2010 Round 2. Eels v Roosters

[Pistol]

Forum 7s - Round 2 2010
PARRAMATTHA EELS v OZZIE ROOSTERS

-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 31st March 2010 at 9pm (Syd time)
REFEREE: Pistol
Venue: Parramatta Park

**The Referee Blows Game On!**


CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL WORD COUNTER

 

[bartman]

The F7s Eels make their way onto the hallowed turf of their home ground for this Round 2 match, applauding the gathered crowds and shaking hands with their Roosters F7s opponents....

Matt23
Hallatia
Goleel (c)
eloquentEEL (c)
MarkInTheStands (c)
- - - - -
phantom eel
bartman (c)
natheel

 

[eloquentEEL]

eloquentEEL returns to the glass for the Mighty F7's Eels after a delayed absence from competition.
______

Mind, body and toll

I hate you!

What’s that? “Hate” is a strong word?

Good. I’ll say it again. I hate you. You are a masochistic bastard and I HATE you from the very core of my being. I loathe you. I despise you!!

If I could, I would leave you in a heartbeat. Alas, I am completely and utterly under your control. You are my master and I am your slave. I lie prostrated on the ground, exhausted to the bone, and all you can do is scream at me; “Get up! Move!! Haul your lazy arse off the ground and RIP IN DAMN YOU!!!”

Your merest thought is sufficient to force me into squeezing the last ounces of strength from my aching muscles. I am obliged to ignore the hurt and spring to my feet, ready for action.

Many, many moons ago it was all different. I had youth on my side. The occasional pain was easily masked by endorphins, adrenaline and the thrill of the hunt. I had the wind at my back and all the enthusiasm in the world. Now, I am an old warrior. My battle scars attest to a decade and a half of grueling abuse. They are visible from my head to my toes, above and beneath my skin, plain as daylight.




One would be excused for assessing me to be a prisoner of war, having suffered at the hands of a maniacal and sadistic torturer. My personal tally stands at:

• 4 broken noses
• a fractured eye socket
• 1 reconstruction on my lower left appendage
• and 2 on my right
• a compound collar bone fracture (yes, that does mean you could see the bone poking out of the skin… horrific injury that one... heard someone refunded their lunch in the television control room, if you know what I mean)
• 18 operations
• 273 stitches
• 45 concussions
• a ruptured testicle
• countless torn muscles, dislocated joints, medical appointments and scans.

Don’t pretend that I can’t hear you in there my dear brain, contemplating retirement from top flight rugby league. It’s music to my ears. I stood by you when we were once injured 5 minutes into a pre-season trial. I did the work to get us back just in time for the finals only to suffer a season ending injury in the second half of our comeback match… and then did all the work again to be ready to go for the next season. I can no longer stand this continual punishment week after week, year after year. You make me run to the point of regurgitation. You then compound this with collisions which are like being run over by a small car, getting pulled to your feet and getting hit by a truck. Even the training is a hundred times more intense than when I first came into grade. Then it was just sand hills and weights. Now we add activities like cage fighting, as if the footy isn’t demanding enough.

A great deal of long term damage has already been inflicted. I have early onset arthritis and we will be living with severe pain throughout our senior years. Who knows what further complications we will end up with, considering my internal organs feel like they have been extensively pulverized and tenderized over the years. Your ego and competitive instincts keep driving you (and by association, me) yet you have nothing left to prove. I beseech you; please brain… please make the right decision before you get us both killed out there. It’s time to let go and look forward to life after footy.

What’s that? You think you can handle at least two more seasons? Noooooooooooooooooo!!! I protest. Someone call the authorities. This is insane. It is downright criminal. My stupid mind is preparing to leave me as a 35 year old man in a 70 year old’s body. We are perpetrating self harm and must be committed to a mental facility this instant!
_____

660 words between the lines (according to the official F7's word counter)

 

[Non Terminator]

The Roosters have arrived.

Non Terminator (c)
Adamkungl
Fein
Cliffhanger
Bubbles

Bench
Monk
Broncodr01d

 

[MarkInTheStands]

M.I.T.S takes the ball up the middle with.

Our State's Supposed White Elephant

The biggest tale told about the Homebush Bay Olympic site is that Stadium Australia (or as it is titled now, ANZ Stadium) is a “White Elephant”.

