2010 Round 1. Rabbitohs v Dragons

[Pistol]

Forum 7s - Round 1 2010
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

-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: The Colonel
Venue: Redfern Oval

**The Referee Blows Game On!**

CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL WORD COUNTER

 

[Bumble]

Team awesome are here:


miccle
Dave Q
byrne_rovelli_fan82
rabs
griffo346

Bumble (c)
Pistol
Marshall_Magic

 

[dubopov]

The Dragons have named an inexperienced yet talented side for the opening match against South Sydney. The team is :-

dubopov (c)
DragonPunk (vc)
Jason Maher
hornbyslilhottie24
murphyscreek

bench

Godz Illa
Ribs

 

[murphyscreek]

murphyscreek for the Dragons.....on debut

747 words between the stars

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

My Gods Were But Men




A long time ago, more than half a life-time past, a fourteen year old boy lay upon the thick cream coloured carpet of his living room floor on his back and stared at the ceiling. About six foot behind the top of his head the then state of the art Philips television set played out live the conclusion of the pre Grand Final entertainment. For the boy, the day so far had seemed to have taken an eternity to pass, as each hour the clock hand dawdled in an agony of anticipation.

At first he had tried to convince himself that until 3.00pm it was just another day. He attempted to distract himself by way of engaging in his usual pursuits. He and his younger brother went for a long excursion on their pushies. But the crisp air and exercise failed to clear his mind. A walk to the beach and along the shoreline convinced him that it was still too cool to venture into the water, not that he cared today. And the two anonymous bikini clad girls who had optimistically donned said apparel uncharacteristically barely drew a second glance from the boy. A fourteen year old boy for whom of late such real and imagined visions of scantily dressed girls had been at the forefront of his thoughts.

But today was the King of days. A mighty day. His beloved St George Dragons would be playing in the Grand Final against Canterbury Bankstown. At long last Rex Mossop announced the kick-off about to take place as the pipe and drum players of the 17th Royal NSW Regiment marched off the playing arena. The boy quickly rolled over and arose from his prone position into a cross legged one, head and neck strained forward towards the TV. Eyes intense, absorbing the vision. Rex Mossop’s auditory barely registering as it barely did anyway these days as the boy had long since tired of his drone. Just as he and his friends had stopped calling him “Mess Up”, bored with the pun.

A battle royal ensues, and a game of two halves, in more ways than one. The boy watched as thirteen men wearing white and a Big Red V played their hearts out, as if aware of the boy watching them through the screen, aware that he couldn’t bear to lose. Not today. Even if in future years his maturity gained enough of a stronghold to enable him to bear such losses, albeit with a heavy heart. But not today. From this day he would draw enough strength to ensure that the Big Red V would pulse through his blood forever more and no matter what. A comfort that only the likes of Gods can provide.

And provide they did. Provided a sustenance that transcends mere nutrition, of infinite more value than loaves and fishes. The likes of Slippery, Rocket, Albert, and every single St George player on that day, delivered the boy from the torture of the unthinkable. The unbearable. On that day they prevailed and held on to not only win the match, but to encapsulate forever the spirit of St George within the boy.

Thus these men transformed themselves from hard working heroes into deities. In the boy’s eyes every other religious claim to know or understand a version of “God” or “Gods” was false, a demonstration that they knew not what they talked about. How could they? Had anyone else sat upon that cream carpet in front of that Philips TV on the 22nd September, 1979, and felt what he’d felt? To understand that to truly qualify as a God one has to reach into the very soul of a boy and deliver to him what makes that soul complete?

Then for thirty further years, as the boy grew into manhood and later middle-age, he watched as other Saints teams tried to emulate that day without success. Some of those have been good teams, some not so good. Players blessed and not so blessed with talent have come and gone as regularly as the seasons. He would be lying if he claimed to have not at times felt the bitter bite of disappointment.

But within the man that boy still resides. The man forlornly cries “maybe next year”. The boy quietly prays to that team of ‘79, not to greedily ask for more, but to pay homage to those mortals whom remarkably turned themselves into Gods.

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

Reference: 'Classic League Grand Finals - 1979 St.George versus Canterbury Bankstown' DVD (Visual Entertainment Group)

 

[Jason Maher]

Jason Maher revives from his slumber out on the wing to accept a looping ball from murphyscreek following a strong burst. 742 Words.

