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Qualifying Final - Panthers vs Rabbitohs: Saturday 11th September 7:50pm @Queensland Country Bank Stadium

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Naive Cleary still has the L-plates on in a game Bennett knows best: Hoops: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/cd382972b096f1c13b47593a179cf81a

‘Caught in a fire that he started’ - Hoops’ heated clash with Kent over Bennett-Cleary feud: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...r/news-story/932f7672b216e6e03bb8a9e37f57cc1b

'Total genius' Wayne Bennett should be Queensland coach in 2022, says Paul Gallen: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/paul-g...xclusive/02afc98a-5dc1-4724-bf62-1adebf4a5672
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,609
Naive Cleary still has the L-plates on in a game Bennett knows best: Hoops: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/cd382972b096f1c13b47593a179cf81a

‘Caught in a fire that he started’ - Hoops’ heated clash with Kent over Bennett-Cleary feud: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...r/news-story/932f7672b216e6e03bb8a9e37f57cc1b

'Total genius' Wayne Bennett should be Queensland coach in 2022, says Paul Gallen: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/paul-g...xclusive/02afc98a-5dc1-4724-bf62-1adebf4a5672
I just watched the game again bro for like the 3rd time I just love it so much how desperate the boys were in defence. We didn’t have a bad player out there.

I thought Paulo was magnificent on the wing marking To’o Jaxson really stepped his defence was awesome. Young Ta’affe handled himself so well too. Campbell made more tackles than usual they kept going his way and he kept aiming up. That was Reyno best game of the year what a performance like seriously. Then up front Junior was tireless Murray his usual self along with Nicholls. I thought Keaon, Su’a and Host were all very very good. The big difference was Tom off the bench like that has to be the best game he’s played for us in a big match and Arrow brought real aggression off the bench I loved him getting right into the face of the Panthers.

I have been getting around tonight humming to Glory Glory!
 

NovoBunny94

Juniors
Messages
675
I just watched the game again bro for like the 3rd time I just love it so much how desperate the boys were in defence. We didn’t have a bad player out there.

I thought Paulo was magnificent on the wing marking To’o Jaxson really stepped his defence was awesome. Young Ta’affe handled himself so well too. Campbell made more tackles than usual they kept going his way and he kept aiming up. That was Reyno best game of the year what a performance like seriously. Then up front Junior was tireless Murray his usual self along with Nicholls. I thought Keaon, Su’a and Host were all very very good. The big difference was Tom off the bench like that has to be the best game he’s played for us in a big match and Arrow brought real aggression off the bench I loved him getting right into the face of the Panthers.

I have been getting around tonight humming to Glory Glory!
I’ve also watched the game 3 times 😂 awesome to watch hey
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Arrow chats Panthers win, Wayne’s influence and maiden Prelim Final: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/09/14...win-waynes-influence-and-maiden-prelim-final/

Phil Gould shoots down Ivan Cleary after Panthers coach accuses Wayne Bennett of 'manipulation': https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/2021-r...il-gould/d7cf73eb-e8c9-4d68-b104-b4cbab5894fc

Ivan Cleary should think twice before engaging in a war-of-words with Wayne Bennett: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/mark-l...n-cleary/c5bed3e9-0a42-43a7-9bae-1dde673e03de

Billy Slater impressed by South Sydney fullback Blake Taaffe's Finals debut: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/billy-...abbitohs/4ba462e5-faec-4271-873e-c770d1344407

Also, from the Daily Telegraph,

Blockbuster finals rate through the roof

THE opening week of the finals has been a recordbreaking ratings bonanza for Fox League.

The finals were the four biggest rugby league games in subscription television history, and may have strengthened the claims for a 17th team as the ARL Commission grapples with its clubs and broadcasters over expansion.

Saturday night’s game between Penrith and South Sydney was the highest-rated rugby league game in subscription television history. The Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans weren’t far behind. Nor were the other two games.

It is understood Channel 9 also enjoyed bumper ratings. The news is a huge boost to the NRL as it continues talks with commercial broadcasters over their deal for 2023 and beyond.

The NRL’s agreement with Channel 9 has just over one year to run and while there has been interest from rival networks, Nine’s determination to retain the rights would be strengthened given it also enjoyed strong ratings to open the finals.

Remarkably, the game between Souths and Penrith was among the top 10 shows in subscription television history, a sign that the code has put its troubles behind it in the run-in to the grand final.