Now a white elephant is something that you have but can’t use at all.... I am quite sure ANZ Stadium IS used - indeed I would say it is well used. Recently I became a Gold Member at ANZ Stadium and have found out truly how much happens at the venue, and in doing so have also found out how the Stadium can pay NRL clubs to play at the venue.

This year ANZ Stadium will host 22 regular NRL games, the Charity Shield, two State of Origin games and the NRL Grand Final. Not counting semi-finals (where venues aren't confirmed until late in the season), the total number of league games is 26, with three of these being "show piece" games. That is almost one game a week for the duration of the winter season.

Then there is the Rah Rah, where the Stadium was used for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and in doing so gained a large number of members from the Eastern Suburbs. There are now three show piece rugby games - the Warratahs vs Brumbies in the Super 14 (and a home final should they get that far), the Wallabies vs England plus the Bledisloe Cup vs. the All Blacks.

Next there is the AFL, and while we all don’t like to talk about it there are actually three games of AFL played at the Stadium, plus any semi finals that the Sydney Swans may host.

During the summer, the Stadium was also used by the New South Wales Blues cricket side for their two games of the T20 Big Bash tournament. And last year ANZ Stadium also hosted the Socceroos in two World Cup qualifying matches, but we are talking about this year.

So in 2010 alone, without semi finals, ANZ Stadium will host 33 sporting events. While the main purpose of the Stadium is sport related, the venue is also used for other things.

This year the Stadium will be used as a concert arena for two different acts - AC/DC (who played two sold out shows as part of their Black Ice tour), and the V8Supercars will almost assuredly feature a P!NK performance during the Telstra Sydney 500. Add to that the two performances of the BEN HUR stadium spectacular during the month of October, and you can see that this Stadium is one of the most heavily used venues in Sydney!

Relating this back to rugby league, how exactly can the people at ANZ Stadium manage to offer NRL clubs generous financial incentives to play regular season games at ANZ Stadium?

With only one exception, no NRL clubs own their home ground. For example, Parramatta play at Parramatta Stadium which is owned by the NSW Government, and run by the Stadium Trust (which the Government appoints).

Parramatta have said that to “break even” on a home game the Eels would need to get 7,000 paying customers to attend. I have also been told it costs the club $40,000 in expenses to open the gates for any game. On that reckoning, the Eels could make a maximum of $80,000 or so per full house (21,000 people), because as hirer of the stadium they take the entire proceeds from the gate.

ANZ Stadium on the other hand pays NRL clubs $100,000 per hosted game. I have also heard that if the game attracts a crowd of over 25,000 the stadium with profit share with the home club.

So how can ANZ Stadium manage to do this? Because of its size and the amount of events it hosts ANZ Stadium can afford to run a Stadium club - not too unlike the Members area at the SCG. The Stadium Club consists of 16,200 Members and 1000 Platinum Members, all of whom pay around $630 a year to keep their memberships “active”.

This means before a ball is kicked or any gates opened, the Stadium makes around $10 million a year in operating takings. Paying $1 Million to the Dogs, $1 Million to the Rabbits, and $200,000 to the Eels for their hosted home games, still leaves $8million in change.

White Elephant indeed! Stadium Australia is a cash cow and will continue to be until 2030, when the stadium is offered back to the State Government.

748 Words

 

[Non Terminator]

Proxy for Monk.
725 words between the stars.

*****


A little left of centre.


Why hello ladies and gentlemen, today I would like to cast your minds back to the good old days of the 70’s and 80’s.


Now comparing a game of Rugby League now days to a game back then, I’m sure the avid Rugby League fan could point out a multitude of differences. But even dedicated and long time Rugby League fans would be able to point out the number one most obvious and infuriating difference between the two games. Now if you haven’t guessed what the most infuriating change to happen in rugby league is by now, I might have to slap you over the head with this week’s copy of Rugby League Week magazine. Of Course I am talking about the atrocity that is today’s scrum.


Once upon a time a scrum was a battle of the forwards. A chance for them to pit themselves against the opposition forward pack, in a real test of strength. With the losing pack often leaving the scrum with battered and bruised legs.


Unfortunately, now days the scrum is no more important than say the amount of whiskers on a players chin (except David Williams, who we all know is the modern day Samson. Samson of course being the spritely Nazirite who when his head was shaved he lost all his strength.). Why is this? I hear you ask.


Well, why not just check Wikipedia? This takes a notable stab at league in their definition of an NRL scrum.


“Forwards in rugby league do not usually push in the scrum, often feed the ball directly under the legs of their own front row rather than into the tunnel, and the team with the put-in almost always retains possession.”


