Redneck Redfaces 2

[POPEYE]

Most of us would imagine now and again what our team would go like with the inclusion of just one player of our choosing from another team, wouldn't be a League supporter if you didn't. Of all the teams Thurston could make a difference to the Warriors would have to be imagined the biggest overnight success

This is not me picking on Johnson again, its no secret I don't consider him a halfback, I'll go a step further and say he's not a 5/8 but I reckon he'd rival Renouf as a standout centre in a team directed by Thurston. It's not good enough the Warriors can outplay any team in spasms, they need to become relentless and work up to a crescendo

Dropping Hurrell is considered a warning but is it really, the Warriors spend a lot of time each season waiting for the bloke to return anyway, making him a scapegoat is hardly an eye opener. Something like putting Johnson in the centres or at fullback, telling him to just run rings around the opposition and forget trying to think would be the go

Cappy needs to find someone who can translate his thinking to the team, errors are occurring because everything the Warriors do is spontaneous, exciting it may be to people adorned in war paint but exasperating to the supporters who sit quietly shaking their heads. My advice is probably worth sfa to Cappy, I can't see anyone he needs in other grades and look what happened to Elliott when he dropped Johnson

 

[POPEYE]

In the dying stages of the 2nd World War the Germans tried one last attempt to change the course of the war but their big fat tanks ran out of petrol and they had no interchange. I was reminded of the Battle of the Bulge watching the Dogs forwards trying to regain their feet last night.

I'm not sure why CB need Hasler, Raelene could probably coach the game plan they use, Taylor certainly would have spent the week shoving 'resilience' down his players' throats, nothing else was necessary. I hope that NSW goes with the Dogs' halves . . . incumbency should be honoured

The unfortunate thing about the way the Dogs play is that when they get their full strength team on the paddock and find some way of keeping them there they will be the team to beat, ahead of the Roosters. Playing entertaining footy or even enterprising footy will not be enough against such an onslaught of ugliness . . . no pun intended with what's happening on the streets of SWS

 

[POPEYE]

Just as an addendum to the use of simplistic game plans it won't be long before we could find one bench player put there specifically to cause concussion. The bloke will need to have a hard head but as I've seen in bar room brawls there is an art to using the head without the risk of badly damaging the perpetrator

Wouldn't be that difficult to concuss a key player, especially if the perp is a low minute throwaway, while key players have other things on their mind and are off guard. The risk of getting blamed is minimum to someone who knows what he's doing and the ironic bit is that such a meathead wouldn't cost much and regular elite forwards like Graham could concentrate on other things

I'm not pointing the finger at a particular team or its hangers on that keep a close eye on proceedings because in the near future many teams might think the idea unavoidable . . . and we thought wrestling was a blight on the game

 

[POPEYE]

To be expected to win and fail is infinitesimally insignificant in sport compared to the macabre game of war where men on either side responsible for sending people to a needless death are the worst of all criminals. This weekend can only be dedicated to the camaraderie of those who perished, nothing else is worth remembering

To win or lose in Rugby League however is worth remembering, celebration by the victors especially when not expected is doubly satisfying. Titans/Dragons/Seagles I imagine have spoiled tipping competitions for many people but in truth the game itself was a bigger winner

Had to hold back a tear for Toovey, if anyone deserved to sleep well last night it was this little bloke, his players finally came to his rescue. Henry didn't need to waste a fortune on DCE, his effort in Melbourne was overshadowed by Elgey. If Manly don't get the last laugh and Elgey remains a Titan DCE will have to learn to play 5/8

'I f**king told you so' to all the Mary McGregor doubters, he had the vibes from day one as far as I'm concerned, only the players from here on in can ruin a good season for the Dragons.

The Dogs only need their Titanic repaired to stop it sinking, Warriors need an injection against stupidity, Knights don't need who they think they need, Roosters need their share of luck now the Storm need Billy to direct the defence . . . I'm not sure what Parra need, maybe an on-field Arthur translater

 

[POPEYE]

The unexpected continues, another team that had to win did, probably worth the addition of many more frivolous penalties this weekend to see the Panthers send their supporters home happy. We should finally see the last of Barba, a step down in opposition in SL may help him regain composure and he should be seriously considering the move

 

[POPEYE]

Well that tops it off, the fairytale weekend is over, FPN man of the match and Stuart will claim his players heard his directions, we all know Blake Austin orchestrated the win but who cares. That man Baptiste was again a catalyst for change, maybe Sticky is a supercoach . . . he'd join Benny as the only successful one this weekend

 

[POPEYE]

No use dwelling on the doom and gloom of bad weather, bad refereeing or injuries when they affect every team, there's consolation in the old adage 'what goes around comes around'. There are some bright stars appearing that weren't easily visible before, one of which is Blake Austin, how he isn't in the City team ahead of Reynolds is bemusing

Kane Elgey is not just a Barba type apparition, he is a tenacious defender and smart. Zero Tackle has embraced 'poach' in its vocabulary and this bloke becoming a prime candidate says it all

Jake Granville has gone from a square peg in a round hole at Red Hill to a key ingredient of a treatment for spinal injury in Townsville. Along with Morgan and Coote the Cowboys have metamorphosed into something with wings

