Belly in Brisvegas
Coach
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f**k me I wish I could plam my kids off as much as he does
he knows who signs the cheques
I'm not taking a pay cut
We have a huge game tonight against the Broncos. While coming up to Brisbane is not a trip that strikes fear into us we know we are in for a tough game.
I always like playing the Broncos up here because no matter what you get a big crowd.
To add to the degree of difficulty there are a lot of reports suggesting Darren Lockyer will return to the Broncos side. Locky is a quality player and he will give them some spark.
We have our own smiling assassin back with Krisnan Inu slotting in out on the wing. I think Inu will be primed for a big return and, as for him playing on the wing, I think it’s just a way for Michael Hagan to ease him back into first grade.
So much for what they say about the Queensland weather. At the moment it is raining up here and we are preparing as if the conditions will be wet tonight, which means we have to lock up the footy pretty tightly.
I think it’s a game we can win. We’re not too far away from playing our best footy and if we can produce that then we are a chance tonight.
Having said that I want to win in a way that is convincing, not by leading by 16 and letting Brisbane back in. We want to play better then them, dominate the game and show we are a force. It’s getting to the stage where we must win more games.
There has been plenty of news surrounding league and Parramatta this week and I want to comment.
If Tim Smith goes to the UK I would have no problem with it. Tim needs to do what is best for him and if he goes there that is his own choice.
As for the idea of lowering the salary cap and players taking a pay cut, I am totally opposed to it and I will not be taking a pay cut!
I think before that idea is even seriously discussed other avenues need to be explored. As to what they are I am not sure, but I don’t think it’s fair on players to suddenly expect them to have their salary slashed.
With Michael Crocker signing on with Hull, Ricky Stuart has said he basically shouldn’t get a crack at the Aussie team for the World Cup and I agree, even though being a second rower I have a vested interest. The general rule is when you sign on to play in the UK you are then out of sight and out of the selection game.
Selection for the second Origin game is on Tuesday and with Ben Cross and Anthony Laffranchi reportedly struggling with injuries I will be looking to push my claims against a Broncos team full of banana benders. But if I get picked, I get picked, if I don’t, I don’t.
Off the field Bonnie and I had great weekend without the kids up in the Hunter and while I didn’t get the chance to play any of the golf courses I found a Tyrell’s Shiraz I was a bit of a fan of.
Archie got to see The Wiggles during the week and loved it, although he still loves Thomas the Tank Engine more. In exciting news Buster is about to start walking so now I’ll have to have eyes on them at all time.
I’ll make sure I watch the Super 14 final this weekend and hope Timana Tahu has a great game. I think both Union and League need to see off the AFL, particularly with them looking at starting a western Sydney franchise.
Hindy
f**k me I wish I could plam my kids off as much as he does
NSW to wrap up the series
I’m going to tip the Blues to win tonight’s second Origin game by 18 points and wrap up the series in Queensland. This will give them huge satisfaction and leave the Maroons disconsolate.
I just think the Blues have it over Queensland in the forwards. They certainly did in game one and I can’t see the Queensland side turning it around, even with the addition of Steve Price.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Pricey will make a difference and be right up for this game, because even though he was injured he would have kept training, ate the right foods and kept his fitness up. He is just that type of guy and he will play well, but to me NSW are too strong for Queensland up front.
I think Queensland will actually benefit from not having Darren Lockyer there. It may just galvanize them a bit in terms of the fact everyone thinks they can’t win it without him.
Darren would not have been 100%. I doubt he would have played the full game and with the return of Scott Prince I think the Maroons will gain a player who feels like he has something to prove as well as the form player in the NRL.
Queensland’s big worry is the loss of Justin Hodges. Hodgo can turn a game, is solid in defence and without him they are minus a star player.
I have been a bit bored with the lead up to this years series. It seems as if no player is willing to stir the pot except for Willie Mason. That’s always been Willie’s go and Queenslanders shouldn’t feel too bad, he calls me a redneck all the time!