Tell me this, doesn’t that definition of a Rugby League scrum not sends chills to your very bone. Where is all the ferocity? The demand for physical excellence that we all remember and love?


Now, to stop the shivering and shaking you are all doing I will show you the definition of a rugby union scrum from that same Wikipedia page.


“in rugby union both sets of forwards try to push the opposition backwards whilst competing for the ball and thus the team that did not throw the ball into the scrum have some chance of winning the possession. In practice, however, the team with the 'put-in' usually keeps possession.”


Now doesn’t that put a smile on your face and take your mind back to the good old days?


Honestly, aren’t we supposed to be attracting new fans to the game? So tell me why oh why are we not doing anything to bring back something that all the fans want and crave? I see scrums as exceptional entertainment value. I watch Phil ‘Gus” Gould on the Sunday Roast complain about this week in and week out. Even though he is a well known Rugby League and Media Personality, we still see the poor excuse for a scrum performed in 8 games each week for 26 weeks a year.
Now, I am sure you are all wondering “why in the name of Phillip Ronald Gould would we change from thrilling and exciting scrums to some lame tea party? Well this is why.


“...during the 1970s scrum penalties for feeding the ball into the legs of the second row, packs moving off the "mark" or collapsing the scrum were seen as a major factor behind falling attendances. The ability of teams to win a game purely on goals from scrum penalties was also seen as unfair. In an effort to reverse falling attendances and improve the game's finances, rule changes were made that greatly reduced the number of scrums.”


Now I know a change in scrums was a necessity, but why did they have to abolish any physical competition in the scrums? Surely there would be a way to keep the physical challenge, yet control the discipline of the players to prevent continuous stoppages in the game due to scrum penalties.


I know I’m not the only one who feels that keeping scrums the way they are today is an injustice to the game. I just want to know why after everything that has happened, and all the cries for a change, why do the halfbacks continue to feed the ball a little left of centre?

*****

Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby)

 

[Non Terminator]

Non Terminator makes his 10th appearance for the Roosters.
691 words, according to my own personal count, under the jersey.

Be Thankful

Even though I've only been competing in the Forum Sevens competition for just the one season, I've found myself thinking the same thing over and over when trying to come up with an innovative idea for an article. It's impossible to perform something brand new. It really is. These days, thanks to the talented writers that have graced the competition for a number of years now, all of the corners have been covered and everything that can be done, has been done. Throughout my time in this competition, I can safely say I have been way off the mark when trying to do something new, but this week thanks to a lack of ideas and a lack of a computer, I am willing to try something that (I am hoping) nobody has ever tried in this competition.

For you see, this article will be made completely without technology. No computer will be used (except for submitting the article). The use of technology has been taken away from me for now. I can sit here knowing that it is so much easier to make a spelling mistake, I have no room to double check. I won't even be using the 'Forum Sevens Official Word Counter', instead I will be counting the words seperately. At the moment even writing all that I have already written is difficult, and I've only cracked roughly 200 words. I am sitting, gasping for technology to come back.

The sport of Rugby League is beginning to be completely built around technology. The use of certain functions enables the officials using them to make sure that the number of errors made by match referees are declining. We all know that the officials using the technology are constantly being blamed for some of the mistakes made with the use of technology such as the Video Referee system, and the constant outrcry usually sees the fans of certain teams blame the technologies themselves.
Back in the day when the video referee wasn't even thought of, the media constantly reported moments in Rugby League games where the blind eye of the officials got it wrong. Could you blame them though? Imagine if the Centenary ANZAC Test of 2008 was without a referee. If you can't exactly remember the game, one of the most famous tries of the modern era was scored by former Dragons centre Mark Gasnier.

The ball went over the dead ball line being held by Greg Inglis, who flicked it backwards over his head for Gasnier to score the try. If the video referee wasn't able to confirm it, we could've had absolute outcry either way the decision went. Not only that, another technological influence in the modern game that really is taken for granted, the action replay, enabled us all to see one of the greatest moments in Rugby League history over and over.

Again, it's amazing how the constant use of technology in the game can be taken for granted. Every single bit of it. As a member of "Generation Y", I couldn't imagine watching the game without a scoreboard or without direct microphones to the referees. I guess it's possibly time to cue the line "back in my day", but we all know that the use of technology has been given a warm welcome by fans of all generations.
Still doesn't beat going to the game, but thanks to the technological definition that we can watch games in our own homes, it finally the next best thing to going to the game.