***********
Round 1


What a great time of the year. Round 1, just before a ball has been kicked in anger. The anticipation built by a long off-season with only the cricket for company has reached fever-pitch. The new supporter's gear has been purchased, or the old gear has been retrieved from a dusty corner following a summer of neglect. Soon the curtains will be opened to reveal the first glimpse of the new season, but for now the cold shower of reality has not started running. For now, it is a beautiful new season full of promise and hope.


The players have spent the past few months training hard, and you just know the coach has hatched the perfect plan to turn the disappointment of last year into the glorious triumph of this year. Sure, a few players have left for browner pastures, but on reflection you reaslise they were always overrated hacks anyway. The new boys who have arrived, while none of them have really excelled elsewhere, are obviously just the right players in just the right positions to turn your team from also-rans into a genuine Premiership threat. You just know that in the coach's capable and all-knowing hands these new boys will blossom into the champion players they were always meant to be, if only their previous coaches weren't such talent-stifling dim-wits.


You sit down with a copy of this year's draw, and going through it tick off mentally a dozen or so games that are gimmes, that you just know your team will win with little or no real effort required. I mean, you rolled those teams last year, and given they look even weaker this year, how could the same not happen again? The other dozen or so games will be a bit tougher, but mulling over some of the one-on-one positional contests, you realise that your mob might just have that slight edge that makes all the difference. Tallying everything up roughly in your head, you realise that yep, this year the top 8 will be a doddle, a top 4 spot the likely outcome, and who knows, maybe the Minor Premiership and bit of extra cash and a pretty trophy.


So knowing your mob will be there with bells ringing and guns blazing, you think ahead to the semis, and how things will pan out differently this year to last year's bitter exit. Week 1 will be a cinch, an easy game at home against some mob who managed to fall over the line into the finals but with no honest hope of going any further. Given that you'll almost certainly be one of the top 3 teams, and one of the top 3 always manages to bugger up week 1, you'll be sailing straight through the murky waters of week 2 to arrive at the glittering port of week 3 and a Grand Final qualifier. Now you're not silly enough to imagine that a Preliminary Final will be a walk in the park, but you know that the coach has got the team much better mentally prepared than last season, and you know the players are motivated to go all the way this time. Yep, an appearance in the Big One is surely on the cards this year.


The Big One, the NRL Grand Final. The only game that really matters in the end. Win this one, and your team goes down in history as a Champion Team. Lose it, and you're but a footnote. You can see it all – arriving early to watch the NSW Cup decider while scoffing down a cold pie and a warm beer; the far more interesting U20's decider, which hopefully will include your team's kids in a dress rehearsal for the Big One; the cringe-worthy pre-match “entertainment” (you just know the NRL will somehow manage to pull an even worse act than last year out of their hat); 'Gus' Gould scuttling around on the field doing his pre-game hype speech, which mercifully you can't hear.


Then it's on, 80 minutes of heart-stopping Rugby League action in front of 80,000 screaming fans. And at the end of it, you see the captain stepping up to the dais, going through the obligatory thank-yous to the VIPs, the coach, the team, his mum; and then, to a soundtrack of wordless screams of pure triumph, the Premiership Trophy is lifted to the heavens.


What a year it is going to be!

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

 

[miccle]

miccle carts it up for the first Rabbitohs run of 2010


Round one riches

It makes me scratch my head in disbelief. The dawning of a new year morphs then into the dawning of a new season. The dawning of this new season not only signals the dawning of opinion pieces, predictions and hype regarding the upcoming season, but also the dawning of the year's betting.

You name it, and you can stick a buck on it. Future markets for the premiership, the minor premiership, the finals, the wooden spoon and just about any outcome that is even close to being remotely possible. There is no better way for a man or woman to back their opinions on this game than to have a reckless punt in February, while your mind is full of certainty. That's right, before a ball is kicked and the same rollercoaster ride of injuries, form and indifference spirals this season the way of all of those that have come before.

But even these long-shot markets have absolutely nothing on the ridiculous practice of bookmakers framing a market for the round one clashes. I'm not sure exactly how they come to these magical figures, but I'm here today to tell you my round one NRL betting theory in the hope that you too can join me as a very rich round one punter.

The philosophy here is simple. It was looked at by yours truly in a theoretical sense for 2009, and I finally put it into practice last weekend. It requires absolutely no former knowledge of the game, or of the world of punting. It's the one simple rule:

If a team is quoted at $2.50 or over, take it.

