Redneck Redfaces

[POPEYE]

What about some of the touchdowns this weekend?

I don't know what's worse, rednecks or ring-ins, the pissant cup will always be just a cup, only a masked man with a small dick driving a Chev would call a try a touchdown . . . do I know you

 

[POPEYE]

Seems Slater/Hayne/Inglis/Stewart are about to share the limelight, there are some impressive fullbacks making a nuisance of themselves of late. Wighton and Moylan are bringing 80 minutes of action into the contest, something Jarryd and Greg always struggled with, Billy is tiring of and Brett damaged by

Belcher too was built like a wire rope and it wasn't wise to kick the ball to him, didn't score as many tries as today's leading #1's but he made up for it by bringing the ball back a lot further from his tryline. You can see that happening in the careers of Wighton and Moylan, I can imagine this lanky pair will spend most of their time getting their teams out of trouble

With a little luck we might see either one or both metamorphosed into a new version of Brett Mullins without the tribulations

 

[POPEYE]

Wow, what a f**king revelation, Robbo is saying interchanges should be reduced in order to prevent wrestling. I can't be the only person who's been saying for years forwards won't risk tiring themselves wrestling if they have to play more minutes. Todd Greenberg says you can't take the wrestle out of the game, this is the bloke in charge of coming up with answers, maybe Robbo should take his place.

Robbo hasn't all of a sudden taken notice of what others like me have been saying. Just a coincidence the Roosters play their game around fast play the balls and the Dogs play at being an iceberg so they like their opposition to be Titanics

Ironic that Melbourne are supposed to be the team that invented the wrestle, I'm not arguing they didn't but they are also one of the few teams that rely heavily on fast play the balls, slow down the opposition and speed up the attack a Bellamy invention? . . . maybe . . . it's called 'trained stamina'

I've long advocated going back to forwards just driving in defence and attack, once replaced not coming back on, rolling around on the ground wrestling being made highly disadvantageous. Who can forget Blocker being pulled off by Ryan and being blamed for losing the gf because of it. Granted, going back to those days however would never be accepted.

What should happen is the 4 front rower rotation be retained but all other forwards including the hooker once off stay off. The front rowers would then have to concentrate on just doing the job they were designed to do. Second rowers and hookers are the main wrestling antagonists and they must be made to conserve energy by not being rested.

With 4 front rowers in rotation there is room to have 4 replacements for other positions if need be but once they are on they stay on. Stamina before wrestling, faster play the balls will make gang tackling obsolete and injuries will be reduced as a result. Kudos to Robbo but remember coaches are by far the smartest people in Rugby League and they do everything for a reason

 

[POPEYE]

Team lists are in but with a difference, some players will be expected to play who might normally had an excuse not to, so anyone taking it for granted that listed players will be at their best will not be betting responsibly. Does help that few people really know who is and who isn't.

Jabba summed it up best in the Titans/Dogs game when he said the regular season is ending and the lottery is about to begin. Absolutely no-one other than their staunch supporters want the Roosters/Storm/Seagles to win, especially the NRL heirarchy who see them as a step backwards in the march to equality

Greenberg will do his best to have the Dogs muddle their way through and if it wasn't for James The Great I'd feel comfortable the Storm have a better than even chance of winning. Graham however is the toughest competitor in the competition, he could easily inspire the Dogs to snap out of their lethargy so once again I'm waiting for the vibes

The remaining 4 teams, especially with Hook being so maligned, would be at the top of the vast majority of League supporters' lists. I for one want either Souths or NQ to win the cup, Penrith next choice followed by Melbourne naturally . . . can't bring myself to cheering for the Broncos unless they play the Dogs

Anyway, as they come, Souths have everyone in the right positions with a rested Reynolds, who hopefully is not one of those injury inflicted players I alluded to. Only thing that will stop them beating the Seagles is that dreaded 'Manly Will To Win' that might be humbled slightly because it's not a knock-out game

Roosters/Panthers is again not the end of the world but is a game definitely worth crowing about a win. Imo these two are getting better the more they play, how far away the peak is the big question. Easily the most interesting of the qualifying games.

