2010 Round 2 Dragons v Titans

[Pistol]

Forum 7s - Round 2 2010
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS v GOLD COAST

-v-

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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 31st March 2010 at 9pm (Syd time)
REFEREE: Non Terminator
Venue: Kogarah

**The Referee Blows Game On!**

CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL WORD COUNTER

 

[Titanic]

The Kogorah faithful welcomed Titans' debutant lockyno1 with a heart-wrenching rendition of "He's a blond-haired, stompy-wompy, real-gone surfer boy"as he strode out in his new colours.

1. Amadean
6. tits&tans
8. bgdc
11. Titanic
18. lockyno1

Bench

4. Big Pete
13. TITs ANonymouS

 

[dubopov]

After the disappointing start to the season, the Dragons have decided to try and turn things around with the inclusion of more of their talented rookies .. The team is ..

Dubopov (c)
Jason Maher (vc)
Murphyscreek
Dragonz Rule
St Linnane

Dragon PSA
Hornbyslilhottie
Goodpart

 

[St. Linnane]

And wearing jersey 19 for the Dragons, the reserve grade five eighth, St. Linnane, making his debut in Forum 7's competition.

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The memory that shapes a lifetime

It’s amazing what we remember from when we are young and even more surprising when we are reminded of it.

10 years ago this week, I celebrated my 21st birthday. As with most people who reach this, apparently, auspicious age, a party was held and my father gave the obligatory speech. Now my father is not a polished public speaker, but told one story that had the crowd in laughter and me recalling my earliest football memory.

It was Sunday 29 September 1985 and a young 6 year old from Baulkham Hills, in north western Sydney, dressed himself in red and white and sat himself down in his little red beanbag for 11:00am, the start of the under 23’s grand final. The boy sat still, fixated on the television, and not daring to move. An hour and a half later the boy finally moved, brimming from ear to ear that his Saints had won the first of three games that they would play that day. Shortly thereafter he resumed his position in the bean bag, ready for the reserve grade grand final. Again he didn’t move, mesmerised by the red and whites, as they made it two from two. He ran out to tell his father the outcome, and proudly exclaimed that “we would win all three”.

Shortly before 3pm, the longue room filled up, the boy’s father had put his red and white on, the somewhat ill-fitting and off-coloured scarf, jumper and hat that had seen many games through the sixties and seventies; that the boy’s mother had pleaded with him to discard.

The game itself was a blur; the end result, not favourable. The Bulldogs had claimed the premiership, beating the Dragons 7-6. The little boy was upset and started to cry. The tears continued to roll for sometime thereafter.
Being after 5:00pm by this stage, it was time for the little boy to have his bath; this family, for reasons not understood by the boy at the time, making sure all three children were washed before dinner. Shortly after entering the bath the plug had to be removed as the bath was starting to overflow from the tears from the little boy’s eyes. “Why couldn’t they let us win?” he exclaimed, over and over again. The plug had to be removed to let water out of the bath for the tears on two further occasions that evening.

I can remember the day like it was yesterday. The way Dad told the story is reasonably accurate, save for the obvious embellishment. Having had the opportunity to watch the game again as an adult with a better understanding of the game the only thing different is that I recalled the game was much closer, though in reality, thanks largely to the tactical genius of the Wok, and the continual air raid bombing of the Dragons little fullback Glenn Burgess , Saints were never really in the game. Whilst the rule was changed after this game; I have to wonder whether the media exclaimed that the tactics were not in the spirit of the game, given recent criticism of Jamie Soward’s execution of Wayne Bennett’s game plan.

My first favourite player wore the number 6 jersey on this day warm afternoon, a young five-eighth by the name of Steve Linnane, a player remembered as infamous rather than famous, some 25 years later, but that is a story for another day. Though he probably set the tone for my selection of favourite players, the next player I identified with to the same extent was a little half-back named Goldie, and currently the diminutive Sowie.

But recalling this first rugby league memory brings more questions than it answers. What made a 6 year old with a limited attention span sit down and watch three games of league back to back? What makes this same 6 year old so upset that his team didn’t win? Where did this passion come from and why? Finally, why can’t I remember anything before that fateful September day? It’s unfortunate that I may never know the answers to these questions; though the one thing I know is that it was this day that made me what I am today, a stark raving mad Dragons supporter.

And what of the ill-fitting and off-coloured scarf, jumper and hat? They are safely under lock and key, never to be discarded.

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737 words

 

[gorilla]

*streaks, shouting*
"go you red n' white barstards !"

 

[Amadean]

"Daddy, why was that girl wearing a beard?"

"No son, that was a man. Some men are just more unfortunate than others. Let us be charitable: it is a little bit chilly today."

