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MINOR SEMI-FINAL (2006) Panthers v Rabbitohs

The Piper

Juniors
Messages
1,372
MINOR SEMI-FINAL
Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs

Venue: The Front Row Forum
ground_tfr_1.jpg

Crowd: TBA Referee: Gorilla

• This is a game thread only, therefore only game-related posts can be made here. Any other posts may result in loss of points and is at the discretion of the referee.

• Both teams are allowed 2 reserves.

• Captains must post their entire team (including reserves) before posting and only those players listed may play this round.

Rules of play: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.asp

Full Time: WEDNESDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER at 9:00PM (SYD TIME)

**Referee Blows Game On!**
 

Pistol

Coach
Messages
10,216
rabbitohs_logo.gif


The Rabbitohs take to the park for this crucial clash with Penrith

sm_souths%202006%20players%20jersey%20-%20home.jpg


donning the jerseys for the game are

Pistol (c)
Clevo
paulquinn49
vippo19
Crusher

rabs
Franko
 

Crusher

Coach
Messages
11,482
Crusher takes the field for the bunnies


bush-thinking.jpg


Journo’s Block

As the F7’s draw to an exciting close I find myself in a quandary. As you are all aware I plan to retire as a sportswriter at the end of the season. As we speak I’m searching the deepest crevices of my brain for the ultimate story and my definitive legacy. The problem is I have drawn a complete blank. Here I am, the most admired Rugby League writer in history, yet I can hardly muster a sentence together. There are a million ideas running through my mind at the moment, though none are meaty enough for the supreme story.


Maybe I should compose a poem dedicated to rugby league. Yes, that’s a great idea! I think I’ll give it a whirl. Now let me just take a quick look through my ‘Cliché’s for Sportswriters’ book to get me started.

The whistle blows with the setting sun
As the game gets underway
Its do or die, holes barred by none
For both teams it’s judgement day

Hold on a minute! This is sounding ridiculous. When did I suddenly become a poet? I can see the headlines now. ‘Sad Journo’s Corny Farewell’. If this is the best I can come up with I should have retired years ago. It sounds plagiarised anyway. There has to be something that will capture the public’s imagination one last time.

By George, I’ve got it!

I’ll write a story about fathers and sons in league. The Gasnier’s will make a good start. I interviewed Mark just last week so I’ll have a quick look through my notes. Now let’s see what Mark says here:

Blah, Blah Blah.
Play as a team.
Give 110%
Not looking beyond next week
There’s no ‘I’ in team.

Holy Mother of Football! This isn’t going to work either. Why doesn’t someone just stamp the word cliché on my forehead!

(takes a sip of scotch as phone rings)

That was my editor. He said I have about half an hour to get my 750 word copy in or I might as well go straight to the retirement village. Come on Journo, think!

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a writing problem. The number of times I’ve had to do match reviews without actually seeing the game would astound you. It was only three weeks ago that I reviewed the Manly versus Bulldogs game in that fashion. There I was driving to Brookie when my car broke down on Warringah Road. I waited about an hour for the NRMA to arrive and by the time they did the game was already underway. Luckily I had my wireless laptop with me so I logged into League Unlimited to get the live scores and commentary. Anyway, the story was published the next morning and there were no complaints.

On another occasion a few years back I was on Origin duties. Before the game I met up with another senior journalist who shall remain nameless. We were supposed to review the game and interview both team captains afterwards. In any case, a couple of hours and a few beers and vodkas later, we were still at the Bat and Ball Hotel. Desperate and story less we hung around to watch the match replay and took notes. We even quoted the captains from the television. Again, the story was published the next morning, and again there were no complaints.

Luckily MediaWatch weren’t ‘watching’ me more closely.

I’m sorry, I digress.

I’m still in a predicament and now I’ve only got 15 minutes before the copy Nazi gives me another blast. I’ll have to dig up something I’ve written before but never had published.

‘Wally’s Last Origin' comes to mind. Maybe I’ll change it to ‘The Anniversary of Wally’s Last Origin', or maybe I’ll just put a hole in my head!


Or here’s another one, ’The Roosters Era’, but hang on, they were good then and it’s too late to add in Ricky’s demise anyway.

The only other thing I wrote that was decent was a story on Hoppa, but that was before his finger became more famous than he did!

Perhaps ‘The Silvertails’. It’s still relevant but on the other hand Arko isn’t.

Where’s my scotch!

Before you ask, I’m not an alcoholic. I just drink too much!

(takes a sip of scotch. More like a scull really! – the light bulb in Journo’s head alights)

I’m a genius!

I'll use these anecdotes, and share them in my ultimate story.

Journo is back!