On to Parramatta and the last couple of weeks have been interesting, I felt we should have beaten the Broncos a fortnight ago. We should have made more of our opportunities in the first half and in the end we were burned by some bad luck.
Darren Lockyer’s kick could have bounced in any direction. Unfortunately for us it sat up perfectly for a flying Denan Kemp, who is now known as the Destroyer after his four tries. I would like four in a season let alone a match.
The mood in the dressing room was sombre after that one. Everyone sat around quiet for a long time, but after the disappointment I came to realise we improved a lot and we were able to continue that against the Raiders last week.
I don’t care what anyone says about Canberra, they always play a decent game and you have to be wary of them or they can hurt you. To our credit the whole team played well and I was very impressed with the backs.
Feleti Mateo had a great game despite his bizarre haircut. I don’t know what’s going on with the shaved lines. Krisnan Inu played well and Joel Reddy was awesome, while Finchy was also very good.
I was also really impressed with young Tony Williams. The kid is huge for a winger, has great pace and could be a special player.
He replaced Eric Grothe and to Guru’s credit he has taken his relegation well by training hard, putting his head down and getting ready to make the trip to New Zealand for the Jim Beam Cup this week.
This weekend we are preparing to take on the Tigers in what I believe is a stretch of four Sunday games in a row, which I will enjoy.
The Tigers always seem to aim up when they play us and this week will be no exception. They have shown some good form recently with the likes of Brett Hodgson, Mathew Head, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah all playing good footy.
I think we will run a bit of traffic at Mathew Head and try and shut him down when he is kicking the ball. To me he still seems to be carrying a bit of a knee problem so we want to make him work and negate the danger he presents with the ball.
Of course we will also run plenty of troops at Benji Marshall. I feel sorry for Benji to have had the shoulder problems he has had, but we would be silly not to try and expose him in defence. Because honestly after that many shoulder injuries he can’t be completely confident when it comes to tackling.
At home Buster is nearly walking and Bonnie and I are waiting with anticipation, while Archie appears to be moving on from Thomas and is now keen on The Wiggles, whose tunes are getting in my head.
Hindy
He's funny Hindy.
He must be rooted after having to look after his kids for more than a week without a break.
Two in a row
That’s two wins in a row now and while we are happy with the way we’re playing we aren’t getting carried away.
We have beaten Canberra and an injury depleted Tigers in the last two weeks and while they are good sides, I think how we handle the Sharks this weekend will be a better measuring stick.
That’s not to say I wasn’t happy with the win on the weekend. It’s hard not to be when you bag two tries and the team dominates the game.
Speaking of the two tries, I have a yearly wager with Andrew Ryan and Nathan Cayless over who will score the most tries in the season and am now back in the lead this season after winning last year.
‘Bobcat’ was a bit upset and texted a few guys to let everyone know that “you will never see two softer tries than Hindy’s”. He also reckons his last four-pointer was like seeing Laurie Daley back in action.
I say it would be like seeing Lozza in action 20 years from now. Could Bobcat move any slower?
Anyway back to the weekend and I was once again impressed by Tony Williams. The kid is a freak. I thought the first week may have just been beginners luck but he trampled some of the Tigers like they were cubs.
I also thought Krisnan Inu had another great game and the smiling assassin certainly adds some spark to our team. Inu isn’t just a brilliant attacking player, but he is a guy who has a tonne of enthusiasm on the field and can lift the team.
As can Joel Reddy. ‘Rocket’ is our leading try scorer this season and is really proving himself to be a very good player. It’s unfortunate for him he has only played when guys have been injured in the past and he, along with Williams, are making it hard for the likes of Benny Smith and Eric Grothe to return to first grade.
I think it’s probably a welcome headache for Michael Hagan when it comes to selection though.
From all reports, ‘Guru’ played a great game in New Zealand and, although I haven’t spoken to him since then, I know he is hungry to get his place in the team back.
I found it amusing him being late to the airport was news. I can’t remember anytime Guru has ever been on time or early.
I can’t speak about the weekend’s win without mentioning Feleti Mateo. Feleti had another huge game and was dominant. With form like that if he can be available for NSW then it would be hard not to pick him.
