Round 11 (2005) Easts Vs Rhinos

[roosterboy60]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Easts Roosters v Orange County Rhinos[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]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.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Home team captain will be allowed 3 reserves, visiting captain will be allowed 2 reserves
Rules: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.asp[/font][font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Full Time: Wednesday 17th August at 9pm (Syd time)[/font]
[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Venue: Sydney Football Stadium

Crowd: 7,050
REFEREE: Capt Dread[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]**Referee Blows Game On!**[/font]

 

[ParraMatt]

RHINOS SQUAD:

Mzilikazi (c)
Hightown Tiger
Yakstorm
Mr Angry
Rammo

RESERVES:

NSSB
Bartman

 

[Rammo]

Rammo finds a hole in the defensive line and speeds through the gap on debut.

THE GREAT ANDREW JOHNS

They say there are only two certainties in life. Death and taxes. You can add a third to that list. That Andrew “Joey” Johns will go down as one of the greatest Rugby League players to ever play the game.



One would normally associate being a halfback with looking good for the cameras, and many of the purists believe that people who like backs probably like strawberry ice-cream as well, but not this halfback.



This halfback is a “1 in 20 year player, 1 in 40 year player, maybe even a once in a lifetime player”. These are the words of a rough and tough footballer himself, Paul Harragon, the long-time captain of the Newcastle Knights, and, Andrew Johns.



Andrew Johns was born on the 19th of May, 1974, and played his junior football with the local Cessnock Rugby League club. “Joey” is seen as the heart and soul of the Newcastle Knights. The son of a Cessnock coal miner, “Joey” represents the tough as teak traditions of the Newcastle district.



Johns arrived at Newcastle in 1989, and made his first grade debut off the bench against the Gold Coast Seagulls on April the 17th, 1993. He filled in at fullback in that match, and he absolutely despised it.



It wasn’t until the 94 season that the Knights realised that halfback was his position. He was absolutely outstanding at halfback, and just 2 seasons later he had his first representative jumper, a Country Origin jersey.



He made his debut in State of Origin in the same season of 1995, in the infamous Melbourne game, where the chant of “Queenslander!”, caused mayhem in the first scrum of the game, with one of the biggest brawls seen in the modern era, in which Joey was heavily involved.



He made his Test debut later in 1995 in the International Rugby League World Cup. Johns became involved in another well renowned scuffle in Origin football, with the Tommy Raudonikis, cry of “Cattledog!”, in which he was dealt severe blows to the head from Queensland Hooker Jamie Goddard.



“Joey” has developed quite an impressive record over his career. MVP in the 1995 International World Cup, Dally M Medal winner in 1998, 1999 and 2002, Rugby League Week’s Player of the Year 1998, 1999, 2002, NRL Player of the Year 1998, 1999, 2002, two-time winner of the Golden Boot award for World player of the year in 1999 and 2001, Clive Churchill medallist 2001, played in Newcastle ARL premiership win in 1997, and captained Newcastle to NRL premiership in 2001. He has also captained Australia on two occasions, against Great Britain in 2002 and New Zealand in 2003.



Andrew Johns has stunned the Rugby League community with his achievements in his career. It has even convinced some experts to say that he is the greatest player of all-time.



Here are some of the things that the great players and experts of the game have said about Andrew Johns;



Former Australian Halfback Peter Sterling: “Andrew Johns is the greatest player in the history of our game.”



Rugby League immortal John Raper: “He has the toughness and skills to make it in any era. Andrew is a champion-the greatest I’ve seen.”



Former NSW Coach and Rugby League expert Phil Gould: “It is unfair to make comparisons from past eras, it’s unfair on them, because they weren’t as good as him (Andrew Johns).



Of course there are many questions left unanswered in the Andrew Johns story, and there is still plenty left to be written about his excellence on the football field.



One cannot help but think this Cessnock kid could have achieved a hell of a lot more in this great game, as injury has very much hampered his career.



Andrew has thrown himself into controversy as we speak, by deciding to play for English club Warrington for the remainder of the 2005 season. One would have to argue though, for the benefit of the international game, let the great man go.



He would be doing more for the game internationally by playing in England than he would be by playing against a second string Kiwi side, his appearance as a lead story on BBC news only emphasises that point.