750 words
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Panthers take the field in this Elimination final to keep their season alive

1. Big Mick c
2. Ozzie
3. Leaguenut
4. [Furrycat]
5. Azkatro

6. Paul-The-Cowboy
7. Pantherz9103
 

LeagueNut

First Grade
Messages
6,972
:crazy: LeagueNut (Panthers) :crazy:


The truth shall set me free

Hey, wanna hear a secret?

Apparently a certain NRL star has a pretty serious drug problem. It’s the hard stuff too, not just the odd joint here and there.

It’s not Mitchell Sargent either. The guy I’m talking about is a bit more high-profile than that. He’s played in a Grand Final within the last eight years, and he’s played for more than one club in that time as well. There’d also be a fair few representative jerseys in his wardrobe.

How do I know this? According to my source, it’s common knowledge with those who are close to the player concerned. She’s an ex of a player connected with the club. Okay, maybe not the most impeccable source, but I’ve got no reason to doubt her.

So should I tell you who it is??










Of course I bloody can’t - although if I was sitting next to you in a pub right now, I’d be telling you exactly who it is. And you’d probably be sitting there saying “Oh yeah, I heard about that a couple of years ago”.

The wonderfully irritating laws surrounding defamation and the Internet have been quite topical in Rugby League circles for a few years now. These very forums have a healthy squad of “protectors” to patrol the perimeter and keep out anything remotely defamatory. I reckon I can live with that – which is lucky, because I don’t really have a choice.

What exactly is defamation anyway?

Defamation is the publication of words or images to a person that damages the reputation of another. A defamatory statement is one that is likely to cause ordinary, reasonable people to think less of the person about whom the words or images are published.

So if I was to loudly announce that Player X, a player of impeccable standing within the game and the community, was actually a post-op Russian transsexual with two husbands and three murder convictions in his homeland then it would be logical to expect that “ordinary reasonable people” may start to think a little less of him.

But what if it was all true?? Would that stop the League Unlimited legal team from bashing me over the head with a rusty spade?

Truth alone is not a defence in all jurisdictions. In some, the defendant must also prove that the publication of a true statement or imputation was made for the 'public benefit' or relates to a matter of 'public interest'.

Hey, now we’re talking! Surely the fact that my mystery star has a serious drug addiction is a matter of public interest? Surely his sponsors would want to know what he’s spending his endorsement money on?

Some statements are so defamatory that they are considered defamation per se; and the plaintiff does not have to prove that the statements harmed his reputation. Examples of defamation per se are … allegations of serious criminal misbehavior.

Whoops, that’s no good. Better keep digging around …

To avoid liability, you don't have to establish the truth of the statement for all time; rather, you should do enough to satisfy yourself that the facts alleged are probably true in your reasonable judgment.

Woohoo!!

Before I go ahead and shout his name from the rooftops, I better check one more thing … what would the consequences be for the good folk at League Unlimited?

If computer service providers were subject to distributor liability, each notification would require a careful yet rapid investigation of the circumstances surrounding the posted information ... and an on-the-spot editorial decision whether to risk liability by allowing the continued publication of that information. Although this might be feasible for the traditional print publisher, the sheer number of postings on interactive computer services would create an impossible burden in the internet context.

Well ladies and gentlemen, that settles it. There don’t seem to be any good reasons for me to keep this information to myself. It’s true, it’s in the public interest, and this website isn’t doing anything wrong by allowing my rantings to be published.

If any bored lawyer decides to sue my pants off, then that’s something I’ll have to live with. The truth may not be a complete defense, but it’ll do me. And most importantly of all, there’s no indication that my claims would lead to any negative action against this site.

But sometimes, of course, it's just not worth the risk.


744 words in the official counter.
Sources for legal information:
www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/dissent/documents/defamation.html
www.urban75.com/Action/libel.html
www.abbottlaw.com/defamation.html
www.adidem.org/articles/DS5.html
www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/defamation.html
 

Clevo

Juniors
Messages
654
Clevo, with a trail of reflex paper behind him takes the field for Souths....

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The Game with Gloss(ary)

You’re listening to Radio 2RL right across Australia. We’ll be joining Peter and Ray’s coverage of today’s Forum 7’s Minor Semi Final between two great teams, Souths and the Panthers. Today’s game is brought to you by Microsoft Word, Benq Computers and Intel, the heart of every personal Computer.

Welcome listeners all across Australia, the players are on the field on a fine sunny day and the vocal crowd have already made their mark with some loud punctuated polysyllabic singing. The ref urges, it looks like [FurryCat], to get off his hands and knees; it looks like he’s patting the ground oxymornically.

Yes Ray, he’s dropped a pun and he’s looking for it amongst the ditransitive verbs.

Can’t start the game without it Pete but it looks like another one has been brought onto the field after Big Mick’s preposition. The crowd will be expecting some hypothetical questions to be answered today and we heard earlier in the week that the ref will be cracking down on the passive voice which has crept into play not allowing progressive pronouns some freedom.