“To have all four finals the most watched matches of all time is extraordinary,” Fox Sports executive director Steve Crawley said. “The live drama of Ivan Cleary and Wayne Bennett post-match on Saturday night was unmissable television and fresh insight from Luke Keary was terrific.”
 

BotanyBorn&Bred

Juniors
Messages
1,896
Arrow chats Panthers win, Wayne’s influence and maiden Prelim Final: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/09/14...win-waynes-influence-and-maiden-prelim-final/

Phil Gould shoots down Ivan Cleary after Panthers coach accuses Wayne Bennett of 'manipulation': https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/2021-r...il-gould/d7cf73eb-e8c9-4d68-b104-b4cbab5894fc

Ivan Cleary should think twice before engaging in a war-of-words with Wayne Bennett: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/mark-l...n-cleary/c5bed3e9-0a42-43a7-9bae-1dde673e03de

Billy Slater impressed by South Sydney fullback Blake Taaffe's Finals debut: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/billy-...abbitohs/4ba462e5-faec-4271-873e-c770d1344407

Also, from the Daily Telegraph,

Blockbuster finals rate through the roof

THE opening week of the finals has been a recordbreaking ratings bonanza for Fox League.

The finals were the four biggest rugby league games in subscription television history, and may have strengthened the claims for a 17th team as the ARL Commission grapples with its clubs and broadcasters over expansion.

Saturday night’s game between Penrith and South Sydney was the highest-rated rugby league game in subscription television history. The Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans weren’t far behind. Nor were the other two games.

It is understood Channel 9 also enjoyed bumper ratings. The news is a huge boost to the NRL as it continues talks with commercial broadcasters over their deal for 2023 and beyond.

The NRL’s agreement with Channel 9 has just over one year to run and while there has been interest from rival networks, Nine’s determination to retain the rights would be strengthened given it also enjoyed strong ratings to open the finals.

Remarkably, the game between Souths and Penrith was among the top 10 shows in subscription television history, a sign that the code has put its troubles behind it in the run-in to the grand final.

“To have all four finals the most watched matches of all time is extraordinary,” Fox Sports executive director Steve Crawley said. “The live drama of Ivan Cleary and Wayne Bennett post-match on Saturday night was unmissable television and fresh insight from Luke Keary was terrific.”
This is the reason the NRL are praying that the Roosters knock off Manly, and meet the Rabbitohs but they'd be lighting the fuse to an atomic powder keg that will blow up on a lot of their own faces.
 

BotanyBorn&Bred

Juniors
Messages
1,896
This is the reason the NRL are praying that the Roosters knock off Manly, and meet the Rabbitohs but they'd be lighting the fuse to an atomic powder keg that will blow up on a lot of their own faces.
They don't understand the enormity of what they are wishing to unleash.

But we do.

And those pricks north of Allison Rd admittedly do too.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
"To have the extra week off definitely helps" - Graham: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/09/14/campbell-graham-media-finals-week-2-bye/

"It was gutsy from the boys" - Johnston: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/09/14/alex-johnston-finals-week-2-media/

"We knew we had to meet them with line speed and aggression" - Nicholls: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/09/14/mark-nicholls-media-finals-week-2/

"Last week gave us a lot of confidence" - Su'A: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/09/14/jaydn-sua-media-finals-week-2/

"I'm a believer in hard work" - Koloamatangi: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/09/14/keaon-koloamatangi-media-finals-week-2/

Rabbitohs revealed what changed in their approach after humbling regular season defeats to Panthers: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-20...panthers/1ce137e6-9f1c-465e-bd38-7836ca07799e

South Sydney Rabbitohs brimming with confidence as they eye off first NRL Premiership since 2014: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09...confident-about-premiership-chances/100461652
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Johnston feeling 2014 vibes with Rabbitohs belief sky-high: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/09/15/johnston-feeling-2014-vibes-with-rabbitohs-belief-sky-high/

Proof Wayne Bennett’s pre-match ploy helped unravel the Panthers

If you ever doubted the sway that Wayne Bennett exercises over NRL referees you just need to replay the audio from Saturday night, writes PAUL KENT.

September 14, 2021 - 12:36PM

Paul Kent has branded Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary naive during his post match press conference, following his side's loss to the Rabbitohs.

