Redneck Redfaces

[POPEYE]

Just on this charity boxing thing I'm reminded how Geyer and Meninga gave it to the AFL blokes years ago. After following
the manly art since Friday Night Fights from Melbourne in the 70's I would back Meninga to be heavyweight champion of
Australia easily if he had put his mind to it. Geyer probably wouldn't have done any worse than Sonny Bill.

 

[POPEYE]

Not sure who's doing it was but Potter only has to worry about Athos, Porthos and Aramis . . . d'Artagnan is not
coming to make his life any more complicated than it should. If the new coach is all he promises to be Ayshford
will turn out to be a far better centre than Jennings anyway.

Missing out on unlucky 13 at the Tigers was a blessing in disguise for Walters . . . better to be Ist Officer on the
'Invincible' than being given the Captaincy of 'Titanic'.

Wouldn't League love to have an Armstrong in the ranks. Every player who never made a name for himself could
jump up and say 'If I used performance enhancing drugs I would have played for Australia'. Wonder if Lance had
just taken uppers would he have still won.

Trent Barrett may be the next coaching surprise packet if he ever gets a gig. Very impressive the way he talks League.
Then again, talking from the long grass, Sheens also made some impressive statements in his time.

 

[POPEYE]

Now's the time to take time. Just as the ARLC have erred on the side of caution with selecting a CEO so should they
look long and hard for a Director of Referees. Being reactionary is not good enough, we need someone who can
preempt common sense.

Someone who can confidently tell us that there are guidelines which the referees must follow but at the same time
decisions can be recinded if secondary officials are quick witted enough. To make mistakes is human but to not
rectify them when the time frame permits is just plain f**king dumb.

We all know that referees always try and 'even up' for mistakes but by then the moment is lost and just like in boxing,
you only see the punches thrown by the boxer you want to win. Referees should be able to man up by bringing play
back or changing decisions after consultation

 

[POPEYE]

Been reported Potter is adamant Jacob Miller remains at the Tigers. Why wouldn't he want the Junior Kangaroo #7
there if he does decide to shake up Benji. The statement itself should be enough of a warning.

All this kerfuffle about Prince leaving the poor Titans in dire straits is bullshit. Better to have a light that may take
a little time to glow than one that could leave the team in the dark at any time. If Kelly is only a 5/8 throw Sezer
the #7, he has the vibes to play anywhere in the halves.

I hope Furner is not caught up in the Campese hoopla. Relying on this bloke is akin to expecting a train every hour
in Timbuktu. The coach has shown he may be the real deal and he will only be giving Campese the courtesy of
going out with his boots on. Don't stop searching for reliable halves with a footy brain.

Hayne tops early voting in Allstars and Adam Reynolds, great as he may be, is ahead of Cronk. One explains the
other . . . a real scoop for any journo.

 

[POPEYE]

Around the same time Elvis succumbed to opulence Ted Goodwin was about to earn himself a ring alongside the inventor
of the grapple tackle, Rod Reddy. Lord Ted was the epitome of a confidence player, some days that were meant to be
diamonds turned to stone and vice versa. Not sure how many League greats have sired 3 NRL players, especially with
the last surname.

Bryson Goodwin's spleen damaging incident would have caused a lot more than just physical trauma to a bloke with that
sort of heritage. Good to see Souths give him a season to see if he can pull a rabbit out of a hat, something his old man
did many times.

 

[POPEYE]

Joey says he will assist Toovey but coaching full time is too stressful. Can't be as difficult as becoming immortal or riding a
pushbike for a living. He reckons he can get more out of Foran and DCE though, probably put a smile on their faces at the same time.

Harrigan thinks that rule changes have to be made before common sense and referees become synonymous. Maybe he would
have kept his job if he had of been instrumental bringing about the required changes when he was in a position to influence them.
Now it's just whinging.

When it comes to finding out why an engine's running rough the best way is to replace one thing at a time, that way you can be
sure time and money is not wasted. Joey and Brad coming to and Matt's leaving the swamp to tackle the head of the river with
who know's as many Santa's helpers. Suppose it's common sense to change everything when the customer is paying.

 

[POPEYE]

Not only does Rothfield look, talk and write like a 24 carat f**kwit he thinks we should join him in some sort of f**kwit parade.
Instead of standing outside Parliament House, a lone figure with a banner painted in lipstick and screaming 'the end is near',
he tries to replicate it in print.

The joint he works for must start looking for another Frilingos if they want to be taken seriously. The difference between a
Rothfield and the rest of us comes down to access to inside information. Buzz is about as useful as tits on a bull because he
has to guess using faulty equipment

 

[POPEYE]

I hope the Blues win the '13 series only because we won't have to put up with the same histrionics every year. Whether NSW
is coached by the best or by the mediocre the fact remains the difference is player talent and camaraderie as a unit.

