus who filled Etihad Stadium in May.

37 Wake up that western Sydney is under threat from not only the AFL but the A-League.
This one is Rothfield’s newest crusade. His new interest seems to be in promoting the summer soccer league, suggesting that the NRL is being matched by it. Disparate crowd comparisons suggesting the soccer is out-drawing certain NRL matches and other suggestions that the code is a threat to the NRL are way off the mark.

I guess it’s all how you view the world – but at the moment we have a journalist who has plenty of eyes reading him telling everyone how bad things are – while our competitors and the associated journalists do nothing but sing praises of their respective sports. My advice to Buzz? Follow Eric Idle’s advice – and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.


*****

750 words precisely according to F7WC

References:
* = http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...fix-rugby-league/story-e6frexnr-1226510203138

 

[TooheysNew]

CobyDelaney for PNG

The Seven Sins of Rugby League

Sure, infidelity is bad. Murder is worse. A liking of Justin Bieber is worse still. Each of these is considered a sin. But there are some sins that make even this terrible list pale in comparison.

I’m talking about the sins of Rugby League.

First up, gluttony. The glory hunter. That prop floating at the end of a backline movement, seagulling, looking for a chip of a loose ball to dive on to get him off the nudie run.

And while this is not isolated to rugby league (cough AFL cough), there are documented cases of Lust in rugby league. The reason there aren’t more public cases is because… well, Rugby League players hit harder, especially when they’re enraged. But we won't go there. Don't want to get sued...

Greed is also a rugby league sin. Clint Newton is probably the most classic example of this. Pure class, walking out of a struggling club mid-season, turning his back on all of his “mates”, and sauntering off to play for a club who just happens to be a big chance of a premiership. Another example of this are some centres in the game. The number of times that the centre has died with the ball, despite the winger being unmarked – well, if that’s not greedy I don’t know what is. Whether that’s a case of being desperate to score a try, or simply not being able to throw a pass to save themselves, I don’t know. Perhaps Junior Sau has an excuse after all…

Laziness on a football field is not something that is tolerated. Falling off a tackle through exhaustion is one thing – falling off a tackle through sheer laziness is a whole other matter. Sloth, you might say. The latter will lead to a swift kick in the arse from your teammates. Ironically, that kick in the arse is usually of the boot of the halfback (aptly named the general), who, despite having one of the strongest kicks in the team, rarely has a clean sheet with regards to missed tackles. Second rowers defend next to halves for a reason.

And when that arse kicking is not taken in the spirit it is intended, things go downhill pretty quickly. There are several well noted cases of on-field dummy- (or mouthguard-) spits in our game. Sometimes, words turn to grapples, grapples turn to shoves, and shoves come to blows. It’s usually about there that the TV camera focus in, and people really start to take notice. Clubs are now well aware of this, though, and coach their players to be best mates on the field, and save the verbal sparring for behind closed doors – where they can punch the hell out of each other in the boxing ring, unleash pure wrath, and still call the injuries a “training mishap”.

Although less of an issue (publicly) in professional sports, I guarantee you there a fair percentage of players who look at what their mates have, and feel a little bit of envy. On the street, ugly blokes justify themselves when they see a handsome guy, driving a nice car, with a gorgeous girl on his arm, by reciting one simple sentence. “He probably has a tiny penis”. Why does that justification not work for League players, I hear you ask? Well, let’s just say there’s not a lot of secrecy within the ranks. None of this “individual cubicles in the shower” business, no “wrap yourself in a towel while you change your undies”. It’s just pure, blunt, unfiltered, penis in your face.

And perhaps the worst one of all is that disgusting habit of footballers to walk around like they own the nightlife - all full of pride. Parading around pubs in their V-neck t-shirts, skin tight jeans, half sleeve tattoos and peacock hairstyles, it’s enough to make anyone sick. Sure, it may be great for them while they’re young and still playing footy – the ability to pick up women simply by being there. But what’s their plan once they retire, and can no longer rely on reputation and looks to get women. What then?

It’s just karma I guess.

 

[Monk]

There's the ringer. That's fulltime folks!

 

[Timmah]

For some reason I had it in my head fulltime was midnight - when did it move to 9pm?

EDIT: It's always been 9pm hasn't it?

Bugger, I have a my third guy writing on the assumption it was midnight.

Sorry

 

[Titanic]

02.00 - 21.27 - what the heck, let's just play until mum calls us for dinner? good luck one and all.

Hey Timmah ... I keep getting rejected from Rothfield comments section ... could it be that I constantly refer to him as "this hack" or could it be they just don't recognise talent? Anyway, liked yours a lot.

 

[Monk]

For some reason I had it in my head fulltime was midnight - when did it move to 9pm?

EDIT: It's always been 9pm hasn't it?

Bugger, I have a my third guy writing on the assumption it was midnight.

Sorry

I sent out a PM last thursday to all the captains reminding you all that it was a 9pm fulltime. I'm happy with whatever though. Not too fussed over it.

Also - Top notch articles all round. Impressive effort from everyone!

 

[Non Terminator]

Sorry to say but I will be marking this tomorrow afternoon. Good luck!

 

[Non Terminator]

Australia

Jobdog - 86
This article is a well written outlook on the current state of Newcastle's sporting landscape. A good recount of modern times, with added hope for the future.

Timmah - 86
A rant-based article against points made by everybody's favourite journalist, Sir Phillip Rothfield. Good mention to back up points with facts.


Papua New Guinea

Titanic - 87
Very well documented look on the history of Papua New Guinean Rugby League, added with the excitement for the Legends game. Very well researched.

CobyDelaney - 88
A quirky article, it's always hard to find these sorts of things to edit into a genuine Rugby League article, while not perfected you have definitely nailed it.


Australia 172
Papua New Guinea 175
POTM CobyDelaney

Congratulations all round.

 

[Timmah]

Thanks for marking NT. Frustrated at my own mis-reading... next time will be better!

Congrats Kumuls!