Redneck Redfaces 2

[POPEYE]

As usual I get up for an early morning leak, can't go back to sleep so here I am. Lucky I emptied my bladder, could have pissed myself laughing reading Sandow may go to the Titans as an 'ideal' replacement for DCE. Hodkinson could have caused a dribble, Tyrone Roberts would have been worth a fart but I imagined yesterday someone said McCrone in the same sentence as Gold Coast . . . that's f**king renal failure to an old League supporter

At least none of the above could be really considered poaching, even Robin Hood would have let King John keep that lot if he wanted to build a strong band of merry men. Haven't the GC learnt anything from trying to survive with rejects, malingerers and malcontents.

The club needs to become a place exciting young players want to go to learn, doesn't have to be founded in a League stronghold, something the GC will never be. If Henry's any good at nurturing talent and the hierarchy has faith enough to persevere the joint should be loaded up with unknowns from everywhere and anywhere . . . there's a League University in Melbourne, no reason one couldn't be established in the land of amusement rides and movie making

 

[POPEYE]

Spare a thought for DCE, imo he's had opportunity enough to dislodge Thurston/Cronk from their pedestals if he was extraordinary, nothing I've seen has him irreplaceable at the top level. I reckon it's great he has secured his future for reasons I've expressed before, but the bloke won't be able to turn off for a second . . . the caterwauling will be horrendous

If the Titans have to poach it needs someone like Mbye who desperately needs to prove a point and is capable of doing just that. Elgey should be allowed to feel he is the hub of a new wheel just as DCE was at Manly when he kicked off this merry go round, even cheap players that need reincarnation like Blake Green would be a better proposition than having Kane imagine he's not worthy to lead a resurgence

Great coaches not only need to know tactics they need to use psychology, the great Ron Massey made sure the 80's Eels were prepared physically, Gibson had their minds on the job before they were legends. If the Titans can emulate Manly's 'us against them' by searching out players who are wannabes with promise they would be far better off than explaining why the team failed any time that DCE played

That is something everyone, from smartarse to supporter, will now be laying on DCE's shoulders. It's a pity there's sfa else to talk about than the giant microscope DCE is about to carry

 

[POPEYE]

The Titans are going to have to man up, last night was a good start. They lost their version of DCE, fought off a Tiger's resurgence and beat the f**king useless video ref and I cheered all the way. Mortimer does have value after all, Ryan James needs to be disliked and Sezer needs to put finishing a game before his acting career

I reckon this mob is worth following, especially if you're a revolutionary like myself, what better team if you like to piss into the wind. The Gold Coast is full of 1%ers, snobs and tourists, all they need is reactionary supporters who live elsewhere and a few thousand die hard locals for bums on seats. Nothing better than an underdog to unite genuine Aussies

 

[POPEYE]

In my perfect Rugby League world every team would play each other twice and each team would win every home game, points for and against would decide the Premiership Shield. Origin, Tests, Nines would suffice as end of season razzmatazz. Single referees would be innocuous, interchange would be limited, stamina infused with a footy brain would be the key to scoring and stopping points

Instead we have a shemozzle played by connivers dictated to by white collars followed by the naïve. Pity we can't have a realistic middle ground. Melbourne didn't feel the win last week necessary, the Roosters had it as imperative. Melbourne this week were more concerned with what Bellamy would do if they lost than anything Penrith could throw at them

The Warriors played as though there's always another day, their playmaker looked as though he was on holiday and Souths had to please that wonderful WA crowd who are dying of starvation. Newcastle are treading water waiting for Gidley to leave so they can promote somebody, anybody and Sticky is looking for a shoulder to stand on

Rugby League is now not just a game on the field

 

[POPEYE]

Did the Roosters' Origin players turn off to protect themselves from damage in preparation for the game that 'matters'. Did the Sharks know they would. Surely Robbo conceded and Flanno was just lucky, as lucky as last time they played.