Back onto the main idea of this article, it will be posted up on the match thread, unedited. Again, mistakes were probably made (either spelling or incorrect counting for the rules relating to the Word Count, a personal apology to the match referee for that) but it is most certainly a reflection on how much technology means to not only this sport that we all share a love for, but also this competition.

Where would we be without it?

Maybe you should all give it a try. All I know is my hand bloody hurts and I have to go and type it all out now...

 

[Non Terminator]

Apologies Pistol and Eels, I rushed at the library to get the first two shown.

Interchange
In: Monk
Out: Fein

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles on for Easts
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Nuptial Notice

Bubbles met her Parra-beau fifteen years ago, dusted him when he asked her to a Presidents of the United States concert; married a Saints supporter (yah) in a ceremony that Parra-Beau attended, in which his sister was a Parra-bridesmaid; divorced the Saints supporter (well, yeah), before hooking up with Parra-beau and moving to the country.

On 29 August 2009 Bubbles married her Parra-beau in a charmingly quaint and deeply spiritual ceremony held in the backyard of their home, sprawled along the grassy banks of beautiful Lake Macquarie. “Our faith is very important to us and it was imperative this was reflected on the day”, Bubbles said.

The bride wore a flaming red dress, having forgone traditional white, figuring that after giving birth to two children the jig was probably up. The groom wore all black, taking advantage of the cooler weather and wearing a shade normally avoided in any temperature above twenty degrees Celsius due to his condition CPS, or Chronic Perspiration Syndrome.

There was only one slight hiccup when the wedding music appeared to have been misplaced, however after the bride calmly informed the ‘Music Master’ that “There is no f@cking Plan B!” the music was located and the formalities commenced.

The bride walked out to the traditional strains of Foo Fighters ‘Everlong’, the live version, the groom beaming as his scarlet bride walked/ran towards him. “Mind you”, said Bubbles, “he did receive a call from one Nathan Hindmarsh wishing him well before the ceremony, so I reckon my radiant beauty had little to do with that goofy grin!”

After the normal introductions and formalities, the bride and groom exchanged their very traditional and moving vows:

I, Parra-beau, take you, Bubbles, this day as my wife. I promise to love you as much as the Parramatta Eels and not hold your poor choice of footy club against you. From this day forward, I will rub your feet or play with your hair, but only at half time and I promise to try to keep my referee abuse to a minimum. I promise to retire my footy shorts and thongs for some public outings and try to remember this day with love and roses. I will love you in sickness and in health, from this day forward, until death parts us, or until you become a Manly fan.

I, Bubbles, take you, Parra-beau, this day as my husband. I promise to love you as much as I love the Roosters and not hold your poor fashion sense against you, as long as you are clean. I will only chastise you about putting the toilet seat down during half time and I promise to leave your Eels jersey in the lemon tree for the full term of its punishment. From this day forward I promise to always admire the lawn after you’ve mowed it and to always enjoy a post-mowing beer with you. I will love you and adore you for richer or poorer, as long as you never cheer out loud for the Dogs, even if you’ve tipped them.

The ceremony over, the reception began in the only manner befitting an occasion when East meets West, with plenty of booze (and just a few café lattes)! The guests were made up of a crap-load of Parramatta supporters, “Proving my point,” Bubbles said. “The bastards are everywhere; it’s like the Day of the bloody Triffids, only with Westies!” The remaining attendees represented at least six of the other NRL clubs, and also comprised a small minority of AFL supporters, courtesy of the bride’s Victorian family members, who almost didn’t attend, still reeling from Bubble’s defection fifteen years ago from their one true faith and subsequent conversion to Rugby League.

After the formalities of speeches and cake cutting and once the last of the more conservative guests had departed, the bride and groom took to the floor to perform their first dance as husband and wife to the always beautiful, ever soulful remake of George Michael’s ‘Faith’ by Limp Bizkit. The romantic spectacle was only marred when the groom got carried away and caught the bride with a flying head-butt.

There was only one way for the evening to go from there and as the bride and groom and the last stragglers shook their collective booties to another timeless classic, Butterfingers’ ‘Yo Mama’, the bride was heard to state/slur, “This has been awesome! Oh and remember everybody... “She’s always on top.... she’s always on to-o-op!”
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Word Count: 748

 

[Goleel]

Gol for the Eels.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Yet again after three rounds, people are asking 'what is wrong with Parramatta?' Despite the pre season hype I'm left with that same feeling of disappointment as my club starts another year with lacklustre performances and questions over their heart and commitment. There are many problems with how Parramatta are playing football this season, but could it all come down to one simple aspect of their game? I believe so. They simply aren't getting a fair share of the football.

