Round 1 (2005) Souths Vs Easts (Foundation Cup)

[roosterboy60]

Souths Rabbitohs v BP Eastern Suburbs Roosters
FOUNDATION CUP

Game Thread
Please note - This is a game thread only, therefore only game posts can be made here (Teams, Articles).
Any other posts will result in loss of points and is at the discretion of the referee.
Only original essays, not used in previous games, will be marked by referees.

Home team captain will be allowed 3 reserves, visiting captain will be allowed 2 reserves
Rules: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.asp

Full Time: Wednesday 16th March at 9pm (Syd time)

Venue: Redfern Oval

Crowd: 15,330
REFEREE: Yakstorm
**Referee Blows Game On!**

 

[Seano]

I am proud to announce the South Sydney Rabbitohs team for Round 1

Seano (c)
Clevo
Pistol
NqBoy
Robster

Reserves
Dogs of War
The Way I See it

Best of luck to both teams (and up the Rabbitohs!!!)

 

[nqboy]

The Evolution of My Support (Part 1)

As a Queenslander, it was always difficult to support a team in the premier rugby league competition in Australia. I remember watching Bath’s Babes win their title and a game where wunderkinds Steve Morris and Steve Mortimer squared off in virtuoso performances, in a semi final I think. Both had breathtaking speed and acceleration but this day when one made a scintillating break, the other was there with an equally good covering tackle. All day. I don’t remember who won, I just remember their contest.

Not that I ever needed to watch the Sydney rugby league comp because the Brisbane comp had heroes enough for me. It shit me right off that we couldn’t win interstate games but I was too young to realize the history and fact that these games were so uncompetitive that they had been palmed off to suburban grounds.

In 1981, I started watching the Sydney comp more closely and loudly applauded Newtown’s gallant run to the grand final with a mixed bag of hard workers and its brilliant back three. I remember thinking how clever Warren Ryan had been, holding the Jets back, playing boring footy all year until the semis, when their attacking game exploded like a super nova and they ran opposition teams ragged. I can still name their run-on side.

Parramatta, of course, beat the Jets that year for their maiden title and had my support over the next couple of years against the big, bad Manly Warringah with their chequebook all-stars and their lack of focus on the important stuff. Gibson out-coached Fulton all over the park and Manly were never in the hunt in either game. It was great watching the brilliant young crop of Eels’ backs come through, and the unfashionables from which Gibson crafted a premiership wining forward pack. Great to watch, sure, but I’d already chosen a different path for my support.

The not-so-mighty Bunnies managed to win the mid-week cup against Cronulla in 81 or 82 and I saw the game on TV. Throughout the 80s, they were my team. A golden run of local juniors and year after year of gutsy performances from a club on a shoestring budget was all that was needed to get me back next year. Collecting spare parts players and cast-offs from elsewhere, characters like Ziggy Nisczot, Bronco Djura, Mitch Brennan, Tony Melrose, Neil Baker, Michael Andrews, Wayne Chisholm, the Rampling brothers, Ken Stewart (desperately unlucky not to make the 82 Kangaroos), Ross Harrington emerged to galvanise my feeling for the team. Piggins came out of retirement to save the club with his money and then coached them as well. Well, coach them in name at least, at times it seemed that Phil Gould was coaching them while playing 2nd row. What a smart player, it was obvious even then what a good coach he’d make, shame he’s such an ego-centric prick with it. Almost brings a tear to the eye, and that’s before I start on Ian Roberts, Mario Fenech, Les Davidson, Craig Coleman and the magical Phil Blake. And Mark Ross, an enigmatic winger that I believed could have been anything, capable of the most astounding brilliance sometimes and missing in action most others.

I watched Souths play Manly in a semi in 84 or 85 and we were down 10-0 in the first ten minutes. I was watching in a clubhouse bar after playing my semi-final and was surrounded by Manly fans and the usual bandwagon jumpers. I endured the taunts, kept the faith and my boys rewarded me with a gutsy comeback to banish the Sea Eagles to another season of unfulfilled potential. I felt great.

Another time against Parra, we had three players either sent off or in the bin at one time for a period of several minutes. Fenech was tackling like a maniac and the Eels could not find their way through. I think we won that day as well, stirring stuff.

Souths never had the resources of the other teams but we were pretty much perennial semi-finalists through the mid eighties, always punching well above our weight. And that made me a proud Rabbitohs supporter. I’ve never demand success of the teams I support, the primary pre-requisite for winning my allegiance is that you have a go. And throughout the 80s, Souths always had a go.

Long live League
And long live Souths
And GO THE RABBITOHS!

745 words. Cheers.

