Round 1 (2008) Eels v Cougars

[Willow]

Forum 7s - Round 1 2008
PARRAMATTA EELS v THE COUGARS

-v-

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

Naming Teams:
* 5v5 + 2 reserves each
* No 'TBA' or changing players named
* Captains must stick with original teams named

ALL THE RULES & REGULATIONS: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.php

FULL TIME: Wednesday 26 March 2008 at 9pm (Syd time)
REFEREE: rabs
Venue: Parramatta Stadium

**The Referee Blows Game On!**

CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL WORD COUNTER​

 

[griffo346]

Round 1 line up for the Cougars

Start
griffo346 (C)
Gunning For Panthers
Downie
IanG
The Camden Leisure Pirate

Bench
110kgpantherpower
T-BA

 

[Vaealikis Girl]

The Eels finally finish tieing up their shoelaces and take the field

2. Bubbles
3. Dean
4. Vaealikis Girl
10. bartman
11. Goleel

Reserves:
7. eloquentEEL
22. Prince Charles

 

[IanG]

On the Prowl!
By IanG

Well there have only been two rounds of the competition and already there have been controversies over tackling. First the shoulder charge on Craig Wing, then the hit by Josh Perry on Ben Ross and then last Friday Night the hit on Braith Anasta by Karmichael Hunt. I couldn’t help but two of the players involved in the shoulder charge up roar use to play for the club I support.

The through the week last week the hit on Craig Wing all of a sudden has been given a name. The “Prowler” tackles. I have to agree with those who are saying that had players not been injured we wouldn’t even be grumbling about it. Some are saying that it might be in the rules of game but not in the spirit. Well let’s not forget that it was like that back in 1981 when cricket’s infamous underarm incident occurred. It mightn’t have been in the spirit of the game but it hadn’t been outlawed at the time. It subsequently was thought. Could we see the same sort of thing happening here? Only time will tell. So it’s defiantly a case of watch this space.

Then in Round two we saw a couple of ugly incidents where they looked a lot worse slowed down than they did in real time. The first being Karmichael Hunt’s hit on Braith Anasta, All I can say about that one is he should consider himself lucky that it was his upper arm that hit Braith’s nose and not his elbow. Obviously accidents happen in Rugby League because it’s a contact sport.

I think Karmichael will spend a bit of time on the sideline along with Ben Ross and Brett White who were both sent off for striking in the same match. Looking back on it after being knocked out cold the week before perhaps Ben Ross might’ve been better off sitting out Sunday’s game now because I’ve only seen the incident once but even then it looked rather ugly. As for Brett White well that was simply a case of him coming to the defence of his team mate but by the same token should have done what he did. Just as Josh Perry shouldn’t have head butted Danny Wicks.

I don’t care what anybody says all Knights vs. Sea Eagles matches have been grudge matches since the 1997 Grand Final and it seems that it boiled over in the scrum. So he might be in a bit of trouble for that.

Don’t get me wrong I’m all for the game being cleaned up so that players don’t get seriously hurt and we don’t get anymore Jarrod McCracken’s or John Farragher’s for that matter. (For those of you unfamiliar with the latter he is the Panthers player who was left a quadriplegic when a scrum collapsed during a match against Newtown back in 1978) But at the same time this isn’t ballet. We don’t want the sport becoming soft.

The season is only two rounds old in the Centenary of Rugby League and it has already had its fair share of uproar so it makes me wonder what is in store for the rest of the season. It’ll be interesting to say the very least.

Along with what other mishaps might occur during the season. You know something always happens especially if players go out in public. Personally I think some people purposely sport them and try to provoke them into playing so they can snap ‘em and make a buck with the press.

At the same time with this talk about players being out until all hours, at the same time we don’t want to see them having to hermits in their homes and not go out and be normal people. Some of what some players have supposedly gotten up to is the sort of thing that most guys their age tend to get up to. So as far as I’m concerned it’s across the board and a society problem. Let’s face we never hear many stories about the local plummer or builder’s getting into a scrap in a night club.

I just hope that nothing really over the top comes to light though. Because even though some NRL players have been know to get up to no good. I dare say we won’t hear of one being busted for running a dog fighting ring as a rather prominent NFL player in America recently did.

WORD COUNT: 742 Words

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles takes the field for the Eels for the first time in 2008!

__________________________________________________________________

Girls are Weak….Boys are Strong….

So, according to the ‘Self-help’ aisle of the local bookstores through which thousands of women troll in search of answers to their frustrations and self-doubts, men and women are from different planets; the latter from Mars, the former from Venus. While there’s no doubt many differences, apart from the obvious physiology, the question on my mind of late is one of toughness. There is an old verse about strength whereby we girls can be unceremoniously chucked in the creek, whereas guys get to scale The Empire State Building, clutching tenderly within your great paws a scantily clad Jessica Lange (or for you of the Peter Jackson/Y-Generation - Naomi Watts).

