PVP Round 1 (2005) Dragons Vs Sharks

[roosterboy60]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Dragons Army v Cronulla Sharks[/font]


[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Game Thread
Please note - This is a game thread only, therefore only game posts can be made here (Teams, Articles).
Any other posts will result in loss of points and is at the discretion of the referee.
Only original essays, not used in previous games, will be marked by referees.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Both teams will be allowed 2 reserves.
Rules: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.asp[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Full Time: Wednesday 9th November at 9pm (Syd time)[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Venue: The Front Row Stadium

Crowd: 15,060
REFEREE: Gorilla[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]**Referee Blows Game On!**[/font]

 

[The Piper]

The Cronulla Sharks Forum 7s side

Team
Wal
griffo346
KryptoniK
Bookie
Mr_Moo

Reserves
gothebears
Dread

 

[The Piper]

Wal for the Sharks

What if?

I would have to say that these words are probably the two words in the English language that are used together the most frequent, one after another, in conversation. The Funk And Wagnall’s descriptions of these words are as follows -
What - (hwut) pron. 1. Which specific thing or things, actions, ect: What does he do? I don't know what to do.

If - (if) conj. 1. In the event that; in case: We shall turn back if it rains.

In conjunction with each other, with the words in order as listed above, the combination's description would go something like this -

What if (hwut if) pron, conj 1. In the event that this specific thing, things, actions ect. occurred: What if I did it this way?

The term is used in all situations in life. No matter what you are doing, where you live or who you are, there has been sometime where you have used both these little words together, making a big statement.

What if I went up and ask the girl would she like a drink? What if she said no? What if she said YES!?

In the Rugby League community, the term what if is used frequently. It has been used by Broncos, Cowboys, Roosters, Eels and Bulldogs supporters, as well as supporters of every other club in the National Rugby League competition. It has been used not only in this year's competition, but in every season of first grade league to have come before.

What if we had beaten the Tigers in the preliminary final?

What if Johns was injury free all year?

What if Kimmorley was not in our team?

I have heard all these and more on the LeagueUnlimited forums, pubs and football parks across the country. I have said it myself. What if the Panthers had won one more game? They would have made the finals. What if they beat Parramatta in the first final? They were on a very impressive winning streak.

What all supporters, of all teams must know, is that what if, is fictional. When used speaking of the past, it does nothing. It opens up the mind to the possibilities of what may have happened if something that did not occur, did in fact happen. But the reality of what if is that it is a excuse for what we would have liked to have happened.

What has happened has happened. Thank you Captain Obvious, you may say. But to all those what if-fers out there, they have to realise this and deal with this. The Wests Tigers are Premiers in 2005; the Penrith Panthers didn't make the finals; and Johns is getting on in years with a history of reoccurring injuries, a club cannot rely on him to play all 26 rounds for them.

What if won't happen now. If you didn't ask the girl for a drink, you didn't. If you did, and now have been married to her for 25 years, you did.

But what can happen now is that people can get on with what will happen, in the future. These are what the supporters of the game should be saying -

Will Johns win the Dally M medal this year? He came close last year and I will be at every Newcastle game to see him do it!

Finch may still be in the first grade side, but will the boys from Bondi still make the Grand Final, as they have three times in the last four years. I will be watching to see.

Next time you see a lovely lady, go up and ask her would she like a drink? If she doesn't, then you just move along. If she does, then who knows where it could go? Maybe not 25 years as husband and wife, but if you just sit there, thinking what if, it definitely will not happen.

Do not dwell on what could have happened. Remember the positives that have happened. Learn from what did not. Look towards the future of your Rugby League club.


710 words including title

 

[griffo346]

Griffo runs on to the feild to accept the pass from Wal, then he gets crushed in a hit

History of the town they call Penrith Part 1



Penrith as a rugby league community started way back in 1927 when they were a junior club in the western suburbs.

With a really big space to manipulate the culture of rugby league, they started to move up the junior ranks.

In the 60s the Panthers were one of the top second division clubs. In 1966 the Panthers beat another team in the western suburbs, that being Wentworthville, to win the second division club championship.

When 1967 came along, Penrith were invited to join the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). Outside that Penrith won the pre season competition in 1968. After that season the success was barely there for the Panthers. The Penrith club struggled for highlights in their first decade.

The Panthers had the biggest junior league in the country, the club knew their time would come if they just had time and patience. They were building a new team from scratch, not taking over an already established side in the premiership.

