2010 Round 1. Eels v Panthers

[Pistol]

Forum 7s - Round 1 2010
PARRAMATTHA EELS 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: Wednesday 17th March 2010 at 9pm (Syd time)
REFEREE: Pistol
Venue: Parramatta Park

**The Referee Blows Game On!**

 

[bartman]

The Parramatta F7s Eels troupe surge onto the field in front of a huge home crowd, eager for a new season of F7s competition...

27. phantom eel
26. fanatic eel
14. MarkInTheStands (vc)
10. Goleel (vc)
19. bartman (c)
- - -
32. Matt23
28. Hallatia [CNTDN]
3. eloquentEel (vc)

 

[Big Mick]

Penrith Panthers run out onto the field for the local derby:

69. [Furrycat]
96. Madunit
3. Azkatro
4. Edabomb
18. Broncoswarriorsstorm

RES:
6. The Piper
7. Big Mick

 

[broncos_warriors_storm]

BWStorm takes the ball and charges into the Eels line.

Contender ship

The NRL has become one of the most interesting, exciting and close competitions for any sport in the world. With the emergence of players such as Jarred Hayne, Daniel Mortimer and Antonio Winterstein, deciding who will win the premiership is no easy task. It is all about the development of the players through the junior grades, buying well and diving into the world of an ex-bad boy. In this article, I am going to take you through the chances of the top three current teams, who will win games for them and what we can expect from these clubs.

Melbourne Storm
Contenders or Pretenders? The Storm has been on top of the world, and their game, since 2006. In a space of four short years, the club has gone from a pretender, being knocked out of the competition in the same round three straight years, to a contender being involved in four grand finals, three minor premierships, one world club challenge and earned the accolade of ‘best club in the world’. In 2010, if the Storm can start with a record of 7-3 at least after round 10, they could very well win this years title with their clinical defence and powerful attack.


Game Changers: The Melbourne Storm have a host of players who could pick them up with 5 minutes to go and steal a win, but they also have underlying players who have helped them realise their potential. The obvious players are Greg Inglis, Cam Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk, but I also believe Aiden Tolman and Adam Blair create the spark that ignites the fire.


Will September come? The Storm will more than likely be playing in this year’s finals series, making it an 8 year finals stretch. The Storm should play from inside the top four and on paper look to be there in October.


Parramatta Eels
Contenders or Pretenders? The Eels had a fairy tale run last season which ironically began when they beat their opponents in the grand final by two points. It was an exciting time for league with a new powerhouse player was born, when a next generation player defied his family’s history and began playing with the enemy, as well as a coach helping a club achieve greatness. Last season, sitting third from last 18 rounds into the competition, looked like pretenders. But they quickly turned that around and played in the grand final, the first club to do so from 8th position. 2010 may very well be brilliant or destructive, but if they can’t take a 6-4 record after round 10, the Eels may have to crawl out of a hole that they cannot get out of.


Game Changers: The Eels have a few game changers in their roster and the one that stands out the most if Jarred Hayne. Alongside Mortimer, Timana Tahu and even Nathan Hindmarsh, the Eels could challenge for the title. They cannot be stuck in any sort of form slump like 2009 if they want these players to shine.


Will September come? Maybe. A lot of media attention is building pressure on the club because of their form in 2009, they have been named favourites with the bookies and they have been tipped by almost everyone to win the grand, but I believe this may not be true. All this attention is creating hype around a team that needs to build on what they have.


Bulldogs
Contenders or Pretenders? The Bulldogs in 2010 should be the rightful title favourites. They have become once more a family club and they also have proved their critics wrong in 2009. I believe that they were purely unlucky in ’09 and they are out to win the title they have all been working so hard for. I believe that this year may be the year of the dog.


Game Changers: Mick Ennis, Luke Pattern and maybe even Ben Barba are all set to have fantastic seasons. I believe these three players will help steer the club to a finals berth and make all their victims pay dearly for little mistakes such as dropping the ball inside their own twenty. This pack of Dogs are ferocious and will steam roll anyone they come across.


Will September come? Yes. I will say it now; this club will play in the 2010 grand final. Will they win it? Well you will have to wait until October for that. But I believe they are in for a great final’s series.

750 words including title

 

[madunit]

madunit for the Panthers

Rugby League – A News Ltd War Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have spent a lot of time and effort undermining the integrity of Rugby League, yet still the fans flock to the game in droves. We need to take things to a whole new level. Here within is a revised strategy to annihilate the game. The reason for this strategy is mentioned below and we'd appreciate all your efforts in helping us achieve this.

Phase 1 – Gain Trust

We need to start the year with fluffy pieces talking about how anxious everyone is about the upcoming exciting season. Get the public on our side.

