Redneck Redfaces

[POPEYE]

This the penultimate round may be the ultimate round for the Dogs who have been the real pretenders, not Penrith. Souths don't have to win for the table's sake but they need to do to the Dogs what the Roosters did to the Warriors if they want to regain their confidence to the required level. Dessie is fighting a war with disabled canon so no excuses for Maguire with both twins on board

Again the Broncos get a leg up, they'll need it against the Dragons who are in the enviable position of not having to prove a great deal more, handling learning curves are a lot more fun than the straight line speed that will be expected of them next year. Just the same that shining light bouncing off Mary's bald noggin will try and spotlight Hook's fading glow

Temporary Mullen is supposedly available and Tahu will do his best to bring back what Smith took away, something the Eels will need to circumvent to clear the field for landing. Way back in Jack's day I never liked the Eels playing Newcastle . . . then again Parra never had Hayne and the Knights never had Gidley

Crikey, the whole world must be going for the Tigers, I'm going for the Raiders because I hate the thought of Sticky's impending self harm being on my conscience

Keep telling myself Melbourne don't have to beat the Roosters, why would they want to relinquish the element of surprise the next time they meet . . . f**k it, that'll have to do

Warriors can't possibly get beaten by the Titans . . .

How good would it be if Panthers played Seagles in the bush this round, why doesn't the NRL take match of the weekend to Dubbo for instance, there are that many Manly fans out here it's not funny and a couple of hours drive is a piss in the ocean. I hope the Brookie swamp is underwater and Penrith catch the Seagles with wet wings

Cowboys can't possibly get beaten by the Sharks . . .

 

[POPEYE]

Crikey, Cronk is playing his 250th, which means in all probability the Roosters will lift and another great player landmark will turn pear shaped, pity a player can't get a free try for his achievement. This is his 11th year so the bloke's average games per year is extraordinary considering he missed many because of Origin.

Even more spectacular is the minutes he played in those 11 years. Don't blame me for using Storm players as an example, anyone out there feel free to throw some more names into the mix, but what if clubs could claim a rebate on the salary cap. Why not have 'value for money' as a consideration.

Cam Smith plays 80 minutes every game for 20 NRL games for example, if another club uses 5 players to cover the same time on the field due to injury and interchange why can't that club only pay the same in minutes that Melbourne pays for Smith's minutes. Doesn't matter if the club has to pay the 5 players twice as much as Smith out of their bank account it's minutes on the field that matter.

You may say if Manly could afford to pay 5 players the quality of Ballin to sit on the sidelines all year, only debiting the 80 minutes from the cap they played in total against Smith, it would be unfair. Then again, Manly can only play one at a time and Melbourne would rather have Smith for the 80.

All of the above is a roundabout way of saying why are clubs paying for absenteeism. If Farah can't play for 80 minutes why is his full wage considered in the salary cap, if Farah gets injured why can't Wests substitute players to the same value to compensate without having to consider the cap.

Melbourne aren't where they are because of the big three, they're there because the big three play the minutes they do. Manly are there because their players play the minutes, the Titans are where they are because the money invested is not being paid interest, some of their blokes could even be called malingerers . . . something dumbarses designing the cap never even considered

 

[POPEYE]

Souths were never going to lose, but were they ever going to win. They looked like a Lotto winner trying to find his ticket and played like a flu epidemic in a nunnery. I couldn't wait to watch a B grade movie that I also endured because the ending had to be worth the wait, so who got MOM . . . had to be Sam.

The look on his face wasn't pain, it was consternation, ordinarily he would have stayed off but standing in front of the shower with a sore hip he knew it was the needle or nothing. Could come back to bite him but a great effort.

Best thing about the whole sordid affair was the Menace actually thought the Dogs might win, tried his little heart out bless him. You could tell Dessie knew what the result was going to be early on when his mob tried to pull a rabbit from a hat with tweezers.

Souths just suffered a bad does of the heeby jeebies, whether or not the cold sweats are going to get worse because of the 42 year layoff remains to be seen. Reminds me of the '69 gf when Balmain won by doing everything they could to slow the game down to a snail's pace and just plain gave Souths players the shits. I remember Sattler pleading with the referee just like Inglis did

 

[POPEYE]

If the resurgence by the Dragons didn't have Mary written all over it I can't read, remember when he used to leave the opposition in his wake with his deceiving speed. Great to see his mob show the same energy abeit again after an apparent half time spiel. They only have to begin the way they finish to be a threat next year.