In the 1970s the Panthers had signed players from England. They were the powerful forward Bill Ashurst, who was shortly joined at the club by English great Mike Stephenson. These 2 players joined the squad that consisted of Tim Sheens, Ross Gigg, Zac Olejarnik, Dennis Tutty, Terry Geary and Terry Wickey. The side was coached by former school teacher come coach Roy Masters

The Panthers were given the nickname the Chocolate Soldiers, due to the colour of their brown and white jersey.

In 1976 the club signed two more players Bob O'Reilly and David Topliss. Along with these signatures the club welcomed an increase to the home crowd and the club was the first to introduce cheerleaders into the Sydney competition.

The Panthers were devastated when they found out that Stephenson had a career ending injury, making way for Phil Gould to captain the proud club.

The Panthers gradually improved as a team in the early 1980s with a calibre of players like Kevin Dann, Royce Simmons, Tim Sheens, Daryl Brohman, Lou Zivanovic, Kevin Pobje, Steve Martin, Ken Wolffe, Lew Platz and Mark Levy.

In the seasons between 1982 and 1984, the stunning form of local talent to come through the Panthers junior ranks was inspirational, including players Greg Alexander and Brad Izzard.

Tim Sheens was appointed coach of the Panthers. Along with Sheens, Penrith junior Greg Alexander emerged that year. With those two recruits, Penrith became tougher than they had been in the past.

1984 also saw Sheens win the coach of the year award and Alexander the rookie player of the year.

In 1985 people saw Alexander stamp his class on the game at an early stage of his career, which reflected on him winning the Dally M Medal. Although Penrith tasted little success this year they were awarded with Royce Simmons gaining a Kangaroo jumper and with that came Penrith's first rugby league international.

Royce played 9 tests for Australia in 1986 Royce was soon to be joint by Alexander whom replaced Eric Grothe. This meant Penrith had two players that had international honors.

1987 saw some personal changes at Penrith after the disappointment of 1986. The club purchased two big buys, in the form of Canterbury premiership players Chris Mortimer and Peter Kelly. 1987 saw the last season of coach Tim Sheens before Ron Willy replaced him in 1988.

Ron Willy had two successful years as the head coach of the Panthers. Ron coached the Panthers to a close finals birth in 1988 just narrowly missing the finals. The following year, Ron coached the Panthers to a finals birth in 1989 after they finished second place in the minor premiership race they then backfired and crashed out of the running.

1989 also saw the next big thing to come out of Penrith, that being Brad Fittler.

In the off-season of 1990, Phil Gould signed up for the first grade-coaching role of the Panthers.

1990 saw the Panthers continue their improvement from 1989 when they went on to become runners up in the 1990 grand final after loosing to the Canberra Raiders 18-14. The team went on to learn from this mistake and they came back bigger than ever in 1991.

1991 saw a lot of mixed emotions in the Panthers ranks with the retirement of Royce Simmons and the winning of the 1991 grand final. This was the first win for the Panthers since there invitation in 1967.

Word Count 745 including title

References:

http://panthers.rleague.com/history.php

 

[gonzerelli]

Dragon Army squad

Apologies for the lateness - there has been a slight team reshuffle, since our usual Captain is preoccupied, I am now Acting Captain.

Dragon Army's team will be as follows:

The Gonz (AC)
Buzz Boy
Kiwi_AWOL
Wacko
Traditional Saint
--Reserves--
dragonsoldier
Sticks

*EDIT - Dragon King was removed from our bench. Wal alerted me to the fact that I was only allowed two reserves - this is explained below. No advantage/disadvantage occurred, and only one of our bench players (dragonsoldier) was used. *

Essays will be posted in the next 24 hours.

 

[Bookie]

Bookie takes his first hit in the F7 arena, and has no idea what to do

You Are Dead Set Joking

Rugby league is a game we all love. We would not be on these forums spending all our procastination time if we did not. Rugby league is such an awesome game due to the fans, the officials, and most of all, the players.

If it weren't for the players, we would not be able to bond together as the community we have. But although us fans are anxious every week on the naming of our side, the naming of the referee, and putting the hard-earned on the boys so that they can get some back for us, what do the players play for?

Sure, they have six figure salaries. Sure, they have teammates who they want to excel with. But what do they want? My bet is representative honours.

Many say that the pinnacle of rugby league is State of Origin, and although I migrated here when I was three, I still feel that the passion that is fuelled between Cockroaches and Canetoads is the greatest of sporting attitudes. But the contest comes down to the players. The Andrew Johnses, the Darren Lockyers, the Ben Kennedys. Those last three names would not go astray of a rep fixture unless they were castrated. But why?

Sure, they have proved themselves to be great players, but isn't representing your state or country meant to be the reward for a top-notch season? This is when it comes down to rep selectors. Talk all around suburbs around rep football time is always about who's going to be in what. It's the rep selectors job to apply the practical side to that. But these rep selectors are cunning foxes.