Plenty of nothing stories about average quality players who we’d never bother wasting our time with and how they are doing great things to help the games image. We really need to drive these nothing stories into the public hard. They’ll think everyone in the NRL are angels and heroes. Build up their hopes and expectations for all players.

Phase 2 – Attack strong points

Every code has bad boys and good guys. We’ve spent a lot of time creating the bad boys and last year we began work on tarnishing the image of
the good guys. We’ve done some good pre-season work in building up the image of the codes good guys. We need to fabricate anything at all that could be semi-legitimate to destroy the good guys. Some of our targets and ideas for each of these players are:

Jarryd Hayne – we’ll work on a strategy which accuses him of downloading child pornography. There’s no chance Hayne would ever do this which would be more shocking to the public.

Benji Marshall – There is a plan to launch a string of similar attacks on Marshall, based on him knowingly spreading sexually transmitted diseases to schoolgirls because he thinks it’s fun.

Jamie Soward – He’s young and trouble free. Time to fix that. We’ll frame him as a drug mule and hopefully get him caught in Indonesia. If we do this correctly, we should be able to get to the airport at the same time he’s due to come through customs. If we are running a bit scarce after these three big attacks, we can link other players to Soward to try and have a whole team all but shut down.

Phase 3 – Divide and Conquer

With the code reeling from these huge attacks, we will have to ensure any indiscretions in the other codes are completely ignored and quickly forgotten. We need to put as much effort as possible on these attacks. We’ve also got an idea to link the Gold Coast Titans to some international drug dealers, to help pay players wages. When the time is right we’ll do a review of ALL the indiscretions in the NRL since 1999. Hell, we’ll even get a documentary on TV, possibly even an investigation via Four Corners or 60 Minutes.

While the game is at its lowest point ever, this is when we’ll unleash our grand idea. As previously stated, the exact details have yet to be confirmed, but the general idea is to give the NRL such a bad image that no one will want to televise it, advertise it or sponsor it.

Phase 4 – Superleague Mark II

We will relaunch Superleague. We will come across as the games saviour when everyone else had abandoned it. The NRL will have no option but to hand it over. Once we have secured ownership of the code, we will begin Phase 1 all over again, however this time, we won’t progress beyond that point. Once we have the public support back, we’ll float the NRL on the stock exchange and give 51% of the shares to News Ltd, and run a campaign allowing the fans to take an ownership in the game. We’ll let all the fans fight over 10% of the shares and sell the remaining 39% to PBL.

Phase 5 – Cashing In

Once the share price peaks and the world economy looks set to crash again, we’ll dump our 51%, and with any luck, sell them to PBL. Then we’ll revisit Phase 2.

Finally, in conjunction with this scheme, we would like to announce the position of NRL Chief Editor as Rebecca Wilson. Please feel free to drop by and give her any ideas you have that sound believable that could assist in our operation.

Kind Regards,
News Ltd Board of Directors.


735 Words, including title

 

[[furrycat]]

Furrycat runs onto the arena after an absence from the game. He pushes the ball off the mound, squats and burrows. (for the Panthers)

What I asked for Christmas in 2009
On December 15th, 2009, I sat down and contemplated some serious issues. I knew that in just under two weeks time, I had a chance to change the world and do something for my fellow man. For the past five years, every Christmas wish I made had come true. From new golf clubs to an enlargement of a certain appendage, and I took 2009 to be no different. Rather than making the wish that my girlfriend would mysteriously lose the part of her frontal lobe that allows her to whine or complain, I decided to make a wish for my game. My wish...

May 2010 be the year that is SCANDAL FREE for Rugby League – where it is affirmed as the greatest game of all! (and of course, the Bulldogs will be undefeated)​

The next day, Danny Wicks was charged with drug trafficking, with apparently more to come...

Disgruntled by what had happened, I looked towards my heritage for answers. As I once dated a girl who had a Chinese friend, I searched my Chinese heritage for something that could solve the issues of my world. It was January 31st, and Chinese New Year was only two weeks away. 2010: Year of the Tiger – a sign of courage, passion and loyalty. This was a sign that my wish was going to come true. Despite the early setback (and technically, it was still 2009), I felt that

2010 will be the year that is SCANDAL FREE for Rugby League – where it is affirmed as the greatest game of all! (and of course, the Bulldogs will be undefeated). ​

I am aware that the Tigers have a team in the NRL and that ‘Year of the Tiger’ could mean the Tigers will win, but if you look at it from my perspective (that is, the correct perspective) you will see it means the Bulldogs will win and the NRL will be great.

The next day, Chris Houston was charged with drug trafficking, with apparently more to come...

