Redneck Redfaces

[POPEYE]

Can't help being caught up in the Great Penrith Revival, or the perception of it at least. Can only be a perception but the Roosters this time last year were perceived as dam busters and look what happened. Ivan, and Jabba for that matter, have gone from virgins to expectant mothers in the stroke of a pen.

The players are abuzz with excitement, each one rivalling Nostradamus and promising to shake the League world with their newfound enthusiasm . . . Jamie is still a bit reserved but that is understandable. Cleary now is faced with a more favourable conundrum, who to fill spots instead of fill in gaps.

Jabba is almost king of the castle, he can't be blamed if anyone slides, it's plain to see he's done all he can to fill Centrebet. That in itself is the most daunting task, whereas Doggie supporters will turn up if their team starts winning it's more difficult dragging Penrith Pokie People away from the watering hole.

Along with a lot of other people I would like to see a Cumberland Basin reinvigoration, any or all of Eels/Panthers/Tigers rocking the joint down would be a great year, coming away with a token prize at the end of it means little compared to establishing a permanent threat in years to come.

 

[bellyache]

Green using Robbo's concepts has the cowboys primed.. Remember this!;-)

 

[POPEYE]

Let's hope so

 

[POPEYE]

After reading that Sandow, the Eels 'pint sized playmaker' was back in training and looking impressive my first thought was to check Parra's comings and goings on the NRL website. Qualifying Chris as a playmaker is being extremely kind to a bloke who has trouble distinguishing playing League from playing two-up.

Another diminuitive half, Allan Langer, was definitely a game winner but it's a stretch of the imagination to call him a playmaker. Parramatta have to look for someone, even if only remotely, like Wally Lewis, who can have the opposition guessing whilst keeping one eye on a halfback that plays bush footy. Anyone who's seen Indigenous bush footy will know what I mean.

I can't imagine Arthur relying on Sandow to follow instructions let alone come up with moves 2 or 3 plays ahead. The bloke could be a good fit with the Eels if he's used as Alfie was, like a mouse to an elephant, but the Pied Piper he'll never make

 

[POPEYE]

Just reading that despite his wishes Luke Keary will be forced to play Origin for NSW, no big deal for everyone except him because the NRL owe the Blues one with Inglis even if it is a travesty. In the same article it is noted that Brenton Lawrence is the oldest member of the Qld emerging player squad.

Must confess that when I first saw him play for GC I thought he was another John Ribot, big enough but too fast to play in the forwards and as a consequence possibly lacking in the necessary hard headedness that comes with not being able to outrun anyone. His performances with Manly have apparently been an eye opener to many other than myself.

He's just what the Seagles need to move on and even if his speed suffers a little in the end there could come a day when the Titans, who are also in need of fresh front rowers, will rue the day this bloke got away. If he ever becomes a permanent member of the Maroons it will because he has created havoc . . . imo more appetising than what Ribot did for Manly, and no poaching necessary

 

[POPEYE]

Reading that Daley has brought the Blues together for an impromptu camaraderie exercise is a bit of a giggle, not because it's happening but because it took so f**king long to initiate. I've been sprouting for years that NSW should have a full on training session at least once a month starting in the pre season.

If a player wants to play Origin he should be prepared for the extra effort, no train no play imo. The Blues have been searching for a missing link for years, maybe they should employ Darren Lehmann to teach them about familiarity. He has taken Cricket from the boardroom to the trenches, just short of buying the players Harleys and patches.

It must be worth 10 points start if the Blues already have the game plan down pat before Origin is even thought of, Qld can't prepare any better, they've had what's needed down pat for the best part of a decade.

 

[Spot On]

Ten point start if we find a halfback.

 

[POPEYE]

You may be right, 3 or 4 strenuous training sessions with a few halfbacks in the squad might open Laurie's eyes

 

[POPEYE]

Just to add, if Pearce was to be replaced by Adam Reynolds for instance who is playing behind a pack of forwards most of whom aren't even allowed to play Origin, how much more cohesian would there be if he was in a squad that has been training together all year. How much better could Pearce be if he trained all year with the team that's supposed to suffer because of his inclusion with minimal training sessions.