Amadean judges length with 720 below the Titans' bar

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The Tenth Tonsorial Turpitude

Parramatta were once an illustrious team. The Eels were once a team to be respected, feared, mocked and challenged in equal proportions. A team of Origin greats, a team of Grand Final champions. Yet, Oh! How the once sort-of-mighty have fallen: where once were Wagon, now remains naught but hollow deception and hairstlyes. Tonight, the deceptive veil of trans-national elitism shall be torn away and the bright new day of equality shine through. Those who hide behind Hayne, the few who seek to corrupt the many… tonight your evil shall no longer force suffering. Tonight we rescue the once whole might of the Eels from the trappings of Pacifism. Tonight we shall not celebrate our Co-Dependance Day.

No longer shall we suffer the Tongan Agenda!

My friends, true believers all, we have forever loved Parramatta. When they were crap, we saw beauty. When they were still crap, we smelt roses. We the crapness failed to finish, we drank heavily and cheered regardless. We are no strangers to humiliation. Or crap.

Yet it is we, the many, who have been bewitched by the tortuous conniptions of the few. Our pride in the mighty Eels, our love of the most mediocre of teams has been twisted beyond all recognition by a blinding flash of Islander beauty. Are we so shallow as to fall for such mean tricks?

No I say, a thousand times NO!

We sat quietly in pubs whilst behind us Broncos’ fans jeered, Bulldogs’ fans leered and Roosters’ fans queered. We smelt the stale stench of abysmal failure: year upon year it leaked through our orifices and still we wore blue and yellow. Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve done the hard yards. None of us has anything to prove but their sexuality.

So how, after all that came before, were we so easily seduced by fast-running flingers from the Pacific Rim? Were we so desperate for victory that we'd would sell our very souls to the mighty iaosi Tāufaʻāhau Manumataongo Tukuʻaho Tupou V, King of Tonga and cunning potentate of Parramatta potential?

Well, yes. We were that desperate. King George Tupou now owns our souls and the souls of our children yet unborn, so deeply did we desire something other than the crap we were. So were we so desperate, and so foolish. We sold our firstborn sons for the dubious honour of losing to Melbourne AND STILL WE BEAR THE ACCURSED AMONGST US.

I speak naught but truth friends. Every word that passes these lips is a gospel writ, untarnished and pure, except that of those most conniving of Leaguies: the Tongans. Do we think it a miracle that the beautiful Eels have enlisted 6 Tongans in our history, all in the last 5 years? Perhaps we imagine co-incidence in the signing of their contracts with the blood of virgin kittens? Turn over your shoulders now dear friends, and see the Devil’s own words writ in blackened blood beneath your bones:

# Feleti Mateo (2006-10)
# Etu Uaisele (2006-10)
# Richard Fa'aoso (2007)
# Tony Williams (2008)
# Taniela Lasalo (2008)
# Kim Uasi (2009)

Oh, they are clever dear friends. Their King is wise and their players are charismatic and tough. They work their twisted magic of talent not from the shadows of midnight hearths, but from the brightened daylight of grassy pitches. A smile from Mateo, a shimmy from Uaisele and so their magic tightens around our very souls all. My friends, we remain prisoners of an enigmatic genius and our own greed.

I may curse the King of Tonga and his wise rule. I may rue the day the once-crap Eels bought aboard Pacific men of talent, charisma and photogenic facial hair. I may yet regret the multitude of sins that bought us to the Grand Final only to abandon our bravest at our hour of need. I may even admit that Parra deserve to have the ignominy of craptitude heaped upon them by critics and commentators alike.

I may do as much as any man may, but until the beautiful, toned, talented, charismatic Tongans are thrust from our dingy field, my friends we shall not know peace. The sewer of incompetence is ours alone, and neither Feleti nor Etu has any right to serve us better than we deserve.

Tongans may take our paychecks, but they can never take our ignominy!

 

[murphyscreek]

murphyscreek for the Dragons....hoping to walk the walk and talk the talk following his very surprising debut performance...and chalk the fork and mork from ork....oops, getting confused now...

745 words between the stars

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Mediocrity Should Not Be Rewarded

I am not a fan of a Top Eight. Nor am I a fan of the McIntyre system as currently used by the NRL to play out the finals series. Just so there’s no ambiguity, it is the most unfair, pandering to television, mediocrity promoting, and excellence punishing system that could ever have been fabricated. Who is this McIntyre guy anyway? I’m sure some of you reading this know, but all I hope is this wasn’t the only idea he came up with in his lifetime. Because as an idea it is tres ordinaire.

