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2011 FOUR NATIONS Round 1: New Zealand -V- Papua New Guinea

Jesbass

First Grade
Messages
5,654
Forum 7s - 4 Nations - 2011
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS -V- PAPUA NEW GUINEA KUMULS
logo_kiwi_NZ.jpg
-V-
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Game Thread:
* This is a game thread only. Only game posts can be made here - team lists, substitutions, and 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:
* 3 -V- 3 (+ 2 reserves for both teams)
* No 'TBA' or changing players named
* Captains must stick with original teams named​


Kick Off: Sunday 30th October 2011 (2100AEST)
Full Time: Saturday 5th November 2011 (2100AEST)
Referee: Non Terminator
Venue: Mt Smart Stadium​

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LeagueNut

First Grade
Messages
6,972
Kiwis.jpg


Herewego herewego herewego!!

-----------------------------------
Team:
LeagueNut (c)
Jesbass
byrne_rovelli_fan82

Bench:
Hallatia
Robster
-----------------------------------

Ringa pakia
Uma tiraha
Turi whatia
Hope whai ake
Waewae takahia kia kino


Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora' Ka ora'
Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora Ka ora


Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru
Nāna i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā
Upane... Upane
Upane Kaupane
Whiti te rā


Hī!

122813
 

joshie

Live Update Team
Messages
3,115
PNG - Game one - 2011

Starting

1. Joshie (captain)
2. Edabomb
3. Bubbles

Bench
4. Caspar the Friendly Ghost
5. Chuck Norris
 

Jesbass

First Grade
Messages
5,654
Eager to get the Kiwis onto the front foot, Jesbass takes the first hitup of the 2011 Four Nations...

Kiwis.jpg


***

By The Bye

The National Rugby League has reportedly gone into lockdown in recent weeks after allegations of unfair bias against the competition’s worst performing team.

Notorious for their anonymity as part of a long standing "better not seen or heard" club policy, representatives for The Bye have threatened to walk out on the competition in the face of what club stalwarts have labelled "farcical scheduling", with one insider going so far as to call it "a deliberate campaign dedicated to ruining the sporting spectacle that is The Bye".

A team with a chequered history, The Bye first joined the inaugural New South Wales Rugby League season in 1908, but their introduction to the competition wasn’t without controversy.

Having missed the first round of the season, The Bye entered the tournament alongside Cumberland the following week, and – if club sources are to be believed – they were disadvantaged from the beginning.

"In our first round, we were pitted against Cumberland, Newcastle, and Easts," claimed one insider, citing early club records. "The next week, they made us play seven opponents over a single round! I think other sides just saw us as an easy way to get two competition points."

After that, The Bye only had a single opponent per round, but the damage had been done, and the disillusioned club left the competition for more than a decade.

Their return came in the shortened 1920 season, and The Bye, although unable to secure a win, was present until the end of 1929.

A short stint from 1935 to 1937 followed, but The Bye wasn’t to be seen again in Australia’s top domestic competition for almost half a century.

"We spent a lot of that time working on playing pathways for our juniors and amending our charter," another anonymous source suggested.

Their predicted mid-1980s resurgence didn’t last long, and they were gone by the beginning of the 1988 season.

By the late 1990s, The Bye had chosen a different tact. Insistent that they would be more competitive given favourable scheduling, The Bye decided to make their presence known.

In scenes foreshadowing the actions of South Sydney a few years later, supporters of The Bye invisibly took to the streets in protest, pressuring the newly formed National Rugby League to allow them to return to top flight football.

As one supporter notes, The Bye returned in 1999, despite having no official home ground: "We agreed to forgo home advantage to sweeten the deal."

However, after more than a dozen seasons of embarrassing results, The Bye’s future is once again at risk.

"The Bye experiment has been tried and it has failed," declared a faceless NRL official. "That team is an embarrassment to the competition as a whole."

But club stalwarts are threatening to jump rather than be pushed.

"We’re going to call their bluff," stated one club official. "They’ve handed us some pretty farcical scheduling. To suggest that we’re an embarrassment is utter tripe. This year, they wouldn’t let us play until Round 9, and then they expected us to make up for the previous two months by facing 8 opponents!"

Indeed, NRL scheduling had the Bulldogs, Eels, Knights, Panthers, Roosters, Rabbitohs, Sharks and Tigers all facing The Bye on the same weekend. Some of these matches clashed, resulting in The Bye forfeiting competition points to opponents whose grounds they couldn’t reach in time to take the field.

