STORM - Players about to hit Point Break

[Scarves]

I went to the Parra v Storm game tonight, as an independant observer invited to a box, no dramas, expecting a great game. Yeah, I got plenty of entertainment, actually really enjoyed the match.

However something I'm seeing when I watch the Storm is concerning me. I saw a bit of it in the Canberra vs Storm match and it looked to be really bubbling over tonight, that along with the heap of many dumb low percentage plays that the Storm were experimenting with.

The Parramatta crowd (all 7000 of them) were absolutely giving it to the Storm players, massive united crowd calls of CHEATS CHEATS (which fans are entitled to do), the fans were also hanging over the fence going bananas at the Melbourne bench, the pointing and berating of one fingered salutes at Bellamy in his glass coaching box. And you could see the Storm players were soaking it in big time. It's affecting them.

I've just got home, started watching the replay and you can hear it in Cameron Smiths voice, "Mate we've got nothing to play for, we can't win anything this year", and that's just it. It is starting to get dangerous. What is going to happen when the Origin Series is finished? How much crazy retaliation are the Storm players going to dish out then?

I've tried to imagine going to work every day knowing I was working for an absolutely wasted year. What my state of mind would be by the half way point... this could get really bad. I'm not sure the NRL are fully aware of the consequences of their decision making.

I reckon the Storm players are beginning to get close to breaking point, and that's my point. Yeah it's all fun playing touch footy at training because the seasons over. But when the players are in the game, in a real grinding arm wrestle and it hits the 50th minute and BANG the reality hits them... this is for nothing. The emotion could get really crazy. Adam Blair and Brett White are big enough and loose enough to cause some real carnage.

It's gripping viewing, I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

 

[sovereign]

Totally agree. It'll get dangerous for teams playing them.

 

[Penance]

Great Post, yeah i was thinking of that the other day, will be interesting

 

[Pete Cash]

Yeah, I brought this up in the Hayne=grub thread.

AT THE MOMENT it is making fascinating viewing because the niggles and attitude is almost like an origin game. It is really intense out there because of the way the storm are playing. Which makes a lot of entertaining games.

As a Raiders supporter I was FUMING with the way Adam Blair played against us but the Raiders lifted especially in defence. It was a really tough in your face type of game with almost a finals atmosphere about it. It was great viewing.

However, as you point out.... things could possibly go too far. They are a bunch of niggly bastards at the best of times and it is in a position where it could get out of hand.

 

[Vic Mackey]

When someones jaw gets broken from a slater or Blair dog act they might finally do something

 

[Dr Crane]

if it produces more games like tonight, let come what may.

haven't enjoyed a game like that, as a neutral fan, in a long time.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

Bellamys us against the world seige mentality tactic is irresponsible & may well backfire.

 

[MacDougall]

These guys get paid big bucks to play this game as professionals. If they are going to be children and ruin it for everyone else despite still getting a salary I would shovel sh*t for, then they should be sat out for another season.

In saying that though, the lower salary players might have a right to be disinterested.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I think it's a bit rich to suggest the Storm are doing silly things, or on the verge of, when the blokes who did the silliest thing tonight has a LOT to play for.

 

[Pete Cash]

These guys get paid big bucks to play this game as professionals. If they are going to be children and ruin it for everyone else despite still getting a salary I would shovel sh*t for, then they should be sat out for another season.

In saying that though, the lower salary players might have a right to be disinterested.

It isn't that they are disinterested it is the fact they can just do *whatever* and not really worry about it. Get a couple of weeks out. Who gives a sh*t they aren't playing for points anyway, get sent off...who cares, get ten in the bin oh well.

They are handling the situation in probably the complete opposite way I would have expected them to. They are somehow playing even more dirty because they just dont give a sh*t. I thought by now they would have settled down and just been going through the motions. It is the fact they are INTERESTED that is the problem.

 

[nqcowboy87]

im suprised cronk didnt get sent off, when hayne headbutted slater, cronk came in and tackled him off slater

 

[Adsy]

When Smith whinged to Archer that they have nothing to play for I wanted so badly for Archer just to go 'Oh really? You may as well have an early shower then' and send him off for being a crying caught out cheat.

 

[Ulysseus]

This was always going to be an issue, the solution of "not playing for points this year" was a bit quick in some respects.
By the same token, telling them who they have to rest each week would have also been a clusterf**k of the highest order.

If they start to play dirty, just call it open season for storm games, then some teams will simply send out some hard bastards they found in a bar brawl who don't even play footy for 80 minutes of pure thuggery against them.

Hell, if Saints were to play them again this year and the club said it was going to do that based on fan donations I would have personally given a brown paper bag containing $10,000 to start paying some pugilists to pretend to be footballers just so those cheating merkins get the hiding they deserve.

 

[mickdo]

Playing for nothing? Really? So they'll be handing their pay packets back and giving up their Origin and Test spots then? What a load of sh*t, the Storm can just get f**ked. It's just one excuse or whinge after another from those scumbags and their equally scummy fans. Just f**k off and die.

 

[morri (cWo)]

cronk looked more like he wanted to hook up than hurt him

 

[slammingsam]

Im worried in a few weeks when Souths play them as we are a big aggresive pack and Blair is known to have the cheap shot in his game.

Its going to erupt soon enough.

 

[Ulysseus]

When Smith whinged to Archer that they have nothing to play for I wanted so badly for Archer just to go 'Oh really? You may as well have an early shower then' and send him off for being a crying caught out cheat.

hahahahahahaha

that would have been comedy gold!

then again it should probably happen pre game just as they are about to kick off

"Cameron, Billy, Greg, Cooper...................... get your f**king arses over here, your all off for being cheating merkins
*points to the sheds

Then Bellamy would go on some shambolic tirade about being in it together or some sh*t and would then STILL dance around, and not offer, an ACTUAL APOLOGY for what they have done.

Honestly, its been 1.5 months and STILL NO f**kING APOLOGY FROM THAT sh*t merkin, JUST LIP SERVICE!

 

[Footy-Fan]

im suprised cronk didnt get sent off, when hayne headbutted slater, cronk came in and tackled him off slater

As a Parra fan, there wasn't anything wrong with that. He was just stopping the fight from escalating.

 

[Ulysseus]

repost

 

[Footy-Fan]

im suprised cronk didnt get sent off, when hayne headbutted slater, cronk came in and tackled him off slater

As a Parra fan, there wasn't anything wrong with that. He was just stopping the fight from escalating.