 

[ozzie]

Roosters team subject to changes

Fat_mike (c)
bubbles
Waxer
SouthernSaint
Melon

Reserve:

RoosterPremiers2002
Ozzie

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles #8 for Easts

_____________________________________________________

A Roosters’ Off-Season

Patient Notes by Dr. (Anonymous)

Patient 3488537 was referred to this institution in October 2004 after being found wandering the streets of Bondi suffering from exposure. Blood tests revealed that she was three times over the legal blood-alcohol level, while traces of THC were also found. She stated she was searching for the Holy Grail and that God had abandoned ‘the cause’.

The first time I met this patient she was incoherent, her thought patterns disjointed and was suffering delusions. She believed that the Devil walks among us, although her version varies greatly from the traditional Christian one. Instead of the cloven feet and horned beast, she believed that Satan was made up of a group of men clad in identical blue and white costume, forming one malignant force that had stolen the Grail from Paradise, although once again her vision differs from that described in the Holy Scriptures. In her mind, Heaven is made up of grains of sand, the smell of coconut oil and sizzling flesh, and the sounds of crashing waves and lame pick-up lines.

On top of these bizarre notions of good versus evil, the patient appeared to be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome punctuated with short-term memory loss. She insisted the year was 2002; that the last two years had not passed. When asked about world events within this ‘lost’ period, she remained adamant in her delusion. For instance, when questioned about America’s invasion of Iraq in March 2003, she became convinced that my staff were the ones who ‘should be locked up’, for apparently we were the ones living in the past, namely the year 1991.

For the first month it was difficult to make heads or tails of what she was saying. Her sporadic speech patterns included manic bursts of excited and loud chatter. Over time we realized that there were three distinct personalities at play, although they weren’t so much involved in a conversation, rather they seemed to be engaged in a bizarre sort of commentary. This inane babble, while random in content, always ended with the same mysterious words, “Hold on Rabs, Crocker has broken the line…”, before trailing off into silence, during which the patient’s pupils would dilate, her jaw would slacken and often a dribble of saliva would escape her mouth. We were never able to discover who ‘Rabs’ and ‘Crocker’ were, and could only conclude that these were imaginary characters created to support her delusion.

Other times we feared that we were witnessing the onset of Tyrets Syndrome as expletives would suddenly burst from her mouth, directed at further fictional characters, most commonly named “Willy”, ‘Sonny-Bill” (or similar Walton-style variations) and “Shrek”. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do for her in this state, other than chemically restrain her. We believed these characters dwelt solely within her mind, and as she so obviously wished to cause harm to these ‘people’ we believed her to be a suicide risk.

One of the avenues we explored during her visit, was that she had suffered some sort of sexual trauma as she often, and often incessantly, talked about ‘cocks’, but after deep regression therapy nothing was uncovered. It was concluded that she appeared to suffer from an obsession based around roosters, however we were unable to determine whether it encompassed any other poultry.

Often we could not elicit a verbal response from the patient at all when questioned about this poultry fixation, but rather she would place her hands around her own throat and simulate strangulation. We were unable to discover what this ‘choking’ scenario was intended to symbolize, but once again we initiated a suicide watch and chemical restraints.

This behaviour lasted for about four months, until one day, (strangely the first day of the Chinese Year of the Rooster), she suddenly stopped. Her speech became lucid, she was able to name the correct date and identify certain key world events of the last two years, albeit in a tentative and nervous manner, and she no longer wished to harm herself, in fact, seemed flabbergasted at the very notion.

After a final month of observation we had no choice but to release this patient, however she remains for this doctor a constant source of frustration, as the cause of her psychosis was never identified.

In conclusion, I wish her well with her poultry farm, for no matter how lucid she became, she never did let go of her fixation for roosters.

_______________________________________________________

Word Count: 745

 

[melon....]

Melon for Easts
_____________________
Within The Ranks

You walk into pub and the punters will be discussing it. Log onto any internet Rugby League Forum and the freaks with even freakier aliases will be frothing at the mouth over the subject.

NRL Expansion. And the biggest debate is over how many teams should be inducted into the NRL, and where should they be based. Of course this is all for the good of the game. We must expand. AFL and Union are knocking on the door of NRL heartland, threatening to grab market share. The NRL must act to protect this menace. We must create a 16th team……surely…..

Is that the truth? The consensus is a 16th team is needed. Is it?

I believe the concept is ill conceived. The notion is correct in that Rugby League must flourish. It must expand. I don’t believe a 16th team is the most efficient mechanism to achieve this though. For all the perception of threats to the NRL in QLD and NSW by the other codes, the reality is the opposition is coming from the AFL - a code that has already failed to grab substantial market share in NSW and QLD, and Union - which relies solely on its National Team to preserve any semblance of a high profile. Such is the poor health of the local Union at the grass roots level.

