Round 5 Roosters v Panthers 2010

[The Piper]

Forum 7s - Round 5 2010
OZZIE ROOSTERS v PENRITH PANTHERS

-v-

​

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 articles, not used in previous games, will be marked by referees.

Naming Teams:
* 5v5 (+ 2 reserves for visiting team, 3 reserves for home team)
* No 'TBA' or changing players named
* Captains must stick with original teams named

ALL THE RULES & REGULATIONS: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.php

FULL TIME: Thursday 27th May 2010 at 9pm (Syd time)
REFEREE: The Colonel
Venue: Sydney Football Stadium

**The Referee Blows Game On!**
CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL WORD COUNTER

 

[Big Mick]

Panthers line up to take on the Roosters

1. Madunit
2. Broncoman
3. Piper
4. Big Mick
5. Azkatro

Res:
6. Edabomb
7. Joshie

 

[Non Terminator]

Roosters line-up to face our 'rival' club. Just a congratulations to Lambretta, making his Forum Sevens debut.

Non Terminator (c)
adamkungl (vc)
Cliffhanger
Bubbles
Lambretta

Reserves:
Monk
Fein
NK Arsenal

 

[madunit]

madunit for the Panthers

Player Burnout = Bollocks


International Rugby League has lost its identity. Players today still say that it’s the greatest achievement, but we know they’re lying. The fact they have to keep reiterating this sentiment every year is justifiable proof.

And rightfully so, Origin has been elevated to greater heights over the last 15 years, every year gaining more and more elevation, most of the time unnecessary, while the hype over international football remains non-existent.

Let’s face it; Origin hasn’t been all that great for quite some time, nothing like the way it was played in the first 15 years. Yet the media continues to overhype it to the point that it is now deemed the toughest battle in world rugby league.

It’s time to get International Rugby League back to being the ultimate. We need a return to International tours and increased media interest in the International game.

Now before anyone starts banging on about player burnout, seriously, that’s a tired and excessively pathetic excuse. The first tour to England comprised of 45 games. The third tour, in 1921-22 contained players who served in the Great War, one was even playing with a bullet lodged in his lung.

This was also a time when the players had full time jobs outside of Rugby League, yet still managed to find time to train and play games at all levels. They also participated in tournaments in country NSW every year. They also had pre-season, post-season and mid-season competitions. They went on tours with their state team and sometimes, with their club. The English competition for many decades contained over 40 club games per season, as well as more than one other competition running adjacent to the major league.

What was that about player burnout?

Today’s players are nothing but whinging sooks scared of doing the right thing by the game, the very game that gave them all their riches and fame. Ungrateful bastards the lot of them.

Modern players have medical staff, assistants, managers, hairdressers and minders at their every beck and call. Players are paid more than ever before and have fewer games to play than all their predecessors. Yet still they complain. In comparison they are ten times fitter and stronger and are playing half as many games.

If the players want to get paid more, then maybe they should do more to earn a better wage.

We need to reinstate international tours. A four year cycle of tours which takes the game to more countries, more often, to help strengthen the game internationally.


Year 1

*Australia tours England, Wales, Scotland and France – 3 tests against England, 2 against France and 1 each against Wales and Scotland. At least 10 other tour games should also be played.

*New Zealand tours Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga – 2 tests against Papua New Guinea and 1 each against Fiji and Tonga. At least 5 other tour games.


Year 2

*New Zealand tours England, Wales, Scotland and France – 3 tests against England, 2 against France and 1 each against Wales and Scotland. At least 10 other tour games should also be played.

*Australia tours Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga – 2 tests against Papua New Guinea and 1 each against Fiji and Tonga. At least 5 other tour games.

*England and France to play 4 tests in 2 separate series. 2 tests in France and 2 tests in England.


Year 3

*England tours Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga – 3 tests against Australia and New Zealand, 2 tests against Papua New Guinea and 1 each against Tonga and Fiji. At least 10 other tour games should also be played.


Year 4

*France tours Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga – 3 tests against Australia and New Zealand, 2 tests against Papua New Guinea and 1 each against Tonga and Fiji. At least 10 other tour games should also be played.


Back to Year 1

*Occasionally, tours should include other nations such as Lebanon, America and possibly brief tours by Scotland, Wales, Fiji and Tonga and other nations.

