Round 1 (2007) Knights v Panthers

[Willow]

Round 1 (2007)
Newcastle Knights v Penrith Panthers

Game Thread:
Please note - This is a game thread only, therefore only game posts can be made here (Teams, Articles).
Any other posts may 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.
Rules: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.asp
Home team allowed one extra reserve player.

KICK OFF - Game Commences: Sunday 25 March 2007
FULL TIME: Wednesday 4 April 2007 at 9pm (Syd time)
REFEREE: Willow

Venue: Energy Australia Stadium

**The Referee Blows Game On!**

 

[Big Mick]

Penrith team takes the field for the first match of the season:

1) Madunit
2) LeagueNut
3) Waken
4) FurryCat
5) Azkatro

6) Glockers
7) Big Mick

 

[madunit]

madunit is back for the chocolate soldiers!

Race To 1000

It is quite easy to overlook the achievements of teams who you don’t support. I say this in reference to one of the biggest feats for a club in the history of the game.

Cracking 1000 wins.

I have compiled a brief list of some of the milestones The Roosters have made en-route to 1000.

1st – The very first game, on April 20, 1908, a 32-16 win against Newtown.

2nd – My favourite. Easts 13-12 victory over Souths handed the Red and Greens their first ever loss.

35th – An 11-8 victory over Glebe in the Challenge Final of 1911 gave Easts their first ever Premiership.

100th – Easts accounted for Annandale 27-12 on June 14, 1919. Easts scored their 100th win in 156 games.

113th – The last game Annandale ever played. Easts won 15-0, leaving Annandale with just one win in their last 42 games.

200th – Easts defeated Norths 16-12 on June 27, 1931. Their last 100 wins came in 168 games.

239th – The first time Easts scored more than 60 points in a game. Easts won 61-5 against University on May 11, 1935. On the same day, St.George scored the most points and biggest win in a Premiership game, annihilating debutants Canterbury 91-6.

240th – The highest score and biggest win by Easts in a Premiership match. Just one week after setting a new club record for biggest win and highest score, Easts walloped the whipping boy of the previous week, Canterbury, by 87-7. Canterbury still hold the record for most points conceded in a week, with 178.

241st – Easts 57-9 win against Norths made them the only team in Premiership history to score over 200 points in 3 consecutive games. Easts scored 205 points.

242nd – Easts 15-2 victory over Balmain on June 29, 1935, was the beginning of the longest streak without defeat in the Premiership.

247th – Easts 65-10 win over Canterbury gave Easts the record of being the only team to score over 150 points against one team in a single premiership season. They scored 152 points against Canterbury in 2 games in 1935.

251st – Easts 15-10 victory over Wests in the Semi Final of 1935 saw them become the first club to score 600 points in a season. By seasons end Easts also were the only club to score over 100 tries in a season. Their record of 131 tries in a regular season stood until 2001 when surpassed by Newcastle (134) and Parramatta (142), who both played 10 games more than Easts did!

272nd – Easts 28-8 win against St.George on April 23, 1938 was the last win of their 35 match long streak without defeat. They had 30 wins and 5 draws.

300th – Easts 16-7 win over Norths on May 3, 1941. Their last 100 wins came in 146 games.

337th – The 22-18 victory over Balmain in the 1945 Final was the end of a great era, and unfortunately signalled the start of a forgettable one. Easts would make the finals just twice between 1946 and 1966.

400th – Easts beat minnows Parramatta 41-5 on June 18, 1955. Their last 100 wins took 242 games.

500th – Easts beat Cronulla 29-19 on April 20, 1969. Their last 100 wins took 261 games.

512th – Easts beat Canterbury 18-16 on May 24, 1970 in the 1000th match for the Roosters.

600th – Easts 28-13 win against Manly in the Preliminary Final, on September 13, 1975. Their last 100 wins came in 158 games.

601st – Easts 38-0 demolition of St.George in the infamous 1975 Grand Final gave the Roosters their first Premiership title since 1945.

700th – Easts 12-10 win in the Minor Semi-Final against Norths on September 11, 1982. Their last 100 wins came in 170 games.

800th – Easts won 18-9 against Souths on April 9, 1993. Their last 100 wins coming in 242 games.

832nd – Easts 62-0 thrashing of Souths on April 25, 1996, was the first time the Roosters scored more than 60 points in a game since 1935. It was also Souths’ worst defeat in their Premiership history.

900th – The Roosters beat the Northern Eagles 22-20 on June 3, 2000. Their last 100 wins coming in 181 games.

908th – Sydney City beat Newcastle 26-20 to qualify for the 2000 Premiership decider. Their first grand final appearance in 20 years.

940th – The Roosters beat Auckland 30-8 in the 2002 Grand Final to win their first premiership in 27 years.