As the search intensifies for Rugby League’s 8th immortal, one would feel that it is only a matter of time before this Newcastle whiz kid joins the list of the greatest Rugby League players to ever pull on a boot.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References:
www.nrl.com.au
www.newcastleknights.com.au
DVD: 'Joey-The Andrew Johns story so far'

 

[Hightown Tiger]

The Rhinos Hightown Tiger steamrolls into the opposition...


Grounds for concern…Revisited


You may remember an article I did a few months ago reporting on the current and planned stadiums of Super League teams. In particular I looked at the growing trend of teams moving away from traditional rugby league grounds, to share all seater stadiums with football (soccer) teams.


In this article again I am going to look at rugby league stadiums, but I will focus on the stadiums used for Great Britain international rugby league games, and stadiums used for big events.


Firstly, starting off with Great Britain rugby league, most people will be aware they currently play their home games in and around the ‘M62 corridor’-Stadiums like The JJB, and The Galpharm. However, with the new Wembley only a year or so away from completion, it will be interesting to see if Great Britain will use this ground. For start, the new Wembley will hold a 90,000 crowd, which is a big step up from the 25,000 capacity stadiums they currently play in. I know Wembley will probably only be considered for one game big in events such as the Tri Nations (the other games of course will be played at the likes of Hull’s KC Stadium etc) but it is a very big gamble because after the success in terms of attendances in last years Tri Nations series. The last thing Great Britain rugby league and the RFL would want to see is a half full Wembley or any other ground.

Great Britain rugby league also use other grounds better known as homes to teams from outside rugby league: Elland Road, City of Manchester Stadium, and in this years Tri Nations will use Queens Park Rangers’s Loftus Road. What I’d love to see is a Great Britain game played at Headingley-home ground of current Super League and World Club champions Leeds Rhinos. Although the capacity is around the 21,000 mark, the atmosphere would be awesome. Just imagine 21,000 ‘Poms’ packed into the famous old ground, right on top of the action. That would surely inspire Great Britain in a big key match.


Moving on, I wonder if the Rugby Football League will continue to use the Millennium Stadium to host Challenge Cup Finals, or will move them to the new Wembley. I’m only going by what other people have told me, but the Millennium Stadium is right in the middle of Cardiff, and makes for a great day/weekend out. Now, I have been to Wembley recently, to see how the new stadium is progressing and it doesn’t boast a similar city centre location. The surrounding areas aren’t the best either, but there are plans to eventually develop the areas around the new stadium.


How the New Wembley will look.

For the Super League Grand Final, Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground is the current venue. The last few Grand Finals have sold out, all 68,000 tickets. Recently, Manchester United announced they were to fill in two corners of the ground, increasing the capacity from 68,000 to 75,000. This development will be ready by next seasons Grand Final and I think it will be a huge challenge for the RFL to sell all 75,000 tickets. If they can, and it is a big ask, then surely with the right promotions and marketing Great Britain rugby league will be able to play in front of 90,000 crowds at Wembley on a regular basis. After all, it’s only an increase of 15,000 once they have shown they can outgrow Old Trafford.


So to summarise when Wembley is complete the Rugby Football League face a few huge decisions. Do they use stadiums like the KC, and the JJB-stadiums that Great Britain will sell out? Or do they take a gamble and play a game at the new Wembley? After all, a half-full stadium looks much worse on TV than a full one, no matter the size.

And do they continue to use the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to host Challenge Cup Finals? After all it has been popular these past few years. Or again, do they move the Final to Wembley in the hope that Rugby League will receive potentially more recognition?


Whatever the Rugby Football League decides, the right stadium for the right event is vital for the continued success of Great Britain rugby league.

715 words including title

 

[Mzilikazi]

The Rhinos make a late substitution:

Not So Silent Bob for Mr Angry

 

[Mzilikazi]

Unsung heroes:

GA Studdart-Kennedy was no ordinary padre. His hard won reputation was that of the finest chaplain on the Western Front during the darkest days of World War One.

Whilst the other men in dog collars remained safely kilometres behind the lines, his motto was “work in the frontline and they will listen to you, and take androtops in your rucksack.” Eventually he became known as ‘Woodbine Willie’ for his habit of handing out cigarettes to the troops.

He also became renowned as the first man to run into no-mans-land, between the trenches, to drag the wounded back to safety. He undertook all of the gruesome jobs that other men shirked.

As a consequence he won the respect and affection of even the most hard-bitten of soldiers not to mention a Military Cross for his bravery.

