Redneck Redfaces 2

[POPEYE]

Melbourne deserved to get flogged, since they weren't and the Dogs are beginning to get the relegation they deserve I'm not upset. More of a worry that Chambers is not playing up to scratch. In the end the Cowboys and Broncos did exactly what they had to, results no surprise

 

[POPEYE]

Benny looked 10 years younger last night and it was good to see, we've had enough victims this year without seeing the great man go down the gurgler. His mob beat Melbourne the only way they can be beaten, get in early and force them into errors . . . easier said than done

Probably been said before but Opacic looks to be a new Gene Miles, makes a f**king cucumber look like a raging inferno, the best thing about '16 is the new talent. Darius Boyd is definitely now the best Fullback in the game if you like safety first

Melbourne will need to do a Brisbane if they're going to win the Shield and it is as it should be, they don't run too well in overdrive

 

[AJB1102]

Brisbane did a great job of moving Melbourne around and making sure when they went through the middle against the Storm pack they did it when Melbourne were stretched.

They played a bit like Cronulla were during the best of their streak. Go wide to stretch them, back through the middle to condense them again then out to the edges. Difficult to execute but no one is gonna march through the Storm.

A bit of a blueprint has been laid for exposing the Storm I think but again, executing it is not easy. Gotta get points on Melbourne early and enough of 'em to make them have to resort to playing catch-up footy which brings them out of their structured comfort zone.

Storm still the one to beat in my mind.

 

[POPEYE]

Can't imagine Storm/Broncos/Cowboys/Roosters/Seagles/Dogs lastingly departing the top echelon in what's left of my lifetime, all are 'cultured' and have a contented band of supporters, lethargy may be their bugbear from time to time but not capitulation. All a bit of same-ol' same -ol' maybe but I still hope Melbourne arrest their slump enough to pip the Sharks for The Shield

Only watched the first game yesterday but by all reports along with the Broncos and Cowboys the Sharks could be back on track. Seriously though who f**king cares about the top echelon except their one-eyed supporters, after next weekend most of us want to sit back, relax and enjoy a fairytale

A Sharks/Titans gf may be a pipe dream but a Sharks/Raiders is not out of the question providing Canberra's finish to the game at Brookie was nothing more than a glitch. Whodathought at season's start Flanno and Sticky could be pulling a rabbit out of the hat at season's end

I'm positive the vast majority of RL supporters will be hoping for a third miracle in a row come the last game of the year . . . if there is a god let's hope she realises how badly we need it

 

[POPEYE]

Nothing much to report from yesterday, the Warriors again lost a game they had to win because they remain headless and The Home of Rugby League is still a shack with Ma & Pa on the verandah. Ch9 have another absorbing 'Sunday Arvo At The Footy' next week . . . heading home so no more Jabba thank f**k

 

[POPEYE]

Not sure what I'm most happy about, not having to watch 9 or not having to watch any tv with ads, either way it feels good. Roosters won't be feeling good about not having Cordner available, vibes said they might've been a chance against the Broncos at full strength. Still, we've got Milford's opportunism against Watson's enthusiasm to keep us interested

Dogs will need the Rabbitohs to have an off day . . . f**k, that was funny even in the typing of it

It will be worth watching the Dragons/Knights, two evenly matched teams as it turns out, just to make sure Benji leaves the building. Both teams need to begin the search for budding champions next week, the rest of us need to keep our fingers crossed they know what to do with them

Cowboys/Titans may not follow the script. Green's mob are practically no-one's want-to-win, let's hope Henry comes up with some great ad-lib

Storm are the last of the top 5 trying to arrest a slump, I'm hoping the vibes will appear soon that they'll finish #1 team of the year, although I'm content that the Sharks may deserve it more

Tigers could but shouldn't, I reckon Taylor's smarter than Sticky but surely that won't be enough. Farah being f**ked is enough for me, go the Raiders, this year at least. Nose & Gnome refereeing . . . anything likely

Anyone thinking the Eels are at double the odds of the Warriors is carrying the bible in his/her back pocket

Seagles can't possibly beat the Panthers

 

[POPEYE]

If the Sharks or Raiders don't win the gf, or better still play each other for the cup, 2016 will be remembered by most for what the Eels could have done. I noticed but haven't read an article where Arthur is said to claim Parramatta should be playing in the finals, not hard to guess the contents

I reckon this year has done the Eels far more good than harm, not being allowed to play for glory has been a blessing. If the cleanout and subsequent 'punishment' had not occurred Arthur would again be banging his head against a brick wall for years to come . . . if he'd stayed which I doubt

So, now we have a Parramatta which is next year destined to frighten the shit out of 15 teams instead of about 8. Arthur will attract budding champions and more importantly coach them better than most of his opposition could. He is standing on the highest pedestal in the joint and will have to answer to no-one, lest there be rebellion

Any whinging from Parra supporters is just posturing, RL purists are already in Can't Wait Mode, most of us will be looking to the Eels taking a drink from the 2017 cup

 

[Rhino_NQ]

at least norman will be fresh for the pre-season

 

[POPEYE]

Graham would have been better off protesting his going on report, his mule kick shouldn't see him suspended but his silence might. That's the only thing I can offer to bump this thread . . . nothing else about the game will suffice

 

[POPEYE]

Hard to get as enthused as Maguire over last night's win, he may dislike the Dogs even more than I do but the euphoria in the box should have been a little more curtailed. Fair to say the Rabbitohs are back but the question is how long will they stay.

I'd have to analyse South's season properly before giving him the benefit of the doubt leading into '17, his key players are either mentally or physically fragile and Cody Walker inspirational as he is can only do so much. Madge should hand in his Supercoach badge if he can find it, the best coaches handle adversity far better than he's demonstrated

If I'm being harsh on the bloke I look forward to someone explaining why in a rational manner. I'm confident Mary won't be as exuberant in his celebration when his mob beat the Knights and finish the season in front of Souths . . . don't bet on that happening though

Maguire may think his bacon's been saved but he's still eating at the same f**king table as Robinson, McGregor, Brown, Barrett and McFadden, none of whom can match Stuart . . . crikey

 

[POPEYE]

Maloney said it all as far as I'm concerned, he congratulated Melbourne on finishing the best team of the 'regular' season, a new competition starts next week. There are so many imperceivable eventualities in the 'finals' with 5 teams equal favourites and 3 wildcards. Let's hope the bounce of the ball and not the blowing of the whistle decides who drinks from the cup

 

[POPEYE]

Momentum is everything in RL, Melbourne would've been shark bait if they hadn't regained theirs last night, Flanno's mob played like a team on a mission and had to be beaten. The 26 round game gives teams time to arrest inevitable slumps, a hiccup like the Storm being without Proctor when they've not been up to scratch was remedied

The upcoming cup series is a different beast, virtually no time to overcome absentees, lethargy or experimentation. The shoddy refereeing/judicial system is a bad enough influence on the game without disrupting the head space of players further, too late now to change things that don't need changing

Which is why imo Sticky should take the game at Leichhardt seriously, his mob showed signs of going into recession last week and he should use this game to get the best of what the Raiders have to offer up to speed. The vast majority of us want the Sharks in the gf, if it's mathematically possible most of us would like to see them play the Raiders

 

[POPEYE]

How many people would look at McFadden in the coaches box and say "What a f**king dunce"

How many would say "I feel sorry for the bloke, he's not to blame, Warriors' supporters are"

McFadden has known for a long time but has had his hands tied by supporters who must now be looking at Townsend and even Robson and saying "What the f**k"

I can't help the bloke so I'm off hunting pigs for the rest of the week

 

[POPEYE]

Too wet to continue chasing pigs so I'm back, seems RL hasn't been fairing much better so I'll not bother reading what's been going on. Did hear that Turdy had to charge Wighton with too much so it could get thrown out, things seem to be going to plan. Still, there will be more manufactured twists and turns yet to come, the Finals Furore will struggle to be just about footy

Imagining that players may somehow control the outcome of games it looks to me the Titans have come to the end of their newly paved road. Best thing about this game is Henry will finish a winner no matter what happens and Benny . . . doesn't bear thinking about

Vibes tell me the Sharks will beat the Raiders, Flanno's mob won't take prisoners, Maloney may even carry a shiv so expected anyone he tackles to ask "What the f**k was that". To beat the vibes Sticky's mob will have to play 2x40 of their best

Cowboys will have to go to AAMI with the same mindset the Broncos did, if they can't confuse Melbourne there will be no confusion as to who will win. Not that anyone gives a shit, for different reasons most people will see this game as a win win

You can bet your cojones the aftermath of the Panthers/Dogs game will be just as interesting as the event. Nose & Gnome will referee the match to their heart's content and the Video ref should have a field day. If footy is the winner Hook will go home a happy man . . . unfortunately seeing Hook happy at season's end is like looking at a mosquito trapped in sap and imagining 'what if'

 

[POPEYE]

If I was getting paid to write about RL I would have come up with a diatribe similar to Mascord's musings yesterday, appropriate for the current state of the game . . . a few 'f**kings' are all that's needed

 

[POPEYE]

There you go all you folks who are 'finals believers', 60 minutes in and it's clear the powers that be won't risk the Titans being given a fair go . . . I've got a recording of Canadian Pickers that needs my attention

 

[Jason Maher]

It didn't end at the 60th minute either.

 

[Rabbit toes]

Came here for a read and thought id found a Popeye blog!

 

[POPEYE]

It didn't end at the 60th minute either.

Fair's fair, the Titans were never going to win were they, it was just a matter of time before structure outdid enthusiasm. The only extraordinary thing about the part of the game I watched were the lengths taken to ensure the more fancied bums on seats Broncos continued in the lottery

 

[POPEYE]

To those that don't know I'm rather enjoying the furore, only because as always I believe the 'Premier' team of 2016 has already been decided. Be a different thing if the NRL came to their senses and separated, to it's advantage mind you, the Shield champions from the cup champions

In the Shield there is almost enough time for 'what goes around comes around' so a reasonable facsimile of fairness is achieved whereas in the half-arsed 'finals' the scope is not there. If I was a righteous one-eyed believer that the winner of the gf was always the best team of the year I too would be livid about last night's adjudication

Since the NRL continue to put all its eggs in the one rickety basket I unfortunately look forward to more f**k-ups on the road to the precious cup . . . call it a determination if you like not to have a RL season end in disappointment, especially now I'm running out of time