The Eels have had an average 45% of possession in their three games this year, tied with the Raiders ahead of only the winless Sharks with 44%. The next lowest team is the Roosters, at 48%, a statistic that is skewed thanks to the thrashing they received last weekend. Easy enough to see that they aren't getting enough of the ball, but there has to be a reason for that, doesn't there?

Yes, there does. The first place you would naturally look is the error rate of the team. The Eels have turned the ball over 42 times in three rounds by handling error, third worst in the league, but only four errors more than the NRL average. The Sharks and Raiders top the list with 48 and 51 errors respectively, while only three errors separates the sides from third to tenth on the list. Yes, Parramatta are turning the ball over, but not significantly more than the Titans or Storm, who have 40 and 41 errors, and are both undefeated. The other undefeated side, the Dragons, have only 19 errors, 11 better than the nearest competitor, and this statistic goes a long way to explaining their success so far this year.

So amount of turnovers can't really be to blame for the low possession the Eels have had in the first three rounds. What else could it be? Penalty counts don't explain it, Parramatta sit middle of the pack in both penalties received and conceded. I do have a theory on penalties, or rather, the worth of penalties. The crux of the theory is there is no measure of which penalties are more important. Obviously penalties in possession of the ball are the worst, followed by penalties late in the tackle count, or when the opposition are pinned deep in their own territory. From watching Parramatta this year, they seem to be getting most of their penalties when already in attacking positions, thus not gaining much from them, and when they are penalised, it is usually when the opposition are working out of their own half. Without a way to accurately measure this, I can't really use it to explain Parramatta's performance, but it may have contributed to the lopsided possession against them.

Just as I was about to give up on statistics to explain the Eels, one set of figures jumped out at me. The Eels first three opponents, the Tigers, Dragons and Sea Eagles, sit first, second and third in lowest handling errors made. The stats prove it, Parramatta's first three opponents have made fewer errors than other teams.

So are Parramatta just unlucky? Facing opposition who are having blinders and giving them no chance to compete? The Dragons and Tigers both played well against them, and it is the easy way out to simply say 'our opposition were too strong'. That may be avoiding the real problem. Could Parramatta simply be soft? Their defence not forcing errors from opposing teams, pressuring them into mistakes? They don't hit hard, they don't get up off the line and pressure the receiver, their defensive line bends backwards with every hitup an opposing forward takes. It could easily be that Parramatta need to toughen up, and start earning a fair share of possession.

So which case is it? Have Parramatta been the victim of hot opponents, denying them the ball with strong handling and good gameplans? Are Parramatta simply not tough enough, their defence incapable of forcing mistakes from the opposition? This weekends game against the Sharks should prove all. They have made the second most handling errors of any team in the NRL this year, and have the lowest share of possession. If Parramatta are for real, they should be able to dominate possession in this game, and force the Sharks into mistakes. If they cannot, the Eels should start looking for some cement to throw into their cereal, because they will need to harden up.

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747 between the lines.

 

[Cliffhanger]

Despite what can only be a serious pulley injury Cliffhanger takes the field for the Roosters

750 words

1,2,3

There are few things even the greatest rugby league minds can predict with certainty at the start of the season. Yeah we know the referees will make some terrible calls, at least 100 players will get an injury at some point or another, the salary cap will come under scrutiny, and viewing NRL games on television will still be significantly more watchable if the TV is muted but when it comes to predicting which teams will be there come September we are all hit and miss.

Three weeks into the season and making predictions about how the season will pan out is no easier but at the risk of being way off I will take a shot and predict the fates of 4 teams which I have taken the most interest in this season.

Dragons

There are few better representations of the Dragons than my favourite “almost try” this season. In a moment likely to be replayed another 1000 times before the season ends Nathan Merrit looked certain to score a try before he lost control. Just as Merrit looked certain to score that try, the Dragons looked certain to make the grand final. He had done all the hard work; he ripped through the defence, sped halfway down t he field, no opposition player had a chance, but all of a sudden he just went tumbling down. In 2009 the Dragons were the best team in the competition, no team had been as consistent and no team seemed as complete but come finals time they could not win a game and jokes aside it is hard to figure out the exact reason.

