Grand Final - Panthers vs Rabbitohs: Sunday 3rd October 7:30pm @Suncorp Stadium

[callmack1]

All three of the following articles are from Zero Tackle,

Please Peter - Why postponement can’t be considered for NRL Grand Final

A sudden rise in Brisbane’s COVID cases has handed the NRL quite possibly their greatest every conundrum - whether to play the grand final this weekend, or postpone it a week.

The NRL has held a series of ‘crisis meetings’, and has been in constant contact with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over whether or not Suncorp Stadium can hold this week’s decider. The capacity for the venue has already been slashed to 75%, meaning the last 13,000 fans to buy their tickets will miss out on attending the day.

That’s if it happens at all.

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys has indicated that he’d rather see the game delayed than played in front of no fans.

“We are not going to play without a crowd. For us, it’s all about the atmosphere. It’s a grand final, it’s a major event and we have a number of contingency plans," V'landys told AAP.

Those contingency plans include Townsville as the next best option, though a COVID-positive pilot has been in the far north town, which could also bring a grinding halt to Plan B.

It leaves us with the great debate - to postpone, or to play in front of a crowdless venue?

There’s benefits to both from the NRL’s perspective, but what about the players, and the broadcasters?

There’s little doubt Channel Nine would prefer the game played this weekend, being a long weekend in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

No work on the Monday means more viewers on the Sunday, a luxury the free to air company would be incredibly resistant to losing. It’s the only club game that Channel Nine has exclusive rights to, and could really scale back the potential viewership.

The other gripe lies with South Sydney. The Rabbitohs turned this finals series on its head three weeks ago, defeating Penrith in the qualifying final and earning a week off, while the Panthers were forced to grind out an 8-6 thriller over Parramatta.

The Bunnies had their feet up, enjoying the sight of Penrith churning out back to back victories in an exhausting fashion, having made over 500 tackles more than the Bunnies this finals series alone.

Penrith have a number of injuries, with Tevita Pangai Junior already ruled out of the clash, with the likes of Viliame Kikau, Dylan Edwards, James Fisher-Harris, Brian To’o and Moses Leota all battling niggles.

There’s little doubt that Ivan Cleary’s men would be keen for an extra seven days to recuperate. The story goes differently in Wayne’s World.

Postponing the decider nullifies any advantage the Rabbitohs had by allowing the Panthers to refuel the tank, and head into the following week freshened. It may bring atmosphere, but the backlash from South Sydney fans would be enormous.

Adam Reynolds does have an injury of his own, a groin strain, though it’s expected he would be fine if the grand final is played this Sunday. The pro’s and cons list for a postponement is a one-sided affair for the men from Redfern.

Financial losses of playing in front of zero fans is not a deterrent for V’landys and the NRL, with a deal struck with the Queensland government ensuring that the competition wouldn’t be out of pocket if forced to postpone or relocate to smaller venues.

Yet, at the same time, imagine running out to grand final, the first ‘big dance’ in the career of 17 of these 34 players, in front of no fans. No cheers at fulltime, lifting the trophy in front of empty seats. It’s a hollow moment, even with the jubilation and adrenaline in their veins.

So postpone, and you’ll hinder the advantage of one of these sides, and hand it to their opposition. Play it in front of an empty venue, and you’ll have one of the strangest and emptiest premiership wins in the games history.

It’s a flip of a coin, a lose-lose situation if a Queensland lockdown is announced. Is atmosphere worth tilting the tides over? Will the roar of a crowd cancel out the hindrance it causes, the question marks it raises?

Of course not.

There’s no guarantee if a lockdown is called, that the people of Queensland will be out for the following Sunday. What then? Play it crowd less the following week after already giving Penrith seven days of rest? You can’t push it back a week on a whim, it’s simply unfair for the players involved, the broadcasters that pay hundreds of millions for the rights, and the fan bases that these sides carry.

The show must go on. The wheels must continue to turn, whether it leads us to a soulless stadium or not, for the sake of fairness and a level playing ground, you can’t bring this decider to a halt.

You can’t.

Please Peter: Why postponement can’t be considered for NRL grand final

The NRL grand final simply must be played on Sunday.

www.zerotackle.com

 

[callmack1]

This Grand Final has a Wayne Bennett masterclass written all over it

Should you be snooping around the betting agencies and looking for some value heading in to the 2021 NRL grand final, might I be so bold as to point you in the direction of the South Sydney Rabbitohs?

Their opponents have lost just five of their last 46 games, look likely to enter the match as solid favourites and many will feel are destined to claim the premiership that narrowly escaped them in 2020.

On that night and after a season of turmoil, insecurity and unprecedented hub life, the Melbourne Storm shattered the dreams of Penrith Panthers fans with another Craig Bellamy-inspired performance that secured a premiership trophy many felt certain to be heading to the foot of the mountains.

However, it was not to be and to their credit, the mountain men have returned in 2021 just as strong, seeking redemption and revenge.

Sadly, the NRL scriptwriters botched things up somewhat when they permitted South Sydney to edge out Penrith in Week 1 of the finals and therefore allow the Bunnies to effectively take over the number two seeding.

With the Storm looming as almost certain grand finalists, the Panthers were forced to cross paths with them a week earlier than many had expected and hoped. Off the back of a little luck, a brave defensive effort and a busted Melbourne team that never really recaptured its mid-season form during the finals, Penrith prevailed and booked a return date with South Sydney this Sunday.

With the rugby league world mostly engaging with the redemption story that Penrith were building throughout the 2021 season, the Storm loomed as the spanner in the works. With that impediment now removed, surely the heavens have opened for the team whose recent play almost demands a trophy to acknowledge it.

Whilst that might be a fait accompli to some, the small issue of a master coach in the opposite dressing room might well yet hurl a new spanner back into the plans and apparent destiny of the Penrith team and its coach Ivan Cleary.

The match sets up perfectly. Having played just a handful of weeks ago and the Bunnies defensive discipline able to blunt a Penrith attack that had scored an average of over 28 points per game across the home and away season, the two teams enter the contest with realistic chances of victory.

The bookies appear to be firmly leaning in the Penrith direction, with odds of around $1.70 offered on their chances of victory, whilst the Bunnies will start as outsiders at around $2.25.

South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett will be chomping on his cereal each morning, ecstatic at such estimations and prepared to produce another coaching masterclass that will go down in rugby league history with the many others he has produced in his long and storied career.

Such a situation is exactly what the greatest ever NRL coach thrives on, indeed, what he lives for.

