2013 Round 3 :: Bluebags v Saints

[Monk]

vs

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:
* 5 -V- 5 (+ 3 reseves for home side; +2 for away)
* No 'TBA' or changing players named
* Captains must stick with original teams named

Rules: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.php
Official Word Counter: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/wordcount.php

Kick Off: Sunday 9th of June 2013 (6:00pm AEST)
Full Time: Monday 24th of June 2013 (9:00pm AEST)
Referee: Non Terminatior
Venue: Henson Park

 

[Eelementary]

Eele with his first run for the Bluebags.

The Run Diaries


So - this is it. Coach rang me on Monday to let me know I would be coming off the bench for my NRL debut. It’s been a long road to the top, but I’ve just about made it. Years and years of running straight and hard and keeping the ruck defensively tight in the juniors has paid off as I look to come off the bench after 20 minutes and replace an Origin front-rower in my First Grade NRL debut.

Am I nervous? Sure, but after a while, nerves take a back seat to adrenaline...At least until the match kicks off. Minutes before I am due to go on, the nerves will kick in again. “Don’t worry,” says Coach. “Just make sure you get your first touch as early as possible, whether it’s a tackle or a hit-up. Don’t go too hard too soon - get a feel for the pace of the game.”

And that’s another thing - this “speed” or “pace” of the game. Having just turned 19 two weeks ago, Coach thought it would be good to move me from the Holden Cup Competition to the NSW Cup to play for our feeder team against real, grown men. After dominating young men my own age and with similar levels of experience, the first thing Coach said to me was, “Take it easy - NSW Cup is a different beast to the Youth Competition. Focus on your individual role for the team and do the basics right. The speed of the game is unlike anything you’ve encountered before - embrace it.” Naturally, as a young front-rower making an impression on the rugby league world, I thought this was crap - footy is footy, after all, whether you play against boys or men that have been playing for 10 years at the semi-professional level. Or so I thought.

Coach spoke to our NSW Cup boss (we call him Micko) and asked him to start me in my first NSW Cup match. Peace of piss, I thought. But I was wrong.

We won the toss and elected to run into the strong wind first. Perfect - my first opportunity presented itself on a silver platter! Steveo, our hooker, caught the ball on our goal line and shovelled it sideways to me as I charged onto the ball at full speed - and I caught it. Sweet! So far so good.

Now, at 190cm and 113kg and at 19 years of age, I have little fear of anything. But the sight before me that day made my skin crawl - three blokes, equally as large as me and much, much angrier-looking than me charged into me and hit me harder than I have ever been hit before. I dropped the ball three meters out from our line, and I went down clutching my right ankle. Fortunately, Robbo, my front row mate, pounced on the ball and saved a certain try - well, he delayed a certain try, as one tackle into the scrum restart, one of the three angry-looking blokes ran right at me - and trampled all over me to score under the posts.

Alright - things are going poorly. But I have an opportunity to make a statement defensively after the restart now. Here comes the kick...Caught by the try-scorer. Beauty. I’ll show him what I’m all about...Penalty? High shot? What the f**k, ref? What? That’s bullshit! Marched ten for talking back? What the hell is this shit? BINNED?!?!?!

The next ten minutes were interesting. I had the opportunity to sit on the sidelines and get my head bitten off by Micko. Says I need to pull me head in.

Time to go back on....Now. First time I get the ball since dropping one twenty minutes earlier. I take a run, catch the ball, and - straight through! Now I’m pumping my legs faster than I ever have before, and - Marty, our fullback, coming up on my outside! Dummy! Pass to Marty! Try under the sticks!

The rest of the match was a blur, but it did teach me a few valuable lessons: firstly, rugby league is a game played by real men. And secondly, the rugby league gods are a funny, fickle bunch that test you at every turn - but the love for the game keeps you honest and coming back for more every single week.

730 words incl. title.

 

[Tanner Ave]

After spending some time with Matt Cooper in the rehab facility Tanner makes his first run for the mighty, defending champion Saints.

Tanner l St George

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

With State of Origin two days away, the Who Ha surrounding the leaking of an apparently official contract offered during State of origin One, to an unnamed player continues to rage.

Below is a copy of the contract, make your own judgments on it. Genuine or not? # tag us what you think.

Please note that due to privacy laws we have covered the names of all the parties identified in the contract, so that we can publish this article.

Official contract*

Please make sure you read through the fine print attached to the contract on a separate page. Not to be handed in with this official contract.

This contract is between XXXXXXXXXXXXX, (the player) and XXXXXXXXXX, (the club). The club, which is part of the Australian Rugby League association. Dated XX/XX/XXXX

This contract covers the playing period of the following seasons: XXXXXXXXX

In accordance with the information listed below, player payment will be made in the following form**.