The kick from Nathan Cleary’s foot was one of those high, familiar floaters and the impact it would have on the game would shake all of them.
Rabbitohs rookie Blake Taaffe moved under the ball and, as usually happens with the floater, the ball drifted on the breeze like it was half-filled with helium until, at the last moment, it moved late and Taaffe lurched forward and dropped it.

The impact on the game was not the kick itself but what happened immediately after Cleary struck the ball when it was still high in the air.

“Matt! Matt!” referee Gerard Sutton said. “Don’t change your line.”

Penrith backrower Matt Eisenhuth was on the run and looked at Sutton, somewhat confused.

“What? What?” he said.

Sutton replied: “Mate, take a position, don’t move.”

And with that, all the back and forth between Penrith coach Ivan Cleary and Souths coach Wayne Bennett was suddenly real. In a moment, all the talk of the previous 24 hours became valid.

Any suggestion that the pre-game talk was as innocent as one old coach simply schooling a not-so-old coach on the Art of Distraction in the lead-up to a big game was buried right there in Sutton’s comments to Eisenhuth.

How much of it was planned remains the hot topic today, and for several days to come.

Predictably, some have hinted at vast conspiracy theories, suggesting Cleary leaked the information to a media ally in the hope of protecting Nathan’s kicking game, and pressuring the referee to allow his blockers to remain in place, in what would be a double sting.

Such mind games are not uncommon among the coaching ranks but have rarely, if ever, been part of Cleary’s armoury.

The most likely solution is that Bennett’s complaint to the NRL after round 23, in which he was critical of Penrith using illegal blockers to protect Nathan Cleary’s kicking game, was leaked from within the NRL and Cleary was sought for comment and naively fell into it, although it was not portrayed that way.

The impact on his team was damaging.

The confusion in the Panthers players from that first kick stayed with them for the rest of the game.

Was the referee cracking down on them? How much protection could they continue giving Cleary if the referee was already warning them after the first proper kick in the game?

When it gets this late in the season, and the margins between teams is increasingly minimal, it sometimes does not take much to knock a team from its rhythm.

“Our boys were being spoken to about stuff on the run that we never get done for, so I’d suggest that type of thing has an influence,” Ivan Cleary said after the game.

The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley, a former referee himself, was not sure the pre-match slanging match between Cleary and Bennett had any certain effect.

Annesley said referees did not go into a game with preconceived ideas on how they would adjudicate.

“Referees just see incidents and react to them,” he said Monday.

“The reactions are instinctive and they make a decision on it.

“Whether that is influencing them subliminally or not, we will never know.

“I don’t think it has any overt influence over how they referee the game. Whether there is something in the back of their mind, I don’t know.”

Maybe …

Sutton’s comments to Eisenhuth, when aligned with Cleary’s post-match comments, would suggest a subliminal influence, at least, was being exerted.

And the fact is, coaches complain to the NRL every week, some more regularly than others.

And they do it because they believe it works. Bennett and Cleary are at the lower end of complainants.

As the night wore on, Nathan Cleary, perhaps because he was no longer as well protected, perhaps not, reverted to more traditional end-over-end bombs which take less to set up, so can be fired quicker, but are not as nearly difficult to defuse.

It was evidence the Panthers had unravelled.

To show how riddled with conspiracy theories the NRL can be, there is also a belief around the game that it was Bennett who leaked his own complaint, to then force Cleary to react.

For those preaching at the House of Wayne, who believe in this theory, the logic follows an old Bennett rule that says if your players are at risk of being distracted, then make yourself the distraction.

So with the Rabbitohs entering the game without Latrell Mitchell, and supposedly unable to win without him, and having not beaten Penrith in their previous five games, and questions sure to come up about that, it goes that Bennett found a way to make himself the conversation instead of his team.

It seems a mighty stretch, but Bennett supporters remain firm believers.

What is a fact is that, with a subtle shift, the pre-game attention did quickly shift to Penrith’s kicking game and not the limitations of South Sydney.

And say what you will but, after Sutton’s early warning, it was the last ball Taaffe dropped.
 

BotanyBorn&Bred

Juniors
Messages
1,896
Johnston feeling 2014 vibes with Rabbitohs belief sky-high: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/09/15/johnston-feeling-2014-vibes-with-rabbitohs-belief-sky-high/

Proof Wayne Bennett’s pre-match ploy helped unravel the Panthers

If you ever doubted the sway that Wayne Bennett exercises over NRL referees you just need to replay the audio from Saturday night, writes PAUL KENT.