This is the only way to improve the quality of players and competitions in all countries. It will also lead to more sponsors, which will provide the game with more money which can justifiably be spent on the players.

Otherwise, we run the risk of the game being dictated by greedy ungrateful players who care only for their bank balance, not the game.

741 words, including title, in the official word counter

 

[broncoman]

Broncoman
Panthers #2

Building the 17th Team

With the recent Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal still fresh in our minds I thought it would be an interesting exercise to consider putting together a 17th team into the NRL, this ensures that all these players that have been significantly overpaid compared to that of their rivals have a chance to remain in the NRL. Now I don't for one minute believe that the League is in a position to expand immediately and the logistical implications are impossible to overcome at such short notice, this is simply a fun challenge I set myself to come up with a brief model on I might put together a successful team for the 2011 season.

We all know or at least hope that the two most important things to any football club, not just Rugby League but any code in general is on field results and its fans. You don't have to be a genius to know that a successful team on the field will generally draw the crowds in so firstly I will look to attract some quality playing talent. Considering I have given just over $4 million to spend like all other clubs it would be silly not to have a genuine crack at some stars from Melbourne, after a short negotiation process we managed to lure Greg Inglis, Sika Manu and Ryan Hinchcliffe to the club. With Inglis we have a genuine star while Manu an international quality forward and with Hinchcliffe we have a utility forward who gives us options around the ruck. I won't analyse each of the players we sign as that will take forever however I will add that the quality across the park and not just a couple of stars is what I think is important.

After raiding Melbourne I decided to make a quick trip to the Old Dart to see who from England I could entice back for a further few seasons, in what was a successful trip we managed to secured Pat Richards, Michael Vella and Michael Dobson. All players I believe to have unfinished business in the NRL and could make an impact for my side. The next step was to look for a couple of bargain basement buys, perhaps some players in competitions below the NRL that would come for the challenge of first grade final, negotiations went well with a number of players as the signings of Newtown hooker Keith Peters, Norths fullback Luke Capewell and Sharks prop Luke Harlen were secured, solid talent with First grade experience.

The initial signing process was completed when I was given permission to negotiate with a number of talented youngsters, Dragons Toyota Cup halfback Beau Henry was our biggest signing here while Tigers skipper Matt Hyland also agreed to terms. So after an initial search that yielded 11 players we were in the market to have a real crack at some more off contract players. Experience was the key for us and with the likes of Adam Mogg, Troy Thompson, Nathan Smith and Ben Cross coming to the club we were in a position to later look for a couple of star signings.

While I haven't chosen a particular base for this team yet it will be important for the major sponsors to be national brands, more exposure for our sponsors means more benefits for fans. It's also important to get some local companies involved that will support the club on a more community level and be outlets for the fans to associate themselves with. Ultimately with a business plan that can't fail investors will be lining up to get involved with the club and this will mean a stable position financially in the long run. The club will also align themselves with some prominent local charities, any team that is out in the community doing good things will always make themselves known and create a good attitude from the locals.

While creating a football club and team is a long and hard process I believe I have outlined here the three most important things that will see any team anywhere successful. Creating a good on field team is the centrepiece of any project like this, once you have that you'll have people wanting to be involved on all sorts of levels, given the thought that was gone into this club I can't see anything other than good times ahead.
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733 Words including title

 

[Non Terminator]

Lambretta's article, by proxy.
760 words OWC

Superstitious minds

It’s a well known fact in sport that athletes often develop superstitions in order to maintain winning sequences. Stories abound of players and their lucky socks, or refusing to shave or even the team bus being driven a certain route to the ground in the hope that luck will give you that extra edge over the opposition.

If the players themselves take part in these rituals then the supporters undoubtedly do. What we wear, how we watch games or even the people we watch games with. All these things can and do enter the minds of people who link their lives and therefore their personal luck to the sporting teams they love.

However in the modern world there is now an added facet to our ability to link our lives to our favourite teams. A hidden electronic enemy lurking in cyberspace: and judging by my experiences this season, a highly potent influence on the outcomes of games and the fortunes of rugby league players. I am referring of course, to fantasy football teams!