True Ray. Non-defining relative clauses will be looked at closely too and both teams will need to be aware of how metaphors come into the game as the ref will be prepared to throw the dictionary if necessary at any player expressing a zero article. Inappropriate use of uncountable nouns has been a matter of debate all year and more so in the finals.

Looks like it’s about to start folks...

[whistle]

Penrith kicks the pun towards the understatement end of the field. Clevo takes it on the full stop and passes it to Crusher who’s brought down with a euphamistic tackle on the twelfth sentence. Vippo19 at dummy. Clevo carries the pun. Oooooooh, a jolting tautology but the pun is nicely offloaded to Pistol, a missed Inchoative Verb and he’s THROUGH...

You have to watch out for those Verbs Ray...

Pistol... Pistol dummies with a Postmodifier...offloads to paulquinn49. He’s met with Leaguesnut’s progressive aspect and play re-starts two sentences short of a paragraph. Vippo19 darts to the alliteration side of the ruck, to Clevo... CLEVO ducks under a swinging syllable. Lunges forward... flick passes the pun to PISTOL. PISTOL plays a reflexive pronoun and TRY! Ducked right between [Furrycat]’s malapropisms.

Excellent call Ray. A great grammatical set of sentences. We’ve been taught when we’re juniors that verbs are very important and the clever use of dynamic verbs in particular can really make a phrase of play determined on the constructive use of the relative clause to bring those well placed nouns to the fore.

OK. Thanks Pete. I would have thought the malapropism could have been better used in attack rather than on the defensive line. Four-nil Souths way and Pistol lines up the conversion. He kicks, it’s high... long and STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE SPLIT INFINITIVES.

Nice kick Ray and he’s increased his average to 86 percent for the season. Souths have come good at the right end of the year. But they will have to watch out for Leagueut who’s been a champion performer all year as have the whole Panthers side when you look at the stats.

Thanks Pete, the game restarts. This time the Panthers opt for the diachronic end of the field. Crusher for Souths goes for a prose and OHHHH a jolting bit of satire from Leaguenut and the pun comes loose, he pounces on it. Panthers with a quick play the pun. The defence scrambles to an Irregular verb. To Big Mick who creates some space with a semi colon. Some second abstract noun phrase play. To [Furrycat], who juggles the pun and passes an inflection to Azkatro. NO! Great decoy noun run. Ozzie with the pun side steps some lame jargon as he kicks ahead. Leaguenut RUNS THROUGH a fragmented contranym. TRYYYY! The Souths fans are booing.

Yes Ray, there’s a question mark over a possibility of neologism. A tricky one for the ref and it’ll go to the Dictionary. I think it will be OK. Eyes glued to the etymology screen.... TRY!

Pete, I did think it was OK. I didn’t see a neologism used without a concrete noun and I thought that Souths missed a great opportunity to counter contranym with an onomatopoeia.

[Furrycat] lines up from the side line against the blustering prefix blowing across the field. He misses it. The Souths fans cheer as the ref blows FULL TIME!

SOUTHS WIN!

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Word Count: 748 words between the Non-defining relative clauses...ummm I mean lines.

Sources: http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary.html :lol:
 

Master Vippo

Juniors
Messages
1,990
Vippo19 tightens his boots and holsters, straightens his hat and moseys on out for those wascally wabbits.

League’s Bandwidth

I was browsing the Newcastle Knights forums today, as I tend to do when confronted with a large amount of university work to be done in a short space of time. That’s when I entered a sticky thread that I hadn’t paid much attention to before. This thread was called, “Knight’s videos-now taking requests”. I found within this thread there were links to every Knights game from the season and other famous past games (some back as far as 4-5 years ago), links with downloadable versions of the match, which could even be burnt to a DVD. This thread amazed me. As a non-foxtel fan, I had few options when wanting to view Knights games, hope they were on Nine, go to the pub or go the game, if it was at Newcastle. But from now on, I can view any Knights game, anytime I want, anywhere. Vicious arguments can now be solved in minutes. Favorite moments and players can be watched again and again. Player’s performances will never be lost to us now; they will always be there, for all to see.

This new revelation, and astronomical threat to my time, has got me thinking about many other technological advances which have impacted on our game, making it more accessible and viewer friendly. In this day and age there are so many ways to keep updated on how a game, a team and a season are progressing. We have never been as close to the action as we are now, and have never been as intimately close to the players.

Many argue that the Super League war damaged our game in a way that we are only now recovering from. There were however, some undeniable positives that came as our game rose from the ashes. Along with new part-ownership, came a new media outlet-pay television. For a relatively low price, a person can now watch every game throughout a season, without missing a second. With further advances in technology, the game can be paused, rewound, viewed in slow-motion, and saved to watch later-if the multitude of replays available aren’t enough already!