They say that they will reward a good season. Tell that to the 30 or so Grand Finalists that didnt make the international squads. Tell that to Paul Gallen who topped the hit-ups and metres count, and wasn't too far behind in the tackles either. Paul Gallen, alongside Anthony Watmough, had been the best forward of the season at the start of 2005 when it came to City v Country time. 95% of the public was sure he would get at least a bench spot in the City origin team. Instead, Reni Maitua, having played two out of a possible nine games and still recovering from mumps, in a team which was in the bottom four, was chosen. The justification for his selection was questioned. And forgotten.

Selectors talk about loyalty. If that is the case, have a yarn with Billy Slater, who many beleived was the key to Queensland bringing home the bacon. Talk to Brett Kimmorley, who was so far ahead in the early past of the season that daylight would have trouble registering third on the halfback stakes. One pass and everyone hates you.

Rep selectors are liars. Rep selectors are biased. It is a sad fact. Take Wayne Bennett for example. He will select his neckbrace prodigy in any representative team. He will select Darren Lockyer even on a bad day. "Darren will play fullback for Queensland as long as he has two legs", Bennett once said. A change in position, but no change in philosophy. The St. George Illawarra Dragons at one stage had 8 players in the NSW train on squad. The Dragons at that stage had the second worst record in the competition. Yet Bob MacCarthy went on to say "All eight [Dragons players selected] would walk into the Sharks outfit [then 2nd on the ladder]". Another selector. Another foolosophy.

The next time you watch your beloved countrymen run around, think of the men who tried their hearts and missed out. Then think of the men that allowed that to happen. Rep selectors are a joke.

Word Count; 619

 

[gonzerelli]

Ladies and gents,

I realised I will not be able to post all of my team's essays in one shot like I had intended.

I will, however, post a list of our titles and players.

The Great Divide? - Kiwi-AWOL
A Political Winner and Health Visionary - Wacko
And They Call Themselves "Union"! - The Gonz
Sport Rage - Traditional Saint
Dragon Army - On the Edge (working title) - dragonsoldier

I have instructed my team to post their essays. I will get the ball rolling with my own in the next post.

A small matter of business - my apologies for naming 3 reserves. I remembered the rules stating that the home team could have 8 players, but didn't realise this allowance didn't apply to PvP matches. Wal has alerted me to this, and allowed me to make a change to the team - Dragon King was removed from the named bench. Only one of our named bench players (dragonsoldier) was used anyway.

 

[gonzerelli]

And they call themselves "Union"!!

The Gonz - Dragon Army

The two codes of Rugby football are often referred to by the shortened names of "Union" and "League". However, it is somewhat ironic that one code is called Union, when it is Rugby League which has often proven that it needs to band together and unite for the good of the game.

Sure, in 1907 (referring, of course, to Australia), League competitions were formed by breaking away from the regime of Rugby Union. However, if this was done in a purely divisive fashion, then the game of Rugby League would have had a very short history. The strong resolve of foundation clubs in both the British and Australian competitions ensured that Rugby League wasn't quickly squashed by Rugby Union.

As years passed, and World War 1 raged across Europe, back in Australia most Rugby Union competitions were put on hold until after the war. The players and officials of the NSWRL, however, decided to continue with their competition, despite the obvious impact of the war on the population - if for no other reason than the number of players who were abroad for the war. Obviously those who remained in Australia would have had to bond together quite strongly to keep the competition going.

Decades rolled by, another world war passed, and the game slowly began to thrive. There was little threat to the game, with expansions in 1947, 1967, 1982 and 1988 in fact ensuring a bright future for the game. Even the losses of foundation teams Glebe and Newtown did little to slow the development of Rugby League across the country.

But the late-1990s would see the game under serious threat. Firstly, there was the failed "Dragster" proposal - a merger between the Eastern Suburbs Roosters and St George Dragons, which was quickly vetoed by passionate supporters of both clubs. This showed the unity of Easts and St George fan groups in campaigning for their team to remain.

Then, of course, came Super League. If there was ever a divisive move at all during sporting history, the Super League war truly takes the cake. Even a decade later, there are people bitter at clubs, organisations and individuals for their part in this war. Supporters who were once united under the banner of NSWRL/ARL were now split in support of ARL and Super League competitions.

The ridiculous split competition in 1997 must have tested the loyalty of many supporters. However, the end of the split competition and the start of the combined National Rugby League in 1998 saw everyone united in supporting the one competition. Sure, it took some time for old wounds to heal, but fans realised that, for the good of the game they love so much, they must unite - Parramatta and Brisbane fans alike.

