Round 8 (2005) Dirty Reds Vs Sharks

[roosterboy60]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Glebe Dirty Reds v Cronulla Sharks[/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]Full Time: Wednesday 6th July at 9pm (Syd time)[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Venue: Wentworth Park

Crowd: 9690
REFEREE: Willow[/font]

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

 

[Misanthrope]

chriswalkerbush leads out a strong Dirty Reds' outfit, keen for a win.

1: chriswalkerbush (c)
2: les norton
3: The Joey Show
4: brandell
5: Cake or Death

6: MrCharisma
7: Skeptic Ghost
8: PJ Marshal

 

[Misanthrope]

chriswalkerbush leads his chargers out onto Wenworth Park with a solid run down the flank

So, Your Side’s on a Record Losing Streak…

So you’re supporting a side who despite having the world’s greatest player in #7, the world’s number one hooker on the books, and a base of junior players that has Michael Jackson salivating – haven’t managed to win a game since round twenty six of 2004. It’s certainly a sad state of affairs to be in, but thanks to ground-breaking research done at the Novocastrian Clinic for Record Losing Streaks, we’ve got a plan in place that may help overcome your condition.

Symptoms
Before discussing the cure, it’s perhaps best to discuss the symptoms. They generally vary from case to case. Some people will suffer all of these symptoms, whilst others, the lucky few we’ll call ‘fair-weather fans’ can often escape with only one or two.

Hope: Sufferers of this condition are likely to experience hope early on. Living vicariously through Jersey Flegg is a side effect of hope.

Depression: After the period of (sometimes vain) hope passes, many people go through a period of depression. This could be defamatory anti-Carmont forum spamming or, in some cases, binge drinking.

We are no chance of winning a game this year

ohhhhh that very last ounce of optimism that i had is now gone

Rage: Many sufferers have been known to go through brief ‘rage blackouts’ as a result of this condition. Some sufferers have been observed going ‘too far’ to the point of destroying club merchandise and inflicting bodily harm upon themselves through expressing their anger in physical ways.

Resignation: Following the more ‘extreme’ symptoms, fans are often known to become resigned to their fate. By this stage, the only way, as Yazz say, is up.

Omg 50-0. All I can do is laugh

There are, of course, variations upon the above symptoms. Other sufferers have been known to invade the field, start vocal supporter’s groups, and even, in some cases, meet with club management to discuss the direction the club is headed in.

The Cure
Thankfully for most fans, the cure to this ailment can be obtained in a relatively short period of time. Indeed, it takes just eighty minutes for the condition to be well and truly bashed out of the system . The cure comes in a number of steps, all of which contribute to an overall feeling of well being, confidence, and relief in sufferers.

Firstly, it is crucial that a healthy playing roster be available for the sufferer’s viewing pleasure. In particular, world class players should be on deck and in form. Secondly, you need to have a committed and passionate supporter base around you, not only to encourage the club to perform, but to keep you in high spirits through a dark period of your life. Amusing chants, abusing the lower grade wingers, and excessive pre, during, and post game drinking are also advised.

Following this, you need a few inspired performances from your lesser known players. In this case study, we’ll use Clint Newton, although any former bench player or promising junior is sufficient.

Oh, and a substandard performance from the opposition certainly goes a long way towards lifting the hoodoo and allowing for regular life to continue.

I got worried as soon as Penrith went to an early lead. That is a catalyst for a Penrith loss this year

Following the administering of the cure, sufferers may feel immense feelings of light-heartedness, giddy joy, or in some rare cases, absolute ecstasy.

This is absolutely normal and will subside in a matter of days.

The most important thing to bear in mind following this lifting of symptoms is that the condition could relapse at any moment. Long term steps must be taken to avoid further complications. At an individual level, continued contact with the support group is necessary. In the case of Knights’ fans, the group is the Knights Crusade, who can be found at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/knightscrusade

The rest, unfortunately, is largely beyond the hands of the individual. The condition will continue to recur as long as the club does not employ qualified training staff, suffers from horrendous injury tolls, and overpays players. The best thing for it is a complete overhaul at management level, but this may be akin to holding out for a cure to cancer. Clubs should consider privatisation, dropping of out of form players, or mass post season recruitment to amend the current situation until more drastic measures can be taken.