Already, I can imagine some of you ensconced in front of your computer screens thinking something along the lines of “that’s all very well, but who the blazes (or substitute an ‘F’ word for blazes) are you?”. To that I would answer…“nobody”. Just a passionate Rugby League fan as I’m sure most of you are. I crave an NRL Finals series that promises every match will be a blockbuster, do or die affair. Where the outcome has real meaning for the protagonists and fans alike. Real meaning.

In the current system all we basically do in week one of the finals is turn a Top Eight into a Top Six. Eight teams slugging it out, risking injuries, risking suspensions, just to eliminate two teams from the bottom half of the Top Eight. Hello NRL? Anybody listening? Why not just run with the Top Six as they stood at the end of the home and away draw? It is ludicrous that the teams finishing 7th and 8th are getting a run in the finals anyway. We’ve even seen situations such as in the 2007 season where a team (Broncos) that lost more games than they won still made the play-offs. This is below mediocrity being rewarded.

Conversely, we have observed as recently as last year the Minor Premiers being eliminated in week two. A team that has played the most consistent footy for the entire season has one bad game against the 8th placed team, then maybe through natural complacency, suddenly they’re just part of the pack in a sudden death situation. It won’t do.

Now, I realise it was presumptuous of me earlier to speculate on the reader’s thoughts in response to my ramblings. Nevertheless, I predict that by now many of you may be thinking that criticisms of an established system is easy, akin to taking pot-shots at the proverbial sitting duck. But do I actually have an alternative to offer? The answer is yes and I will now put it to you as below. As I’ve already elucidated my proposed system begins with a Top Six.

Week One: Match A = Team 3 V Team 6 (Team 3 home game)
Match B = Team 4 V Team 5 (Team 4 home game)

Week Two: Match C = Team 1 V Team 2 (Team 1 home game)
Match D = Winner Match A V Winner Match B (Stadium)

Week Three: Match E = Loser Match C V Winner Match D (Stadium)

Week Four: Grand Final=Winner Match C V Winner Match E (Stadium)

And there you have it. Six teams fight it out over six matches to decide the Premiership. Let’s discuss the pro’s and con’s.

Pro’s: Every single game under this system is an absolute blockbuster. I know I’ve already used that term but there is no other that describes a match where a positive or negative result for either team is make or break. If a team finishes 3rd to 6th then every match they play is sudden death. It doesn’t get more real and the significance of these matches couldn’t be clearer for fans of those four teams.

Teams that finish first and second get two bites at securing a Grand Final berth. Excellence throughout the year is rewarded. This is just and right.

Con’s: Of course, the obvious for some will be there are less games. For some stakeholders, such as commercial broadcasters, quality of matches isn’t as important as quantity. Like thinly smearing a blob of vegemite across a slice of bread rather than slapping it on a small tasty wafer nice and thick (as it’s meant to be). Whilst I acknowledge there is a commercial reality to the game of Rugby League, surely it’s obvious that a superior product will ultimately equate to an increase in viewer numbers. More viewers equals more revenue and suddenly everybody’s happy.

Including me, for whom less is more.


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[DRAGONZ_RULE]

Put into a gap by the talented murphyscreek, the debutant DRAGONZ_RULE streaks downfield, with dubopov and Jason Maher in support on either side. Approaching the Titans fullback, DRAGONZ_RULE comes up with 746 words between the stars, hoping it will be enough to send a teammate over for a try!


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LIFE, LOVE AND RUGBY LEAGUE: A HELLISH PARADISE


CHAPTER 1


Growing up in the bush is a tough gig, but growing up in the city is another kettle of fish altogether. And Kevin “Bluey” Wilson was one of those kids who just didn’t fit in...

Caught in the crossfire of a fight he didn’t understand, Bluey never saw his mother anymore. His father maintained she “deserved to rot in hell!” Bluey’s enquiries were always met with the same reply: “It’s not your problem!”

Despite his confusion, Bluey moved to Sydney with his father, whilst his mother stayed in Cobar. As he stepped into the ute, Bluey double-checked that he had his most important possession with him – his pack of tattered footy cards that he’d collected from bubblegum packs for years. He felt his pant pockets... nothing. Looked in his backpack... nothing! Frantically, he streaked back inside, and after the longest five minutes of his life, he found the bundle of cards in the most obvious of places – his bedside table drawer. Looking down at the faces of Greg Alexander, Brett Mullins, Brad Mackay, Benny Elias, Laurie Daley, Des Hasler and others , relief washed over him. His heroes, almost lost forever, were back!

It didn’t take long for Bluey to realise that he didn’t fit in with the progeny of suburbia. Whether it was the fact that he had never owned a Playstation, or that he had starred in his junior league team in Cobar but nobody here seemed to chat footy, Bluey just didn’t get along with the other boys at school, and he hated himself for it.

With his heart growing heavier by the day, Bluey didn’t know where to turn to. His dad hadn’t gotten around to buying a television yet, so he couldn’t watch his heroes (now safely tucked in his back pocket!) on TV – a weekend family tradition back in Cobar. Bluey spiralled towards depression, his strained laughter at classroom taunts followed by hasty trips to the toilet block, tears pouring from his eyes.

For months Bluey’s inner battle continued. And then, one day, everything suddenly changed...

*****

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Tom Edwards had always been kind enough to Bluey. Whilst not overly friendly, Tom never joined in with the others when they teased him; so when Tom asked if Bluey wanted to go to watch the footy on the weekend with his family, Bluey accepted without hesitation.

Tom’s family came to pick Bluey up that Sunday afternoon, and on the way to the ground – “Kogarah Jubilee, St George versus Parramatta, you’ll LOVE it!” – Tom told Bluey about his favourite players: “Noel Goldthorpe, he’s the best! And Ricky Walford, you just watch him go!!” Bluey was sure he would remember every little detail about the day, from the red and white streamers attached to Tom’s car to the flags he saw people carrying as they made their way to the ground. Walking towards the stadium, the anticipation swelled like a balloon inside Bluey’s chest, but by the time they had arrived, Bluey’s heart had sunk: everyone was wearing either a Dragons or Eels jersey. Everyone except him... although Bluey had always supported St George, his parents could not afford the jersey.

As they walked through the gates, Bluey couldn’t bring himself to look up from his shoelaces. A tap on his shoulder made him turn around, and there stood Tom’s father with a brand new St George cap in hand.

“This is for you, son,” Mr Edwards proclaimed.

“But, but... I can’t aff–”

“It’s a gift, welcoming you into the family: The St George family!”

Bluey jammed the cap onto his head, silently vowing to repay Mr Edwards by one day playing for the mighty St George Dragons! As he looked around himself for the first time, his eyes, full of wonderment, immediately settled upon the jam-packed hill – a hill crowded with a family that he was now a part of!

The game was a Dragons clinic – St George were Premiership favourites, Parramatta were out of the running for the Finals, and it showed. It was a procession from start to finish; even big Tony Priddle barged over for a try! But it was when Mick Potter streaked away from the clueless Eels defence to score yet another try in the 36-4 demolition, and ten thousand St George fans stood and cheered as one, that Bluey knew for sure and certain...

He knew, in that instant, that Kogarah Jubilee Oval was going to be his home...


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[bgdc]

bgdc for the Titans

Okay you lummoxes (or is lummoxi?) get out of the way, a lady is about to take the field. (732 OWC between the stars)

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Which interminable off-contract saga are you?

Much like the players of the Cronulla Sharks, we've all spent the summer months wishing we could be involved in an interminable contract saga. When we were egocentric kids in the school yard, I suspect that we all dreamed of being strongly linked with a high-profile move from our team to some other one that wore different colours and was based in a different more exotic city?

Well, now you can determine which protracted end-of-season deal you would be involved in by taking our fool-proof test. Just answer these five simple questions, and before you know it you'll be issuing a 'come and get me' plea to a club that can offer you the joys of NRL football.

Q1. Your agent says that a club has contacted him on the wink-wink-nudge-hush-hush about procuring your services, but they want to know what your demands are. You ask for:

a. A foolproof contract that bears no relation to the realities of economics or financial stability and that has the unapologetic support of Ken Arthurson during his fascist reign in the latter part of the 20th century.

b. A decade of glorious success at home and abroad plus the opportunity to play with Mick Ennis and Paul Gallen.

c. A second floor flat for Tina and the boys, a club Commodore with electric windows and Foxtel.

Q2. A rumour that you might want to move clubs appears in The Telegraph's HOT GOSSIP column. Your coach asks you why you would want to leave the club? You say:

a. Having worked your way through the entire cast of Home & Away and realising that snails aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, you have had your fill of culture.

b. Having worked your way through a packet of Cadbury's Roses and realising that the Hudu Guru’s aren't all they're cracked up to be, you have had your fill of The Strand.

c. The signing-on fee could be put aside as a lovely nest-egg to open a pub with when your playing days are over.

Q3. A local newspaper approaches you for a response to the growing rumours about your departure from the club. You respond by:

a. Issuing a cryptic statement which makes several references to a possible, theoretical move abroad which you call 'my dream', but also refer to your current club and your experiences there as 'awesome, man'. However, you fail to hide the fact that your move is actually motivated by a desire to increase your weekly wage from the annual GDP of Chad to that of Kenya.

b. Telling the journalist that you need a club that can match your premiership aspirations (getting knocked out in the semi-finals), and arguing that you've been an Australia regular for almost five minutes and therefore should be able to do what you want.

c. Declining to make a comment, correctly assuming that the reporter for the Daily Diarrhoea is actually your club captain making prank calls.

Q4. A television network is launching a new rugby league show with you as the anchor and your choice for the title is:

a. Running, jumping and standing still

b. The Show & Go Show

c. Simply the Best

Q5. In a Rugby League Week fans’ survey, you are asked which car would you like to be modelled after and why?

a. Maserati - I am a deluxe sportsman of unmatched design, boasting customised services with a passion for excellence and extreme attention to detail.

b. You’re kidding aren’t you (masked behind a disarming smile), when they made me they threw away the mould.

c. Nissan Navarra, ah, um, they sponsor rugby league, don’t they?

So which are you?

Four or more A's: Mummy would be proud, you are Mark Gasnier and you are returning to the promised land of Rugby League.

Four or more B's: Get ready to claim that this is your year, you are Jonathon Thurston and you're stuck in contract limbo before inevitably moving to Manly for far more than you're worth.

Four or more C's: You are every deal made in the Queensland Cup this winter.

Three A's, and two B’s: Make up your mind son, your constant posturing for a move has angered your coach. You're staying put and training with the reserves.

Two B’s and three C's: Disappointing HSC results

None of the above: Get out of the game

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[Titanic]

Titanic for the Titans (750 OWC)

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A Rugby League Googly

I hadn’t realised how surreptitiously old man time had sneaked up on me until I discovered that I had become out of sync with the spirit that envelops the modern-day Rugby League community in Australia.

Over what has been a forty-five year association with the game, I have lived by a set of beliefs rooted in the traditions that governed the game while I was actively involved. This doesn’t mean that I have been glued to 1964, the year that I first pulled-on a jersey in anger, nor that I have ignored all the subsequent changes, yet somehow, somewhere, sometime recently… I seem to have lost the plot.

Those of you who have read my eclectic meanderings over the last few years in F7’s will acknowledge that I have championed the righteous cause of the moral obligation of the players to the sport in preference to their often selfish and thick-headed approach to the “hands that feed them”. The moral high ground has been my stomping zone and heaven let any drunken, greedy, over-sexed or drug-eating prima donna come within my crosshairs.

The Carneys, Myles, Johns and Sailors have all been fair game for my sharpened quill. I have refuted the do-gooders’ contrary arguments of forgiveness, unrealistic pressures, inadequate social preparation and misguided self-belief as being little more than candy-coated excuses for the inexcusable. In short, I have been completely intolerant of behavior which doesn’t conform to my now out-dated myopic view of what is acceptable.

What a sanctimonious arse I’ve been and how out of touch with the contemporary point of view. I’ve strolled into the irresistible vortex of the generation gap… no, worse than that, I’ve run to its edge, thrown myself over and am plunging headlong into the depths.

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been guilty of believing that the integrity of the game was more important than the individuals who play or administer it and to compound my misconceptions I thought that the majority of rugby league’s stakeholders agreed with my archaic slant.

Some of you, those who haven’t moved on in complete boredom, may be anticipating a titanic twist to this eulogy to my erroneous beliefs but they will be disappointed. No comic rejoinder, no helter-skelter dashing off at a tangent, raving about the inconsistencies of truth, justice and the Australian way… just this sad, beat-up tale of coming to grip with hardcore reality.

In hindsight, I should’ve seen it coming, however, I was lulled into a false sense of security by the fickle media who, behind a veil of good intentions, had secreted their more malicious intent of pandering to the majority. There I go again, presumptuous to the maximum. Who am I to judge their intentions? The press are just doing what any commercial entity must do and that’s satisfying their insatiable bottom-line by providing those who think they know with what they want to hear.

You may well be wondering what has driven me to author such a depressing litany. The answer is as simplistic as the reason why normally-level headed people will froth at the mouth when saintly characters dressed in pink seemingly misjudge the flight of a passed, logo-branded, synthetic projectile… or as complex, if you’d prefer.

Imbedded in the roots of rugby league 2010 and evolving like some invidious cancer in the very marrow of the sport is a pariah. No, no, no, no, no… I’m at it again, let me jump down off my creaking, weathered soap-box, give myself an upper-cut and try the modern way.

Rejoice! After three rounds of spectacular football where the bookies are all scratching their heads, where football has maintained the headlines and the off-field is just a place that is, well… not on the field, there is a fresh breeze fanning the game. As refreshing as it is cooling, this zephyr carries the melody of 2010… a heady mixture of tolerance and forgiveness.

It wasn’t that long ago when those winds reverberated to the sounds of controversy… a seemingly forgotten time when headlines decried the diminishing image of the game.

Player drunk again
Player instigates gangbang
Player shat himself in motel corridor
Player glasses girlfriend

As this article, or is it an essay, draws to a close, I commit myself to go back, to seek-out the critical turn I missed thus allowing me to join the current apathetic herd.