It was one day whilst sitting in the trenches, body parts raining down from above amidst a telling artillery barrage that he realized he might not make it home. He penned a simple letter to his wife with nine critical aspects she needed to cover if she was to do a good job of raising their only son.

The second of these is compelling.

He encouraged her to ensure the child played team sports, to ensure that he was well-versed in the gentlemanly rules of competition and could look his fellow man in the eye as a team mate and competitor.

Against all odds Kennedy survived the war and returned home, one assumes to ensure his nine critical aspects were carried out. You can picture the decorated war veteran standing aside emerald fields, exhorting his son to greater effort and using the arena of sporting endeavour to further his education as a gentleman.

These days we enjoy a more peaceful existence. Most of Australia’s population under the age of fifty has been spared the spectre of any significant involvement in combat.

It is now our sports fields that provide the arena for combat between our modern day warriors, the same sports fields that Studdart-Kennedy saw as so vital to his son’s education. Our young men have become gladiators in the public spotlight, with the hopes of thousands pinned on their ability to perform in combat situation.

Whilst much is made of the occasional indiscretions of these warriors, it may surprise many to learn that, at the frontline of that battle, sharing dressing sheds and private moments with the modern day gladiator is a small and dedicated army of chaplains.

These are the men committed to guiding the modern day hero, ensuring their excellence on the field is matched by courage, integrity and character off it. These are people that are there to share the private doubts and fears of the players, to empathise and advise on the issues and decisions that all of us face as human beings.

Nearly every NRL club has a chaplain, and their input into the team is vital.

To the working man it may seem ludicrous that men earning stratospheric amounts of money to do something they love would face hardship and struggle. However, money will not guarantee a cessation of the pressures and struggles of life.

If anything, it adds to them.

The recent case of the Sharks’ Michael Sullivan is a cautionary tale of the pressures players face when they are thrust into the fishbowl of public and media scrutiny, given large amounts of money, and little training in life skills.

Public adulation and a full wallet do not render a man immune from disaster. Football skills and notoriety cannot miraculously give a man the skills required to begin and grow good relationships with superiors, colleagues or members of the opposite sex.

If anything the fame and available time that is the lot of the Rugby League player makes all of these tasks more arduous and uncertain. Yet men in their position, playing the toughest contact sport on earth, are often reluctant to seek help lest they appear weak in the public eye or provide bait for taunting opponents.

It is at this frontline of life that the unsung heroes of the chaplaincy operate. Men providing help to our warriors, offering assistance and guidance, friendship and counsel.

Studdart-Kennedy would be proud of these frontline padres. After all, it was he who said that “the last thing in the world that Christ was or wanted to be was pathetic”. These unsung heroes are the very embodiment of that statement.



742 words including title (not including sources)



Sources of information:


G.A. Studdart Kennedy, "The word and the work" Longmans, Green and Co. London, 1929


G.A. Studdart Kennedy, The Best of GA Studdart-Kennedy” Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1947


Malcolm Bull’s Calderdale Companion

 

[Not so silent Bob]

Not so silent Bob for the Rhinos.

Jersey Flegg.

I love watching the Jersey Flegg competition. Not only is it a good curtain raiser for the next two games (premier league and first grade), it’s a great opportunity to see some of the future stars of the NRL play.

My only real gripe with Jersey Flegg is that eighty percent of the players will not play first grade. Hell, half of them won’t even play premier league. So why do they play? What about those poor souls who play to get to first grade, but never have their dreams realised? I can only imagine that they play for love of the game. Well, that, and a bit of money on the side, but mainly because they love to play. An old friend of mine plays Flegg for Western Suburbs, and I had a talk with him. He told me that he just likes playing footy. He realises that he probably won’t play first grade, but he doesn’t care. That’s one of the reasons Jersey Flegg is great: because it’s full of people who love to play football and don’t care whether they play first grade, park footy, or under 6’s for Wee Waa.

I follow Wests Tigers, so naturally I follow Western Suburbs Premier League and Flegg sides as well. This season, the Wests Flegg sides are twelve wins for eight losses. On the weekend, they played runaway competition leaders, the St George/Illawarra Dragons, and were given no hope of winning. It was a great game. It had everything: great tries, lots of heartbreaking mistakes, lead changes, and a surprise ending. With no more than a minute to go, Wests fullback Shannon McDonnell sliced through the Dragons defensive line ten metres out, diving over to score under the posts. How’s that for a surprise ending? Final score: 28-24 Magpies over Dragons. It was a great game.