Please circle appropriate and give details.

Direct bank transfer

Bpay

Split between the pokies and bar at the leagues club

Other


The club and player acknowledge that this contract has been entered into in good faith. The contract shall commence on the date of signing by both parties and shall terminate on the 31st day of October in the final year referred to above.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (as at the date indicated at the top of this page)

Player: Signature


Club representative: Signature


Additional payments, aka incentives agreed to by both the club and the Player:
Player is selected in state of origin, for NSW $2,000 for QLD $500,000
Player is selected for an international country (declaration to be made 24hrs before match) $500
Player plays in 20 NRL games $1,000
Player plays in 20 NRL games, makes and average of 45 tackles and 3.24 missed tackles $2,000
Player plays in 20 NRL games averages 125 meters a game and 3 off loads as well as making 15 tackles a game $2,000
Player plays in every games and helps out with the cheerleaders $500
Players plays in 20 NRL games and brings the oranges for half time, as well as scores over 100 supercoach points and is able to talk to the media for more than 30 seconds with out swearing $5,000
Player wins the MVP for the NBA $15,000
Novelty incentive – Player covers his body in tattoos or pointless electrical tape $3,000
***

Player and club conduct agreement:
The club is to monitor and filter every social and private interaction that the player makes.
The player is to hold to the same values as the club****.
The player is to use social media and is encouraged to spread the good word, however you are only allowed to have the clubs best interest at heart when on these mediums.
The club is to provide the player with the attire that you are to wear at all times except at functions that requires a tie and suite.

Termination:
This can happen by the club or the player at any time for any reason regardless of any contract that has been signed.

Waiver of this contract:
Except for the ball boys, this can be arranged by anyone affiliated with the club.

Clauses:
The player has a right to move clubs or test the market if there are not exactly 5 or more banners at each game dedicated them. There is also a 24hr period of open negotiation with any club from any sport in any country, if the game that the player is playing in results in a loss of more than 34.5 pts.

* The one to be handed in to the league, please keep the other contract in a safe place. Notice that this contract is on white paper, the “special /Other” contract is on BLUE paper. DON’T stuff this up or we are all in trouble.

** Please note this is the official payment please don't put the wife's bank details down or where drop off is, as required in the other contract – the one on BLUE paper.

*** Please note that all "other" agreements have been made on the other contract that doesn't exist.

**** No we are not affiliated with the church of scientology.


WORDS l 706

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Team list:



Yesterday 06:18 PMScott Gourley's Lovechild
Okay, the team is:

1. SGL
2. Tanner Ave
3. Hutty1986
4. Slippery Morris
5. whall15

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Sorry, should say team list for St George...

 

[Drew-Sta]

The mighty Bluebags run out onto Hensen Park before realising they needed shorts

Run on
1. Eelementary
2. muzby
3. Danish
4. afinalsin666
5. Drew-Sta (c)

6. Cliffhanger
7. Jason Maher
8. Sanchez

 

[Danish]

Danish, still shortless having decided that his Wonder Woman undies would do just fine, scoots out of dummy half after a fine opening hit up by Eelementary.

Word count is 744 (including headline)

The (not so) magnificent seven

It’s that time of year again. Battle lines have been drawn across offices along the eastern seaboard with proud Blues on one side and proud Queenslanders (plus Greg Inglis) on the other. It is time for State of Origin. Predictably the lead up to the 2013 series was spent focused on the team selections of NSW, particularly the halves. Would Reynolds get a run? Who would they pick out of Maloney, Carney, and Sutton? Did Pearce really deserve guaranteed selection after so many losing series? All those questions have come and gone, and after a thrilling Game 1 which saw the Blues take a one game lead, all that pressure has suddenly swung north of the Tweed.

Queensland has made some substantial changes for the crucial Suncorp Stadium showdown. But in my eyes, the real halves enigma has been passed over. Queensland’s biggest dilemma this year is what to do about Jonathan Thurston.

Now let’s be clear here; Thurston is a champion player. He has torn the Blues side to shreds over the years, and has played a vital role in many series wins in what must be the most dominant streak ever seen in professional sport. He has one of the greatest ‘show and goes’ in the history of the game, and regardless of indifferent club performances as well as a stinker in Game 1 form is temporary and class is permanent. I believe he can rise to the occasion when a clutch play is needed for the Maroons this Wednesday.
What does have me concerned is his goal kicking.

Looking back on the past seven series, despite the Maroon’s domination, one thing becomes quite apparent. Turning four into six is absolutely crucial to winning origin games. Across these three series victories, Thurston has kicked at an incredible 85%, while the blues have only managed to convert at 77%. With an average winning margin in many of those games less than six points, it is fair to say that Thurston’s boot has assured Queensland of victory on many occasions. And it is this fact that should be worrying Meninga and co.