So what does a 16th team entail? What does it mean for the NRL? What does it mean for the NRL clubs? Remember the times when there were 20 teams in the NRL? Since then 5 have vanished, or were “lucky” enough to have merged to avoid death. The main reason this happened to teams like the Chargers, The Reds, The Rams and The Mariners, was poor planning. The ARL at the time saw this expansion as a quick buck grabber, with a very weak long term business plan. It left it to the clubs to secure their future with little guidance. It was a grave act of negligence on the part of Australian Rugby League’s governing body. A reflex action from the Super League War with improper remediation.

The negatives of a new team out-weigh the positives of expansion from within. When an NRL team is created, major sponsorship deals are needed to secure the clubs. Attracting lucrative sponsorship requires the presence of marquee players at that club. They ensure success on the field, which lifts the club’s profile and attracts sponsorship and the advertising dollar. But where will a new Gold Coast or Central Coast club find high profile players? From the other NRL clubs. I’d imagine the clubs that pay Wing, Lockyer, Williams, and co wouldn’t be too happy about losing their players, along with their dollar pulling ability, to huge offers in the name of “expanding the NRL”. The birth of a new NRL entity may spell the last breath of a struggling one.

To expand from within has many merits. We hear daily about clubs shifting home grounds. South Sydney have been toying with the idea of playing out of Nth Sydney Oval, and now Telstra Stadium. Both grounds are outside of their local region. As is the majority of their fan base. It makes sense for South Sydney to stop the bed hopping for the sake of a few dollars from Stadium Trusts and secure their survival by relocating to the Central Coast. This would provide them with a brilliant home ground, a new base of fans who are hungry for a local team in the NRL, the existing fans wouldn’t need to travel much further than they do now, and they could leverage from the local junior base there. The potential to build a new club and continue maintaining any existing leagues club would provide the possibility of a stronger financial position. And they take their marquee players with them….along with their identity, history and culture.

This is also a possibility for the Roosters. Melbourne tasted premiership success and yet cannot draw crowds…..We made the mistake (like the AFL in Sydney) in believing our code will grab substantial market share in a city dominated by a rival code. Melbourne is perfect for the Gold Coast. Their feeder is Brisbane Norths. The Coast needs a second side. Melbourne cannot lose.

Will a 16th team mean more revenue from ticket sales and merchandise? Maybe. But it could also be the added workload on players that breaks the balance.

So NRL….when thinking expansion, consider expansion from within.
_________________________________________________________________
749 Words including the title

 

[ozzie]

as predicted - we have a change to our side - I will be playing for Waxer who is in the process of moving and he needs to pack...

 

[Southernsaint]

Southernsaint for Easts:

****

Grow your own

Brent Kite was gone, finished, kaput when offered Rugby League Salvation by St George Illawarra. There’s no other way of putting it. His career at Canberra was on the skids & he was released at the end of the 2001 season, when the lifeline from Nathan Brown came.

The Dragons saw something in him, even going so far to say that he could be another “Rod Reddy”, an explosive ball-playing back-rower, although for the first two seasons in the Red Vee he dropped more ball than cricket’s Phil Tuffnell. Hearts used to beat overtime around Jubilee & WIN Stadiums whenever the big guy ran on to the ball. “Keep the faith” we were told, “be patient, this bloke will be something”.

In the end, the patience of the coaching staff & supporters was repaid with interest. Kite finally realised his potential in both attack & defence. He was hitting with aggression & making meaningful impact in attack. His trademark dropped ball disappeared & his commitment was rewarded with a Sky Blue jumper. He’d arrived. And Saints fans rejoiced.

Until June 30th..

All the hard work put in by the Dragons training staff, the risks taken by Peter Doust & Nathan Brown to sign a guy on the Scrap Heap & the suffering of the fans in those first two seasons now counted for naught as a cashed-up Manly swooped in to snare Kite’s signature in a four year deal. Fans & club officials alike were left scratching their heads, is development worth the effort in this day & age now that clubs with room to manoeuvre under their salary cap take the short-cut to strengthening their squad by signing players that they wouldn’t have touched with a 10 foot pole only a few years earlier.

It has become clear in recent seasons that clubs that develop players or have a wealth of juniors need to be compensated financially when those players are signed by other clubs. Where is the incentive for a club like the Dragons to take a chance on a Brent Kite or a Mark Riddell if they know that two years down the line another club can come in and capitalise on the hard work of the coaching staff? It is a dis-incentive to start or maintain development programs. Financial compensation for NRL clubs when one of their players departs for a competing club would enable them to strengthen their own line-up rather than be left depleted by the departure of a star player.