Best game of the round should be fought out in NQ, imo the Broncos will cause an upset if Lui doesn't reproduce his great efforts of late, he is the key to Thurston either running riot or being run ragged. Brisbane will step up without doubt and the Cowboys need to roll-on, not run around

If the Dogs play the way Dessie's had them playing in the second half of the season the Storm will win easily. Like I said James Graham will be up for it and Hasler knows his team can beat Melbourne when least expected, if we don't see the shit hot front rower shaking his head in bewilderment the Sorm will be shaking theirs

 

[POPEYE]

Won't read all that much from me about the finals unless they are decided by the players, which I very much doubt will be the case. No doubt I'll watch all the games but there are too many extenuating circumstances that will probably influence the lottery, becoming embroiled in the cacophonic aftermath is not worth the drama

Easier to accept the Roosters are the best team of 2014 and keep fingers crossed for all the star crossed lovers out there hoping to see a fair contest in the finals. Let's hope the vibes are wrong and the series of games that the majority of League supporters treat as gospel are worthy

 

[POPEYE]

Manly are talked about as being on the ebb, bullshit naturally but the question has to be asked where do the Seagles plan to feed from. Must admit I'm not up with their plans if they have any. Seems the smart way around the salary cap, or at least a more refined way of encapsulating it is to stack feeder teams with promising players who may be entitled to think biding their time will be worth the effort.

The Cowboys for instance probably have a better shot at the new Townsville Blackhawks, Northern Pride and even PNG Hunters players. Melbourne have the renowned Easts Tigers and the old laughing stock Sunshine Coast to use as a depository. The Roosters have given the Central Coast breeding grounds reason to cooperate in a grand plan and Knights, Broncos, Dragons amongst others cast a big net. Penrith are going bush to add to their coffers which is great for the Central West

Nothing will stop good early scouting but the more youngsters that are encouraged to not go off half cocked and hang around the better off clubs will be. So, where do teams that are not preparing themselves stand, even the Sharks have rounded up Newtown to add to their 'misfit destination'.

 

[POPEYE]

Jabba's latest column outlines his thoughts on a draft and he compares it with the NFL whilst admitting it may not work because League is, not his own words but mine, pissant compared in every way except the game itself to the Yank rubbish. Imo for a draft to work there has to be a contradictory abundance of everything, but that is beside the point, Gus is just doing what Gus does . . . more subterfuge than sincerity

Jabba already has the answer, he's trying to disguise it so others will be slower on the uptake, Jamie Soward is the perfect example. Here's a bloke that can't play under anybody less than a supercoach, not because he's dumb but because his attention span demands constant attention.

In the Yank game there are thousands of coaches vying for a few positions, each team can be assured of being coached adequately so any player being drafted can be assured his career won't be wasted because of shit coaching as Pearce's almost was. Jabba has a coach capable of bringing the best out of any remotely promising player, but that can't be guaranteed throughout the NRL.

Imagine if your talented son was drafted to Brian Smith or Ricky Stuart for example, under either of those Soward would still be a laughing stock running around trying to reclaim something he knows he's capable of but can't justify.

 

[soc123_au]

Jamie just needs a bit of love. Wayne gave it to him & now Ivan. It seems he repays the love like a talented little puppy. Sowie the wonder dog.

In reality though Soward isn't an Andrew Johns type, he isn't the player that will dominate games on his own & make plodders look like stars. But put him in a hardworking team that all put in & he will ice the cake for you more often than not. Having Moylan in the team also helps.

 

[POPEYE]

Makes you wonder how many 'Sowards' have been placed in a too hard basket over the years, I'm sure people on this forum could come up with a list. The Yank game is such a big business even in college football that a draft in the end product is acceptable.

There's a movie starring Kevin Costner called Draft Day doing the rounds, the differing circumstances between NRL and NFL are self explanatory. Taken for granted it is that players make the difference in America's perfect world where here coaches make the difference.

 

[soc123_au]

Makes you wonder how many 'Sowards' have been placed in a too hard basket over the years, I'm sure people on this forum could come up with a list.

A few just from Penrith in the last 10 years.

Jarrod Sammut
Joe Williams
Richie Williams
Arana Tumata

Arana was there under Cleary's watch, so you can scrub him.

Sammut maybe, but the player also has to be willing to buy into the coaches grand plan. Sammut had skill, but I dont really think he was the type of player capable of seeing the big picture. I would put Richie Williams in the same boat. Maybe unfair on Richie, as he really didnt get much of a shot.

Joe Williams would be my pick of the 4 who may have gone on with it under a coach like Cleary, Robbo, Madge or Bellamy. The bloke showed glimmers when he was at Souths, but completely lost confidence after a shocker on debut at Penrith & never recovered. Penrith at that time was no place for anyone with a fragile mind.

Further to that Will Smith has a long way to go but I think Cleary will get him there. In his first game he threw the shocker ball that caused Elijah Taylor to do his ACL trying to scoop the ball up. What a way to shatter a young blokes confidence. He is still yet to drop his bundle & has been doing an adequate job since. Had a few howler moments but the head doesnt go down. If someone suggested at the beginning of the year that a halves pairing of Soward/Smith would make it to a prelim you would have been laughed out of the joint.