Channel Nine seems to make it their life mission to find new statistics and graphical representations of the game. We have just recently seen the addition of the ‘try-tracker’ which traces the ball movement all over the field and many other camera angles which fail, but are still attempted (XBOX cross-bar cam?).

The internet is for Rugby League as it is for everything else in the world now. It is a huge source of information, ever accessible and occasionally misleading. Through the internet you can access an overwhelming amount of statistics on every aspect of the game-some even relevant. There are far too many to list here, but needless to say, you could almost recreate the game in your head, if you could grasp some of these numbers significance.

Also accessed through the internet are forums, allowing fans (and even players) to mix, argue and discuss the game from many different points of view. Fans come from all sorts of different demographics-differing in age, nationality, team followed and sex, leading to infinitely varied opinions. In the ‘real world’ we tend to mix with people within our own comfort zone, or at least people that share similar views to ourselves. Never in my life have would I have thought of some of the ideas that I have seen floated around on the internet, but it is outside the box thinking like this which makes the game progress. Maybe the games administrators could spend a little more time surfing the net, instead of locked away in out-of-touch boardrooms.

Finally, we come to players and their profiles. The access teams and players give us to their lives, their preparation and the way a team operates has never been greater. Cameras gain access now to dressing rooms, training sessions and even player’s homes. We can no see them team song sung after a match, to share the joy with our heroes, or feel our player’s pain and seclude themselves to the corner of the room. With so many players and coaches now so open about the team, and their own lives, we can intimately know how our teams are traveling, both on and off the field.

In this day and age, Rugby League has never been so accessible. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a 3000 words essay due, so I’m going to re-watch round 1 against the Eels

750 words
 

paulquinn49

Bench
Messages
3,410
PQ for Souths

Ramifications of the Internet

I remember a simpler time, when buying your copy of Big League was your ticket to proving you love the great game of Rugby League. Most weeks it was bought before you walked through the gates and were hassled by boy scouts or people you are 90% sure can’t read.

I even remember going to Canterbury vs. Raiders game at Belmore, we decided to get lunch at the club beforehand. I saw Ricky Stuart and proudly walked over and got him to sign my Big League, which featured his picture. It was my pride and joy for a while, but who was I kidding? It was just a magazine, easily forgotten and a waste of space after a while.

After the bi-annual clean up of my room I was down 1 signed Big League magazine, I wouldn’t realise this for about 2 weeks. The humble magazine had made an enemy.

Years on the Internet forum or discussion board became an integral part of the week, containing team news and had like-minded footy mad fans that loved nothing more than discussing the great game. After a while this too took a turn for the worse, pretty soon these realistic discussions would just be each fan identifying why your club is inferior, because it isn’t the club they follow.

It killed the momentum for me, now it was if I was some kid, locked away in the room to play with the same colour kids. It bothered me to start with, and then I became a hermit within the Raiders boards.

Being a regular in the NRL discussion I felt the Raiders fans copped unfair treatment and were signalled out for a laugh. Then I “had to” post with these guys, people like Raider_69, dang what an annoying guy. Slowly but surely, the peaceful surroundings of the Raiders board became full of repetitive characters, with weak theories, large post counts and aggressive ways.

Not arguing the point, but arguing the point of the point. It contained no substance, no real thought, just moronic “I’m right, you’re wrong” scenarios. People with solutions who offered different points of view slowly got drowned out by the louder, bigger group of kids.

So now as I write, I don’t contribute to any NRL discussions, the Raiders talk is very limited. Within a group of fans supporting the same club you have different factions. You have people with agendas towards certain players, like David Howell, who apparently can’t do anything right and should be dropped in place of… well, I simply don’t know who the Premier League god is this week.

The coach, he was hated, he left, but comeback in 2007 when he is long gone and you will still find threads or topics about the guy. If Canberra performs well he was a crap coach, if they don’t it will be because of how he left the players at the club with no confidence or skills. Either way this new breed of fan, created by the Internet, wins by losing. It is quite bizarre, but it exists in my club’s supporters, and probably yours aswell.


The discussion board I first came across was Rleague, a lot of people know Rleague. Past hence, it may aswell still be shutdown, it’s dead to us all. We moved on to bigger and better sites.

But lets not forget it, for it was a place we look back on fondly in its glory days. We were all pimply-faced kids with a spring in our step, a sparkle in our eyes. Raider_69 is still fighting the good fight by sporting a pimple farm.

Rleague was shutdown due to allegations made by a poster, it was then passed on to the media who threatened with legal action. Even the normal “Average Joe” could bring down an Internet site. Something that was enjoyed by both sexes, people from all over the world and people of all ages could be taken away with 1 ridiculous comment.

Topic: Alan Tongue

PQ: I was out Saturday night and bumped into Alan Tongue. I tried to touch his bowtie when he said “ Be careful this bowtie is really a camera”. Then he started playing a flute.