Cummins imo has always been the most dubious referee in the otto bin, I must have missed something when early in the game a player was tackled mid air in the field of play landing in-goal and no penalty. In-goal surely must be harder f**king ground due to less traffic, why is it not dangerous. Cummins went from stuffup to f**kup as is his usual when he tries to square up . . . the bloke's a panic merchant.

Just read once the ball bounces you can break a bloke's neck in a mid air tackle . . . that clears that up

 

[POPEYE]

Damn those f**king vibes, sat through the whole game knowing the Roosters were going to win, didn't help when dopey Kimmorley tipped the Storm. I'd rather Hook won next week than Robbo this week but the Roosters deserve to be where they are, they can only get better on a dry track or peak too early . . . I reckon they'll improve.

Hayne will never be the best fullback in the game if he doesn't bend his back defending against tries, I don't think he touched a Newcastle tryscorer. Stone looks to have the makings of a good team and hopefully the Knights will get a shot under the radar in '15.

Sticky had a win and the commentators as usual were talking up 'when he gets the squad he wants' like they believe it. The young Raiders put in but you can't be sure it wasn't just enthusiasm, something that always produces early but needs cultivating to grow . . . the only way Sticky will get a green thumb is if he sticks it up Shrek's arse

 

[POPEYE]

So where are we up to, Melbourne can't win the pissant cup without Widdop, Warriors can't win it without Maloney, can Souths do without Sutton or was Friday night just an anomaly. Is Lui going to be good enough, pigs will have to fly, is Foran smart enough to keep Manly in the running and the poor old Panthers . . . if only Soward wasn't on his Pat Malone

Seems 5/8 is now the flavour of the month, 3 vertebrae aren't enough any longer, take away any of the top 5 team's #6 and Bob's your auntie. Let's just pick one, say Maloney or Widdop, add him and only him to Broncos, Panthers, Warriors, Dogs, Cowboys, Storm, Rabbitohs or even Manly if you think Foran is not a good enough playmaker . . . makes every one a favourite cup winner

 

[POPEYE]

Never consider watching Nine's Sunday Marathon so if I can't wait for the Fox replay I have to listen to the radio, when Manly scored the winning try I kicked the dog when he tried to jump up. The little bloke looked at me with big eyes as if he was saying 'What the f**k did you do that for, according to Harrigan the Seagles were disallowed a fair try earlier anyway'

I'm not interested in f**king karma I told him, I want either Souths/Cowboys/Warriors to win the pissant cup, there are 100's of thousands of people who want to see something different this year. Even the Panthers have many well wishers outside their territory, only a handful of 'I told you so's' will care if one of the usual big boppers win it

If the dog could talk he'd tell me what happens in the really interesting part of the League year doesn't matter in the scheme of things. What does a f**king dog know, momentum is paramount, Roosters and Seagles know the value of being 'Minor' Premiers in a game where confidence means everything

 

[POPEYE]

Crikey, were the Cowboys really trying the whole game or just the bit in golden point when they steamrolled through a set and popped a field goal, simple as wiping your arse. NQ don't deserve any kudos if that's the way it eventuated.

Because I'd like to see the Cowboys win the cup and see Cronulla go gangbusters next year I prefer to believe the young Sharks are growing another set of teeth. Maybe Thurston's mob were really caught on the hop by a group of inhibition free youngsters, after all they are NRL players and you have to be good to become one

A good result for those who believe the finals can be won by anyone in the eight, if 16 can frighten the shit out of five then 8 can surely get a roll on, a leg up by referees and no trips to the casualty ward . . . have to happen all at once but it's been a funny year

 

[POPEYE]

Sonny soon off on a sabbatical and Sam is now regarded his equal or better, wonder if the Pom was always loved would he have found money for old rope as attractive as the Kiwi. Only good thing about Sam going is we get to see wankers crying over spilt milk at least once more if Souths play as well as they can . . . that happens and the Roosters won't win

Maybe not bad vibes yet but Melbourne are treading water, coping with Origin, losing Widdop and lousy scheduling too much to ask of their old blokes while they try to carry a few gremlins in the ranks. Methinks the usual wood the Storm have over the Broncos may this time be Balsa, no foxing and in need of a revival are the Mexicans

Sharks can't swim backwards so they have to think everything good is in front of them. The Tigers are acting more like donkeys. Farah thinks he's got carrots in his pocket for when the time is ripe, I hope they go stale while he's waiting

All about Sticky in Canberra, he will claim victory no matter who wins. In reality there is not much difference between the teams, each has enough game winners, the difference will be at half time. Stuart will have his collar backwards and Arthur his thinking cap on . . . all depends who is listening

Melbourne are not the only team with gremlins, the Cowboys have Lui, the Seagles don't have any. Horo will cancel out Cooper, Thurston will have to put in an Origin performance to inspire a far better showing than against the Sharks. Hopefully the Cowboys played last week with this week in mind, anyone's guess how Green's mind works . . . just re-signed Lui for f**k sake

Knights v Dragons, who cares . . . I do

Blame Cartwright and replace him with another recognised scapegoat, doesn't make sense until you consider how much the Titans talk up Bird. How many games have this mob won with him on the paddock, next to the part time spine he has to be their greatest bugbear. With him out GC might be able to concentrate on beating the Dogs

With Segeyaro playing the Panthers might not finish the game with their hands in the air. From memory after the last time Johnson played at Sportingbet he was dropped by Elliott. Shaun will have to have another shit game, which is not unusual, for Soward to carry Penrith to victory. Really the Could Be in black against the May Be in pink . . . or is it vice versa

 

[POPEYE]

66% of nearly 4000 people so far want one referee according to the SMH, would be better if it was the Tele and included their 'believe anything' readers. There was something about Cummings and Souths somewhere, then again there'll always be claims of favouritism and teams 'favourable to a referee's peculiarity' in adjudication

I'll try not to mention the great Richard Silverwood again . . . sorry . . . but considering it's been such a shit year why not finish it without controversy. Pretend the cup final means something and referee it the way Origin should be refereed, one referee without tickets on himself with the least chance of being biased

Wouldn't it be great to see a final series with players exhausted on the ground at the end of each game because stoppages were at a minimum, instead of players milling around like a Sunday arvo bbq patting each other on the back.

I haven't a f**king clue which team is going to survive injuries, the bounce of the ball or be affected by a bad day at the office but I'm willing to bet the joint I'm living in that officials will have at least as much to say in results as the players. Shit happens is ok, shit being made to happen is not

 

[POPEYE]

Hate to admit it but I didn't bother with the second half last night, not that I didn't like to see Souths get beaten but I did want them to man up. It was clear the authorities weren't going to be pedantic, even turn a blind eye, so why didn't the Rabbitohs match the rough housing. Being beaten is one thing, being bullied is another. Didn't help seeing Inglis run down

Watching Sutton and Keary reminded me of the only blind date I ever went on, it would have been slack of the Roosters if they hadn't taken advantage of the pussyfooting around. Actually, the 'culture' style footy Easts played reminded me of the mid 70's, I like that 'take no prisoners' stuff. Still, disappointment got the better of me so I didn't hang around to see what I thought was going to be a mismatch.

How the f**k it ended up a 4 point ball game is intriguing, means I'll now have to watch the replay. Interesting that my Big Pond T-Box has a channel that amongst other things allows you to choose which half of the game replay you want to watch, maybe like me they believe a League match is comprised of 2 games . . . at least it should be if the coaches earn what they are paid

I've got to find out if Souths reacted positively to Robbo's oranges or the Roosters forgot the Viagra, either way, starting late or finishing early is not the right recipe this time of year

 

[Jason Maher]

The Roosters brought the Bunnies back into the game with a beyond stupid offload from Tupou to Luke, who passed it wide, where it ended up in the hands of Dylan Walker. Walker's after-burners against a defensive line that thought it was an attacking line did the rest. Souths got their confidence back from that, and were able to make a lot more metres and lay on two more nice tries. Basically, the first 25 minutes of the second half was owned by Mitchell Pearce up one end and the Roosters brick wall up the other (aided and abetted by a Bunnies player getting binned). Then Souths went on a 10 minute scoring spree courtesy of the aforementioned Roosters stupidity, then the Roosters, and Pearce in particular, had enough wherewithal to kill the game in the last 5.