Jack Bird is something of a Pied Piper, his best attribute is the composure he brings to the Sharks who have gone from a threat to menacing mainly because every player has stepped up following the bloke's example

Like Granville, Kurt Baptiste could be one that Brisbane will regret losing, he could rival Mitch Aubusson as the most effective #14 in the comp for the time being. Who needs a starting #9 . . . careful Sticky

There are a couple of stars shining brighter than expected, Blake Green and Pat Richards among them, so if we have to accept the game is not what we want it to be there is some solace in the few promising players its producing . . . could be a lot more if the NRL dropped the bling and promoted common sense

 

[POPEYE]

It's imperative imo that Dave Smith continue what he's doing, his business acumen is far more advanced over everyone else in the NRL hierarchy. Attributes in one field however don't necessarily translate to another, his take on a game he is not familiar with is understandably narrow sighted because his attention is elsewhere

New rules and technology are what he's been told are needed to boost the game away from his area of expertise, the advice he's getting doesn't match his enterprise. Smith needs to be advised some of the money and supporters he's trying to attract are rejecting the game because it's being allowed to stagnate on the field

The Poms understand that less can be more, stoppages are carcinogenic and more than retaining interest is at stake by having the game flow. Stoppages don't just have observers crying 'what the f**k now?', they are a boat anchor on the good ship 'Excitement', excitement is what people want.

Every time a stoppage occurs, sometimes even orchestrated by desperate players as well as showpony referees, the defence resets and attack goes back to the drawing board. The players that spectators want to see work their magic are harnessed not only by the video but a complete disregard for common sense.

Next time you watch a game count the times 'pick up the ball and play on' is all that's needed or a slight misdemeanour that can't possibly disadvantage either team is pounced on with puffed cheeks and a shitty whistle. Dave Smith is being misled by incompetent people who have nfi what supporters with both deep and empty pockets want to see

 

[POPEYE]

Instead of Pacific Islanders and Country Australia being allowed one weekend of the year to press their claims for recognition they should be allowed to enter representative teams in either the Qld or NSW Cup competitions. It's not only the established NRL players we want to see but a majority mix of players that are trying to attract NRL clubs

Total waste of f**king time pretending to promote Islanders or Country with players who already have been 'recognised'. City/Country game should only be between players that have never played NRL, that's how we discover new NRL candidates.

Allowing a few composite Country teams to participate in State Cup competitions would do wonders in the fight against other codes attracting juniors. A composite team of the best players of Groups 10/11 for instance would give NRL club Reserve Grade sides a run for their money. The chance of finding more Mick Cronin or Ronny Gibbs types would be accentuated

Islander teams, like the PNG Hunters, should be incorporated in State Cups and could be made up of expatriate NRL Islanders like Petero mixed with newcomers. Doesn't matter if there are too many teams in State Cups, they could split their comps into 2 conferences if necessary.

The City/Country games and kneejerk Island Tests are a hypocritical f**king joke . . . equal to the mid season Aust/NZ Test.

 

[POPEYE]

If it were up to me there would be a central bunker with 5 video refs who adjudicate every game, only allowed to rule on in-goal happenings, each with a panel of selections labelled with alternatives such as 'try', 'no try, player offside', 'double movement', 'no grounding', etc . . . no time wasting discussion. The chairman of the five relates the decision to one on-field referee

These people live or die by their decisions, not hard to separate bad decision makers if what they produce is on record. We should be able to find 5 consistently accurate adjudicators and pay them the money they deserve.

All on-field adjudication should be left to the one referee, if money is to be spent on more than one ground official let it be on highly qualified more responsible linespeople who are capable of refereeing a game by themselves

The game should only be stopped for the time it takes an injured player to be removed from the field, every player that can't immediately continue for any reason has to leave the field to be assessed/repaired. If one of the 3 qualified adjudicators on the ground has a reason without doubt for a penalty one should be awarded . . . no penalty means no evident foul play which means no replacement

No player need be put on report, every game should be scrutinised afterwards for foul play and obvious on ground official laxity. Players will think twice about frivolously laying down if they have to leave the field and cause a non sanctioned replacement. Players that use foul play will know they will be recorded by much more intense scrutiny than any quick appraisal

Just as importantly the referee will have to explain why every stoppage was necessary, pedanticism will be frowned upon and continuing with it will result in the referee being dropped.

Rugby League is not an exact science, we don't want to watch players work we want to see them play, we want them to be allowed to play not sit for an exam, we want only game changing mistakes to be recognised.