We are going to see the Daley nose in our cornflakes for many months with all sorts of conspiracies and concoctions.
Nothing wrong with Laurie being the front man of a chorus of Fittler, Johns and whoever bignoting themselves but the
Blues must start training together as a squad at the same time as the NRL teams start their season preparation.

NSW has to play catchup with player familiarity if they want to do more than just snag a win. Anything else is gobbeldygook
for the masses. At the moment it's family versus strangers.

 

[POPEYE]

Fa'alogo says he's yet to sit down with Benny and discuss his role at the Knights. If he hasn't guessed Jeremy Smith is the bloke he needs to talk to.
Smith thinks capitulation sacrilege and he'd rather have a tattoo removed with a butterknife. David's job is to make the opposition wish they'd stayed at
home, win or lose.

Harping I know but why people who have them don't sacifice a few luxuries and subscribe to pay television is hard to fathom, that is if they enjoy League.
Save the lungs or a few brain cells in the process. Seems Nine is going to ignore what could be the success story of the year from Canberra and focus on
where the ads will sell. Bypass the whole thing, no ads on Fox and if Nine misses out on the best games a Fox replay is not far away. Friday night is the
best night to party anyway.

Must be some sort of deadline for SBW to present a contract for ratification by the NRL so either he meets it or he doesn't. Not as if there are supporters
waiting outside the phone box to buy jerseys when he decides. More important a code of behaviour is posted in words of no more than five letters for
every player to understand before anyone signs anything at Bondi

 

[POPEYE]

Seems John Grant is having too much fun to relinquish the limelight just yet and good on him. The euphoria of being in control
of Rugby League and the impression that he won't be stood over enough to make rash decisions is something to be savoured.
I particularly like the way he has upset Rothfield by refusing to make him or any other arsewipe representative part of the inner circle.

When the time comes, and it's too early yet, Grant will retreat behind closed doors but he's going to make damn sure all and
sundry don't forget who's pulling the strings. The CEO will eventually have to face the questions but it's who is scripting the
answers that matters. Grant will be the Honey Badger where Gallop was a Lemur

 

[POPEYE]

I'd love to know what Grant said to Rothfield that got the fleabrain so determined to rock the ARLC boat. Could have been
told it's none of his business or wait for appropriate announcements or to just go jump. Maybe even the newspaper has told
him he's not getting enough scoop on the opposition and his worthless job is in jeopardy. Anyway, this latest shit about player
revolt is a desperate man refusing not to wriggle in quicksand.

Maybe Willie Mason took Bennett's desperate attempt to create solidarity too seriously. I think we all knew what Benny was
trying to do and it worked well in an effort to stave off the hangman until forward reinforcements arrive next year. Probably
just paper talk again, Willie's not naive enough to see himself as more than a stopgap measure.

All good things come to an end or at least succumb to supercession. More arsewipe talk or is Scott Prince, or his supporters,
really bemused that it's time to move on. It's obvious to all that the brain works but he's playing on one leg in a competition
that doesn't forgive tardiness. I hope everything falls into place for him before the media cause more embarrassment.

 

[POPEYE]

Well, that's better. Prince didn't deserve an ignominious end which he surely would have got if he remained where he was.
With the Broncos every good game he has can be a 'I told you so', which mentally would be an easier task for him than a
'please explain' as a fall guy for the Titans. Brisbane can afford to be compassionate with a player seen as an advisor but
GC can't take many more hits on their credibility and need an 80/26 halfback

 

[POPEYE]

Another beaut morning . . . any day you wake up is great at my age. We have one journo on the Courier Mail calling for
Cartwright's head for dumping Prince and another on the same arsewipe saying Griffin is taking a big risk signing him.
From Sydney's version of the pit we have one shovel dumping shit on the ARLC and another scraping it off. What would
we do without Rothfield and Kent.

Then we hear Brian Smith may be Director of Referees. Will he be neutral or will he show what the Roosters could have
done if treated fairly in all those penalty counts. Could be even worse for them if payback really is a bitch. Not sure a
dictatorial approach is what the referees need though, someone who can do more than rearrange drink bottles.

Iro is leaving the Warriors which won't help Elliott with team morale. If Tony had of done a 'Jason Taylor' with the team
and spurred them on to a face saving season he might have had the right to feel shafted. For all anyone knows the Kiwis
had to choose from two 'good blokes' and the one that has got a team to the finals before got the nod.

 

[POPEYE]

I used to enjoy watching English Super League and thought at the time that Russell Smith was an excellent referee,
an opinion that didn't change when he came to Australia. His efforts in the video box are foreign to the decisive way
he was on the field however and I get the impression he errs on the side of caution.

Imo he would make a great Director if he could get Australian refs to emulate the way he refereed. I also thought that
the pommie bloke refereeing recent internationals was a breath of fresh air and Ashley Klein is the best current ref in
the game . . . so what do I know.