And last night, the world continues to crash down and have a grapple/chicken-wing hold on my testicles as the Knights defeated the Bulldogs. The Knights are extremely lucky that Michael Ennis can’t kick, which ultimately means that the Knights are now better than the Bulldogs at two things; goal kicking and drug trafficking.

It is unfortunately becoming a common reoccurrence in Rugby League; Players getting themselves into trouble, or saying things that a cow turd could have probably articulated better. In a time where sports need as much support as they can get, from fans and from sponsors, the players aren’t exactly helping. The level of the talent in the game is close to being at an all-time high, with several young superstars being unveiled this year and greats of the game showing us that they have somehow improved in the off season. Look at it this way though; the media has the attention span and maturity of a Stage 1 Kindergarten student. While they can appreciate the greats of the game, admire them and enjoy watching the spectacular show they can put on in the game, they’d much rather write about some drunk footballer taking a leak on a shop front window. Why? The media believes any fluid that comes out of a sportsman’s body is more newsworthy than the sport itself. We’ve known this for years, yet players don’t get the message. They urinate in public, they act like hooligans for the world to see, and they give an impression that Rugby League has a thug, criminal culture. Nothing seems to help, and nothing is making these occurrences less common. Short of drawing a diagram that shows players what a toilet is for, and how glasses aren’t made to collide with the faces of others, the culture is becoming more prevalent and it is the community that suffers. The players still get paid; to them, Rugby League is just a job where they can hit people and perceivably do what they want. To the community, it is a passion, a game of courage and loyalty (the ‘Year of the Tiger’!) – a game that many players no longer respect.

A parent tries to choose which game their son will play- the one where we hear more about the game’s results, or the one where we hear about the bloke who urinated on a wall and exposed himself to families driving past? The urine is on the wall.

750 words

 

[fanaticeel]

• ____________________________
  
  Where to now?
  
  So finally it starts all over again. The dreaded off season, with the boring cricket (well the poms weren't here!) is over, and I was able to watch some early footy with the All Stars game and the trial matches.
  
  It was excellent to make the trips to Penrith and Gosford to watch the Eels play in the trials and see all the regulars who attend. It's amazing what an impact belonging to a tribe can have both on a person's psyche, and their hip pocket!
  
  Already I heard that people are organising holidays around where the team might be playing that weekend! And it makes you wonder, what do the partners have to put up with? Not all of us are fortunate in that we “hook up” with a like-minded supporter, or even for that matter someone that cares as much about football as we do. It could be said that the most passionate fans are really quite a breed apart from your regular everyday fair-weather (band-wagoner even) supporter.
  
  It becomes quite a social event as you run into like-minded fans at these far flung venues and discuss things such as flights, accommodation and where to get cheap drinks (oh, and maybe take in some sightseeing!). Some of us have probably been overlooked for promotionat work due to our enthusiasm for our team. If we put that ability to organise these trips into our work duties, we would probably be further along in our respective careers than we are at present.
  
  So when I pour over the season draw, make the necessary phone calls and discuss these plans with others that are going, I sometimes hear groans and sighs in the background at my place, as I go on to discuss my future trips based around football. There's a planned road trip to Queensland for the Eels games against the Titans and Broncos, and further trips to Newcastle and Cronulla (yes, it's a bit of a trip from Parra!). And yet through it all there's obviously something that keeps our partners and we passionate fans together?
  
  I like to think that as our partners contemplate a future with us, our commitment to our footy side shows our partners a person who can show real commitment. Our partners may at times share our enthusiasm but don't let this fool you - the reality is they are already thinking that there won't be any meals out on a night when the game is on! So they realize they have to feign their enthusiasm to make sure they can share their lives with us, all the while thinking “I don't remember him being so passionate about football when we were dating...Oh that's right, we starting dating in September. Hmm hang on, I don't think the Eels made the semi finals that year!"
  
  Even though flights are cheaper than they were a few years ago, it still costs a small fortune to have these trips away. Return flight to Townsville $360, 3 nights accommodation $350, food $200 and alcohol $400. So for $1310 you can have a 4 day break in Townsville, and I haven't even included the cost of game tickets as yet! These could be anything up to $125 if you'd like a corporate seat.
  
  For the same price as a short break in Townsville I could pay one month's mortgage payment (ok not quite, but you see what I'm getting at). I've gotten adept at disguising the costs of footy trips into smaller amounts. So I'd pay for the flight one month, then the accommodation next month and I'd buy some tickets online a few days out from the game and before the flight. Though I think she knows (actually I'm sure she does!) there's barely a murmur of discontent or raised eyebrow in disapproval. Maybe our partners welcome the break and the opportunity to meet with friends and discuss things other than football in the winter months?
  