Count the slight hand on the ball, not standing before placing the ball to play it, moving off the mark, not being square, being offside on the line, obstruction when Superman couldn't make a difference, any of the myriad of reasons every set of six couldn't escape a stoppage . . . we need a simple game to keep flowing and not be adversely affected by people who are not talented enough to play it

 

[POPEYE]

Interesting how things change, if you get to my age and haven't realised allowing for contingencies is the best way to travel there is little time to catch up. Take Mary for instance, it was only the vibes given out by coaches who's footy brain outweighed their ability when they played that made me wait before decrying his ability as a coach. When he did something brilliant on the field I always imagined he thought he could do more

Turns out he could be vying for coach of the year, one of the few awards in the Dally M's that are contested without doubt, all it took was to wait for a few games before making judgement. Jabba is now saying Trent Barrett could emulate McGregor, I still wouldn't mind betting there would be a cacophony of squeals should the bloke not perform immediately if given the chance, f**kwits are not noted for their attention span

Vibes may only be in the mind but I find them more reliable than going to church, Cronulla's Bird flew over the cuckoos' nest but the vibes have been with Austin ever since I watched him reject the idea that his peculiar talent should be restrained. Imo in the near future he will give NSW the unpredictability that Lewis gave Qld, spasmodic brilliance will never match being 2 plays ahead of the opposition.

 

[expert]

Putting things into perspective, My thoughts are with Finchy ATM. The Black dog is a unknown to many, All the best BF............

 

[POPEYE]

Putting things into perspective, My thoughts are with Finchy ATM. The Black dog is a unknown to many, All the best BF............

If what he's got is a result of not having a niche . . . I had a small dose and that was enough for me, I sympathise

 

[expert]

If what he's got is a result of not having a niche . . . I had a small dose and that was enough for me, I sympathise

Bin there done that..... Tried not to care but I failed! So.......... there it is!!!! a spit roast and Floyd V Manny will be my weekend highlight, with a pig hunt some time before the main event.

 

[POPEYE]

Bin there done that..... Tried not to care but I failed! So.......... there it is!!!! a spit roast and Floyd V Manny will be my weekend highlight, with a pig hunt some time before the main event.

Sounds like the go

 

[POPEYE]

Instead of Pacific Islanders and Country Australia being allowed one weekend of the year to press their claims for recognition they should be allowed to enter representative teams in either the Qld or NSW Cup competitions. It's not only the established NRL players we want to see but a majority mix of players that are trying to attract NRL clubs

Total waste of f**king time pretending to promote Islanders or Country with players who already have been 'recognised'. City/Country game should only be between players that have never played NRL, that's how we discover new NRL candidates.

Allowing a few composite Country teams to participate in State Cup competitions would do wonders in the fight against other codes attracting juniors. A composite team of the best players of Groups 10/11 for instance would give NRL club Reserve Grade sides a run for their money. The chance of finding more Mick Cronin or Ronny Gibbs types would be accentuated

Islander teams, like the PNG Hunters, should be incorporated in State Cups and could be made up of expatriate NRL Islanders like Petero mixed with newcomers. Doesn't matter if there are too many teams in State Cups, they could split their comps into 2 conferences if necessary.

The City/Country games and kneejerk Island Tests are a hypocritical f**king joke . . . equal to the mid season Aust/NZ Test.

Just in case there may be any slow talking Johns reading the above post who may get the idea I'm not in favour of this weekend's Pacific Islander Tests let me say past games have proven as good as most NRL games. These games should not just be considered 'promotional', they should remain an integral part of the League calendar

What pisses me off is that not enough undiscovered talent from the Island nations is given enough opportunity, the reason I want teams in State Cups is to put players on show that would have no hope otherwise. Imo the idea is to one day have NZ/Australia/Pacific Island teams on an equal footing with the loser never guaranteed.

Addendum: the article on today's NRL website says it better

 

[Cloudsurfer]

Re the article; I agree with the aspirations of being able to grow RL in their countries, of more opportunities at international level - plus the 9s, how great would that be!
Of the 5 guys in the Kiwis who have PI heritage, all were born in NZ and at least one of them has Maori heritage as well as Samoan...
Hardly the majority of the team as quoted.

 

[POPEYE]

Another great game from the blue and reds, doesn't really matter how much confused or manipulated heritage there is as long the island populations have reason to celebrate Rugby League. We need to see more of these national colours in as many games as possible each year, State Cup is definitely the way to go

 

[Jimmy-o]

Another great game from the blue and reds, doesn't really matter how much confused or manipulated heritage there is as long the island populations have reason to celebrate Rugby League. We need to see more of these national colours in as many games as possible each year, State Cup is definitely the way to go

Totally agree. Great game to watch, a step up from the previous match in quality and plenty of passion on display.

 

[POPEYE]

Ok, Cummins made a couple of errors last night but they were nowhere near as demoralising for the players than 2 referees competing for attention. Doesn't help with evangelist mimicking callers like Voss who'd rather listen to themselves and claim a ball was bounced than have it placed on a boot. Can't believe I have to f**king pay to listen to him

Back to the point, one referee without the help of video had me sitting on the edge during the U/20's test. Anyone who says these games, where the only difference is young blokes like to hold the ball too long, are easier to control than the big boys doesn't know what a fast game is.

The PNG/Fiji game was made a whole lot better because there was just one referee, two could have completely ruined the thing with pedantic bullshit and these type of games need to have their followers rejoice . . . the end of game camaraderie between all 34 players was inspirational

So, with Kurt Gidley contemplating riding into the sunset so should the experiment of 2 referees, if anything has to be added make it a time clock on shots at goal