Redneck Redfaces

[POPEYE]

Like to thank the Suncorp crowd, combined with my surround sound set up they made the commentary almost indiscernable and great to see Blues/Maroons sitting side by side. The Qld presser was an exhibition of how League should be approached by both winner and loser and if you really want to see the man who controlled the game for 90 minutes he was sitting beside Meninga.

Almost had a tear in my eye watching Fifita, memories of Artie came flooding back with his aggressive play and dangerous capability, maybe now they've seen a real front rower Gallen's charade can be finalised. Qld won the game not because they scored but because they concentrated on not letting NSW game winners have quality ball.

Can imagine the caterwauling today, from Slater reacting to a second dump from Pearce and ignoring Gallen's head on Myles more than once right down to Smith smoothtalking the refs, something Paul should practice. Dugan/Slater did as much as they were allowed but that won't matter to the NSW arsewipes, just as Maloney was a White Pointer given a fishtank to swim in.

The most foreboding observation for me was the referees being told what to do from off the field and Cam Smith's receding hair line.

 

[POPEYE]

There'll be enough recriminations stirred up by the arsewipes to even drown out the almighty KR while we await the decider of what is officially the be-all and end-all of the League season. Slater's retaliation the newest, no mention of Maloney's intentional little knee to the head of a bloke being held up over the line or Gallen's attempts on Myles . . . difference being the Maroons didn't go crying to mama.

Origin aside, it's a simple matter of a contest with one team having an established fear factor against one without. Whether Merritt was instructed to stop Inglis at all costs or he took it upon himself matters not, Greg doesn't even have to touch the ball to make an opposition overdose on adrenalin. Nathan knew his centre partner had little chance of stopping Inglis alone which is why Boyd is like a kid in a candy store when he plays in Maroon.

So, where do the Blues find some fear factor now that Ferguson is buried under a pile of indignation. Hayne has nowhere near the workrate required, Dugan might have if the forwards aren't outgunned, Josh Reynolds has been found out so that leaves Fifita. Unfortunately he would have to sustain 80 minutes to keep the opposition guessing enough.

Albert Kelly has all the requirements, can tackle, kick, speed to burn, would be a better fullback than Hayne, a better halfback than Pearce, as good a 5/8 as Maloney, just big enough to make a good centre and I wouldn't be surprised if he's wise enough to play 9. If DCE can warm a bench Albert could set it on fire while he awaits a political clearance.

 

[POPEYE]

Forum seems to have gone sombre, not much laughing out loud, maybe it's because Souths IS the team to beat and the Shield is within their grasp. Could be a couple of years before wankers can raise a giggle again as the Rabbitohs struggle to keep players but then again, Madge doesn't seem to worry who he loses. On that note I think I'll go bush for a week or so, nothing like red dust to refresh patriotism

 

[Jason Maher]

Impossible to take anyone seriously who thinks Hayne isn't a fullback's arsehole...

 

[POPEYE]

You could find yourself in difficulty trying to judge what I take seriously, somehow I think you know that. Unless of course you're one of those wankers I speak of . . . I think not but I could be wrong.

While I'm absent, if AG misses me ask him to write down the one-liners in the Jack Irish telemovies he doesn't understand and I'll explain them when I get back . . . he'll probably get stuck on my 'is' instead of 'are'

 

[POPEYE]

Just back from the Flinders Ranges missing most of 2 rounds, did see Storm/Broncos which had some deja vu about it, Storm reminding me of the way the Seagles won most of their games in the olden days, more ass than class and all the 'luck' in their favour. Typical of a Manly game back then, the scoreboard no indication of what transpired.

Scorelines this time of year are about as revealing as a KR interview but it was interesting to note how the game is being highlighted recently by the fortunes of 'bad boys'. James Roberts suffered from the My Shit Don't Stink malady but he may recover if Dr Cleary can get him to take his medication regularly . . . definitely one Fox replay I won't miss.