  But come on, we do it because it's fun! We do it because it breaks the tedium of working in the winter months, and mostly we do it because what goes on tour stays on tour! And we do it season after season, as we follow our troops through the trials and tribulations in a quest for premiership glory. But as a supporter (and not a football widow) I don't see any other option...
  
  “Hello Virginblue? Yes, I'm interested in flights to Townsville.” Don't worry, I'll tell her later...

________________________


750 words between the lines

 

[Goleel]

Gol for the Eels.

---

'50,000'

Paul Osborne's original estimation for the season opener of 2010 was ambitious, but he entitled to feel a little miffed that the loyal, passionate fans of the NRL, fresh from an off season membership drive that saw Parramatta club memberships nearly double in size, couldn't even sell out lowly Parramatta Stadium, maximum capacity 21,500.

Crowds have been a concern across the board, particularly for the first round, where footy starved fans get their first taste of the greatest game of all in five long months. There has to be something to this; for years the NRL has languished behind the AFL and even rugby union in terms of crowd figures, even while dominating television ratings and dwarfing rugby at least in popularity. What is keeping fans from the games?

In a recent media survey fans voted food prices as their number one deterrent to watching the game at the ground. Ticket prices and drink prices were a distant second and third. The common theme here is cold hard cash. The quality of the product is fine, the fans say, but you are just asking too much for it. Particularly when there are so many free outlets to consume football, free to air television and pubs being the most common options. Could the NRL crowd problems be as simple as looking at basic economics?

Full grounds are good for the game, there is no denying this. More revenue for the stadiums and the clubs, it looks much better on television and a large crowd can turn a regular season game into a spectacle. I am perplexed as to why some clubs, particularly those playing out of oversized stadiums such as the SFS and ANZ Stadium, don’t bring ticket prices down in an effort to increase crowd numbers. If getting into the ground was dirt cheap, I’m talking along the lines of $5 children, $10 adults here, prices nobody could complain about, there would also be less discontent over food prices in the stadium, as families would have near $50 extra in their pockets as they walk in the gates.

This should be an NRL wide initiative, have a few board meetings and give the plan a fancy name like ‘Operation Win Back the Fans’, get the media on board talking about how great an idea it is and then watch the crowds roll in. Get the people addicted to the game, fill up every suburban ground, and start getting forty of fifty thousand people to marquee clashes at Homebush. The people have spoken, make it cheaper, and we will come. The NRL have made the basic mistake of overestimating the demand for their live product, and have priced their consumers out of the market. Some simple adjustments to ticket pricing could fix the problem overnight.

Food prices, the number one concern, are harder to address. Clubs have little control over the catering of most grounds, but are the targets of fan angst when they pay $5 for a cold bucket of chips or $6 for a flat beer. Many clubs are also locked into long term agreements with catering and stadium contracts, meaning any intention to improve the situation could take years to implement. It is clearly a concern though, and one clubs are all too quick to brush off as ‘that is the stadiums fault’ or ‘we don’t control the catering’. Well, why not take control?

This is the top issue stopping fans from coming to games! Fifty percent of fans voted this as what keeps them from the ground. It is clearly a serious issue, so do something about it! The next time catering comes up for negotiation at any ground, make some demands, set some targets, demand a decent quality of service and reasonable value for money. We don’t expect it to be cheap, we are a captive audience after all, but don’t rip us off blind, and give us something of a quality better than what we feed our pets in normal circumstances (and honestly, I wouldn’t feed my dog the crap they have at Parramatta Stadium).

The fans have spoken, and are voting with their feet. The game is as good as it has ever been, but the crowds continue to disappoint. Until they can spend less than 20 minutes in a line to buy overpriced, undercooked food, and that time again to buy two flat beers, they wont be coming to football games. Get it fixed, NRL, and get it fixed now.

---

750 between the lines

 

[edabomb]

edabomb for the Panthers

Some Things Change, Some Things Stay the Same

After watching the first round of this year’s National Rugby League take place, one thing in particular struck me. There were examples all across the board of how quickly things can change in the greatest game of all. Personnel changes, management restructuring, or even good old fashioned hard work can make a team virtually unidentifiable from last year. As a Canberra fan, the last few seasons have generally been spent following a side near the bottom of the ladder. However, although every realistic prognosis has them meeting the same fate this year, you cannot help but meet the first few rounds with an air of hope.

The Canterbury Bulldogs are the NRL’s greatest example of rapid change, due to an outstanding job being done by new management. The Bulldogs had gained a reputation around the public for being the most troublesome sporting franchise in Australia when it came to off-field behaviour. At the end of 2008 things had come to a head, they had just endured a disgraceful season in which they finished last out of sixteen clubs. The NRL’s star player, Sonny Bill Williams had ditched them mid-year for a very lucrative rugby union deal to further set back their plans. A change in Chief Executive and their general management direction during that year completely turned the franchise around, showing that modern football club is very much reliant on their management for direction. The Bulldogs recruited experience in key positions for 2009, with the recruitment of Brett Kimmorley proving a masterstroke. The successful gelling of these players led to a very successful 2009, and the Bulldogs starting 2010 as one of the premiership favourites rather than defending the dreaded wooden spoon.


Todd Carney is another example of what a new beginning can do for a player. It would be unwise to heap too much praise on Carney given his track record of misbehaviour, but his performance in Round One against the South Sydney Rabbitohs was simply inspirational. Carney has shown that the door is always open to quality players in the NRL despite their previous indiscretions, and with the possible pay off sampled in round one by the Roosters this will continue to be the case. So congratulations to the Roosters for taking a risk and so far changing Carney’s off-field ways, it’s great to see his talent being the talking point for once.


The Canberra Raiders are, unfortunately, an example of a club that seem to struggle to make any identity changes between seasons. This has never been shown more literally than in 2010, when the club only managed to attract one player in off-season moves – journeyman Danny Galea. Galea would struggle to make the Raiders starting side when they’re full strength. To add insult to their first round thrashing by the Penrith Panthers, a Raider discard was the star player of round one. Raider’s management voted to sack Todd Carney midway through the 2008 season when he failed to commit to a three-step plan after multiple off-field incidents. To be fair, at the time it did seem like a no-brainer. Carney hadn’t been in the most consistent form and his behaviour was a major distraction. Flash forward a year and a half and with the Raiders screaming out for some flair in their game and the decision suddenly looks very questionable. Carney was a once in a generation player for a club that seems completely reliant on their local juniors to get the job done, his departure suggests there are some very lean times ahead. The Raiders could learn from the Bulldogs, Knights and Roosters of recent times, it is better to take a risk by changing the culture of the club than to settle for years of mediocrity. Despite this I still have hope that Terry Campese can recapture his best form and lead the Raiders to a successful season; they have a long way to go after round one though.


There are many things that keeps us coming back season after season with fresh enthusiasm, optimism and interest. There is always a possibility of success, however unlikely it may seem, just think of the 2003 Penrith Panthers. In a competition where no side has repeated as champions for almost two decades (the Broncos of 1997 suffer from ‘asterisk syndrome&#8217 these feelings are justified. So bring on the rest of 2010, I’m just hoping Alan Tongue isn’t going to have a new spoon for his kitchen!



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748 words including title

 

[MarkInTheStands]

MITS starts the season off with.

It makes you shiver with Antici . . . . . . pation!

The season has kicked off, but I was amazed and surprised that for the first time in many years, there was very little in the way of hiccups for the start of the NRL year. Apart from the two unfortunate off season incidents at Newcastle that may cause a sponsor to drop the Knights, there has been nothing but good news stories (or stories actually about the game) since the end of last season.

Rugby league this year is trading on some remarkable good will, and that is due to several major factors aligning.

The first and foremost to my mind is Parramatta’s late season charge. The Eels are arguably one of the most supported teams in the NRL and while the membership numbers currently don’t support that argument, the ratings and press statements do. Parramatta fans also are that part of the NRL heartland that over the past few years has been feeling a little neglected.

With TeamGWS now coming to the party in Western Sydney, the NRL is starting to figure out that you must dance with those who brought you. Rugby league is starting to really focus back onto Western Sydney for the first time since the 1980s, which can only help strengthen the game. Of great benefit is the fact that Parramatta’s CEO hasn’t stuck his foot in his mouth like his predecessor.

The next factor has been the season-long talk about an independent commission. It might well be different north of the border but in NSW the talk has been welcomed with open arms. While the practicalities might not be forthcoming just yet, fans (via their clubs) will feel as though they have control of the game, and through that feeling of ownership will grow more committed to the game. Indeed this may even bring people back to the game who it had lost during the Super League wars.

Then, after much hype the All-Stars game kicked off the season to a bumper TV audience, and the match delivered completely! League fans and casual spectators rallied around the game, in part to either celebrate their heritage or to celebrate the acceptance of our nation's diversity. But this game showed once and for all that above all else Rugby League is "fun"! The match was played at a cracking pace and was exceptionally entertaining, with no "boring" football in sight. The concept worked, and having the coverage peppered with ads for membership pushed the next key factor....

Membership. For the longest time the NRL has been talking about membership, but their campaigns have always seemed contrived or distant. It was only public appeals from people like Russell Crowe to the Souths fanbase or Todd Greenburg to the Bulldogs members at the start of 2009 that created any increases. This year's membership campaign focused on the right thing - the fans, and asked them to highlight why they were members.

