Redneck Redfaces 2

[POPEYE]

A nice smile with a gap in the top row of teeth will beat inches every day ol' mate . . . no need to even raise a sweat

 

[POPEYE]

I remember in the old old days when the cops raided a bookie joint and we were all jumping over back fences there was always a sacrificial lamb left behind to take to the hoosegow. Someone the bookie paid to put his hand up, the cops had done their duty after warning of the raid and the joint carried on business next day

Being reminded that to sit with the players you have to be registered and if Sticky insists standing on the sideline during a game why isn't he registered as a trainer so he can run around on the field during all attacking movements. If the NRL said registered coaches weren't allowed to do that why not pretend he wasn't the coach and sat a dummy, say Josh McCrone, in the coach's box

I always reckoned that Toovey was a partner to Hasler as coaches of Manly, why Des doesn't pay him the same money he got at Manly to run around behind the Dogs and point them towards where they should go is beyond me . . . watch Alfie next weekend and you'll see how much the Captain of a ship needs an XO on deck

 

[POPEYE]

Yes it sets a dangerous precedent, yes it attracts all sorts of whingers and whiners and yes, hopefully most of us know players are taking the piss out of everyone outside their circle . . . but can it be any more ridiculous than pandering to 'Immortals' for f**k sake.

The key to Hodges 'getting off' is the fact that Guerra was in no way injured, luck plays a big part for all concerned in this dubious procedure but it is just a game. A game that most of us can't play and fair mindedness by those that do is a code they earn the right to justify.

Guerra knew Hodges shouldn't be deprived of finishing his career the way he should and imo what he said is more than just 'doing the right thing', its a player telling other players that they run the game, not the horrible mish mash of hierarchy and adjudicators who are doing their best to undermine the fabric of it

 

[POPEYE]

The gf is like going to a house auction, you know what you want to get but it will be a massive surprise if you get it. How many people will actually participate to make the day what it should be and how many will go away robbed or disappointed . . . or will the auctioneer have a 'special' interest

Again we have the media beating up the mighty GF Ring as the most sought after prize in Rugby League, as usual another load of f**king codswallop. The ring is a great novelty, Thurston might even say he'd swap one of his Qld or Australian jerseys for one but that would just be spur of the moment bullshit.

When reality set in he'd ask himself how many players can snag a ring compared to how many can take away his jerseys. He may have given away a ring to another player but he certainly wouldn't give away his place in the Qld or Australian side. All the ring means is a player was at the right place at the right time . . . most real men don't wear rings anyway

 

[Jason Maher]

It actually annoys me that only the 17 who take part on the day get rings and the rest of the squad who got them there get ignored.

 

[POPEYE]

Too hot to go chasing pigs so I sat through all three games, only because I wanted the Cowboys to win and I had a sudden attack of bad vibes for the Broncos when I saw Bennett in the sheds lecturing like a university professor. Anyway, it was great to see the great con man looking for a lost penny at the end of it, his mob didn't deserve '06 and the Cowboys would've lost and not been beaten this time

Ipswich game was the most innovative of the day, despite being outmuscled they just kept coming, a trait of Qld players it seems. Not sure their short kickoffs or drop kicks will gain favouritism, never dropping their heads for a second and a touch of Kumul style is what won it for them. Could see Ipswich playing NRL with a share of Bronco destined players . . . now that would definitely piss Benny off into retirement

 

[POPEYE]

Thurston not only made sure his beautiful daughter carried a brown skinned doll he made special mention of the Cowboy 'coaching staff', never missing a chance to encourage youngsters he also gives credit where credit is due

Green is undoubtedly the head coach because he is a man manager, the maligned Cartwright and probably to a lesser extent Furner are however a huge part of the Cowboys' success. If Carty could have kept a spine like the Cowboys possess on the paddock while at the Titans his coaching career could have been different

You only have to look at Coote to see what difference there is between injury management systems at different clubs, Penrith have to be doing something wrong. Green has said clubs need to have a culture and part of that is giving the team the best chance to remain intact, working on that culture is the main reason the bloke will remain the main man at the Cowboys . . . pity Graham Murray isn't around to see it fall into place

 

[Hutty1986]

Would have been nice if Coote had have legally scored that try too Pops. Would have been a nice little bit of extra redemption for a gutsy bloke that has bounced back from a lot of adversity.

 

[Jason Maher]

How good did Kyle Feldt go? I know you've given him a wrap before Pops. Thought he had a particularly good game for the full 80 minutes. Great to see an unfashionable hard toiler like him grab the match winning try too.

 

[POPEYE]

He's an opportunistic player like Jennings and is capable of involving himself in the whole game if the ball is taken to him when it matters. I dribble about vibes a lot but when this bloke plays the team seems to have an extra edge . . . excuse the pun. I was a little concerned when he appeared injured early on

Whenever I watch a Cowboys' game with bellyache he reminds me how he doesn't like Feldt for some reason other than footy, him being strictly NSW and me favouring Qld could be interesting if Kyle ever plays Origin . . . I reckon he's capable of doing so

 

[kdalymc]

Thurston not only made sure his beautiful daughter carried a brown skinned doll

OR she just likes that doll...

 

[POPEYE]

You're probably right, she could have picked it out herself. Since I think Indigenous Australians are very special people, a cut above us newcomers, I'd rather believe her parents encourage her to proudly exhibit her heritage . . . just the opinion of an old whitey who would punch on with anyone who tried to deny them

 

[JamesRustle]

I prefer allcomers rather than the old or new versions. The collective guilt of non-indigenous Australians is a tricky emotion and there are several steps to accepting, working through and moving forward.

Anyway back to the topic of footy, I think our code does a great job of bringing people from all walks of life together both on and off the field. The GF was a great example of this.. two indigenous captains, played in a great spirit (no whinging or getting in the refs face), well reffed and a display of fast paced and highly skilful footy.

I just hope that other coaches, players, refs, fans and administrators took notice and keep steering the game in the right direction.

 

[POPEYE]

Wonder how many are going to rock up to Pirtek to watch the Rugby Hybrid game this Sunday, if it was televised I wouldn't miss it. Could be a lot harder to put together teams that can play both Union and League on the field at one time than put together a team of League players to beat the world at Union in the Olympics

Biggest trick will be finding players smart enough to remember their position when they cross halfway let alone remember the rules. Just on the Olympics, can anyone tell me if Australia as a competing nation has to use registered Union players and sacrifice Gold or can training begin now using players from any code that will give us the best chance

 

[POPEYE]

Perusing the Kiwi lineup you have to feel for the Poms, the only chance they've got to avoid the bulldozer is don't turn up for work. Not a whole lot of finesse in the Kiwi outfit but crikey there's some get up and go, add to that a few players with a perfect opportunity to make a name for themselves and Sammy B will think himself lucky he's not playing

Gone are the days when Australia only had to face reserve grade Poms and naïve Kiwis, heaven help us if NZ ever get 3 or 4 halves comparable to ours fighting for a place in the national team. Drop a few of Hunt, Cronk, Thurston, Morgan, Austin etc types in the mix and Australia may as well give up the ghost

 

[POPEYE]

If Taylor gets away with pissing Farah off and for the Tigers' sake I hope he does it could set a precedent. There are some players that are persevered with that for different reasons shouldn't be, Robbie gives the impression of a snarly smug prick who even when the mood suits him is more trouble than he's worth.

Doesn't really matter if he's as good as he imagines he is there's no room in an NRL team for petty rivalry with the coach. He's not the only player who refuses to put his hand up when he farts because he doesn't think his shit stinks

How the f**k Bird has lasted this long on the Gold Coast has bemused me for years, if the Titans re-sign the bloke again they can stay jacked up beside the road forever as far as I'm concerned. If the bloke was in the top ten in his position his antics would still not be worth glossing over, no wonder there are traitors to NSW like me when rubbish players are dished up

 

[POPEYE]

Same old story, get up for a leak and can't go back to sleep, this time however I'll watch the ESL grand final instead of sitting in front of the pc, why not if 73k Poms are bothering to do the same. Be interesting to see how much more noise they make than their Aussie counterparts.

Good to see a player like Cuthbertson find a niche in the game, the bloke's doing wonders in an arena that suits many players of the same ilk. Pity our second tier comp, the State Cups, don't pay enough to keep these players in Australia where they can be watched closely and recouped to the NRL easily if they grow an extra leg . . . shame that Smith can't find enough dough to boost the SC's

Also interesting to contemplate the World Club Challenge before and after. What would we get if the Roosters/Cowboys/Broncos played Leeds/Wigan/St. Helens if it was played in 2 weeks time when all teams are at their best instead of what we are going to get when their rosters resemble a dog's breakfast next year

 

[POPEYE]

I see Rothfield is claiming the Sharks as 'safe' if the NRL came to their senses and dumped some Sydney teams to make way for a truly 'national' comp, it'll take more than 'saving' teams because their fortunes ebb and flow

For a start, having the Roosters and Souths as separate entities is embarrassing to the game, when Politis goes Sydney compared to Brisbane will be chalk and cheese. There should be one team from central Sydney, one SWS team, one central west Sydney team, one northern and one southern team . . . five is probably still too many

The caterwauling from the now blinkered supporters would take about 5 years to dissipate and the new generation of followers won't know or care what the fuss was all about. Finding heirarchy with enough ticker to make it happen is the key, is there faith that 9 teams with a an average of 15k bums on seats could be superceded by 5 teams with 27k crowds

Rugby League in the Sydney metropolitan area is just a whirlpool, poaching is rampant because there is no enough player resources and it makes no sense claiming one of the nine teams as 'good old boys' when most of the players have no district ties whatsoever. League has to decentralise to regain what it used to have, an intense rivalry between districts and not chequebooks

 

[POPEYE]

Not even a nibble . . . ah well.

Just tried to watch NFL again to see if Hayne is getting a run, it's the Tube for highlights from now on . . . nothing has changed, what a pathetic f**king sport

 

[POPEYE]

Hard to get serious at the best of times, let alone this time of the year, there is something worth talking about however that genuinely strikes a chord with me. Nothing can be will be done about the shemozzle of Sydney teams falling over each other but the State Cups are a different matter . . . the NRL have stated as much

I've said it before but realistically everyone should get behind the push for a truly national second tier comp, the State Championship game on gf day was by far the most progressive thing to happen to League in yonks. Calling the State Cups 'State Cups' is the only real hurdle that needs negotiating, a more encompassing title would be healthier for the game

Without the shackles of 'jobs for the boys' the second tier comp could be open to all sorts of variations and experimentation. Relegation, multiple conferences, rule experimentation, the chance for players to make a reasonable living without having to make it in the NRL but most importantly the attracting of people to play the game

Just as I push the idea that there should be 'Premiers' and 'Cup Champions' in the main game there is a reason the second tier comp should be promoted to the hilt. Any new team wishing to join the NRL or any League nation that needs to be made feel wanted should show their wares in a strong competition. The only real way for Rugby League to keep ahead of the other codes is make more players be an important part of it