You see, Jonathan Thurston is kicking like a blind mule with its rear legs cut off in 2013. At just 65%, it is his worst ever season with the boot. Conversely, the Blues kicker James Maloney is currently in career best form from the tee, landing 88% of his attempts. This advantage cannot be ignored. If Wednesday night’s game is as close as we’ve come to expect from Origin then it could well be decided by these two men’s boots. If so, advantage NSW.

Some will say that like his game play the accuracy will return when the moment arrives, but I’m not so sure. Champion players often rise to the occasion for big games because the enormity of the moment drowns out whatever doubts have been plaguing them and their natural ability returns even if only for a day (see the infamous Langer comeback for proof of this phenomenon). Unlike gameplay though, the goal kicking yips are much tougher to shake. There is no distraction to take your mind off the fact that you haven’t been hitting them well, and as you stand over the ball all those negative thoughts have time to come pouring in.

Queensland have drafted Daly Cherry Evans into the side in response to Thurston’s poor showing in Game 1. In my view this misses the mark. Given Thurston’s stature it is unlikely he will be the one called upon to leave the field when Daly is introduced, and it is unlikely that Evans will see many minutes as a result. If Queensland wants to give themselves the best chance at victory, they must hand all kicking duties over to Cameron Smith (who kicked in Game 1 due to Thurston’s injury), and allow Thurston to focus on his game instead. Do this and I believe Thurston has what it takes to lead his team to victory - although as a diehard New South Welshman I hope he doesn’t.

Having said all this, the curse of the reporter will probably see him handed the tee and landing them from everywhere. But if you find yourself cursing the TV or jumping for joy after a last minute conversion attempt by Maloney goes sailing over the black dot to give NSW an 18-16 victory (Thurston having shanked one earlier on), remember who predicted it first.

 

[Slippery Morris]

Slipper Morris / St George
Words - 748

THE REAL BIG 3​

When we hear “The big 3” mentioned in NRL circles you know which 3 I am talking about? Bennett, Bellamy and Hasler? Who did you think? What? The spine of the Melbourne Storm consisting of Slater, Cronk and Smith. Yeah, they are impressive but since 2006 the NRL Premiers have come from teams coached by these 3 coaches. They have dominated the NRL for 7 years and it may continue.

2006 - We had Wayne Bennett see off the Minor Premiers of the Melbourne Storm led by Craig Bellamy in the Grand Final. The Storm was favourites but people seemed to forget who was in charge of the Bronco’s and there was a player by the name of Shane Webcke who was looking for a fairy-tale finish to his career.


2007 - Craig Bellamy and his Melbourne Storm squad were still feeling the pain of the disastrous ending to 2006. This motivated them so much that they made sure 2007 would be there year. They not only finished the season as Minor Premiers but flogged Des Hasler’s Manly 34-8.


2008 – Craig Bellamy won his 3rd Minor Premiership in a row and was up against a Manly squad in the Grand Final, desperate for revenge. The 34-8 smashing would prove to be the motivation needed to win this game. They certainly got their revenge with a record high 40-0 belting of the Storm. Steve Menzies a long servant of the club finished his Manly career in that game another fairy-tale ending.


2009 – A red hot St George Illawarra side coached by Wayne Bennet lacking the experience of finals football and fell apart in the finals leaving the door open for Bellamy to make his 4th Grand Final appearance against a Parramatta side inspired by some Jarryd Hayne magic. Melbourne went on to win it and it was the first Grand Final in since 2006 which did not feature 2 of “The big 3” in the Grand Final.


2010 – After 4 successful seasons Bellamy’s experienced his worst season ever with the Salary cap scandal which broke out and stripped him of 2 Grand Finals. He instead received his 1st wooden spoon. This made it easier for Bennett and his much improved Dragons side to dominate. He took them to the next level and won the Minor Premiership with ease. The Dragons were now the benchmark winning their 2nd Minor premiership in a row and a Grand Final appearance. The Sydney Roosters coached by Brian Smith were their opposition and finished the season strongly. It was the second team that Wayne Bennett coached to a Grand Final since 2006 the first being as mentioned above Brisbane.


2011 – With the Salary cap scandal over with, Bellamy when back to business and reclaimed the Minor Premiership. Hasler regained his mojo and on the back of some brilliant young halves and was able to steer Manly to a Grand Final win against the Warriors. Ivan’s Cleary’s Warriors got in the way of another Hasler v Bellamy Grand Final by causing a huge upset and beat the Storm in the Grand Final Qualifier.