Easy as pie. It takes as much thought as a conversion from right in front, and will chew up even less of your time. The rationale behind my thinking isn't much deeper or more complex. Quite simply, at the start of the year, it's anyone's ball game. How teams look on paper, how their trial form stacks up and how the "experts" have rated them for the upcoming season means about as much as an apology from Sonny Bill Williams. Even a home ground advantage means very little to teams at such an early time in the year, particularly for those outfits with so many new recruits (half the team may not even realise those people in the stands in the weird-coloured jerseys are actually their supporters these days).

Stick with this one early in 2011! Don't take my word for it, though, just look at the results!

My first nibble on the $2.50 or over pie came in the form of the Newcastle Knights. After a shocking off-season, the boys from Newcastle were slated at a whopping $4. Now, I'm not a big punter by any stretch, so I figured an easy $15 on each of these teams would be enough. Sure enough, nospam29 affected no other Knights player on the field, and their gritty four-point win over a disappointing Bulldogs oufit saw me collect $60.

The Raiders were then also at long odds to jag a win against Penrith at CUA stadium, and I guess the less I say about this game the better! With my $15 investment never in doubt of tripling on me, I got down to business with examining the clashes on Sunday.

Early Sunday afternoon saw me whack the required $15 on the Warriors, who were travelling to the Gold Coast to take on the Titans. They just squeezed into this rule here, as I put the cash down on $2.75 even. Things were looking wonderful for me for much of the match, before a stock-standard crash sent my money down the gurgler. Still $15 up for the weekend, with one match left.

Bless Brian Smith's amazing first-up record and the flair shown by the Roosters to kick off the year with a bang. Fresh from laying $15 on the Chooks at a meagre $2.50, the result and my success for the weekend was never in doubt. I was sent back to the TAB to collect my hard-won $37.50.

This may not be the funniest, most insightful, unique or well constructed Forum 7s article you read this year. Hell, it is round one, after all! But what you can take from this is that I outlaid $60, and got $97.50 back. A profit is a profit, as any punter will tell you. Join me again in 2011 and we'll go from there!


* 750 words

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

byrne_rovelli_fan82 for the Rabbitohs; stumbles in with sleep-filled eyes, yawns and stretches: 'Is it the Forum 2010 season already?'

~~

Lost an edge​

Only a matter of months ago league fans said farewell to the horrors of 2009, a year where off-field antics became the topic of discussion and disapproval. Even though the game had ended on a great note in the grand final played out between the Storm and Eels and while the Melbourne club walked away with the spoils of victory their win couldn’t blank out the trials and tribulations of a difficult season.​

Every time a story emerged involving the popular players’ fans slammed their heads against the wall and the NRL board scratched their heads searching for answers. All the while the media jumped at the opportunity to expose the problems that lurked beneath the surface, and the more they reported the more attention it received turning into a regular pattern. It grew tiresome not only for the games’ fans but also the general public and even the NRL players tired of hearing their names circulating through the papers, on TV and the internet.​

The game had become non-existent as off-field antics grew by the sheer numbers, and soon it was a game of which team had the less offences by their players. One prime example involves the Melbourne Storm. For their fans they were the ultimate perfectionist team a club that could do no wrong as their fellow Sydney counterparts fell apart. Then, in a moment of pure madness from a couple of Storm players namely halves pairing Cooper Cronk and Brett Finch were found to have urinated in public on a rare day off and though deemed as them doing things in ‘their’ own time it still caused a stir.​

As much as the players wanted to live their lives last year was a time when they had to be careful of where they were and what they did while they were out of their house and not within the confines of club duties. Past players had also had their fair share of indiscretions over the years and this has been a major problem for the league community for years, the only difference was the punishment they’d handed out ‘back in the day’ was enough to put the players off, now a day no such punishment exists. If the punishments of yesterday were applied to the players of today’s era they see it is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.​

Games continued on and time passed quickly as the season went from the middle part of the year and rolled into the end of the regular season and finally to the playoffs. However the damage had already been done and league had lost the sparkling entertainment it carried for years.​

The implementation of Australia hosting the World Cup in 2008 had an adverse effect on the game. It provided the chance to showcase the talent of the players in Australia and around the world, but also opened the opportunity to watch great footy played. ​