999th – Roosters beat Penrith 40-20 on August 12, 2006.

We await number 1000…..

741 words, including title.


Sources:
Rugby League 1995 by David Middleton
Rugby League 1997 by David Middleton
Rugby League 2001 by David Middleton
Official Rugby League Annual 2005 by David Middleton
Official Rugby League Annual 2006 by David Middleton

 

[Misanthrope]

It's something of a skeleton squad for the Knights who are lead onto the field by CWBush, but they look no less determined.

1: CWBush (c)
2: MrCharisma
3: brandell
4: mackdadday
5: Red and Blue Knight

6: PrideKnight
7: Parki
8: Downie (In the process of registering, so I'm hoping that name 'aint taken :lol

 

[The Piper]

Waken debuts for the Panthers, wearing the brown and white

The History of Rivalry

From the animal kingdom, where potential male mates challenge one another, sometimes to the death for the female partner, to the two Chinese takeaway shops that are located across the road from each other; there are forms of rivalry in all areas of the world.

Rivalry began back in the Stone Age, where the cavemen would battle it out to see who is the strongest, fastest and most dominate. Known today as Natural Selection, that man would be the one to partner with the cavewoman and reproduce, carrying on the lifeline of the dominate species. The other man’s bloodline would die out. This sparked the first real rivalry of the human race.

Thousands of years later, today not much as changed. We now have the National Rugby League. Still the strongest, fasted and most dominate survive; until September, anyway. Not much as changed in the rivalry front either.

There are local derby rivalries. There are no love loss rivalries between players and there are even the rivalries between codes, which is the best sport?

So what ignites a rivalry to begin with? Do we need rivalry? Is a strong rivalry good for you?

A rivalry can be deep. I’ll take a line from the Rocky franchise and Wests Tigers theme song “Eye of The Tiger”, which states ‘Rising up through the shadows of our rivals.’ There is a sense that whoever the song is being sung about must stand up to be noticed, after being second best to a counterpart.

A term commonly used is ‘little brother versus big brother’ – the sense that the younger, less experienced member of the family has to prove themselves against the older, wiser family member. Referring back to the Stone Age, the weaker caveman, although not as likely to win the battle of the cave dwellers, he will stand up against the odds and take on the stronger member of the tribe.

The North Queensland Cowboys against the Brisbane Broncos is the perfect rugby league example of this expression. The two teams have been the sole pair of Queensland club sides since 1997 up to 2007. The Cows haven’t been in the comp as long as the Broncos and struggled early on in their campaign. The Broncos have won six premiership titles, including Super League, to the Cowboys nil. In the past four seasons North Queensland have made the finals twice; reaching the Grand Final in 2005 but not going all the way. The team looks set to do so again this year with a great start in the first two rounds. The Broncos have lost the first to games, and in a Round 1 crowd sellout in Queensland’s capital, the little brother Cowboys defeated the big brother Broncos.

Everybody loves to see an underdog win. The team that looks like it can’t win, stand up with all its might and bring down the team which seems indestructible. It’s a favourite rivalry the fans love to witness.

It is territorial, too. The dominate species wants to be in charge of its environment and all that dwell in it. They want to rule the roost. The teams physically close to each other develop this rivalry. Parramatta Eels and Penrith Panthers battle it out to see who the best in the west are. With Kogarah and Cronulla being rather close in location, the Dragon and Sharks supporters hate each other passionately.

Big occasions mount rivalries. After meeting in a Grand Final in 1997, Newcastle and Manly have had a formidable rivalry ever since. Manly want to seek revenge for the close loss in the decider, and the passion and pride of the big one has flowed into each and every clash they have had in that next ten years. With so much on the line, the Knights versus Sea Eagles games are great to see.

In conclusion, it would seem that each of the different types of rivalries in our game spurs on extra effort and desire in all of the players in all of the footy matches between the feuding clubs. The enthusiasm and the want to win in the players that build up inside them when they take on a rival, provides pure entertainment for ninety minutes each time they come head on. Rivalries make for great football, which makes these games the greatest to watch and is one reason that rugby league is the greatest game.

730 words says the Official Word Counter
Go you Panthers!

 

[LeagueNut]

LeagueNut takes a bit too long on the massage table during the warm-up and promptly falls asleep ...

2) LeagueNut (Panthers)

It’s all in the mind

Subconscious association can be a powerful thing. Anything that neatly slips in to your subconscious without you noticing is really quite powerful – that’s probably why advertisers and marketing gurus get all excited when their brands are subliminally planted.

Some associations are good, some are bad, and some are ingrained so deeply that they’ll never change.

With Rugby League most associations are there because of history. Chances are you probably weren’t even alive when the associations were created – it’s just something you know, as if it crept into the womb with you.