2012 – Des Halser switched clubs in 2012 and took on the challenge of getting a second side into the Grand Final and winning it in the Bulldogs. Wayne Bennett also changed clubs and went to the Knights. (winning with 2 clubs was not enough for Wayne, lets try 3). Des Hasler was halfway there winning the Minor Premiership with the Bulldogs and got the Grand Final. His opposition in the Grand Final was none other than you guessed it Craig Bellamy. Craig Bellamy with his own big 3 won that Grand Final convincingly to make it their first Grand Final win since the Salary cap scandal.


Well we are halfway through 2013 and Bellamy, Hasler and Bennett have all got their sides currently in or around top 8 and looking likely to be involved in another finals series . If Hasler and Bennett can each win a Grand Final in the next 2 years we would have 3 coaches who have won 3 grand Finals each in the last 9 years. Has there ever been a game when 3 coaches have dominated so much?


These guys should be referred to as “The Big 3”.


Coaching records since 2006
Wayne Bennett – 2 Grand Finals, 2 Minor Premierships
Craig Bellamy – 3 Grand Finals, 2 Runners up, 4 Minor Premierships
Des Hasler – 2 Grand Finals, 2 Runners up, 1 Minor Premiership

 

[afinalsin666]

afinalsin666 on debut for the Bluebaggers, heaving his 130kg bulk onto the field.

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749 words according to the OWC, from Title to tail

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League Needs Heels

"Controversy creates cash." - Eric Bischoff

In wrestling, there is one basic truth; you have your good guys, known as babyfaces, and your bad guys, known as heels.

It is this way in all of entertainment. You have good guys and bad guys. People pay to see bad guys be defeated by the good guys. And when I say all, I don't just refer to scripted and fictional entertainment. Sports are included in this archetypal umbrella.

"But afinalsin! Wrestling is fake! And sport is real! There is no way they can be compared!"

Well, yes, they can be. Because, whether fictional or otherwise, people want to see the good guys beat the big bad. It is an intrinsic fact of human nature, and why almost all of the stories we consume have this structure. It is indeed exactly the same with sport.

Look at Brock Lesnar when he was in the UFC. He was cocky, and treated the other fighters like garbage. Yes, he was a legitimate beast of a man, and could fight with the best of them, but because there is no "FAKE!" stigma surrounding the UFC and MMA, everybody bought that that was what Brock Lesnar was like in real life. He subsequently raked in a million plus pay per view buys. Four times. Ony possible because of how much of a heel Brock Lesnar was, and people wanted to see him get his comeuppance.

For another example, look at Anthony Mundine. How many would watch his fights if he was a meek and humble guy, who was respectful of his opponents and never once boasted? Far, far fewer than those who watch to see him finally get beaten. Again, Mundine is a heel, and is playing it to the crowd because he knows they will buy it.

Now let us look at our sport. We have legitimate bad guys. Unfortunately, the bad guys do not have individual faces. They are not someone we can empathise with, thus they cannot invoke the feelings of hatred we can feel for other people. These bad guys are whole clubs, and while we may hate them, we cannot hate all their workers just for wearing the strip of that club. We can hate an organisation quite easily, but it cannot be as personal a hatred as we can feel for an individual.

We have the Melbourne Storm, who deliberately and sneakily broke the rules for five years before finally caught. And worse, they succeeded while doing so, denying others a fair chance at challenging for a premiership. I would deny no one their feelings on the Melbourne Storm team, as controversy creates cash.

Further north, we have the Manly Waringah Sea Eagles, a hatred much less recent than that of the Storm. It hearkens back to the days of when Manly were the richest club in the league, buying up players that other clubs had spent good money and loyalty on bringing up through the ranks. This hatred has lived on through to today, and I would begrudge no one their disdain for Manly. Because, again, controversy creates cash.

There are old hatreds and new between local rivals, but nothing that can be brought up to the next level without the players themselves acting nefarious.

Think for a minute how many more would have watched Roosters games if Sonny Bill Williams came back and announced he is the greatest player to ever grace the game? Those extra five thousand seats per game some were talking up in the pre season may have become an eventuality, especially given the Roosters form of late. But because the NRL and Sports Media has forced upon Rugby League players an aura of meekness, and the cliched humble worker is respected more than the brash and cocky upstart, we were denied seeing the drama this game needs.

This is why State of Origin is the massive success that it is. The hatred is there, you can feel it come from the players. There are no traditional bad guys, not exactly, but there are heels depending on which side you are going for.

I realize the hardcore of us do not care for the stories, we care only for the purity of what is on field. But to the casual fan, and the desperately needed gate walk ups, a back story behind the game could be the shot in the arm we need to jump start our crowd figures.

Because controversy creates cash.

 

[muzby]

muzby dons his bluebags jersey and drifts across the field, JT style, and looks for a gap. he spies one and throws this article into it..

750 words, title to end.