The “top down” recruitment & development approach from certain clubs can only do further harm to the already parlous state of junior football in many areas of the country. A Rugby League transfer system would pump funds back in to the bush clubs that need them most. Imagine Wee Waa getting a few thousand dollars for Jamie Lyon? The benefit would be great to a club with limited ways of making any money & would at the same time act as an encouragement for them to try & unearth the stars of tomorrow.

If Manly had to pay the Dragons a fee for Brent Kite, if the Roosters had to compensate Canberra for Joel Monaghan, and so on, it would encourage clubs to promote from within rather than take the easy way out & look for a quick fix from another club. Ideally there would also be a set amount that each club can spend on transfer fees each season – one this limit has been reached, the club can no longer sign any players until the next transfer “window” opens. This way, the wealthier clubs in the League are on a level footing with the financial also-rans & all clubs have the same amount of time to make their purchases.

Working hand in hand with an effective salary cap & a co-operative Players Association, a transfer fee system would be a breath of fresh air for the game of Rugby league. Clubs that once recruited via the chequebook would start looking inward at their own development programs, country clubs would be given a massive cash injection, NRL clubs would finally receive a reward for the hard work done by their development & training staff & us long-suffering fans wouldn’t feel so ripped off when a former favourite son returns “home” in opposition colours in 2005.

****

Word count: 725 including title

 

[Pistol]

Attack of The Commentators

Pistol takes it up for the Bunnies.

What is it with these crappy commentators that keep popping up all over the place? It doesn’t matter where you go, or what you do, it seems like nothing can be done about it. They are like a plague of locusts, attacking in swarms, staying off the ground so nobody can get them. It’s totally absurd. When one leaves, another three come along to continue the carnage.

Let’s start off with Warren Smith, the biggest wart on the backside of the league community. This guy really makes me want to vomit. His voice is so infuriating, his personality is so moronic and pompous, it’s enough to make even the most arrogant, self centred, vacuous movie star look like a modest, selfless iconic community pillar.

He starts off by commentating the motorcycle racing a few years ago. Bearing in mind he has no racing experience whatsoever and to call it a legitimate program, he puts Darrel Beattie alongside him to make it look like he knows what he is talking about. The closest he probably got to a motorbike was at an exhibition with bikini models where he thought he might catch a cheap perve. And just when you thought it was safe to watch sports again… he invades the sacred sport of golf.

After his little wrecking ball act with the motor racing program, he proceeds over to take charge of the golf show. What’s that you say? He doesn’t have any golf experience at all? Well then sir, you are absolutely correct. The man has no experience with golf either. Surprise surprise. But that doesn’t stop him from unleashing his poison once again. The man has not played on the PGA tour at all. Not even in Australia. Probably thought if he looked like he could swing a club or dress for the occasion that it might actually wash with the golf aficionados. I am afraid that it didn’t go well with me at all. Why should I, or anybody for that matter, take tips or listen to this imbecile drone on and on when he has no clue or has had little or no experience about the subject to which he is talking about. It’s like going into a butcher shop and telling him he is cutting the meat wrong or taking sex advice from a virgin.

And then it happened. Rugby League fell victim to his destructive, arrogant insanity. It couldn’t get out of the way. And we have been suffering ever since he moved in. I hear you saying to yourself, “It’s ok he probably played a few games of first grade.” Well I hate to disappoint you there my dear sir, but I am afraid he didn’t. “Well maybe reserve grade. Some level of noteworthy experience,” you say. Once again my friend, I think you maybe giving this guy too much benefit of the doubt. He has no top level playing experience at all. He might have tried to play Z grade in Mudgee but couldn’t make the cut. Ever since he has slimed his way into the graces of some Fox Sports executive, he has been all over the place trying to make himself the centre of attention. He hosts NRL ON FOX and a wrap up show of the weekends action on Mondays, and to really stick the boot in, he managed to get a gig hosting league’s night of nights, The Dally M Awards. What’s the matter Mr Murdoch? Someone who actually played league isn’t good enough to host the gala night of the year for the league community? A former player isn’t good enough to be the frontline commentator? To cut corners you bring in this clod, and not to mention, Andy Raymond and Mark Braybrook (Who the hell are these jokers?). Their past roster wasn’t really anything to crow about either. John McCoy, Terry Kennedy and Cameron Williams. This guy was not a class act. A former underwear and arse model who thought this qualified him to represent a dignified broadcast. How wrong he was.

Whatever happened to a league identity hosting a league fixture? Where are the good old days? Where’s Warren Boland, the former great winger and Wests captain and Artie Beetson. Theses guys were good.

The cricket only has cricketers hosting. Why can’t league fork out a few extra dollars to save us from an invasion of no talent hacks who think they are experts. SAVE US NOW. PLEASE. BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

 

[Pistol]

That article is 750 words long including the title.