But the need for unity to come into play didn't end there. With three joint ventures occurring over 1998-2000, fans of clubs who had traditionally opposed each other suddenly had the harsh realisation that they must stand shoulder to shoulder with each other to support their team. Manly and Norths fans didn't make it - for whatever reason, they just COULDN'T unite.

Slowly, but surely, former Balmain and Magpies fans, as well as former St George and Steelers fans, are learning to cheer together. It would be far from easy, with bitter feelings held in by both sides, but these fans are exemplary in that, like has happened many times throughout the history of the game, they have united for the continued success of their team and the game of Rugby League in general.

Obviously throughout the history of Rugby League, fans and officials have had to unite for the game to be successful. Now, having said that, the last thing I want is for the name "Union" to be attached to our game... That game's for those... other people...

 

[Mr_Moo]

Mr_Moo enters the field, hoping to save this match for the Sharks.





The History of the Redcliffe Dolphins Part 1





In 2006, It will mark 60 years since the Redcliffe Dolphins Rugby League Club was formed. The name of the Dolphins in 1947 was The Redcliffe Peninsula Rugby League Football Club and financed by Margate Bookmaker Bill McLeod.




It was because of his initiative and money that started the club. To help him get the club up and running, he enlisted the help of two local men, Tom Maule and Hughie Harvey. At the time the club was being set up these two men were already involved in other clubs. Tom Maule knew how to play in a team as he was playing for Brothers Rugby League Club in the Brisbane Rugby League Competition and Hughie Harvey was playing Rugby Union.




In their first season as a club, they entered three teams, an Under 17’s, a reserve grade and first grade teams into the Sandgate Suburban Rugby League Competition, which was being played on a Sunday because the Brisbane Rugby League Competition was being played on Saturday. In order for them to compete they had to recruit players from Redcliffe, the Brisbane competition & the Eagle Junction Rugby Union Club.




They stayed in the Sandgate Competition until 1950, when they left to play in the Kilcoy competition. They also played in the Murrumba and Geraghty Cup competitions. In November 1959, Redcliffe was given full district club status and were allowed to play in the Brisbane First Grade competition. The first game for the club in the Brisbane competition was against Souths at Davies Park on April 2, 1960. They lost that match 23-18. The team that played on this day was; Ken McCrohon, Kevin Benson, Peter Haggett, Buddy Hunter, Bernie Robinson, Keith Howard, Noel Gardner, Col Weier, Tommy Green, Jim Graham, Neville Edwards, Bob Kilmer and Dick Boxsell.




In 1969, Trevor Harken became the first Queensland born player to rise through the grades and play for Queensland. Three years earlier, Arthur Beetson transferred from the Redcliffe Dolphins to Balmain for 1500 pounds, which was used by the club to finance the building of the club’s first clubhouse at the Redcliffe Showground.




In March 1966, the club’s management rejected a proposal to acquire 11 acres of land in the heart of Redcliffe, which resulted in Don McLennan, secretary at the time, resigning, giving the club’s hopes of finding a better home, a major setback. At the same time, the club was offered some land by local timber miller and businessman, Kevin Krebs, who owned the timber mill on the site where the Peninsula Fair Shopping Centre now stands. The land Mr Krebs offered to the club is now home to the Peninsula Health Services and the Peninsula Power Soccer Club. He offered the land to the club for 10,000 pounds, but would reduce the purchase price, if the club named the oval after Mrs Krebs. If the club had of chosen to buy the land as the club’s new home, the club would have avoided having to fight the other tenants for use of the showground.




About 1975, the club leased the maximum amount reclaimed landfill that was made available by the Redcliffe City Council for sporting club on the corner of Klingner Road and Ashmole Road until 1998. The club later extended this until 2008, before buying the land off the Council. The Dolphins worked closely with City Council’s engineer, Kevin Tibbetts, who took to the construction of the playing fields and the Mounds with the utmost enthusiasm, while keeping in mind the clubs desire to make the complex a show-piece venue for Rugby League in Redcliffe. Before the official opening of the complex in May 1979, the club had to get power to the floodlights, sewage pipes and toilets installed and the building of suitable dressing rooms. The tunnel, which connected the dressing rooms to the main field was purchased and shipped over from Western Australia for $9,000, which was cheaper then trying to get one either New South Wales or Victoria at the time.




In the early part of the 1980’s, the club decided to relocate for training purposes from the Redcliffe Showground to Dolphin Oval posted some initial problems for the club, because the lights at Dolphin Oval were of less standard than the ones at the showground, but the problems of the lighting and the pressure to build a new licensed club at the southern end of the were met with the help of the Federal Government.