The Housemate

Player transfers happen all the time in rugby league, some shift mid-season and others the following year. It’s become accepted part of modern day footy as clubs strive for that elusive premiership and players strive to maximise their earnings from the limited time they have at the top.

But there are always impacts when a player leaves a club. Playing combinations get torn apart and team momentum can suffer. Then there is the impact upon the club’s fan base – children see their idols leave. Grown men who have included their man-crush’s name & number on the back of their jersey suddenly find this treasured piece of merchandise redundant.

All these impacts happen purely because of ‘the business of football’ - collateral damage that happens and should be accepted as part of playing for, or supporting, an NRL club.

However no-one ever thinks of the impact of these player transfers on those not associated with football. Like Robert Henderson, Jamie Soward’s long term (and long suffering) housemate.

Let’s take a moment to introduce you to Robert. Born in Wagga Wagga, he and Jamie became good mates attending Wagga Boys High School (due to budget cut backs, the school cut the second ‘Wagga’ from their name, allowing them to save thousands in stationery and signage expenses). Robert was never any good at football so didn’t bother following league at all. He did form a close bond with Jamie and decided to follow him to the ‘big smoke’ when he hit grade with the Roosters.

Jamie and Robert found a nice terrace house in Paddington, which they lived in up until last week, when Jamie packed his bags to move to London. The two lived comfortably together, but due to Robert’s ignorance of football (he didn’t even watch it on television) there were a couple of problems.

The fact Robert never watched his housemate on the TV could prove to be a hassle. Midway through 2009, Robert was sitting on the couch with his girlfriend Cynthia when Jamie walked in after a big match against the Tigers. Jamie seemed pumped up and excited after the win and started telling Robert (whilst ignoring Cynthia) how “Jamie Soward tore the Tigers apart, scoring a runaway try, and then Jamie Soward kicked 6 from 6”. Robert nodded politely and then told Jamie he wanted Cynthia to move in with them. Jamie opened the front door, ushered Cynthia out and then ran around the lounge room screaming “This is our house” whilst making an imaginary Red V on his chest. Had Robert (and his what appeared to be now ex-girlfriend) been watching Friday Night Football that evening, they would have seen him do that exact play after scoring a try, so may have realised to mention the change in living arrangements another night.

Of course, it wasn’t just the try scoring celebrations that Jamie brought home with him. Shortly after moving in together, Robert noticed a strange sound every time Jamie went to the toilet. He asked Jamie if he could hear it too, but he claimed he couldn’t. Robert set up a video camera in their bathroom to find out what was going on (this may sound strange, but setting up cameras in the bathrooms and toilets was a habit of his, which leads me to another story that I cannot discuss at this stage due to current legal proceedings against Robert). When reviewing the tapes from his bathroom, Robert noticed Jamie standing there looking at the toilet; getting a pained look on his face; starting a strange backwards and forwards motion; before Jamie prancing and taking a leap onto the toilet seat. All of this explained the strange noises that Robert could hear, however it did seem like a strange practice to him (a practice of Jamie’s that wouldn’t have seemed so strange had Robert been watching Jamie on TV).

But outside of those moments when Jamie would bring his on-field habits home with him, he and Robert got on well and Robert hadn’t lived with another Housemate since he left Wagga Wagga. So when Jamie broke the news that he was moving to London, Robert was a little distraught. “Who will I live with now?” he sobbed. Jamie told him not to worry; he had lined up someone else from the club to take over his room.

Just then the doorbell rang and Robert opened it to find a tattooed young man standing there, staring upwards. He said to Robert “Hey man, sweet roof….”

 

[Drew-Sta]

Drew-Sta meanders out onto the field, incredibly proud of the fact his fellow Baggers beat him out of the sheds.

Foundations and fundamentals

The interpretation of the obstruction rules has engendered a great deal of debate in recent history; without doubt, far more ink will be spilled on newspapers before the issue comes to resolution. One might even argue that we shouldn’t interpret the rules; simply enforce them. Ironically, that itself is an interpretation of the rules as it implies the rules should be taken at face value rather than implemented in the spirit of their meaning.

For me, however, the issue is one of foundations and fundamentals. Let me explain.

The rules of any sport create the foundation upon which the game is played. Were a linesman to ignore that a ball had been hit out in tennis then the game would not be played correctly. Likewise, if a player steps out of the field on his way to score a try, then the rule must be enforced or the integrity of the try itself is called into question.

These rules are, however, black and white. The foray into which we are endeavouring to discern is far murkier. Within the game of rugby league several key components, integral to the foundation of the game, require the direct interpretation of the referee. Calling held, declaring a tackle completed, understanding a shepherd and whether a player is deliberately being obstructed or simply making poor defensive decisions are aspects that require the involvement of the referee.

Here, as we have been witnessing, is the issue. How does the referee, whether the on field or video, determine when a tackle is a tackle or an obstruction genuine?

