Round 2 (2006) Pirates v Panthers

[The Piper]

Coos Bay Pirates v Penrith Panthers
Venue: Olympic Stadium
http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/homegrounds2006.asp

Crowd: 15,120. Referee: Genius Freak

• This is a game thread only, therefore only game-related posts can be made here. Any other posts may result in loss of points and is at the discretion of the referee.

• Home team captain will be allowed 3 reserves, visiting captain will be allowed 2 reserves.

• Captains must post their entire team (including reserves) before posting and only those players listed may play this round.

Rules of play: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.asp

Full Time: WEDNESDAY 5 APRIL at 9:00PM (SYD TIME)

**Referee Blows Game On!**

http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/images/ground_redfern_1.jpg

 

[Big Mick]

The team line up:

1) Big Mick
2) Leaguenut
3) Madunit
4) Hat Eating Pirate
5) Paul-The-Cowboy

6) Pantherz9103
7) Azkatro

 

[madunit]

madunit for the panthers.

Big Night Out.

Here it was, my first big night event as a first grader. I emphasise the night aspect, as day events are easy to do. All you have to do is wake up, go outside and be nice to someone, job done!

But these night gigs, you have to get invited to those. To get an invite, you have to do something really special. I've done a lot of special things in my time as a first grader. I've recently been involved in visiting hospitals to see sick kiddies. A lot of people remember the last time I did that, but for all the wrong reasons and have since felt it neccessary to have a go at me regularly for what happened.

I knew that those little kiddies where close to dying. And yes I was informed about their almost non-existant immune systems. That doesn't mean that what I did was callous, it was just a harmless sneeze. A sneeze never killed anyone did it?

It's not as though it was a malicious sneeze with intent to kill, I covered my nose and mouth with a blanket, as I didn't want to get any snot on my hand, you could catch a virus from that you know. It just so happened that the blanket belonged to one of those sick kids and he died of pnuemonia the next day.

The media went crazy over it, I don't know why really. The kid wanted to see me, as I was his favourite player. He knew he was going to die soon. Whats the big problem?

Anyway, it took one very memorable play for me to get invited to this prestigious event. Years of hard work and effort has finally paid off. I still remember the moment, it happened almost like it was in slow motion.

It was against the Dragons in our pre-season trial, Barrett had the ball, he'd been giving me a lot of lip all game. When he was put on the bench sixty-two minutes into the match, I walked over and just politely tapped him on the shoulder and said "I don't appreciate the language you used whilst speaking with me, however you have played well," and with that he seemingly fainted. I figured it was because he'd never received such kindness in a footy game before.

Anyway, the tribunal said there was clear evidence that the tap on the shoulder I gave Trent was actually a chair smashed over his head, and that I actually swore at him. I couldn't believe it, these people who don't know me from a bar of soap (they actually had been tested and all 7 of them thought I was a bar of Dove soap) are now calling me a liar.

So there I was, on my way to this big event. I was in a very new and flashy looking suit, I even dressed myself, I was so proud of me. There's cameras flashing, journalists are asking why I hit Trent with a chair, if any other kids have died. No one seems interested in my new tie at all.

I walk inside and sit at a table, awaiting the menu. I see a small old guy with a ponytail. I figure he's going to be taking my order. Turns out he's been organised by my club to accompany me for my meal tonight. How professional is that!

Boy did I get a surprise, no meal, no waiter, just a heap of pissed off people calling me a liar over this Barrett incident.

I told them again what happened, to which I was called a beligerent liar. Sounds impressive huh? So they played a video of this appalling incident where a football player has played his heart out for an hour, then while he is sitting down on the bench for a breather, this meathead turns up and smashes a chair over his head. I was shocked!

Turns out it was me, then it didn't seem so appalling, moreso, neccessary. The judge decided I should be suspended for two years and fined twenty grand. I politely stood up and said "I think thats a bit of an over reaction" before swearing a lot, picking up a chair and then being shot with a tranquiliser dart.

I think the game has gone soft.

724 words including the title

 

[Paul-The-Cowboy]

Panthers #5 reporting for duty.

_______________________
A DVD in a “League of its Own”!

For almost as long as I can remember the Lions Rugby Union team have released video footage of their tours, warts and all, in the UK with great success. This sort of footage is gold, and proves popular with not only fans of union, but anyone with a sporting interest or interest of what really does go on behind the scenes of the sports teams representing our nation.