There is no greater example of this simian toughness than can be witnessed on the Rugby League field. Over the years we have seen numerous examples of bravery with players busting through the pain barrier to stand by their mates in battle, the masculine mantra of ‘never let your mates down’ shining like an admirable beacon of the Aussie spirit – insert Tim Allen-style grunt here!

For example, according to sensationalistic headlines at the time, Andrew Johns played the 1997 Grand Final with his head barely connected to his torso placing him in the unenviable position whereby he could have met his maker at any given moment. As a Rooster supporter, one of the most memorable images of the 2002 Grand Final is that of Freddy Fittler, a blood-soaked bandage wound around his noggin, fighting it out to the victorious end before lifting the trophy, a sight that brings goose-bumps to my fleshly arms every time I recall it.

And of course, who on earth can forget clutching a panicked hand over our own foreheads, as if there were a Mick Devere-shaped voodoo doll in existence and we were all under threat of vicariously feeling the metal staples as they were driven into his skull?! So graphic was this example of pain-endurance that it has never hit the promo reels, which are often used to highlight the toughness of the game and its Herculian players.

Don’t get me wrong, like every League supporter, I love this stuff; lap it up in fact. While understanding the need for player safety taking precedence, I too cringe at the sanitisation of the game that seems to be occurring. In just two rounds of this current season the newly christened ‘Prowler’ tackle has been condemned and, together with its close relative the shoulder charge, a defensive cornerstone of the game, has been threatened with extinction.

Through all of this, I’ve read and heard the cries of ‘bunch of girls’ and ‘should just buy them all skirts’, being bandied about as if females would crumple under the threat of such injury and pain.

So, let me take you through a day in my life at present. I am currently 25 weeks pregnant and for four months straight I could not keep a single morsel of food down and when I wasn’t actually vomiting my guts up, was feeling like I would at any second, while all the time taking myself off to work for 8 hours each day.

Having got through this horrendous stage, I was looking forward to actually enjoying this allegedly ‘miraculous’ time in my life. Think again! About a month or so ago I developed what is known as ‘SPD’ – in short, the hormones that are released into the body to allow the hard pelvis bones to soften and move apart slightly to allow for the growing baby and impending birth, have made the bones separate too far, so that now when I walk, or move about at all, the bones are actually rubbing/grinding against each other. Sound painful? You bet your arse it is! Every day I strap myself into a very attractive belt that stabilises my pelvis a little and off I go to work for 8 hours, at the end of which, I’m almost doubled over in pain as I stagger for the couch where I have to lie prostrate waiting for it to ease. In amongst all this I am continually getting beaten up from the inside as this boy of mine practices his combination punches!

So, what I now think is that putting on skirts would only toughen the game up and that League players are a bunch of pussies compared to a pregnant woman. No wonder the job was given to us - there’s simply no way you guys could handle it!!!
________________________________________________________________

Word count: 749

 

[NK Arsenal]

gunning_for_panthers looks nervous as he takes a run from dummy half in his debut match.



*****

Should money speak louder than fans?

This year we celebrate 100 years of Rugby League in Australia. Many people in this great land love it for so many reasons like the passion, speed, intimidation, determination, drama, controversy, toughness, camaraderie and the mateship.

But when asked why you love Rugby League, most people wouldn’t list any of these factors.

Most people will say they love the rivalries the most. They love the rivalry matches such as the Rabbitohs v Roosters, Manly v Newcastle, Penrith v Parramatta, and in the State of Origin arena, New South Wales v Queensland.

These people would say that without rivalries, Rugby League wouldn’t be as good as what it is today. I tend to agree with this, however, there are some rivalries that have harmed Rugby League.

We have the rivalry between the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australian Football League (AFL) who attempt to take over each other’s heartland and the rivalry between the NRL and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) who annually poach some of the other code’s best talent.

But these are not the worst rivalries that have affected our game; in fact the rivalry that has affected our game the most is not even a rivalry between sporting clubs or organizations.

The rivalry that has affected our game the most is the rivalry between companies who earn millions of dollars a day. Rivalries between companies affects not only them, it affects the most important people in Rugby League, the fans.

The best example of companies at war is the Rugby League civil war, which is commonly referred to as the Super League War. I believe this was the darkest chapter in Australian sporting history.

In one corner we had the Australian Rugby League (ARL), who were backed by the late media mogul, Kerry Packer, and in the other corner we had Super League, who were backed by Rupert Murdoch.