Bennett has thrown State of Origin match programmes in the face of reporters who dared question the effectiveness of his players leading into matches. He has taken on international coaching appointments and embarrassed the seemingly dominant Australians and the 2020 State of Origin series potentially summed up his astonishing ability to gel a team in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds and produce the unthinkable.

With supposed rugby league experts labelling the 2020 Maroons squad as the worst in Queensland’s history, Bennett did the unthinkable for the umpteenth time and pulled the right reins throughout the series.

The 2-1 series win placed an exclamation point on a coaching career that did not require any punctuation at all and when Paul Green fell in a screaming heap as the new coach some 8 months later, the genius behind Bennett’s achievement was even more magnified.

The 2021 grand final sets up yet another scenario begging for the great man to produce another masterclass to never forget. Penrith are not in sparkling form; struggling to score finals points as the referees ease off the six again calls and ten metre rulings that brought such blow out scores during the season.

Souths look fitter and under finals football rules where looser referee interpretations appear to favour the team prepared to engage in the grind and win in spite of the talent opposite them, something tells me everything is set up well for yet another Bennett moment about which we will talk for decades.

If I were a Penrith fan, I’d be mighty afraid. There is nothing more predictable than Wayne Bennett producing the unexpected.

 

[callmack1]

It’s now or never for the Rabbitohs

Sunday's grand final is going to be a ripper. I'm on record as predicting a field goal is kicked two or three minutes before the final siren.

There are so many similarities between these sides.

Two sets of New South Wales Origin quality halves. Brutal, aggressive forward packs. Try-scoring outside backs. Benches that would walk into starting sides elsewhere.

I've dissected the one on one battles on and off the field but there's one major difference as we head into the 2021 decider.

One side looks to be at the end of their premiership window.

I don't think I'm offending too many fans of the South Sydney Rabbitohs by suggesting that this is their best chance to claim a title.

As soon as the siren sounds on Sunday night, no matter the result, the Bunnies will say goodbye to two of their most important pieces when it comes to the premiership puzzle.

There is no secret that Adam Reynolds is leaving the club he would have represented 231 times.

When you think of modern South Sydney you think of Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess, John Sutton and you think of Adam Reynolds.

Reynolds had been the heart and soul of the Rabbitohs for as long as I can remember. He wore the seven the last time the Bunnies were in the grand final in 2014.

His kicking game has all but dictated the way South Sydney have played their football as long as Reynolds has been the man in Redfern.

I absolutely love the look of Blake Taaffe. He is going to be a fantastic halfback for many years to come but Adam Reynolds is at the very elite level.

He lives and breathes South Sydney.

The fact that both the Broncos and the Sharks chased Reynolds for multi-year and multi-million dollar contracts says it all.

Both required a marquee halfback to be the future of their club for the next three-plus seasons.

Taaffe's career will reach incredible heights. If it peaks at even a third of the success enjoyed by Adam Reynolds then both player and club will be very, very happy.

That said, this is Adam Reynolds. You simply cannot replace him overnight.

His departure completely shifts the responsibilities, especially in the halves. Cody Walker immediately becomes the main man. That could completely shift his tactics and it's a game as to whether that assists or hinders.

Also leaving the club are Queensland rep regulars Dane Gagai and Jaydn Su'A.

How do you replace Gagai? Braidon Burns could slot in as the next cab off the rank, however he is being linked with a post Grand Final move to the Sharks.

The Bunnies couldn't afford to match Newcastle's offer for Gagai but you have to imagine that loss still stings.

Jaydn Su'A has surprisingly been in and out of first grade across this season. At his very best he walks into the QLD side. At his worst he was New South Wales Cup level.

The good players peak at the right end of the season. Su'A has. He moves to the Dragons in the best form he has shown this season.

He is likely the most replaceable of the three players leaving, but in the short-term, there's a certain dip in quality.

Reynolds though is the key. He leaves as that window closes. It doesn't shut but it closes more than half way.

The move though that closes the bunnies premiership window, at least in the short-term, is that of Wayne Bennett leaving his role as coach.

I fully understand that Jason Demetriou is the heir apparent. The man Bennett has anointed the next coach.

The man Bennett has taken under his wing and mentored for this very moment.

As the old saying goes; Bennett may have taught young Demetriou everything Demetriou knows. He can't however ever teach him everything he (Bennett) knows.

Bennett has taken the Bunnies to two preliminary finals and a grand final in his three seasons.

The same South Sydney who were, earlier this season, beaten 50 points to nil and then 56 points to 12 in the space of two rounds of football.

A lesser coach pulls what little hair he has left out as the bright start his side enjoyed slips away following two such horrible results.

Souths have peaked at the right end of the season. Their only loss since that aforementioned 56-12 (to Penrith) coincidentally came to Penrith in Round 23.

Since that loss the Bunnies have beaten the Roosters, Dragons, Penrith in the first round of the finals, then they flogged Manly in the prelim.

Bennett is arguably the best coach of the modern era. He's undoubtedly the most successful.

You simply cannot appoint a rookie coach and expect him to be Wayne Bennett over the space of one off-season.

Bennett and Reynolds are so very important to the success the Bunnies have enjoyed in recent times. To take both of those major pieces off the board is just too much.

The Bunnies premiership window shuts this Sunday night at full-time. Luckily though, my guess is that they'll be celebrating it with the The Provan-Summons Trophy.

 

[callmack1]

From Sporting News,

Riding The Wave From Near And Far - The stories behind local juniors Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham's rise to NRL Grand Final

Grand final week is always an exciting time for all involved in the NRL - not just the players, but for those closest to them and those riding the wave from afar.

South Sydney are set to take on Penrith in this year's decider, in a highly-anticipated rematch from their qualifying final clash a few weeks ago.

For the Rabbitohs, there will be 13 players who will be taking part in their first ever grand final, with Adam Reynolds, Benji Marshall, Tom Burgess and Alex Johnston the only players with experience in this arena.

Two of those players who will be making their first journey into an NRL decider are local juniors Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham.

The pair have come through the ranks with the Mascot Jets and Coogee Wombats respectively, and both players also attended Marcellin College Randwick, with Murray not moving to elite private school Newington until Year 9.

In the lead-up to the 2021 NRL Grand Final, Sporting News spoke to a number of people who have been a part of the journey for both Murray and Graham, and what it means to them to see them on the biggest stage.

The kid that was 'not normal' and always destined for greatness

If you followed junior rugby league in the past couple of decades, you'd have heard of this freakish Mascot side that won competitions every single year.