Also for almost as long as I can remember, rugby league fans have been posing to the RFL the question of why our sport doesn’t do something similar.

Well at last something has been done as the much anticipated behind the scenes tale of Great Britain’s 2005 Tri Nations campaign was released on DVD this February.

After years of waiting and very high expectations, a friend and I rushed out to our nearest music store and snapped up a copy for ourselves.

I shouldn’t have been so wary that I was expecting too much from the first DVD of its kind as what we saw was a masterstroke and a really positive promotion of our sport.

The balance was perfect.

As well as highlights and footage of the games, we were also let into the training grounds and dressing rooms, got an insight of what goes into the preparation of the team in the week’s build up, heard the views of Brian Noble, Brian Carney, Johnny Sharp, Stan Wall, and other members of the set-up and team.

The spirit of the camp was evidently fantastic. Led by the chief joker, Carney, the boys displayed a real sense of humour and there was many a giggle to be had. With the Irishman’s practical jokes and the exchanges of banter between players and staff alike (including Gilmour and Carney teasing Paul Johnson’s receding hairline behind him during a team meeting), there was never a dull moment.
Although perhaps the funniest moment was the comparison of Noble and Jamie Peacock’s media skills during a press conference where after the coach had given an exemplary answer to reporters, the captain didn’t seem to have a clue what was going.

Other players displayed razor sharp wit throughout and even displaced popular myths of RL players by coming across quite eloquently on camera!

Not only that but the in-depth look at Paul Deacon’s horrific facial injury displayed the raw bravery and courage that us rugby league fans have always proclaimed about the sport. After watching Paul go through the pain and suffering of a potentially life-threatening injury, we then heard his thoughts on the matter.
Was he bitter? Been put off playing?
No chance. He defended the challenge as innocuous and nothing more than an isolated freak accident, whilst the media whipped up frenzy,

During the viewing of this DVD, we got to know the players that we see week in week out in Super League a little better, and see how each individual reacts and prepares in their own way for the games. We could see how fired up Carney (and foul-mouthed in his case!) and Peacock got as they rallied their troops and how Noble and his staff presented such a calm exterior to their players even when the going was really getting tough. Indeed, we really did get a lesson in sports psychology off the coaches as they tried to keep morale up and spoke to the cameras during both the high and low points.

All this allowed not only for some great entertainment, but even allowed the viewer to develop an emotional bond with the players and staff.
We were taken on the roller coaster journey of the tournament and were allowed the chance to feel the highs and the lows with the players.
Even though I knew the end result, I could still feel the excitement and optimism prior to the tournament’s kick-off, and relived the bitter disappointment towards the end.

In the final game against Australia I found myself cheering and shouting for GB once again to fight back and reach the final, and as the camp sat down for their final meeting, it was an emotional goodbye and a real desire that this time next year we will be sitting down watching the guys celebrate Down Under at this stage of the DVD.

It was such an interesting and enjoyable viewing. My only fear is that not many non RL fans have heard of it.

That is the next challenge facing the RFL.

________________________
Smack on 750 words!

 

[weasel]

Weasel for the pirates
_____________________________________________________
A Dawn Symphony- A Forum Sevens Haiku by weasel

Ten brave authors write
On matters league, while outside
the birds sing at dawn
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23 words, including title.

 

[Big Mick]

For the love of the game​

Rugby League is a beautiful game which assesses players based on their skill, agility, speed, strength and most of all heart. Sadly in today’s game the last attribute is rarely found in the “modern footballer”. As a young boy playing this game I was told to “never take a backward step, push forward, drive hard and your heart will push you that extra metre”.

Too often in today’s society we see people motivated solely by the dollar and not by what’s in their hearts. Too often we see people give up their hopes and dreams in order to pursue a different career to purchase a better car or own a better house. Now while that may be OK in normal workplaces, why do footballers who are already paid handsomely enough deserve a pay rise? For me, being able to play the game at the highest level should be just reward.