Thanks to these rivals, representative footy in 1995 was diminished as the ARL ruled that Australian players who had signed for Super League clubs (Auckland Warriors, Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Canterbury Bulldogs, Cronulla Sharks, North Queensland Cowboys, Penrith Panthers and Western Reds) could not play for their state in the annual State of Origin series or for their country in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, which was held in England and Wales.

Thanks to these rivals, we had two Rugby League competitions running parallel to each other in 1997.

More rivals were brought into the ring as the ARL sides played for the Optus Cup, and the Super League clubs played for the Telstra Cup.

The rivals even tried to split up Newcastle, as Super League established the Hunter Mariners who played out of Breakers Stadium.

Even when the ARL and Super League kissed and made up in 1997 and created the National Rugby League, the fans were still getting hurt as part of the peace deal was that the number of teams in the 1998 season would be 20, and in the 2000 season, there would be 14 sides.

The South Queensland Crushers, Hunter Mariners and Western Reds were the first sides on the chopping block - they didn't play in the 1998 season, while the Melbourne Storm entered the competition in 1998.

From late 1998 to 2000, the Adelaide Rams, Gold Coast Chargers disbanded, the St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers merged to become the St George Dragons, Western Suburbs Magpies merged with Balmain Tigers to become the Wests Tigers, North Sydney Bears and Manly Sea Eagles merged to become the Northern Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs were kicked out of the NRL so the league would achieve it’s dream of becoming a 14-team league.

But the Rabbitohs fans and administrators had a never say die approach. 80,000 fans marched through the streets of Sydney so they could bring back the so-called “pride of the league” into the NRL.

Thankfully, common sense prevailed and the Rabbitohs were re-admitted via the Federal Court into the National Rugby League for the 2002 season.

In late 2002, the Northern Eagles reverted back to the Manly Sea Eagles, but wouldn’t have had to merge if it weren’t for money hungry pigs.

All of this happened in the most farcical decade or so in Rugby League history, which we still haven’t recovered from.

Here’s hoping that future administrators don’t feel that money speaks louder than fans.

*****

731 words.

Sources:

http://www.rl1908.com/Clubs/South-Sydney-Rabbitohs.htm

http://www.rl1908.com/Clubs/Northern-Eagles.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_League_War

 

[Dean]

Dean for The Eels

You are a role model, son.

What ever happened to all the decent human beings? Well, in the case of Rugby League players they became role models and failed miserably.

Dictionary.com defines “Role Model”as ‘a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.’ Dictionary.com also defines “Decent Human Being”as ‘there are no dictionary entries for decent human being, but decent, human, being are spelled correctly.’

One can’t help but see the parallels between Dictionary.com and the world that we know as rugby league. Case in point; the terms “Decent human being” and “Rugby League” only co-exist within a parallel universe these days. The role model killed off the decent human being a long time ago, only to haphazardly fill the void left by his deceased half-brother.

Some people might argue that a decent human being and a role model are mutually inclusive terms. However, in the world of Rugby League these people could not be more incorrect. For instance; a decent human being is allowed to be stupid and drunk, as long as it does not cause violence and/or abuse. A Role model is not allowed to be drunk; full stop. A role model has the foresight and psychic ability to recognise that they are on a crash course to human error that involves not only themselves, but their club and their community. A role model is above all things immune from human error.

A decent human being is not only allowed, but required to stand up for their mates in need. A role model is required to advise their mates of the dangers of whatever situation they have found themselves in, and further more a role model is required to publicly berate their mates in regards to said indiscretions.

I’ll stop right there. Only because both issues are usually tied up with alcohol, and because both issues are canon fodder for the “I have a microphone, so you will listen to every damn word I say” media.

The media are vitally important for promoting the game, but they unashamedly champion themselves as moral fairy grandmothers of sporting society. They have skewed our definitions of role models to the point of ridiculous perfection, particularly in regards to so called repeat offenders. Tim Smith is a case in point. His last indiscretion involved no anti-social behaviour. He was simply out late with a beer in his hand.

The media love to refer to players of the past as great characters, but if Tim Smith walked down a public street with nothing but a bowler cap he would be strung up in contempt of his role model duties.

Imagine this; if Tim Smith found himself involved in an altercation which involved his good mate Nathan Hindmarsh, who has been hit by a blind sight punch from a disgruntled Cowboys supporter. Should he:

A: Help out his mate, as is the Australian tradition. Mateship anyone? John Williamson anyone?
B: Advise his mate that any violent reaction will result in a negative perception towards his club.
C: Walk away in the interest of his role model status and risk the media somersaulting on their role model perceptions and printing this headline. “Recidivist walks away from team mate in need!”

We’ll let him stew over this dilemma while his team mate is glassed.

