Redneck Redfaces 2

[Jason Maher]

The A-League try to do what you suggest, including having qualification for the Asian Champions League based on ladder position. The fans don't care. The real winners are the Grand Final winners. It's the Australian way.

 

[POPEYE]

You're right there ol' mate, the Australian way is to play 2 codes that the majority of the planet don't give a shit about and another code we're terrible at.

I could try and work out how much money the NRL would lose by every team playing each other twice for the Shield and the two best teams playing a Superbowl style one-off game for the cup. We would then know without doubt who was the best team of the year.

There would be far more Shield excitement with 16 teams, each with one home and away game against the rest, playing for the top two spots.The Grand Final finally being more grand than in name alone because the two best play each other

Anyway, back to tonight's game, I was a little disappointed there weren't more than the couple of minor adjudication f**k-ups that cost the Cowboys the game. NQ were ripped off in a couple of dubious decisions that gave Melbourne momentum but nowhere near as juicy as Friday night

 

[POPEYE]

I should add to the above that the refereeing in the Sharks/Raiders game was passable, the whistleblowers didn't seem to be working to an agenda and the players had control over who would win. Not many people want to see Melbourne win but less want the Cowboys to win 2 cups in a row so we'll see today how many cry blue murder

Must also say that if the GF was one game after a full Shield season it doesn't mean the adjudication of it would be any better

 

[POPEYE]

Dogs way out of their depth when the Panthers refused to play badly for 80 . . . a real f**king shame

 

[POPEYE]

So far so good, the Titans who are under construction and not yet at lock-up and the Dogs who while they continue to rely on brawn alone will be no more than fool's gold have been eliminated. Which means, providing Hodgson plays, we have 6 equally talented rosters capable of winning the cup. Which in turn means I might have to admit the best team has won this series of games

Matters not that every game should be decided by the quality of half-time instructions and how well they're carried out. I don't think Sticky should be considered the weak link in the coaching chain, the bloke must be given kudos for what his team has achieved. What really matters is how big a part the players will play in deciding outcomes

Given the circumstances of the year off the field and the opportunity to finish it on a good note it will be a f**king catastrophe if dubious agendas or malicious adjudication ruin what could be this year's saviour. All pisstaking aside, I hope Grand Final devotees are visited by Santa and the cup holders deserve the drink

 

[Jason Maher]

As long as it's not Brisbane or Melbourne again, I'll be content. Seen enough of those two teams (and Manly) winning (later stripping of titles notwithstanding, I still had to endure those games) to last me several lifetimes.

 

[POPEYE]

It would be nice to see either the Raiders or Sharks or Penrith drink from the cup . . . Hook is my sentimental favourite

 

[POPEYE]

The Warriors didn't need a new coach because the bloke they had wasn't capable of winning games, they needed one because the bloke they had didn't have enough power to win games. Cleary was the best so far because he had Maloney, if McFadden had the luxury of such a leader the little bloke wouldn't have sat in the box looking like f**king Humpty Dumpty

If Foran can climb out of his own shit he should provide the catalyst for Kearney to do the one thing that will improve the Warriors 100%, take the club's destiny away from Johnson. If you think Robbie had too much negative influence at Tigertown or Benji's knuckleheadedness at Kogarah it's a sparrow fart compared to 'Our Shaun'

If the Warriors do well under Kearney and they will because Foran will inforce his instructions, spare a thought for McFadden who coached an NRL team on the training paddock but had to be content with one man 'doing his thing' on game day. Ask the NZ Rugby League team and the supporters of it what they imagine Steve will do with players that don't toe the line . . . that's what he brings and all the Warriors need

Oh, I almost forgot to finish with Hallef**kinglujah

 

[POPEYE]

Cowboys/Broncos are giving me sfa vibes, if I was a betting man and I had to place a bet right now I'd find out who Freddie tips and bet against. If Roberts doesn't play the Cowboys won't have to cope with the 'uncontrollable', I can't see Benny coming up with anything Green won't expect

Again, the Broncos will have to play like they did at AAMI, try and throw the opposition into a state of confusion and hope the Cowboys' renowned ability to catch up won't be enough. Opacic, Kahu and Blair the standout men of the 34 to watch imo, everyone else predictable . . . vibes do have it that Cecchin may have no impact