WORD COUNT: 747 (including title)

 

[madunit]

The Sharks Line up.

1-madunit (c)
2-JW
3-glockers
4-griffo346
5-SirShire

Bench
6-Genius Freak
7-Iddylion

 

[madunit]

madunit for the Sharks

Who’s Next?

With the NRL deciding recently to re-admit the Gold Coast into the competition, I started thinking, “Who’s next?”

Not as in who’s going to be the next team brought into our game. More so, which pathetic under achieving team from the past, who has been removed from the competition, is going to be readmitted?

Souths, kicked out of the competition in 1999 for many reasons, including poor on-field performance, poor crowds and finances. Now, Souths still perform poorly on the field, at drawing crowds and the way they are throwing money around at big name, under-achieving players, it can be assumed financial strain will come again soon.

Gold Coast, a team that knows failure better than most other teams, a team that was so poorly run that the ARL had to appoint its own officials to manage the team, a team that had to relocate to try and draw bigger crowds, a team that failed when given substantial support from the games governing body.

Now, they have again been recalled to participate in the NRL.

So which pathetic performing side, which seemingly had no future and was subsequently removed from the competition, is going to be recalled for future seasons?

Lets take a look at the candidates.

Wests – A team that has been booted from the competition twice. A plethora of juniors, large supporter area combined with no money, abysmal crowd attendances and pathetic on field performances should be enough to make them candidate number 1 to be brought back into the competition.

Norths – A foundation club who had no idea how to make it to a grand final, let alone win. The perennial chokers of the competition. Also have no money, which was the main reason for them having to merge with rivals Manly. Fittingly, just like Norths have done in the past, their half of the merger failed, Manly came back and Norths are…well somewhere. All of this makes them a hot contender to be brought back next.

Glebe – The very first team. One of the most disliked teams amongst league officials that ultimately lead to their demise in 1929. They had everything, players, support, money, unhappy officials. This game needs a good ‘us vs them’ between a team and the people who control the game. This rivalry could be the spark to revive waning interest in the game.

Annandale – A team that never achieved. They were cut from the competition for breaking rules regarding players from other areas playing for them, their rough style of play and the simple fact that they were just plain crap. If their bank account from 1920 were to be brought forward, it’d be fair to assume that they might have enough there to buy a mouthguard. The thought of bringing a team so dismal back into the competition, a team that would do nothing for the game, puts them right at the top of the tree to be included once again.

Adelaide – A team made by a media magnate to generate funds for his own bastardised version of our great game. After two years it was decided by News Ltd and the NRL that there was no financial viability in the team and it was shut down. The game wants to expand, as well as reintroducing teams that go broke quicker than a bombed Skase idea, so lets take the game back to Adelaide!

South Queensland – Habitual losers, heavily relied on funding by the ARL for survival and was an all round stupid idea. They never showed promise; all they did was improve every other teams for and against record. They attracted nobodies, fielding teams of nobodies and surprisingly, did nothing. If you want a team that never should have been, look no further than the inappropriately named Crushers. If the NRL aim to be consistent in recalling the worst teams they’ve cut, then surely the Crushers would be high on their list.

Perth – Another of the failed teams from the 1994 ‘lets expand the game’ idea. Strangely though, this team was not the victim of financial issues, poor crowds or lack of junior development. It wasn’t due to pathetic on field performances either, as they were consistently mid table finishers. The NRL closed the door on the Reds for God knows why. They wouldn’t be high on the “lets bring back a pathetic team that should never have been brought back” list, as they actually hold promise. We should probably keep quiet about this one.

So, who’s next?

750 words including title.

 

[glockers]

What We Can Learn from College Basketball.


As many people would be aware Andrew Bogut has been drafted number one in the National Basketball Association’s Draft (NBA). We have seen debates about having a draft in rugby league before, mainly based upon the AFL model, but it is not the draft that is the most interesting aspect of this young man’s career. It is his experience in the college system.