The media is constantly defending themselves as the harmless reporters of reality and fact but it has become increasingly clear that scandal has always been their new black. When the two major newspapers in Sydney have gossip sections (excuse me, I mean hard hitting exclusive sections), it’s abundantly clear that scandal is a high priority no matter how much they tell us that their sole interest is the footy on the field. The sad thing is that it’s the public’s love of a scandal which fuels this desire. I’m looking at you people.

I’m not making excuses for players that are in the habit of committing a crime, but I would much rather see footballers concentrate on being Decent human beings than role models. A decent human being is genuine; a role model in today’s rugby league world is not. He is a fabrication, a black and white cardboard cut out that is forced upon players who above all should be aspiring to do the right thing, not taught to be something that is re-defined every five years in the newspaper.

Thank you and good night. I’m off for a schooner.

******

Word Count: 750 words.

Sources:

http://dictionary.reference.com/

 

[griffo346]

Interchange

Off The Camden Lesiure Pirate
On T-BA

 

[bartman]

Bartman for the Eels... blow that whistle, ref!

- - - - -

Magic and Loss

Most of us know what it feels like to be separated from something or someone really special to us.

It is a feeling we are said to experience as children, perhaps on the first day of child care or school when we part ways with our parent at the front gates. It is something that parent feels at the front gates, watching their child disappear from their side for perhaps the first time.

As we get older, this feeling of separation can come in different forms – in our feelings about our first childhood pet that one day ceases to be, and in youthful friendships that can flow with the tide and are not as lasting as they once seemed. In our twenties as we make our own way in the world we leave behind school, change jobs, companies or even areas where we live, leaving behind special people and special things in each of these parts of our lives as well.

Four years ago I experienced my own sense of separation, as I moved away from the area I grew up, the city I called home, and the people and things that had been special to me for the first 30 years of my life. One of those things that had been really special to me all of my life was rugby league, and I had no idea at the time how much I would come to miss it.

My dad and mum took me to my first game when I was aged 5. In the years that followed we were fortunate to witness a golden age for our local club, and the development and talents of playing coming through the grades leading to success and premiership wins. When my parents separated rugby league became something that my dad and I did more often in our limited time together, from watching the ABC telecasts on Saturday afternoons to going to the games on Sunday, home or away.

Dad and I continued to follow our club on this basis even when the home games had to be played at another club’s ground for four long years. When our club finally returned to its own new ground we even bought season tickets, and for 18 years we had sat in the same seat at home games. Rugby league had been a passion and central part of my life for all this time… until I moved away.

From where I moved I could no longer go to my team’s games, home or away. Television coverage could suffice, but it just wasn’t the same as having been at the live games with my dad - cheering in unison when a break or good tackle is made, rolling our eyes at refereeing decisions, being frustrated when our team’s defence doesn’t hold, and then talking about it all the way home.

I was careful to end up moving to a place where I could still go and watch live games of rugby league in another well known rugby league competition. Trekking out to unfamiliar grounds, being sat or stood amongst passionate cheering fans… but it just wasn’t the same because this wasn’t MY team playing! I could appreciate the talents on display, and the magic of the sport in general, but I couldn’t share the excitement, because my passion remained behind in my home town and with my home club.

In just seven weeks time I am coming back home. Home to the place where I grew up, home to family and to old friends. Home to my team and its familiar local stadium and the season ticket that Dad thankfully kept going in my absence. Home to join new friends and like minded-souls that support our team whenever they can. Home for a new season!

They say life is a process of magic and loss… magic in the experiences we take for granted, and loss when these special moments are for whatever reason no longer as frequent. Looking back with regret only serves to teach us one lesson – that we should make the most of whatever we’ve got while we can.

And in terms of rugby league that lesson leads to one resolution. Get out to every game you possibly can - home, away, finals, rep and international games. Soak it all up and give something back! Because you never know when life, or the sport itself, will conspire to make that magic just a little more difficult for you to enjoy.

- - - - -

750 words between the lines

Apologies to Lou Reed for ripping off his album title for the heading...

 

[Goleel]

Gol just hopes he doesn't make some defensive blunders and look foolish after posting this article for the Eels...

---

Defensive Position

This was to be a 'Ten Things I Hate About League' article to contrast all the feelgood stories going on in this centenary year of our game, because we all know too many positive stories about rugby league would see the universe collapse upon itself. That is the only explanation I can think of for the daily "'Insert club here' in Crisis" headlines I see. Unfortunately, my first hate got me so riled up I couldn't fit in my other nine, so I'll leave those for another time, because this one peeve should keep the universe in its regular shape until at least the next forum sevens round.

Eric Grothe's inability to defend.

Now, as a Parramatta fan, I have learned patience and tolerance over the years. No matter how bad things get, I have a memory I can look back on as an 'it could be worse' moment. Those moments are quickly running out as every time Eric Grothe steps onto the field, he shows increasing ineptitude in just about every aspect of the game that doesn't involve diving over from close range for a try.

The man just can't defend. Sure, he can tackle, and even put on a big hit when the stars align, but for the life of me I can't figure out how four different coaches have not been able to teach this guy to stay on his damn wing. Watching a highlight reel of tries scored against Parramatta will inevitably show at least one try a game scored because Eric Grothe is far from his wing, usually rushing up on a centre or inside man that he would not have stopped anyway, leaving a clear passage down the sideline for his opposite number to score.

It happens so often I'm beginning to think this may be part of a gameplan I simply don't understand. Perhaps I have been misinformed by every coach I've ever had through junior rugby league who said 'stay on your damn winger no matter what'. I was always led to believe that if the opposite winger scored, it was your damn fault, but if the centre, or anyone else on the field scored, as long as you marked your man, you did your job just fine. Maybe it is a well kept secret of the NRL that rushing out from your defensive line to belt the opposition centre while a cutout pass sailed over his head to the now unmarked winger, is actually a better defensive option than keeping a solid line that the opposition will have to go through, not around. It could also be that I just don't know what I am talking about, and am living in a fantasy world where I expect my wingers to be able to defend at least competently.

What annoys me the most is how long it has been happening. Since his time at the Roosters under Ricky Stuart to his return to Parramatta under Brian Smith, Jason Taylor and now Michael Hagan, the man hasn't been able to learn basic positional defence. Has each coach simply given up trying, hoping he will bustle and barge his way over for enough tries to compensate for his defensive liability? Three years ago, that may have been the case, but I can't remember the last time he even made a decent break, let alone brushed off three defenders on the way to the line.

The guy just doesn't care. He openly admits he treats football as a job, not a passion, he couldn't be bothered to show up to the Australian side medical, ruining a chance at representative football a lot of NRL players would have killed for. He takes an eternity to recover from injuries because his attitude to rehabilitation is poor, and it is very easy to see that this weak attitude to the game could transfer to his defensive responsibilities. We all know that rugby league is a much more entertaining game to play with the ball than without it, Grothe could easily just shrug and phone in his defensive efforts, waiting for the 'fun stuff' to happen.

I'm not saying this is true, this is just my theory. Eric Grothe is a talented athlete that can score tries no others could, but is that talent worth the defensive liability he comes with? I'm beginning to say no, and I hope he cleans up his act soon, or his spot is given to somebody who gives a damn.

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749 words, this be.

 

[Downie]

Rugby League – A Culture to Despise?


This year rugby league celebrates a centenary of the great sport. A hundred years of amazing tries, thunderous tackles, blistering speed and heroic victories. But amongst the glitz and glamour of the on-field brilliance has been a culture that has never shied away from controversy.

The game itself has seen countless dodgy referee calls, teams bending the rules and the whole Super League fiasco. But it’s the controversy surrounding the players of the game and their culture that has drawn most media scrutiny. This article will look at exactly how this has come about.

It all starts from when they start the game as a young boy. Most players go through their entire junior career playing for the same team with the same set of mates. Chances are they also go to the same school as most of their teammates, so this extends to every lunchtime turning into a game of rugby league. And then this turns into games of league after school as well. So a lot of their free time is spent playing rugby league with the same group of guys for several years. This affects them in two ways. Firstly, it means that the other kids in the school see the league players as the ‘tough, cool kids’, which in turn increases their ego and arrogance. Secondly, it restricts them from going to other social activities with other, different cultural groups. This means that the league kids never get a chance to experience other societal cultures. When someone is stuck in one culture with no way of experiencing others, it accentuates all aspects – both the positive and the negative – of that culture.

This then continues as the players get older, but the numbers dwindle. It’s the minority that remains that creates trouble for the game. The guys who have done nothing but sport for their entire lives, who thinks everything is a competition and have the arrogance and over-confidence of someone who has been winning all their lives. They’re an NRL player now; they think they’re better than everyone else. This is where the core group of troublemakers lie.

To be fair, this doesn’t apply to a lot of guys playing league – most players don’t get into any sort of trouble. Others are just unlucky and just get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, it’s the minority that DO get into trouble that generates the majority of publicity about the game.