How would you like to bet your balls on the Panthers/Raiders game if Hodgson is fit, I've given up reproducing but still not worth risking shit happens. I'd pick Hook to beat Sticky in the half time break but I have no f**king idea, which is the best thing about this game, what will transpire in the 80

Hodgson is the key, if we don't see #2 v #3 Hookers in the game this year face off we won't see the game we want to see and that will be a f**king shame. Sutton should be the #1 ref, even if he did fail script reading he doesn't deserve to be a Cummins co-conspirator . . . may the footy gods take control

 

[POPEYE]

Sfa else worth talking about so will Foran really be good for the Warriors if he starts without a clean sheet. Won't do Kearney any good if the bloke is yanked mid season to pay a penance and it seems already that the NRL is on a witch hunt. Last thing the NZ team need is to be next year's media sacrificial lamb

I'd rather Kearney poached a footy brain from another team than persevere with 'ideals', he doesn't have time to f**k around bringing one through the ranks as he's been taught to do. Then again, what is it now, 4 coaches who tried and failed to make Johnson get down and dirty. Maybe taking on Foran for as many games as he can get from him is better than relying on a whimsical crowd pleaser with an excusing 'crook leg'

Would be a whole lot f**king simpler from my point of view if I didn't want the Warriors to win at least the cup, maybe it's retribution for my barracking for NZ against Australia

 

[Cloudsurfer]

Kearney will bring the work ethic of CB, the man-management of Benny, and the belief of the Kiwis.
We live in hope

 

[POPEYE]

So Farah has joined Souths which is not all that bad, the Rabbitohs' vinegar stroke is still fresh in memory so two more years of shit happens won't break the bank. Could however provide the Lol F**kwit Brigade with extra ammunition, would almost be worth perpetuating the Robbie Smirk to see the lol's take a bullet and I'm sure Madge would like his mob be hated rather than ridiculed

Anyway, it seems the 3 best #9's consist of one that was especially bred, one that was imported and one that was converted. The common denominator is all three have a footy brain, which begs the question why in the modern game do so many clubs perpetuate the need for old time meatheads

Smith/Hodgson/Wallace are far smarter technically than the next best and have little problem defending or lasting. They must be as rare as rocking horse shit because so many clubs think the processes by which they were discovered seem in the too-hard basket

Imo the #9 is the most important player on the field and clubs that don't propagate that idea will always be at a disadvantage, the man most likely to save the day more often than not is the man who handles the ball the most. As an example, what are the Dragons thinking, do they think Treading Water should be a f**king Olympic event

 

[Rhino_NQ]

So Farah has joined Souths which is not all that bad, the Rabbitohs' vinegar stroke is still fresh in memory so two more years of shit happens won't break the bank. Could however provide the Lol F**kwit Brigade with extra ammunition, would almost be worth perpetuating the Robbie Smirk to see the lol's take a bullet and I'm sure Madge would like his mob be hated rather than ridiculed

Anyway, it seems the 3 best #9's consist of one that was especially bred, one that was imported and one that was converted. The common denominator is all three have a footy brain, which begs the question why in the modern game do so many clubs perpetuate the need for old time meatheads

Smith/Hodgson/Wallace are far smarter technically than the next best and have little problem defending or lasting. They must be as rare as rocking horse shit because so many clubs think the processes by which they were discovered seem in the too-hard basket

Imo the #9 is the most important player on the field and clubs that don't propagate that idea will always be at a disadvantage, the man most likely to save the day more often than not is the man who handles the ball the most. As an example, what are the Dragons thinking, do they think Treading Water should be a f**king Olympic event

lol@souffs

Granville only just cracked the 50 career game mark and is his 2nd full year is a fulltime starter so i'd wait until he gets to 100 at his current rate and will be in the top few espicially if smith hangs his boots by then.