A fortnight later, they faced – and failed to defeat – half a dozen teams.

"It’s a shambles," the official continued. "We gave up home advantage as a favour and this is how they’ve repaid us."

With a history that stretches back more than a century, The Bye would surely go down as the team with the worst competitive record in sporting history, but the claims of unfairness will forever plunge their track record into murky water.

The closest they’ve managed to claiming competition points is having the Melbourne Storm losing theirs after severely breaching the salary cap.

"We're just exhausted with fighting such a petty system, and we need a break," added one insider.  "We could really do with a week off."

***

687 words between the stars.
 

joshie

Live Update Team
Messages
3,115
so this may make me seem self centred but really, im low on ideas haha

MY HAND IS A DOLPHIN!

joshie leads out PNG for 2011

CNTD Ninja Player Snapshot

2011 has been a great year for the Forum Sevens with many upsets, spills and thrills along the way. This season saw the dawning of a new powerhouse, a new underdog and the demise of an empire that is falling in similar fashion to Rome. The same old culprits were out to show this year and many new faces played in new teams – namely Joshie. He moved from the mighty Penrith Panthers, runners up in 2010, in pursuit of more time on the field. He made the heart wrenching decision to leave the Panthers to discover what the CNTD Ninjas had to offer him. He went with open eyes, a new outlook on life and an attitude that would inspire others into completing one of the biggest upsets of F7’s history.

In 2009, a young Joshie burst onto the scene willing and able to play in an exciting competition. He immediately made his debut, which was very promising, and he went on to play five games for that season. He even received a mention for Rookie of the Year award, however, it was not forthcoming – not that he minded. He looked onto 2010 with great promise and an attitude to not be stopped. He hit the field; played two solid matches, before a season ending injury struck. His season was over and he was upset that he could not propel himself up to becoming a name in the F7s. He underwent rehab alone, wondering if he would ever return. In early 2011, he was cleared and one week before the new season began, he sought out a contract renewal from the Penrith Panthers. However, restraints in their cap put pressure on captain Big Mick to pull the plug and deny him the chance to return. Both parties were fine with the decision. He was placed on the Free Agents market, and he wondered if he would be signed up, but luckily a team needed him.

Edabomb, captain of the courageous Ninjas, contacted Joshie in the early hours offering him a one year contract, which Joshie immediately accepted. He went to training the next day where he met a great bunch. The team consisted of Edabomb, Paulquinn, Hallatia, Jamesgould, gUt, Raider and of course, Coby. They all focused their lenses to the impending season that they wished to take by storm.

During the first five rounds, Joshie found himself lacing up the boots on all occasions, to his shock. He was keen to hit the field, but somehow he thought he was at the bottom of the pecking order, and should not be considered immediately for a spot. Contrary to the belief of Captain Edabomb who stated - ”(he was) very committed to the F7s. Always willing to play and give his best shot.” These kind words showed the reasoning behind his appearance in all of the first five rounds. The biggest accolade for the young Joshie this season was to captain the Ninjas through the Willow Cup, mid-season competition. Joshie brought his enthusiasm to the table and they left with the title; with the very shocked Bluebags watching on.

Over the next portion of the season, Joshie did not expect to play all the games. He came to the club with an aim to play 6-9 matches over the course of the year, not 18. His 18 games have reached second on the most games in one season list and propelled him to 16 straight matches for the Ninjas, the most matches for the Ninjas in one season, the most consecutive games for the Ninjas in one year, he reached over 1000 individual points over the course of the season, captained the NSW Blues and is set to represent Papua New Guinea. This full on timetable was all capped off with a marvellous victory.

In the F7 grand finale of 2011, the underdogs came up against Rome, the Bluebags. These two teams brought everything to the match, but in the end the Ninjas snuck over the line with a last minute try to gUt. Everyone could not believe it and could feel the ecstasy coming from the camp – Joshie was over the moon. His goal all year was to win a title, and to cap of the year with the ring, after the year he has had, is nothing short of a fairy-tale.

“I hope to return to the Ninjas in 2012 to back up what we have achieved – BRING ON CONTRACT RENEWAL DAY” stated Joshie.
 
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byrne_rovelli_fan82

First Grade
Messages
7,477
byrne_roveli_fan82 for the Kiwis!!

~~

Risk v Reward.