Today’s player cares more about the money he is earning from the game than what the game has done for him. Last week as I sat down on a Sunday afternoon waiting for the football to start, I was watching the Legend of Bagger Vance and a phrase in that movie really struck a chord “It’s a game that cannot be won, only played”. This really hit home the reality of this great game. While premierships may be won or bought, nothing will be a substitute for having played at the highest level. Nothing will be a substitute for the relationships you develop and nothing will be a substitute for that feeling you get running out into a packed stadium with everyone cheering your name. Sadly, I fear as we move forward, these truths are becoming lost on the new generation of footballer.

As a young man, nothing compared with playing footy with my mates on a Saturday morning. Even today I crave that feeling again, like a drug that flowed through my body. The sights and smells of the game take you to a universe that you could not believed existed previously. I’ll never forget the smell of the dew on the field early in the morning. Then there is the smell of a new football in your hands with the aroma of leather and the smell of sweat on your worn shoulder pads as you prepare for battle. We played for each other, played with all our hearts and we played because we loved the game.

While being only been nine years old, we knew what we played for and while today’s footballer may think they are playing because they love the game, the modern footballer isn’t concerned about the team or their fans. Most footballers today only care about increasing their pay after a decent season and possibly earning a rep bonus. Twenty years ago that type of attitude would be frowned upon. Back then wearing the sky blue or the green and gold meant something. It meant you were the best and meant that you gave all your heart in the pursuit of greatness and glory. Today, unfortunately the value of the jersey has been cheapened.

The players have recently demanded a pay rise and an increase in the salary cap because they believe they have earned it. On average the current first grader earns $146,000 a season for 34 weeks work. Personally I’d play the game for nothing and I think that is the attitude that is sadly lacking in the modern footballer. These players need to look back to when they were kids and the reasons they played. They didn’t play for money, they played the game because they loved it, for the same reasons I love it and every other supporter around the world loves it. But a fat pay cheque mitigates that passion today.

It is quite sad to conceive that our game is taking this turn. The new TV deal will be used to make the richer players richer while the struggling grassroots junior development will be forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel. So many kids today play the game because they love it. For so many people like me playing this beautiful game will be the highlight of our lives. Its time the modern footballer recognised how privileged they are to be part of something so special and remember that they play, not for money, but for the love of the game.

740 words

 

[[furrycat]]

Hat Eating Pirate, formally [furrycat], for the Panthers

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Big Willie! Not what we’ve heard…​

“Hey… BIG WILLIE! That’s not what we had heard”. This comment caused a part of me to die and feel very sad and desolate. I felt so hurt–so distraught–I had to say that I didn’t appreciate such language in this sophisticated establishment. I simply walked up to him,
“Excuse me sir, I do not like what you are implying as you would not know what is the truth and what is not. I have ADD and can be easily upset. Please be more considerate next time”.
The next thing I know is that I am being man-handled by the Bankstown pub security–
“Excuse me sir, I do not like being touched when I do not ask. I do not mind touching others when they do not ask but that is a different story. I have ADD and can be easily upset. Please let me go and I will leave at my own accord”

As I stood in front of the judge (Her name is Julie – I really dislike her. The other four judges I have had before were much kinder) she had claimed that I threw a man out onto the road, rode my push-bike over him several times while humming the theme to Silence of the Lambs, dunked his head into an un-flushed toilet, and then made him cry by making his penis shorter than what my one is with the assistance of a small pocket knife. She then claimed that when security tried to remove me, I grabbed them both and forced them to kiss each other in order to make me feel more comfortable about my own sexuality in a straight establishment. I was appalled to say the least by these unfounded allegations! I rose from my chair, adjusted my tie, cleared my throat and stated:

“Excuse me madam, but I do not believe that this was the version of events that occurred on the night in question. I simply tried to have a fun night and have been unfairly targeted! And even if any of the above was true which I do not believe, I have attention deficit disorder so that should be taken into account”.

I must have been speaking too fast and small droplets of saliva came out of my mouth, because the Judge exploded and claimed that I spat on her repeatedly, tried to strangle her with my tie and then tried to bend her limbs into the shape of a chair.

Anyway after a long night, I decided it would be best that I drove home. Much to my disgust I noticed flashing lights in my rear-view mirror. I pull my car over gently,

“Excuse me sir. Is there a problem?”