But what if you have a bad association? How do you go about changing people’s long-held perceptions?

For a start, let’s take a look at the Rabbitohs. People are excited about their prospects and rightly so – three straight wins so far is an outstanding effort for this club on the rise. But we all know that they’ll need to maintain this effort right through the season and deep into September before people start coming around to the fact that hey, they’re a pretty decent team after all!

Now I’m no Rabbitohs fan, yet I’m still excited about their progress. While I’m getting a bit sick of the non-stop hype and media guff surrounding their rise, I can’t help but smile when David Peachey or Nathan Merritt cross the chalk. I’m no brain surgeon (surprisingly!), but I wonder if this is a side effect of having my subliminal perceptions challenged.

But the Rabbitohs don’t have the toughest task ahead of them. There’s one more team that’s going to have to put in a HUGE effort for probably the next half-a-dozen years before they’re taken seriously in this competition.

The Gold Coast Titans.

Come on, admit it – how many of you think that they’ll be gone within the next five years?

We all know the history of failure that the Gold Coast endured over the years – the Giants, Seagulls and Chargers were all short-lived ventures that weren’t able to survive in the elite competition. Occasionally they’d offer a glimmer of hope or produce the odd star player, but they’d never last.

This time, Michael Searle and his merry band of compatriots have been very vocal in portraying the rosy future of the Titans. But they don’t really have a choice – unbridled optimism is the only way to approach the resurrection of professional Rugby League on the Coast.

Things aren’t looking too bad for the Titans right now. Crowds have been excellent, results have been moderate and their playing strength is yet to be tested. On the plus side, their merchandise sales would equal the GDP of several European countries. While they’re still in their “honeymoon” phase, support looks to be guaranteed.

Let’s look beyond that though. Let’s leap ahead to after the goodwill tidings have passed, and the weekly grind has kicked in – the inevitable injuries, the struggle for results, and the away games where you’d be lucky to have five fans hidden within the 20,000 crowd that are all cheering for the home team.

And that’s where the powerful associations kick in. Once the Titans lose a few games in a row, the question will start to be asked – how long before they disappear just like the other teams before them?

The first one will probably be slipped in to some column in a Sydney paper, completely unsourced and only used as a space-filler. But the seed would then have been planted ...

It’ll be watered by the odd comment on a Rugby League TV show, said in jest or as a throwaway line before the break. And the seed will continue to grow ...

Then someone will try to deny it. And it won’t matter one iota what they actually say – all that Joe Public will hear is someone trying to defend the performance and existence of a Rugby League team based on the Gold Coast.

Strangely, we’ve all heard that story before. The brain kicks in and reminds us that Rugby League on the Gold Coast is doomed to failure for reasons that we can’t quite understand. Once the public loses interest, the demise is almost imminent.

So forget about the results, the financial figures or the next generation of stars coming through. The biggest challenge for the Gold Coast Titans is to change the perception of the Rugby League public – and that’s a job that will take more effort than I think anyone has bargained on.

Good luck boys – you’re gonna need it.

According to the F7's Word Counter, There are currently 748 words in your article. Go the mighty Panthers!!

 

[Misanthrope]

CWBush pulls up with a torn hamstring and calls to the bench, Downie a bundle of nerves as he prepares to make his Newcastle debut.

 

[Downie]

Downie runs onto Energy Australia Stadium for the first ever time as CWB has pulled a Kevin Nash.

*****

Hello? Customer service speaking?

As important as the on-field results of clubs are, the off-field activities are just as crucial in both introducing new and maintaining existing supporters. Even though a team may be winning premierships, if their fans are treated as second-rate, a lot of them may treat the club the exact same way. The fans are the lifeblood of the rugby league community and every club’s financial success depends on their supporters. Some rugby league fans spend thousands of dollars a year on their club, which is why customer service and treating the fans with the respect they deserve is so important as sporting clubs in general are developing into professional businesses.

However, in a lot of cases, this just isn’t happening. The off-field priority of any club should be their fans, but in recent times, as the sporting world is becoming more corporate, fans are taking a back seat to more ambitious endeavours. Unfortunately, this sees the average fan take a backseat to more political and financial activities, and in some cases even ignored.

To put this story on a personal level, over the past month I have been contacting several sporting organisations in the hope of acquiring work experience, including nearly every rugby league club in Sydney. Most of these went with the typical ‘Sorry, can’t help you there’ approach and they won’t be winning or losing anyone with their customer service. Some of you might say ‘But Downie, this is just one example! How can you judge an entire club’s customer service on this?!’ But it’s small examples just like this that exemplifies how a club interacts with their fans.