The side featured current South Sydney first graders Cameron Murray and Keaon Koloamatangi, but was littered with players who were a part of junior rep sides for the Bunnies.

For the 23-year-old Murray, his potential for greatness was on show from an early age - and not just on the footy field.

Close family friend Justin Smith , whose son Cooper attended St Bernard's Primary School and later on attended Marcellin College with Murray, detailed his earliest experiences with a kid he dubbed 'not normal'.

“We moved into a place in Botany...we were at the pool with Coop and there’s this little kid in the pool and he wasn’t normal," he said.

"He was swimming like it wasn’t an issue, I was looking at Coop thinking I’ve gotta keep an eye on him, and he’s only probably four years old and Cam was swimming around like he was a fish. We met his parents there and we worked out they lived directly above us.

"We grew up in Botany together and both of our families became really tight and we became his godparents based on them not being catholic and not having anyone to get him into St Bernard's and we kind of went from there.

“Early on, you just see each other around. He was in quite a good team (for Mascot) and they kept making finals. Coop and him were mates and we were friends with their parents, so we started to watch him play.

"He was always this little kid and he would just mow everybody down. No matter how big they were, there was always just something special about him. It wasn’t normal for a kid to have no fear, he just had zero self-preservation as a little kid. He just tackled everything and anything – kids twice his size, it didn’t matter.

"Every sport he did he was good at – he did athletics, even cricket – there’s a story about him wicket-keeping with a cast on his leg. He was just athletic – he wasn’t a technically correct keeper but he could just play.

"They played cricket together, went to school together and obviously went on to Marcellin together.

“Obviously through Mascot, he was coached by Mick Azzopardi and they just seemed to have this gun little team. There were lots of little kids and they just outdid everyone, and they just kept getting better and better.

"Slowly they had more players join them as you do – I remember Keaon joining them and I remember Corey (Murray) talking about him. This kid was always really good, he was a big fella and his old man was huge – he was always going to get to that point as well."

Murray dominated the junior ranks with Mascot from an early age as Smith mentions, to the point where people knew exactly who this young kid was before he even became a teenager.

Former coach of South Sydney's Harold Matthews U16s side and Marcellin College teacher and coach Chris O'Connell spoke about his earliest experiences with Murray.

“I coached him in that Souths’ Harolds Matts side – I had that side for three years and my last year of doing it, he was a year younger but still made the team. He was a star then, we won every game that year in Harold Matts but lost in the grand final to Parra," he said.

"He made the team a year up and was a gun then. The year after that he was probably the best player in the Harold Matts competition and he has come along well since then.

"I knew of him a bit before he came to Marcellin from coaching in the junior area, and he was always in that real good Mascot team that I don’t think lost a game for 7-8 years."

Future captain's perfect nickname from age 15

At around the same age that O'Connell was coaching Murray in junior rep football for South Sydney, the talented lock forward was noticed by esteemed player manager, Steve Gillis .

Murray has worked with Gillis since he was a teenager, and the pair have formed a bond that has allowed him to achieve greatness at club, Origin and international level at a young age.

Gillis revealed the nickname that he gave to Murray at the age of 15, and as a man who has seen and worked with some of the game's elite players, gave the Rabbitohs star the ultimate praise.

“I probably saw him when he was 15 or 16 and I dubbed him Kingston Town – the best I’d ever seen," he said.

"At the time, Black Caviar and Winx hadn’t raced. I still call him Kingston Town – I didn’t say it to him, but I was confident he was going to be a champion because he was that good when he was a kid.

"When you add his demeanour, dedication, humility and all the ingredients that make a good person, I just knew he was going to be something special.

"I would refer him to Souths when we go and talk about contracts, and I’d say we’ll need to talk about Kingston Town soon and Mark Ellison knew what I was talking about. That’s what I thought about him, even when he was a kid."

His domination in the junior rep scene saw many spectators, no matter how casual or neutral, comment on his tenacity and will to win.

Smith recalled a story when Murray was in SG Ball and it sums up the NSW Blues machine to a tee.

“We were sitting up in the stands, it would have been SG Ball under 18s and Willie Peters was the coach and I’ve known Willie for a long time," he said.

"I remember Cam was out on his feet, they were up by a couple and he made a tackle in the middle and he was lying on the ground. They made a break down the sideline, and he got up from where he was and took off across the field and he was literally gone, but he tackled this kid into touch and won them the game.

"I’ll never forget him in this situation – a bloke who had literally earned the right to lay on the ground, but he still got himself up and ran across the field and made this ridiculous tackle.

"He just dominated all the time and people in the stands were always shocked talking about this little kid and how ridiculous he was. Every time I watched him play, people who didn’t know him made comments about him. It was abundantly obvious at a very early stage that he had this drive."

The quiet achiever who strived for excellence

Perhaps on the opposite end of the scale to Murray and his journey to this weekend's NRL decider is teammate Campbell Graham.

There are certainly parallels between the pair, having both played in the local area and attended Marcellin College, but their rise came at very different speeds.

According to Campbell's close mate Charlie Poche, the 22-year-old never stood out in his early days but always worked hard towards his football.

“I’ve known him since Marcellin, when we both started in Year 7, and through school we played together and played local footy as well for Wombats," he said.

“To be honest, when we were a bit younger you couldn’t really pick him out of the bunch. As the years went on, he just got better and better. He just put it more work and got more confidence as the years went on.

“Same thing off the field – you wouldn’t know about him being a footballer if you didn’t ask him. He goes about his busines quietly and doesn’t get too wrapped up in it all.

“Every year he just gets that little bit better and he does better each year. He surprises us every year and it has been really quick. He’s only really been in the NRL for a few years, but he has done a fair bit in that time."

The comments from Poche would come as no surprise to anyone who saw Graham play in his formative years, but there was always potential there given his size.

O'Connell coached Graham both at school level for Marcellin, but also in the U15s and U18s Combined Catholic Colleges team, where he began to excel during high school.

“I don’t think he was ever a star coming through. It might have been in Year 8, when he was in under 14s, where he started to show some ability in footy," he said.

"To make the U15s CCC team is a good achievement and that year he really excelled. He was always a great kid – really well-mannered, quiet and respectful and very humble. He comes from a really good family, I taught and coached his older brother Fraser as well, his mum and dad are really nice people.

“He was so coachable and he was one of those kids that as a coach, when you deliver a speech he would always make eye contact with you and look at you and listen to every single word you said to him.

"He would always do his best to work upon any type of feedback that you gave him, and I don’t think he would have missed a training session the whole time that I coached him."