Off track a bit and the only Union I watch is news snippets but still a great giggle. Forget the shit of a game attracts players that can't tackle, can't think and don't mind a scoring system that denies recognition of effort. Remember that the hopes of a whole nation relied on the input of a lone Rugby League player to overcome perservering with an incompetent coach

 

[POPEYE]

All you grand final junkies can only wish for tonight's spectacle in Perth to be replicated, took the team to beat in '13 to stop the unwanted Matty Elliott's team. Fabulous crowd surpassed only by the noise they made for both sides, atmosphere put most games on the East Coast to shame.

I thought the Knights beating the Dogs would be the best of the weekend for me but this game was not long enough for mine, deserved a one point win to Souths and all the accollades to the Warriors imo . . . keep sticking it up 'em Matty.

 

[bellyache]

$ouffs have more supporters in WA than Sydney.... $ouff WA Pirate$?.. or Perff Crowe$? Ahh! how about the Piratoh$..



.

 

[POPEYE]

I have no idea why the f**k anyone would think playing League in Darwin is a good idea in the first place, let alone spend a week training in the joint before the game. Last thing the Titans needed after being thrashed in Newcastle was to take their training away from a glorious winter on the Gold Coast to preparing in a sauna, and it was evident they did just that.

Brian Smith would have been better off last year coming straight from the airport to play against the Cowboys, the worst team he could have challenged in Darwin. Maybe Cartwright thought it was the right thing to promote the game but if he thought he had an advantage over Penrith he forgot the Panthers originate from an off season training in humidity every bit as oppressive as NQ.

Makes you wonder why the Cowboys expect to win away games when every team they play expend far less energy on the training paddock, in case anyone has forgotten Brisbane is way closer to Sydney than it is to Townsville. You'd think Cartwright should have been more concerned for his team than try and promote a game in a place where it will never be little more than a novelty.

Doesn't really bother me that I can't remember who the other referee was in Darwin but it's impossible not to associate Henry Perenara with excellence. The shit from the other bloke was almost negated by Henry's common sense refereeing and it was embarassing for him being forced to put big Mose on report by some f**kwit in the video box. If there were more like Perenara we could get away with just 3 officials at a game.

 

[Big Tim]

James McManus appreciates RL being played in Darwin... so do the Knights.

 

[POPEYE]

"Just being a part of it knowing that I've based the pre-season around this game, I've based the whole season around this series - EVERYONE HAS", Haynes said.

There I was about to hypothesise that Jarryd may have once again spat his dummy because the Blues thought there was a better fullback and selected him on the wing. Can't be possible if the whole season revolves around Origin, he'd play anywhere wouldn't he. Hmmm, can just see all the good folk who worship grand finals squirming . . . not just the Parramatta sector either.

So, according to an active legend every game outside Origin is superfluous in the minds of the best players, while we were waiting for he and others to get their act together in club games they were only rehearsing. That doesn't make the mighty finals 'pissant' does it . . . or are Hayne, Gallen and co just as dumb as they look.

After all, how can you take the once mighty premiership seriously when it has been superceded, like Ford on the verge of redundancy, made apparent to dumbarse footballers, supporters and heirarchy by the lack of concern over it's wellbeing. An Origin series that is allowed to interfere is carcinogenic . . . worse still, self inflicted.

 

[POPEYE]

Biggest danger for the Sharks is that Brisbane have to win and are at home, would be a miracle but they do happen regularly at Suncorp. Fifita will be missed more than Gallen and Lewis combined, vibes not that good and a lot depends on a Wade Graham inspirational game.

Penrith would have to turn up at the wrong ground for the Eels to win surely, Roberts and Moylan will have a side bet on tries scored but I wouldn't be surprised if Simmons upsets their apple cart. Sticky would have to be in front by 30 at half time to counteract an opposition coach that unlike him is not bereft of ideas in an emergency.

Dogs have been given yet another get out of gaol card but a buffer means Melbourne need only concern themselves with for and against when they inevitably lose this one. If the Storm get up I'll need a whole packet of throat lozengers, let's hope every team on 18 pick up a couple. Dogs still have a bye after this round but so do Melbourne

I've got a theory the Cowboys will always do it tough unless they build an air-conditioned training field but even if the Seagles spent a week in the home of humidity they won't get beaten by a team led by Lui.