September 14, 2021 - 12:36PM

Paul Kent has branded Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary naive during his post match press conference, following his side's loss to the Rabbitohs.

The kick from Nathan Cleary’s foot was one of those high, familiar floaters and the impact it would have on the game would shake all of them.
Rabbitohs rookie Blake Taaffe moved under the ball and, as usually happens with the floater, the ball drifted on the breeze like it was half-filled with helium until, at the last moment, it moved late and Taaffe lurched forward and dropped it.

The impact on the game was not the kick itself but what happened immediately after Cleary struck the ball when it was still high in the air.

“Matt! Matt!” referee Gerard Sutton said. “Don’t change your line.”

Penrith backrower Matt Eisenhuth was on the run and looked at Sutton, somewhat confused.

“What? What?” he said.

Sutton replied: “Mate, take a position, don’t move.”

And with that, all the back and forth between Penrith coach Ivan Cleary and Souths coach Wayne Bennett was suddenly real. In a moment, all the talk of the previous 24 hours became valid.

Any suggestion that the pre-game talk was as innocent as one old coach simply schooling a not-so-old coach on the Art of Distraction in the lead-up to a big game was buried right there in Sutton’s comments to Eisenhuth.

How much of it was planned remains the hot topic today, and for several days to come.

Predictably, some have hinted at vast conspiracy theories, suggesting Cleary leaked the information to a media ally in the hope of protecting Nathan’s kicking game, and pressuring the referee to allow his blockers to remain in place, in what would be a double sting.

Such mind games are not uncommon among the coaching ranks but have rarely, if ever, been part of Cleary’s armoury.

The most likely solution is that Bennett’s complaint to the NRL after round 23, in which he was critical of Penrith using illegal blockers to protect Nathan Cleary’s kicking game, was leaked from within the NRL and Cleary was sought for comment and naively fell into it, although it was not portrayed that way.

The impact on his team was damaging.

The confusion in the Panthers players from that first kick stayed with them for the rest of the game.

Was the referee cracking down on them? How much protection could they continue giving Cleary if the referee was already warning them after the first proper kick in the game?

When it gets this late in the season, and the margins between teams is increasingly minimal, it sometimes does not take much to knock a team from its rhythm.

“Our boys were being spoken to about stuff on the run that we never get done for, so I’d suggest that type of thing has an influence,” Ivan Cleary said after the game.

The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley, a former referee himself, was not sure the pre-match slanging match between Cleary and Bennett had any certain effect.

Annesley said referees did not go into a game with preconceived ideas on how they would adjudicate.

“Referees just see incidents and react to them,” he said Monday.

“The reactions are instinctive and they make a decision on it.

“Whether that is influencing them subliminally or not, we will never know.

“I don’t think it has any overt influence over how they referee the game. Whether there is something in the back of their mind, I don’t know.”

Maybe …

Sutton’s comments to Eisenhuth, when aligned with Cleary’s post-match comments, would suggest a subliminal influence, at least, was being exerted.

And the fact is, coaches complain to the NRL every week, some more regularly than others.

And they do it because they believe it works. Bennett and Cleary are at the lower end of complainants.

As the night wore on, Nathan Cleary, perhaps because he was no longer as well protected, perhaps not, reverted to more traditional end-over-end bombs which take less to set up, so can be fired quicker, but are not as nearly difficult to defuse.

It was evidence the Panthers had unravelled.

To show how riddled with conspiracy theories the NRL can be, there is also a belief around the game that it was Bennett who leaked his own complaint, to then force Cleary to react.

For those preaching at the House of Wayne, who believe in this theory, the logic follows an old Bennett rule that says if your players are at risk of being distracted, then make yourself the distraction.

So with the Rabbitohs entering the game without Latrell Mitchell, and supposedly unable to win without him, and having not beaten Penrith in their previous five games, and questions sure to come up about that, it goes that Bennett found a way to make himself the conversation instead of his team.

It seems a mighty stretch, but Bennett supporters remain firm believers.

What is a fact is that, with a subtle shift, the pre-game attention did quickly shift to Penrith’s kicking game and not the limitations of South Sydney.