On the other side of the coin, we have the good guys. The ones that generate positive publicity for league. And there’s one common denominator for all of them. They each have something in their lives apart from rugby league that have allowed them to delve into other aspects of life which have bettered them as a person and separated them from the core rugby league culture as mentioned previously. For some, such as Krisnan Inu (a dedicated Mormon), it’s religion. He never receives any negative off-field publicity and even went as far as only serving fizzy drinks at his 21st party, combating the recent plethora of alcohol-related incidents involving rugby league players. For others, it is charity work. Ex-Sea Eagle Michael Monaghan was renowned for his work in helping disabled children in his time at Manly and was never involved in any off-field confrontations.

However, there are those who belong to the first group of rugby league for breakfast, lunch and tea that have turned out to be great role models for the game. I know this backtracks on a lot of what I said earlier, but the game of rugby league itself isn’t to blame for the problems of some league players, which many in the media seem to believe. This article seems to be going in circles now, but that’s because the problem of the rugby league culture isn’t a simple one, it’s actually rather complex and has no straight-forward answer. Rather, the game of league and how it affects junior players as mentioned at the start is a factor that can negatively influence those that have already started down that path – it acts as an accelerator of this.

The problem starts with how these kids are raised, as are pretty much all of society’s problems. The ‘good guys’ of rugby league all engage in activities that help society’s problems as well. It’s just that the rugby league culture is society in general under one giant magnifying glass.


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750 words according to the counter.

 

[griffo346]

griffo346 runs out to face the Eels in the first game of 2008

My 2008 Dream

It is reality I am all geared up and ready for this weekends round three NRL clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at CUA Stadium.

Since I have moved from Sydney to live in Adelaide I don’t have a great deal of NRL action unless I listen on NRL.com or I watch Foxtel.

I have to admit that I do miss my NRL on channel nine at 8:30pm Fridays and 4pm Sundays and being a non NRL state we don’t get the NRL until midnight which I find bad as every state in Australia gets the AFL L

Well it all started about a week ago my mum approached me to come up to Sydney to see my sister for her 18th b/day and it just happened to clash with a panthers home game which made me all excited she said she would pay for me to go to the game and come to Sydney.

The trip started Easter Sunday I had to wake up 4:30am to be at the airport by 5am for a 6am flight onboard Virgin Blue airlines. I get off the plane at about 8:30am at Sydney Domestic Airport all excited to see the family and the football just around the corner which ultimately could be the first and only time I see the mighty panthers play at CUA this year.

Other times I have come up to see the mighty panthers play they have lost so I must be a bad omen for a club doomed by bad selections from the coaching staff. The last two rounds I have listened to the game on the radio and kept a keen eye on the panthers official website for all the news and team changes that goes on. At the moment without having access to Foxtel I haven’t been able to ride the pain that is watching my team lose week in and week out.

After a preseason of signings and with the major signing of forward Petro Civoniceva from the Brisbane Broncos and the naming of him as captain the panthers are hoping he will bulk our back up and get the passion flowing more then the panther fans have seen in recent times.

Other signings included Adam Woolnough and Brad Tighe from Newcastle Knights and Joe Williams from South Sydney Rabbitohs.

In round one I was going in with a breath of fresh confidence knowing that we would have more juniors come through the system at the club so as always come 4pm eastern time I log onto panthers and see if the team is up and it was I found that some people didn’t agree with some choices that Matty Elliott made and some that where liked… However when I was listening to the Continuous call team they had said that Matty Elliott was considering a late change with Pritchard to play at lock and Nate Smith at 5/8 with Jarred Sammut to the bench this move proved to be costly to the panthers although they stuck to the game plan in the first 20 minutes they lost the plot after that and Peteros coming home celebration was cut short as the broncos went on to smash us by 36 points the score ended up being 48- 12.

This ended up being a long week for me personally as I was waiting with anticipation the naming of the panthers first grade team for round two and a redemption of the result that we had in round one, the team was named again at 4pm Tuesday afternoon and I was confident against a Canberra side with doubt over a few players also. The day had come I was listening on the internet on radio 2GB and excited with the start panthers had jumping out to a lead and then listening to them capitulate against the Raiders, the panthers ended up going down 20-16 after leading for most of the game.

Now round three is approaching and the team has been named and I am waiting with anticipation with the changes Matty Elliott has done with moving Tony Puletua from second row to front row where I believe he will be better suited along with other positional changes also good to see Mick Gordon back from injury should be interesting how the panthers approach this game mentally.

733 Words
According to the official F7s word counter

 

[t-ba]

t-ba runs on for the Cougars from the bench.

____________________________________

LOSING MY RELIGION

I think it is safe to say that most of us who choose to spend any amount of time on an internet board dedicated to Rugby League have given over a certain amount of ourselves to The Greatest Game of All. Each of us have our own story of how we got here, and everyone one of them is an intriguing story in itself. They are stories of how a simple, yet beautiful game, described as ‘War without the frills’ (anon) has worked its way into the lives of people from places as mundane as the old mining towns of Lancashire and as exotic as the highlands of New Guinea. The Super League War and the consequent ‘consolidation,’ which over a decade ago almost killed Rugby League, saw many turned away from the game. In the years that followed however, the game has recovered, and though many have not returned, many more have, and those stories are just as fascinating. This is the story of my return to the game that I love.