 

[ozzie]

ok more changes - RoosterPremier2002 in for me..RP was nominated as a reserve

 

[fat_mike]

Fat_Mike hits it up for the roosters



Struck down with an off season illness

Last October I was overcome with some terrible sickness. It kicked in around October 11th, about a week after the rugby league grand final. Sitting at home realising there is to be no more rugby league for 5 months. The recommended dosage for my illness was given over the weekend by way of 7 top rate rugby league games.

It shows just how great our game is as I’m not the only person who has been wishing the season to be begin. Wishing the big hits, the precision kicks, the slick backline movements, the young fresh faces taking our game by storm and the old masters still mixing it with the best.

Rugby league is a game that has it all for the armchair supporter and this first week of the season certainly proved it. The first competition game of the year showcased the reigning NRL premiers in the bulldogs taking on one of the best squads in the competition in the dragons. The first 40 minutes was a brilliant exhibition of the grace, power and slickness that the elite teams in the NRL can display. Only dragon’s fans would’ve watched in displeasure at opening blitz by the dogs. The roosters vs Souths game showed how big some hits can be with Roosters prop Jason Cayless smashing most of the South Sydney forward pack.

The attacking flair that we all love was displayed throughout the weekend matches with some scintillating tries being scored in Melbourne as the storm demolished the Andrew Johns led knights. The fast paced attack and breath taking skills that were on show in Melbourne are another reason this game of ours is so great to watch. I would rather watch just one moment of brilliance from Billy slater than 20 pre season finals in the AFL or entire weekend of super 12 action. It didn’t just stop at this game either, the North Queensland cowboys are as potent a attacking machine as anyone in the competition and they never looked out of that game despite losing to big brother, Brisbane at Suncorp yesterday. With attacking brilliance in Matty Bowen, Jonathan Thruston and Ty Williams, the cowboys can attack from anywhere and when the passes stick the tries will come.

The fighting spirit of the underdog was also on display on Saturday night at the Sydney football stadium as the South Sydney rabbitohs, rugby leagues perennial wooden spooners, served it up to competition heavyweights the Sydney roosters. The roosters are among the most elite teams in the competition and have stars from position 1 right through to 17. This counts for nothing when up against a passionate and determined south Sydney team who lead the runners up from last years grand final 12 – 0 at half time. They eventually lost 24-12 but not without putting up a gutsy and courageous display against a team many are tipping to challenge for the title this year.

It seemed a lot of fans were struck down with my illness as well as the crowd figures for the weekends were great. A grand total of 159,564 turned out to this weekends matches, only coming second to the start of the 1999 season in which the season kicked off with 104 000 fans turning out for the double header. With no double header blockbuster and healthy crowd figures us rugby league fans are showing how much we love this game.

The competition will be close, the teams will be battling fierce and we all will be watching and supporting passion and love for our game. The usual smell of sweat dirt and lineament oil has returned to the nostrils and don’t we all just love it. We now embark on a journey lasting roughly 30 weeks and we await the ups and downs that come with the territory, being a rugby league supporter. One thing I definelty know is that despite us all supporting different teams there is one front we will all be united on and that is in the knowledge of rugby league being the greatest game in the world.

Thank god rugby league is back because I doubt I could’ve lasted another week without having my usual 7 game dosage of footy goodness I missed so much during the off season. I know await my next dosage as eager as ever. Rugby league is back baby!

734 words incl. title

 

[roosterspremiers2002]

Roosterspremiers2002 comes off the bench.

The Rugby League Fan, what a funny bunch we are.


What defines a Rugby League fan.
How does one become a fanatical devotee of the sport, are they born or do they just evolve??

The dictionary describes a fan as a person enthusiastic about a sport etc, but just what makes them tick, what is it that sets a Rugby League fan apart from the rest.
A fan could go out to a game and barrack for his team, or perhaps watch the game on the television. They might go to the local pub or club to catch up, or they might listen to the commentary on the radio. A league supporter is a special breed and they come in many shapes and sizes, infact it could almost be called a disease.

People afflicted with this illness eat, sleep and breath footy. Withdrawal symptoms usually accompany the off season. A fanatic often seeks other forms of league during this time to sate a small part of this addiction.
When the new season kicks off, their numbers grow so that the fanatic is accompanied by others inflicted with this disease. War paint on the face, jerseys and clothing adorned with club logo's, sponsor names and often a scarf thrown around the neck mark these fans.
They can be heard chanting with others of their kind, and some also carry and blow horns or whistles as they head into battle.