Three rounds into the season and the Dragons are much stronger than any other team; while the Storm and the Titans are on the same competition points, one need only look at the quality of the opposition they have faced to reach the same conclusion. There is no doubt the Dragons have the team and the coach to win a premiership but they looked just as likely last year before it all went wrong. They are strong all over the park and I am certain they will be right up there whether or not they will shake the chokers’ tag is something I am less certain of. However I am going to go out on a limb and predict them to take out both the premiership and minor premiership.

Warriors

Perhaps the most unpredictable team in the competition, even during their worst seasons they will shock you by taking down a giant and when they are on fire they are unstoppable. Inconsistent is not strong enough of a word to describe this lot.

Looking at their playing roster it was hard to fault the experts who predicted them for the spoon but it also is not a huge shock they look a little likely right now. The fact remains however they do not have the depth to win a premiership, if they make the eight they will just sneak in, it will be fun seeing them take down some genuine contenders though.

Roosters

I am a Rooster’s fan and it might just be wishful thinking impacting my judgement but there is a lot to like about Easts this year. They are capable and their attitude is much improved on last year despite their endurance being a little concerning as the last 20 against the Tigers showed and most of the game against the dogs did.

There may only have been a few personnel changes at the roosters but they are far from the team which deservedly got the spoon last year. They have the halves, the try scoring potential and a strong be it slightly inexperienced forward pack. They can not win the comp simple what they can do is improve significantly on last year. They will have many moments of glory in 2010 and they will make the finals but I cannot see them getting far.

Eels

Predicting Melbourne for another premiership is boring and quite frankly the fact was if the Eels improved they would win the competition. The unfortunate thing for Eels fan is they did not take off where they left off. Despite the slow start they can make the four, Daniel Anderson is a great coach, his teams are always exciting to watch and likely to surprise you like the Eels did in the finals last year. It will be easier to tip them than against tip against them for much of the season.

 

[Cliffhanger]

Duplicate post

 

[adamkungl]

adamkungl stumbles onto the field after having a few too many KBs at half time


747 words under the stars

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A Binge Drinker’s Guide to the NRL 2010

​

Alcohol hasn’t seen much action in the back pages in 2010, barring the unfortunate fart lighting accident of New Year’s Eve. In light of its jarring absence, this writer has taken it upon himself to smash down a few beers and try to tell the future by reading the dregs. Tea leaves be damned.

Firstly, I would like to describe my patented Alco-Footy Scale to the sober readers out there. It should be quite simple to even the most un-inebriated of minds. A drink’s ability to get you happily trashed equates to the corresponding club’s position on the table. Makes perfect sense, right? Onwards then!

(Unfortunately there was not enough space under the word limit to include every club)

Broncos: XXXX Gold. Mid-strength, much like Brisbane’s playing roster. The Alco-Footy Scale points to a mid table finish just outside the 8. Alfie must have been drinking stronger stuff after the Warriors game.

Raiders: Midori. The Green Machine. Both strengths and weaknesses lie in its youth oriented approach. Good sometimes, but not enough to stand up with the top of competition in the gruelling slog of week to week binge drinking. Plus, your mates will probably bag you for drinking this, or for considering a move to Canberra.

Bulldogs: Rum. Usually a good night followed by a nasty aftertaste in the morning, possibly because some fans have trashed a CityRail train. The Alco-Footy Scale points to a high finish for the Canterbury boys, and liver damage for myself if they ever put 60 on my lot again.

Sharks: Hahn Premium Light. A complete waste of time. Why are you drinking this, and why are you watching the Sharks? Less entertaining than watching paint dry. The Alco-Footy Scale is suggesting the wooden spoon might finally be heading out Shire way.

Titans: XXXX. The full strength one. Should well and truly overtake Brisbane as QLD’s top team. The Alco-Footy Scale points towards a top four finish. New boy Greg Bird has resigned himself to drinking from plastic schooner cups to avoid any nasty allegations. Volunteers for roommates have been few and far between.

Storm: Victoria Bitter. Hated by many but hugely successful. The southerners will be found near the top yet again come September. Expect claims of VB tasting like donkey piss and the Storm being cheating scum to be echoed throughout the season. The Alco-Footy Scale is pointing towards the top yet again.