 

[callmack1]

A real lad's lad who steered clear of dickheads

Growing up attending an all-boys catholic school, it's easy to get caught up with the wrong crowd or start carrying on at certain stages - trust me, this writer knows it first-hand.

Graham always remained on the straight-and-narrow, both with his football and in the classroom, and never got caught up with any of the 'dickhead' antics you might expect.

"He hung around with a few of those Maroubra kids, a few larrikins in there, but he was never caught up in all that. He was always really dedicated and humble and that’s one of the things I remember about him," O'Connell said.

"That's the thing that striked me most about him was that he was never a dickhead, he always kept his head down and worked his ass off and played hard.

“He was good (as a student). I had a few of him and his mates in my PASS (physical activity and sports studies) class, so there are always a few larrikins in those classes.

"He was unreal and did pretty well at school – he wasn’t a gun, he might have got a band five in PDHPE for the HSC – but he always tried and was well-behaved and respectful.

"He was very unassuming and never got around with an ego or anything like that."

Graham has gone on to play 89 first grade games for South Sydney since making his debut back in 2017 - right in the middle of completing his HSC.

But according to Poche, he's never one to talk up his own accomplishments and has always remained 'one of the boys' despite his ongoing success.

“We don’t really chat too much footy, it’s always just the usual and he wants to know what’s happening with everyone; he is more keen to hear what everyone else is up to," he said.

"He’s been away for a while so it’s good to chat to him, but that’s the thing with Campbell – he doesn’t really talk about footy."

Freakish nursey that has produced NRL stars for decades

The running theme through this article has been Marcellin College, with both players attending the famous school and donning the cerise and blue.

Murray was in the same year group as current Roosters stars Nat Butcher and Lachlan Lam, before being offered a scholarship to attend Newington College heading into Year 9.

Graham attended the school in Randwick all the way through until he graduated in 2017, and joins a long list of rugby league stars to come out of Marcellin.

The likes of Peter Tunks, Braith Anasta, Iosia Soliola and many more all attended what can only be described by Gillis as a 'freakish' nursery for talent.

“It’s a freakish nursery and I think people accept now that it’s a magnificent nursery," he said.

"I could rattle off dozens of players – Peter Tunks, Ken Wright, Braith Anasta, Sia Soliola, and then of course Cam and Campbell Graham.

"It’s incredible to think about the amount of players that come out of that school."

O'Connell has been involved with Marcellin one way or another for a large chunk of his life, having attended the school as a teenager before becoming a teacher and coach many years later.

He believes the reputation that Marcellin holds within rugby league is a reason why parents are so eager to send their kids there when the time comes.

“I don’t know why – it has just been like that forever. I went to school there as well and even when I was a student there were good kids coming through," he said.

"I think that particular area of southeast Sydney has always been a pretty strong rugby league area. The demographic is changing a little bit now, so you’re probably not going to see as many of those talented kids coming through.

"It’s one of the traditional things of the school, and parents traditionally send their kids to Marcellin half because of the discipline and academics, but also because of the strong sporting reputation.

"We lived on that reputation for a while and we were getting some really good things coming through, so hopefully that will continue."

Riding the Grand Final wave near and far

As with any success stories, there are always people along the way who jump on the rollercoaster and ride the highs and lows with you.

Murray's rise to stardom has been watched from afar by Smith, who remains close with his father and former Rabbitoh Corey, and admitted to 'riding the wave' in each game he plays.

“Our families have always been really tight and gone away on trips together. I rang his dad last night to have a chat about how he was after the game and how he was feeling," he said.

"We’ve got a group of about four or five families that have stayed really close – we actually went up to watch him play his first Origin game.

“We kind of do ride that wave with him – every game we are watching this kid and want him to do well.

"When he debuted for Souths, I was working for a company and they were one of my clients and I was in the changerooms and I was putting the names up on the lockers. He was put between John Sutton and Sam Burgess and I thought he was going to be pumped for that. I rang him and told him and he asked if I knew who he was next to. I told him and it was kind of like he was overwhelmed and excited by it.

"He went from a first grade contract to playing a couple of games with Madge – then he got dropped. He was in and out, it was so exciting at that kind of time when he was going from that four-year-old kid that we met, to doing that and playing first grade.

"Within the space of a year, he makes the Origin side and plays every game and gets picked in the Australian team. It was a whirlwind two years.

"It’s obviously amazing that he has finally made a grand final – he lived and breathed Souths and didn’t want to play anywhere else. It just means a ridiculous amount for him to be there."

Murray is praised by almost everybody who speaks about him, with his well-mannered demeanour and drive to succeed making him the player he is today in the NRL.

And that's exactly why Gillis believes that he was born to captain South Sydney and it's only a matter of when, not if, with Adam Reynolds departing at season's end.

"He’s in the elite class now and he’s probably the best modern-day forward in the game, the way he plays - he is Mr. Perpetual Motion in a smaller version," he said.

"He’s started to develop a little offload too, he goes through the line and can offload the ball. He’s got one of the best defensive techniques in the game, one of the quickest play-the-balls in the game, and he’s pound-for-pound one of the most courageous players in the game. He’s an absolute machine.

“He was born to captain South Sydney. His dad played there, he grew up playing juniors there, he absolutely loves the club and he will captain Souths.

"I think he’s ready next year, but that will be up to the coach."

As for Graham, ever the quiet achiever as we mentioned, there are plenty of people riding the wave with him.

O'Connell spoke highly of his form in 2021, and revealed the pair stay in contact to this day despite Graham graduating from Marcellin four years ago.

“This year he has played exceptional and I messaged him a few weeks back after the Penrith game, and said how good I thought he played," he said.

"That was one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play and how well he defended. He’s really come along this year – he played a fair bit on the wing prior, but now he has had a good crack at centre for the whole year and has had a breakout season.

"He’s really strong in defence and he’s so reliable in attack. This has been his best year for sure.

"There’s no ego about either of them. You could see his (Murray) talent from a young age, while Campbell has been more of a late bloomer."

Poche remains close with Graham, despite the 197cm stuck in the NRL bubble in Queensland, and admitted it was exciting to see his close mate lining up on the biggest stage for their local club.

“For sure, it’s exciting for us - you’re happy watching him just play one game, let alone a grand final," he said.

“When you’re young, everyone is playing well around you and you’re not really sure where everyone stands.

"You blink and the boys are playing first grade, so it’s pretty cool to watch that."