Picking a fantasy football team adds new levels of hysteria to the mind of the superstitious sports fan. If we pick a player from our team will he fail to perform? What if we make him captain? Will this faith affect not only the team we support, but also the team we manage? Then there’s the opposition aspect. If I don’t make a player a captain and the opposition does then that player is bound to have a great game and score lots of fantasy points. It’s a “Pandora’s box” of treachery and pain guaranteed to give me sleepless nights.

A perfect example: Earlier this season I benched Todd Carney in fantasy land, which was great for the Roosters as he had one of the games of his life and the Roosters picked up two competition points. My glee at watching the Roosters win was somewhat dampened when I realised that he had scored 138 fantasy points for my opposition and I was going to lose the match. So, naturally, I select him for my team the following week and the Roosters lose and so do I. Luckily I didn’t pick him as captain as that would have ensured that he was carried off injured as well.

I know, logically speaking that Todd’s performance is down to Todd and to the rest of his team mates, but due to my superstitious mind, I can’t help but think that it’s my involvement that has been the catalyst behind the on field drop in form.

But my power to curse players and therefore the clubs they play for and its supporters isn’t limited to the Roosters. So far this season I have selected Scott Prince, Jonathan Thurston, Jason Cayless, Josh Morris, Ben Hannant, Liam Fulton, Corey Parker, Matt Gillett, Arana Tuamata, Shaun Fensom, Luke O’Donnell & Trent Waterhouse who all got injured within three weeks of me selecting them for my fantasy team. That’s twelve, yes twelve players who either injured themselves or obtained long spells on the sidelines as soon as I slotted them into my fantasy team. Are you seriously going to tell me it is pure coincidence?

It’s getting to the point where I feel I could earn a very good living writing to clubs requesting payment from them if I promise not to select one of their players for my fantasy team. But no doubt such payments would be banned under an ever more stringent salary cap!

It did occur to me last night, that rather than my computer having a virus which scans my emails for passwords, it has a voodoo curse which reads the lists of my fantasy team to see which player to place a curse upon. I checked with the Norton Anti Virus program and I ran a scan on my computer, but apparently they don’t have provisions for Rugby League voodoo related viruses, so I may have to fall back on other solutions to my problem.

Of course the sensible solution in relation to the real world, is to look through the list of players in my fantasy team for people who are representing the team which is due to face the Roosters this week and to select as many as them as possible. So the dilemma I face now is which Tiger to draft into my team? I’ve already made Liam Fulton captain, so now all I have to do is choose between bringing in Robbie Farah or Lote Tuqiri and victory for the Roosters is virtually assured!

 

[Non Terminator]

Non Terminator, here again, for the Roosters.
719 Words OWC

Interstate Football - Circa 2010
May 27, 2010

Interstate Football is returning for the 2010 season and we're preparing to see a clash of heads for this one in what promises to be a very intriguing match-up. Both of the state sides will see some brand new faces thanks to some clever player transfers. Once again, the three Queensland sides will team up against the ten New South Wales sides. Is it another match of quantity up against quality? The question remains, after the long awaited eighty minutes, who will take the prize this year? Here is a quick preview of the match.

Oh, also to let you know, that State Of Origin trial thing will be happening again, after this series. As usual. Should expect to see a decent crowd out at Suncorp for that, where the Queenslanders should once again taste victory.

Anyway, here are the previews.

NEW SOUTH WALES BLUES
Former Queensland great Lote Tuqiri will make his debut for New South Wales in the centres after the injury that Matt Cooper recently suffered. The Blues selectors have decided to name a number of players out of position, most noteably naming Jamie Lyon at five-eighth and Darius Boyd at centre. The other former Queensland player that will be making his first appearance for the Sky Blue will be David Taylor, after his signing with the Rabbitohs. Kurt Gidley has once again been named captain of the side, despite an ordinary start to the position just last year.

1 Kurt GIDLEY (c), 2 Jarryd HAYNE, 3 Darius BOYD, 19 Lote TUQIRI, 5 Brett MORRIS, 6 Jamie LYON, 7 Brett KIMMORLEY, 8 Michael WEYMAN, 9 Michael ENNIS, 10 Petero CIVINOCEVA, 11 Nate MYLES, 12 Luke LEWIS, 13 Anthony WATMOUGH.
Bench: 14 Matt BALLIN, 15 Josh PERRY, 16 Trent WATERHOUSE, 17 David TAYLOR.