Almost all of them own at least one piece of memorabilia, possibly more. A framed jersey is the norm for some, a picture signed by a favorite player might hang from a loungeroom wall.
A select few even cover their entire home with regalia reminiscent of a pool hall.
Occasionally some even name their children after one player or another to make them feel closer to their idols.
They will travel thousands of kilometers to see the team of choice play, week in week out, while others plan family holidays around a football game.
The family car can play a major role in the team worship, hanging flags and streamers from its aerial or stickers on the bumper, to seat covers made in club colors.

What about the die hards, those that spend every spare moment working on projects that represent the game in some form.
There are those that write, like us for forums in some capacity. There are those that control the administration of sites to play games and web pages for others to enjoy.Those that organize supporter groups in rural and outer communities for fans who live away from usual supporter bases. Or even the very famous like the David Middletons of the world who know just about everything there is to know about the game.

In the school yard it is the 2 ten year olds debating why my dad the Bronco supporter can pee further than your dad the Sharkie, or the workplace tipping competition that is won by a novice that has no idea about league while you painstakingly read the form of each team, every week before placing your tips only to come second last.

Each team seems to have their own characters that represent themselves as the showpiece for fans. The Balmain Tigers had Laurie Nichols, a real persona who even until his passing was Black and Gold to the core. The Roosters have had Brian Cooley for as long as most of us can remember, holding chants in the old Turner Stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground and now a permanent fixture in the Hastings Stand at Aussie, and two bays away there is the Cannon who warms up his vocals and leads the cheer in the "Chookpen".
The South Sydney Rabbits have their "Burrow", full to the brim of an all singing, all cheering sea of red and green.

It doesn't matter how you barrack for your team, wether you are a fanatic, a novice or somewhere in between, if you paint your face, wear tattoos, wave your flags or just sit and enjoy, one thing is for certain, each and every one of us is a true rugby league fan.

In closing I would like to dedicate my article for this forum 7's game to the epitome of a true supporter. To Shane "spanner" McAndrew leader of the ACT Roosters Supporters Club who passed away on Sunday the 6th Mach 2005 who will be supporting his mighty Roosters from the best seats in the house.
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743 words including heading.

 

[Robster]

Robster makes a cross field bomb to the right side of the try-line, Clevo is underneath it and.........

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robster's Greatest Warriors

Part 1- The backline

March 10 1995, the Warriors entered the NRL. Since this moment fans
had to wait 6 years for the Warriors to reach the top 8. There were
often
players which shined more blightly than others. Here is my greatest
ever Warriors backline backline

Fullback - Ivan Cleary (2000-2002)
Contenders -Phil Blake (1995-1996) Brett Webb (2002*) , Matthew Ridge
(1997-1999)

Ivan Cleary played his final 3 years with the New Zealand Warriors,
before he was released. Even though he only played 3 seasons he
remains the Warriors 2nd highest scorer with 441 points. Ivan played a
starring role in the Warriors grand file surge in 2002, being as safe
as a house at fullback and with an outstanding goal kicking percentage
of 82%.

Phil Blake was still playing fanastic football for the Warriors but
was even better in his younger years with Souths and Manly.
Brett Webb can create something out of nothing and with plenty of
years left at the club.

While Matthew Ridge was a strong contender with the experience and
kicking game he bought to the club, Matthew is more regarded as a
legend when he was playing for Manly. There are a lot of talented
players in this area.

Wing - Francis Meli (1999*) Sean Hoppe (1995-1999)
Contenders- Lee Oudenryn (1997-2000), Henry Fa'afili (2000-2004),
Justin Murphy (2001-2004)

Both Francis and Sean have had fantastic moments in the Warriors
colors. Sean Hoppe was an athletic winger scoring a fantastic 19
tries in 22 matches in the Warriors debut season in 1995. Francis puts
his hand up for his quality performances throughout his years of
service and who could forget that fantastic solo try against Penrith
in 2001 and record breaking 5-tries in a semi final match.

Other contenders such as Lee Oudenryn and Henry Fa'afili were close
enough but for some reason both known to run more sideways then
forwards. However both were brilliant under the high ball and usually
very safe. Justin Murphy played a great season in 2002 which earned
him a spot in the Grand Final. His speed was his strength but his
lack of weight made it hard for him in defence and sometimes even in
attack.

Centre - Clinton Toopi (2000*) and Nigel Vagana (1998-2000)
Contenders - Tea Ropati (1995-1998) Dean Bell (1995-1995) Richie
Blackmore (1995-1996, 2001-2001) Vinnie Anderson (2002*)

Clinton Toopi and Nigel Vagana could be twins when it comes
attributes; both very quick, break the line often, solid in defence,
and both can be game breakers on their day. The only difference I can
think of is that Nigels hands are better than Clintons, though Clinton
has had more games in the Warriors colors.

Very difficult to split, Tea Ropati just missed out but is still
regarded as a club great , while Richie Blackmore was a
contender as well with his rock solid defence.
Dean Bell was very solid, however only playing
one season limits his chances, made a great first
year captain.