As it stands now, come the start of the Origin mardis gras there is one team that just needs a refresher course and another in need of apprenticeship. Qld have the better players and better preparation and still only managed to win a few of the series by a fanny hair. Half a dozen extra solid training sessions that coincided with early season player form could see that hair plucked

 

[POPEYE]

Who is going to question the temerity of the bloke with a GPS strapped to his back that proves every step on the field is more valuable than any other player. Cam Smith throwing down the gauntlet to Melbourne/Brisbane is the final chapter in what may be an epic autobiography. Matters little whether he really intends to complete or if the inevitable injury will hold off 4 more years.

Some people are going to say he suffers from delusions of grandeur, most will realise he's just excusing himself from public hysteria. There can be no doubt that 'business as usual' on the field is no different off it. Won't be the same player for me if he leaves the Storm, still imo the best of all time just a little less in awe of but if he does hang around until he's 35 doing what he does I won't complain where he does it.

 

[bellyache]

http://www.nrl.com/mvps-of-2014-james-maloney/tabid/10874/newsid/75916/default.aspx

There is surely little argument that the Roosters were the best club in terms of recruiting from 2012 into 2013. Their high profile new faces – James Maloney, Sonny Bill Williams and Michael Jennings – all starred throughout the year as the Tricolours surged to their first premiership in 11 years.
All those players – along with longer serving clubmen such as Mitchell Pearce, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Anthony Minichiello, Jake Friend and plenty of others – played key roles throughout the campaign, so choosing which of their 2013 stars is most important to their 2014 chances is no easy task.
Clearly Williams made a massive difference; his combination with Jennings on the left side in attack was a highlight of the Roosters' play and the club will be hoping for a repeat performance from the rugby-bound back-rower in what is likely to be his final year as a rugby league player (barring a return in the twilight of his career). However the all-round package Maloney offered – his playmaking, his running game, his goal kicking, his combination with several players and in particular halfback Mitchell Pearce – made a massive difference.
In his first season at the club Maloney finished the year (including finals) top of the tree for try assists, with 26 from 25 games. His partner in crime Pearce notched 20, making them by far the most prolific halves combination in the NRL with 46 assists, well ahead of Manly duo Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran on 33.
Maloney's goal-kicking saw him finish the year as comfortably the NRL's top point-scorer with 108 goals and nine tries for a tally of 252 points, ahead of Manly skipper Jamie Lyon, whose 240 points included 16 tries and 88 goals. The handful of stabs towards the sticks from the likes of Daniel Mortimer and Boyd Cordner in the rare games Maloney was unavailable for the Roosters highlighted his value in that department.
Maloney's running game also proved a fearsome weapon for the Tricolours – he broke through the line 18 times in his 25 games, seventh among all comers, with just five wingers and one fullback ahead of him. Next best among playmakers were Shaun Johnson, with 13 breaks from 24 games, and Daly Cherry-Evans with the same number from 27 games.
But possibly the biggest measure of Maloney's impact was his combination with long-serving Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce. The Roosters had finished 13th and 11th in the previous two seasons when Pearce was partnered by Braith Anasta in the halves, and even the 2010 grand final appearance had to be earned from a sixth-placed ladder finish (which would have been seventh if not for Melbourne's disqualification that year) and a worse defensive record than any other top-eight side.
But in 2013 Maloney and Pearce guided the side around the park expertly and teamed up in all three State of Origin matches, where they came agonisingly close to ending Queensland's long unbeaten run.
Maloney's value both in terms of his individual form and his partnership with Pearce will again be the foundation on which the Roosters build their campaign in 2014.

Could have been still at Storm or Eels..

 

[POPEYE]

Although some will say the stats which you surprisingly provide are merely prima facie because why if Pearce/Maloney did so well in one sphere why couldn't they replicate it in another. Of course I should then jump on the soapbox again and shout 'hallelujah, that's what I'm f**king talking about'. . . not quite that easy.

The players that surrounded these two all year arguably aren't as talented as those in the Blues so the only reason they didn't dominate has to be because the Origin team didn't train enough together. Trouble is, Pearce and Maloney didn't have to face the Maroons every game to win their team a premiership.

Still, the fact remains if Daley was as good a coach as Robinson appears to be and he had as many training sessions as possible between now and Origin the Blues would be undeniably more cohesive. Wonder what Bellamy would have come up with had the team he was asked to coach had as fair a shot at the same cohesion he instilled in the nucleus of the Maroons facing him.