It was smartly packaged, and following the All Stars game featured Wendell Sailor in a fantastic "Call to Action" that from all reports kicked off a second burst of memberships leading into the NRL season. With the independent commission coming and memberships seen as important, these two factors combined are a large part of the good will that the NRL has generated in the last 6 months.

Rugby league is starting to re-enfranchise the public, and to get the idea that the game is once again the fans property. But the final factor falling into place for rugby league was the lack of anything competitive happening during the off season.

With all respect to Cricket Australia, the most exciting thing this summer was the KFC T20 Big Bash and that was only because there was finally some competition.The crowd figures were fantastic however the excitement was not shown on free-to-air TV, so only those with PayTV or those willing to spend all weekend in the pub got to participate. From those games that were on free-to-air the Sydney test was the only true contest, and still the Aussies managed to fluke a win there.

The NRL’s main attraction these days is that most fans feel that every week their team is a chance. The unpredictability of our competition is what fans have come to love and it was highlighted with the Eels’ incredible fairytale run.

Competition is what the fans were craving all summer. From kickoff this week the NRL delivered and now it needs to keep the shivers going!


750 Words according to the offical Word Counter.

 

[phantom eel]

Phantom Eel backs up again for 2010.

__________

Let’s Go…

Footy bag? Check.
Team jersey? Check.
Season ticket? Check.
Let’s go…

This familiar ritual plays out in households across the east of Australia as well as New Zealand during the month of March, and can only mean one thing – footy season is here!

For as long as I’ve supported rugby league, March has been the one month with a really special feeling about it. By this time the memories of the previous year are just starting to fade – which can be a good or bad thing, depending on whether your team ended the season with a pre-finals whimper or a post-season finals bang! And by March we have had to endure an off-season where (speaking personally) no other sport comes close to offering the excitement or the sense of journey that is possible throughout a rugby league season.

“Swimming?” No thanks. “Sydney to Hobart?” Some trumped up yacht race – you’ve got to be kidding! “Tennis?” Getting terribly boring, sorry. “How about cricket these days?” Please, give me a break… and don’t even get me started on the Winter bloody Olympics! Having endured three or more months without your rugby league team gracing the field can be very hard going for the passionate fan. But as the month of March approaches, things start to look up and the anticipation for and potential of the coming season starts to crystallise at the forefront of people’s thoughts.

The approach of a new rugby league season brings with it some obvious benefits. Firstly, we see less coverage in the media speculating about what players might or might not have done on their end of season trips, or which starlet Braith Anasta is dating this week! We also see less stories about rumoured supposed contract offers or interest from other codes or overseas; stories that journalists attempt to pass for rugby league news during the long empty weeks of the off-season. Instead as March approaches, the media coverage finally starts to get interesting again, with stories about the squads, preparation and on-field hopes for the season – the things that actually provide the real “buzz” (pun intended Phil) for the fans.

In the week leading up to Round One, the fan has completed their sentence of a boring and/or ridiculous off-season break from rugby league, and can excitedly anticipate the light at the end of the tunnel that is the season kick-off. Since I have been a fan of rugby league now for 50 years, I can’t help but view the upcoming season through these eyes and that’s why I love March! But many many moons ago I used to play weekend rugby league myself, and so I’d like to think that March also holds a special place in the lives of our current rugby league players and stars?

Footy bag? Check.
Team jersey, shorts, socks? Check.
Boots, mouthguard, shoulder pads, and those skins things? Check.
Let’s go…

Of course it would have changed a lot since I ran around in a suburban A Grade comp, and the professional NRL clubs of today probably employ someone to make sure all the gear arrives at the ground and the players just have to worry about getting themselves to the meeting point on time. But technicalities aside, it’s essentially the same March ritual….

After the thrills or disappointments of the previous season, rugby league players have to also endure an off-season. One where they take a four week break from training and spend the time worrying about being able to recapture their sterling form, or being able to overcome their patchy performances. After this brief break the training starts up again, and in the head of a southern hemisphere summer the squads are cruelled under coach’s orders – up and down sand dunes, through concrete city streets, in the gym and also sacrificing in the nutrition stakes.

As if that wasn’t enough then the trial games start, and with them the internal battles for the coach’s favour and those keenly contested Round One starting positions. For a professional player the off-season can be three or more months of pain of varying degrees, all with the aim of building toward the peak of that season kick-off in March which must arrive with relief just like the first wisp of a southerly breeze on a boiling summer day.

The first NRL kick-off in Round One brings me that same relief, and reminds me that March is – and always has been – my favourite month of the year. Let’s go…

__________

750 words between the lines.