Five-Eighth - Gene Ngamu (1995-1999)
Contenders - John Simon (1999-2000) Lance Hohaia (2002*)

Gene Ngamu gets this spot hands down. He was the one 5/8 consistent
enough to hold his spot each season, however he was released by Mark
Graham in 1999. This was a pathetic decision in my view as Gene had a
great on-field kicking game and was solid in most other aspects.

Contender John Simon arrived from Parramatta halfway through the season in 1999 and received the
captaincy and single-handedly turned the Warriors season around, but a
fantastic 3 months isn't enough to earn himself top spot. Lance Hohaia
has his moments but isn't consistent enough yet to be up there with
the other 2 - expect Nathan Fien or Jerome Ropati be a contender in
the next couple of years.

Halfback - Stacey Jones (1995*)
Contenders - Greg Alexander (1995-1996) Thomas Leuluai (2003-2004)

Greg Alexander arrived with a bang for the Auckland based team in 1995
but it would take a lot to wrestle the title off Stacey Jones. Stacey
Jones is possibly the greatest Kiwi to ever put on the New Zealand
Rugby League test jersey. He captained the Warriors to a grand final
birth in 2002 and in the case of Stacey, its safe to say that big
things certainly do come in small package. Stacey is a certainty for
Kiwi Immortality and most likely keep his spot as the greatest ever
halfback (in my opinion) until the day I die.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

747 words bewteen the lines.

source- stats.rleague.com , www.warriors.co.nz, and nzwarriors.com

 

[Seano]

Seano rallies the troops for the final assault on the try line

Take the Money and Run?

Currently a contentious question amongst the South Sydney faithful and the Rugby League fraternity in large, is whether Rugby League teams should move from their respective home grounds to Telstra Stadium, Homebush. The decision to move home games to a venue such as Telstra must be carefully considered, not only for reasons purely fiscal in nature, but also from a supporter’s viewpoint.

Speculation has been rife in recent weeks that three Sydney teams, namely the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the West’s Tigers, and the St George – Illawarra Dragons, would move home games to the much larger Telstra Stadium at Homebush. While the details of these deals have not been confirmed, newspaper reports put the deals at between $70,000 up to $125,000 per game. Guaranteed. Irrespective of the financial standings of any club, a proposal that would guarantee income of around $1,000,000 per annum is never going to be dismissed without debate.

To put these figures in to perspective, South Sydney Chief-Executive Officer Shane Richardson has stated that this deal, if accepted, would ensure that the Rabbitohs were not only viable, but extremely competitive in the years to come.

“The money the deal would bring in would take a huge amount of pressure off the club and allow us to spend the money we need to spend to become more successful”

Taking the example of the Rabbitohs further, we can see that the deal is rumoured to be worth $70,000 per game guaranteed plus a percentage of the gate receipt whenever a certain crowd figure is reached.

While it is not easy to compare confidential business deals; from looking at the South Sydney Annual Report we can gleam that the Rabbitohs made a paltry $38,000 from playing home games at Aussie Stadium last season. However, a large percentage of this figure came from games played at NorthPower Stadium in Gosford and North Sydney Oval. It is easy to see that a football club cannot run with revenue this small without a strong Leagues Club to support it.

However, another important aspect to a move such as this revolve around the fans appreciation of the situation. Generally, Telstra Stadium is regarded as being a fairly poor venue to watch Rugby League at. On the other side, venues such as Aussie Stadium and suburban grounds such as Leichart Oval are considered very good places to watch Rugby League. Why do these grounds have these reputations? Quite simply it is atmosphere.

When Leichart Oval is full to the rafters, there are very few other grounds that can match the atmosphere. Similarly, Aussie Stadium is highly regarded due to the superior seating and view afforded to the supporters. What the clubs need to ascertain is whether these fan-based downsides will affect their bottom line. Not being privvy to the financials of the Wests Tigers, I can only assume that the $1,000,000pa would go a long way to helping their cause, while South Sydney’s financial situation is widely acknoknowledged.

The final piece of the puzzle that will no doubt have to be considered is whether or not the corporate facilities can be improved on for any move. The corporate facilities at Aussie Stadium are second probably only to the facilities at Telstra Stadium, so for the Rabbitohs this is not really a consideration. However, I belive that for a team that plays at largely suburban grounds such as the Wests Tigers, this would be a very important consideration. The ability to attract lucreative sponsors to the club would surely be made easier given better facilities to:

· Introduce sponsors to the club, and
· To ensure that their support continues

When the chips are down, and the deals need to be made, the people running these clubs need to consider not only monetary needs of the club, but also the requirements of the fans and their corporate supporters. A guaranteed income is always something that clubs should be striving to attain, and the deals afforded by Telstra Stadium are extremely enticing. Irrespective of which club we are talking about, the corporate issue is not really an issue at all since Telstra Stadium offers some of the best facilities for Corporate Partners and Football club Members alike.