Now, onto the more extreme cases. On the substandard side, we have the Parramatta Eels and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. On both occasions, each time I called it was ‘Okay, we’ll call you back later’, even though they hadn’t even requested my phone number! In fact, with Parramatta, I had to grab a random person’s name off their website to actually get through to anyone, and then they said they were already full up! A simple ‘no’ would have done.

And on the good side, we have the Cronulla Sharks, as much as it pains me to say it. The nice lass who answered the phone went out of her way to help me and helped me arrange a meeting with someone. Even though it took me two hours by train to get out there and then two hours back for a simple five minute interview, the guy I talked to was awesome and helped me no end. He basically let me set out all the terms for the work experience, which I will now be attending even if I have to get up at four in the morning just to make it out there.

You may now be asking ‘Okay Downie, what does all this mean?’ Customer service, or how a club treats its fans, is absolutely vital to their success. Fans bleed for their club, and they expect the club to do the same in return. If someone is treated like crap by their club, their e-mails continuously unanswered, or their requests constantly turned down, although their loyalty may not fade (as this is usually to the team, not the staff), they may just decide not to become season members for that year, or may just decide to watch the game from the couch instead. A certain Manly fan has been waiting nearly a month for a response for his request to renew not one but four memberships! I wonder how that makes him feel?

On the topic of memberships, clubs really need to lift their games and start offering more to the fans. At the moment, all you really get is a pack worth about $30 and quicker entry into the ground. No wonder NRL club membership numbers are minute in comparison to those of the AFL. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s daylight robbery. However, I digress. That’s another article for another time.

To conclude, if the club puts in that extra 10% to help out of the average fan, whether it be simply answering all the e-mails they get or promptly returning calls, the fan will take this positive experience and turn it into extra support for the club. It’s really that easy. And it’s about time some clubs realised this and got off their ass and started doing something about it.

*****

According to that word counter of yours, 740 words including title.

 

[Big Mick]

Az seems to be looking a little sluggish after a big tackle....he will be replaced by Glockers for the Panthers.

 

[Misanthrope]

CWBush hasn't even reached the bench when RABK goes down clutching his knee. Sighing, the captain returns to the fray and fights through the pain.

Footymania​

There’s a big crowd on hand at Telstra Stadium for the biggest event on the football calendar. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for NRL Footymania!

Ray Warren and Paul ‘The Fatty’ Vaughtin welcome all of the fans watching at home as we prepare for the single biggest event in professional rugby league history.

“Welcome one and all,” Warren begins in his characteristic drawl, “To NRL Footymania. What a huge card we have for you tonight, ladies and gentlemen. And while you’re all tuning in for the huge main event which will pit the 1959 St. George Dragons taking on the 2001 Parramatta Eels to decide which of the two great sides were in actuality the greatest – there’s an absolutely huge under card as well. Let’s take a look, shall we?”

Main Event: 1959 St. George Dragons vs. 2001 Parramatta Eels
Surely no teams were ever quite as dominant as these two in their respective seasons, and tonight they throw it all on the line in a huge clash to answer the question once and for all!

World Championship Bout: St. Helens Dragons vs. Brisbane Broncos
The World Club Challenge as it may be known, but these two dominant forces from 2006 prepare to do battle once again with international pride on the line. The real prize? The status as the World Champion!

International Assault: St. Helens Dragons vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs
St. Helens find themselves pulling double duty as the most successful club in English Rugby League history prepares to do battle with the most successful club in Australian Rugby League history. Will the Dragons be able to prove that the English league is the stronger? Or will South Sydney do Australia proud in the ultimate showdown?

The Clash of Controversy: 2002 Canterbury Bulldogs vs. 2004 Canterbury Bulldogs
Salary cap cheats vs. off field sexual assault claims – which team will buckle under the pressure? The 2002 Bulldogs side certainly slew all comers before being docked of their points for a salary cap breach, but could they have gone all the way as the 2004 Bulldogs lineup did after its pre-season claims of sexual assault? The question only Bulldogs fans want answered will be answered here!

Underdog Fatal Four Way: 1997 Newcastle Knights vs. 1999 Melbourne Storm vs. 1989 Canberra Raiders vs. 2002 New Zealand Warriors
If there have ever been four greater underdogs going into a Grand Final, I don’t care! These four sides came up against the odds and, in the case of all but one, came up trumps against all the odds. Who can forget Darren Albert’s miraculous try in the dying seconds of the game to give Newcastle a victory over the all conquering Manly Sea Eagles? Melbourne’s controversial penalty try decision over St. George/Illawarra or the against-all-odds fight back that saw Canberra claim the prize against Balmain?

These four underdogs will fight it out under elimination rules to decide who exactly the best side was and who had the most fighting spirit. My bet? An instant classic.