 

[callmack1]

NRL Grand Final - Glory days return for Rabbitohs, a reborn powerhouse

GLENDA KORPORAAL
ASSOCIATE EDITOR (BUSINESS)
@glendakorporaal

9:07PM SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Broke and evicted from the NRL in 1999 and restored in 2001, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the scrappy, loss-making perpetual cellar-dwellers, have been transformed into a corporate and sporting powerhouse.

With 31,000 members, the Rabbitohs now turn over more than $30m a year despite not having poker machines. Souths can lay claim to being the No. 1 merchandise brand in the NRL and the club has the backing of modern-day sponsors including Zoom, Menulog and Hostplus.

On Sunday, a few hours before the NRL grand final kicks off, those corporate sponsors will converge on a Zoom call for an important meeting.

On the other end of the computer will be coaching staff, club legends and players who can’t take the field. The 2014 premiership captain John Sutton and teammate from that year Lote Tuqiri will be there.

In locked-down Sydney, the idea is to replicate, as closely as possible, what it would be like to be in the Souths corporate suite at the NRL grand final had it not been moved to Brisbane.

“We are trying our best to make them feel they are part of the celebrations,” Souths chief executive Blake Solly says.

Team training sessions have been beamed out to club faithful as the Rabbitohs prepared this week for what will be the club’s second grand final in seven years.

This hi-tech, high performance present is a world away from the gritty days when corporate sponsorship came from chook raffles in the bloodhouse pubs around inner-city Redfern and the team languished at the bottom of the table. This week, work started on a new $58m headquarters for the Rabbitohs in beachside Maroubra.

South Sydney’s financial turnaround began when Russell Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes a Court, who now lives overseas, bought a 75 per cent stake in the club in 2006.

When Holmes a Court sold out in 2014, he was replaced by billionaire James Packer, who reportedly paid $12.5m for his 37.5 per cent stake. Since then, things have gone to another level.

While coach Wayne Bennett has been front-of-house evidence of the rise and rise of the club since taking over in 2019, Solly has been in charge of behind-the-scenes operations since 2016.

Solly, whose father was a Rabbitohs supporter before moving his family to the NSW central coast, says Crowe and Holmes a Court professionalised the club: “Every year has been about doing things a bit better than we did before, both on and off the field.”

He says the fact Souths has reached two grand finals in seven years is testament to that turnaround. Those grand finals are the only grand finals Souths has appeared in for the past 50 years.

“They invested heavily in the early years to get the right people to run the business, to work in the football departments, the high performance staff,” Solly says.

“They sought to attract players that the club had not attracted in days gone by. This brought a credibility to the club in terms of what it could achieve on the field.

“We are in a strong financial position today, but it started when we were down, and the momentum has continued to grow.”

Sunday’s grand final comes 20 years after the rebirth of the club and Solly says the resurrection has played a part in the club’s success. “It was an experience which galvanised the supporter base and the people around the club.”

Covid scotched plans for a cinema release of a 14-part series on the rebirth of Souths, forcing another Zoom event.

The early years were hard. It collected wooden spoons in 2003, 2004 and 2006 and struggled financially before the Crowe-Holmes a Court takeover.

Insiders say the recent partnership between Crowe and Packer has been crucial and the two have a strong relationship. Packer has been happy to contribute, including a recent donation of $1m for the club’s community arm, Souths Cares, while leaving it to Crowe and the board and Solly to run the club.

With strong links to the Indigenous community, the Souths Cares project has been working with local youth and warning of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Solly says Crowe has brought a strong marketing eye to the club with inputs into its digital marketing, media content, merchandising and branding with its distinctive red and green colours. “He’s got an instinctive feel for what not only looks great but what our members want to wear.”

Solly says one factor behind Souths’ success has been the structure of its ownership – Crowe and Packer have a combined 75 per cent, each with two representatives on the board, but 25 per cent is still owned by the members, who have a separate company with board members including Ray Martin. This prevents a situation where the club could be seen as the plaything of a wealthy business person run with no concern for the fans.

“I’ve been fortunate to work in the UK for a long period in my career in sport,” Solly says.

“If you speak to most people in European football, they would say the best models are part private, part public.

“It means members have real ownership of the club but the private ownership bring stability and professionalism.”

Another has been Bennett’s influence behind the scenes during two tough years of Covid havoc. “His experience has helped so much,’’ Solly says. “Whether you are a player or an accountant in the financing team, Wayne has put an arm around people or given them words of advice or guidance. It’s lifted everyone in the business for two years.’’

Sunday will be an emotional day for long-time supporters, including Noelene Piggins, wife of former Rabbitohs coach George. Both were heavily involved in the campaign for reinstatement.

“We grew up in this district with Souths being a religion and it’s high priests were legends such as Clive Churchill, Jack Raynor, John Sattler, Ron Coote, Bob McCarthy, John O’Neill and so many others,’’ she said.

“Seeing so many people getting so much excitement and pleasure out of Souths making the grand final is payment in full.”

And Packer? He says he’s a Rabbitoh for the long haul.

 

[Rabbits20]

Love the mind games.

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[callmack1]

The countdown is almost over: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/10/02/the-countdown-is-almost-over/

Seven years on - Sutton ready to pass torch to Reynolds: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/10/01/seven-years-on-sutton-ready-to-pass-torch-to-reynolds/

Huge relief for NRL as promising QLD Covid numbers has Suncorp firming for GF: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...k/news-story/d1ad0c5aa95a366379e01942231cee97

We're not 100% out of the woods in terms of the game being played until after tomorrow morning but that is a huge relief for now! Hopefully we're sweet.

Lote Tuqiri reveals how Wayne Bennett let his hair down after Premiership win: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...n/news-story/8906e062f69a0f65fd56712e3e85edbf

The 'mistake' that led South Sydney rookie Blake Taaffe to the NRL Grand Final: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-gr...e-taaffe/830fb2b8-18ac-4c6e-82e3-6c38587c8041

Brad Fittler reveals the 'simple' things he learned from Wayne Bennett: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/souths...om-wayne/ff709f77-937c-45be-9272-507b747a6ce9

Andrew Johns admits he underestimated South Sydney Rabbitohs: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-gr...abbitohs/57b6d0e6-2c16-4351-a750-9fa14e9d19bd

 

[callmack1]

From Zero Tackle,

The French Connection - How South Sydney’s local lads keep passing the baton

When French naval explorer Jean-François de Galaup’s ship entered through the heads of Botany Bay in 1788 and the nobleman’s heeled footsteps first strode across already inhabited shores, Sydney, in its present form, was altered forever.