Speaking of the Blues I honestly though they would belt Queensland, but I was wrong and Queensland deserved to win that game. They kept chipping away all night and I was surprised at the end score.
If the Blues had have been beaten like that in Origin 1 then I think I would have been a chance of a recall, but going into the third game I am not so sure. I will still put my hand up as I am as keen as ever to play Origin footy.
There was a bit of criticism of the side after the game and it was fair enough.
I don’t think wholesale changes are the answer though and although Greg Bird’s kicking game wasn’t great neither was Peter Wallace’s. That tends to happen when you have Steve Price charging you down. He is the best at it in the NRL and I would hate to be getting a kick off under that pressure.
At home Buster is still teasing us with walking and I reckon in a fortnight he might be on both feet. He is interacting with Archie more than he has and the two boys are kind of getting along, as long as Buster doesn’t mess up Archie’s trains.
I’ll be at ‘Paws in the Park’ this Saturday in Surry Hills along with Nathan Cayless for a bit of a media exercise. I’m just hoping my Staffie behaves around the other dogs. Either that or he gets along with Cayless’ Huskie.
Hindy
Feleti Mateo had a great game despite his bizarre haircut. I don’t know what’s going on with the shaved lines. Krisnan Inu played well and Joel Reddy was awesome, while Finchy was also very good.
I was also really impressed with young Tony Williams. The kid is huge for a winger, has great pace and could be a special player.
He replaced Eric Grothe and to Guru’s credit he has taken his relegation well by training hard, putting his head down and getting ready to make the trip to New Zealand for the Jim Beam Cup this week.
give him a break - he's gettin' oldHindys memory is crap. Mateo had the haircut for the Brisbane game - it was gone for the raiders match !
Hindys memory is crap. Mateo had the haircut for the Brisbane game - it was gone for the raiders match !
I'm not retiring from rep footy
Once again I missed out on Origin selection, even though I think I have been playing better footy over the past fortnight, but those are the breaks and you have to deal with them.
What I will say now is that even if I make the World Cup at the end of the year I am not retiring from rep footy and am making myself available for Origin next year!
I want to go out of rep football on my terms and I think I can get back in the side and do that. made a return this year after a while out of it and I want to do the same.
Looking at the NSW side I think they have made some good decisions. Haynesy was always going to come back into the side, but it’s the selection of Braith Anasta which I am a fan of. In my mind Braith should have been there from Origin 1 with Bird in the pack. Now Braith gets his chance to show why he is the man NSW need in the biggest game in this series.
I think Willie Mason will handle prop. He has been there before and it’s not like he doesn’t have the size!
On to the weekend and it would have been nice to have won, or even have the game decided in Golden Point, as I thought the game was deserving of a higher quality finish than what it got.
We were also upset about a few things that happened during the game including the way it ended. The Sharks grind games out and get results however they can. It’s what you have to do in a close competition and while I don’t think Noddy took a dive, I still don’t really feel the hit warranted a penalty downfield that gave them the game.
I think the Sharks, like many teams are a genuine contender this year and the fact they grind games out may really help them. You don’t necessarily have to be all razzle dazzle to win a premiership.
I actually enjoy playing in a tight arm wrestle where you don’t have time to catch your breath as I reckon that type of game suits my style of play and also my fitness comes into play then.
Apparently my rear does a fair bit too and as soon as I heard Peter Sterling say highlights package on ‘The Footy Show’ I turned to Laurie Daley and said “it’s a gee up isn’t it.” At least I never had Matty Johns say “MMM I’d like to nibble Noddy’s nuts” to me.
Back to on field action and this week we are hosting the Storm. While they are bereft of half their first grade squad we won’t be taking them lightly. We need to treat them with respect or we could be embarrassed by them. At the same time there is no better time to play them.
Off the field I am busy trying to get myself some tickets to Def Leppard with Cheap Trick on November 5. I’d love to be in a box to watch two of my favourite bands from when I was a kid. I still have Def Leppard’s greatest hits in my car as well as ‘Hysteria’.