The Battle of Who Could Care Less: Annandale vs. Cumberland
It’s an instant classic as these two also-rans throw down the gauntlet and do battle as only teams that were cut pre 1940 can! Will Annandale be able to improve on their one win in their sole season? Or will the might of Cumberland ride high in a battle that will, perhaps, convince fans that rugby union isn’t so bad after all.

The Biggest Loser: Cronulla Sharks vs. North Sydney Bears
No two sides have provided fans with more heart-break than these two ‘mighty’ clubs. While Cronulla may well be the most disappointing club in professional sporting history with their forty one years of failure – one must spare a thought for the Bears, a side who hasn’t given fans something to cheer for since the heady days of 1922. To cap it all off, the Bears managed to get themselves kicked out of the comp and now fight in the Indy leagues of the Premier League. Well, tonight we find the answer once and for all. Can Cronulla finally win on the big stage?

“Yes, sir. We’ve got an absolutely fantastic card for you tonight, but there’s so many dream matches we couldn’t include. For that, we ask for those of you at home to write in and give us your dream matches. Which teams would you love to see do battle? The results will be made known at NRL By Request next month!”

WORD COUNT: 733 words including title

 

[Misanthrope]

I'm posting this edited article on behalf of mackdadday, who may not be able to get online in time to post tonight. I've already cleared this with Big Mick. Could a referee/moderator delete the original post?

With a roar, mackdadday throws himself into the line, looking to make an impact on debut.

Alive & Well

North Sydney is alive and well.

Yes, we may be the offspring of the evil Rabbitohs and we have thus far been beaten quite well this season, but we’re still very much alive. As a Norths fan defeat is not a shock. After eighty five years without a first grade premiership even a scrum win is something to get up and wave your flag about.

Being demoted to the Premier League is nothing to be disappointed about, either. We were one of the most dominant Premier League sides of the nineties - winning a handful of premierships when grand final day was still a Sunday morning affair. We don\'t need the promotion and hubbub of the distasteful life in first grade. We are quite happy to thumb our nose and stand for what’s right in the real man’s competition. It also allows us to try and wrestle out our demons with the Newtown crap monkeys who robbed of us our last chance of grand final so many years ago.

Being honourable is a rare thing in this day and age and the Bears give us the heroes we so desperately need in rugby league. It seems that first grade these days is a hot bed of sexual harassment, thievery, and extortion. It’s depressing and heartbreaking. North Sydney themselves got so fed up with this abominable behaviour that they headed into a new relationship with the newest (at the time) of the NRL teams in the form of the Melbourne Storm. This partnership would last just a year with the Melbourne Storm showing that they are a true NRL team as they scammed and cheated their way to a grand final on the back of Norths’ talent, sweat and tears. Norths reward? A bloody "No thanks, we're not interested anymore".

So back we trekked to North Sydney Oval with its majestic atmosphere of sausage sandwiches, the big tree, and the marching band that enthralled us all. A symbol of virtue and all that was good in the world. But now we see ourselves in the den of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A team run as a hobby by notorious ruffian and Hollywood elitist Russell "Come 'ere so I can punch ya face" Crowe. Between him and Holmes a Cort the Rabbitohs finally have the bottomless pockets required to buy success.

North Sydney’s general? The honourable Greg Florimo: a former North Sydney great. He is a humanist, beloved father, and man who would no doubt throw himself in front of a car if he thought it would motivate our beloved team to mark up in defence. Are we headed for disaster again?

One can’t help but be suspicious when faced with anyone involved in today’s modern day game. Players like Sonny Bill Williams, Andrew Johns, Steve Turner and Eric Grothe Jr. typify today’s players. Soulless, foul-mouthed bastards who would sell their jersey for a handful of pretty marbles.

Not Norths!

We might not make any line breaks or lay on the big hits but we sure as hell don’t bow down to such rabble rousing and skullduggery. However with South Sydney’s deep pockets and the closeness of the SFS to North Sydney Oval it won’t be long before Norths sees an injection of South Sydney playing blood into our veins. Joe Williams running on as halfback, John Sutton warming our bench, and Paul Mellor stinking up our toilets. Sure our chances of winning a few games will sky rocket but who wants to win really? Look at the Roosters, a dominant weapon of a team a few years ago and now they are the soulless wrecks not unlike Geoffrey Rush’s crew of the dead in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. The Bulldogs are falling to pieces as they rush to try and find new ways to disgrace this once great competition and Willie Mason pushes for more cash in the player’s pockets. Poor, poor rugby league players need a new gold doorbell for their mansion, after all.

So yes my friends, the North Sydney Bears are alive and well. But we must be wary! The devil is knocking at the door with its seven plagues. Greg Florimo remains our fearless leader and North Sydney Oval remains a bastion of sanity in these dark times. We'll continue to cheer for our scrum wins and our moral victories. Enjoy your team’s tar pit of lies and fraud, I'll enjoy my Bears.