Though the officer who would command voyages from California to Chile has taken his place in the dusty annals of Australian history for centuries, the often-wigged aristocrat is also a footnote in the chronology of the city’s oldest, proudest and loudest rugby league outfit.

While the French count’s title of Lapérouse was suitably scuffed before being printed across Sydways map books, the man who would never know the joy a spinning Steeden can provide is forever tied to a code that his compatriots would only take up 150 years later.

Situated between Mascot Airport and the shark-infested currents of the Pacific Ocean, La Perouse is a suburb that has a reputation for both plenty and scarcity.

Even while there are picturesque views on clear nights and there have even been generations of fearless blokes who have paraded reptiles before astonished tourists, the horrors of displacement from European invasion and the pains of the depression are also burnt into the area's lineage.

However, for one of many aortic chambers that pumps cardinal and myrtle blood around South Sydney’s working-class streets, the heart of the land known as Gooriwal in the native tongue lies just a Greg Inglis run from the sands of the bays.

As one of 15 sides that take part in the South Sydney District Junior Rugby League Competition, La Perouse United have a rich tradition of sowing seeds and harvesting their talent to take to the first-grade market.

Although names such as Garlick, Peats, Roberts, Farrell, Champion and try-scoring wizards, Merritt and Johnston have all traded the Panthers’ black and white jersey for the Rabbitohs’ pairing, it is a link between a pair of sterling backs that has truly highlighted how rich the Bunnies’ breeding ground is.

Notwithstanding being born in the country town of Karuah, Eric Simms’ name became synonymous with the capital and its suburban surrounds after eventually heading south.

Though Simms’ unerringly accurate toe-poked approach to goal-kicking would eventually see him end his days at Redfern Oval after 206 first-grade appearances and a then record of 1,841 points for Souths, it was his pathway to prominence that set a trend.

Irrespective of the fact that the now 76-year-old cut his teeth beside the saltwater estuaries of the Hunter rather than in the sea spray of Cape Banks, Simms’ legacy came after he knelt on the playing fields of Sydney in wait of the starter’s pistol.

Even if memories of the stars' past successes at the Sydney Cricket Ground will remain scorched onto frontal lobes for life, it was another premiership during the mid-sixties with La Perouse that saw Simms tear off with a shiny baton in hand.

And run Eric would for the rest of the sixties and much of the seventies before slowing to a meandering jog for the next four decades as his studded boots were traded for moccasins.

Even if Redfern was traded for a recliner after 1975, and the wild and wooly weekends were swapped for the wharves, the transferrable wand remained with Simms for another 37 years before a heavily inked kid from the flats finally relieved the longshoreman of his duties.

While Adam Reynolds would play for about as many junior sides as he would eventually score points, the fact that he wore a La Perouse jersey in between stints at St. Peters, Alexandria and Kensington saw him earn the honour of taking the baton from ’Ecka’s calloused hand before pumping his little legs around the track full tilt.

Outside of the pair’s shared past playing for the Panthers, the many similarities between these post splitting savants made Reynolds the obvious candidate to fill the second slot in this collaborative relay.

Like his predecessor, 'Reno's pacesetting laps around the league have seen him draw plaudits, land prizes and ultimately earn the right to fight for another premiership this Sunday.

Still, it was the man who is more South Sydney than Reggie the Rabbit's final circuit this season that saw the previous venn diagram between the duo inch closer to that of a circle.

In Round 5, Reynolds channeled his antecedent by slotting the first two-point field goal after the law to curb Simms' accuracy was finally repealed.

In Round 21, the man who had been leading his pack around the park for seasons finally surpassed the marker laid down by his forerunner with a record-breaking shot from the touchline.

Though Alzheimer's and Covid kept Simms' away from Robina when his scoring milestone was finally passed this August, the hooked ball from the chalked boundary line that saw his colossal figure fall could not have come from a more befitting boot.

Speaking the year prior to his last lap in a hooped jersey, Reynolds explained that it was his desire to leave a mark with his boyhood club that saw him continue to clench his tattooed knuckles around the now rusting baton.

“When you look at all of the club legends and the faces on the wall downstairs [at Redfern Oval], you see all the images from the past and you want your image on the wall as well,” Reynolds told Fox League.

“That’s one thing I’ve always prided myself on is trying to entrench my name in the club and to leave a legacy behind. You occupy the jersey for the time you’ve got it and you want to leave it in a better place than what you got it in.

“For me, that’s important. I want to be on the wall one day and I want kids in the future to look back and recognise what my time at the club has been.”

With a move north looming and his ageing muscles getting the better of him during last weekend's preliminary final, Reynolds' hand over to the next runner in sequence may have come earlier than anyone was after.

But be that as it may, at least there was someone waiting around the bend this time around.

When Adam Reynolds crossed the line on the 5th of October, 2014 to sew up South Sydney's long-awaited return to rugby league's summit, Blake Taaffe was a 15-year-old kid with dreams of replication.

Growing up playing 'Nappy League' with La Perouse, the grandson of yet another Rabbitohs' goalkicker from the area in Kevin Longbottom more than meets the markers laid down to continue the line commenced by Simms.

Even though some of his fledgling steps on the paddock came on the state's Central Coast, it was Taaffe's past and his calm head over the tee against the Sea Eagles last Friday that saw many sit up to see him as the prime candidate to become the next link in this French suffused connection.

While the 22-year-old was at fullback as Souths earned their ticket to their 35th decider, Reynolds' stamped ticket to the Broncos for 2022 and the impending lethal reinjection of Latrell Mitchell should see Taaffe afforded a chance to fill the outgoing halfback's humongous boots next season.

Some may suggest that it is far too early to announce that the kid who has only just broken through can run with this previous pair of sprinters, but given how quickly he has moved from the starting blocks, I'll leave you to pass your own doubts on to Blake.

That is if you can catch him, of course.

Given La Perouse's undeniable ability to continue supplying Souths with freakish talents, the question must be asked - is there something in the Botany water that allows for putting the ball over the black dot to look like a walk across the Bare Island Bridge?

Whether the intangibles of a tight knit community are to thank or instead the multiple-millions of dollars the Rabbits have poured into junior development, the recipe for success may be as ambiguous as the contents of Colonel Sanders' spice rack, but it is also just as successful.

With more names bound to be plucked from the region in the future, even if Taaffe does take the baton and put the blinkers on, the land named after a long deceased French sailor is sure to produce another runner for yet another handoff sooner rather than later.