Word Count: 749 Words


References:

http://redcliffe.leagueunlimited.com/history.asp, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcliffe_Dolphins and http://redcliffe.leagueunlimited.com/dolphinoval.asp.

 

[dragonsoldier]

I went to the footy in Sydney Town and wound up joining the Army.



I grew up in Sydney, and was born within walking distance of Jubilee Oval. I could never describe myself as a strident supporter of league while I was growing up – I enjoyed watching a game on the television, and St. George was my team, but that is about as far as my involvement went. I only remember attending a game at Kogarah once in my high-school years. My weekends were either soccer or cricket.

When I was 19 I was sent to Darwin for work. I lived there for five years, and it was during 2004 that something happened to me. I suddenly cared about football. I would stay up until well past midnight to watch the NRL Footy Show and the Friday night game, especially if the Dragons were playing. For 20-odd years I met rugby league with a vague interest – suddenly, surrounded by weird AFL fans I was interested, nay fascinated, by big tackles, footwork and fends.

On my jubilant return to Sydney, I was immersed in the rugby league heart-land once more. It was the back page on the newspaper, the leading story during sports updates on the television, and it was right next door. Even before the season kicked off, I was drawn into the theatre of the NRL. I craved knowledge about the Dragons, and so I – a virtual internet virgin – decided to look for their website but was directed by the wonder that is the Google search engine to the Dragon Army forum. There I found some wildly different characters, opinions and people, most with one common thread only – their football team. As I kept coming back to the site I felt that I couldn’t stay on the sidelines, I wanted to get involved in the conversations – some gritty, some interesting and insightful, and some just down-right silly. So I did get involved, and felt myself drawn further and further into the season’s ups and downs. My first live game in at least 7 years was Dragons versus Knights in Newcastle – much to the dismay of my partner – and it was really interesting to see the way a crowd works. I sat with the Dragons fans on the hill, and it became apparent that there was a community here, many of the people seemed to know each other quite well, and it occurred to me that these fans had probably grown up together for years each weekend at the football. It was strange to think that these people had no idea who I was but accepted me as one of their own. The camaraderie amongst the group and the emotion that they put into a game was evident in their voices and on their faces – and the same could be seen in our rival fans around us cheering on their team. The same passion was evident on my return to the forum days later, and after each match, the joy and pride in a victory and the devastation and injury of a loss. It was interesting to see so many varied people – people who would probably never bother striking up a conversation if seated next to each other on a bus – with a common thread of interest, able to argue, disagree, and cajole each other but most of the time respect each other’s position whilst pressing their own. I paid witness to the growing tension amongst the group as the season grew longer, and felt that tension echoed in myself. As I attended a few games I got to know some of the regulars, and started seeking them out to stand with, or to catch up with them at half-time over a cleansing ale.

I have found my experience this year great fun. I now know why it is that soccer fans go so very crazy in Europe, why cricket fans on the Sub-Continent are so wild, and why NFL fans can tolerate watching 45 minutes of action spread over three or four hours! While I’m not sure why league has piqued my interest all of a sudden, it is sure to have been influenced by the joy from watching a great flick pass, the pain of witnessing a dropped ball right on the line, and the esprit de corps generated on the hill with fans of your ilk.

DragonSoldier.

 

[Wacko]

Forget public transport woes, hospital waiting times, road tolls and tunnels. These are ultimately unimportant issues to the thinking rugby league supporter from New South Wales.

In the past, parties with only 2 policies have had little appeal . Without wanting to sink the slipper too deeply into my opponents’ nether regions, their problems were obvious. They picked the wrong policies!

As leader (and sole member), of the dual issue “Ban Rugby League’s Off Season and Say What You Bloody Mean” party I may have been rubbished in The Sydney Morning Herald and by sections of the ABC. But hey who gives a toss about them? My other major critics, the Rugby League Players Union and some in the legal fraternity can both take a running jump too. I’m only interested in the health of my constituents.

I’ve been in the Upper House in the NSW parliament for a year now since the March 2007 elections and I owe a debt of thanks to Channel 10’s hit reality show “ So You Want To Be A Lazy Indulgent Politician” back in late 2006. It sure paid off!

In case you have been in outer space or are incredibly uninformed here are my policies in detail:

• Rugby league will have no “Off Season” – the summer comp starts when the winter one ends (and vice versa)
• It is preferred practice and no longer actionable at law when People Say What They Mean.

How did I arrive at the policies that got me relaxing on board the “all stations to superannuated heaven” gravy train you ask?

