I would suggest that most people wouldn't give a toss about the Roosters or actually despise them and not want to see them up the top year in year out and now winning it and going for a back to back double just makes the whole thing boring and crap, no matter how professionally run or great their players may or may not be. They are just disliked by most NRL fans for the obvious reasons that most here have posted about ad nauseam.
As for Melbourne, most me included, liked Melbourne when they first came into the competition and were glad and even stoked when they won their maiden premiership against the Dragons. It was fantastic for the expansion of the competition and benefit of the game as a whole. Then under the Bellamy era they unearthed some amazing talent that were awesome to watch in the earlier years. But then they started started to cheat and hold on to the best talent and accumulate even more while everyone else had to shed and supposedly play by the rules.
However the real turning point for me and I suppose for the general league fan is that they never admitted to their cheating or really apologise for cheating so methodically and systematically. In fact they have gone the complete opposite and still to this day feel and state that they won those premierships and everyone else can go get stuffed. Perfect example and evidence of this is the jersey fiasco that the ARLC did nothing about this very year.
So I still want Melbourne to do well for the games sake and all, but until every last one of the cheating players and coach leave that organisation I for one will always not give a toss about any so called achievements that they think that they have accomplished. It has all been tainted. All of it, because we all know that players like their captain would not be playing for them today if they weren't cheating at the time and maybe the Gold Coast would be a juggernaut today instead of being on the chopping block. Sliding doors I suppose.
So add these to disliked teams together as the main title contender again and you can see the dis-satisfaction of many NRL fans at this years competition. Hopefully in the not to distant future we will see Canberra or New Castle, Wests, Souths or even my team Parra hold up the winners trophy. Then the feel good stories will make an appearance again. Till then if teams like Mel, Roosters, Canterbury, Manly and Broncos dominate the comp it will feel boring and unappealing to tens of thousands of league supporters.