All I'm saying is to judge Maloney/Pearce in a team of individuals that haven't been rid of stubborn mindset is foolhardy.

Just for you, since Maloney is indispensable and Williams is not would it not be right to assume the 5/8 is on twice the money

 

[bellyache]

IMO the Blues lost the 013 SOO because of the omissions of both Ferguson and Dugan after game 1, which took Hayne from his centre spot and allowed the geniused selection of Merrit. The only Blues forwards that would strengthen Easts pack would be both Fafita and Bird, the rest wouldn't get a start at Easts. It is a shame that Hargraves, SBW, Friend, Guerra, FPN, Napa and Moa aren't eligable for NSW....

 

[bellyache]

http://www.nrl.com/testing-times-for-maroons-hopefuls/tabid/10874/newsid/75928/default.aspx
It's the height of irony that the program that has contributed significantly to Queensland's eight consecutive State of Origin Series wins was born out of a fear that a Blues dominance was ruining the game's showpiece as a spectacle.


The year was 2000 and when New South Wales put 56 on the Maroons in Game Three of a Series whitewash, some south of the border suggested that unless Queensland could lift their act then Origin faced an uncertain future.


In the same year that Wayne Bennett established the Queensland Academy of Sport Emerging Origin camp to identify and indoctrinate future Queensland representatives, the 2001 batch of Maroons turned the tables and delivered a shock Series win of their own.


But there was more pain to follow, as the likes of Brad Fittler, Andrew Johns and Danny Buderus led the Blues to what at the time was equal to the longest winning streak in Origin history; three straight Series wins from 2003-2005.


"The crap you'd cop from kids that had come from down south, country boys from out western NSW who were up in boarding school in Brisbane, was horrible," remembers Chambers, who was a student at the famed Nudgee College when NSW won their third Series in succession in 2005.


"We were never meant to get there and we were never meant to get close to them and now we're there and been pretty dominant over the last eight years."


Chambers appears the logical replacement for Justin Hodges should the Broncos centre fail to recover in time from an achilles injury for Game One of the 2014 Series. Having already represented the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby, Chambers was part of the latest batch of Emerging Origin squad members to receive further Maroons education in Brisbane over the weekend.


Coming off an outstanding season in 2013, Roosters hooker Jake Friend has put himself in the frame as Cameron Smith's deputy and has similarly traumatic memories of the time when Queensland were apparently down and out.


"I was in high school around that time so obviously it was disappointing to watch Queensland getting beat, but it's been good the last eight years watching it," Friend says.


"The family are all Queenslanders and it was definitely a quiet household when Queensland got beat."


As he eyes a decade of dominance and with an apparent endless supply of talent knocking down the doors of selectors, NRL.com thought it would be helpful to provide Maroons coach Mal Meninga with an additional selection criteria.


We concocted five questions that we thought all Queenslanders should know the answers to and asked Emerging Origin squad members Chambers, Friend, Anthony Milford and Korbin Sims to press their claims.


We're awaiting confirmation from the QRL but we're fairly confident that the quiz master will be named 18th man for Game One.


1. Who is the Premier of Queensland?
Will Chambers: Campbell Newman.
Jake Friend: Newman. I don't know his first name.
Anthony Milford: Kevin Rudd? I don't even know his name.
Korbin Sims: Campbell Newton?


2. When did Dreamworld first open?
WC: 1993.
JF: Probably before my time.
AM: Ages ago.
KS: Well before my time. 1988?


3. How old is Wayne Bennett?
WC: 25? Nah, is there a 60? 62.
JF: A bit over 40 I think.
AM: I honestly don't even know. 58? Something like that?
KS: Stop it... 62. His birthday's the day before mine.


4. Which of the seven natural wonders of the world is found in Queensland?
WC: Great Barrier Reef.
JF: Great Barrier Reef.
AM: I've got no clue.
KS: What's it called, it's up there. I've drawn a blank... Great Barrier Reef!


5. When were the Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane?
WC: No idea, I wasn't even alive was I?
JF: No idea, I've got nothing.
AM: 2006?
KS: 1980?


Answers:
1. Campbell Newman
2. 1981
3. 64
4. Great Barrier Reef
5. 1982


Final score:
Will Chambers 2
Korbin Sims 1.5
Jake Friend 1.5
Anthony Milford 0


Good news for Chambers, he's taken another important step towards making his Queensland Origin debut.