I came up with them one day back in late 2005 when suffering in late October from the “What Do I Do Now There Is No Rugby League Pox”. All Rugby league fans used to cop this nasty bug just after the close of what we now call the winter season. Why do you reckon they used the old term “the Off Season”… ? The very thought of no rugby league for 5 months had stacks of New South Welshmen feeling a bit more than off. More like crook in the guts that nearly half the year was spent waiting for the other 7 months.

Making Rugby League a year round game is one of the greatest innovations for the mental and physical health of Rugby league’s lifeblood – the supporters in this state.

In the nineties and the early noughties the social engineers were busy ensuring nobody’s feelings got hurt and that words were chosen to give the right spin and cause minimum offence. Dancing around words became so bloody stressful to the average bloke and it became obvious a simpler approach was needed. I came to this conclusion when reading my copy of the First Edition of Gregory’s Guide To Rugby League (1965). No mincing words in those days and more refreshing than the first schooner of Reschs for the day.
To give you an idea of what plain speaking in Rugby League in 1965 was like I’ll quote one of my favourites. Norm Provan wrote the introduction to this little “Bible of the Bash Lovers” .A quote to warm the cockles of the plain speaker’s heart, under the sub heading “Teaching The Very Young” : “ .. a grade grand final can be dour and grim, lacking in good moves but enthralling nonetheless because of the physical violence on view…” Since when did the spin doctors of recent years use the lack of good moves and physical violence as a selling point to the very young? Dour and grim? I can’t remember the Channel 9 commentators wheeling out those adjectives to sell a game of footy! Top stuff! Norm said what he meant and who can’t appreciate that in these days where nobody fails a high school exam - they all pass, - (but some passes are more equal than others.)
Plain speaking with no legal recourse is fundamental to my other health initiative. What average bloke doesn’t feel better when his wife asks “Does this dress make my bum look big” to respond “ No bigger than it always does love – can you move out of the way - you’re blocking the TV replay of our boys best try so far …”

Rugby League and plain speaking – they go hand in hand in improving the wellbeing of my constituents in our great State.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Success in Failure?

What consitutes a season of failure to a National Rugby League club environment? Missing the 8? Not progressing further than the first round of the finals series? A bottom 3 or 4 finish? Can you miss the top 8 and still hold your head up high and be encouraged about your season leading into the next? South Sydney Can. They avoided the wooden spoon, infact they did one better than they're expectations and achieved 13th. How about Newcastle? After an appalling run of injuries they finished mighty strongly in the back end of the year with regular star players returning to the paddock to continue the trend of unpredicatable in season 05, just when things looked like settling into place and becoming kosher. Brisbane were clear cut favourites and miles ahead of the rest, when, like the old saying goes, what goes up must come down, and dropped lower than the stock exchange in the late '20s. The 2002 premiers, Sydney Roosters finished in 9th position, 2 points behind Manly, and equal with Penrith, but with a, marginally, superior For and Against. Well, for a team that made every grand final bar the 2001 epic and hadn't missed the finals series for the last 10 years, thats a complete failure, is it not? Not necessarily. There were 9 loses that were by 10 points or less, 7 of which were by 6 or less, leaving just 4 by more than 10. Having spent the last 10 years in the thick of things in September, especially with 4 grand finals in 5 years, there was bound to be wear and tear, player burn outs, drainage of rep footy, the list goes on. And when you succeed so consitantly and do it with a certain finesse, the faults become more obvious. It is no suprise the start of the 10 year success co-incided with the arrival of a maestro from the foot of the mountains, a certain, Brad Fittler. It is also no suprise the demise of this 10 year strangehold on the ARL/NRL competitions was the departure of the Sydney Roosters favourite sons. The signs were evident throughout the season. Countless halves combinations, injuries, suspensions, player unrest, player drainage, not to mention constant crtisiscm, oh and it seems as though only Brad Fittler was destined to be the only five-eighth, since he retired it seems the crucial position has been cursed by the Rugby League elder gods. But there also some positives to bring out of the season. The arrival of young players such as Jamie Soward, Iosia Soliola, Adam Schubert, and the increasing good form of Heath L'Estrange. The arrival of new faces such as Bulldogs and NSW star Braith Anasta, heavy pressure to fill the hole in the vacant five-eight position, the much underrated former South's star Ashley Harrison, Bulldogs hard man Charlie Tonga, and former Cowboy John Doyle. But with the signings comes the releases, and players of Jason Cayless' calibure don't come round everyday, nor does the commitment of inspirational one-year skipper Luke Ricketson. Jamie Soward has been given high expectations for season 2006, Roosters God himself, Brad Fittler, declared he has the best kicking game he has ever seen, big praise in a world full of the Andrew Johns' and the Darren Lockyer's, even the man himself who made such a statement. The merger with the Sydney Roosters and Newtown Jets in the lower grades provides some added bonuses for the club, not only do they have financial rewards, but the depth of talent has been increased, and with the addition of a Jim Beam cup side, this affiliation is sure to keep the Roosters healthy for the long run. The addition of off season rest for the squad without the pressures of finals footy should prove more blessing than depression. Sure, it's never easy to swallow missing out on the finals after so many finals appearances, alot of pride gets sucked out of you, but deep down im sure alot of the boys were thankful they could have a few extra weeks to put the feet up, bar the handful representing at the Tri series.