 

[POPEYE]

Wonder what Kearney could have have done with Izzy, Hopoate and all the helpers. Would have been nice to have saved the
money spent on the most expensive doorman, Stuart, and developed more juniors with it. Then again, Ricky will never let his
career live or die on the whims of Sandow and Hayne as Kearney was expected to do so we'll never know.

 

[POPEYE]

Was a shame that a player who graduated from Melbourne Uni should waste an education on a trivial career but it could
have been worse. Slater could have been lost to League just as easily and he definately wouldn't have failed at whatever
he tried. Imo the salary cap is the most crucial thing the ARLC has to get right quickly.

The Eels are only hoping they can afford Izzy which is bullshit. Fine Australian athletes should be able to go where they
want and get paid what they're worth. So what if not all teams can have players that have exceptional talent, they still
need a coach who can compliment that talent. Parramatta for instance need Israel where Melbourne wouldn't care because
they can create more of the same.

Hasler did a fine job without having to outlay millions and will continue to do so. If Izzy went to the Dogs I for one would be
pissed bigtime because they don't need to buy a premiership. Melbourne deserve what they achieve because it's all of their
own making but teams that for one reason or another can't be competitive without buying someone else's creations should
be allowed to a certain extent.

If Bellamy left the Storm and his replacement was concerned with only what money could buy to go along with what was
already there my jerseys would go in the bin. If a team can attract a couple of big earners to get them out of the shit salary
cap allowances should be made. Once competitive however any poaching for the sake of it shouldn't be allowed.

As far as I'm concerned clubs should find a great coach first and foremost, be allowed to have a few top players to attract
juniors and then be allowed to keep what they create. In theory, if 16 did that there would be no need for a cap and the best
would be paid what the best deserve.

 

[POPEYE]

Why is it that islanders don't take well to AFL. Can't be the lousy weather, the land of the long white cloud is unpredictable
at the best of times. AFL requires above all else a fully developed attention span and we know the most inadequate part
of the Warriors game is their attention span, whether or not that can be attributed to the islander laidback way of life is debatable.

Islanders tend to be of sturdy frame and flexibility with direction change may be affected which is definitely not a good trait in AFL.
Indigenous Australias are suited to the game providing they're nimble, no Georgie Rose's allowed. Maybe islanders don't like the
ball around their feet and having to scramble for it, but then again they have no trouble with that shit of a game, Union.

I think islanders don't fit AFL because when they've got the ball they want to keep it and don't appreciate having to give it away
simply because someone lays a hand on them.

 

[POPEYE]

Looks like Benny is satisfied he can 'do a Hornby' with Gidley and you can't deny he has a knack for it. Maybe the Lockyer
experiment of players out of position clouded his judgement and imo Hornby at 1/2 was a failure long term. Looking at the
Knight's roster he has little choice I suppose and maybe he's not used to poaching, anyone who's any good at pinching
players would have found a born and bred #7.

Canberra have the same problem with McCrone in the halves, like Gidley he doesn't belong. Halfback is a job for a player
who can get a message from eyes to brain in a micro second and that usually comes from men of small stature having to
outwit bigger men from the first time they picked up a ball. Can never understand why any coach would struggle with a key
that doesn't fit the lock.

Adam Reynolds is a perfect example of finding a half who couldn't play any other position and waiting until he has a chance
to prove himself. The way everyone wants a quick fix these days there is a chance any future Cooper Cronk will be overlooked.
By the same token, asking a player if he thinks he can play halfback is ludicrous.

 

[POPEYE]

I stumbled on a good topic for the men's shed if anyone's interested. Stirred up a hornet's nest when I asked how would the 14
remaining 2012 rosters go if Bellamy or Hasler had of coached them from the start of the season. Once we all got past the obvious
'you need more than one season' the debate settled down.

Seems one of the favourites was the Raiders. Furner is starting to go through the gears but the concensus was either one of the
two supercoaches would have hit top early in the season. Teams such as the Broncos, Titans, Sharks, Knights, Cowboys and
Panthers weren't given much more hope than they already had for the year.

Naturally the Manly blokes thought that had Hasler stayed it would have been them against Melbourne and interestingly enough
some said a Bellamy led Manly would have beaten Hasler's Dogs. Along with Canberra the Warriors, Rabbitohs and even the
Tigers could have went all the way with a supercoach. No-one thought the Eels or Dragons would have did any good no matter
who coached them and there was a lot of confidence that the Roosters would have been big improvers.

 

[POPEYE]

Is Griffin grabbing at straws or does he think the Broncos need a couple of experienced heads to point the team in the
right direction again. Stagg is a solid big game player and maybe Prince can point the way enough times for the team
to get the message. I'd like to be a player manager with a tree in the backyard that grows halfbacks.