 

[POPEYE]

Haven't read a single newspaper this morning but glancing at the forum I'm surprised there is not more hullabaloo about the deterioration of the big 3. I'm the first to admit it does seem Bellamy is running out of ideas, well stubborn ones at least, and he may have to resort to doing what everyone else does. Maybe that's what people are afraid of, stirring the bloke up enough to make him resort to poaching. Unfortunately it may be taken out of his hands, backers may force his hand.

In another thread I took the piss because someone stated of the 17 Roosters 11 or so were introduced to the top grade by them and Melbourne only had something like 9 or 10. I haven't checked any figures because it doesn't concern me, I stirred the pot by asking how many players Melbourne poached . . . but that's all it was, taking the piss

In fact, Robbo has the right recipe for the modern game but the Roosters will continue to come under fire for 'rorting the cap' simply because his mob are top echelon. Williams, Jennings and Maloney are the players he needed and that's what the cap is designed to do, stop clubs outbidding for too many high profile players that were not developed by them. The Roosters are top of the tree because Robbo only took the bare essentials for his shopping trolley, he made do with the rest

Let's try an example people might readily accept. Now that everyone has accepted Cleary is a great coach what happen next year, Soward wasn't worth a pint of cold piss at the beginning of the season but if by some miracle Penrith win the cup I can just imagine the caterwauling from the thumbsuckers over fitting Jamie in the salary cap when his contract is reviewed.

Then there's Segeyaro and Idris who were in the too hard basket elsewhere but nevertheless next year they may be asking for more money, which they probably deserve. The salary cap wasn't designed to prevent untried or unwanted players from progressing, it was designed to LIMIT stealing players who were an integral part of other teams.

Human nature that once something great for the game like what's happening at Penrith becomes a reason for blatant jealousy there will be cries of injustice but the cap is being misused if it gets in the way of common sense. Maybe an increase in Tyrone Peachey's money could be critical in the cap if he is proven to have been poached from the Sharks but how could anyone justify more money given to Wallace as a cap inclusion

If the big 3 are reaching their use-by date and Bellamy considers there's not enough time to create more there's nothing stopping him in these days of contract manipulation from poaching 3 players from teams that desperately need them, like the Warriors do Maloney. That would be a reason for me to reconsider my allegiance but in reality Melbourne would be within their rights and the cap should do it's job and stop them taking more than 3

 

[POPEYE]

Brett and Josh Morris should never have separated in the first place, there wasn't enough difference in their capabilities to warrant the disappointment caused. Wherever they play it should be together, knowing each other's game is enough to justify it, if only one plays Origin or for Australia it doesn't mean one is inferior merely fortunate enough to be in the right position.

The Stewart brothers are better players because they play together, aside from the fact that Manly were given an ultimatum that they had to take both it is now common knowledge that neither is less valuable. It first appears the Dogs have paid overs in Josh's new contract but they realised the extra could be the bait they needed to attract Brett

Couldn't expect brothers of distinctly different talent value like the Minichiello's to demand extra consideration but when injury permits the Morris's, like the Stewarts, offer far more than their sum total. Even the Dim Sims are struggling to cope with where they want to be, not sure whether they'd represent more value together

 

[POPEYE]

Folkes is not in favour of the bunker system it seems because he doesn't want to miss the atmosphere of being at the game. You'd think the last thing a bloke that had the destiny of the game at the touch of a button would need is to be influenced by anything other than common sense.

I'm not even sure I would want Folkes adjudicating at a Canterbury game, bunker or no bunker, nor Smith at a Storm game, Lockyer/Broncos, etc. The idea of the bunker system I'd imagine would be to remove all impartiality, atmosphere, compassion and guesswork.

A reasonably intelligent bloke fresh out of university with good eyesight having passed a stringent test covering the rules of Rugby League would be far better reporting for work in a bunker than an incorrigible stalwart who is there because his views are needed to compliment others of the same ilk

Not only does Rugby League need to refine on field referees to be on the same page it needs a bunker system that is cool, calm, collected and even robotic. The bunker has to rival air traffic control in it's effectiveness, no-one gives a f**k if people making decisions can fly a plane, the right ending is what counts

 

[POPEYE]

Can't wait 'til the '15 season rolls around, not just to discover what further inroads the Nines will make but to sink my teeth into supporting the Sharks. Not a great fan of Gallen so it doesn't matter much the fool didn't stand his ground and not be coerced into admitting to a dubious degree of wrongdoing.