(Sorry, can't post a link to my signature until I've made more posts around the place... I'm with the Eels.)

 

[Azkatro]

Azkatro posting for the Panthers.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The “Vibe”

Well at the moment I, like tens of thousands of other people across the nation, am currently suffering through the agony that is round 1 of tipping competitions.

Something I find most fascinating about the experience is what I like to call the “vibe”, and it goes a little something like this.

You see, when you actually know a bit about rugby league, you tend to weigh up certain factors before making a decision on who you think is going to bring home the bacon. More often than not there’s a key indicator that makes you sway one way or the other. Maybe the away side is going through a drought at the opposition’s home ground. One or two of a team’s key players have been ruled out through injury. One team are coming off a loss to an absolute rubbish side. Whatever it is, eventually something makes itself apparent enough to make you sit up and say: “Yes. That’s the key factor. Team X is going to lose because of it.”

A certain feeling of smugness comes over you. Your decision is made and almost nothing is going to make you change your mind. It’s like you found the key to working out who is going to win, unlocked the door and saw something that nobody else in your tipping competition could possibly have seen.

So you saunter in to work the next day. Even though it’s only Wednesday, you aim to turn the conversation to footy.

“It’s a load of crap, I reckon, the council are too strict on all the stuff you have to do just to take your dog for a walk. It’s like they..”

You cut in abruptly, with the opportunity for a seamless, natural segue having presented itself.

“Yeah speaking of dogs, I reckon they’ve got the Tigers covered this weekend, no doubt about it,” you beam in an unnecessarily assertive tone.

An awkward silence follows, but you see it as an opportunity to elaborate.

“Tim Moltzen’s been ruled out. They won’t cut the mustard in attack without him there. Don’t you reckon, girls?” There, you think to yourself. How can they possibly refute that logic? They’ll have to agree and admit that your watertight argument will force them to change their picks, and you can take all the credit.

“Nah, I still think I’ll pick the Tigers. I like Tuqiri, he’s yummy,” one of the girls responds. You respond with an obnoxious, condescending laugh.

“Fair dinkum, you’re hopeless. You’ll have no chance of winning the tipping this year!” You take your coffee and stride out of the room, satisfied that nobody was able to even make a slight dent in your logic for your undoubted tipping genius.

By the time it gets to Friday night, you’re feeling good. That lovely warm feeling you get when you know the week is done, and it’s time to settle into some footy, is hard to top. Beer is in hand, chips are in the bowl. The previews come and go, and the teams emerge from the tunnels.

A wry smile crosses your lips as Peter Sterling points out that the absence of Tim Moltzen will stunt the Tigers’ attacking potency.

Then the whistle blows, and the Tigers kick off. Ben Hannant takes the ball and runs it back into a pumped, ferocious Wests Tigers defensive line.

That’s the moment when you get the “vibe”.

A horrible, sobering wave of realisation hits you. Even though you’ve only watched a few seconds of play, and the scores are level, you just know.

You realise you’ve picked the wrong team.

By half time, the Tigers are leading 12-8 and you still have hope. By full time, the scoreline reads 38-8.

Lote Tuqiri scores a hat-trick and you want to die as you watch his hairy mug on the box accepting the man-of-the-match award.

The moral of the story is: you’re not alone. Thousands of us get that same, horrible sinking feeling on Friday nights all over the country.

After having to stomach the sheer humiliation of the ditzy girl in marketing being awarded bonus points for picking the full round when you only got 3/8, you find yourself studying the team lists on Tuesday night, wondering how you will catch up and get your revenge. And then you spot it: “Yes. That’s the key factor. Team X is going to lose because of it.”

And thus, the glorious cycle starts all over again.

---------------------------------------------------------------

747 words. Liftoff!

 

[bartman]

Bartman declares war for the Eels!

- - - - -

A Modern Day Invasion

The SBS television series The First Australians (screened in 2009 [1]) told of the experiences of Indigenous people from different parts of Australia in dealing with strange newcomers venturing into their own land and changing all the rules. It was compelling viewing, and it was hard to watch the series without feeling some empathy for people who without warning were suddenly facing the unexpected, with often tragic results.

Coincidently this post is appearing on St Patrick’s Day, which in modern times has become a celebration of the culture of a people whose own language and customs were at one time threatened by the dominance and sovereignty of a neighbouring nation [2].

By making the following comparison I do not seek to belittle the significance of the original and subsequent separation of Aboriginal Australians from their traditional lands, or for that matter the ongoing struggles by the Irish for recognition and control within their own historical boundaries.