Poster: I work for WADA, is this true?

The Internet may have improved the accessibility for fans wanting to read about their team, but with the good, comes the bad, the Internet, the fan and the game will never be the same.


747 words
 

Pistol

Coach
Messages
10,216
Pistol makes a final dart at the line for Souths..

A Treasure Lost

“Go, go; you are a counterfeit cowardly knave. Will you mock at an ancient tradition, begun upon an honourable respect, and worn as a memorable trophy of predeceased valour and dare not avouch in your deeds any of your words?”

Shakespeare was a very eloquent writer. The above quotation was taken from a speech from Shakespeare’s play “King Henry V” from Act V, Scene I. It was a speech made by Captain Gower, ably supported by Fluellen, in reference to Pistol’s conduct. (No, it wasn’t me.)

Putting into context the above quotation, let’s examine tradition and more specifically, the old Kangaroo Tour. This is truly one of Rugby League’s lost treasures. It’s like ancient city of Atlantis or maybe the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

For many years, the Kangaroo Tour was the pantheon of the Australian game, something tangible to hold onto and strive for. From the early years since the inception of the game in this country, the cream of the crop rose to the upper echelon and were rewarded with the greatest honour the code can bestow upon its warriors, a green and gold jersey. It was something to behold and hang in the closet when not wearing it with pride.

The early years before the advent of flying and Boeing 747’s, the Kangaroo Tourists boarded an ocean liner in order to make it the other side of the world to take on the Great Britain and Irish Lions. Blokes who played against and with each other week in and week out were given the opportunity to bond with one another. The camaraderie that was forged was second to none. The men became friends. They drank together, roomed together, and enjoyed each others company. The trip itself was long and arduous and susceptible to having vomit hurled over the side of the boat, but that was a small price to pay for representing Australia.

Along came the 747’s and Australian sides were whisked away to the “old dart” with the help of a jet engine. The travel arrangements may have changed but the principle and the ideals behind the tour didn’t. The touring party still played the club sides like Wigan, St Helens, Workington Town and Huddersfield just to name a few. But more than that, they still roomed together, drank together, had the occasional belching contest and even discussed the esoteric subject of gas expulsion.

Playing football almost seemed secondary to the friendships built on the tour. Even players who were dubbed “Emus”, which means players who didn’t get to play tests on the tour, were happy to be called a “Kangaroo Tourist”. The honour of representing Australia wasn’t just on the field; it was off it as well.

1994 marked the death of the Kangaroo tour. It was the last time an Australian side would venture out on the old fashioned tour of England and France. It was made more memorable with Rod Wishart scoring a huge amount of points on the tour and for Brad Clyde being taken out with a well directed haymaker from Wigan and Great Britain half, Shaun Edwards.

Two words come to mind to describe the death of the Kangaroo Tour. Super League. One of the deadliest infections to ever penetrate the skin of the great game. Rupert Murdoch administered a dose that wreaked havoc through the body of Rugby League. Killed off was tradition and morality. The infection brought inflated player values and television ratings became the prime concern.

More television revenue brought more club games. More club games meant that there had to be a trade off. The trade off was international football, in particular the Kangaroo Tour. The general consensus was that after a long season, including Origin games, players were concerned with burnout. They felt playing a Kangaroo Tour would really make the “burnout” factor worse.

With Murdoch’s spit in the face of the tradition, a tradition which was built over a large portion of the 20th century, meant that players who ply their trade with distinction each time they put on their jersey were denied the chance to be called a “Kangaroo Tourist”.

For the younger generation, it meant that a little piece of history to call their own was taken away from them. Remembering my youth, I was disappointed for my friends who had dreams of making it to the big time. Their right to be one day called a “Kangaroo” was taken away. Hopefully one day, it will return.

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748 words including the title
 

Azkatro

First Grade
Messages
6,905
panthers.gif

Azkatro for the Panthers.

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Sydney's grip slip

Plenty of Sydney’s diehard rugby league supporters are feeling a bit nervous leading into this weekend’s preliminary finals matches.

The feeling is that, with two Sydney-based teams remaining, the locals are sticking true to tradition and dreaming of a mighty match-up between the Dragons and the Bulldogs.

The outsiders are one-capital-city teams, namely Brisbane and Melbourne. Form and talent-wise, it’s hard to pick any one outstanding team. The Dragons have acquired marginal favouritism, but they have always been a favourite of the punters.

We’ve become used to seeing outside teams succeeding in the NRL, but the prospect of a grand final with no Sydney teams involved is one that seems to be scaring the bejeezus out of traditionalists who still think the likes of Newtown and the Bears should be put back in the NRL.