Interesting that when two supercoaches meet and one gets flogged it's the team's fault but when a supercoach gets beaten by a bum coach it's super's fault for not having his team up for it. I'm not convinced Flannagan is that bad a coach, someone beside Robbo is responsible for his mob getting rattled, especially if it was planned as the only way of winning

Ennis and Fifita did a great job of the niggle, JWH was smiling as a boxer who had just received a good uppercut would, he expended too much effort trying to break Gallen and the Roosters were mystified for too long wondering why the Sharks wouldn't capitulate. I prefer to think Flanagan outsmarted Robbo . . . again

Has the page format returned to too wide to read comfortably or am I the only one who likes
to conform to aesthetics

 

[POPEYE]

That's better, I can read a line without being affected by Alzheimer's, maybe it was just a glitch. Said to the missus as I watched the game how ironic it was the top teams all have a hiccup now again, it's only a matter a time for the Broncos to suffer one . . . that is until the Cowboys took a huge drink

I haven't read any post-mortems but anyone that says the Eels didn't do their best is a cross eyed nose picker, not even the Cowboys could have been prepared for what they themselves were about to do although they didn't seem surprised. They played like a Qld Origin team of old against a NSW team that thought they were in the running, it wasn't the points it was the calm collectiveness

Having said that you'd imagine 24 down against the top teams won't yield the same results. It was maybe only a little bad luck or bad management at the end that didn't see the Eels retaliate, the unfortunate Mannah accident break almost the catalyst for a resurgence.

If the Cowboys are that good a team and I reckon they are Arthur shouldn't be disappointed with the effort, as long as his mob appreciate the lesson they were taught last night

Oh, I almost forgot the Dogs, they didn't need Graham to instigate a resurgence, the referee did a fine job for them by allowing Duges to be carried into the in-goal. Just the same, the Dogs did what they needed to do and the Dragons didn't do what they normally do . . . another hiccup

 

[POPEYE]

F**k me dead this is a f**king depressing segment of the Rugby League year if you care about the game, what can be gleaned that's any good from this abortion of a round

Tiger Woods will be having a ball in Origin camp but they've got heaps of other big boppers to fill the void, should be one of those orange funny faces here but I don't need help with sarcasm. Inglis shouldn't be missed, Luke won't be there but any excuse to phase him out for McInnes anyway. I like watching Grevsmuhl play so I'll spare the time

Warriors are losing Hoffman, the only bloke who thinks a gap is something you run through not jump off, surely however at home they must beat the Roosters who like to have everything going their way and will jump up and down on the spot if it's not . . . another ho hum game if the Warriors win, meaning sfa to a purist

Titans should run rings around the Dogs, pity Elgey won't be there, last round was the first time Des's mob has won while I watched for years . . . I might make an effort to see if it was just a glitch

There are a couple of players who have refused to leave Melbourne, even though they can't get a run in first grade, that need rewarding . . . other than in the appropriate brown paper bags of course . . . so naturally this game is of some interest to me. Not sure who's going to kick at the loud mouth Eel supporter who has to have his jumper painted on if he makes the trip

I don't give a flying f**k who wins Origin because it would be hypocritical to care about something that is detrimental to the game but like many others I can't help but watch. Of most interest is how the Melbourne crowd react and of course how many players can't back up to help save their clubs from oblivion

 

[POPEYE]

When I was a kid in the 60's I loved the Bugs Bunny Show, one character was a pint sized moose with a big head and when standing on a box the shadow created had him appear full size. Sandow always reminds me of that character, maybe because he has the same delusions of grandeur, if the Indian chasing the moose really needed a good feed he should have chased something bigger

Chris is on a similar soapbox extolling his virtues, like when he said Sticky would be his salvation from Kearney, wonder how much longer Arthur will put up with the most disruptive influence in the joint. Parramatta always seems to persevere with the ordinary and disregard the promising, the number of players over the years that had they remained one-clubbers but weren't retained would have the club the envy of the League

If it's not Hayne on a part time glory seeking 20 minutes each game it's Sandow soapboxing he's on a leash, all the wanker wants is to see himself on the big screen, it's a wonder he doesn't drive a Ford Galaxy convertible to the game.