Basketball is a sport that is reliant on the college system. American players are expected to go to College. Every little campus in the country has a team. What is even more amazing is that it is completely amateur. Young Australians are now heading over in numbers to play in college. Luke Kendall, Mark Worthington and Luke Scheunser are some of the young Aussies who recently played in US colleges.

This leads me to question if an amateur junior system, not necessarily a college one, would be better than the current Jersey Flegg operation that currently exists.

Traditionally junior league players have played in their local district and therefore have been aligned with their local NRL club or Queensland Cup side. The situation was supposed to be amateur. Your juniors would naturally enter your junior representative sides. They then would progress their way through to the senior team.

Sadly this is no longer the case. Jersey Flegg players have been rumoured to be on contracts approaching $100,000. Albert Hopoate the Wests Junior comes to mind, the Roosters are said to have paid him $80,000 a year to play Flegg. Clubs start to poach young players from other teams.

Look at any Jersey Flegg side and players will be from other junior areas. The game at a junior level is no longer amateur.

The clubs are not to be blamed for this. Clubs with strong junior areas are in a naturally superior position. Clubs without a healthy system are forced to poach for the good of their future. The real problem is not the motivations of the club. They are only trying to produce the strongest juniors possible for their own benefit.

The problem is that the NRL clubs have this control over the junior system. The junior system is too reliant on the money from the clubs. The beauty of the American college system is that it is amateur and without the influence of money.

The proposal is this: ban paying the players for playing Jersey Flegg. Sure the NRL should cover medical expenses and travelling costs but please end the system of paying young players. The NRL should impose an age limit on when a player can get paid.

I suggest that any player under the age of 21 should not allowed to be paid unless he is part of the 25 contracted NRL players or the premier league squad. The simple solution is all junior level players can not be paid. Sure if a whiz kid makes first grade he should be paid but this is an exception to the rule.

I also suggest that the Jersey Flegg teams should be run completely separately from the NRL teams. They should be amateur teams. Now they will need cash support that the NRL teams supply. To ensure independence NRL clubs are forced to put money into a junior fund. The NRL itself would then distribute the money to the junior system. The Junior system would still receive money from the NRL clubs without the bias and problems the direct linkage causes.

When a player graduates the junior system the NRL club that he is aligned to should have first rights to the player. The player could be signed from the junior system into the top 25 or into the secondary Premier League squad of 25. If the player is not signed into either squad he then goes on the open market.

Lastly like the NBA when a player signs his first NRL contract there should be a ceiling on what he can be paid. This restriction would help the NRL. The clubs would not be outbid for their player. Secondly since they have first right to their rookies it is also better for the player. The player would not be bitter, thinking they could get better money elsewhere. All rookies would only be able to be paid a set amount.

This is a radical proposal that would change the state of the game but currently the Junior system is flawed by the money that is poaching juniors away from their districts. A amateur system is needed.


750 words exact.

 

[SirShire]

Recapping an illustrious career…

It was a day which every Sharks fan expected, but never wanted to experience. A day in which all the speculation around the career of this man would become clear. A day in which the Sutherland Shire would have to start thinking about how to say goodbye to one of its favourite sons over the last decade.

The man in question is legendary Sharks fullback David Peachey. The day in which all Sharks fans alike were dreading was the announcement of the loss of ‘Peach’ to another team for the remainder of his career.

This day came on the 30th June, 2005, when the English Super League team Widnes officially announced that they had secured Peachey’s services for the next two years.

Peachey has won hundreds of fans throughout the Shire since he made his debut for the Sharks against the Canberra Raiders during the 1994 season. Over the last ten years, the now 31-year-old has scored 105 tries in over 220 NRL matches, single-handedly instrumenting countless Sharks wins and representing both his state and country at a representative level. He led the Sharks to a grand final appearance in 1997. The club’s poor record when playing without Peachey is a testimony to the role he has in the team. This role will be difficult to replace in the future, in regards to both a leadership mentality and a talent aspect of this role.

There has been a cloud of speculation over Peachey’s career over the last two years, when Peachey looked certain to leave the club after disputes with previous coaching staff and was down on form. He was offered and accepted a one year deal for the 2005 season. Sharks fans could relax, but only for a moment. In the months leading up to June 30th, this speculation intensified, as Sharks management held back on offering Peachey a final contract to see out his NRL career.

When the inevitable decision was made, the reactions of Sharks fans were those of sadness, as they recounted their memories of Peachey both on and off the field. One has to look no further than the Cronulla Sharks forum to see how deeply the fans have been affected by the loss of Peachey.

Mr. Angry: “His smile, got to like a guy who enjoys playing so much”

Zack DLR: “The absolutely 'safe as houses' feeling I had in my stomach every time anyone bombed to him”

McSharkie: “Myself and another forum member in Melbourne were trying to get into a club that was totally chockers. The bouncer wasn't letting anyone in. Peach just happened to walk past the door and spotted us. ‘Those 2 are with me’, he told the bouncer”.

These are the memories of Peachey of only a few select Sharks fans. There are hundreds, even thousands of other events which come to mind when I think of David Peachey.

So what will I remember of David Peachey? A few things come to mind as the most significant memory. The smile - the beaming smile that the ‘Peach’ had spread across his battered face after a Sharks win. The cheers that ‘Peach’ received as he collected one of the countless man-of-the-match awards for his efforts on the field. And most importantly, the looks of amazement on the faces of children as ‘Peach’ would sign an autograph, shake their hand or talk to them. These are the personal traits of David Peachey that have made him not only a favourite player of myself, but of countless other Sharks fans.

Round 26 is set to be a sad affair for Sharks fans. It may possibly be the final time in which Peachey steps out onto Toyota Park wearing the Shark’s No. 1 jersey. It may possibly be the final 80 minutes of football Peachey players in the black, white and blue. I can’t tell you what the result of this game against the Rabbitohs will be (although I expect the boys to pull through one last time for ‘Peach’), but I can tell you that on that day, the Shire will erupt into one big party, as we farewell one of the most loyal and dedicated athletes this team has ever seen. A man who could capture the attention of an entire stadium as he sliced through even the tightest defence like a hot knife through butter. It will be a sad day, but one I will remember fondly.

Farewell ‘Peach’, and thanks for the memories.

********

748 words inc. title.

 

[The_Joey_Show]

The Joey Show, fresh back from an injury spell, pulls off a bone-rattler for the Dirty Reds.

The Good, The Bad and The Really Ugly – Newcastle Knights 2005

As this article is an attempt at a kind of half-season ‘report card’ on the Newcastle Knights, I had to think long and hard for an appropriate title. The tired old “Knightmare” headlines has been trotted out too many times, and apart from that, if I wanted to be a writer who only dealt in ill-thought out clichés, I’d apply for a job at the Telegraph. So I decided to take a different tack. Here is an outline of the bad, the ugly and even the little bits of good from Newcastle’s annus horribilus.

THE GOOD

• ‘The champ is here, the champ is here’ – It was Muhammad Ali’s boast as he entered the ring, but it could just as easily apply to one A.Johns. After being set back a few weeks in his recovery by a freak jaw injury, Joey has shown that he is still a player of true class. His back-to-back performances in Origin 2, and at Penrith have left his critics scratching their heads, and his disciples wondering what else he can do to amaze us.
• Jarrod Mullen – If you are not a diehard Knights fan, this name might not ring a bell just yet. Write it down, because it’s a name that we are all going to be seeing up in lights for many years to come. This kid is a superstar. A wonderful attacking kicking game, a raking long kick, speed, a breathtaking left foot step, and a football brain of a man 10 years his senior… how good will he be after he’s finished school?