It is April 2002. For the last five years, my interest in Rugby League waned, with an effective Rugby Union school brainwashing program, the merger of my Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and their arch rivals from North Sydney and girls taking my attention away from the game. I’m not much different, and history will record 2002, despite the return of South Sydney, as the lowest ebb the game has experienced since the Super League war ended. An average crowd attendance of 13,000 across the league reflects the general malaise. It is on a glorious autumn day that I will attend my first match of Premiership football since Manly drew with Brisbane in 1999.

We travel down the F3, my self, my father and my stepbrother. My stepbrother, a staunch Knights fan and Manly hater, has placed a $50 bet on the Roosters, our opposition for the day. At this stage, they are just Manly’s opposition however. Though I had an abortive experiment following Rugby Union in 2000, I have been by no means won back over to Rugby League. The side that’s running out that day is still called the Northern Eagles and still plans to play six games of that season in front of 5000 people in Gosford. I’m still deeply conflicted about my association with the game.

We make it to the ground. People are walking around the stadium in t-shirts which proclaim “Manly’s Back,” obviously not endorsed by the club, who are still keeping the pretence of the ‘Northern Eagles’ alive. Inside the stadium, Manly is playing reserve grade. Grant Goldman is uttering ‘Manly’ across the PA. It feels like the game I remembered when I was little, not the soulless product rationed out for the last seven years.

The Northern Eagles run out to face the Sydney Roosters. What follows is a tense, engaging battle, a classic Sunday afternoon tussle. Grant Goldman hasn’t stopped cheering for ‘Manly’ across the audio system, and the crowd joins him, chants of ‘Manly…Manly…Manly’ going up throughout the viewing sections for the entire match. Though only 12,120 fans turn up that day, a Sunday crowd figure which would have the current administration reaching for the knives, it’s the most energetic I have ever felt Brookvale Oval. For one afternoon, the game returned to its roots, Easts against Manly in a tense engagement, Giving crap to a relative who has bet against the home team, the sun beating relentlessly down on the hill. With the scores locked at 22 all and time running out, Jason Ferris puts Brendon Reeves into open space. After running 30 metres on his busted legs, ‘Chopper’ sets up Steve ‘Beaver’ Menzies who coasts over the try line facing the northern hill for what would easily be the most satisfying victory of an amazing season for the ‘Northern Eagles.’ I felt sheer jubilation, which I have never felt since, a feeling which I doubt a grand final could replicate.


Leaving the ground, the blazing sun dipping down the horizon until returning to drench the Northern Beaches tommorow, the world hadn’t changed, but mine certainly has. Though hardly as dramatic as a Supreme Court ruling or old Wests fans crying after a Benji Marshall flick pass, moments that saw many others of the ‘lost’ return, that day was massively significant for me. Rugby League was back in my life, and hopefully it will never leave again.


______________________________________________________

Quote By 'anon' taken from Great British Wit By Rosemarie Jarski.

Word Count: (Excluding endnote) 748.

 

[Vaealikis Girl]

#Vaealikis Girl takes the final hit-up for the Eels

Hagan’s One Man Band​

Michael Hagan is a premiership winning coach. With his first year at Newcastle Hagan took the Knights to the top and got the trophy, against a team I would rather leave unnamed, but how many players did he need to get the gold? It appears the answer may be closer to one than the usual seventeen most coaches would require.


When Michael Hagan took on the role of coach at Newcastle, Andrew ‘Joey’ Johns was already well on the way to becoming the NRL’s biggest name. With the assistance of coach Hagan, Johns would become an even more prominent figure in the game, but what about the rest of the team? As season 2001 kicked off it seemed that more and more of the Knights’ plays were focused on Joey. Ok, so Johns did wear the number seven, making him the head playmaker, but should a team use one player to the extent that they can no longer function if the unthinkable should occur. Many a rugby league fan would find themselves questioning “can the Knights win without Andrew Johns?” Over the years the answer to this question would be made pretty clear. At times it came across as though Johns’ fellow Knights had been coached to make sure they lost if Joey was not playing. Perhaps it is just my biased opinion, Michael Hagan has never been on the top of my list of favourites, nor has Andrew Johns (I may be very much alone on this one), however the statistics tell a similar story.