Sandow would be perfect playing Group 10 or 11, he could do his thing where it doesn't matter when everyone else is doing their thing, they are resigned to being paid little dollars without the pressure of fellow players trying to make a living from the game

 

[POPEYE]

The main reason the Poms aren't threatening Australia and NZ is because they don't play NRL footy, interest in the game in England would skyrocket if there was an English team based in Australia. The outcry from purists claiming it would weaken their local comp would die to a whimper when many more youngsters would be attracted to 'big time' League

Greenberg is doing the poor Central Coast a favour by letting it host a few NRL games, a venue like Gosford going to waste when a Pommy team could be bivouacked there all season. Sounds pie in the sky maybe, but more NRL teams are going to be sent to England in future for WCC games in an effort to boost the game

The Poms are even threatening to poach our top players with unlimited cap space, if Thurston's next contract was in England who could blame him, no worse than a DCE backflip. Before that happens we should explore the possibility of an English team in Australia, they could have all the Burgess boys including Sam and any other Pom now looking to join an Aussie team . . . maybe even let them have one marquee Australian

The Raiders would probably have to give up their hooker if he wanted to join his mates but shit happens. How much more interest has there been in League in NZ now that they are the best in the world, all attributable to the Warriors and other Kiwis playing in the NRL. Doesn't have to be the Central Coast, maybe Perth wouldn't mind going to see the Poms play . . . might enjoy them being beaten if they didn't want to cheer for them

 

[POPEYE]

Never been a fan of Robbie Farah, I always imagine him in an unobtrusive Balmain jersey rather than the Mighty Magpie Black & White, don't like associating him with my favourite bird. Not saying the twerp won't win MOM on Wednesday night, the occasional heroic occasion is his speciality. As a rule Cam Smith pisses all over him and he is nowhere near the second best #9 in the game, not even the best for NSW imo

There were extenuating circumstances last night, Souths are not at their best, Wests had to win, it's a shitty time of year for the NRL . . . most of all I reckon Taylor and his mob, maybe only subconsciously, were out to prove Farah is merely a self centred gremlin that can be done without

The 'I'll be ready for game 2' bullshit is typical of Farah, if he'd been playing last night he would of strutted like a Peacock, if his mob lost for the 5th time Taylor would have to stand with his back to a wall when Robbie is around. The bloke is an NRL player which makes him a good player but imo Wests would do as well without him as Benji does, there's something in that bland blank expression that is just plain f**king foreboding

 

[Jason Maher]

He's a massive Liverpool fan. Not surprising he's a self absorbed dickhead. :sarcasm:

Do you enjoy the LU bi-polar expertise as much as I do Pops? The ability of people on this forum to swing between extremes in rating a player based on only his most recent performance is quite remarkable.

 

[POPEYE]

Yes, you're right ol' mate, imo Billy Slater is the best fullback I've seen and I've seen a lot of great fullbacks, but applying your rule of thumb if his shoulder collapses he'll only be remembered by f**king wankers for his last game. Farah doesn't give a tinker's cuss how the Tigers go as long as he can put in a few Origin performances, so it works both ways

The sooner Melbourne spine players dismiss Origin for what it is and repay the club the better, I'll bet the novelty is wearing off for supporters of all teams that suffer from Originitis . . . as far as I'm concerned it is right up there with Immortals as fodder for the brain dead

 

[Bigcoq]

Cronk and Slaters tour of duty should be well and truly behind them and written in the history books, their team deserves what ever is left. time they made the right choice so RL is Melbourne remains interesting to those who like ping pong...

 

[POPEYE]

Sitting with bellyache at his son's, my grandson, 16th birthday last night's game was on in the background. Both were concerned the Roosters may get flogged but I said the vibes early in the second half had me convinced the Roosters would win . . . if I'd bet on it the result might have been different

Bellyache was right, the Warriors should have won, he was also right when he told me I have been right about Shaun Johnson all along, but we won't go into that again. The thing that struck a chord with me was how disinterested I was in the game.

Not long ago I would watch every game and most of the Monday replays, which have now been replaced with woodworking, only some of the games have me intent on watching. There has always been ineptitude from officialdom and even players in the game but never as disconcerting as it is now, becoming far too media driven for me

My missus told me the other day some well known AFL player was retiring, I didn't have a clue who he was, I think there's only a couple of names I recognise, certainly no Australian Soccer players. Been a long time coming but my interest in League is beginning to wane. Pity I can't just blame Johnson

 

[POPEYE]

Interesting to see Aiden Tolman has played twice as many games for the Dogs as he did for Melbourne, it has probably been the worst thing to come out of their abuse of the salary cap imo. Shame the Storm rookie of the year in 2008 has been the steadying influence for the Dogs for so long, seeing him beside Dessie, pity the bloke is still not where he belongs