The cheekbone injury to Darren Lockyer was one of the most talked about off-field subjects for weeks since the famous victory against the Dragons during the second week of the NRL’s 2011 finals.

Soon the images of his x-rayed cheekbone turned up on the internet and the damage was all clear to see, and then came the constant talk if he was willing to put himself in harms way just to play in the preliminary final against the Sea Eagles.

There was a lot of backwards and forward discussion between players, opinions from commentators and TV personalities and then came the suggestions from medical experts. As the week continued to pan out speculation continued over the possibility of him playing. Word was if he played he could risk a much bigger injury to his face and especially the cheekbone. Then, the other side of the argument is, if he didn’t play then his last game might have ended with the 1-point victory against St George.

At last the news came through of Lockyer deciding against playing and many believed this was the correct decision. While playing in a grand final would have been the picture perfect ending for a great player of Darren’s caliber; but when faced with the potential of a major injury playing in a grand final let alone a preliminary final just didn’t seem so important.

Soon after the NRL season came to a close word soon started going around of him taking part in the Australian Kangaroos squad for the Four Nations tournament. Going by all recommendations his cheekbone had recovered well with the break and he was more than ready to play. Still there would be concern as he hadn’t played for a few weeks and only trained with the team and there is a big difference between training and playing in a full contact game for 80minutes.

When the Kangaroos and Kiwis faced off in Newcastle in a one off game before the two teams headed across to England the biggest talking point of the match came when Kiwis player Russell Packer charged at Lockyer. At the same time Packer hit Lockyer in the face he (Lockyer) was being tackled by another player. His position was one not deemed unusual. However he was already half falling down when Packer got him.

The officials got together and Packer was put on report and later to be charged. This is where the situation gets a little interesting. Not forgetting Lockyer’s well-published injury to his cheek he was always bound to be a little vulnerable in the area. As soon as the opposition knows there is a weakness there is no rule saying they won’t become a target.

In no way should Packer have even hit Lockyer the way he had because it was high and dangerous but nobody should lose sight of the fact players who are carrying injures or even susceptible of one will not be singled out. There isn’t anything to stop players from going for the killer blow because it is their role especially at international level. Players all want to win and they don’t want to give an edge. While it is not unusual to see players going down injured and doing such acts as milking a penalty the problem now is the game is losing sight of understanding the risk and reward factor. Players are become too used to being part of the ‘protected species’ framework and this needs to stop.

Nobody is condoning our players to go all out and injure one another on purpose because it is against the rules; however it can’t be denied when playing a game such as league there is a balance of doing the right thing and gaining the reward. While the rewards are great and include: being crowned a grand final winner to a world champion, to get to the ‘promise land’ some risk will be involved. The risk is of course injury.

So when Lockyer went down after the Packer hit talk reverberated around the ground from the field to the commentator’s box about the dangers of the hit. Despite the hit it appeared no thought was ever made of Lockyer and the risk he carried by being involved.

The next time the players take the field and another incident like this happens again don’t be sentimental about it and look at the overall situation.

Every situation has an equal and opposite reaction.
~~

744 words between the lines '~'
 
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Bubbles

Juniors
Messages
416
Bubbles takes the field for PNG
_________________________________
So I Married a ‘What’s the Matter...?’

The year 1986, one of little consequence to myself, found me finishing off High School in Melbourne and like most of my ilk, scratching my arse and bumping into stuff a lot. I was happily oblivious to the fact that a mere thousand kilometres up the road a fourteen year old boy from Greystanes was watching the last Premiership win by his beloved Eels that he would witness... to date, at least.

Now twenty-five years later, the year 2011 finds us living life on the banks of beautiful Lake Macquarie and while I’ve somewhat graciously accepted the passage of time, my husband, or part thereof, has remained mired in that fateful year.

Just to clarify, I did not marry an acid-wash denim clad, big ugly mullet wearing freak, although the guy does have an unnatural penchant for footy shorts, singlet and thongs, his uniform of choice between the months of September through to May. In fact, uniform aside, you would not straight away recognise him as the 80s Peter Pan that he is. It’s like pulling back the curtains of a newly-built house only to find paisley and linoleum within!

Just like Peter Pan, if Peter Pan was a beer-swilling, foul-mouthed, salt-of-the-earth Bogan, the man refuses to let go of a childhood he has idealised so much that it has lost all semblance of a real life. I have tried to coax and wheedle him into this new Century, but alas, he remains frozen in time and on many occasions has declared the status quo would not be disturbed until the day he hoists a beer (or 20) in celebration. Not until his Eels grab for themselves the holy grail of Rugby League.