I’m not going to debate whether Daniel Anderson or even the referees are correct in their interpretation; I genuinely think my approach to the rules will declare irrefutably my point of view.

And my approach is this – we must understand the conceptual fundamentals of the game first before we can even hope to attain a consistent ruling. What do I mean by this?

Look at the fundamental of how attack should move; the defence must not be prevented from fairly attempting to tackle the player with the ball. This means that the man with the ball cannot obscure himself behind another player or it should be classed as a shepherd.

Clearly, the second man play deliberately shepherds the man with the ball by running players of the attacking line, who were never to receive the ball, into the defensive line.

But do they prevent the defensive team from making a fair attempt at tackling the ball player? Here sits the crux of our issue and in my mind the fundamental question must be asked – was the defender prevented from making a reasonable attempt at tackling the ball player or did they make a bad read in defence?

This, to me, is the ultimate gauge by which we should be interpreting the games rules. In this way the interpretation holds to the objective fundamentals of the game rather than trying to be subjective in the intention of the player in the defensive line. We won’t see players who were taken out because they made a bad read in defence rewarded for simply being taken out and instead we will see second man plays that maximise the appropriate use of the decoy runner allowed to continue.

It should be recognised at this point that a referee will ultimately never be completely correct in all their rulings. Many bad calls will still be made; but at least the frequency of these bad calls will be limited and the uncertainty around whether a try is, indeed, a try, will begin to be removed.

My final point would be to consider this, though. Why did the second man play come about?

Although delving into the validity of the second man play is a whole other article I hope to get to, I will say this – if teams persist in trying to exploit the second man play as their only attacking option, should we not be more concerned that the overreliance on one move attacks the fundamentally creative nature of our game?

 

[whall15]

whall15|St. George

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Four Years and Counting[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Nothing short of divine intervention will qualify Parramatta for the finals and since there is no god and the next best thing Jarryd Hayne is only a mere mortal it'll soon be four years since Parramatta last made the finals. It feels about twice as long.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]To put it very bluntly we are cursed with a overpaid and underdeveloped squad with only a dash of talent that was poorly assembled by Rugby League's Homer Simpson, Stephen Kearney by reading the French instructions. “Le Hooker, what the hell is that?”.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Ricky Stuart's decision to completely take to the squad with a machete was not as brave as some have said but it is necessary and I wholeheartedly support it. Of course the real question now is who will come in? We haven't heard any good news in a long time, since the announcement of Corey Norman but you would have to think that there must be a lot going on in the background, after all we pretty much need an entirely new squad.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Earlier this year Parramatta announced the signings of both Lee Mossop and Gareth Hock, two English forwards from Super League. Especially when you consider the success of recent imports from the Super League I think that this is a very good move and it is something to push on with. Even with the seemingly imminent signing of Sam Tomkins by the Warriors, there is still plenty of talent over in England. I personally have my eye on three players: James Roby, Ryan Hall and Kallum Watkins.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]James Roby is a very good hooker and we sure as hell need one of those. He is twenty-seven and he's in the peak of his career and he's an England international. Roby would offer much better service to our players than Matt Keating. Ryan Hall is another very good player, he's a winger and he's a try-scoring machine for both Leeds and for the English national side and he's only a quite young 25 years old. The other player I listed was Kallum Watkins. Again, Watkins is a top class player, yes he is a centre, and yes that is not our weakest position but he would add a great deal of quality to our side and would also allow Jacob Loko to move into the second-row which is probably his more natural position.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Those are only three of the top quality players available over in Super League. English players now have a very good track record in Australia and they are relatively cheap because of the massive gulf in the salary caps between the NRL and the Super League.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]At the end of the day I couldn't care less if we had a completely English 17 man squad and that would especially be true if we made the finals again. If we made the Grand Final or somehow won it I'd be ecstatic of where the players are from.[/FONT]


[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]It's not as if homegrown players have been impressive for us recently. Ben Roberts has played his entire career in the NRL, he's known as Mr. Rocks and Diamonds which is too generous by the way, it should simply be Mr. Rock or perhaps Mr. Lego Brick because he is hardly resilient. He's hardly a special case, look at Reni Maitua, he's another who has played his whole career in Australia and whilst he looked like a bit of a diamond in the rough last year he will probably go down as one of the least deserving captains in NRL history. When you consider that they are the better players in Ricky Stuart's now infamous dozen to be culled it is little wonder that we're currently in a world of hurt.[/FONT]


[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Five years ago a man on the other side of the world ran on a theme of hope and change and even though we've played in a Grand Final and indeed should've won it, Ricky Stuart is running on that same platform and we desperately need it. To be fair to Ricky he has not been afraid to ring in the changes as he has handed more than a dozen debutants a shot at first-grade football this year and he has also already recruited three players for next year. Ricky's been brave, I hope it continues.[/FONT]

 

[Hutty1986]

Hutty jogs onto the field, still hungover from the night before (ironically)...for the mighty St George Dragons!