The next thing I knew I was being dragged out of the car by an armed unit, being slammed against the tarmac and handcuffed. It is my right as an Australian citizen to question why I have been pulled over! But the corrupt police force prevailed again, claiming I had drugs in my car console and tried to bribe the officer with it. I bought this sherbet from a man outside the Sydney Showground who said it tasted like coke! I merely offered the officer some because he looked tired and I felt that he could use something to uplift his spirits and wake him up. I am the Good Samaritan and what happens? I get arrested for it!

I stood in front of Judge Julie again. Well not really in front of, I was in a separate room being shown on a video link-up because apparently she feared for her life. I was quite upset with this arrangement because it was impossible for anyone to see that I had been working out lately and the new way I chose to do my hair this morning. I asked for the air conditioner to be turned down because I was shaking uncontrollably because of the weather. But the officer simply stated I was “in need of a fix” or something. It was the air-conditioner that needed fixing you imbecile, not me! She asked me why I did what I did. I didn’t even know what I had done so this was impossible for me to answer. The judge frowned at me,

“Your condition won’t save you this time Mr. Mason”

Success! The judge noticed that I had been using Pantene Pro V Conditioner!

Why do people always single out the smarter Rugby League players?

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Official counter says 750 words.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Pirates

Thierry Henry (c)
nibbletjones
weasel
Prince Charles
and introducing..... ToddPolglase's#1Fan

Godz Illa
anastabation
c_eagle

 

[LeagueNut]

LeagueNut - Panthers

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Stargazing

Star light, star bright,
the first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
have the wish I wish tonight.

I don’t know about you, but my wish would be to see more stars.

We all know that the last few years have produced the closest competitions on record – “anyone can win it” and all that jazz. Seven different Premiers in the past eight years!! Well please forgive me as I stifle a yawn.

Don’t get me wrong, having a close competition is a brilliant concept … but is it really worth it if the standard of the competition has to drop??

Here’s a little experiment we can all try to determine whether the “Star Quality” in Rugby League has diminished. It’s all hypothetical of course – these teams could never play against each other – but let’s just see how it turns out …

State of Origin is the undisputed “best of the best” in each season – so for starters, let’s take the teams for State of Origin 1 last year:

NSW: Minichiello, King, Gasnier, Cooper, Rooney, Barrett, Kimmorley, Ryles, Buderus, Bailey, Hindmarsh, Fitzgibbon, Kennedy; Wing, Simpson, Watmough, Ryan.
QLD: Slater, Williams, Berrigan, Bowman, Sing, Lockyer, Thurston, Civoniceva, Smith, Price, Crocker, Thorn, Flannery; Ross, Webb, McGuire, Bowen.

Plenty of stars in those line-ups, right? Now let’s flash back and take a look at the teams for Game 1 1994 (pre-Super League):

NSW: Brasher, Mackay, Fittler, McGregor, Wishart, Daley, Stuart, Lazarus, Elias, Roberts, Sironen, Harragon, Mackay; Ettingshausen, Johns, Gillespie, Barnhill.
QLD: O’Neill, Hancock, Meninga, Renouf, Carne, K Walters, Langer, Gee, S Walters, Bella, Gillmeister, Larson, Moore; Coyne, Smith, Hohn, Fritz.

Now as you go through those teams, ask yourself this question: Who from the class of 2005 could have forced their way into the 1994 teams?

Would you pick Kimmorley over Stuart? Roberts over Bailey? Watmough over Gillespie? Realistically, the only ‘maybe’ for the Blues would be Minichiello for Brasher – but even that’s a close call.

And what about the Queenslanders? Could Berrigan beat Meninga for a spot? Civoniceva over Gee? Flannery over Moore? The only one I would change would be to slot Bowen or Slater into the #1 jersey.

Let’s be honest here - if the 1994 teams played their 2005 counterparts, you’d have to put one of the teams on horseback to make it an even challenge.

So where have we gone wrong? It seems as though the 1994 batch could have conquered all-comers, so how have we managed to go backwards in the development of the next generation of superstars?

At the advent of full-time professionalism, there were many warnings bandied around about the future of Rugby League. It would end up as a game full of ‘robots’ – players who were all identically programmed to do the same things. Do you reckon we’ve got there yet?? I’m certainly not trying to say that our game is now completely devoid of stars – there’s still an occasional display of brilliance that brightens up the horizon – but there’s certainly a lot fewer than there were in days gone by.