There have been years where it would appear the curse would be lifted and the Eels would snatch that elusive premiership, releasing my husband from his time warp prison.

The year 1998, for instance, the Parra boys were leading the Dogs convincingly, only to famously fold like a deck of cards and lose the unloseable game, one out from the big one. If you were to rifle through the records of the local Fire Station at Cronulla, you’d find evidence of the aftermath to this lost chance, when the Fire Brigade were called to a balcony fire, wherein lay the remnants of a blue and gold jersey, charred and destroyed.

Fast forward to the year 2001, a year that saw the Eels smash opponents and records alike. I’m not sure we’ve seen such a heavily backed favourite when they took to the field in the Grand Final against the Knights, however, in true Parra fashion, they crashed and burnt in the first half and by half-time the fat lady was practically bursting a girdle, warbling up a storm.

If you were to raise the sleeve of my husband (not necessary September through May!) you’ll find the evidence of this year and another lost opportunity, a somewhat faded tattoo of the Eel emblem, albeit one bearing a remarkable resemblance to a prawn. It would then take little prompting for him to regale you with his tale of woe, of how the crustacean-like eel on his bicep was supposed to be accompanied by the words ‘2001 Premiers’, blah, blah, blah, blah... (sorry to paraphrase, but I’ve heard the story before!).

Then there was 2005 and a shock loss to the Cowboys and of course, 2009 and another chance gone begging, not to mention the seasons during which his jersey would spend the winter months clinging to branches stripped of foliage, where it would remain for the term of its punishment, otherwise known as the end of the footy season!

On more than one (hundred) occasion, I’ve been told vehemently that I should be cheering for a Parramatta Premiership, just to end the madness. For years I have scoffed and rolled my eyes, but something has begun to change. These rolling eyes of mine are now looking squarely ahead, focused and unblinking, for I’m beginning to believe that his words are not figurative at all. That, in fact, I am indeed doomed to spend my days listening to drunken rants and sentimental ramblings about the Eel’s halcyon day. I figure I’ve got another good three to five seasons left in me before what little sanity goes the way of the ‘g’s’ from the end of my words and I’m left, a drooling, ranting freak. In other words, a Parramatta supporter!
_________________________________
Word Count: 747
 
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LeagueNut

First Grade
Messages
6,972
LeagueNut (Kiwis)

Kiwis.jpg



RLTV

Life is full of problems – that’s part of its unique magic I suppose. Some people choose to run and hide from them while others would rather face them head-on with fierce determination.

Anyone who finds pleasure in knocking over a challenge will be familiar with the almost primal feeling of satisfaction when a particularly tricky problem is resolved. It can almost become addictive – so if solving one problem is a cigarette, then solving two problems at once is a full-sized Felipe Gregorio Fusion cigar – and three problems at once would be 4 kilos of uncut Nicaraguan cocaine.

And unlike most flakies, I’m happy to dust you with my Florida snow.

Problem 1: NRL clubs want more money
We’ve all heard the dramas over the last few weeks. The clubs want more money from the TV deal – it’s as simple as that. They’re under the pump from things like falling gate sales and decreased revenue from pokies so it’s only natural that they’ll start looking around for the next visit from the “money fairy”. The TV networks seem like a fair target – we all know how the NRL regularly tops the TV ratings charts so there must be some money to milk from that.

Problem 2: TV networks want more money
I’m pretty sure that the TV networks would be quite happy to increase their payouts if they could somehow make more money for themselves as part of the deal. And since they’re already squeezing every last drop out of the advertising dollar during every second of every match, why don’t they simply introduce more content to appease the hungry viewers?

Problem 3: Players have nothing to do after they retire
We can put as much spin on it as we like by parading first-graders through various career training options but the fact remains that no career is going to give them the same “buzz” as Rugby League once they hang up the boots. If you expect someone to go from playing the game they love in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans week after week to doing tax returns for a chain of retirement villages then of course they’re going to get depressed! What they want is excitement, recognition and a little bit of danger…

Solution: RUGBY LEAGUE TV

Think about it – a whole new 24-hour channel dedicated to all things Rugby League. And not just the on-field action either, but a completely immersive approach with a whole new line-up of TV shows just screaming out for advertisers to fill their juicy slots.