 

[MrCharisma]

It's not until late in the game where MrCharisma gets his hands on the ball for the Newcastle Knights, but it looks like he is about to make up for missed time.

---------------------------------------------------
What The?!

Since the last time MrCharisma had played the ball for the Newcastle Knights, I was living in the steal city of Newcastle. Since then lots of things have changed, Michael Hagan does not coaches the Knights anymore and like Hagan, I too have moved on and funnily enough now work in Parramatta too. Before you ask, no I was not recruited along side Todd Lowrie.

Despite my disinterest in long distance journeys, I am living in Marrickville, a solid 45 min train ride from my work. I have Aussie Stadium not too far north of my place, Kogerah down south and Belmore (Rest In Peace) west. Yes sir, I am close to my Rugby League. A little too close and I was totally oblivious!

The other week I needed something from K-Mart and I tell my flatmate I’m out to Centro Bankstown to retrieve my item, when I receive a shocking response “why don’t you go to Marrickville Metro”. There is not a bloody K-Mart down the road; it is just full of Vietnamese butchers, Greek Yeros shops and two hair dressers for every block. WRONG. What I thought was Marrickville Metro was just the main street and what Marrickville Metro was, was a freaking huge complex not far from my place. When did they plonk this thing here and more importantly, how did I miss it? I have been living here for 6 months.

Last weekend I was mulling around the house with my Rooster supporting girlfriend trying to figure out what to do when my wise flatmate once again opens his mouth. “Why don’t you go watch the Jets, it is only down the road” said Dave. Well I knew they were playing the Panthers thanks to the Glebe newspaper but they are the feeder club to the Roosters, I did not want to trek out to Aussie stadium. Turns out it was closer then I expected, actually 15 minutes walk away. Half way there I realised I was not far from where I play poker on a Thursday night. Geez it was close and sure enough I was at Henson Park.

Who build this stadium while I was sleeping!

My girlfriend father is a die hard South Sydney fan, not so much this new breed but rather the old school with Sattler and all the other names I do not remember because they didn’t play for Canterbury. He refuses to go to Telstra because you are so far away from the game which I never understood. Where I sit is close enough to the action, I don’t miss anything. As soon as I got to Henson Park I understood what he was talking about and I quickly whipped out my phone to text message CWBush with “Henson Park is god, you feel like you are the game” and it was true.

Watching Newtown get belted by the Panthers definitely was not my focus point during the match. I laid on the grass in appreciation of both Rugby League and the Newtown supporters. Their club has been missing from top grade for sometime yet here they were, 8,723 strong in attendance cheering the once mighty Jets. As the team marched out and they played their up beat team song my musically focused brain noticed something, Australian punk band Frenzal Romb were playing it, well at least lead singer Jay. How does this kind of thing slip me?

I am not a Roosters or a Jets fan but I purchased a stubbie holder for the way home and pencilled in the dates they play at Henson Park. If I can help Rugby League why not attend. Maybe some day the Jets will have their own team fully supported without the aid of an NRL team. It was the fans who got the South Sydney Rabbitohs back into top grade and I can not see why Newtown or the North Sydney Bears couldn’t do the same.

On my mantle piece at home is my framed Hazem El Masri signed memorabilia and on either side I have place my flatmates North Sydney Bears flags. He always speaks of how he often goes to North Sydney Oval to watch the boys and how Greg Florimo personally greets everyone at the gate. They may not be my team but it is definitely something which is high on my priority list and it are these kinds of actions which make Rugby League so great.
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Word Count 742 by the F7's Official Word Counter

 

[brandell]

Assault League…

Before reading on please view this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqkGfinCFs0

Take off his head! He can’t run without a head - Some drunken yobo

If one were to ask any avid league fan who would be first on their list of a dream team and players like Lockyer, Johns, Buderus, Marshall, El Masri might be some of the heavyweights thrown around. Though these players are no doubt some of the best of all time there is one thing these men do not pack when they kit up to leave for a game: A sledgehammer.

Imagine the impact this guy would have on the game not only on players but also on the fans. We all must admit we like seeing the big hit replays well picture this…

Ray “Rabs” Warren : Marshall running up to the line doing a little dipsy doodle HE GOES FOR THE STEP…WHOAH…THE CRAZY FAT GUY HAS JUST MADE THE TACKLE OF THE CENTURY…HE HAS DISLOCATED HIS HEAD FROM HIS BODY…

Phil Ghould: You're damn right! It was a good tackle and as you can see Marshall goes for the trademark step here and along comes the crazy fat guy with outstretched sledge and BANG he’ll be feeling that one in the morning. If he has any feeling left at all.