PS.

Research file (late 2009): a time, up until when, the rules determined how you played the game.

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[lockyno1]

[FONT=&quot]Lockyno1 on debut for the Titans
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]TV Deal to Make or Break League[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Well oh boy haven’t we heard about the Television Deal a lot lately, and it probably is the hottest topic in league today. Therefore, it must be said that rugby league must put itself in the best possible position to secure the new deal. The AFL secured a $780 million deal last time around, and in my view there is no reason as to why the NRL should not be looking at a similar, if not significantly larger deal.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]There are a number of crucial activities that rugby league can do in order to prepare itself for an effective television deal. The first major issue is the lack of concrete expansion plans. Television networks want to see a vision and therefore the NRL need to be proactive in developing expansion policies for three to five years down the track. If these policies were developed, the television networks would be more interested in bidding for these future games featuring increased teams. This therefore, would push the upcoming television deal higher in terms of actual value.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Furthermore, the Origin series needs to be investigated going forward. Whilst at this stage, Origin is the biggest cash cow in rugby league, more work needs to be done to gain more revenue from this game. This may mean increasing the Origin series to a best of five series. Alternatively, the NRL could justifiably ask the networks to pay their dues in terms of revenue from the games. At this stage the game(s) make the networks a massive profit, yet barely any of the revenue is seen by the NRL. This is one crucial area that needs addressing in the future. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thirdly, it can be discussed that more needs to be done to eliminate all negative publicity from the game. Now whilst my personal opinion is that the papers make incidents look worse than reality, the fact remains, these footballers need to show some leadership and stop getting into unnecessary trouble. Clubs need to be aware of the whereabouts of all players regardless whether they go out during or after the season. Some clubs like the Bulldogs have been extremely proactive in this category, making sure policies are in place to protect their club and also the games’ image as a whole. The less negative publicity, the more likely television networks will splash a large amount of capital on a television deal. On the flip side, if the game has a greater number of incidents off the field, television networks will get a bargain for the deal and as a direct result, rugby league would be forced into selling the game short in terms of revenue. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]With this said though, there are a number of reasons why rugby league should look forward to the television deal. The ratings for games has never been better, this despite Channel 9 barely choosing the right games. This shows that even lop sided contests will rate well as Australian’s love to watch rugby league, the greatest game on earth. This said, Channel 9 must be careful of choosing the wrong games. In the future an option might be for a “fans choice” of one of the Friday night games, thus making it feel like the fans have input in terms of what games are shown in prime time.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Finally, the unpredictable nature of the competition gives the NRL a high bargaining power. In the last few years there has not been a dominant premiership side. Yes Melbourne has won a couple, but they were spread out and not back-to-back. This indicates that the competition is unpredictable and is difficult to win consistently. However, the biggest positive in this is the television deal. The more unpredictable the competition is, the more likely neutrals will tune in and watch the sport on television. The more viewers on television, the more likely the deal will effectively reflect rugby league in monetary terms.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Therefore, it must be said that the television deal is a pressing issue for rugby league. There are factors that need addressing before David Gallop and other powerbrokers try to gain an effective deal. This said though, there are many current factors that give rugby league high bargaining power. As a sport, it is essential to gain the best possible deal for the future, in order to protect players from leaving the game for England or in fact rugby union.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]736 words[/FONT]

 

[tits&tans]

tits&tans for the Titans takes time out of his his whirlwind book tour to grace the field with his presence...

(748 words according to OWC between the ******)

******

From the outside in

​

As far as I know, the first time my mother ever saw a game of league was when she came to watch me as a child. It wasn’t a particularly memorable match and it wasn’t one of my best performances. However, we still managed to win. It wasn’t until weeks later that I even realized mum had seen me play. She didn’t normally attend and I had thought she had fundamental objections to the sport or my teammates.


The truth was much simpler.


She just didn’t understand the game. A revelation; how could anyone NOT understand? It all seemed so instinctive and straightforward.


Were there other parents like this?



I began to investigate.


Countless interviews and surveys later, I can now conclude that “yes, there are” As a “league parent”, I feel obligated to bring light to these darkened minds. It is with this in mind that I present the introduction to my new book, “Rugby League for the Uninitiated Parents”.

League (rugby league) can seem a confusing and complicated sport. How many family members, friends or partners have you heard nagging league lovers about how much time they spend watching or playing this sport? Often, this is simply because the ‘nagger’ doesn’t know enough to enjoy it. There are, of course, those who actually dislike our sport, but the less said about them, the better.