 

[callmack1]

From the Sydney Morning Herald,

TITLE BOUT - INSIDE THE CLEARY-BENNETT FEUD

Inevitably, league’s tangled web has brought us back to these coaches in this game, writes Andrew Webster.

When Wayne Bennett isn’t watching the sharemarket, or the cattle market, or a TV cop show, or young men preparing for a game of rugby league, there’s every chance he’s running.

On an early summer morning in 2019, he was running laps of Redfern Oval as South Sydney directors gathered in the boardroom across the road.

For four months, head of football Shane Richardson had been trying to convince the new coach to front the people who appointed him.

The meeting was due to start at 8am but, as the minutes ticked down, Bennett was nowhere to be seen. Right on the hour, the lanky frame of the most successful coach of the modern era stood in the doorway, wearing a singlet and running shoes and sweating bullets.

‘‘ Let’s hope this board meeting goes better than the last one,’’ Bennett drawled, referring to his ugly exit from the Brisbane Broncos that led to him swapping jobs with Anthony Seibold.

Eight months earlier, Bennett had been sitting in the Woollahra lounge of veteran agent Wayne Beavis talking to Penrith general manager of football Phil Gould about replacing Anthony Griffin .

Bennett, who was warring with the Broncos about his future, had arranged the meeting through Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley, who has shared a close relationship with Bennett for decades and also worked intimately with Gould when head of sport at Channel Nine.

Gould thought Bennett could do what Griffin could not: harness an untamed group of abundantly talented young players and deliver a premiership, just as he had with the Broncos and Dragons.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city at Penrith’s exquisitely named Cafe Lattetude, Panthers chairman Dave O’Neill was having lunch with Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary, whom Gould had sacked at Penrith three years earlier.

The topic of discussion: Cleary returning to Penrith to coach his son, Nathan, at a time to be determined. Just what happened next depends on whom you talk to.

Last year, O’Neill said his board ‘‘ unanimously’ ’ rejected the idea of signing Bennett, who then blasted the Penrith chairman, claiming he’d never spoken to Penrith nor Gould and that no meeting even took place, including a handshake agreement to join them in 2019.

Gould has never spoken publicly about meeting Bennett and has been particularly tight-lipped on the subject this week. The Panthers continue to run the line that the board rejected Bennett, although some directors say they can’t recall taking a vote.

What we do know is Griffin was sacked in August that year, Nathan Cleary signed a five-year contract extension in September, Ivan Cleary quit the Tigers and was appointed coach in October, Seibold signed with the Broncos a few days later and, a handful of weeks after that, Bennett was running laps around his new home at Redfern Oval.

It’s not difficult to work out who won this real-life game of Kerplunk: the Tigers and Broncos were left in ruin while Bennett and Cleary will face off in the grand final at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night.

Sprinkle the added seasoning of the coaches trading insults in the media over the past few weeks, as well as gripping contests the last two times their sides have met, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a grand final storyline. Tarantino couldn’t have scripted it better.

The Bennett legend grows by the day. When he first arrived at Redfern, he predicted to some senior figures he expected to make two preliminary finals before winning a premiership. That’s Cummings-esque .

He’s one victory away from his eighth title, just weeks after star fullback Latrell Mitchell was suspended for the rest of the year and every expert this side of Chalmers Street wrote off his team.

For years, critics and even other coaches have dismissed his football nous, claiming he’s more ‘‘ man manager’ ’ than ‘‘ supercoach’ ’ – something he laughed at when contacted this week.

‘‘ It’s a myth, but it’s one I’ve been prepared to play along with,’’ he says. ‘‘ You can’t do what I’ve done and not know about football. Man management is a part of it, but you’ve still got to have tactics, still know how to play footy. I buy into the men that I coach. Why would I complicate something they can’t handle? The people I’m preaching to have to understand what they’re being given, so I simplify it as much as I possibly can so everyone in that room is on the same page.’’

Some coaches wither with time, unable to connect with younger players. Bennett resembles an ageing rock star in complete command of his skills. Just as Keith Richards could still wield a Fender in his sleep, you sense the 71-year-old Bennett could coach a football team in his lunch break.

‘‘ Coaching changed when the video came in,’’ he says. ‘‘ It made some guys a lot smarter than they ever were. It’s been their undoing as well. When I started, it was the naked eye; the feel, the touch, that’s all you had to rely on. With laptops now, you dig up any stat you want. That’s manufactured. That’s not coaching to me. That’s not being in the game. We had to do it on eye and teach it straight away. With the naked eye. It made you sharper and made you a better coach.’’

As for the growing age difference between himself and the young men he coaches, he says this: ‘‘ Coaches are bright, but they don’t want to discipline their players. You can’t run a footy team without tough love. I only wanted to be a head coach. I didn’t want to be the policeman, the father, the mother, but you play whatever role you have to play to get that person to play to their ability.’’

On that score, Cleary, 50, deserves praise, too, even though he’s unlikely to ever receive it.

He’s reached his second grand final in three seasons, restarting a team that first lost its halfback and leader to a shoulder injury, then further injuries to key players, then a loss to Souths in the first week of the finals . If Bennett had orchestrated last Saturday’s against-the-odds win over Melbourne in the preliminary final , we’d still be penning flowery pieces about his ‘‘ aura’’ . Not a single person credited the stunning victory to Cleary, including the trick shot for the first try when Nathan jumped into dummy half and kicked to the corner for Stephen Crichton, a play that’s been in their back pocket since round six when the Roosters did the same thing in the final minute against Melbourne while down 20-0 .

Last year, the Panthers’ unrestrained attack was attributed to assistant coach Trent Barrett. This year, their near-impenetrable defence is credited to Cameron Ciraldo. Those close to Cleary believe he doesn’t receive the accolades he deserves because he doesn’t play the media game like other coaches. He doesn’t have cheerleaders in the press box, nor does he trade in the economy of favours that others might. His only agenda is what’s best for his side. ‘‘ Yeah, that’s definitely the case,’’ Ciraldo chuckles cautiously when I raise the issue with him. ‘‘ I don’t want to say too much. I’m not sure why that is .. .’’ After playing under Cleary at Penrith in 2012-13 , Ciraldo became an assistant coach to him. He didn’t follow him to the Tigers but stayed around long enough to become a fundamental part of the Panthers machine. ‘‘ I really enjoyed Ivan’s coaching style when I was a player,’’ Ciraldo says. ‘‘ He allowed you to be yourself. I liked that as a player, and the same as a coach. You implement what you believe. He leads differently to others, but it allows people to be their own person. He puts an enormous amount of trust in everyone to do their job; they create their own style because he doesn’t pigeon-hole them.’’ After the loss to Souths in the first week of the finals , Cleary remained calm even if those on the outside saw panic and chaos.