As I mentioned last week Nathan Cayless and I also went out to Surry Hills to ‘Paws in the Park’ for Beniful Dog food. I even got Bonnie and the kids to come with me.
We took Bonnie’s dog Indo with us and I had her on a tight leash until a lady asked if her dog could play with Indo. After about two seconds of sniffing they were in a fight and I knew it was a bad idea to let Indo play.
Conversely Cayless’ Jake the Husky was well behaved leaving him having a bit of a laugh at my expense. Archie did get to ride Indo through the park, which he loves it but I reckon Indo thinks he is getting a bit heavy.
There were a lot of French Bulldogs (like the dog Ashton Kutcher sends out the window in Just Married) there as well as a lot of Pugs I was surprised just how many.
Tonight it looks like I am attending Oak Hill College’s musical ‘All Shook Up’. Our neighbour is in it and Bon and I were going to go with Luke Burt and his wife, but now Bon and Burty have the flu and it looks like I am going with Luke’s wife or by myself.
I’ve been trying to send photos but my phone camera isn’t focusing that well at the moment and the pictures are average. I’ll try and fix it.
Hindy
Ill be MIA from this weekends clash against the Panthers as I recover from a toe injury. Its an injury I have aggravated and although I can move around well enough, the medical staff have advised me not to play this week and let it heal fully.
So after 10 years I have finally agreed to take their advice so as not to risk more time on the sidelines.
Hopefully I can sit there and bask in glorious sunshine watching the Eels beat the Panthers by 20 or so, although the chances of that actually happening seem to be slim. Every game we play this year is close and Penrith are no slouches.
They are also sitting just one point behind us in ninth spot and will be keen to jump us and move into the eight. The downside is I will miss out on my annual clash with Petero Civoniceva and its usually a corker. I tackle him, he smashes me and we go until we are spent.
Actually maybe thats not a downside, Petero can really hit!
The western Sydney derby is usually a pretty good game where the fans get very vocal and with Parramatta and Penrith being close to each other the Penrith fans usually travel. Like every game from here until the end of the season it is a must win.
Last week we only just fell over the line against a depleted Melbourne side and that was disappointing. We didnt aim up, our attack in the first 15 minutes was disgraceful and we went away from the game plan. I was talking to Nathan Cayless after the game when we said the same thing I knew this would happen.
It was an eventful week at Parramatta with Brett Finch creating a media frenzy by sticking up for his old man. I dont blame him either. You have to stick up for your dad and with the position his old man is in he cops it more than most. I think Finchy did the right thing, even if it does cost him his rep career as he said it might.
But then again I dont know why he didnt get a run this year. He had more experience than both halfbacks NSW tried in Mitchell Pearce and Peter Wallace and I think he could have done as good a job as Wallace and certainly Pearce.
I wanted to see more from Mitchell on Wednesday night. It seemed he dumped a lot of ball back on the inside which may well have been a tactic from the coach but it didnt seem like he played his most natural game.
It also leaves me wondering when the selectors are going to keep a halfback for more than one or two games. They need to stop looking for the next Andrew Johns because there isnt one!
They need to place their faith in someone and stick with them be it Finchy, Todd Carney or Jarrod Mullen who I thought played ok in his debut last year.
Despite NSW losing this Origin was more enjoyable than the last few because there was some aggression out there with Ryan Hoffman of all people throwing them. Ryan is a good player, its just I didnt expect to see him throwing punches.
I though Kurt Gidley was easily NSWs most dangerous player but I would have had him at lock from the start and Stewart also on for the full 80 at fullback, I also thought Willie Mason had a good game, especially as he was under pressure leading in to it.
While Queensland deserved the victory due to NSW lack of potency in attack, I was very disappointed to see Danny Buderus leave the Origin arena in that way. Unless he does an Alan Langer and returns from the UK to play it will be his last Origin.
Bedsy is a genuine bloke who tells it like it is and I have a tonne of respect for him.