Cowboys: Scotch and Coke. I don’t like Coke. In my opinion, it’s a pretty rubbish drink. I do, however, like Scotch and Coke. Thurston is the Scotch. The rest of the Cowboys side is the Coke. If Thurston gets injured, Cowboys are looking at a bottom 4 finish.

Panthers: Cask Wine, aka ‘Goon’. Out West the drinking game of choice is Goon Of Fortune, played by spinning a Hills Hoist with a bag of cask wine pegged to it. Unfortunately, judging by some of their early performances, the players might have been joining the fans in their backyard revelries. No one can safely say which way the Hills Hoist will point for the Panthers this year, or whether I’m even making sense anymore.

Rabbitohs: Absinthe. A mate of mine once brought an $80 bottle of absinthe to a party. He talked himself up for a while before dropping and shattering the entire bottle on concrete. Everyone laughed. This isn’t entirely relevant to the drink itself, but it is how I expect the Bunnies season to go. Won’t live up to the pre-season hype.

Dragons: Tequila. Loved by many, hated by me. Much like a night of tequila shots seems to be going well until it inevitably ends badly, the Saints will finish up near the top before the unavoidable finals choke.

Roosters: Jagerbombs. Hugely entertaining but boy can they go wrong, as we saw against the Dogs. Lingering fear that Carney and Myles might break their self-imposed drinking ban, knock down far too many of these and go on a crotch-lighting, corridor pooing, car jumping rampage around the streets and hotels of Kings Cross.

Tigers: Tooheys Extra Dry Platinum. The highalcohol content in this beer provides some extra zing, much like a Benji miracle flick pass. However, fans have long suspected coach Sheens of indulging in a few too many of these when selecting the team. This might explain some of his more baffling selections in recent years. The Alco-Footy scale suggests a good finish for the Tigers.

 

[bartman]

In: phantom eel
Out: Matt23

 

[bartman]

Apologies Pistol and Eels, I rushed at the library to get the first two shown.

Interchange
In: Monk
Out: Fein

No worries NT, all good here :thumn.

 

[phantom eel]

Phantom Eel for the F7s Eels...



- - - - -


Twenty Five Years Between Drinks…

A lot can happen during twenty five years.

Twenty five years ago I was a much spritelier thirty nine years of age, while my now adult son was only thirteen. Twenty five years ago we saw our first rugby league game at Parramatta Stadium on opening day, and we have sat in the same seats there ever since.

The development of Parramatta Stadium was a lengthy process. Plans were finally afoot in 1981 when long term fans said goodbye to the dusty Cumberland Oval with a final round drawn game. Home to many memories including the careers of legendary Eels players such as Thornett (both of them), Lynch, Hambly and Higgs, the oval is now buried somewhere beneath the modern Stadium’s playing surface, terraces and warm-up field. When the Parramatta side won their first premiership at the close of that 1981 season, fans famously returned to Cumberland to set the now condemned wooden grandstand alight, and to souvenir pieces of the picket fence that would adorn local lounge rooms for years to come.

Ah memoires…. After four long seasons sharing a ground with the Bulldogs, and using Belmore Oval as a home ground, construction on Parramatta Stadium was completed ahead of the start of the 1986 rugby league season. In the five years leading up to 1986, the Eels had made the semi-finals every year, losing one grand final and winning three premierships to give the then solidly working-class area a sense of arrival, confidence and identity through sport that it has sadly not experienced since. Following these “glory years”, the decision to take up season tickets to the new facility was a no-brainer.

Twenty five years ago, going to the football with my son was our primary way of sharing time together. His mother and I had divorced, and the settlement of access rights in 1982 meant that I saw my son every second weekend, and for half of the school holidays. It was a tough pill to swallow, and unless you’ve been through it I’m not sure that you can understand the feelings of guilt, shame, dispossession and sheer emptiness that a non-custodial parent feels at that time. The Weddings Parties Anything song “Fathers’ Day” does a good job of getting close to the emotions.

Prior to the 1986 season, my son and I had regularly attended home games at Cumberland Oval and made the trek to our team’s adopted Belmore home. We had also been to away games to get our fix of footy whenever the season draw dictated that the home game would not fall on our access weekends. So the choice to buy those season tickets twenty five years ago was in part a way for my son and I to establish our shared interest in rugby league and the Parramatta Eels as part of our ongoing routine. I wanted to make the time he spent with me fun, so that he would have something to remember and talk about through the weeks, and so he would look forward to those weekends as much as I did.