They might like to drown their sorrows with an unlikely ally in their Melbourne cousins, who are still coming to terms with another grand final being contested by sides outside of their beloved Victoria. It was in 2004 that their worst fear was first realised as Port Adelaide trumped Brisbane in the decider. And with the preliminary finals still to be played in 2006, they’ve been preparing themselves for yet another entirely interstate grand final.

It’s a funny old situation when you take a step back and look at things from afar. In fact you could just about liken the intrigue with an episode of Neighbours.

Sydney has always had “its” rugby league and Melbourne has always had “its” Aussie rules. When money eventually got involved however, the rich cousins from interstate bought a house in the neighbourhood. The impoverished family that had always lived there had to either ship out or move in with other semi-poor family up the road. Sometimes there were messy divorces, but some grew comfortable with the new arrangements and continued about their business – even if they did have to stay in the corner and be quiet most of the time.

The old families in the neighbourhood aren’t happy about the “new kids on the block” taking centre stage, so they’re starting to look at what’s going on with the family that used to live there but moved across town. And the new neighbours are upset because they feel like they’re not getting the treatment they deserve.

Oh the drama of it all!

The reality of the situation, however, is that if Melbourne and Brisbane aren’t the two teams to make it through the grand final, the Sydney faithful will breathe a huge sigh of a relief.

But the AFL competition is testament that it is only a matter of time before two interstate teams arrive in Sydney in October to play in the biggest club game of the year. It is an absolute certainty.

What’s not so clear is how Sydney will handle the rejection.
The limited evidence we can go on may suggest that if the NRL is serious about making rugby league a sport that everybody in Australia can support and enjoy, they will have to go through a bitter and messy divorce with the Sydney faithful.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a great majority of rugby league fans who are exactly that – rugby league fans. But the gradual nationalisation of the game will leave the NSWRL fans licking their wounds as they try to recover their bruised and battered egos. It will no doubt take some time but eventually they will see that there still is – and always will be – quality competitive football being played in Sydney and surrounding districts, complete with all their favourite teams. The NSWRL Premier League will, over time, become more relevant to Sydney’s lovers of tribal, suburban rugby league derbies.

And as they do, rugby league fans will gradually grow in numbers across the land. And ultimately we all want what’s best for the game, don’t we?

I will finish this off with a message to the diehard supporters who are clinging onto tradition like Tarzan to a greasy vine.

If the Bulldogs and Dragons make it through to the grand final this weekend, cherish it. Go to the game if you can, watch every minute of it, and take every opportunity to remember the “good old days” where the gritty forward packs wearing the Red V or blue and whites would collide in epic encounters at the SCG.

Because all-Sydney grand finals will increasingly become few and far between.

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747 words. Liftoff!
 

ozzie

Bench
Messages
4,704
Yeah - they got me a size to fit - no more underwear shows..Ozzie for Panthers - No 13 but in size 23
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE GREATEST DISPUTE EVER OVER A CORNER POST

Last week there was a lot of controversy about a kick in play from a St George player which went close to a 40-20 in a vital part of the game against manly. To my eye it looked like it bounced over the corner post. However, the Video Referee ruled the ball bounced over the line behind the corner post making it a 20 metre tap for manly instead of a scrum in an attacking position.

No on could say what would have happened, maybe St George would have dropped the ball on the first pass and the ball would have gone back to the Manly side. Whatever the decision was it really didn’t have a great effect on the night as St George was too strong form Manly.

Let’s go back to the 1920’s when a player called Joe Busch was involved with probably the most controversial decision with a corner post. Who was Joe Busch you ask.

Joe Busch was discovered by Easts scouts playing barefoot for Harwood Island in the far north coast competition and was advised to go to Sydney and try out with Easts. Busch starred in the trials when he went to Sydney and at 19 had gained a position in the strong Easts side. He had a rapid rise to stardom and after a handful of games in first grade he was selected to play for NSW against Qld.

I have heard some old timers telling me about Joe Busch when I was young and my grandfather kept on about the greatest try scored. Evidently in this game he took the ball from the scrum with the winger in support. He threw so many dummies to the winger he could have opened a baby shop before he crashed over in the corner.

No doubt his speed and elusiveness went a long way to his selection in the Australian side against the Touring English side in the Second and Third Test Match. Busch was then selected to tour England with the 1929-30 Kangaroo tour captained by a Queenslander, Tom Gorman.

The first test at Craven Park Hull was played in front of 20,000 people. Even though the English forwards were dominant they couldn’t match the speed and agility of the Australian backs with Australia winning 31-9. Busch was the most dominant player along with Gorman and Treweeke.

The Second test was played in Leeds on a wet and cold day. The field was heavy and this suited the bigger English forwards who lead their side to a win 9-3. This tied up the series and set up the series to be decided in the third test match.