 

[callmack1]

Continued,

Before that match, he complained to the Herald about the unfair pressure being put on his son when kicking. The same story raised concerns about Bennett complaining to the NRL about the Panthers’ use of illegal blockers. Whether it was a ploy to put pressure on the match officials , or a coach just being candid, it backfired .

Apart from Nathan trying to confuse rookie Souths fullback Blake Taaffe with a barrage of his floating bombs, the Panthers were bereft of attacking options.

It was also the type of coaching misstep Bennett pounces on and plants in the heads of his men. This was an attack on the players! The coach! The whole of South Sydney!

Souths won 16-10 and Cleary was snappy in the post-match media conference, especially when told it was ‘‘ impossible’ ’ to win the premiership after losing in the first week of the finals , something only the 2015 Cowboys have done under the current format. If his players don’t cash in on the last two years of dominance, we all know where the fingers of blame will be pointed.

Indeed, Cleary is starting to draw comparisons with Brian Smith, who couldn’t land a premiership in 601 matches over 25 seasons and four grand final appearances at three clubs. While the two coaches are different men, and different coaches, the numbers don’t lie: Cleary has coached 368 matches over 15 seasons at three clubs and failed to win the two grand finals in which he’s been involved.

Normally, he will take a reporter’s phone call. Asked for comment this week, though, he replied by text: ‘‘ Sorry mate but I am not doing anything other than presser this week. I appreciate your intentions. I hope you understand.’’

Probably a smart move. The last thing he and his players need is Bennett getting inside their heads.

A week out from the 2010 NRL grand final , when Bennett won his last premiership, I sat in the sun outside a Coogee cafe across from Smith and asked him about the big, fat asterisk next to his coaching record. He’d done an extraordinary job getting the Roosters into the decider against Bennett’s St George Illawarra.

‘‘ I don’t gauge my success in terms of premierships,’’ Smith replied.

After the Dragons won the grand final , I mentioned Smith’s remark to Bennett and his response, like almost everything that comes out of the corner of his mouth, whether it’s true or not, was worth bottling.

‘‘ I’d say the same thing if I’d never won one.’’

 

[callmack1]

Russell Crowe has been magnificent for the Rabbitohs and the NRL: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...nt-for-the-south-sydney-rabbitohs-and-the-nrl

Rabbitohs and Panthers must tread carefully in challenging times

By Roy Masters

South Sydney and Penrith should beware the Law of Unintended Consequences, where a decision leads to an unexpected negative outcome.

There have been multiple instances this season where a Captain’s Challenge has backfired.

In the Penrith versus Melbourne preliminary final, the Panthers challenged a handover from a kick because they believed the Storm had knocked on.

A review proved Penrith correct but also revealed that their five-eighth, Jarome Luai, was offside. So, Melbourne received a penalty, putting them in a promising attacking position. The Panthers merely retained their challenge.

As it transpired, the Storm squandered the opportunity but who knows how a similar incident could play out in Sunday’s grand final.

In fact, who knows how many infringements go unobserved and are potentially game-changing, given there is now only one referee on the field and limitations on use of the bunker.

An avalanche of rule changes the past two years has heightened the importance of the bench and rotation to the extent the NRL is definitely a 17-man game. A pre-determined plan to rotate forwards by the clock can come undone through injury, as happened to Melbourne in the Penrith game when they lost their best two forwards early in the match.

For the past two matches, South Sydney have started two journeyman forwards, Mark Nicholls and Tevita Tatola, benching the more damaging Jai Arrow and Thomas Burgess.

It’s a smart move by “Old Man Winner” (coach Wayne Bennett) because he is making optimum use of the eight-man interchange allowance. Arrow and Burgess come on midway through the first half, make an impact, recover during the interval and then play another 10 to 15 minutes. This interchange provided the momentum shift when the eventual grand finalists met in week one of the play-offs. The Panthers led early and scores were level at half-time before Souths finished strongly, winning 16-10.

But what happens if Penrith build a big early lead via sustained attack up the middle and it’s too late for the powerful running Burgess or the skilful Arrow to rescue the game? Souths’ middle has demonstrated it is vulnerable to an early onslaught.

Wayne Bennett has started Mark Nicholls in the last two matches of the Bunnies’ march to the grand final.
Wayne Bennett has started Mark Nicholls in the last two matches of the Bunnies’ march to the grand final.CREDIT:GETTY
The NRL has been shackled to the Law of Unintended Consequences these past two seasons.

Channel Nine, in renegotiating their broadcasting contract with the NRL following the COVID interruption, argued the game had become boring and TV ratings were declining.

So, ARLC chair Peter V’landys introduced a six-again rule to quicken the game. But it exposed the gap between the good and bad teams, resulting in blowouts and even poorer ratings. Furthermore, more tries mean more conversion attempts, therefore adding to dead time, compared to ball-in-play time. And Nine used the money savings gained from the renegotiated contract to buy the rights to the NRL’s long-time rival, rugby union.

TV ratings have been strong during the semi-finals but this is because the top teams are playing each other and referees have cut back on six-again calls over the past two months.

The Law of Unintended Consequences is also reflected in the NRL’s mid-year crackdown on high tackles, which will extend to the grand final and probably have a major impact on the result.

This year, there has been a four-fold increase in players put on report, compared to 2020.

Because one player put on report for foul play usually results in two free interchanges, it means more substitutions. This, in turn, allows the big men more rest time and therefore a greater role. However, the purpose of the six-again rule was to allow free rein to the little men running past tired behemoths.

This season, forwards (excluding hookers) have scored more tries (278) than in any year since 2007 (282). So, the unexpected consequence of the crackdown on high tackles – a greater role by big men - undermined the intention of the earlier six-again rule.

Some consequences, while unintended, are also unavoidable.

The NRL shifted the competition to south-east Queensland following the COVID outbreak in Sydney. It allowed the NRL to boast Brisbane would host the grand final for the first time. The form of Melbourne – Queensland’s fourth favourite team- indicated they would make the decider. But two Sydney teams are there for the first time since 2014 and can’t play in Sydney. And now a fresh outbreak could force a late shift of the grand final to Townsville!

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[Rabbits20]

"We've got to be really focused" - Demetriou

Jason Demetriou chats to the media ahead of the Grand Final.

www.rabbitohs.com.au

 

[Rabbits20]