The competition isn’t exactly as close as first grade either. You have competition leaders St George, a log jam of teams vying for the top eight, and two teams that are so bad, the aforementioned Wee Waa under 6’s could beat them. Okay, so it’s not the fact that they have a bad team, that’s only half of it. One of the teams just doesn’t have enough players to be competitive. That is really unfortunate but that particular team just keeps coming back week after week. I honestly don’t get it, but they’re entitled to get belted each week if they want.

The only unfortunate thing to come out of the Magpies/Dragons game was the realization that only two of the players from that winning team have a realistically have a chance to play regular first grade for an NRL club. Now, consider the two players: Shannon McDonnell and Brendan Waters. Shannon plays fullback and Brendan plays halfback. Unfortunately for them, Wests Tigers have both of those positions sewn up in Brett Hodgson and Scott Prince. Shannon and Brendan will undoubtedly play premier league, and will probably rip it to shreds. The problem is, while Prince and Hodgson are with the Wests Tigers, neither Brendan or Shannon will get a chance in first grade.

They could be picked up by another club, and that wouldn’t surprise me. Any club that picked up one of these two would not regret it. Now that I think about it, the amount of Wests juniors that have come up to play first grade NRL in the past few of years is astounding. John Skandalis, Bryce Gibbs, Dean Collis, Liam Fulton. Even players who play for other clubs, like Ryan Hoffman (Melbourne), Clint Greenshields (Dragons), and they are both doing great jobs for their respective clubs.

Jersey Flegg players for other clubs have been coming up through the ranks and doing great jobs for their teams this season as well. Just look at Jared Mullen for the Newcastle Knights. Whenever he has been asked to fill the five-eighth role this season, he has performed admirably. You only have to look at his performance against the Cowboys in round eighteen. Set up one try, and scored the winner. I would hazard a guess and say the only reason he’s not playing first grade right now is because he is fulfilling his duties to the Australian Schoolboys team.

There are many other players who have come through Jersey Flegg and have played great footy over the years, but I can’t name them all, because that’s nearly all the players in the NRL.

Jersey Flegg. It’s good for league.

750 words, including title.

 

[antonius]

Ref Blows Fulltime.

 

[ParraMatt]

where were you yakstorm

 

[bartman]

Just for anyone reading this thread, Easts notified Rhinos during the week that they wouldn't be able to field a team for this match-up. So no dramas about what might look to an outsider as a complete no-show.

Apologies Rhinos that as one reserve I wasn't around right at deadline time to even be subbed in to make up the full five articles, but I thought we were all covered, so I went off to work. Not to worry though.

 

[Dread]

This should be an easy game to mark... I should have it done some time tomorrow, Rhinos. Good luck!

 

[Mzilikazi]

Thanks heaps Judge Dread!

 

[Dread]

Rammo – The Great Andrew Johns

746 words

A solid if unspectacular look at the career of the mighty Andrew Johns.

Score: 83



Hightown Tiger – Grounds For Concern… Revisited

715 words

For one as uninitiated with the ESL as I am, this article was pretty heavy reading. I’m not suggesting that a look at the English stadiums is a bad thing, only that I think you needed to approach it in a different way.

Score: 80



Mzilikazi – Unsung Heroes

742 words

A real interesting read with a unique take on football. Nicely put together.

Score: 90



Not So Silent Bob – Jersey Flegg

750 words

Solid article about Flegg football, but it jumped all over the place when it needed to focus more heavily on one aspect of that level of play.

Score: 81



Total: 334

Rhinos 334 defeated Roosters 0

 

[Mzilikazi]

Wooooohoooooooooo We did it!!!!!!

Thanks for a great season Rhinos. And well done to Rammo for nabbing 2 B&F points on debut. That's a solid first up effort!

And thanks Dread for the marking. Appreciated as always.

 

[bartman]

Well done all - good reads. Cheers Dread for the quick marking.

So, where's F7's Mad Monday? :lol:

 

[...Morticia...]

Just for anyone reading this thread, Easts notified Rhinos during the week that they wouldn't be able to field a team for this match-up. So no dramas about what might look to an outsider as a complete no-show.

sorry, i should've also notified in this thread. this year has officially been easts annus horribilus in more ways than one. Thanks for the understanding Rhinos and the other teams we have played, especially the Bulls who were so gracious when we tried to rebuild. Goodluck all who've made the finals.

 

[Mzilikazi]

Well done to you Morticia for trying so hard to hold it all together!