QUEENSLAND MAROONS
The motto of Queensland, and the message they have always sent is "quality over quantity". It will be interesting to see if this is true once again. With not many players to choose from (a second Queensland side would expect a 60 point thumping from a second New South Wales side), the Queenslanders have still managed to pull together an amazingly strong seventeen. Former New South Welshmen Willie Mason and Greg Bird have been named to make their debut, whilst the newly found eligibility has seen Joseph Tomane leap into the Queensland starting side. Mind you, the next few years should prove very interesting for the Queenslanders. Melbourne Storm players could be moving to the state of their birth after Salary Cap issues have wrecked the club. This could see some of the great club and Test players finally being eligible for State sides. Rumours are that a South East Queensland are attempting to join the 2012 NRL competition are also proving strong, giving Queenslanders another squad to select players from. Stick around, it's going to prove very interesting. This is the side just named, Darren Lockyer to once again captain the side.

1 Matthew BOWEN, 2 Joseph TOMANE, 3 Matt GILLETT, 4 Willie TONGA, 5 Israel FOLAU, 6 Darren LOCKYER (c), 7 Johnathan THURSTON, 8 Matthew SCOTT, 9 Nathan FRIEND, 10 Willie MASON, 11 Ashley HARRISON, 12 Sam THAIDAY, 13 Luke O'DONNELL.
Bench: 14 Preston CAMPBELL, 15 Luke BAILEY, 16 Corey PARKER, 17 Greg BIRD.

MATCH-UPS
It will be interesting to see how Matt Bowen handles the pressure after recently coming back from a long injury, but once again the battle of the forward packs should prove extremely interesting. Civinoceva and Weyman have both been in great form for their clubs. Watch the Maroons halves to put their usual stamp onto the game.

VERDICT
It should prove a close encounter, but the stability of the Maroons side puts them a touch ahead of the Blues at this point in time. I will be tipping Queensland in an upset victory, but with the way these matches go, you never know how it's going to turn out. The form of the Dragons players should be a boost to the Blues, but the makeshift combinations could be their downfall. Expect also to see the combination of Thurston and Bowen wreck havoc. Maroons 1-12.


INTERSTATE FOOTBALL 2010
When: Sunday 7:30pm
Live: Channel Nine, FOX Sports
Venue: Sydney Football Stadium

Pre-Match Show - 7:00pm
Tickets still on sale

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles on for the Roosters
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A Life in Contrast

At aged twenty the girl huddles, doona bunched over her ears. If she squeezes her eyes tightly she can almost feel clean sheets against her cheek, smell fresh linen and homemade cooking, can hear the voices of her family and a smile teases the corner of her lips. Incessant squealing pierces the girl’s consciousness and she once again finds herself in this home for single mothers. She raises her heavily pregnant body from the bed and stumbles into the hall, rubbing hasty hands across her eyes, just in time to dodge the used hypodermic marking the entrance to her house mate’s room. The baby is the very picture of red-faced distress and the girl casts her eyes to the misshapen bedcovers nearby under which the child’s mother lies in drugged oblivion, paid for by the sale of her body this night. The girl picks up the baby and coos against the wailing infant’s cheek, little comfort to this child born of a poisoned womb.

At aged twenty the boy shrugs into the coveted jersey for the first time, feeling his skin prickle with reverence and anticipation. This was his moment and it seemed to be moving at the speed of light. He tries to separate each precious moment, all the better to remember this night... and then he’s on the field, eyes dazzled by the lights, ears deafened by the roar... Queenslander!

At aged twenty-three the girl is crouched on the floor beside her bed, her finger pressed to pursed lips, arms enveloping her own little girl. Her daughter looks up at her adoringly, cheeks flushing with excitement at this impromptu game of hide and seek. The girl’s heart hammers painfully against her chest as she listens to the insistent rapping against the front door. She can’t remember whether she’s turned off the television and fear twists her bowels; it’s not as if the woman on the other side of the door can’t investigate further, it is her house after all. Red shame infuses the girl’s face as she calculates the money in her purse versus the amount of rent she owes; tears fall and splash upon the floorboards.

At aged twenty-three the boy’s chest swells with pride as his eyes drink in the letter “C” beside his own name. He, like his team mates, like his coach, feel a part of a dynasty in the making, a pioneering attempt to capture the imagination and support of a hostile environment and he is their leader on and off the field; he knows deep in the depths of his being that glory lies ahead.