By the end of the tournament there was a sense of relief it had all come to a close, with a new champion decided but still so much league to digest. Then as the NRL looked to capitalize on 2008’s great year and into 2009 their employees spoilt the party with all the antics and the overdose of league in the past two years the game no longer had potency the gas finally had burned out. There were many observers whom expressed concern over adding to the season, giving no rest to the players, all in an effort to advertise the game on a global scale.
​

The stiff competition they’re facing from the AFL may have also promoted action by the ARL. However, as seen by rival code rugby union, if there is too much football the fans lose interest and now they have the addition of the Four Nations Tournament, with the potential to help the game grow, or flop depending on the success of other teams besides the Australians.
​

Opening the 2010 season, the NRL is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again. The shocking discovery of ill-discipline and illegal dealings has thrust much loved club, the Newcastle Knights into the role of the ‘bad boys’ of 2010 just as the Manly Sea Eagles were in 2009.
​

League is no longer the good boy of the sporting world; it is now a shambles, destroyed by the very players that brought this game to light and into the hearts of its greatest fans.​

~~

There is 750 words between the '~' lines according to the official word counter

 

[Dave Q]

Dave Q hula-hoops out for the bunnies

A player's truth?

I was recently had the pleasure of reading some developmental psychology. Pretty simple stuff actually, this discipline looks at the stages of the individual and loosely, what they are supposed to have achieved at certain ages. Thus a three year old should be walking, a five year old should be beginning to recognise numbers, adolescents should be gaining independence (being rude and so forth).

I wondered how this would transpose to Rugby League. What stages does a player go through? So after careful analysis, I offer the career of a "typical player" and based it loosely on fact. Can you guess which paragraph is more truth and which is more fiction?

1. Age 14: Spotted by Bulldogs Scouts while playing for the Rooty Hill Pirates. Signs contract for $16,000. Teacher with Leopold links cuts player from school side in vengeance.

2. Age 17: Released and signed by the Reptiles Development Squad. Moves to Cloncurry. Despite being underage, gets smashed on a regular basis and winds up in a fight over a women. Is later kidnapped by the Dirt Dogs Motorcycle gang. Is released unharmed after a week, with a new-found maturity.

3. Age 20: Plays NYC for the Adelaide Rams. Is shuffled from position to position. Is rude to fans at after-match function. Vomits on the coach during a bonding session. Has more sex with anything that moves.

4. Age 21: Has an AVO taken out on him for groping a female fan during women-in-league after-match function.

5. Age 22: First grade debut. Misses two high balls and misses six one-on-one tackles, other than that, has a brilliant game. Wakes up in front of the Barnesfield Police Station at 8.00am with five kids asking for his autograph.

6. Age 23: Gets drunk and smashes girlfriend in the face with a carpet snake. Is arrested but gets off on a technicality. That starts a series of copycat crimes.

7. Age 24: Declared a "habitual drink driver" by the RTA. Caught by Terrorgraph, driving away from last court appearance after being banned for 12 years.

8. Age 25: Threatens to leave club unless granted a three year deal. Gets manager to fake interest from several overseas clubs. Gets a good deal but that leaves the club impoverished under the cap and unable to buy a decent squad. Gets man of the match against the lowly placed Lizards, notes at interview:

“Full credit to the boys, they really dug deep tonight. The Lizards kept coming all night, but we got over the top of them at the end. Thanks to da sponsors and Channel 5.… Cheers Mate”

9. Age 26: Squeaks into state of origin. Trys a field goal in extra time, that that goes astray, is caught by the Western Australian winger who runs in under the post to win the series for them. Is seen on the ground, shaking his hand and putting his hand on his head.

10. Age 27: Loses $300,000 in dodgy shoe-horn investment. Seeks release to Japan, denied by club.

11. Age: 28: Discarded by the Rams and signs for the Reds. Is slow and fatigued. Has a big season courtesy of some ace inside centre and scores 18 tries. Gives up drinking for a week. Gets guest spot on Football show and wears a dress for the first time in public.

12. Age 30: Gets married and has a child to blonde bimbo. She is noted to have bruising to the eye at the Wally M’s.

13. Age 32: Goes to England, is awarded Superleague player of the year and club captain of Hobbitsvale Darleks.

14. Age 34: Makes stunning return for South Australia in origin. Embraced by aging coach.

15. Age 37: Captain- coach of the Warrumbungle Hornets. Undefeated season.

16. Age 45: Attends Back-to- Reptiles historical match, scores a try in the closing seconds, is held aloft by club legends.

17. Age 47: Has first heart attack, unable to walk without crutches.

18. Age 50 Leopards demand his job and he is sacked.

19. Age 56: Is seen outside of Manly Hotel in drunken stupor at 7am. Taken to hospital and declared insane.

1: True, 2:True, 3: False , 4: False, 5:True, 6: False, 7: True, 8: true, 9: True, 10: False, 11: True, 12: False, 13: True, 14: True, 15: True, 16: False, 17: True, 18: True, 19: True

Truth is stranger than fiction!

745 wordsters: btw have a great season everyone.

 

[dubopov]

Inspired by the early charges of his team-mates Murph and Maher, the first time captain Dubopov launched himself into the fray ...

TRIP NIP CRIP NIP

The sport's world is full of coulda-beens, woulda-beens and shoulda-been champions. This is the story of one of the greatest shoulda-beens; the country schoolboy Rugby League legend, Albert Doctorrow. The boy who almost single-handedly won U10, U11 and U12 Grand Finals before playing a key role in the U14 decider.

Life was a constant struggle for Albert, a Chinese Australian growing up with a horde of rednecks in the small NSW country town of Topanga in the mid-sixties. His cheeky and affable persona and his love of footy endeared him to most older blokes in town despite their inherent racist attitudes. Unfortunately though, many of his peers, particularly those at the local Catholic Boys' School constantly taunted and abused him.

"Smash that f**king nip", blurted the geographically-challenged Mungo Wilkes, the captain of the Topanga Topknots, as Albert raced away to score his third try in the U12s Grand Final.

It capped off a brilliant season for Alby who was so good that the famous St George club had sent a talent scout, the indomitable Fortae Facer, to see him in the flesh. Fortae's report back to his Uncle Frank strongly recommended that the Saints sign him as soon as humanly possible.

The diminutive half's reputation continued to grow as we moved on to the Rep season where our team combined with Wilkes' to take on country towns throughout the state in various carnivals. Alby carried us through to the Grand Final on his not-so-broad shoulders. We met Newcastle and our chances didn't look good against a city that big, but we were confident that we could get them. That is, until Wilkes finally noticed something in the change rooms as we got ready for the match.

The hulking Wilkes' frame hovered over our star, " Jeez, look at that. The Nip's got two nipples on his left tit .. He's a triple nipple nip !!". We'd known about it for ages so we wondered why Wilkes was making such a big deal.

Wilkes' and his minions started laughing and chanting "trip nip nip" .. "trip nip nip" .. Humiliated beyond belief the normally inscrutible Alby rushed out with tears exploding from his innocent, puppy-like eyes. I tried to follow him, but I was a front rower. He was nowhere in sight. We lost the Final 56-0.

Early in the new school year Wilkes and his bullies cornered Alby on his way home. Luckily Beetle Barnes and I were nearby.

"Get that f**king Nip", yelled Wilkes. "Let's teach the bastard a lesson for his lot killin' me brother's mate in Vietnam."

" Leave him alone you dumb prick", I demanded as I grabbed Wilkes by the collar and threw him on the ground. "He's not from Vietnam and he's not Japanese, he's Australian .. A Chinese Australian" ..

The cowering Wilkes left mumbling incoherently about "them" and "looking the same" ..

Wilkes eventually got his man. The 'nam inspired terrorist and his mates dug holes in the forestry section of our school and put sharpened "punji sticks" in the holes before covering them with twigs and pine needles.

Some of the well-disguised 'traps' were on a path which led to the footy fields, a pathway constantly used by Alby who would sidestep and shimmy his way to training in the morning. We heard the wailing ambulance sirens before seeing Alby with a stake jutting through the top of his foot. There was blood, blood and then blood.

Albert contracted tetanus from the wound and this was compounded by the Golden Staph he contracted in hospital which paralysed his right arm. The most promising Junior League player in the country was now a cripple. His inner strength was still there though and he battled hard to stay involved in the game.

"Youse c....s ain't got a chance", Wilkes big-noted as we ran onto the field. " Without the Trip-Nip-Crip-Nip we'll flog ya."

I knew in my heart Wilkes was right, our glorious Premiership run was about to end and I was shocked when we held the lead 8-7 with a minute to go. Doc Wilkes, the refereeing father of Mungo,then awarded sonny boy's team a penalty right in front, 28 yards out.