 

[POPEYE]

I'm a firm believer that a #9 should be able to play 80 minutes at full steam and not lose direction, Smith is best because he's best at it, Hodgson could if necessary and Wallace has found his niche. Granville's speed makes him a shock weapon but he's nowhere near meeting the criteria, if substitutions drop as they should he may not cope

My point is imo clubs that struggle do so because they don't put enough emphasis on searching for the perfect #9, close enough is not good enough

 

[Rhino_NQ]

we have lost rory, ray thompson and rookie brandon smith next year so 80 minutes could well be in jakes very near future

 

[POPEYE]

Worse thing about last night was seeing Parker go out in a losing game and the best thing was putting to rest who is the best #7 of all time. Still get dipshit wankers that will deny the quality of both but only jealousy for want of their services could be the reason behind the denial

Easy to see why Parker would've walked into any club he wanted to, the minutes in the 16 years he played at the highest levels speak for themselves, game winning point scoring aside. It's a shame I didn't enjoy the result of most of the games he played in . . . still, there's his Origin to look back on with fond memories

Thurston is the best Halfback I've seen in my 68yrs, no-one comes close to his 'turning up' when it counts, he doesn't need anything except tenacity to get high on. When he got creamed last night after what he put in the week before the vibes still wouldn't turn bad, because of him the Cowboys were never going to lose . . . how could Taumalolo not be inspired

 

[POPEYE]

Monday week we're going to have to face the fact that Sticky is in the running for Coach of the Year, if the Raiders win and the Sharks lose he must be. Canberra have Hodgson to run the game on the field but all the top clubs have men to do that so kudos where kudos are due

Bennett is still blaming Origin but that's alright for the Shield, too far gone now to use it as an excuse unless key players' seasons were finished by it. The four remaining teams have enough of their key personnel to make COFTY a fair contest if winning the cup is the be-all-end-all

If Sticky takes the gong what does that mean, of all the candidates he's the most likely not to let us forget it and rightly so. Like any mature age student finally reaching his goal how long it took is neither here nor there. If the choice is between Flanno and Sticky you'll be able to hear ants having an orgy next to LU

 

[POPEYE]

Kalyn Ponga, now there's a 'Cooper Cronk' type name for you, anyone with a handle like that is destined to be either a hit or a miss . . . nothing in between. I can understand why the AFL want KP, make no mistake his initials will be all that are needed in the near future, his dodging in and out of bodies is perfectly suited to aerial ping pong

RL needs him more however, he's exactly the type of player to take advantage of opposition fatigue, something hopefully the game will one day revert to being governed by. As an example, if you work out what Kasiano is getting paid by the minute compared to the piddling amount Thurston is paid by the minute you'd understand why RL is being f**ked over

If the Cowboys are allowed to promise KP more money than any other club when he becomes a champion, something any team who inaugurates the same process should be allowed, RL may dig itself out of the shit the media is determined to bury it in. As was shown in the Cowboys/Broncos game, stamina can be the only saviour of RL . . . we need as many players who promote it as possible

 

[POPEYE]

Matters not who he plays for, let's hope Ben Hampton ultimately gets rewarded for his finest attribution. The bloke is as loyal and determined as a drover's dog, he steadfastly refused to be put off for 2 years by Melbourne not playing him in the top grade regularly

Hopefully the Cowboys have been chasing him for a starting position, the bloke needs to have a shot at establishing himself, in and out of a team won't do that. I've said before there are too many young players missing out because they're not at the right place at the right time, maybe he's one of them

On the other hand it seems Chase Blair has convinced Bellamy of something Hampton couldn't, who am I to argue with the master just because the vibes are ruffled. Pity I'm not as in awe of CB's commitment as I was in Hampton's . . . then again Bellamy is the best commitment technician in the game

 

[POPEYE]

Now that Brad and Angelina have gone up in smoke I've lost confidence in predicting anything, although it's pretty safe in saying that the next 3 games will be won by the team at it's best against the team off it's game, there is no margin for error

Tagataese is a plus but Gal is neither here nor there, Ponga went missing in defence and Bowen should be better so both teams at full strength. Depends whether you're a head or tail better. Off the beaten track I'd say Bakuya could prove risky and Bolton inspirational

If you're a Melbourne supporter you won't like the long lay-off and if you're a Raiders' you won't like the thought of playing catch-up at AAMI. All depends on how this game starts if both teams are up to scratch. Off the track I'm a big fan of Welch and Tapine, both will need watching