The game turned into a hard fought affair with neither side dominating. A 0-0 draw looked like it was on the cards until less than 5 minutes to play. A scrum was packed metres out from the English line. Busch collected the ball and flew down the sideline hotly pursued by the defence and was tackled over the try line in the corner. The corner post was knocked out of the ground in the tackle. The ground was then invaded by the crowd but the touch judge was adamant that the try was a no try. Even though the referee was going to award the try he could do nothing but, according to the rules of the day, award a no try.

To say chaos ruled supreme was an understatement. The English insisted that a fourth test match was played to decide the series although no doubt the Australian side’s heart wasn’t into the game and they went down 3-0 in a close match..

As I stated at the start it must be the biggest dispute ever over a corner post decision. The controversy of the decision forced another test match. Never had it happened before and it has never happened again. In this day and age the try decision would have been made by either the Video Referee or the Referee. The decision could have certainly decided the test series one way or the other.

As you now can see the kick in play decision against St George paled into insignificance compared to the incident outlined above.

Joe Busch always believed he scored that try but the history books show it otherwise. I wouldn’t mind a bet he wished they had the technology we have now.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(738 words including heading)
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Big Mick for the Panthers

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Farewell to a Rugby League Legend

This season we have farewelled some of the games hardened professionals. However, one figure that cannot be forgotten is that of Brisbane’s favourite son, Shane Webcke.

As he reaches the end of a sparkling career the absence of the Broncos warhorse prop will leave an irreplaceable hole. Through his on and off-field professionalism Webcke embodied what Rugby League was all about – toughness, determination, courage and playing for your team-mates. His presence will be sorely missed on the football field, but other clubs will be thanking Christ Webcke wont be lining up against them.

As a player there was nothing more Webcke could have achieved. He played 243 first grade matches since making his debut against North Sydney in 1995 and he was an integral member of their premiership-winning teams in 1997, 1998 and 2000. He played 21 State of Origin matches for Queensland and earned 19 Test caps for Australia. In addition to his premiership and representative honours, Webcke has twice won Brisbane's player-of-the-year award and was granted life membership of the club in 2003.

Bob McCarthy is one man who has great respect for Webcke:

“He's been the Rock of Gilbratar for Australia for years,

They've built everything around him. He just keeps carting it up and gets smashed from pillar to post but he just keeps turning up every time.”

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While Webcke’s on-field prowess over 15 years has been extraordinary to watch, even in his swansong year he has managed to push his 31-year-old body past the point of his normal endurance. Webcke has played 22 matches this season, missing only the away trip to Auckland when it was decided not to put his chronic knee through a long flight.

In those matches Webcke averaged 51 minutes of play and according to NRL stats has averaged 115.41 metres and 27 tackles per game, which compares to those of the top NRL props this season Steve Price, Roy Asotasi and Mark O’Meley; not bad for a 31-year-old who can barely move after game day, so bad are his knees.

A common steoreotype amongst the Rugby League fraternity is that prop forwards have the lowest IQ. However, once again Webcke has proven to be beyond the normal footballer and not only is he one of the toughest men to play the game, he's also one of the most articulate and learned.

Arthur Beetson sum’s it up when he stated that:

“I think it’s an insult to call Shane Webcke a prop. He can’t be a prop forward; he is too smart to be a prop forward”

Webcke attributes this to “an extensive reading background that my parents instilled in me and thankfully I have that because it’s allowed me to do a lot of things and that is to speak a little more fluently than I may have and also be a little bit wider read and wider learnt”.

Perhaps one of the most heart-warming stories about Webcke is his relationship with Coach Wayne Bennett. When Webcke first came to the Bronco’s he had recently lost his father and soon this player/coach relationship turned into a family affair. Webcke came to think of Bennett as a father and Bennett took Webcke under his wing as a son.

Noone has more respect for Webcke than his coach and mentor Bennett:

“As a coach I am much poorer, but then so much richer for having been involved with such a man. He has set a standard that might never be matched. That is his legacy.

My definition of a warrior is someone who stands above the rest in every facet and I can't think of anyone who deserves that accolade more.

He has gone past the category of "great player"”

Shane Webcke is only two games away from finishing his career a winner and noone is more deserving. Whether his career ends with a Grand Final victory or not rest assured Webcke will not be lost to the game, and nor should he be.

Webcke has displayed the attitude that all footballers should possess. A rare breed in so much that he doesn’t just play for the money, he plays for the love of the game and when the curtains draw on a magnificent career not only will the Broncos be losing an inspiration, so to will the game of Rugby League.

Shane Webcke - the game will be poorer without you, thank you for enriching our lives and thanks for the memories.