At aged twenty-six the girl fumbles with the keys to her flat, cold settled deep within the bones of her fingers, every step of the two kilometre walk from the school having been made in icy rain. She looks down at her shivering daughter, noting the anticipation in her big blue eyes. The girl and the child count down in unison from three and as the key turns reluctantly in the lock, mother and daughter burst through the door and race towards their respective rooms. Donned in dry clothing mother and daughter collapse in giggles in front of the two-bar radiator the girl picked up at a garage sale for five bucks. The red glow emanates little warmth as the girl pulls the shivering body of her daughter against her. Through still chattering teeth, the little girl recounts her day’s adventures and while they lie together spooning, each content to be with the other, the girl smiles, savouring the moment; meagre possessions, meagre warmth, this is where love lives.

At aged twenty-six the boy eyes the reporter warily. After events of the last few weeks he masks his emotions, keeping the anger, the frustration at bay; all his team’s achievements, all his own personal glory stripped away in a public blaze of shame. The boy has turned his entire focus to the issues raised in the furore; much better to think about what can be gained from this, rather than what has been lost. Raise the salary cap! More money for the players!

The girl, now forty, re-reads the article, absorbing the boys’ righteous indignation, trying to trigger her natural propensity for empathy. However, try as she might, the girl finds herself incapable of dredging up one iota of sympathy for the plight of the poor, hard-done-by elite players of the National Rugby League. Cry me a river Cam and Co!
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Word Count: 748

 

[The Piper]

The Piper for the Panthers

The Little Stadium That Could

Once upon a time there was an island nation in the southern hemisphere. It was known as Australia. It was a glorious country where people from all over the world made their way to for a beautiful holiday. It was a young nation with warm weather and friendly people. The International Federation of Football Association saw Australia and immediately decided that it would be the perfect country to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament.
The Australian people were excited by this news. The NSW state government thought that a beautiful stadium was needed for ‘the beautiful game’. A stadium that could fit over forty thousand people but who all felt that they were sitting as close to the action as you could get. So, they set to work building the dream venue. It was established in the small western Sydney suburb of Blacktown.

Blacktown Stadium was a bright, shiny arena to watch many sports. People filled it to the brim and it was at maximum capacity at each and every one of the World Cup games it hosted. The whole planet was watching its matches and it seemed to be the greatest sporting stadium the world. Australia held one of the greatest World Cups in the history of the competition.

Nine months later, the hype of Australia’s World Cup had simmered down. Blacktown Stadium still stood proud of what had transpired within its gates. It was just that nowadays, there wasn’t that much happening within the gates, especially not anything that would fill the ground with forty-one thousand people again. There were occasional Sydney Rovers football matches there, when they divided up a home match between Blacktown, Stadium Australia and Parramatta.

The once glowing stadia that captivated the entire population’s heart, Blacktown was now collecting dust and the constantly filled seats were now cobweb ridden. The ground wasn’t capable of holding a cricket match or Australian rules game. It had a football game there once a month. It was a perfect venue to watch either brands of rugby. But there were not enough seats for international rugby games and no rugby league teams needed to use the stadium. All the closest league teams had suitable stadiums and did not want to move any games to Blacktown. Now a “white elephant”, the stadium was very sad indeed.

One day, a man walking through Blacktown looked up and saw the stadium just sitting there, doing nothing. He thought, ‘What a waste. I could do some much with this ground if it was used properly and put in the right place.’

That man was a member of the Independent Commission for the National Rugby League.
With the rugby league as successful as it was in 2022, this man was able to formulate a plan. His plan was to use the bits and pieces that made up the former great stadium and transport it all elsewhere. Seats were taken, big screens were moved and even a monster of an evacuation saw a whole half of a grandstand convoyed twenty minutes east up the Western Motorway.

It took time, patience and money, but the Independent Commission was able to convert Blacktown Stadium into not one, but two stadium upgrades. The nearby rugby league Parramatta and Credit Union Australia stadiums were the benefactors of the leftover parts of Blacktown that converted the already positive playing fields into even greater top class venues. Parramatta Stadium gained seating to up the capacity to forty-one thousand, resembling the stadium that thrived in Blacktown for a month. CUA Stadium transformed into a venue which catered for more than thirty five thousand fans.