THE BAD

• Injuries – The cold hard fact for the Knights is that we have had far too many injuries to put them all down to bad luck. Dan Abraham’s leg, Joey’s jaw… sure, impact injuries. Could happen to anyone. But 7 players out with quadricep tears, including five at the same time back in Round 5? That is no co-incidence. Surely training techniques and facilities play their part. Having no permanent training ground, and being forced to do ball work sessions on pitted and bumpy local soccer ovals doesn’t help either.
• A fool and his money – No club in the NRL has tighter finances than the Knights, and yet no club squanders money like them. It is easy to gaze into the crystal ball and say ‘we should have…’ and ‘we shouldn’t have…’, but the club’s lack of foresight in player retention is a recent and worrying epidemic. To throw a rumoured $170,000 and $220,000 a season respectively at consistent underperformers like George Carmont and Josh Perry while local juniors including Anthony Tupou, Greg Inglis and Michael Ennis star at other clubs is enough to make a grown man cry.

THE UGLY

• Bathurst-gate – A season of woe for the red and blue faithful got off to a fittingly woeful start on that fateful night at Charles Sturt University. A promising young forward sacked, a dozen players fined and paraded before the townspeople like the village idiots that they were, and a season in ruins before it ever got a chance to begin.
• The Gizmondo debacle – Fresh off the back of Bathurst-gate, a ray of light for the club’s disciples. No longer would the Knights be the only club in the competition without a major sponsor. The white knights? A company that none of the faithful had ever heard of – Gizmondo Electronics. But, lack of familiarity aside, Gizmondo was going to tip a cool $2.1 million into the Knights over 3 years, and the faithful loved them for it. The only problem? Such a deal never came close to fruition, as researched and reported on-air by Ray Hadley. The result was a sponsorship deal down the drain (if it ever existed at all), a club in financial crisis, fans in despair, and a CEO embarrassed on national radio.
• Management, or mis-management? – Quickly look again over the ‘bad’ and ‘ugly’ parts of this article. I’m sure you will agree that they are lists that I could easily add to, save for word restraints. The man who oversees these travesties? None other than Kenneth Conway, CEO, the captain who collects his wad of cash while his ship sinks as slowly and certainly as the sun. A recount of his role in the demise of the once-proud club that he controls would be an article all of it’s own.

744 words, including title.

 

[les norton]

An inspired Les Norton tries to shake off the fact that she tripped as she was running down the tunnel...Go the reds!

A win would be lovely


As I was walking down the hallway towards the locker room I feel…sad? Nope that’s not it, frustrated? A little bit…desperation? That’s it! Desperation. I feel desperate.

A win would be lovely.

The Dirty Reds F7’s came into the NRL in 2005 with high hopes and to be honest a little bit of hype. We had done pretty well in the pre-season trials. I remember reading an article in the Sunday Telegraph saying how we were the next big things. A group of young kids, with an idea and plenty of moxy. It’s amazing how far you can fall when you have never actually climbed the ladder.

I’m not sure what has gone wrong. We haven’t really had any injuries; we have always fielded a full strength squad. We have the ingredients that make up a champion team. We have the inspirational leader, the amazing clubmen that provoke strong feelings of mate ship and loyalty. We have the young kids that just want to make their mark. But for some unknown reason this just can’t translate to a win.

This game is a game of inches. This whole season has been a game of inches. We have done a pretty sharp job but can’t seem to fall over the line.

The only game we have won this season was due to the fact that rhinos could not field a full strength squad… There were rumors as to why this was the case but I am not one to talk out school. Round 3 came down to the wire. 3 points…3 measly points were the difference. It was a similar case in round 5 only worse. 2 points. I’m sick of being so close yet so far.

The smell coming from inside the locker room wasn’t exactly anything to write home about. As I swing the doors open the men of the Dirty Reds momentarily look up and acknowledge my arrival. We all have our pre game rituals. CWB was silent in his Zen like pose. After watching him for the last few matches I could confidently say he was in the mantis pose. He was humming what sounded like ‘To be with you’ by Mr Big. Cake or Death was talking to himself in the mirror again. I think it’s the Al Pacino ‘Any Given Sunday’ speech. I’ll stop and eavesdrop for a while. I need a bit of inspiration. The Joey Show and Brandell starting smacking the absolute crap out of each other. Someone mentioned what Madunit (the resident sledger from the opposition) had said about Brandell’s mother. He’s angry but takes a seat…slightly exhausted by the psych up.