Given the ridiculous level of hyper-criticism Pearce has copped on LU (which I may or may have contributed to at some point :sarcasm, it was good to see him have a blinder. I subscribe to your theory that anyone who plays in the NRL is far from rubbish. Pearce has disappointed in Origin (as has pretty much every other New South Wales half who has been thrown to the wolves in the last decade), but he's generally done the job at NRL level.

 

[POPEYE]

That saves me catching a replay. You may know that ever since Pearce first appeared as a trophy snared by Politis when his old man Wayne probably wanted him a Tiger I have ceaselessly championed the bloke. His outstanding schoolboy talent under Bellamy, Hasler, Bennett or even Muzza would have had him the equal of Cronk imo.

Instead he had to endure 6 years of absolute shit coaching, that he remained an Origin player during the dark ages of Smith and Fittler is a testimony to how good the bloke could have been. Robbo is much more than a saviour of the Roosters, it must have been frustrating for him when as assistant coach he had to sit back and watch the Smith regime f**k up such potential.

Anyway, all's well that ends well, Mitchell is in the headlines for the right reasons now, if ever a bloke deserved what's left of his footy career going gangbusters it's this bloke. People that only care about trophies will again be taken aback when he wins another cup, the rest of us knew all along what could have been

 

[Jason Maher]

He has the advantage of having come into first grade young, and so has plenty of years left ahead of him. I was filthy on him after Origin 3 last year, but I've always liked the bloke and hoped he'd come good. Not sure if he'll get another Origin gig though. Hodkinson is a decent halfback, and has the advantage of incumbency in a successful team. Plus there's young Brooks on the horizon. If he can convert his obvious talent into consistent first grade performance (tough for any young bloke, and doubly tough for halves, seen so many fall away or fail to live up to their initial promise).

 

[POPEYE]

That'll f**king do this bloke from Blacktown whose only reason for following the Storm from day 1 was because most people wanted them to fail. I felt sure tonight the Ben Roberts jinx was going to keep them out of the finals but the bad vibes refused to pop their ugly head

4 longnecks later and a dog afraid to come near me Melbourne are there to make a nuisance of themselves once again so anything after this is cream on top as far I'm concerned . . . still a f**king yardstick

 

[POPEYE]

Wonder how many people noticed the lack of wrestle in last night's game, seems both coaches tried simultaneously what will soon become 'the new way' to win games, run the opposition off their feet. It does look a bit scrappy but it's best if all teams heed the warning signs, no matter what Greenberg says the wrestle in it's absolute sense is just a phase.

Coaches will find a way to get around what everyone else is doing, which is why the wrestle came into vogue in the first place. In reality the game was won by an intercept, always on the cards when teams up the pace, could have been won by either side.

There was a lot of 2 man tackling and players in gang tackles getting back in position quickly, I reckon increased stamina is going to be the next big thing, tacklers and defenders staying on their feet the main criteria. How were the penalties, didn't seem to be many, maybe there wasn't time enough to infringe or for the referees to grandstand . . . nothing worse than giving a referee time to invent

 

[POPEYE]

More fast play the ball caught the Eels by the short and curlies and by the time Hayne responded with his usual 20 minutes it was too late. Can't blame him alone for the lethargy, he's a big bloke getting bigger, not a wiry Wighton who can put in all day. Kenny Edwards is my favourite Eel, hope the Kiwis are watching him.

Afraid the question has to be asked who are the Canberra assistant coaches, McCrone and others in their right numbers finally means someone is listening to supporters. The only way the Raiders are going to attract the players they need is play like they did last night, would have beaten a fair few teams on that performance

I don't have to apologise to Lui but I will give him the kudos he deserves. Play like that game after game and Charlie will get on my case, something that would please me no end because it would mean the Cowboys really have a chance at the cup. Green could be the real deal and no better way to prove it than have Robert Lui play like he means it . . . great kicking game

Can never write Manly off but they are looking a bit bedraggled, not unlike their brother by a Mexican father. Will be interesting to see if the despised duo can come up with something to ruin the dreams of cup hopefuls . . . all that is left after the Mighty Roosters have now proven they are the best team of 2014

 

[gitano]

What is this cup nonsense? Referred to as title, premiership or trophy.

 

[POPEYE]

Thanks for the bump idiot

 

[gitano]

Thanks for the bump idiot

What about some of the touchdowns this weekend?