Season 2006 looks promising for the chooks, new faces in key positions, a merger with a strong lower grade club, the Premier Leaguers almost clinching back-to-back titles provides Ricky Stuart with plenty of options up his sleeve for what promises to be a much hyped season for the boys of the east.

word count: 745 including title.

 

[gonzerelli]

My other two team members have not yet joined LU, and aren't online at the moment.

If, in 15 minutes, they aren't yet joined here, I will post them myself - if there are any disputes, we have the essays as they were originally posted during the past two weeks, so we aren't pulling a sly move.

 

[Willow]

They might have to be members Gonza. I don't think the posting by proxy rule extends that far. But good luck.

 

[gonzerelli]

It was only in the extended version of the rules where it stated that each player must post their own essay(s). So it seems most of our players didn't realise that their responsibility was to post it themselves on this forum.

I will make sure all players are aware of this requirement before next game. In the meantime, we are wanting to be nothing but transparent about this - we aren't cheating the system, there was just a small bug in the communication circles which will be nipped in the bud.

If anyone has any problems with this, please feel free to PM me and discuss it further.

In the meantime, I will post essays on behalf of the two remaining members yet to join here.

PS - Thanks for the good wishes Willow.

 

[gonzerelli]

The Great Divide?
Kiwi_AWOL - Dragon Army

An essay I am told, yeah sure why not. I mean anything for the Dragons Army right. The topic to be anything related to Rugby League, even better I am thinking. Now all I have to do is come up with that special topic, the one to make the essay stand out.

So it off Googling I go. My search criteria is broad, “Rugby League” and “History” I enter. I then proceed to go to the first site in the list. A site called www.rl1908.com comes up with a section labelled History. Perfect, so I click and move onto another list. Then I see a caption “1895: Great Divide”.

Now I am curious, what has a mountain range got to do with Rugby League? So I hastily click it without reading the little description beside it. I quickly realise my mistake. No mountains here, but a tale about a falling out of clubs over Rugby Union Administration of the game. I have always known that the game I love was born in the northern parts of Great Britain. I also knew that it was formed as a variation from the original Rugby Union. But now I am reading why.

I had no idea that it was a split over payments to players. Sounds familiar, even 100 years on and the games administrators still have player payment issues. I keep reading this interesting article by Sean Fagan. In essence, players of the day stood to lose part of their normal pay, just to make the field. This may not be too bad for a home game, but an entire days pay could be lost on away games.

So the players start to ask for compensation to prevent the loss of earnings from playing the game. A fair enough request in anybodies book I would have thought. But wait, the Southern Middleclass clubs say no. “If you can not afford to play then do not turn up” becomes the Southern attitude. And so the stage is set for the show down that creates our beloved game.

A meeting in a northern English pub will have several ramifications. Now by splitting off from Union, they new code realises they will need to raise the player payments by charging the public at the gate. How to make the game more exciting?
How about fewer players on the field? Maybe a quick release of the ball?

Our game is forming to be competitive, exciting and commercially viable. I take my hat of to these early Pioneers as I think they did a great job. 100 years on and my blood starts really pumping as the ball is kicked off. Its not just me, masses of other people seem as addicted as myself.

Later legends are formed in Union as New Zealand tours and obliterates all before them. But are they really invincible or are the English teams sorely depleted in talent?
Far from being the poor little cousin to Union, League has become of age and may have even influenced Union history.

From there our legends enter the foray and the game spreads afar. Soon it will be the 100th anniversary of the All Golds travelling to Great Britain with the Master (Dally Messenger). In 2008 will be the 100th anniversary of the NSWRL competition. In this time we have seen plenty of legends and we are seeing some today. In 2006 we will probably see more.

The start of a new season will bring the tradition rivalries to a head. New history will be added to the Old. Out with come the Jerseys and Flags. Little children may see the game for the first time, never realising the forming addiction. And of course the all too common “It’s our team this year”.