The crazy fat guy would not only make the perfect impact on the game but also on the fans with most overweight 9-5’s being able to dream that someday given the right weapon they too could make it in the NRL. The sledge would not only work in defence but could also be menacing in attack…

Andrew “Vossy” Voss : Twenty metres out from the line the ball is thrown to fat guy…AND HE GOES IN SWINGING HE’S OVER THE TWENTY... OVER THE TEN…HE'S THERE!!! WHAT A TRY!!! AND JUST LOOK AT THE PATH OF DESTRUCTION HE HAS LEFT BEHIND HIM!

Matt Johns : That was just wonderful play by the fat guy…He goes to the line with a sledge fend to Galloway, then the backward wood into Farrah! Then to top it all off he puts the knee in Hodgson's big fella and down they all go...

Sure, it would be weird at first but who has to say that he would be the only weapon carrying menace on the park. In fact crazy fat sledge guy could open the door for hundreds of other homicidal superstars. Players like fullback Pistol Pete who never misses a “high” shot, the tackling machine Chainsaw Charlie cutting out the legs from beneath the opposition, sly Stabbing Stephan who gets right to the heart of the opposition defence. Risky Razor Blade Richard would cut the defence to ribbons!

John Hopoate would...

Of course you would have to set rules on which weapons you could use and which ones you could not. Most household items and semi-automatic weapons would be allowed with a cap on how many fire arm wielding warriors your side can have per game. The team sizes would have to increase due to the intense casualty rate that would ensue and the number of players allowed in the game at once would increase to fourteen adding an extra player in the stands on each side sporting a sniper rifle. Extra points would be given to the sniper who takes out his man, with points deducted for civilian casualties.

Of course weapon such as bombs would not be allowed. A suicide bombing would interrupt the ebb and flow of the modern game. Before the beginning of each game each team's change room would be searched for weapons of mass destruction. We'll get George W. involved on that one.

Due to our lower population numbers people would be expected to reproduce children at a faster rate to allow for the low life expectancy of the stars. Children would eventually be brought up from the junior ranks to mix it with the male superstars. Hell you could even introduce the new game in the junior ranks…Just replace real axes with inflatable ones and semi automatics with water pistols…

Just imagine the faces of those piss weak yanks when they see out athletes running at each other with sheer ferocity yielding weapons and we still are not wearing pads…

On the other hand it may not work…

Who’s to say?…

You?

Me?

Baby Jesus?

For shame…
----------------------------

Word Count: 725 including title

 

[[furrycat]]

Furrycat for the Panthers

The wonderful world of Willie Wanker
I don’t know how he does it, but Willie Mason has made a habit of getting into the media. Wait, I retract that comment; I know exactly how he gets in there. It’s not the cab jumping or even the “Don’t blame me for being an idiot, I have ADHD” stance that makes Willie so unbearable at times, it is when he makes such ridiculous and outlandish statements to the world that not only shows his arrogance and lack of functioning brain cells; it shows how he’d be a fantastic candidate for the upcoming presidential election in the USA. To be honest, I’d rather vote for a person whose name is a humorous term for a body part than someone named after a tree (What? You’re saying Bush is a funny word for a body part? What one?)

The coke machine with legs evidently has no cents left in him (cents...sense... get it? Shut up and keep reading). Mason’s latest proclamation that rugby league players should be paid more and the minimal salary should be raised has led critics to believe that Mason is actually just a robot being controlled remotely by Daryl Somers, as no one could possibly be that stupid. Even the Ben Czislowksi’s of the rugby league world are earning more money than the police, teachers and even some doctors. The police are risking their lives every day to protect us and ensure of quality of living remains among the highest in the world, and we have football players earning half a million dollars a year whinging they should get more. I think when Willie cut off his afro; he cut off the part of his brain that says “think before you speak”. Rugby League players undoubtedly have a tough training regime, and the time they devote to what they love is inevitably going to take its toll physically and mentally, but this is certainly no justification to pay them even more than now. I plan to be six feet under before we see the days of NRL players getting paid over twenty million a year like some American football players. It is ludicrous, and ironically cheapens the sport immensely by forcing more advertising and sponsorship down the throats of loyal viewers.

I don’t know what is worse; Willie asking for more money, or threatening to go on strike during representative games. It’s not just disrespectful he is speaking for every other player in the NRL; it’s disgusting that he is so cocky he believes he’d be automatically selected for State of Origin. He is a player that is reportedly on $450,000 to $500,000 a year, and wants to strike. A lesson in history Willie; why have some of the greatest unions gone on strike? What do they try to get out of striking? To improve working conditions, to get better pay and get the entitlements they deserve. Please tell me, oh greatest of all Willies, what is poor about your working conditions, your rate of pay, and what entitlements you aren’t getting? If it was up to me, you’d get fifty bucks a game, a carton of VB and a kick to the testicles. You’re getting more than people who are working 50 hours a week to pay off a car loan and a mortgage, and you’ve got the nerve to act like you’re struggling to make ends meet. A word of advice Willie; the more zeros on your cheque, the more money you’re getting. Are you possibly seeing these zeroes and believe you are getting paid a small amount? I’ll take this reason into account, because no one could be stupid enough to complain about getting almost half a million dollars a year.