The bulk of the content would come from the NRL, ESL and any other Rugby League competition in the known universe that we can get cameras to. There would also be plenty of time for replays, flashbacks and those blokey chat shows full of reviews, previews and token panellists who get to bait each other until someone cracks.

But the new money-spinners would be the enticing line-up of unique content featuring a mix of current stars and retired layabouts who want nothing more than to stay in the public eye. How about these for starters?

Backdoor Benny and The Falcon – a heart-warming family sitcom about two immigrants to Australia who find themselves living together after a mix-up at the refugee centre. Despite a rocky start, by the end of season 14 they’ll be just starting to change their minds about each other.

Broadmeadow Empire – a “fictional” drama series about the underground crime scene in Newcastle, featuring cameos from several past players (and not just because they showed an unusual amount of knowledge in all aspects of the storyline).

NRL Idol – the ultimate singing competition featuring a judging panel of Wendell Sailor (the one who’ll like everything), Rebecca Wilson (the eye candy) and Bill Harrigan (the arsehole). It’s expected that the “Tina Turner” themed show will rate its tits off.

Home Is Away – the first Rugby League-themed soap opera centered around a Sydney-based club who doesn’t really have a “true” home ground any more after selling their soul for a bit of extra cash (can you guess which one??). This story follows their eternal struggle to return home – a journey full of drama, suspense and teenage angst.

I’m sure this whole idea is a sure-fire winner on so many levels, and all I ask in return is a guest judging spot on the first NRL Idol Grand Final show – or a wildcard entry into the Top 10.

Make it so, Mr Murdoch.


747 words in the official counter thingee
 

edabomb

First Grade
Messages
7,088
Apologies to PNG & joshie - had a few too many things on to get an article done. Congrats to the Kiwis.
 
Messages
17,427
NEW ZEALAND

Jesbass
By The Bye
687 Words
I quite liked the way this was written. A nice combination of humour and serious article writing. Well structured, with the rare occurance of it being a good idea not to stretch the word count. For the record, do you happen to recall the small group (actually it could have been just the one guy) who ran the "Bye" squad. The whole thing included a website, jerseys, videotapes, hell, even a training ground. They happened to be late that day apparently.
88

byrne_rovelli_fan82
Risk v Reward
744 Words
I found this to be the most interesting debate throughout the whole season, and I am glad to see it being written, well written to say the least. Despite the whole concept changing slightly half-way through (which I didn't mind), I liked the fact you had put a small amount of personal opinion to finish. Not too small, not too much.
86

LeagueNut
RLTV
747 Words
The other day I had to make a sales approach. God knows why. I wish I used structure like this. It's great when idea after idea pops into your head, it seems to have worked in well with you on this article. Well written, I can't say too much more.
87

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Joshie
CNTD Ninja Player Snapshot
749 Words
For someone like me who missed the majority of this season, I did learn something with this article. However, despite the good writing, it lacked imagination, and a keen sense of something different being brung to the Forum Sevens table, which is the usual major downfall of articles revolving around the competition itself.
83

Bubbles
So I Married A "What's The Matter...?"
747 Words
Humorous, very nicely written. We all know somebody like this, though we aren't necessarily married to them. One will marry me mid-next year however. The structure is good, top of the line, it works well. Enjoyable.
87

NEW ZEALAND 261
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 170

POTM - Jesbass
What a game to return to. Brilliance all round.
 

LeagueNut

First Grade
Messages
6,972
Muchos gracias senor Referee :D

Well done everyone, especially the guy who got the highest score (I forget what his name is...)
 

Jesbass

First Grade
Messages
5,654
Thanks, ref! I'm glad the cheque cleared! ;-)

I vaguely recall something about a bye team, yeah. I think there was an article on it on The Footy Show a few years back. That might well be where I subconsciously got the idea from! *nods sagely*
 

edabomb

First Grade
Messages
7,088
Thanks, ref! I'm glad the cheque cleared! ;-)

I vaguely recall something about a bye team, yeah. I think there was an article on it on The Footy Show a few years back. That might well be where I subconsciously got the idea from! *nods sagely*

I think the bye team was on Boots and All before that evolved into the Roast. The guy had a webpage setup :lol:
 

Jesbass

First Grade
Messages
5,654
Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm sure I visited the website once.

It must have been on The Footy Show at some stage, though, because I've only ever seen about 30 minutes of The Roast and I've never seen Boots And All!
 

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