Mungo lined it up and struck the ball, it sailed towards the uprights, veered slightly to the left before just clearing the crossbar.

" You bewdy .. he missed !" yelled the little, crippled Chinese ballboy as the touch judges were about to raise their flags.

They looked at the pleading, innocent, puppy-like eyes. The flags stayed down...



the fray ..

 

[rabs]

rabs kicks ahead for the bunnies

Boy, you're gonna carry that weight

Chris Sandow is a young man with the weight of the rugby league world on his shoulders. In 2010 South Sydney are regarded by most experts as likely to finish in the top eight or better. The reason for the expected improvement is the addition of Englishman Sam Burgess and the one that got away from Brisbane, Dave Taylor. They add to a pack that already contains Kiwi internationals, promising local juniors and a few unsung but necessary solid workhorses. Burgess and Taylor add attacking firepower around the ruck, and they also release some of the pressure on captain Roy Asotasi, which may see him return to the form that had him rated as the top prop in the world.

Cue Chris Sandow, the Rabbitohs halfback. It’s stating the obvious that even the great halfbacks did better when their forward pack won the battle up front, allowing the little generals time and space to work their magic. The really great ones succeeded regardless but even they have been known to struggle behind a clearly dominated pack. In 2009 Sandow struggled behind a cumbersome set of forwards and was often cut off at the pass. It was also his second year and opposition coaches were more aware of his abilities. In 2010 he has a forward pack in front of him the equal of any on paper and if they get it right Sandow should have a stellar season.

Sandow is still a very young man having just turned 21, and has a young child. This is a massive home life responsibility which I do not doubt he cherishes and takes seriously. In his South Sydney home he also has a big responsibility to direct and spark the bunnies. His talent is huge, in 2008 when he debuted in the top grade he managed to take out the NRL Dally M Rookie of the year as well as being named in the Toyota Cup team of the year. That’s a rare double to be very proud of, as with his junior career. The little fellow from the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg, North of Brisbane, played rep football for QLD under 12s, 14s, 17s & 19s. In 2006 he toured Britain with the Australian Schoolboys and was signed by the Gold Coast Titans where he spent time playing in the lower grades. The Gold Coast didn’t work out for him and they parted ways in early 2008. Fortunately Souths were aware of his talents and signed him up for the under 20’s team on a modest contract. Sandow excelled in the NYC and by Round 13 was called up to the top grade following an injury to Craig Wing. Ironically he scored his first top grade try against the team that released him, the Gold Coast in only his second match.

Sandow’s best attributes are his kicking game and his ability to play instinctively. My observation is that Sandow will perform at his best once he learns to relax on field. He looks like a young man with the weight of the South Sydney supporters (who have been waiting for 40 years for a premiership), and perhaps the future security of his young family, on his broad little shoulders. It’s understandable; he’s human just like you and me. Souths have gone through too many halfbacks to name here since 2002 and this also adds to the pressure. In 2008 when he first came into the top grade his play looked comfortable and natural. His kicking game was the missing link that the team had lacked in the first half of the season. So what has happened?

In 2009 he was amongst the NRL’s worst offenders for missed tackles. Targeted by the opposition in defence, he started rushing out of the line and often missed his mark. His kicking game was a remnant of the 2008 version with many attacking kicks rolling hopelessly dead and territorial kicks going straight down the opponent’s throats. There were glimpses of the Sandow magic but they were only glimpses.

This year Sandow has a new coach with a history of supporting ad lib play that should help his confidence. If the forwards perform to expectation he’ll have room to operate in. The defence still looks shaky but if everything else works then it should be able to be covered up. For a successful 2010 Souths need Sandow to fire. To quote The Beatles Chris – Boy, you're gonna carry that weight.

748 words

 

[rabs]

posting by proxy for griffo from the Souths Clubhouse
Griffo for souths

Griffo on drugs

The debate has come up again in the off season about drugs in sports in general but with rugby league hit hard in the off season with two Newcastle Knights players walking away voluntary from the contracts after being charged with possession either player could be facing time behind bars.

The debate is we have seen players been suspended for two years for usage in other sports stars like Wendell Sailor when he was in Rugby Union, Marion Jones when she was in Athletics and Martina Hingis in Tennis. These players where suspended by the Worlds Anti Doping Agency (WADA) for two years of which two of these sports people decided to retire from there respective sports. Anther high profile Australian although not in the rugby league community would be Shane Warne who was banned for one year for the use of Diuretics.