 

[POPEYE]

Not sure why the England coach is claimed to be here on a 'spying' mission, don't the Poms get Origin live anymore. Can't be he wants to sneak into training sessions when we all know Qld/NSW aren't really 'coached', maybe he's trying to discover how 'inspiration' works.

To be fair the 16 teams in the World Cup should be reduced to 14 by putting Ireland/Wales back where they belong in a Great Britain team and have Qld and NSW appear as separate entities. Why not try and weaken the favourites instead of the f**king outsiders, after all the NSW Cup could offer a side capable of beating most of the rest.

If all other competitions are just placebos to Origin, maybe it should be expanded to four teams, Qld/NSW/Britain/NZ. That way the whole World of League would have the advantage of equal preparation for the 'World Cup' . . . well four teams at least. F**k, that won't work, means there will be a larger abyss between the 4 and the rest than there is between Australia and the rest.

 

[POPEYE]

Can't win the fight against infirmity but will never succumb to conformity so I haven't given up on Melbourne to win The Shield, Souths vs Sharks gf and Dogs to miss the 8 . . . unrealistic maschinations unfortunately. Aside from that I look upon every game which has both teams close to full strength as a grand final, which means I don't have to wait till September.

This weekend however the only thing on offer is how many points the Panthers will score and who scores them. An upset will not suffice because by definition an upset is a result where one team is not expected to offer a contest. Bellyache's off eradicating pigs which looks far more interesting so I might join him, footy will only be worth a replay, certainly not the price of admission.

Come to think of it, isn't that the reason wankers don't want stand-alone Origin, afraid to miss their footy . . . dearie me.

 

[POPEYE]

When I was a kid my Aunt gave me a penny and sent me into the toilet on Central station, unfortunately in the only cubicle available my penny didn't work so I had to crawl under the door. Ever since I've steadfastly refused to visit a shithouse requiring conditional entry, seems the Telegraph is doing me a favour by asking me to register. Not that I care but if the same articles are reproduced on other sites doesn't that mean the Tele think their shit don't stink.

Do we have a Brett Stewart manifestation appearing in the Ferguson affair, is the bloke being denied justice and will he have the right to sue for wrongful accusation. Take it from me, being adjourned is not proof of guilt, the best chance the Blues have may be fritted away by bad management. There's absolutely no f**king reason a player can't be rehabilitated from the demon grog and still play footy, to the contrary it should be prescribed as part of the healing process.

 

[POPEYE]

Those of you who bother keeping this thread alive by reading it will know what I think of Origin and the avoidable damage to the game it constitutes but above all else my fight is against anyone who thinks we as supporters are dumb. For instance the NSW team is stronger without Gallen playing out of position or his attention-grabbing destabilisation.

McManus and Cordner will add far more than Hayne and with the exception of Ferguson this team will have as good a chance as any in the last 8 years. Never think one-eyed supporters are detrimental to the game, they are an integral part of it and what from them appears as conceitedness is merely bravado. The threat to League comes from people who see the game as a vehicle to further their financial interests, they are like bad cops.

Imo there is too much throwing the baby out with the bathwater, perfectly illustrated by a 'shoulder charge' rule that only needed to be encompassed in the 'attack to the head' rule, which should also cover punching to the head. Origin games are only detrimental to the season because media want it that way, the same as they want an 8 team final series or neglect a season long battle for a Shield that offers little value to them but is the hardest to win.

As long as true supporters of the game are thought to be insignificant or intellectually inferior there is no need for hangers on to produce the best or fairest product, as long as the easiest route to the greatest profitability is sustained.

 

[POPEYE]

There have been many players over the years that have been inspirational, the second highest accolade achievable in the game, on the pinnacle are those who exude an omnipresence. More than talent or ability they are a dark cloud to opposition players and supporters, a foreboding as they take the field that doesn't dissipate until they leave it.