Or it is a cyclical thing? Will someone pull out the 2015 Origin teams sometime in the future and rightly proclaim that they would have walloped the 1994 teams by a substantial margin? I’m no psychic, so I can’t answer that one – but I really can’t see it happening.

And why not? Because no-one seems to realise that a problem even exists.

All we hear is how we’ve got an incredibly close competition – it’s the best it’s ever been – our athletes are far superior to any other sports – any team can turn up on any day and win against any opposition.

Well whoop-de-sh*t. Take a look at those Origin teams again, and try to tell me that the quality of Rugby League hasn’t dropped sharply in the last ten years. The NRL can bleat about the closeness of the competition all it wants – but at the end of the day, it’s the quality of the competition that will ensure ongoing development and success.

Heck, if I really wanted to watch a bunch of programmed robots running around, I’d be lining up for some sort of NRL computer game.

No more robots please. I’d rather do some star-gazing.

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723 words

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

why can't I delete this post

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

why can't I delete this post. And why is the edit feature all screwy.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Thierry Henry- Pirates

Small victories

When John Carlaw pounced on Stacey Jones&#8217; pinpoint grubber to score the match-winning try for the Warriors against the Sharks in the 2002 NRL semi-final, I allowed myself a brief cheer, perhaps even a celebratory fist pump. I knew there was still time left on the clock, time for the Sharks to crush the Warriors&#8217; grand final aspirations. Indeed, I was somewhat perturbed that the Warriors hadn&#8217;t put the game beyond doubt earlier. Francis Meli, my favourite player, had come agonizingly close to scoring one of the great finals tries, but Paul Mellor had managed to boot the ball to safety as Meli stooped to collect another well-directed Jones kick. A partially fit Ali Lauitiiti, another of my favourites, had not been as dominant as I had hoped. I was nervous. I was frustrated.

Fast-forward three and a half years. The Warriors, on &#8211;2 competition points, are playing Newcastle. Without the injured Andrew Johns the Knights are essentially the same side that collected the 2005 wooden spoon. Evarn Tuimavave barges over the line to score against some brittle defence. I allow myself a brief cheer. A few minutes later Manu Vatuvei, one of my favourite players, is away down the right hand wing. He out sprints Jarrod Mullen in a 60-metre dash to the line. I&#8217;m excited. This doesn&#8217;t just warrant a fist pump; I add a celebratory, appreciative clap. I even smile slightly.

It&#8217;s strange, but true- I got more excited watching the salary cap cheating, insipid, mediocre Warriors scrape to a narrow victory last weekend, then I did on that fateful Sunday afternoon in 2002. Indeed, I vaguely remember thinking how disappointing it was that the match winning try had to be scored by a journeyman player latching onto an accurate but hopeful kick, rather than the thrilling attacking football I knew the 2002 team were capable of. On the other hand, I thought all of my Christmases had come at once when Grant Rovelli scored against the Knights, because the try actually contained a nice offload and something resembling a sidestep from Tuimavave.

Perhaps I&#8217;m becoming prematurely senile, or perhaps I was just utterly joyless in my younger days, but I seem to extract a perverse delight from watching a dire team- my dire team- eke out a narrow victory. On the other hand, I found fault when my team were anything less than perfect on the road to grand final glory. Am I a masochist, or simply impossible to please?

Au contraire- I think everyone likes to be the underdog. There&#8217;s something relaxing about sitting down to watch your team play, knowing that a win will be a bonus. 2002 was terrible stressful for me. Halfway through the season it occurred to me that the Warriors were good enough to beat anyone. Where&#8217;s the fun in that? From that point on every win was routine, every loss disastrous. Anyone who has heard the deranged ranting of a Manchester United or Australian cricket team fan knows that expecting your team to win all the time is a terrible mental strain.

Not only is supporting a winning team an activity fraught with the dangers of stress and mental anguish, it also hits diehard fans worse than anyone. In the Warriors&#8217; darkest hours, crowds of 7000 and 8000 are the norm at Ericsson Stadium. Because of the solid core of diehards, they rarely get much lower. These people would brave rain, hail, Emma Paki singing at half time or Nathan Fien playing halfback, just to watch the Warriors play. Indeed, any crowd bigger than 8000 fills me with unease- the higher the number, the more bandwagon fans there are. Queues for the toilets and the obscenely overpriced food reach absurd lengths, and uneducated comments abound from the stands, as the fickle masses come to terms with a game they don&#8217;t understand and a team they don&#8217;t truly support. Nothing is more soothing than watching your beloved Warriors play in front of a three-quarter empty stadium with Cliff Beverley and Ben Lythe calling the shots in the halves, right?