I guess what I am getting at here is if you can ban a athlete or sports star can you ban a whole rugby league club or even kick them out of the competition. Although these players walked away from lucrative football contracts they more then likely would have been sacked and or delisted by the National Rugby League.

It doesn’t matter about the code we call football it seems like drugs are in circulation in what we call football. As Australians we see football in different forms depends on either background or where you live there’s Rugby Union, Rugby League Australian Rules Football and even the A-League comes under this banner as does Touch Football but we don’t here much about that sport and drugs im not even sure if they would have a policy as the other codes do.

What makes me think about this and how its getting worse is the fact not even two years ago we had Australia’s best ever halfback come out in his book and say he was a drug user I don’t know if its just me but it seems a coincidence that he is from the Newcastle area he even said he went untouched through his career, This makes me think were the testers paid off because he is Australia’s best player or did they deliberately miss him over his career? I guess this remains to be seen and the answer is somewhere out there in which we will never find out.

Other Rugby League players I failed to mention are Andrew Johns, Reni Maitua both good players in there own rights banned for different drugs however Andrew as mentioned above was never banned he now has a successful media persona which had come from his profile in rugby league.

I guess the most common ban would be for two years but would this depend on what drug you use and to what level or should there be a global result on it say two year for each different drug?

A bit more on banning players, the World Anti Doping Agency has banned a Olympic team before what is stopping them from banning the Newcastle Knights thing is can you ban a whole National Rugby League club from all competitions? If the World Anti Doping Agency was successful at doing so how long could they ban the club for would it be the same length as they would ban a player one or two years? If successful would there be a consistent flow over the act that they can ban a club say if my favorite club did it would they ban them for the same or would it be less or it could even be more.

In conclusion should there be a clause in the anti doping policy that gives power to the governing body of the respective sport the right to ban a team for multiple infringements in any one year or over a period of years?

I guess what I am saying is if you were in the governing body of the National Rugby League would you Ban the Newcastle Knights considering there infringements this year and pending court cases to there former first grade players?

684 words

 

[Pistol]

Thar she blows

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Ah it's over to the referee! I must say though i'ts great to get the first game out of the way, kick out all the cobwebs that must have built up over the past few months. LOL.

Well done Bunnies with all the posters getting in, sorry to the dragons you couldn't get your full compliment in, but you got some nice reads in there which I enjoyed reading when I got to take a look!

 

[dubopov]

Thanks Souths .. and thanks to my two team-mates for their efforts .. pity we start this season like the last ... I will be doing what i can to keep the team afloat ..

 

[murphyscreek]

Well done Souths....and thanks Dubo and Jason for allowing this interloper into the ranks.I've enjoyed the experience and hopefully will get another crack at it.

 

[rabs]

bad luck Dragons numbers wise but interesting reads from you guys suggests that wins will come when you get 5 in... gl

 

[The Colonel]

Disappoint that this match wasn't 5 v 5. Anyway the scores are as follows.


Dragons

dubopov - 87

Another article in the saga of Mungo Wilkes. The writer certainly describes his prejudices very well.


Jason Maher - 84

A decent effort. A descriptive look at the season a head for one lucky fan.

murphyscreek - 89

An interesting article. The writer manages to provide a liberal dose of the sorrow that has built over the years since the Grand Final in 1979. A great first up effort.

lost to

Souths


miccle - 87

While not the greatest article as the writer suggests it was well thought out and a good description of the early rounds in the NRL.

Dave Q - 87

Truth v fiction. A different look at the formative years of a rugby league player. Working out fact from fiction was difficult. ;-)

byrne_rovelli_fan82 - 85

Well thought out however a little confusing in the middle where it jumped between years.

rabs - 84

A decent summation of what the year holds for Chris Sandow. If he establishes himself this year will certainly be a good foundation behind the Souths pack.

griffo346 - 81

A thought provoking effort littered with some controversy. Seemed to be a little rushed which figured in the marking.

Total

424


POTM on debut - murphyscreek

 

[Non Terminator]

Well done murphyscreek, solid debut has shown on the scoreboard.
Good luck teams.

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Thanks to The Colonel for the marking, well done to murphyscreek for POTM as well,

Good effort Dragons and well done Bunnies! We're on the board!