In 2001 the Knight’s played eight games without Johns. Of these eight games they would lose six and win only two. The Knights took out the competition that season with Joey leading the way through the finals. In 2002 of the games Johns played, Newcastle would lose three and win one. This season the Knights were again close to the top, however their season would come to an end when they suffered a twenty-six point semi-final loss to the Roosters. A back injury in the first week of the finals kept Johns from playing the Knight’s final match.


The media jumped on the Knight’s inability to win the big games without Joey and the headlines would tell the story of how ‘Joey led the Knights to victory’ or how ‘injury to the Knights star playmaker ends in the team’s defeat.’ 2003 again saw the Knights lose more games than they won without Andrew. Similar to the previous year the team made the finals only to bow out in the first week after Joey was again ruled out due to injury, this time to his neck. In 2004 the team lost thirteen and won eight games without Johns, and in 2005 they would lose eight and not win any without him.


With all the time Joey spent on the sideline due to injury surely the Knights should have had plenty of time to get used to working without him, yet more often than not they would fall apart the moment the halfback left the field. In 2006 the Knights won the same amount of games as they lost without Johns. Could this have been the reason that this would be Hagan’s last season with the club? Had the team finally learned to play games without relying solely on one player?


While watching the Eels play the Warriors in their round two clash over the weekend I was reminded of the Knight’s self-destruction over the years. I’m not one to ‘bag out’ my team however, there were few positives to take out of their most recent performance. There was not much happening in the way of attack and the Warriors easily took advantage of the holes in the defense. In short, the Eels seemed to fall apart in a similar fashion to the Knights. So who is Hagan’s new focus for his one man band? None other than Eels superstar secondrower, Nathan Hindmarsh. Last season the Eels were without Hindmarsh for five games, four of which they lost. Sure, these aren’t quite the same telling statistics as for the Knight’s but compared to the Eels’ previous seasons, where they could easily defeat big name sides without Hindmarsh, should the Eels supporters be concerned? Should we base our predictions of the Eels success on whether or not Nathan Hindmarsh will take the field? Only time will tell.

Sources:
http://rugbyleagueproject.com
http://www.rleague.com

734 words ​

 

[Willow]

 

[NK Arsenal]

Nice articles there, especially by yours truly ;-)

Nah seriously, good work by my boys, especially t-ba.

For the eels, I feel that Dean had a good match.

Also, it's a 5 v 5 match :crazy:

This will be interesting.

 

[griffo346]

good work guys nice to see we can get 5 in for our frst game of the season

also good luck to eels make sure this is a good game

 

[rabs]

Cougars

IanG
On the Prowl! 745 words
This article lacked continuity and there were several grammar and spelling errors.
78

Gunning For Panthers
Should money speak louder than fans? 731 words
Today money is the necessary evil to be competitive but without the fans there is no game, getting the balance right is the challenge for administrators.
82

Downie
Rugby League – A Culture to Despise? 750 words
Whilst it’s impossible to generalise such a wide base of people (400 top 25 players in the 16 clubs), the theory you present has merit.
85

griffo346
My 2008 Dream 724 words
A look at the Panthers first two rounds from an interstate based supporter. Contained some grammar and spelling errors.
78

T-BA
LOSING MY RELIGION 742 words
A tale of footy, family and fun. I hope you never stray to the dark side again.
84



Eels

Bubbles
Girls are Weak….Boys are Strong…. 749 words
As father to a 2 month old I sympathise with your situation having seen it all first hand very recently. I’m sure all dads like myself who took a keen interest in the pregnancy and now up rearing would agree that women are the tougher breed! Oh and Men from Venus?
84

Dean
You are a role model, son. 748 words
An intelligent observation of this issue. As the writer mentions the game needs publicity that the media outlets offer; but the unfortunate aside is that the players have to endure the media scrutiny and garbage that any type of public profile brings.
88

bartman
Magic and Loss 750 words
A simple story, well written with good emotion. Welcome home!
90

Goleel
Defensive Position 749 words
An attacking article on Grothe junior, well founded too IMO. Most fans will have this kind of player on their books and in this age of professionalism it’s just not good enough.
87

Vaealikis Girl
Hagan’s One Man Band 734 words
Does Hagan rely on his big name players too much? For Parra fans I hope this isn’t correct.
80


Eels 429
defeat
Cougars 407

POTM bartman Eels

Well done to both teams with congrats to the Eels who are again fielding a classy line-up that should take them to the finals. To the Cougars nice work in getting the full complement of articles in and good luck for the season ahead.

 

[NK Arsenal]

Well thats a shame

Congrats to the Eels for winning and thanks for participating.

Thanks for reffing rabs.

 

[Vaealikis Girl]

Thanks for the quick marks Rabs! And thanks for the match Cougars!

Also congrats bartman on player of the match!!!