Now the once wonderful Blacktown ground lived again, in some form or another. Eels and Panthers supporters packed out the parks week in and week out. League will be played at these stadiums for years to come, not just for a few weeks of a one off tournament. The Western Sydney A-League club shared their home games between the two grounds, filling them up close to the brim. The man from the International Commission stood and smiled at both upgraded parks.

‘If only this had been the original plan when Australia first bid for the World Cup. It could have saved the NRL and government plenty of money in the long run.’

But now the stadiums in the western suburbs were how they should be and the greatest game of all lived happily ever after.

The end.

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745 words says the official counter.

 

[Azkatro]

Azkatro posting for the Panthers.

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Burnout, schmurnout

So here I sit, racking my brain to think of something to write for the Forum 7's. My captain/coach is a bit concerned about his players, myself included, suffering from burnout. I don't think he has too much to worry about. I mean, it's not like creative writing is on the same level as the professionals we often discuss and dissect in our articles, is it?

Or IS IT!?

How would our great rugby league stars cope with the burden of the Forum 7's, I wonder? We've seen numerous players comment and report on the game over the years, although the vast majority will happily admit that their ideas and thoughts were somewhat fleshed out and polished by what's known as a "ghost" writer. As far as newspaper and magazine columns go, rarely do we see a player produce an article that could be considered creative, or overly unique - they are invariably opinion pieces.

Many of the more successful players have also gone on to produce autobiographies, but these are all ghost written too. Not to mention the repetitive, tried and true formula they employ - writing chronologically about the events in their life and career, talking about great players and coaches they were involved with, and a few revelations to spice it up and stimulate sales.

But how would all of this monotony fare the esteemed Forum 7's competition? Surely the referees would soon tire of the same mundane ideas, week in and week out.

In time, as their scores started to inevitably drop due to a lack of creativity and new ideas, the players would be forced to increase their workload. They would engage in more reading time. And not just reading the TV guide, either ... they'd soon be pushing through epic volumes like Tolstoy's War And Peace, twisting their brain around intricate sci-fi like HG Wells' The Time Machine - no stone would be left unturned. Even Shakespeare would get a run, which is often enough to twist most English grammar-parsing brains into knots. All of this reading would be hard work on the average professional rugby league player. The concentration they would be doing day in, day out, when previously it was mere physical training and having a team of people telling them what to do.

How would they cope? Within a few weeks, they would be looking out of the window, trying to think of a new idea, but longing to have a footy in their hands again. Smugly, us veteran Forum 7's writers would look on and tut-tut at the fact that some of us have been doing it consistently for years.

Which is all well and good, but if I'm going to write a half decent article here, I probably owe it to the players I'm denigrating to provide a counterpoint to this hypothetical scenario.

Us Forum 7's writers would alternatively be put through the rigors of a full-time career in the NRL. Everyday blokes trying to get through just one more training session, exhausted and overwhelmed by the sheer pace and intensity of what they were being put through.

The vast majority of us would have been written off within a mere few hours of the first training session.

At the end of the proverbial career-swap, they would all shake hands and accept a newfound appreciation for what the others do. Well, maybe the Forum 7's writers would be just a tiny little bit more impressed than their NRL counterparts, but the idea is the same.

But what would they have learned from all this? Well, let's see ... I could jump to a firm conclusion that suggests player burnout indeed exists and is a real issue. Maybe I could even suggest a shorter NRL season.

Or I could just sit on the fence, and say that it's all relative. Player burnout is a mental issue that's really up to the individual. Some are affected by it more than others, and it should be treated on a case-by-case basis.

But I will do neither of the above. Instead, I will take the unusual step of applauding myself for such a robust response to the concern by my captain/coach that I am at risk of suffering from burnout.

What better way is there to answer any doubts, than to write a self-serving load of tripe trying to convince myself that I'm not suffering from burnout?

If there is a better way, I sure as heck don't know about it.

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747 words. Liftoff!