 

[POPEYE]

IMO the Blues lost the 013 SOO because of the omissions of both Ferguson and Dugan after game 1, which took Hayne from his centre spot and allowed the geniused selection of Merrit. The only Blues forwards that would strengthen Easts pack would be both Fafita and Bird, the rest wouldn't get a start at Easts. It is a shame that Hargraves, SBW, Friend, Guerra, FPN, Napa and Moa aren't eligable for NSW....

What makes you think they'd want to play for NSW . . . Qld is the first choice for most good players

 

[POPEYE]

Reading how Mango is supposedly having a whinge that the Cowboys retired him prematurely reminded me of Cliff Lyons who also wasn't willing to be put to pasture. Bowen is threatening to do a better job than Sam Tomkins would have done in the WCC, easy to imagine with the temperatures we've been having.

I was scoffed at when I reckoned Mango would have made a better 5/8 than most running around and should have been snapped up by an NRL club,I mean fmd, he'd have to be better value than Tuquiri, especially in a club craving for experience like the Eels . . . better kicking game than Sandow.

Anyway, Cliffy being addicted to League returned to Manly, played more games than any other for the Seagles at 37 and afterwards slowly went kicking and screaming into retirement. Lyons massacred the opposition in 7's, Mango would do the same in 9's. He says his body is working fine by the way, probably no more dicky than Slater.

If Mango's sabbatical in SL rejuvenates him imo he'll return to the NRL, be surprised if the nemesis of the Indigenous, homesickness, doesn't offer the excuse he needs for reincarnation.

Also, I reckon that any player finding it tough to find longevity playing out of The Home of Humidity should try his arm in a climate suited to League before going to SL . . . anywhere further than 800k south of Townsville

 

[Porkie]

IMO the Blues lost the 013 SOO because of the omissions of both Ferguson and Dugan after game 1, which took Hayne from his centre spot and allowed the geniused selection of Merrit. The only Blues forwards that would strengthen Easts pack would be both Fafita and Bird, the rest wouldn't get a start at Easts. It is a shame that Hargraves, SBW, Friend, Guerra, FPN, Napa and Moa aren't eligable for NSW....

They lost for the same reason they lose every year - myth Pearce and rampant nepotism.

 

[bellyache]

They lost for the same reason they lose every year - myth Pearce and rampant nepotism.

You need to watch a game of RL and stop believing what you read forums and papers mate..... Your #7 wouldn't make the 17 at Easts.. ;-)

 

[bellyache]

Reading how Mango is supposedly having a whinge that the Cowboys retired him prematurely reminded me of Cliff Lyons who also wasn't willing to be put to pasture. Bowen is threatening to do a better job than Sam Tomkins would have done in the WCC, easy to imagine with the temperatures we've been having.

I was scoffed at when I reckoned Mango would have made a better 5/8 than most running around and should have been snapped up by an NRL club,I mean fmd, he'd have to be better value than Tuquiri, especially in a club craving for experience like the Eels . . . better kicking game than Sandow.

Anyway, Cliffy being addicted to League returned to Manly, played more games than any other for the Seagles at 37 and afterwards slowly went kicking and screaming into retirement. Lyons massacred the opposition in 7's, Mango would do the same in 9's. He says his body is working fine by the way, probably no more dicky than Slater.

If Mango's sabbatical in SL rejuvenates him imo he'll return to the NRL, be surprised if the nemesis of the Indigenous, homesickness, doesn't offer the excuse he needs for reincarnation.

Also, I reckon that any player finding it tough to find longevity playing out of The Home of Humidity should try his arm in a climate suited to League before going to SL . . . anywhere further than 800k south of Townsville

He was always a little fragile but You never know, 014 could see his return?

 

[The Mad Hatter]

You need to watch a game of RL and stop believing what you read forums and papers mate..... Your #7 wouldn't make the 17 at Easts.. ;-)

My father-in-law doesn't read the papers, doesn't use the internet, picked Manly and Easts to make the NRL GF (back in March 2013), doesn't get wound up by the footy like those who 'support' teams (as he doesn't have one), and is the kind of bloke who doesn't say much, but when he does, you generally take note.

Even after all that, the only bad word he has about RL...

...that Mitchell Pearce is shit.


Apologies Popeye. I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing.