Round 4 (2005) Sharks Vs Rhinos

[roosterboy60]

Cronulla Sharks v Orange County Rhinos

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

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

Full Time: Wednesday 27th April at 9pm (Syd time)

Venue: Shark Park

Crowd: 9,240
REFEREE: Gorilla

**Referee Blows Game On!**

 

[madunit]

A New look Sharks line up, with a few Sharks first timers playing.

1-madunit (c)
2-SirShire
3-Iddylion
4-SP
5-JW

Bench
6-Kiwi
7-Genius Freak

 

[madunit]

madunit for the Sharks

The NRL Cinema

The NRL Big Screen Plaza Cinema House Pty Ltd, which is located in one extremely inconvenient location in Humula, in Southern NSW, has released this list of movies to hit Australia this winter.

So here for your delight in a cinema nowhere near you, are the following movies:

Mission Impossible 3

Shaun McRae stars in this action packed blockbuster through the streets of Redfern, where he is the one man who has to take a group of talentless and uncoordinated nobodies into the heart of Sydney in an attempt to recover the sacred NRL Premiership Trophy that has been missing from their trophy cabinet for 34 years. A highly entertaining movie with absolutely no guns at all.

Dumb and Dumber and Dumberer and Even Dumbererer

Starring the accountant from the Canterbury Bulldogs Rugby League club along with special cameos from the auditors and a henchman from Germany called Klaus. The cash strapped Bulldogs Club were caught exceeding the salary cap in 2002, three years later they are caught once again. This hilarious romp through bank records and player payments never lets up for a minute.

Terminator 4: Execution

This movie is a non-stop action packed drama with incredible stunts and unbelievable special effects. John Hopoate is a moron sent forward in time to take out Rugby League players with “accidental” manouvers. The Manly league board controls his destiny in League, but can they contain his destruction and maiming of innocent lives outside of it?

The Replacements 2

The much awaited sequel to the American classic, starring Tim Sheens as coach of a group of young footballers who have to try and compete in the toughest competition in the world. With a large group of fans expecting them to become the clubs saviours, the young men have to overcome the pressures and rigours of first grade football. Don’t prepare yourself for the traditional fairytale ending.

Analyze This and That

A successful first grade footballer is sent to a psychiatrist to try and determine what truly is wrong with him. This movie switches between funny to sad to downright confusing at an unpredictable pace. Starring Willie Mason with Anthony Mundine as the psychiatrist and cameo appearances by Anthony Minichiello, Craig Fitzgibbon, and a mobile phone.

Scream 17

A horror movie that will leave you asking questions after you’ve seen it. Steve Price stars in this, possibly the scariest movie since Don’s Party and Biodome. Price wakes up in another country surrounded by players that can’t play football at all. He tries to assimilate with this new race and not get noticed, while at the same time, planning his way back home. But he’s being watched…

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Again

A young football prodigy is caught in a dormitory molesting a young woman. He thinks he is safe and that no one saw him, but someone did. Now his life has turned upside down and he’s all alone…

Charlies Angels 3

Our three ladies, Trent, Mark and Shaun led by Browny are made to try and bring the red dragon back from the dead. However, they have armies of much more skilled fighters to combat against. Can the ladies bring the dragon back to life, or will their efforts be foiled?

Passion Of The Christ: Return

Andrew Johns stars in this film about the rise and fall of God’s modern child. Johns become’s a modern day saviour and saint for the people of Newcastle, until suddenly he falls from the graces of his local minions and is forced from the life he once knew. Also starring Andrew Johns and narrated by Andrew Johns.

Stacey Jones’ Diary

An almost voyeuristic look into the life of one man: a footballer, who was once regarded as the best in the world, now he is a pathetic over rated hack. See into his mind and his life in one of the driest humour films of the century.

Super Duper Size Me

Much like the first movie, this movie also stars a man who was once small, but through binging on fast food, he becomes fat. Owen Craigie’s performance in this film is unbelievable and his transformation from slight framed talented footballer in a successful team to a fat talentless fruit in the worst team is truly horrifying. You just can’t help but watch this movie.

Hopefully these movies will be released on DVD before the cricket season begins, thus avoiding another long boring summer.

745 words including title

 

[ParraMatt]

Rhinos Team:

Bartman (c)
Mzilikazi
Ibeme
Hightown
t-ba

Reserves

ParraMatt
Not So Silent Bob

 

[Mzilikazi]

Mzilikazi catches the ball and scorches upfield:

Skirmishes of a war:

The last month has seen many reminiscences of the break out of the Super League War. Ten years ago the first shots were fired in anger. A common refrain has been that “the war is over”. Oh really?

Let us not forget what this war was about. It was always about the control of the game for the interests of television and especially the incoming pay television. Despite Australia being a relatively small market in world terms, two companies had been given access to it and from very early in manoeuvrings it became obvious that only one would survive. The content of Rugby League became the most prized pawn in an inevitable fight to the death.

The events of ten years ago represented a seismic upheaval in this country’s relationship between sport and the media, entertainment and corporate sector. Just as the shift in tectonic plates that caused the Boxing Day tsunami have been followed up by several significant aftershocks, so too do similar rumbles and shocks continue in various ways through the game of Rugby League.

Let me deconstruct a recent incident in the game as just one small example of the tensions that continue to be felt between those that took various sides in the war a decade ago. It is not always as obvious as the lengthy diatribe that Phil Gould launched in his column several weeks ago.

Have a look at what happened when Ricky Stuart raised the issue of an anonymous e-mail doing the rounds last week at a pre-match press conference. The e-mail mentioned tension in the Roosters camp and particularly between two players after an alleged Carey/Stevens style incident. It was fascinating stuff, particularly for haters of the Roosters.

Stuart probably raised the issue as a ploy to create a siege mentality in his side prior to a big clash with the Bulldogs. However it also gave significant prominence to an issue that would have safely flown under the radar of public consciousness given the paltry size of the 2SM audience when the offending e-mail was first mentioned. Stuart blew it into national prominence and the dogs of war were unleashed.

Whilst Stuart was a Super League player he now coaches a side that was firmly in the ARL camp. Of course the Roosters are also the bastion of Phil Gould, the staunchest of Super League critics and employee of Fairfax and Channel 9.

The Daily Telegraph, a publication of the Super League promoter News Limited saw the opportunity and committed its entire back page (and several more) to Stuart’s comments last Friday including the text of the offending e-mail. With the Friday edition of the Telegraph containing the “Main Game” it is the most widely read newspaper of the week by the average Rugby League fan. The Telegraph’s coverage of the affair seemed designed to create maximum de-stabilisation.*

On the Friday night the Roosters secured their win in sensational circumstances after the controversial sending off of hard-man Adrian Morley. Ricky Stuart’s outburst at the referee’s performance kept the Roosters the major topic of discussion for the weekend.

Amazingly the Sun Herald, a Fairfax publication that also has a regular column from Phil Gould, came out on the Sunday with Jacquelin Magnay’s column pouring oil on the troubled waters of the Roosters e-mail situation by making out that it referred to events from more than six months ago and that they’d been fully dealt with. This “junk mail” was “old news” according to Fairfax.**

Not so at the News Limited bunker where their weekend papers filled with inferences and speculation about tensions in the Rooster’s camp and the move of one or more players to other clubs at season’s end.

Stuart’s fiery performance at the press conference after the game had also provided more grist for the mill. The Sun Herald quoted Wayne Bennett in support of Rooster’s captain Luke Ricketson saying that the tackle was a non-event. However, Queensland's Sunday Mail, also in the News Limited stable, used virtually the same quotes from Bennett under the headline “Ricky’s ref blast unfair”.***

I think you get the picture. The flurry of the weekend suggests that, whilst the war may be over, our media moguls are not averse to the odd skirmish with Super League allegiances a significant factor in where the lines are drawn.

What about the truth in all of this? Who can tell? I somehow suspect that it’s the casualty!

* Daily Telegraph, Sydney edition, 15 April 2005, Back Page.
** Sun Herald, Queensland edition, 17 April 2005, Page 79.
*** Sunday Mail, 17 April 2005, Page 126.

743 words including title (not including references).

 

[bartman]

Substituition for Rhinos:

Not So Silent Bob in for Ibeme.

 

[t-ba]

T-ba for the Rhinos

THE BIG FREEZE


As the days grow shorter and the weather gets cooler, it should come as no surprise that the NRL becomes a touch lethargic. After all, in parts of the world not gifted with the wonderfully temperate weather of the Eastern Seaboard of Australia, like the ACT, the whole of society, not just professional sports, can grind to a halt. But how pronounced is this effect on the NRL, in particular on Crowd Averages, and what impact will the somewhat erroneously titled ‘big freeze’ have on crowd averages this year?

The namesake of this article also provides the most profound example of the impact a powerful winter can have on the game of Rugby League. The ‘Big Freeze’ hit the UK in the winter of 1962-63, sparking absolute chaos in the domestic Soccer and Rugby League competitions, not to mention British Society. Without the advantage of heated turfs and a mass transport system not designed to cope with conditions more akin to Moscow than Manchester, both competitions where at mercy to rescheduling and the resulting drop in attendances. Though Soccer recovered, Rugby League, already in a tenuous position, can be said to have never really recovered from that dark winter.

Though residents of the Antipodes are fortunate not to suffer from such extreme Weather, a noticeable drop off in attendance does become evident during the middle section of the season. Since the advent of the twenty-six round season in 1999 and the conclusion of season 2004, an average of 14,589 people have attended the 429 matches that have been played out from rounds one through to ten, while only 12,498 turned up to the 421 matches during rounds eleven through to twenty. That represents a 15% drop in attendances! 14564 have attended the 258 matches that constitute the final six rounds of the season.

Of course, not only does the weather played a part in the substantial drop in match attendance mid-season. The Frigid and wild weather that usually dominates along the Eastern seaboard from May right through to July does play a strong role in discouraging the part-time fan from going to watch some football though. A lack of encouraging form tends to see most clubs bandwagons fall apart. In addition, the representative season has a nasty habit of drawing superstar players, in addition to fans, well wishers and their attendant horde of teenyboppers, away from the club scene for a good portion of the season.

This trend isn’t brand new in Australia. During 1968, the NSWRL’s best attended season until the Knights and the Broncos charged into the competition, the first third of the regular season saw an average of 14,086 fans come through the gate over the first eight weeks. For the next eight weeks though, only 11,716 were heading through the turnstiles, a 17% drop in attendance. For the last six weeks, 12,729 people headed through the gates, a mild improvement, but nothing near the levels reached earlier in the season.

During the Sydney competitions lowest ebb, the 1983 campaign, the impact of the ‘Big Freeze’ was negligible. An average of 6870 people attended matches in the first ten rounds of the twenty-six round season, while 6773 people, a loss of only 2% attended rounds eleven through to twenty. In a rather rare occurrence, 7390 people attended the final six rounds of the seasons, an increase!

This brings us up to the current day. Crowds in the first seven rounds are up from previous benchmarks. Way up. And it’s being done without the aid of ‘double headers’ or ‘match of the round’ fixtures at the SCG. Every round so far has exceeded the 2004 average, an impressive feat when you consider it was a record year for crowds.

But is the bubble going to burst? Unfortunately, it is probably only a matter of time. Last year, the first ten rounds of the season saw an average of 15,430 patrons attending matches, only for 13,638 to attend between rounds eleven and twenty. Since 1999, only one season has only seen a mid-season drop of less than 10% on crowds. That Season was 2003, the year that saw the renovated Lang Park open its turnstiles

There’s no doubt this year is going to smash attendance records. There’s even the unlikely prospect the aggregate will exceed 3,061,893, the record set by twenty teams in 1995. But while we revel in average crowds touching on 18,000 it may be prudent to just remember…The ‘Big Freeze’ is waiting...

References
http://stats.rleague.com/
League lovers rush back for a piece of the action

750 Words without References

 

[SirShire]

SirShire lines up Mzilikazi and knocks his teeth out in a bone-rattling hit!

*****

Remembering ANZAC…

At around 5:00AM on the 25th April 1915, thousands of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers waded through the chilly waters of the Aegean Sea, onto the shores of Gallipoli. The initial landing, and indeed the mission itself was a failure: objectives were not met, they did not land at the correct beach and British High Command failed to adopt tactics to suit the environment. Hundreds of Australia’s and New Zealand’s finest men were killed, ultimately due to the inaccurate planning of those leading them.

On that fateful morning some ninety years ago, thousands of ANZACs died. Many more would join their mates on the ‘eternal parade ground’ over the next eight months, succumbing to the constant machine gun fire and bombardment, and due to illnesses such as trench-foot and typhus.

After reading the above paragraphs, the Gallipoli campaign may be interpreted by the crowd here today as being a complete waste of human life. That is entirely correct, and while tactically the Allies achieved nothing, Australia and New Zealand came of age. The ANZAC legend that was born all those years ago is as relevant today as it ever was, maybe more so due to the fact that there is no longer a living Australian link to the Gallipoli campaign. And so, the ANZAC legend lives on through tales of heroism, courage under the most perilous conditions and most importantly, mate ship.

However, come round seven in the NRL competition each year, the ANZAC legend lives on in a different, but equally significant way: the inaugural ANZAC rugby league test match contested between thirty-four of Australia and New Zealand’s finest footballers (33 if we don’t count Thomas Leuluai). This year, Australia triumphed New Zealand 32-16 in one of the most hardly fought matches between the two nations in recent years.

I am of the belief that this occurs due to only one reason: pride. You show me any man who played in that match on Friday night that didn’t experience a sense of pride in his nation when he pulled on his jersey, and I’ll eat my shoe. While I haven’t played International football, or indeed football commemorating such a defining moment in our history, I can only imagine the feeling of patriotism that each of those players would have experienced. This pride and patriotism stems from one thing: history. When those men stormed out onto Suncorp Stadium, they weren’t playing for their respective clubs in a national competition, they were playing to honour the tens of thousands of soldiers who have fought so bravely and given their lives over the past 90 years of conflict in Australia and New Zealand’s history to give us the freedom in our lives which we so often neglect.

Each time Australia plays New Zealand in an ANZAC test; the ANZAC spirit strengthens and continues on into the future. It is only fitting that the men which have given so much to us over the past century be honoured through a football match. The result of the match is never important; but the nature in which the game was played is of paramount concern. Seeing footage of rival teammates Ruben Wiki and Steve Price shaking hands summed up the feeling and mood of the 2005 ANZAC test in a way in which no try or tackle ever could: it showed mate ship – the element of camaraderie which kept the ANZACs going for not only the 8 months at Gallipoli, but the ensuing four years of WW1 and the conflicts which would arise and involve Australia and New Zealand over the next ninety years.

It is my deepest hope for the future of both rugby league and the ANZAC legend that when future generations see these two great nations battling it out in the ANZAC tests of the future, that they understand why exactly these men are playing, and that they are fully aware of the sacrifices that the ANZAC Diggers have made for them in the past. I will close this essay with an excerpt from Lawrence Binyon’s ‘Ode to the Fallen’:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest We Forget – ANZAC Day 2005.

*****

Word Count: 724 (inc. title)

 

[SP]

SP takes the ball up, breaks the line and is away
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SP, Cronulla Sharks


Time to give the yanks the flick?

No I'm not meaning that we should give the USA the flick in rugby league. I'm meaning their team nicknames we have adopted... Broncos, Raiders, Panthers and so on. I know having these nick’s is a great marketing tool and so on and some of the nicknames are usually common with what the area is about or its surrounds, for example, Cronulla Sharks is because Cronulla is near the beach and sharks are a beach thing, Penrith Panthers because of tales of panther sightings around the blue mountains area. Think back 10 or even 20 years ago, it was never The Sharks v The Dragons or The Raiders v The Bulldogs (and so on), it was always Cronulla Sutherland v St George or Canberra v Canterbury Bankstown. The only time that the team nicknames were mentioned was when a group of mates were talking about the upcoming game, but nowadays its on the radio, on TV, magazines, newspapers and even club logos where the nickname is in very large writing and the actual club name was either in small writing that you can’t really see or the club‘s name wasn‘t there at all. But with now every media source calling teams The Bulldogs will be playing The Sharks, I think they are talking about the Super 12’s Rugby Union competition because that's what they call their teams, by their nicknames only

Now with all the dramas between the Gold Coast Dolphins who are looking to rejoin the NRL competition and the Qld Cup team Redcliffe Dolphins that were going on, having a big whinge because they had the dolphin name first and so on, well in that case, Cronulla should sue Caloundra Sharks (who play in the Sunshine Coast/Gympie RL) for using sharks or even Canterbury should sue Beerwah Bulldogs (also in the Sunshine Coast RL) in the same case, it’s just ridiculous. Gold Coast decided to drop the dolphin name. It was a good move because in my opinion, dolphins are a pretty crappy name and if you‘re imaginative, the dolphin logo (minus the fins and mouth/face area) that they designed looks like a penis that has been fiddled with too much. Now they are considering another name... why? I ask. Why don't they just leave the name as Gold Coast RLFC? Just because it hasn’t got an American nickname, doesn't mean it can be marketed out to the rest of the state, country and even world. Gold Coast is a very well known part of Australia after Sydney. People in England, Canada and even Japan know what the gold coast is and where it’s at. If they do really want a mascot and a nickname, why not choose something about the coast such as Ironmen or even Heat (as it can get fairly hot there in summer), the Dolphins sound too much like the Miami Dolphin‘s gridiron side, and other NRL teams who have adopted these NFL nicks are: Brisbane Broncos - Denver Broncos, Canberra Raiders - Oakland Raiders, Nth Qld Cowboys - Dallas Cowboys.

I'm not also saying that every team in the NRL or anywhere else that's not from the USA should drop the nickname. I'm just saying that some possible new teams don't really need a nickname for marketing, promotional purposes or to just fit in with the rest. Using teams from the English Premier League football for example, there are teams such as Arsenal, Manchester Utd and Liverpool who have got nicknames (Gunners, Red Devils and Reds), but you don't hear people calling them the Arsenal Gunners, the Man Utd Red Devils or the Liverpool Reds, they are very well known world wide just with their names only. And some other football teams that are well known worldwide that don't have a nickname would are Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter (plus more) who can cope without the American nickname. So why can’t any team in rugby league?

So in my opinion, I believe that the current 15 NRL teams may as well keep their nicknames, but for any other team that is looking to be the 16th, 17th, 18th and so on team in the competition. Why don’t you just give having no nickname a try? It may be worth it. Now i'm going to watch Penrith play NZ (Auckland) and also watch a great local derby involving Canterbury Bankstown and Parramatta.

741 Words

 

[bartman]

Bartman puts in the chase for the Rhinos:

A New Hope? (With apologies to George Lucas)

Once upon a time, in a footballing state far, far away….

CEO Sand-Groper: Come on. Why don't you take a look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good fan like you. You're turning your back on them.
WA-Fan Solo: What good's a new footy team if I ain't game enough to cheer their name? Besides, picking a name like Force ain't my idea of courage. It's more like... suicide.
CEO Sand-Groper: All right. Well, take care of yourself, Fan. I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it? [Starts to storm off]
WA-Fan Solo: Hey, Sand-Groper... May the Force be with you. [Rolls around laughing]

I know it's an easy target, but if something deserves shooting down then why not take aim? Yes, I'm referring to the recent announcement that the West Australian Rugby Union franchise will be known as "Western Force" when they join next year's Super 14 competition(1). The choice of such a generic team name will have implications for the success or failure of rugby union in this new frontier, which may provide some valuable lessons for our own rugby league administrators with their ambitions for successful expansion.

One of the basic challenges for any spectator sport seeking to establish a new team is to make the people of that area feel an attachment for the team, and have some incentive to become regular supporters once the initial novelty wears off. When we think of "traditional" teams in any of the football codes, we are talking about teams that usually evolved spontaneously in natural areas of interest in that sport. So in the Australian scene, rugby league and union share their historical heartlands on the east coast, while Australian rules traditionally found its greatest support in Victoria.

During the 1980s, all football codes in Australia turned their thoughts to bringing together these areas of natural interest in national competitions. League reached out from Sydney to include teams from Canberra, Illawarra, Newcastle, Brisbane, and Gold Coast-Tweed in 1982 and 1988. Four of these new clubs made use of "generic" team names - Raiders, Knights, Broncos, and Giants - that had no specific links to the local areas or the history of league, but seemed to owe a debt to American culture? Around 20 years on, only three of these five expansion clubs exist under the same banner.

Of the seven brand new rugby league clubs joining the national competition(s) between 1995 and 1998, only three of these areas still have teams that are playing today. Teams that bit the dust during this difficult and divisive time in the code's history included the Reds, Crushers, and Rams - again generic names with no local link and more of a connection to America. Through the 80s and 90s we inherited another aspect of American sporting culture - the concept of sport as a business. This notion is what results in our game being referred to as a "product", fights between media barons over broadcasting rights, and consultants doing market research to establish generic sounding team names!

In the modern world sport may have to be a business, but let's not forget that rugby league is about passion! People become supporters because of the emotions they want to experience, and more often than not these emotions are tied to feelings of connection toward a team from their local area, region, state or country. This is where I think Union made a mistake in Perth last week, one that may eventually play into League's hands? By not learning from the past history of expansion efforts by its league cousin, and by just throwing a new team with a generic name into an area, they have lost a real chance to connect with the local community who could provide that tribal support so vital for long term survival.

So when the NRL looks to confirm its 16th team, it should make sure that business analysts and marketers aren't in charge of the team name, and instead they look to the people in the community that they hope will support it! Try and find a name that means something specific to them and their area, and avoid this well-trodden and uninsipring generic route.

Am I the only one that can imagine fans of either form of rugby responding to WA Union's decision with the words of Yoda: "Strong am I in the Force, but not that strong"?

Word count: 750 including title but not including reference

(1) - http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/n...-with-the-Force/2005/04/19/1113854185424.html

 

[bartman]

Substituition for Rhinos:

ParraMatt in for Hightown Tiger.

 

[JW]

JW for the Sharks.

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

Struggle Gives Strength


“The code stinks”

- Patrick Smith


The game of Rugby League and it’s loyal fraternity have a century-long history of coming face-to-face with difficult situations, some even threatening the very existence of the sport in certain countries, yet time and time again proving unbelievably resilient. Indeed, the very creation of Rugby League came about as a result of struggling, working class citizens in the northern counties of England battling for the freedom and opportunity to play a game they loved whilst still being able to put food on the table for their families.

The struggle continued in France during the 1930s and 1940s when the Vichy regime ordered a ban on Rugby League in order to eliminate any competition to Rugby Union. During this time, Rugby League playing facilities, equipment and other assets were taken and anyone who played the sport professionally was consequently frowned upon.

In the mid-1990s, Rugby League in Australia was brought to it’s knees after a money war between various factions brought about the introduction of a rebel national competition known as Super League. When Super League was disbanded after only a single year of existence, a new and united national premiership was left to try and lift the game from the abyss with very few resources at hand.

Today, in the midst of the information age, Rugby League faces one of its toughest struggles and most fierce opponents to date – the print and television media.

In recent seasons, Rugby League players have been caught up in incidents, both proven and alleged, that have put them under the media’s ruthless microscope and have been promptly taken to the cleaners for a good a dose of negative publicity. Some of these incidents have been of a serious and sensitive nature, such as the alleged misconduct of the Canterbury Bulldogs in the 2004 pre-season. Others have been of a much lesser level of stupidity, such as the unfortunate shenanigans that took place during a New South Wales Origin bonding night. But most reports of misconduct have been of such a minor and every-day nature that they wouldn’t be considered newsworthy in the minds on anyone who possesses a hint of sanity. For example, Willie Mason’s apparently disgraceful act of dropping a small packet of sauce for his sausage roll after stepping off a bus.

All of these reports, both major and minor, are designed to have a negative effect on Rugby League. Even though many similar incidents may occur in other high profile professional sports, Rugby League is consistently targeted and heavily scrutinised. Why is this so? Why does AFL journalist Patrick Smith believe Rugby League is a culture to despise? Why does he attempt to convey that message more often in his articles than writing about that other game that is played by rough girls and rather delicate boys? Why does Caroline Wilson believe that alleged poor behaviour is exclusive to Rugby League?

And away from alleged and often unsubstantiated off-field incidents, why has the Rugby Union fraternity felt the surging need to denigrate Rugby League at any possible opportunity?

Why are we the one’s stuck in the middle and copping it from angles, often unwarranted?

It’s because of what we stand for. Our game was born out of the struggle for freedom of the individual. It challenges the class distinctions that exist in rival sports and their media partners. It is a game played for, and by, anyone from any walk of life. For those reasons it is seen as a threat to other sports and individuals with their agendas.

In a time where, according to Patrick Smith, there will be no spirited comeback by the game, Rugby League has excelled to previously unchartered heights in virtually all areas. After a quarter of the 2005 NRL season, attendances to matches have jumped by the largest margin to the previous year ever experienced. More people are watching the game on television than ever before, merchandise sales have risen by largely unanticipated percentages and the international scene is making a stunning revival – much to the delight of the game’s most avid supporters.

So the old phrase “struggle gives strength” undoubtedly applies to Rugby League. The game lives on. Just like the group of men who gathered at the George Hotel in Huddersfield over a century ago struggled for fairness and opportunity, we carry on their legacy by continuing to support the game that they helped create. The people’s game – Rugby League Football.


747 words, including title (not including references).


Sources and references:

Men behaving badly, take a lesson – Patrick Smith, The Australian, 23/2/2005
No way back this time for game very much on the nose – Patrick Smith, The Australian, 6/3/2004
Caroline Wilson Column - Sunday Age, 7/3/2004
French Rugby League: Still awaiting an apology – RL1908 (http://rl1908.com/Rugby-League-News/vichy.htm)
The Great Divide of 1895 – RL1908 (http://www.rl1908.com/Founders/greatdivide.htm)

 

[Not so silent Bob]

Not so Silent Bob for the Rhinos.

The Hype.

It seem like every year there’s a new ‘next big thing.’ Just recently, Frank Pritchard was described as the next Sonny-Bill Williams, even though Sonny-Bill has only been in first grade for one and a half years. I mean, they’re both great players, but comparing them to each other so early in their careers is like comparing The Lord of The Rings to a Danielle Steele movie.

It works with football clubs, too. At the start of the 2005 season, teams like 2004 grand finalists the Bulldogs and the Roosters were predicted to start at the top of the table, stay there, and do it easily. Now however, both teams have only just recently snapped losing streaks (four games for the Dogs, three for the coc- I mean the Roosters).

The problem is not that the advertisers and clubs promote the hype; it’s that people believe it. I know that the promoters are just doing their jobs, but could they do it so it’s a little more believable? Take for example, the recent Australia-New Zealand test match. It was advertised to be the test where the Kiwi’s challenge Australia’s dominance of Test matches. To their credit, the Kiwi’s did put up a good fight. But the inevitable conclusion came to fruition; the Aussies won.

Other supremely hyped matches and events include:

The Dragons, with their many stars, were predicted (yet again) to have a brilliant season. The result so far: two wins from seven games, including utter capitulation at the feet of the Melbourne Storm.

The return to the new and improved Energy Australia Stadium, with a remodeled stand and better facilities. This upgrade was sure to spur on the Knights to victory against the Warriors. Well, it almost worked. For most of the match, it looked clear skies ahead for Newcastle. But unfortunately, the one place that should have been the catalyst for a Knights charge, it was where they faltered most. They lost 30-26, and to add injury to more injury, Andrew Johns was taken off the field with a broken jaw.

Parramatta, who, having bought well in the off-season, looked to have one of the best sides in the competition on paper. On paper, at least. Sure, they’ve beaten the Wests Tigers twice (bastards) and Melbourne in Melbourne. But they’ve also lost matches that by all rights they should have won, like against Souths. And I won’t mention the absolute pasting they received from the Brisbane Broncos up at Suncorp Stadium where the final score was 54-14. Oh wait… damn.

And last, but not least, the two easiest games in the premiership to tip. I’m talking, of course, about the Tigers-Bulldogs match in round three, and the Tigers-Roosters match in round four. Let’s face it. Everybody was tipping the grand finalists of 2004 to whip the Tigers by forty points at least. The end result? Wests stunning everybody by beating not only the Bulldogs, but the Roosters as well (37-36 and 32-26 respectively), which left people thinking “What in the name of God just happened?”

There have been times when a match or player has lived up to the hype, however. Players like Billy Slater (leading try scorer of the competition at this stage), Adam Dykes’ return to the Sharks, and Benji Marshall. One example of living up to the hype (and perhaps even going beyond it) was the recent ANZAC day clash between the Roosters and the Dragons. What a cracker of a game. It was great: great tries, fights, sin-bins. And the Roosters lost. What more could you ask for?

My point is that hype should be used sparingly. I mean, what will happen if the first State of Origin (which is already being touted as the best series yet by some) game sucks arse? People may not want to see the next two games. Or the alleged trials match for the NSW squad, the City-Country match? If no genuine stand-out is picked for the Blues, it will be a farce (again). Does anyone remember John Skandalis’ performance in the 2002 City-Country match? Those who do will no doubt remember he ran all over the Country side (so to speak), scored a good try, and tackled his butt off. All this coming off the bench. And he was not picked for the Blues. What a rort.

My conclusion about the hype?

The hype sucks.

731 words.

 

[ParraMatt]

ParraMatt debut's for the year off the interchange bench. Has a hit-up and raises his hand for the water bottles.


Tim Smith - The Halfback problem is finally cured

At the start of the season Parramatta signed an X-Player in Queenslander P.J. Marsh to finally cure the halback woes that have haunted the Eels in recent years since the departure of former kicking sensation Jason Taylor. They have tried numerous options in the halfback position since 2002 but none have fulfilled the position quite like Brian Smith would like. Their best hope I thought was Michael Witt, but obviously Brian and the coaching staff thought differently and offloaded him to Manly for the 2005 season.

Earlier this year Brian took his experienced Eels and a couple of rookies to have a run and find players who impressed and Timmy Smith was one of those players selected to have a run at halfback in the opening trial of the year at Lismore against the Sharks. Although Parramatta were beaten in the latter stages of the match against an under strength Sharks team, there were a few shining positives that Brian got out of the match and one was Tim Smith. Tim had a very solid game and took authority when it was needed while setting up a try.

After that it was off to New Zealand for the clash against the Warriors where Parramatta was beaten but played a much better game than they did against the Sharks, again Tim Smith had a solid game and Brian Smith was starting to get the impression that this kid had alot of talent and could capture the Number 7 jersey at the Eels in 2005. The team then went out to the country to take on the Roosters and absolutely smashed the Bondi side in a quality match where Tim Smith was the key in the Eels win.

After a few weeks off it was now Brian's turn to return the favour and award Tim with his first debut NRL Match as the Parramatta halfback to take on the Wests Tigers. He was sensational in the Round 1 clash and set up two tries, scoring one himself, before heading to South Sydney in Round 2 where he again was the only player that could lift his head high, scoring two tries and setting one up.

A week later Cronulla travelled to Parramatta for their first home game of the year and many were expecting Parramatta to take home the two points, but that wasn't to be and Brian Smith at the conclusion of the match ordered the Parramatta team to start listening to Tim on the field and follow his play and directions.

Since then Tim has been able to draw opposition players to him while opening gaps for other players, he has also placed spectacular kicks through to his wingers to set scoring opportunities for the Eels and as he continues to gain more and more confidence will become unstoppable.

After moving to Sydney a few years ago the Runaway Bay superstar played numerous games in Jersey Flegg and Reserve Grade and close supporters of the Eels knew that he had the talent to one day play first grade. Maybe not as soon as this year but he seems to be handling it very well.

This player is only 20 years old and has only 7 NRL games under his belt, but I believe he will be the best Parramatta Halfback since the days of Peter Sterling. He is inspirational in attack, has a wicked step and his defence is improving each match. With the ball in his hand he is dangerous with his long and short passing game and his ability to put other players through gaps.

Tim Smith is already on the list of targeted players that the proposed Gold Coast franchise have identified as poaching to Carrara and shows that the management up on the Gold Coast have already seen the potential of this player after watching him play in only 7 games.

The Gold Coast born surfer who has supported the Parramatta Eels as a kid now has his chance to claim the halfback role at Parramatta and hopefully aim towards State of Origin in the next few years. His heroes as a kid were Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler and I think with alot of training, support and experience he will too become a legend like his two idols and take Parramatta to premierships in the years to come.

(722 words including title)

 

[Hightown Tiger]

EDIT: JUST REALISED IVE BEEN SUBBED, PLEASE IGNORE THIS ARTICLE

Hightown 'Billy the kid' goes rumbling in. It's his turn to be dealt with!

A view from 'down here'

September 2004. The month my team were relegated from SuperLeague. It’s very hard to explain the feeling at full time, as we realised we would play next season in National League 1. Some simply stood in tears. Others ran onto the pitch to give their ‘heroes’ one last show of support. I myself stayed behind at the ground till late. But for many people, what stood out more than anything was the feeling of disbelief. How could ‘Classy Cas’, winners of 4 challenge cups and numerous trophies; club of the year in 1999; a team who regularly attracted crowds of 7,000+ (in fact, for Castleford's last game they drew 10,000)…. how could Castleford go down?
It is not my intention to explain why we went down, there are many reasons. Here are just a few:
-Poor recruitment (Ryan Sheridan, Craig Greenhill, Sean Rudder)
-Loss of key players (Danny Orr, Wayne Bartrim)
-A gradual decline which started after we failed to capitalise on our 1999 season (when we reached the semi finals of both the play offs and the Challenge Cup)

It was the first time we had ever been relegated, and many feared we would not be able to finance a team in National League 1. What with the drop in attendance’s, no sky money and loss of sponsorship. However, somehow the directors managed to fund a full time side. Still, not many people were sure that our team had the strength, the experience to come back up at the first attempt. What most Castleford supporters agreed on was it would be an experience, visiting new grounds, seeing new places etc. Already I myself have paid my first visits to Hunslet, Doncaster, Oldham, York and Barrow. In fact, as I write this I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Barrow, to see Castleford win a closely fought game.

So it’s not all doom and gloom. Off the field, Castleford’s Supporters Club has continued to flourish, recently passing the 500 members mark. Attendance’s continue to be high, as Castleford average 5000+ (7300 turned up to see Castleford play Featherstone in a ‘dead rubber’). New attendance records are being set, thanks to Castleford’s travelling support. If I remember rightly, Castleford sold 2,200 season tickets. Not bad to say Leigh sold 700-800 last year in their promotion year. Our main sponsor, GMB, continues to sponsor us. Things continue to go well on the field, although the team will have to improve when we play the likes of Whitehaven and Hull KR. The town has certainly rallied around Castleford when they need support the most.

But what has this season (so far) taught me? Well, there is certainly a long way to go but one thing that sticks out more than anything, is respect for opponents. We used to laugh at the plight of Featherstone Rovers etc, because we thought we’d never be in a similar situation. True, things haven’t hit rock bottom; at the end of the day Castleford are one of the better National League teams (trying not to be big headed!). But compared to the likes of Leeds Rhinos, Bradford Bull’s etc, it takes a lot more to continue to support Castleford.
National League clubs have often claimed they are ignored in the press and to be honest, in the past I haven’t been bothered, after all it hasn’t concerned Castleford. But now we are ‘down here’ I see their point and agree with them. No sky money, little recognition in the press, the constant fear of a Superleague club signing one of our players for next to nothing (Craig Huby has been linked with St Helens, and I think Michael Shenton may interest a few teams).

Where does it go from here? Well, the ultimate aim is to win the Grand Final. Even then, we have to ensure our ground is up to standard. Which it should be, after all in SuperLeague we often attracted 10,000-11,000 for the visit of Leeds. And if Leigh Centurion’s ground can pass the test, then so can ours. Before then, there is the small matter of the Northern Rail Cup, the final will take place at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool. Another new ground!

In conclusion, relegation was an awful experience, and one I never want to go through again. But there are plenty of positives in the National League’s, and if Castleford do go back up, I will continue to respect the lower league teams.

 

[Willow]

Ref blows full time.

 

[gorilla]

My God ! Is it fulltime already ?
*shakes head to clear cobwebs and starts to cut and paste*
Be with you players by Sat morning at the latest.
cheers Goz

 

[madunit]

Unfortunately due to circumstances we couldn't get Iddylions post in, so it was a tad unfortunate, but its only a minor setback, the underdogs live on.

Go sharkies

 

[bartman]

Cheers to all players, some real good articles there from both teams.

And sorry about the late subbing confusion there for the Rhinos and our six articles - balances the past few matches where we could only muster four. ;-)

 

[gorilla]

Sharks

Madunit
Made me laugh thrice & smile twice – 3 ½ stars
87

SirShire
Solid, obvious commemorative post
80

SP
Slightly scatty and grammatically unco-ordinated view. Having grown up with the Berries and the Bluebags, I agree with a deconstructed reversal of the game’s Americanisation but it lacks a simple structure to give the post substance beyond base popularism
79

JW
Good points examining the roots of a segment of the current context of media bias in examination
82


Rhinos

Mzilikazi
A good study of an example of the current media/sport ownership polarity
83

T-ba
An interesting hypothesis (for one from Cooma who has stood watching 1st grade in a greatcoat suffering concussion) – unaccompanied by weather records to support the variations in attendance which may be attributed to other factors. These details could have made it perversely compelling (although somewhat obvious – it is cold therefore I shrink)
81

Bartman
There’s nothing we can’t name if we have enough words – a more constructed post about team names, although similar, it has been better expounded and prepared
83

Not so Silent Bob
Hype is like injecting cocaine – hard to use sparingly. A well supported, although parochial view
82

ParraMatt
This Smith sounds ‘Crisp’ – an invigourating potrait with minor writing flaws
84


Rhinos (413) defeated Sharks (328)

MOM award to madunit

Congratulations to both teams, of course the lack of another player for the Sharks always made it difficult