 

[adamkungl]

adamkungl for the Roosters, 743 words

**********************************************************************
​

Angry Rant


​

Is there anyone in New South Wales who isn’t resigned to a fifth series loss on the trot? Anyone at all? While I wait for that tumbleweed to clear, let’s go through some statistics. Queensland has won the last 4 series’ in a row, each by 2 games to 1. On two occasions (2007 and 2009) the series was decided by game 2. From 2006 to this year NSW has used 5 different five-eighths (Anasta, Gasnier, Bird, Barrett, Campese, Lyon), 6 halfbacks (Finch, Gower, Mullen, Kimmorley, Wallace, Pearce) and countless different combinations of forwards and outside backs. Whether by injury or selection, not a single NSW 6 or 7 has seen out an Origin series in this time. Barring the 2008 series when Lockyer was out injured, QLD have gone with Lockyer and Thurston every time. Most of their forwards and backs have been there for years and will be there for more. Compounding this complete lack of stability is the fact that QLD are going through a phase where most of the world’s greatest players happen to be from the northern state. Is it any surprise NSW are staring down the barrel of yet another loss?


New South Wales fans know that Queensland have the advantage. We know that players like Inglis and Thurston are at the top of their game. But do QLD have us covered 1-17? Not by a long shot. This is what frustrates NSW fans. There are countless NSW sides that could be selected that could contain the Queenslanders. Not everyone will be pleased with a selected side, everyone has their own biases and preferences, but when the selectors manage to pick a side that NOBODY agrees with, it is truly baffling!


Do the esteemed selectors Fulton, McCarthy and Daley, and of course Coach Bellamy, watch the same competition (or even the same sport) as the rest of us? Year after year we see players being picked out of position, class players being dropped for the vaguely in form media-darling-of-the-month, or just confusing selections that make you wonder how four allegedly intelligent Rugby League minds managed to come up with them. The selectors and coaches are incapable of deciding whether to go with young stars or old heads. Young blokes get picked for one game then dropped for players who have previously failed, who then themselves get dropped again. Some notable selection blunders over the last few years (by no means all of them):

- 2006, game 3. With the series in the balance Mark Gasnier, arguably the best centre in the world, is picked at five-eighth. NSW loser 16-14.
- 2007, games 1 and 2. Young halfback Jarrod Mullen is picked after starring in the early part of the season. After a quiet game he is dropped.
- 2008, game 3. Anasta and Pearce are thrown in the deep end for the 2008 decider. Dropped in 2009.
- Young five-eighth is selected for game 1, Terry Campese. He is dropped for game 2.
- 2009, Kurt Gidley is made captain and starting fullback.
- 2009, game 2. Centre Josh Morris is picked on the bench in favour of a second prop.
- 2010, Gidley returns as Captain and fullback after a mediocre at best 2009 series. Jamie Lyon, one of the best centres in the world is selected in the 6 jersey. Jamal Idris, a rookie centre is picked on the bench. Paul Gallen not selected.


In my opinion, giving Kurt Gidley the Captaincy is the worst mistake and will affect us beyond this series. In 2009, Luke Bailey should have been made Captain. Gidley, though a good club player, is simply not up to Origin standard. He has showed this in every game so far, but due to being Captain will not be dropped. It is not a good look to drop the Captain, and thus the selectors have backed themselves into a corner. Gidley will be selected in the starting side regardless of better players in front of him. In game 1 it was NSW’s best fullback, Hayne. Due to heavy criticism, I expect Gidley will be moved to the halves in game 2.
The selectors have had countless chances. The players have been shuffled time and time again, and now it is time for those in charge to be held accountable for once. Does anyone at NSW HQ have the balls to sack the likes of Fulton? Doubt it.


Go NSW in game 2 – here’s hoping for a miracle.

*************************************************************************

 

[Big Mick]

Big Mick takes a hit up for the Panthers

State of Origin – The NRL’s biggest Hurdle

​

State of Origin is widely regarded as the pinnacle of a player’s career. It is the toughest and most physical game any player will play. Origin is warfare, started and embraced as mate against mate, state against state. For 30 years we have been entertained with exciting finishes, big hits and all in brawls that trademarked Origin as the game’s benchmark. But in this day and age where TV rights and focus on a National product is inherently paramount, is the concept of State of Origin holding the game back from its potential?

An Origin game is famous for its physicality, its toughness and most of all its intensity. In 1980 when Origin was first played, Australian born players were the best and most skilful players in the game. The ARL was also not seen as a National competition with League played exclusively in NSW and QLD. Therefore it made sense to create such a showcase. And since that point, Origin as that showcase has thrived.