Being reminded of '08 came a lot easier when Hasler spent much of the press conference telling everyone how detrimental Origin is to the Premiership. He almost denounced the NRL the same way he would an incorrigible student for disrupting class, saying people are being paid big bucks to organise the game in a fair manner, how hard it is for a coach when his best players are sacrificed to media driven Origin

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for blokes like Dessie denouncing Origin, the more the better. It is gratifying when the shoe's on the other foot though, in '08 Melbourne gave up 9 players to Manly's 1 to Origin which is nothing new, we all know Melbourne played their gf against Brisbane in the semi final. There's many a f**king wanker will tell you the best team won the cup that year, Des certainly made a dollar out of something his mob couldn't do against a fully functional Melbourne

That's 7 years ago Des, good to see you finally on the anti-Origin soapbox, loved the off handed snipe at the NRL where you pretended to imagine they would one day get the f**king shemozzle fixed . . . I'd like to see them fine you for saying the Premiership is a shitfight because of mismanagement, that would be progress

 

[POPEYE]

Believe it or not I was happy for Arthur last night, he doesn't deserve to be awarded the blue and yellow insignia of capitulation. I have no doubt the bloke is a better coach of players than most people imagine, overcoming the hidey holes of excuses is always going to be his biggest hurdle.

It's been 25 years since I rolled my last cigarette, at the time it was the hardest thing I ever had to do but now its seems so f**king trivial it's laughable. Time to once again bite the bullet, I have watched my last game of Origin . . . at least until the NRL fix the shitfight it causes

 

[POPEYE]

Can't remember if I ever missed an Origin game, never one intentionally at least, wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Unfortunately now relegated with footy shows, immortals, DM's and the cup to the depth of personal triviality my little protest against arrogant stupidity will continue. Even the missus, more raucously than usual, cheering on the Blues in another room couldn't sway me

Too early yet to see what affect the MCG game will have on the Shield but it was interesting to read Chad Redman and Nene Macdonald could play for the Titans this weekend. Seems transitions will run smoothly where clubs that have a closer affinity to the NRL are concerned, not saying anything different has happened in this case. I applaud the Titans getting stuck into the business of trying to win games

Makes you wonder if a club needed a guiding interaction from the NRL would it receive more favourable attention when game allocation and programming is discussed for a new season. Would a player from such a club be overlooked for Origin if he is needed to 'boost' chances elsewhere. Heaven forbid, would a player ever be given more leniency at the judiciary depending who he plays for

Just more nonsense from a silly old prick who refuses to watch Origin because he's got a bee in his bonnet

 

[POPEYE]

Streets ahead of anything else that's happened this week for Rugby League, this year in fact, is merely the suggestion that Monday night games may be played in the bush. For once something might happen that is not entirely based around the media dollar, the game may have some respite from being a pawn and momentarily become a saviour for the game where it matters

Mudgee is my home and the footy ground is world class, Bathurst/Dubbo are just a dawdle away for bush folk. I can guarantee no-one would hear the crickets at any of the venues if NRL games became regular occurrences

Fox should be applauded and encouraged to persevere with the concept, players would appreciate the fresh air, might even make them play better knowing the audience is starving for their attention. Kids in the bush are sportingly interactive, the more who see it live the more they'll dream of playing. Could one day lead to an NRL team west of the Blueys

 

[POPEYE]

Beware, the Seagles are coming to get you, funny how no-one has really lambasted them for being at the bottom of the ladder, imagine if it was the Dragons or Souths in the same predicament. Pussies are frightened to have a go at someone who is destined to fight back it seems. They may win the spoon yet by accident but the big mouths with small brains aren't confident

Speaking of whom, Fittler isn't going to let anyone forget about the '10 Million Dollar Man', the dope actually believes we don't think he sold out the Panthers or that Uncle Nick didn't take extraordinary care of him over the years. Maybe he's one of the wankers that think players should perform better the more they are paid

All the Seagles have to do is make the 8, says a lot for the precious f**king cup, everyone who really believes it means what it should to be 'Premiers' will be shitting themselves imagining Manly could once again steal the show

 

[Jason Maher]

Blowing smoke up Manly's collective arse? You've hit a new low Pops.