But after the success of this season’s inaugural Indigenous All Stars NRL game, many people began to realise and celebrate the strong links between our Indigenous communities and the sport of rugby league. And in one of rugby league’s traditional heartlands there is another story centred around invasion – the modern day invasion of Greater Western Sydney by an expansionist and hostile AFL.

I make no bones about it – I was born and bred in Western Sydney, it was where I spent the first 21 years of my life becoming and adult, and I am still damned proud about it! Even though circumstances have meant that I have moved and live outside of the region defined by the term Greater Western Sydney, I know I’m a “westie” at heart, and my family roots and sporting passion are forever tied to that patch of territory. To this day I visit Western Sydney regularly, to spend time with family, friends and of course my football team.

So in some ways I feel qualified to express my feelings on behalf of my Greater Western Sydney heritage, and my traditional land… and I feel that the AFL’s push into this traditional rugby league territory is nothing more than a hostile invasion – a grab for the wealth that lies inside the hearts and minds (and hip pockets) of the area’s growing and youthful population. It’s an invasion that has no reasonable motive, no moral entitlement, and – because the sport of Australian Rules is simply so painful to watch – no hope of succeeding to make a return on the AFL’s ambitious investment.

This invasion will result in a battle that will be keenly fought, and that battle has already started. The AFL have researched their desired land well – the City of Blacktown has experienced a vast growth in population over the last decade [3], and is geographically located at a point that is bound to become the future centre of Sydney as the population steadily grows and expands to take in the only remaining vacant lands within the Sydney basin to the north and south. By targeting the families in the surrounding Greater Western Sydney area, the AFL is making a bid to take over the future sporting culture of these lands. It aims to have kids in schools preferring to play with a Sherrin rather than a Steeden at lunchtimes. It aims to make household names out of the likes of Kevin Sheedy, rather than have people marvel at the talents of Nathan Hindmarsh and Jarryd Hayne.

So tonight as many of us worldwide down a pint of Guinness in honour of a culture that has not only survived but thrived, and the next time you hear a Welcome to Country speech (unless Tony Abbott gets his way [4]) that recognises the history and traditional ownership of our own lands in Australia, spare a thought for the sporting invasion that will bear down on rugby league’s heartland in the next few years. It is a modern day battle that rugby league must win, or at least force the concession that before any AFL fixture the powers that be shall announce the following Greater Western Sydney welcome:

“The AFL would like to respectfully acknowledge the sport of rugby league who is the traditional owner and custodian of the hearts and minds of the people from the land on which we stand. And we’d like to pay respects to the legends past and present of the Parramatta Eels, the Penrith Panthers, the Wests Tigers, the Canterbury Bulldogs….”

- - - - -

749 words between the lines.



[1] http://www.sbs.com.au/firstaustralians/
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick's_Day
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Blacktown
[4] http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...row-over-indigenous-owners-20100315-q9ij.html

 

[Pistol]

Thar she blows

 

[broncos_warriors_storm]

good work everyone. go Panthers.

 

[bartman]

5 on 5, good effort for Round 1. Good luck to all, over to you ref :thumn.

 

[Pistol]

Panthers

Contendership by BWS = 82
Seemed a bit over the place this piece. The writer told of which teams to look out for. Good slog.

Rugby League – A News Ltd War Plan by madunit = 87
I liked this one. Nicely written.

What I asked for Christmas in 2009 by furrycat = 85
The writer certainly has wishful thinking. Some things are possible, some aren’t. A good hard effort

Some Things Change, Some Things Stay the Same by edabomb = 88
Some things are the same, some change. A good account.

The “Vibe” by Azkatro = 90
Why did I suddenly think to The Castle when reading the title for this piece? Call it the vibe of the thing. Well written


Eels

Where to now? By fanaticeel = 86
Interesting figures indeed. I personally have done the Townsville trip. Only difference was I spent a few hundred at Jupiters. Solid article.

'50,000' by Goleel = 89
God help the man who hands me flat beer and expects 6 bucks for it. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment in this article. The writer certainly has the finger on the pulse.

It makes you shiver with Antici . . . . . . pation! By MITS = 85
“The waiting is the hardest part. Every day you see one more card. You take it on faith, you take it to the heart. The waiting is the hardest part” Nice build up and a decent delivery.

Let’s Go… by phantomeel = 86
Solid work detailing the withdrawal symptoms of the off season. No amount of fill ins can do the job.

A Modern Day Invasion by bartman = 84
A good effort overall.

Panthers defeat the Eels


432-430

POTM


Azkatro

 

[Non Terminator]

Great start from both teams.

 

[broncos_warriors_storm]

good work boys.... sorry about my score though

well done Eels!

 

[Big Mick]

Well done both teams.

Well done Az. Great article mate.

Good start to the season lads!