In today’s era, however, we now have a World Champion New Zealand International team as well as a successful franchise in Melbourne achieving significant and consistent growth in a tough Melbourne market. The fabric and inherent identity of the NRL has evolved.

While Origin is still one of the most highly viewed sporting spectacles in Australia, one has to question whether a game solely focussed on two states should be regarded as the pinnacle? We only need to watch players such as Benji Marshall, Sam Burgess, Gareth Ellis and formally Sonny Bill Williams to know that in today’s game, the fans are being robbed of watching the best players in the game ALL not playing in the game’s showcase.

Taking on a business perspective, if the NRL are excluding half of the potential market out of the games showcase, then are we not limiting the game’s potential revenue? Nationally, the game was viewed by 2.6million people last night, a fantastic achievement in itself. However, the breakdown dictates that 85% of viewers were from NSW and QLD, while 10% from Melbourne. This highlights how important the Origin concept is by volume, but also how narrowly focussed the game itself has become.

With the salary cap being venomously questioned after the Melbourne Storm scandal, it is definitively agreed that players in the game are being underpaid. This is due to the fact, in no uncertain terms, that the grants the clubs receive from the NRL do not even cover the salary cap, unlike other codes, such as AFL, whose grants are 400% more per club. This highlights a significant disparity in each code and demonstrates how much the game is being limited by its TV rights revenue.

During previous TV rights negotiations executives often criticized the NRL as not being a National Game. On face value that statement is accurate, however, also driving this criticism is due to the fact we have the showcase of our game being limited to players from purely two states.

If Rugby League is to live up to its potential as Australia’s premiere sporting code, there must be a significant influx of money into the NRL from TV rights. This would allow a significant increase in salary cap, retention of talent, and a better product for TV. Most importantly, however, it would allow expansion of the game creating a true National code. The NRL itself would then be able to not limit the showcase of the game to purely the dominating states. The showcase of the NRL should be the best players playing a top class game, regardless of state alliance, nationality or club.

At the start of 2010 we kicked off the season with a thrilling encounter between the NRL All-Stars vs Indigenous All-Stars, played at a fast pace and great intensity. This game was a tremendous success for the NRL and fans definitely got behind the initiative. In the future, the NRL needs to build on this success into creating a real All-Star game which could be marketed across Australia, representing a National focus.

While Origin has been the showcase of our game for 30 years, we as a game have moved on from this tradition. While we still enjoy the encounters, brawls and intensity of an origin series, I firmly believe its existence is limiting the game’s potential. It’s time for the NRL to move with the times, embrace change and create a new showcase we can be proud of.

749 Words

 

[madunit]

Full time...some time ago now.

 

[Lambretta]

I enjoyed reading those, esp Non Terminators alternate reality and Big Micks article.

Any updates on scores? (you can tell I'm new this right?)

 

[Pistol]

email from the colonel


Panthers

Madunit – 85

A good piece looking to extend interest in international rugby league in particular. Given the title I would have expected more regarding player burnout.

Broncoman – 83

A solid piece built around introducing a 17th team to the NRL. Could have explored more how it was going to help the Storm players stay outside of picking up only three of their off contract players.

Piper – 87

Given the promimity of this ‘new’ stadium the potential could have been much better….

Big Mick – 89

Raises some great arguments about further utilising the game and ALL it can offer.

Azkatro – 86

Different to say the least. No burnout but a good effort.

Total 430

Defeated

Roosters

Non Terminator – 88

Did you send this to Gallop before the cut off date? Been raised before but was worded quite well.

Adamkungl – 85

Raised some very interesting points that few will argue with.

Bubbles – 94

Perspective. If you haven’t read this already do so. Can’t say much more.


Lambretta 87 less two point penalty for word limit breach

I’m glad I’m not the only one to suffer this. Very witty however watch your word count.

Total 352

POTM - Bubbles from Roosters

Cheers – The Colonel

 

[Non Terminator]

82 points off...breaks the heart there.
Well done Penrith. Good luck for the Willow Cup.

 

[Bubbles]

Congrats to Panthers - some great reads there.

 

[Bubbles]

Also, thanks very much to The Colonel for your comments, much appreciated

 

[Titanic]

Excellent article Bubbles.