I liked the Warriors more when they weren&#8217;t cool. I like to feel that I&#8217;m part of an exclusive club, and I especially like to make other people feel bad by bragging about my loyalty and dedication. Frankly, I couldn&#8217;t care less if the Warriors never win another game. At least the club will be left to the real fans, right?

Or maybe I&#8217;m just kidding myself. Maybe.

749 words




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[nibbs]

nibbs - pirates

&#8220;I just don&#8217;t get it&#8230;..everyone has said our articles were better&#8230;.. I just don&#8217;t get it&#8221;

It is a typical beer drinking afternoon in Canberra. Weather is warm, cricket is on, but there is no beer in the fridge. Everyone is sitting at their desks saying "I want a beer" but no one is willing to go out and get some. Canberra, Australia&#8217;s Capital, is a city glowing green - green with envy.

Selected as the capital in 1908, Canberra grew into Australia&#8217;s largest inland city with a population of 323,000. Located 150km inland from Australia&#8217;s east coast, Canberra is located amongst picturesque bush land for as far as the eye can see. The Molonglo River flows through Canberra. It has been dammed to form the pristine Lake Burley Griffin, a hot spot for the local teenagers on weekends. National treasures such as the Australian War Memorial, the National Library of Australia, the National Zoo, and, of course, the National Science and Technology Centre can be found in Canberra. It&#8217;s a place that offers so much, a night life, heck, even a day life. If I lived in Canberra I&#8217;d never run out of things to do or places to visit. They say you need to three days to get around Disneyland, I&#8217;d be surprised if you didn&#8217;t need more than a lifetime to feel, touch and taste, Canberra.

Why is it then that the residents of Canberra aren&#8217;t willing to go out and get a beer? The simple truth is, they are all too bitter. Too bitter to get up and get themselves a beer. They are consumed with jealousy and hate. Could it be the fact that they don&#8217;t have a team of their own in the Hyundai A-League. Maybe it&#8217;s the fact that they are pinning their hopes and dreams of a NRL Premiership on youngster Todd Carney. For a city such of prestige it seems like a cruel injustice that they be dealt such blows. As far as I can tell they&#8217;ve had their dignity taken away.

The reasons for all this envy are obvious. Despite being the place where Australia is run from with such efficiency, the rest of Australia seems to continually disregard Canberra. &#8220;It&#8217;s as if the rest of Australia constantly squats above us and takes a big hefty poop all over us&#8221; commented one disgruntled resident, while perhaps the most famous quote to come out of Canberra in long time reads &#8220;I just don&#8217;t get it&#8230;..everyone has said our articles were better&#8230;.. I just don&#8217;t get it.&#8221; The Canberra locals like to blame everyone else for their problems, and quite frankly, they do with good cause and justification.

Perhaps it the lies they are constantly told. It was once claimed that Todd Carney would potentially become the next Laurie Daley. At the moment it seems as if Carney is only going to match up with Daley&#8217;s inept commentary ability. The same Laurie Daley, who inspired forum user names such as DaleyIsGod. At the moment Todd Carney is unlikely to receive such accolades. Having said that, players such as Justin Murphy have spawned their own fan websites, so there is hope for Carney just yet.

If you thought the Canberra cause was one just being fought from within Canberra, you&#8217;re wrong. The Sydney Raiders Brigade, a group of fans who attend Raiders games in Sydney, also like to complain. They blame other factors for the hardships they are constantly faced with. Across an entire ocean Jeremy John Mohekey, a Porirua local, feels the same bitterness towards the world. Although not from Canberra himself, in fact Jeremy has never actually visited Canberra, Jeremy feels the same pain and outrage. Jeremy sees the world differently though. Instead of getting angry with everyone, he instead is spreading a propaganda campaign hoping that it&#8217;ll catch on among his many friends from Canberra. For instance no matter what happens he&#8217;ll always talk the Raiders up as Premiership favourites. Even if the Raiders have just lost five straight, he&#8217;ll remind everyone of that win five weeks ago. Rumour has it, his campaign is starting to catch on.