Our goal as league lovers is to demonstrate to you, the ‘Uninitiated’, how thrilling and intricately-structured our game is, and to show how being engrossed in a match can be a very pleasurable experience.
League is played in many parts of the world and has an interesting and colourful history. It is steeped in culture, community-bonding and tragedy. There have been heroes and villains, winners and losers, idols and ****holes. Throughout, it had created and strengthened many families bonds, with the game often playing a central role in ancestral heritage. Skills are commonly passed down and encouraged through the generations.


The most common entry point to this sport is ‘touch rugby’ (a non-contact version). Kids as young as six can learn and hone their game skills and knowledge without worrying about the strain or pain of being tackled. Non-contact sports can still involve some measure of accidental contact, thus it’s vital that younger children are adequately protected (e.g. mouth-guard, pads). It is a physically demanding sport, thus it’s also crucial that children are wearing the right boots and have a good level of fitness and health.


When children make the step up to a senior club they begin to experience the camaraderie and team spirit that separates our sport from the others. Rugby league is truly a team sport. Each member is a vital part of the ‘cog’ that makes the team function. Each role requires a skill. Each skill is unique and fundamentally affects the team’s success. As part of such a team, each person develops an important part of their social education and fine tunes the skills and characteristics needed to flourish and succeed not only in the sport, but also in the wider world.


Many schools offer the option to play league and as long as your child has adequate protection (and interest), he/she will be allowed to participate. Make sure that your child also receives adequate guidance and supervision, and you can then relax knowing it is doing them a world of good.


You can continue playing league until you are grey and hobbling, however very few become professionals. Often, league aficionados find other outlets for their passion – club level games, coaching, refereeing, volunteering at your local club or school, and of course, standing in the crowd hurling, erm, “support” at your team and the opposition.


Whilst watching a league match, try to look beyond the apparent disorganization of players chucking around a strangely shaped ball. League actually exhibits a continuous flow and provides constant competition. It is calculated and precise and requires a lot of skill. Points are scored throughout the game through kicking and grounding the ball (between and behind the goal posts, respectively). The most points wins.


The next time come across a game, I would encourage you to reflect upon how a community-centred, commitment-focused and team-based sport could and does aid in the physical, social and personal development of your son or daughter.


Behind the blood, sweat and dirt, lies a sport of values that has added and continues to add to the positive development of our society.

​

******

 

[dubopov]

.. a late change to the Dragons line-up with Jason Maher injuring himself in warm-ups, replaced by Hornbyslilhottie

 

[hornbyslilhottie24]

Hornbyslilhottie24 is a late inclusion in the starting side and runs out for her 2nd career game






A week in the life of a Rugby League fan…..

MONDAY
Monday morning starts with either a feeling of jubilation or despair – depending on how your team has gone on the weekend. The entire following week is built and structured around the result from the weekend:
If they won, you know it’s going to be a great week and if not, well you know what you’re in for.
That night you watch the Monday night game and thank God that your team isn’t playing – we all know how everyone feels about Monday night games.

TUESDAY
Tuesday goes slow. The continuous checking of the forum and the teams website in the afternoon takes its toll on everything else you are supposed to be doing – whether it be work, looking after the kids etc etc. Finally, someone spots the team listings on the website and posts them on the forum for everyone to see. After that, it’s every man for himself, as everyone deliberates and discusses the team selection.

WEDNESDAY
You rise early and go and get the paper to see all the other teams for the upcoming week. As well as this, you curse when you see who the ref is (although this seems to happen all the time – and we all know why).
Later on in the day, you log back onto the forum to see what everyone else is saying about the team for the week and everything as that has been posted.
This is also when the nerves for the upcoming game set in – and this is especially the case when your team is playing on the Friday.
Wednesday night you settle in and watch NRL on FOX and have a chuckle and a scoff at who the so called ‘experts’ are tipping in the upcoming games. You get especially excited if the preview shows that a player from your team is going to be a guest on the show.

THURSDAY
Thursday’s paper has articles about the games on the weekend and you enjoy reading the handful of pages dedicated to NRL. The nerves start to sky rocket and Thursday always goes so quick.
If you have nothing better to do but hit your head against a brick wall, or you just really want your footy fix, then you will tune into the new Matty Johns Show or stay up later and watch The Footy Show. After every episode you swear you will never watch this garbage again, but just wait until next week…

FRIDAY
Friday is always the best day of the weeks – especially if your team is playing that night.
You enjoy reading the form guide and the ‘late mail’ which is in the paper. You study up on who’s playing, who’s out and the starts everyone has got, in order to do your footy tips later on in the day.
The nerves really kick in and you find it hard to concentrate on what you have to do that day because you are so excited for the game. You manage to scrape through the day and rush off to the game and get in the ‘zone’

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Having played the Friday night game, the rest of the weekend depends entirely on the performance of the team. If they won, you know it’s going to be a great week and if not, well you know what you’re in for.