No seriously it is the Dragons turn in 2006.

----

Special thanks to www.rl1908.com and to Sean Fagan for the interesting articles. I actually learned a great deal.

 

[gonzerelli]

Sport Rage
Traditional Saint - Dragon Army

Forget about road rage there is a new kind of violence taking over and it’s called Sport Rage. This type of rage is described as the verbal, physical or mental abuse that may come from players, spectators, parents, trainers, coaches or even officials.

Recent examples of this rage in Rugby League include a brawl between a group of parents who traded blows at a Penrith district junior rugby league game at Windsor. This brawl led to the banning of a young boy from playing with the Minchinbury Jets. Earlier this year a 15 year old suffered a serious eye injury after being bashed by a spectator during a St George District Junior Rugby League Competition. Central Coast police were called to break up a brawl at a school girls match that resulted in an unconscious Year 8 player. It was also reported that a middle aged woman broke the leg off a picnic table and ran on to the field and used the broken table leg to hit the referee because she didn’t like the way he controlled the game. Another incident led to a man being arrested, charged and sentenced to three months jail after he punched a referee because his son was sent to the sin bin.

The most recent statistics of sport rage offences committed are 37% by players, 22% by coaches, 19% by spectators and 17% by parents. The impact of violence in sport can lead to a decline in participation by both officials and players.

The time has come for sporting associations, clubs, teams and the government to try to implement strategies to prevent future sport rage.
Rugby league was the first sport to actually adopt the anti rage package produced by NSW Sport and Recreation. The NSW Junior Rugby League distributed more than 60,000 sport rage prevention booklets to players and parents before the start of the 2005 football season. Codes of conduct have also become popular amongst most sports.

Another approach by the Department of Sport and Recreation is identifying what type of parent are you? There is a cartoon that describes the different types of parents which enables individuals to think about themselves in regards to their attitude and the way they behave.

The first parent is the screecher. This is the person who can be heard yelling, swearing and calling profanities throughout the entire game. The over the top parent. Most people know the kind; “great pass Timmy”, “excellent work Timmy”, “good boy Timmy”, “go Timmy” and “my Timmy’s a legend”. The analyst who has everything worked out about their kid. You will hear them say things like “my kids just run 3.5 seconds faster than what he did last week“. The wannabe parent will be heard telling their kid “I never showed you that way“ or “do it the way I told you to“. Then there is the not really there parent. This is the one with the mobile phone glued to their ear or thinks I must call the office and check my messages. Finally we come to the five star parent. This parent will be heard saying things like “well played team” or “that was a great effort by everyone”. These parental descriptions apart from being amusing are interesting and most people involved in junior league can probably relate to at least one of these descriptions. Obviously the league would like to increase the number of five star parents attending games.

There are ex players from the old school that believe there is nothing wrong with an old fashioned blue between players on the field. The character Reg Reagan promotes “Bring Back The Biff” and is a well supported character.

An ideal situation would be one that allows spectators, players, officials, referees and touch judges the opportunity to participate in the game without fear of harassment or violence.

In conclusion violence in league is a much debated topic. Being involved in sport can be a dangerous past time. It is important for the future of rugby league and for the safety of all involved that a certain approach should be taken towards those guilty of committing violent acts against individuals. How this can be policed is the topic of another debate.

References

Dept of Sport and Recreation, 2005, Which sport parent are you?, www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/sportrage

Van Den Nieuwenhof, L. (editor), Crossing The Line , The Australia Magazine, News Limited, 1st October 2005,

Nori, S., NSW Govt & Junior Rugby League Tackle Sport Rage, 19th Feb 2005

 

[antonius]

Ref Blows Fulltime.

 

[The Piper]

Cheers antonius,

Sharks,
We set out to show that we were a squad of dedicated veterans and rookies, and getting all 5 players in was the best way to do so.

Mr_Moo, Bookie and KrypnotiK. All new comers to the game who have showed me, the team and the F7s that they are here to play in 2006, and they want to play for the Sharks! Great efforts, boys!

Best of luck to the Dragons, who we hope to see also invited to play in the next season of F7s.

Gorilla will have some quality articles to read and mark over the next day or two.

 

[gonzerelli]

*Wipes brow* Talk about a captain's dash!

I would like to publicly express my best wishes to Wal and his team, hopefully you'll be around during the main season.

Honestly, I'd have to say I couldn't be happier with my team. Five very different approaches, and we're all rookies on the F7 field. And the talent which is sitting in the wings waiting to come out is phenomenal.

Thank you for a good game Sharkies, and thanks in advance to antonius (Ref).