Rugby league players are absolutely no different from normal, everyday Australians. It’s about time they stop acting as if they really are superior, shut up, and just do their job. There is nothing more frustrating than reading about rugby league players who are content on whinging about their finances, and talk as if they are actually contributing to making our standard of living better. I’m sure there are plenty of Willies floating around in the wonderful world of the NRL at the moment, but maybe it’s time Willie Wanker takes a seat and stops stealing the limelight from on-field performances. Every time you speak Willie, god kills a kitten... please, think of the kittens.

738 words

 

[Big Mick]

Substitute: Big Mick on for Glockers:

Rugby League - A young man's game?

People say that modern rugby league is too fast paced and a young man’s game. Every season we see new and emerging stars come onto the scene offering hope to their respective clubs that things may be better, but ultimately, despite the influx of glorious rookie talent, without old heads, no team will succeed.

While in many ways today’s era of football is a young man's game, it has many external factors contributing to it. For example, the threat of Super League taking our most experienced players to improve the quality of the English competition. Last season alone we saw many great players including the likes of Matt Sing exit our shores.

The other obvious threat is Rugby Union and while an obvious threat with their unlimited budget they are not targeting our rookie players. Union has taken the approach to poach experienced stars because they are marquee players. Timana Tahu is the latest to convert and while Tahu is a freakish talent, he has still been a fixture in the NRL for 10 seasons now, making him one of the more experienced players in the competition meaning another tremendous loss to our code.

Critics have long suggested always suggest that when an experienced player leaves our shores or converts to Rugby Union, there will be five other juniors ready to step up and take their place. Last season we saw the emergence of two great young players in Greg Inglis and Jarryd Hayne who have proven to be prolific try-scorers in the NRL. Already this season we’ve seen the emergence of more players of this generation in Michael Jennings, Matt Ballin, Israel Falou, William Zillman and Michael Dobson.

While these players have great futures in the game, it must be stated that there is no substitute for experience. When any fan of our game sits down and analyses the great players in the competition today, they speak of Andrew Johns, David Peachey, Darren Lockyer, Jason Smith, Steve Price and Ruban Wiki. These players have been playing first grade for the better part of a decade and have all been part of premiership winning squads, providing invaluable experience for their junior counterparts.

While many say today’s game requires youth you only need to observe the difference a touch of class makes to a team. A fan only needs to appreciate the grace of an Andrew Johns kick or Darren Lockyer run. All these players add another dimension to their team that the new generation can add, but only in time.

An example of the difference experience makes to a side is the emergence of South Sydney as a premiership force this season. Last season South Sydney added Joe Galuvao and David Peachey. This season they have added an abundance of experience in Roy Asotasi, Nigel Vagana, David Kidwell and Dean Widders. While South Sydney were criticised for signing older players, the experiment has proven successful due to the fact that in big games, experience overrides youthful exuberance.

The difference to the South Sydney team this season is not a new attitude, or a new club owner, not even a new coach, it is the influx of experience and a touch of class to their play. One only needs to look at the influence of this experience on the younger players at South Sydney to see how much it has improved them. All of South Sydney’s younger players have improved their games including the likes of John Sutton and Joe Williams. This added experience has made them a force to be reckoned with.

Last season despite a promising start to the year, North Queensland was a dreadful side. While they had the talent, they had lost experienced forward Paul Rauhihi as a figurehead. This season, they took a chance and added the oldest player in the competition in Jason Smith. While Smith may be an “old school” footballer, he has transformed the Cowboys again, showing his influence on the younger and flashier players.

While many say that today’s game is a young and athletic game, you only need to observe how great the older generation are to see our game is losing most of its smarter players. Without this older generation influencing the new, we will not see a continuation of the great talent we’ve been accustomed too. While it may appear to be a young man’s game, Rugby League is for now, safely settled on sturdy, older shoulders.

746 words

 

[Willow]

 

[Big Mick]

please note...my 9:01 edit...was to put the word count in...nothing more.

Good game guys...

5 v 5.

 

[Misanthrope]

No issues with me on the late edit. Best of luck, Mick and the Panthers.

 

[madunit]

is it just me, or is mackdaddy's article in there twice?

 

[LeagueNut]

5 vs 5 - well done everyone!

Good luck to both teams.

Over to you, ref ...