And so the cycle begins again…

 

[dubopov]

Captain Dubo for the Saints went in hard ..

MY HUSBAND

My husband doesn't beat me. And as far as I'm aware, he has never had an affair with anyone. Matter of fact, he is the consumate gentleman - he buys me chocolates and flowers; remembers birthdays, does a lot of household chores and actually listens to me. We have been married for more than 30 years but in some ways it seems like it's only fifteen. I've stuck by him as he's stuck by me.

We first met when I was working in the bar at the Oxford Hotel - a rat-infested, low-life pub in downtown Maryborough. He cruised in with a bunch of pissed mates all wearing red and white jerseys and scarves all chanting 22-0....Non-stop. They were doing a pub crawl after the Grand Final victory of their beloved St George Dragons that afternoon. I was immediately attracted by his enthusiasm, his bravado, his sense of humour and his loyalty; both to his mates and his team.

He told my boss Hoppy that they wanted to watch the replay on TV. In fact he demanded it. Old Bill Hopgood was a bloke who most people, including me, feared. He cast his eye over Pete and stated matter-of-factly, "We watch the news at 6 around here".

" Well mate, the news is that the mighty Saints won the f**king Grand Final so let's watch it .. why don't you just piss off upstairs and watch the other sh*t news and let us watch the footy."

I was shocked when Bill switched channels. " Youse can watch it, but I'm turnin' the sound down."

"OK big fella .. we don't need to listen to those dickheads anyway ", Pete replied, before launching into a
blow by blow commentary of his own. It was so realistic, he even seemed to flinch when blokes were belted in tackles. Most amazingly, he kept it up for the entire game, helped by the odd mate as a guest commentator and numerous 'throat lubricants'.

I was mesmerized by Pete and quickly went full-steam ahead relationship with him despite the protestations of my girlfriends. "He's just a footy bloke "' opined Bridget.

" And footy boys are so passe" voiced Dominica.

" He only wants you for sex." added the starved Adele.

" He would root anything that moved." said the hopeful Joanna.

"Girls, I've made up my mind. He's the one."

They were bridesmaids at our wedding in late '78 and soon became passe, as Dominica would say. Pete and I moved to Brisbane where highlights of the relationship seemed to depend on footy results. 1979 was sensational, the early 80's hopeful and 1985 was going to really be "it". It wasn't. Our television was smashed by a potplant hurled by an infuriated Pete who was screaming "YOU merkin ROBERTS YOU merkin."

I could do nothing to alleviate the depression which overcame the winter months for the next five years. Week in, week out, Pete listened hopefully to the radio or watched the TV on the rare days that Saints were on. Incredibly, summer was always great - we flew to virtually all major places in the country, went camping and fishing and lived a full life .. until kick-off..

He suddenly came alive in the early 90's but hopes were dashed by the Donkeys in consecutive years. Wayne Bennett and Allan Langer became the Kevin Roberts' of the 90's. Peter was researching voodoo dolls after the "St George can't play" comment by Langer and the smug approval of Bennett. The Donkeys were now the special enemy. This hatred was pushed further when the 'traitors' Tallis and Mundine joined the northern 'scum'.

Pete started to go to Donkey games wearing his Saints jersey and carrying a sign with pictures of Tallis and Mundine crossed out and TRAITORS emblazoned over the top. Most security people thought the sign was over the top and threw Pete out. He was also involved in a few punch ups with irate supporters, but true to himself, he kept up his campaign of 'exposing the truth'.

During the Naughties, Nathan Brown became the leading merkin in Pete's 'Divine Tragedy', before amazingly Wayne Bennett replaced him and became the Messiah. Mind you the other prime Donkey has never been forgiven. The other night I saw Pete standing and abusing then laughing when there wasn't even a game on.

On closer inspection, it was the news. A rotund dwarf in jocks was dancing on the table in what seem like a strip club.

"LANGER CAN'T f**kING DANCE".. ad infinitum.

 

[Titanic]

5v5 that's the way we like it ... excellent stuff Titans and great recovery after last week's disappointment Dragons.

 

[dubopov]

Thanks Titanic and good luck.. I'm rapt with the contributions of our team . many thanks team !. we'll give this a shake ! ..

 

[hornbyslilhottie24]

And thanks Dubo for reminding us ahah

 

[DRAGONZ_RULE]

Cheers Dubopov, and good luck to the Titans (the Premiership favourites??).


Good to get that first article out of the way, hope we can pull out an upset!

 

[murphyscreek]

Best of luck Titans.....some good reads there.

Well done fellow Dragons and especially St Linnane and DR for their debut efforts. Two debutantes and two two match rookies but maybe the beginnings of a great team?