And say what you will but, after Sutton’s early warning, it was the last ball Taaffe dropped.
Honestly Callmack, I'm sick of hearing their whining, crying s#!+.

What about Keon on getting pinged for a legit tackle on Clearasil
. The only time in the game zit face got touched, and immediately the ref blows the whistle against us. It was a dud decision. JT was laughing that it was so ridiculous, he said he got hit like that every single time he kicked the ball.

And Kent is a screaming loudmouth wanker. How come he's not going on about the Keon tackle?

Seriously, that dude needs to find a wife, or girlfriend, or a brothel that's open in lockdown, because his domineering screaming is really pissing me off 😠
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Honestly Callmack, I'm sick of hearing their whining, crying s#!+.

What about Keon on getting pinged for a legit tackle on Clearasil
. The only time in the game zit face got touched, and immediately the ref blows the whistle against us. It was a dud decision. JT was laughing that it was so ridiculous, he said he got hit like that every single time he kicked the ball.

And Kent is a screaming loudmouth wanker. How come he's not going on about the Keon tackle?

Seriously, that dude needs to find a wife, or girlfriend, or a brothel that's open in lockdown, because his domineering screaming is really pissing me off 😠
Couldn't have put it better myself bro!! Bravo!
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
The Bennett Rules - Wayne clues we all missed in Souths’ unlikely Grand Final charge: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...m/news-story/60c93c8d5a05a618bc29844fb9555855

This truely does make for remarkable reading. Shows just how good our side has been since that day in Dubbo. What's even more incredible is that nearly everyone but Souths fans didn't notice!



Also, from the Sydney Morning Herald,

The day Bennett told me to go to the pub reveals the supercoach’s strongest attribute

Andrew Johns

League columnist

September 16, 2021 — 5.00am

I’ll never forget the first time Wayne Bennett coached me in the late 1990s when he became Australian coach.

The team was staying in Bondi and on the first day of the camp he called me into this room.

“Mate, I hear you like a beer,” Bennett said. “Yes, that’s correct,” I replied.

“As long as you turn up and train, and train well, and you don’t take the young blokes with you, you can have a beer. But, if it affects your performance, I’ll stop it.”

I cartwheeled out of his room all the way down the road to the Bondi Hotel.

Then I thought about it. How many coaches would say something like that to a player? How many restrictions would they put on you? How many would be fine with you going to the pub?

I didn’t take it for granted. I appreciated that he treated me like a man, just as he has with every player he’s coached in 45 years.

Bennett’s different to other coaches. He knows how to manage all the different personalities that make up a football team. He’s a genius, as we were reminded once again with his side’s shock win over Penrith in the first week of the finals.

The great ability of Bennett is that he can make his team believe when nobody else does. He doesn’t over coach. Instead, he delivers simple messages.

In horse racing, certain horses run for certain jockeys. In rugby league, certain players only play for the supercoach.

If I had to design the perfect coach, I’d combine the man management of Bennett with the tactical brains of Craig Bellamy. It is little wonder they had so much success in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Bellamy was learning his trade as Bennett’s assistant at the Broncos?

Bennett was at his best against Penrith.

Leading into the match, I gave Souths no chance in the world. All I was thinking about was the attack without the suspended Latrell Mitchell and the knockout punch he provides.

But Bennett flipped it. They went from a team focussed on attack to a team with fast-moving aggressive defence led by four players: Keaon Koloamatangi, Jaydn Su’A, Cameron Murray and Jai Arrow.

Souths simply frustrated Penrith out the game, getting off their line so quick, taking time off Nathan Cleary, shutting down their lethal left-side attack.

Their scramble was incredible. The Panthers had four genuine chances to score, but Souths scrambled that hard for each other.

Special mention to rookie fullback Blake Taaffe. I wondered how he could replace Mitchell, but Bennett clearly had no concerns.

When he dropped that first Cleary bomb, I thought, “Here we go”. But for him to come back and play the way he did showed some real resilience.

Late in the game, he made some huge plays, especially when he took that kick over the top of Stephen Crichton and the tackle on Viliame Kikau after he went through.

A week ago, I couldn’t see anything other than a Storm-Panthers grand final. I thought Souths would go out in straight sets.

Now they get the week off and, with Bennett pulling the levers, who knows how far they can go?
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,609
Champion coach Wayne Bennett showed he’s still got it at 71 by tipping the finals series on its head with an upset win over Penrith in week one of September.