While our seats may not have changed, rugby league itself has changed a great deal over those twenty five years. In 1986 there were thirteen teams in the competition, and the furthest you had to travel from Sydney was to Canberra. Teams from Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast (in all of its forms), Melbourne, North Queensland and New Zealand were just dreams in some administrators’ eyes and not even spoken of by the average fan. There was only one ref not two, and none of these video decisions – but just as many refereeing errors as we see today. Players used to train twice a week (except for Wayne Pearce who was a freak), and almost all had to have to have a job or trade to make a living, as the game simply didn’t have enough money for it to be a full time proposition.

Twenty five years ago, life and rugby league were at once both simpler yet also more complex than I find them today as an ageing man of sixty four years now past. Twenty five years ago I wouldn’t have even thought about pouring my heart out like this. But I’m very glad that I now can, and that my son and I are still sitting in those same seats at Parramatta Stadium. And I hope that after twenty five years we’ll see our team win another premiership very soon.



- - - - -


750 words between the lines...

 

[Hallatia]

Hallatia takes the final play of the game for the Eels

ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ
Temperament​

My favourite online dictionary; the Oxford Reference Online Premium defines ‘temperament’ as “a person’s or animal’s nature, especially as it permanently affects their behaviour.” We will soon find that this permanence is relative to what week of the year it is, and with that accounted for, the above definition will suit the purposes of this article quite well.

Behavioural psychologists say that temperament is 50% nature, 50% nurture. Those behavioural psychologists are clearly not Rugby League fans. There is a third factor. This factor comes into play to different degrees at different times of the year.

For the Rugby League fan, nature and nurture gradually become secondary to the changing compositions of their own temperament between the months of March and September. From mid March onwards; the performance of one’s football team at the weekend begins to contribute to each fan’s temperament.

This third factor moves on a sliding scale, whilst the traditional nature and nurture keep their equal stakes, but their share as a whole diminishes as the third factor comes into effect. In March, the results don’t matter so much, so this third factor’s contribution only starts at about 10%, but depending on subsequent results, it increases and starts to take over, until September where it really is the biggest factor in the composition of the temperament of the Rugby League fan.

Twenty Six weeks of football in the regular season come to show how much of an effect the week’s results will have on the temperaments of each team’s fans. And these effects vary from club to club. Early in the season they are somewhat dependant on the expectations. After round one, Rugby League fans cannot help but care about the performance of their teams.

It is not always the end result with the direct effects, it is however always the performance of the team. No fan ever expects nothing from their team, they expect them to come out to play and it is as a result of these expectations more than the results themselves that the temperament is affected.

We still see that performing well and losing can be more frustrating that performing poorly and getting smashed, because the National Rugby League is a results based competition. Good performances give us better things to hope for in the weeks to come, whereas weak performances only give us the off-season to look forward to.

For fans of teams looking toward finals berths, we can see in their temperaments a direct correlation with their teams’ performances at the weekend. This is more the case with teams vying for positions in the congested part of the ladder, and so long as there is the slimmest chance of a spot in the finals you ride with your team and experience the varying results on your own temperament, so much that the answer to the question “how are you?” is a direct reflection

The fans of eight teams who do not make it to September - despite the disappointment and temporary change in temperament they may suffer as a result - interestingly enough are perhaps the lucky ones with regards to what is to follow. Fans of the teams left competing in the Rugby League finals series are in for one hell of a roller coaster ride!

As teams are eliminated during finals football, the ride reaches its finish point and each weekend stops yielding results which change the temperament. Fortunately, for the fans of 14 teams, the adverse effects the on their temperaments of the weekends between mid March and September begin to diminish during October, and will eventually return to their off season levels of personal equilibrium.

For those whose teams make it to the first Sunday of October, their temperament for the succeeding six months will be determined 25% by nature, 25% by nurture and 50% by the performance of their teams on that first Sunday of October.

The compelling fact is that behavioural psychologists did not consider the football season in concluding that temperament is 50% nature 50% nurture. I do not refute that they have equal effects, but during the football season the weekend’s results also contribute to temperament. Eighty minutes can have such a lasting effect on a person’s individual nature and behaviour... that is temperament and so long as one is a footy fan, their teams’ performances can make a huge impact.

ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ​

727 words according to official forum 7s word counter (using Google Chrome)

 

[bartman]

That's 5 v 5... well done and good luck to both teams.

 

[Non Terminator]

Some great reads there. Good luck one and all.

 

[Monk]

Best of luck.