Off the field I heard Roberston Primary School won the prestigious Hindmarsh Cup with their year 4 and 5 teams this week. I wanted to head down there but couldnt, so congratulations to the kids!
If they have any try celebrations recorded they should post them at this link http://www.beinvolved.com.au/posttry/home.aspx for a chance to hand out medals at the NRL Grand Final.
Speaking of kids, Archie went to his first movie today with Bonnie, myself and the Burts. We saw Kung Fu Panda and while it wasnt as funny as I thought it would be Archie seemed to enjoy it and his popcorn once he got settled.
Also Ill be on Bigpond Sports Weekend tomorrow with Russell Barwick, so check it out.
Hindy
I wasnt bouncing around, jumping up and down saying Hages Im good to go last week. I was jogging on the spot telling him Hages Im good to go - journos need to get it right.
The story was I really wasnt going to play but once Chad Robinson pulled out I felt like I should do everything I could to help. I was due for an injection in my toe on Monday anyway, so I figured I could play and I did.
As for an update on my injured toe I have arthritis in it and a few bone spurs which are increasing the pain. When it gets to the end of the season we will reassess how I should treat it.
Speaking of treatment I cannot believe the rubbish some Parramatta fans directed to Petero Civoniceva.
It was disgusting and its just not on. The people involved deserve a life ban. There is no room for racist behaviour in any walk of life, and its simply not on.
As a Parramatta player I am disgusted to hear its apparently not the first time it has happened with Johnathan Thurston saying it happened to him at Parramatta Stadium in 2006.
I am sure not all Parra fans act this way but the rest of them are being tarred with the same brush as those who made these racist comments. In the wake of the Thurston scenario I have to wonder what is going on with an element of our fan base.
Furthermore it doesnt send a good message to any of the young kids we have in the Under 20s. A lot of them have Polynesian heritage and these idiots in the crowd are effectively marginalising them as well.
Anyway, on to the actual game and that wasnt much better as we gave up a 16-0 lead to the Panthers before we decided to have a go. Its not the first time we have done that and we simply cant afford to.
No team can, unless youre South Sydney at the moment!
The team had a good heart to heart after the Panthers game. We have worked on some things this week and need to start implementing them to win games.
Brett Finch said it the other day that it needs to be sooner rather than later or our season will be gone and he was spot on. Its time to stop talking and start performing. We need to string wins together starting this week and I wouldnt mind finishing off like we did in 2006, although I think 10 in a row in this competition is unlikely.
I saw Jarryd Hayne come out and say he wants to play fullback during the week and, while I am sure Haynesy could do it, Luke Burt is playing well.
Haynesy has to work for what he wants. You cant just pick and choose where you play and that goes for everyone across the board. I would like to play five eighth but its not going to happen.
For those of you who may have seen my MMS pics of Eric Grothe at training it is not a pointer to anything. Guru is part of the top squad and has continued to train with us, but at this stage he is continuing to work on his game in the Jim Beam Cup and is going well.
As I said before, this week we have South Sydney and the way they are storming home we might need to put 50 or 60 points on them.
Souths have a solid core of players and for years I have disliked playing them. I dont know why, I just do.
With Craig Wing back they have been given confidence and experience and I know him being there will certainly help their rookie halfback Chris Sandow. I just hope he doesnt run at me, the kid moves like a greyhound at Sandown!
John Sutton is another one of their players we have to watch out for as he has been playing very well of late, but John has it in him to sometimes not step up and be as dominant as he can be.
Dont get me wrong he is a very talented player and a game breaker but sometimes he can go quiet.
Back at home Buster is about to turn 1 on July 17 and he has started to walk, while Archie has started a bit of day care so he can socialise with other kids.
Ive also bought a trampoline which I am about to put together. Ill post some photos of me attempting to get it ready. Im sure it will be more difficult than it seems.
Hindy
For those of you who may have seen my MMS pics of Eric Grothe at training it is not a pointer to anything. Guru is part of the top squad and has continued to train with us, but at this stage he is continuing to work on his game in the Jim Beam Cup and is going well.