You've only got one shot...​

Young, dumb and full of…..rum?

Here’s the deal. You’re a cashed-up young superstar plying his trade in the National Rugby League. You’re wealthy, fit and wonderfully talented. Blokes want to be you, the ladies want to be on you. From the outside looking in, life is rosier than a garden full of roses in Rose’s backyard in Rosedale. This is not necessarily the case, and I’m going to tell you why.

The one-armed bandit:

I’m going to be brutally honest here, I have had my fair share of issues with poker machines. The bright lights, the promise of scarcely-earned wealth, the idea that ‘Oh, I’ve put enough money in this beautiful machine, it’s sure to pay out what I’ve put in soon, with interest.” Like a consistent New South Wales halves pairing, it just doesn’t always turn out that way. A young footy player is a prime candidate to be lured in; at his local club, pub or even casino. Whole having a friendly flutter from time to time is completely harmless; the perils of gambling addiction are very, very real. When the wallet is full of notes or the beers have taken hold, putting in some (or a lot) of your cash can be irresistible. Just ask Nathan Hindmarsh how much money he put into the pokies over the course of his career.

The fairer sex:

For some blokes in their late-teens or early-20’s (and let’s be honest plenty older than that), the idea of a different woman every night is a pretty good one. I’m not saying this is always a bad thing-hey, you’re only young once, but so much attention can contribute to an unrealistic and overly-arrogant attitude by some of these players. Alcohol issues aside, it certainly looks as though Blake Ferguson is in the midst of an epic love affair with himself. Throw in sex scandals like the Cronulla ‘group-bonding’ affair from a few years ago and the Brisbane Broncos ‘cubicle confrontation’ and a worrying trend is afoot here. Respecting women should be a basic male instinct, but unfortunately for some it is clearly not.

Living in the spotlight:

Believe it or not, not every sports journalist in Australia enjoys writing negative things about Rugby League. For the vast majority, it’s a necessary evil rather than a twisted fetish. Our beloved sport is fighting an ongoing battle for positive publicity with three other very capable football codes. At a time when the Soccerroos are qualifying for a World Cup, our guys are facing serious drink-driving charges and getting booted from notorious nightclubs. An ingrained culture of binge drinking is the key issue here; there’s too many young guns on the sauce and their public antics leave a hell of a lot to be desired. Yes, the media hound, they chase, they twist your words and can stretch the truth. But come on boys, stop giving them so much juicy ammunition.

Too much time:

While there is no doubt that the training regimes of NRL players has changed dramatically in the past few decades, the reality is that football isn’t a typical nine-to-five job. For the more inexperienced and single amongst the sides, the temptation to have a few extra drinks, splurge on a few extra punts or break a team curfew is omnipresent. Factors like rooming together with a sensible team-mate may help in this regard, but things can get a little bit tougher when living with someone in the ‘everyday’ workforce. In a sense, footy players live in a fantasy world and can struggle to cope with the changes they encounter once retired.

How do we fix it?

More important than any behavioural education program or media training is the attitude of the player himself. He must want to face his issues head-on and he must want to do the right thing by himself and his club. The song tells us that ‘Ego is not a dirty word’ but sometimes it truly is. There are temptations galore out there, some of them more legitimate than others. To impressionable, wayward stars like Fergo I say, grow up and get your life in order before it’s too late. You blokes are living lives that others can only dream of. You are given the opportunities to influence the lives of thousands. Work with your club to find a degree to start, a trade to pursue.

Don’t become a statistic, become a role model instead

743 words (including title)

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Like all good skippers, here I am lagging and bringing up the rear for St George (668 words including title).

* * * * * *

Let the bidding begin!

It has been confirmed today that the Rugby League World Cup rights have been won by Channel 7 outright. While no news as of writing has come out about other bids, if any, this is of interest as it shows that nearly twenty years of Channel 9's monopoly on top flight Rugby League coverage is displaying signs of coming to an end. The brave new world is now in front of us where free to air broadcasting rights are now no longer the play thing of a single network and its whims, but to the broadcaster supplying the best product to the viewer for the best price.

Let us look at the product. The difference between Channel 7's coverage of the Rugby League World Cup and Channel 9's 2008 World Cup coverage could not be more different. Channel 7 will be showing all games live regardless of who is playing, whereas Channel 9 showed only Kangaroos games, some of which were delayed broadcasts. One major point of divergence is that Channel 7 will be showing the games on their male demographic secondary channel 7Mate, whereas Channel 9 broadcast all their games on the main channel. Channel 7 games will all be shown in High Definition, while Channel 9 in 2008 (and 2013) showed all games in Standard Definition. In all, the quality of the broadcast between the two World Cups, and todays NRL, is in favour of the Channel 7 production.