748 words

References:

* http://www.smh.com.au/news/League/Webcke-reluctantly-quits-rep-footy/2005/04/04/1112489413214.html
* http://blogs.smh.com.au/sport/archives/2006/04/final_call_for.html
* http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20280143-5003409,00.html
* http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2006/s1730216.htm
* http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1624394.htm
* http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20280143-5003409,00.html
* http://www.smh.com.au/news/League/Webcke-reluctantly-quits-rep-footy/2005/04/04/1112489413214.html
* http://www.alphamagazine.com.au/archives/2006/05/go_on_get_in_th.php
* http://www.abc.gov.au/news/items/200604/1624394.htm?brisbane
* http://www.broncos.com.au/index.cfm?TopMenuID=266&MenuID=296&NewsID=2965
 

[furrycat]

Coach
Messages
18,827
[furrycat] runs on late for the Panthers :crazy:

Who let the dogs out?

WARNING: To ride the Canterbury Bulldogs Supporter ride, you must ensure that:
1. You do not have a neck or back condition. This ride is similar to a rollercoaster and will be constantly going up and down in sudden changes.
2. You are not afraid of water. Those who are not a part of this ride will shout abuse and slander, which may result in a large amount of spit landing on you.
3. You do not suffer from any heart or psychiatric disorders. Some events of this ride may result in you having a heart attack or having the urge to plant a bomb in David Gallop’s breakfast cereal.
4. You have the courage to continue supporting the club through the good times, and the bad
5. You are not ashamed to say “I support the mighty Bulldogs”.

The young boy looked at the conditions listed, and tried to decide whether or not he still had what it takes to support the team he loved. He stood there perplexed; he was unsure if he satisfied these new conditions,
“I don’t think I satisfy any of these new conditions! What am I supposed to do now?!”
He sat down on the bench outside the ride and put his head in his hands. He tried to drone out his thoughts by turning the volume up on his iPod as loud as possible, but it wasn’t helping at all. He felt like he was hanging in limbo. The boy lifted his head as he felt someone sit on the chair next to him. It was an old man wearing a newspaper shirt, a tie made out of a fish and some string, shoes made out of an old number plate and a top hat. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few months, and smelt like he hadn’t showered for twice that time. Nevertheless, the boy felt calmer as the man sat next to him and smiled.

“What’s wrong young lad? You look very depressed” asked the man. The boy shrugged his shoulders and sighed. The man became concerned.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” queried the man. The boy nodded his head, trying to hold in his overwhelming emotions as he calmly explained his situation.

"So you're unsure if you are able to ride anymore?” asked the man. The boy nodded and put his head back in his hands. The man patted the boys back in comfort.

"There is no doubt you have to be courageous to support the Bulldogs. But how long have you supported them" asked the man.

"Ever since I can remember" replied the boy, "I've supported them my entire life"

The man began to smile again.
“What did you do and how did you feel in 2002?” asked the man. The boy looked up and instantly knew what the man was talking about. The elation of being on top of the table, having the most wins in a row, and seeing his team perform to the best of their ability. However, the memory that will stick with him forever was the club’s instant dismissal from the finals after an extraordinary salary cap breach. One minute he was feeling on top of the world, and all of a sudden he felt lower than his club’s new position on the table. All of a sudden the boy realised something; he satisfied the first three conditions. All of a sudden he felt more optimistic, but knew he was still a long way from being able to ride. The man sat there, pondering, before reluctantly turning to the boy.
“Sorry mate, but you’re obviously not good enough. You don’t even know if you are a supporter or not, you aren’t even wearing a jersey. Go and ride the Roosters one, all you need to have there is an oversized ego” said the man, as he giggled. The boy became infuriated and stood up. He put his face so close to the man’s that he could see the sweat beading on the man’s wrinkled skin.

“I’ve stood by this club through rape allegations and salary cap scandals. I’m not wearing my jersey because I felt like I wasn’t good enough for it!” shouted the boy. The man stood up, smiled, hugged the boy, and pointed to the ride,
“Your chariot awaits”
The boy realised what the man had done, and smiled. He walked onto the ride with pride.
“Hey… where did my iPod go?"

750 words.
 

Pistol

Coach
Messages
10,216
Thanks Timekeeper

Well Big fella, its 5 v 5

Good luck to all and sundry

Well done again on a top notch effort Souths
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Could I please get permission to add my name to my post.

As my internet connection is absolute sh*te...I was rushing to get the article in on time and have just realised my name was not above my article.

I have asked Pistol if this would be ok and he has stated that its fine. Would I please get the blessing of the management to do this.
 
G

gorilla

Guest
Mick, OK by me - if there's a problem with management, that's seperate.

I have a copy of the posts as of now for marking later.

Your negligence in naming has been fixed on my mark-up sheets so for me it doesn't matter.
 

Big Mick

Referee
Messages
26,239
Cheers mate.

I just don't wanna lose marks that may cost a team a spot in the next game.

I've cleared it with you and Pistol now. I just wanted to be upfront with it and make sure it was sweet first.
 

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