What matters is that he opened a Pandora's box full of conniving arseholes looking for a scapegoat. Sure, players need to be taught right from wrong because after all most of them are much more naïve than the average bloke their age, a restricted social life and dedication to training/playing will do that. That aside anyone knowingly taking a banned substance should be demonised if the proof is irrefutable

Bet Gallen didn't know what was to come when he was persuaded to 'do the right thing'. Had to laugh at Freddie Fittler, what an appropriate sounding name for a bloke that sold his soul to Politis and the perfector of the head slam, denying anyone anything. At least Gallen has always stuck by the club that made his name

Mr Smith upon seeing the reaction, not unlike a pack of wild dogs turning on one of their own when they sense a weakness, has found another scapegoat in Flanagan. Pity DS wasn't around when a renowned player admitted to needing recreational drugs to prepare himself, in itself no less a misdemeanour than being told to take something that was supposedly no worse

Smith needs to accrue Brownie points through more worthwhile endeavours than castigating people who have already paid more than enough. If he continues this bandwagon bullshit I will be another little voice looking to turn every one of his molehill f**kups into a mountain

 

[POPEYE]

A horrible case of bad vibes overcame me and must confess after the Dogs got 18 in front and since they're the 1 of 16 I'll only watch if I think they may lose, it was time to go throw the ball for my new pup. Haven't seen anything of the remainder of the game before this morning when I noticed the comparison between Nine and Fox commentary on the Bromwich knock-on/no try

I couldn't give it a try, Melbourne didn't deserve one anyway and it's beside the point, a perfect example of why League needs the bunker system. Jabba as he does when pretending to care carried on like a pork chop and the King of Nausea Warren Smith carried on as usual. Another reason video refereeing should be removed from any outside influence.

Technically the VR shouldn't/aren't in view of any remonstrations/demonstrations but that can only be guaranteed if they're in a galaxy far away, and more importantly there should be no audio from the commentators and as little from the crowd as possible . . . direct feed from on-ground referees only. If the bunker is fed the game the same way we are it will be a waste of money

 

[POPEYE]

No-one in their right mind could have ignored last night's knock-on but it's about time we had a name change, too many balls are going backwards that referees call knock-ons that aren't. Would save a lot of angst if these loose balls were called 'fumble' or 'loose carry' or . . . anything that can excuse the referee from being labelled dumb

 

[Cloudsurfer]

or, less use of the VR & the ref calls it as he sees it - or would that just be too simple

 

[POPEYE]

You're right when you come to think of it, Rugby League is supposed to be a game that everyone can relate too, when the lowest common denominator is the simpleton it's silly making it too complicated. There are things like golf that aren't really sport because they don't require an elevated heart rate, let them be f**ked up with science and leave League to be decided by the footy gods

Like Sterlo said last night, a more simple DCE field goal attempt on the 4th instead of the 5th would've turned Adam into Eve, a whole lot nicer to wake up beside this morning. Spare a thought for Toddy G, now he's got to find a way to turn a chicken wing into an old fashioned tackle, he doesn't need the hassle of technology

Now there's going to be calls for going back to 1 referee, Bellamy wouldn't have missed the value of aiming a kick on the 5th at a dope in pink standing 10 metres in front. Fmd, even I could hit him and it's a whole lot easier than timing a ball to stop in-goal.

I haven't bothered to read a thing this morning, I'm still trying to get over watching a whole game won by the Dogs, that's about as technical as I get

 

[POPEYE]

I suggested it will soon be the go to aim the ball at the ref, the posts and if all else fails the in goal in that order. At first glance you'd be forgiven for thinking Josh Reynolds is a meathead, which I suppose would be reinforced watching him play but maybe there is a brain under that feral façade.

Seems he intended to aim the ball at the ref and says he discussed it with Ennis, crikey, who else out of all the NRL players would you discuss something like that with and expect a wink and a nod. Reminds me of the flying wedge in '76 I think when Parra came within a whisker of a try against Manly, another intentional 'against the spirit of the game' that sticks it the mind.

Come to think of it, maybe Josh is as dumb as he looks, only a real f**king dope would fess up to something that he could use again as early as next week. Can't imagine the authorities would like to wander around apologising for too long, 'them's the rules' only stay the rules if no-one jumps up and down. Planning a pink embarrassment will only work if it's kept secret and made look accidental.

If there's not an award for meathead of the year at the Dally M's there should be . . . Josh gets points almost every game

 

[Jason Maher]

If he's clever enough to pull it off, good luck to him.