To their supporters they provide not just a chance for victory but solidarity in a fight to the end. Sharks supporters will offer Gallen as one of the few but he will never be more than inspirational, his absence a blow but not demoralising. Inglis is on the verge of joining the elite because he is metamorphasising from a dangerous player to a predominant one, he no longer must have the ball in his hands to threaten.

Thurston is one of the three present players I consider to be in the top echelon although circumstances are not conducive at the Cowboys. The two who are undoubtedly qualified are Jamie Lyon and Cam Smith, they have that elusive will to win that comes from years of singlemindedness in conjunction with ability. I doubt SBW will remain in League long enough to reach the heights but if he had not left he would be among them now.

Marshall has the ability to frighten the opposition but he can be contained, matter of fact I think the Tigers would be better off if he f**ked off, imo he's not even among the group of inspirational players. The testimony on Smith/Lyon/Thurston/Inglis is that their fellow players will play for them more than for anything else.

 

[POPEYE]

It was nicer to tell my kids that I follow Qld because I don't like NSW selection politics, it's really because I associate the Blues with that shithole Sydney which I detest. Since my grandsons are making the 8 hour trek over the fence and back to watch the last Origin and I've had a gutfull of media bleating I sincerely hope the Blues win tonight.

Assuming Origin doesn't f**k up yet another week of traditional League and all hands are on deck we can celebrate with some interesting games. The Warriors may have a battle against the Tigers who have muzzled their loose canon, which imo was due to be pushed overboard, and now can concentrate making every step a forward one. The oohs and ahhs will be replaced by a huge sigh of Potter relief.

Raiders/Eels should be the exception to a contest

Roosters/Sharks will be more of a statement than a game, euphoria or disappointment over Origin will have equal effect and Gallen is now just icing instead of cream. There will only be an upset if there is a huge difference either way in the score.

Panthers at home against the Knights will be either a bottler or fizzer, as Benny says it depends who gets off the bus and Cleary will be worried when his side is not in the pink. Fingers crossed we see both in full flight, a rare sight maybe but if this game doesn't get bums on seats Penrith should be ashamed.

With the serious part of the season about to begin Manly will begin to get serious and from here on in we should see an eagle shaped mark on the bench. Titans may not be favoured but they need to win or lose in a close contest if they want to honour what they have promised. Hopefully a great game for Carty's sake.

On paper the bye might offer a bigger challenge than the Dragons who will have to play well to make the Rabbitohs play well. If the Dragons play badly for 75 and sneak in a great 5 they might catch Souths napping . . . I can't see any other scenario.

With the last Origin done and dusted three of the teams heavily affected by it get a bye when it no longer matters and a vulture gets to sit in the tree beside them . . . whodathought. Can just hear that famous Thurston laugh if he were to be quizzed and the usual 'what would you expect' from him. Maybe with the influential Greenberg moving higher up we may see a fairer distribution

 

[POPEYE]

There will be the usual recriminations you'd expect from NSW but anyone with a modicum of intelligence will realise there is simply a fanny hair difference between the best and second best League teams on the planet. The only thing that could have overcame the experience of Qld would have been a better kicking game from the Blues. You'd think Fittler would have passed that on . . . then again.

I thought Qld did well disguising the fact that Inglis was a virtual passenger, he looked a bit white around the gills with pain.

 

[POPEYE]

I'd like to forget Origin as soon as possible and get on with the important stuff but some people just rile me no f**king end, especially the wankers praising Farah over Smith, they think Cam got the Player Of The Series by default. NSW supporters must really think Meninga is a coach, Hagan just an assistant and Smith merely a captain.

My tired eyes were two of many thousands that saw Inglis was ratshit in the part of the game he usually runs amok, Smith relied on him being able to defend only and sent all the attack down the right side. Hodges and Tate had to carry the lion's share and DCE had to cover Inglis. The way Smith orchestrated the game and coached on-field was light years ahead of anything Farah could even imagine.

Like to wish Graham Murray all the best with his second heart attack, the bloke is much much more than he's given credit for, should be coaching Parramatta. Not sure of his latest condition and fingers crossed for the champion.