And South Sydney insiders reckon the super coach was doing his best Al Pacino impersonation out of the Oliver Stone classic Any Given Sunday just prior to kickoff.

Bennett reportedly told the Rabbitohs dressing room nobody believed in them without Latrell Mitchell - but he did.

The seven-time premiership winner then continued on about the older you get in life the more it hits home about living with no regrets.

The Bunnies had an opportunity to shock everyone by upstaging last year’s grand finalists was the narrative.

All Bennett asked was that the players had no regrets, they fight for one another, play for one another - and most importantly if they were beaten by a better rugby league side then that’s OK. So be it.

But don’t beat yourselves. Don’t walk off the field with the mentality “if only I’d done this” or “if only I’d done that”.


The no regrets theme was bang on and inspired the Bunnies to produce their best performance of the season.

It was Bennett at his absolute best and put South Sydney now only 80 minutes away from a grand final.


From Fox Sports
 

Steenson123

Juniors
Messages
486
Thanks Jim and callmack, rabbits 20 for the

Its great being a Tiger fan, despite the hardships, every win is a good one.

I think you’ve got an interesting squad and I’m not sure why it isn’t more popular.

I think everyone regrets Renno going, but done is done. I think he knows he’ll be cheered off by Souths fans next year. Blood is thicker than water. I think he’s going to enjoy Brisbane and it’s really great for his family.

Ive spoken about Cody and how I think he’s the best 5/8 in the world. After the season is over and work calms down, I might do a photo feature on his passing. Jim can correct me, but I think once he had 3 or 4 feigns in hand and some bizarre step, throws the perfect cut-out and the receiver scores in the corner untouched. That’s all done in a second or so and virtually indefensible unless you have numbers, awareness or luck. But it’s also unrealistic to expect this every single charge. 99% of players couldn’t do this in their whole career let alone twice in a match. And when he scores or lays one on, it’s got that brutal ownership feel about it. Its an outfoxing dominance. That’s why he celebrates hard and I think he kisses his mum armband. He owns it. And of course, his career started late but he meets and then overtakes his contemporaries and that provides further hope for late bloomers. So he’s a bit of an idol for fringe players I’d say.

Cam Murray is another favourite because he’s at 110%. He’s also blessed with some backline in him and that’s his mobility. He’s the new breed of forward and extremely well suited to the modern game. Plus he’s ready for the biff.

Alex Johnston is another curious player. He ended the illustrious Nathan Merrits career but he’s proven very resilient and remains quite strike. He’s very experienced. He think he’s as good as he was in 2014. He offers significant comfort out there, you can generally trust him.

Now for some doom and gloom. For all of his brute strength and game breaking abilities, I think Latrell really let everyone down. I’m glad he’s out actually because he could be sent at any time and in these big matches, that’s unacceptable and I prefer tafe -although he’s fresh. Tafe is allowed the odd mistake if his benefits outweigh that. But he’s very team orientated. Hopefully Latrell will mature, but he’s wasting his talent and he needs to fit in with the side, not the other way around.

Benjis been doing the job, but the issue is he is fading fast. I’m not sure he’s up to winning big games for you, too error ridden, too slow. Just age. He’s not especially sincere, i wouldn’t trust him. Wayne has done well with him for sure.

I like listening to coaches, Bennet says every player is important. Its a whole of squad approach. He builds in confidence with each other so the trust is very tangible and you see that.

I also like Burgess. I love his size and passion. He’s great. I’m not if Nicholls has a contract for next year. He’s finishing the season on a massive and unexpected high. Good on him.

Anyway, my thoughts tonight. Right or wrong, I’m ok to be corrected.

Obviously I’d love to see the bunnies win the gf!

Wayne Bennet is a cut above. As he ages, he gets smarter and smarter.
Phantom Barrie... change clubs. I feel sorry for anyone supporting that bunch of useless layabouts. I mean what's the poing and all those Maguire F.. words!1 Its pathetic and when you finish 7-17 each season who cares??? Its akni to achieving pass and fail grades at University. Who cares?? Though you probably end up working for Bill Gates and WHO on their BS " gobal pandemic" that has a survival rate of over 99% yet you want to force unproven vaccines [which cause these "variants"] onto the sheeple many of whom cannot even read!!
 
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