The great unknown is who will be involved in the call of the games. In my opinion, they will most likely rebroadcast the feed from the UK, including their commentary team. If this is to be the case, then most likely they will have an expert panel in the Channel 7 studio's reviewing the games. Who they choose will be interesting, as Channel 9 has the voices of Rugby League that an entire generation has grown up with such as Ray Warren and Peter Sterling. Finding an informed voice the audience knows and/or trusts will be crucial, with people like Andrew Voss or Matthew Johns most likely on the top of any hit list. While this may appear to be a minor issue, being able to engage with the audience will be important to Channel 7 to show the ARLC they would be able to broadcast First Grade games when the NRL broadcast rights come back up for negotiation.

In looking at the above, it is best to look back into the past of top flight Rugby League broadcasting. The Sydney First Grade competition was not eager to embrace television, with the first games in the 1960's on the ABC delayed broadcasts and only showing the second half due to the NSWRL believing it would have a negative impact on gate takings. Interestingly, this is very close to what Channel 9 do today with Australian Cricket One Day International broadcasts if the game is not sold out in the host city. The first commercial network to broadcast the Sydney First Grade Competition was Channel 7, giving rise to many memories of older Rugby League fans of Rex Mossop calling games and his unabashed bias towards his favourite side, the Manly Sea Eagles. Since that time, the television rights have been split between a variety of commercial and public broadcasters, before settling on the current free to air broadcaster.

Yet here we are in 2013, and it appears Rugby League commercial broadcasting is on its way to coming full circle. The World Cup is a short competition held only once every five years, but for a rival network to come in and swoop on the rights to this tournament shows a desire for Rugby League broadcasting outside of the "home of Rugby League", Channel 9. This is very positive for our great game, with the return of a respected former broadcaster an interesting turn of events for the Rugby League world here in Australia. The future can only be bright visually and financially.

 

[Monk]

Siren sounds, that's all folks!

 

[muzby]

thanks monk.. over to you NT..

5v5 so should be a good contest..


on a side note, dear god those portable air horns can cause a lot of fun in unsuspecting places...

like being used to wake someone up..

or used in the middle of a myer sales floor during a stocktake sale..

so I've heard, anyway...

 

[Non Terminator]

DRAGONS 426

Tanner Ave - Contract Negotiations (712 words)
It's amazing how much information people can put into 750 words. It was a slightly confusing read, the layout is sort of uneasy. Maybe a bit of bolding or underlining. Still good though.
83

Slippery Morris - The Real Big 3 (745 words)
An interesting bit of trivia you've come up with. Gone into a little bit of detail on each, Word Count limit would've hurt this piece I can imagine.
85

Whall15 - Four Years And Counting (720 words)
An interesting look at the past and future of the Eels. It sounds like a Presidential thing, every four years. Let's hope the next "election period" can give something for Eels fans to look forward to.
85

Hutty1986 - You've Only Got One Shot (743 words)
When this article started off as a "misbehaving player" sort of thing...I drowned myself. But you've done a pretty good job laying out some good points, and actually come up with some sort of solution.
86

Scott Gourley's Lovechild - Let The Bidding Begin! (668 words)
Ha! Busted! You wrote your article today! Nice little opinion piece, guess you must have points for originality. It's on a topic dating after everyone else finished!! Seriously, a good read. Didn't seem rushed at all.
87

BLUEBAGS 435

Eelementary - The Run Diaries (724 words)
An interesting read. You get these sort of perspective type articles quite alot in the Forum Sevens. Most of them are flops because it's just a bland story, nothing special. This one I did enjoy, particularly with the setting that you introduced at the beginning. A job well done.
85

Danish - The (Not So) Magnificent Seven (743 words)
An interesting stat piece there. Well presented too. Nice little gem.
86

AFinalsin666 - League Needs Heels (749 words)
Well written, not only saying that because you unneccesarily used long words you spelling God.
88

Muzby - The Housemate (750 words)
Is this even real? Furthermore, who cares?
90

Drew-Sta - Foundations And Fundamentals (680 words)
You got your argument out well, clearly labelling your position on this topic.
86

 

[Monk]

Backpacker Award Points

3pts : 90 : - muzby
2pts : 88 : - afinalsin666
1pts : 87 : - Scott Gourley's Lovechild

 

[muzby]

wowsers.. that was super quick marking there ref!

thanks for that NT...

and thanks dragons for a good match.. afinalsin666, awesome debut mate

 

[Non Terminator]

It's what I do. Super quick. Gets me into a lot of trouble at times.