References:
· http://smh.com.au/news/League/Rabbitohs-in-shock-move-to-Homebush/2005/02/26/1109180167664.html

Words [707]

 

[Clevo]

Clevo, eyes on the cross field bomb, jumps high to take it on the full..dummies...and...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mini Off-Season

What has drawn my interest this last off season is the start of the emotional waxing and waning of the unmistakeable OTHER off-season.

The Mini Off-Season that happens between weekends.

I follow three out five web forums that concentrate particularly on Souths and they all profess to be different in fundamental dogma yet all exhibit the same wave-pattern of emotional turmoil from week to week.

The Mini Off-Season on Souths forums goes something like this:

Game Day: Souths lose after suffering a second half collapse. A player suffers from incredible bad luck and injures himself for the rest of the year from a freakish injury read about the week before on Fortean Times. The rest of the day is spent reading alternative views on what the playing roster should have been.

Oscillating El-Redfernino Index (ORI): -10

Monday: Furious posters who were too angry to post after the game, post on Monday morning, still furious, and offer alternative and often conflicting analytical précis of the game. Followed closely by arguments on how each précis is wrong. Amongst the doubtful, posts go up internalising their loyalty to Souths and how they will never buy a season ticket. A fan replies to the doubters with an eloquently inspired poem or essay which instantly turns all doubters into zealots again. A jokester posts “Next Weeks Team” with the opening line “ I have inside info that…” and invariably gets it right earning the poster instant kudos. Followed by replies of “yeah, I got that inside info too”

ORI: -8

Tuesday: Tempers seem calmer and the extent of the previous game’s injury toll has been announced. The day is spent reading conjecture on next week’s team line-up. Ensuring numerous alternative arguments and how Roy Bell is 20 kilo’s too light to play on the wing or only 5 kilos too light. The focus begins to swing towards next week with posts providing links to some other unfortunate club, of any code of sport in the world, where they are doing it worse than Souths. Team announced on Official Club Website late in evening

ORI: 0

Wednesday: Fury as those who predicted the wrong team use “emoticons” to show their dismay. Arguments ensue. The predictable “predict next weeks score” where just about everyone predicts a win to Souths by a small margin with backing up arguments to suit. Every forum has a “This week/ Last week” expert.

ORI: All over the place.

Thursday: Souths fans mentally prepare for the weekends match by talking the game up and discussing our chances of winning. Some sledging of other Souths forums occur. A jokester posts a contrary remark how we will get slaughtered and is accused of being a closet Rooster supporter.

ORI: +3

Friday: The day is spent rebuilding the faith. Discussing what being a Souths supporter means and how we should all attend the game. But! Doing so may render Souths CEO Richardson’s clever plans to bring the SFS Trust to their knees with a new deal. On the more political of the forums, innuendo and gossip about Souths staff members and their past ineptitude passes the time.

ORI: +7

Game Day: Forums are inhabited with interstate supporters looking for someone to keep score updates. Lamenting the fact they live in some remote town full of heathen Bulldog supporters. Forums are quite as surely if you are seen logged-on you cannot be going to the game and therefore you live out of town or in trouble with the missus.

Go back to start.

While the flows of the Mini Off-Season continue on Souths forums as surely as the ocean tides; it should not be dismissed. If anything, they should be studied and utilised. I suspect they do. Fans need to be heard without fear of retribution but should also be held accountable. We need that level of participation in our clubs.

Dissent and acrimony will occur where ever people feel comfortable enough to speak and the anonymity an online forum gives ensures free and radical thinking and ideas. When Souths and the Roosters shut down their official forums they took away the sanctioning the official club website could be perceived to give. Hence the potential problems with sponsors rather than any real threat of litigation.

The Souths Mini Off-Season keeps a small percentage of Souths fans happy. It gives us opportunities to share feelings and thoughts otherwise only done at the pub on game day. It gives us some semblance of having a say.

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Word Count: 750 between the lines

 

[antonius]

Ref Blows Fulltime.

 

[ozzie]

well done both sides 5 v 5 can't ask much more than that...good luck Seano and your team - my that Avatar looks good..you can remove it Friday

 

[Seano]

haha thanks mate

Well done to both teams. Its always good to have a full complement.
Also its awesome to see that every team got full players this round! well done guys!!!!

 

[Willow]

Great game guys, while we're waiting for the marks to come in, I should remind everyone that this is for the Foundation Cup.

Easts and Souths have been playing for this since 2003 and its currently held by Souths.