Canberra, it&#8217;s the one place where I really wanna be. Just thinking about it makes me shiver with excitement, the excitement only a Raider&#8217;s fan can feel as Carney throws another try assist. I hope that the National Zoo is as colourful as it is in my dreams. I hope to one day meet Todd Carney and shake his hand.

I hope&#8230;


750 words

 

[antonius]

Ref Blows Fulltime.

 

[El Polglaiseo]

I'm a punter. Not a great one, but a punter all the same. I represent Joe Public on a meagre pittance who enjoys laying a green back down on the weekend’s footy. Ordinarily I don't win - given the nature of the game as it is, especially in the early rounds, it is nigh on impossible to back any team with great certainty. Still, I do it for the love of the game, and the eternal hope that I will get 5 up in one weekend and finally be able to shout the missus a super combo at Hungry Jacks.
One of my favourite sides is the Warriors, the perennial own-worst-enemies and bane of most ardent league fans East of the Tasman. As we all know by now, they travelled across to Energy Australia to play the red-hot Knights this past weekend. The Knights, in stark contrast to last years record-breaking season of woe, had won their first 3 on the trot, and not just won, but pummelled their opposition. The Warriors were coming off the back of a nice win over the Tigers and I thought, heck why not, we beat them last year in a thriller, I'll take the $4.20 on offer for them to win by 12 points or less. Here I was, backing against the form team, who were at home, with the world’s best playmaker. I was in no way confident, it was more a parochial bet than anything based on logic or rationality.
However, it seems I was not the only gentleman to have a wee flutter on the Warriors. Prolific punters Eddie Hayson and Steve Fletcher took the Australian TAB to the cleaners after hearing that Andrew Johns would not play, before the TAB heard the same rules. Now, here is where it gets interesting. Hayson and Fletcher are close personal friends of one Matthew Johns, and, in fact, Hayson owns the racehorse Regreagan – named after Johns' hilarious beer-drinking alter ego - with the Johns brothers. As the story goes, Andrew Johns told his brother Matthew that he would not be playing against the Warriors - before the media knew, before the TAB knew, before coach Michael Hagan even knew. Matthew Johns in turn passed on the information to Hayson and Fletcher, who went old school on the TAB's succulent odds about the Warriors. TAB Sportsbet took its first serious bet of $A15000 on the Warriors with a 16.5 points start on Friday afternoon.
It is now history that the Warriors got up in a tight battle, thanks in the most part to the lack of worthwhile kicking from halves Kurt Gidley and Jarred Mullen . Hayson and Fletcher now have pocketfuls of greenbacks; herein lies the problem. Should the NRL step in to this matter and set a precedent? NRL chief executive David Gallop claims there are clear rules around betting and the passing on of information, and that if there was evidence of a breach they would investigate further. However, at this time, Gallop views this as a case of Andrew Johns telling his brother he was injured. Is this fair? Am I, Joe Public being screwed over here? Here is my suggestion- open betting on the morning of the game, once the team has been finalised. So there is no chance of injury, no chance I will be backing a side when half of their named side won't turn out. Another side to this coin is that clubs name their sides on Tuesday but can change them willy nilly as they please. Ricky Stuart and Daniel Anderson were kings of naming the same side as the week before and making up to 6 changes come game day. I knw as a punter I felt I was being shafted and subsequently blood-nosed when the team I backed was different or facing different opposition from the one I thought. I think the wisest idea would be for the NRL to have parity of team lists and betting be delayed till all teams are final on game day. That way, I can double my green-backs, take my missus to Hungry Jacks and Matty and Andrew Johns can get on with being funny and really really awesome at playing league and not ahve to worry about gambling scandals. Ask yourself this, what if I had put my green back on the Knights with Johns? Where would I be then? Food for thought I say.

 

[[furrycat]]

Uh does that post count? Mighty close!

Great game Pirates.

 

[Big Mick]

ohhh unlucky...does that post get counted?

Its 5 v 2.1 atm

I probably wouldn't care if the article got counted or not as its in right on 9...

 

[Robster]

hope you guys can bounce back pirates.

 

[antonius]

The rules state fulltime at 9.00pm. he posted at 9.00pm so it would count. it's not 9.01pm. So he kicked the goal on fulltime.

 

[nibbs]

it was in at; today, 09:00 PM, so I think it has to be