My own ritual is simplistic but effective. I sit down, pop two no doze and swallow it down with a red bull. Then I chuck on the headphones and get angry listening to some heavy metal. (Note: Everyone thinks its heavy metal; makes me seem like a complete bad arse chick. In reality…I’m bopping along to Robbie Williams, I’m such a girly girl). I look over and notice Mr C, PJ and Skeptic sitting down quietly, boots laced, ready to take the field at a moments notice.

We’re a great team.

Five minutes to kick off. Chris calls us all in to the huddle. I look around at our impressive team. The young, the old, the brains and the muscle. We are dressed, pumped, strapped, rubbed down (some more than most I might add) and ready to fire. We huddle up and CWB delivers what I believe to be his most inspirational speech yet.

“Have we forgotten what it feels like to win?

Have we lost the will to want to win?

I’ll tell ya something Reds, I haven’t!

I live to lead you lot onto the field every week and it’s killing me to come back in here, looking at you, bloodied and broken. A pack of losers.

Damn it, don’t you miss winning!?!

We’re not losing today.

Today we are winners. Not just because we have the talent but also because we have earned it. We have put in the hours, the sweat, and the tears.

Today, were going to bring it home”

And as I run down the tunnel, I believe him. I truly think that this is our day.

This is our win.

A win just wouldn’t be lovely…it’s everything.

730 words.

 

[JW]

JW for the Sharks...


Super Bowl ’98 - A Recollection

On a cold, wet and miserable Friday in May 1998, Marathon Stadium played host to a rare event in the inaugural premiership season of the National Rugby League. Due to the infamous situation of Rugby League having two separate premierships in Australia during 1997, dispute over which of the respective premiers was superior was a hot talking point over the off-season.

The Newcastle Knights had made history in the 1997 ARL Premiership by winning their inaugural Grand Final trophy, while the Brisbane Broncos comfortably accounted for Cronulla in the Super League decider.

Dubbed Rugby League’s version of American Football’s “Super Bowl”, the impending contest was excessively hyped as the match of the season. Both clubs had impressive performances in the previous round, with Newcastle comfortably accounting for Auckland 38-14, whilst Brisbane, still smarting from an embarrassing loss to Manly in the “Aqua-Broncos” colours the week before, obliterated the North Sydney Bears 60-6.

As Brisbane trotted onto the field, they were met with a Lang Park-esque chorus of vicious “boos” and heckling from the Newcastle faithful. But a moment or two later, the 27,119 fans that squeezed into the ground stood as one and let out an almighty, thunderous roar when the pride of the city darted out onto playing paddock.

Then it was on.

Newcastle gained the upper hand in the early stages, and as a result the first try came as Lee Jackson crossed adjacent to the uprights.

For the next ten minutes the crowd was unforgiving, sledging and cursing in typical Novocastrian fashion. And despite being on the receiving end of the abuse, I didn’t want to be anywhere else. It is what, in my experience, enhances the atmosphere at Marathon Stadium to a level above similar venues.

As the locals got settled into the match, and began to see everything they were reading about their team’s chances during the week starting to become a reality, the Brisbane juggernaut started to move into a higher gear and eventually stole the lead from the home side. To the dismay of the Novocastrians, Brisbane out-classed their opponents with a solid 26-6 victory.

Unimpressed with the loss after the grand build up to the match, the spiteful fan versus fan rivalries came to life all around the ground.

Arguments, banter, cheering and jeering continued out of the Stadium, into the carparks, and out onto footpaths along Turton Road. A large group of Brisbane supporters broke out in song with a rather drunken rendition of Queen’s “We Are The Champions” that had ears bleeding left, right and centre. But, soon enough, their actions consequently brought about a reaction. No less than a dozen staunch Newcastle fans retaliated, armed with a lethal combination of blow-up baseball bats and small buckets of left over sauce-socked hot chips which, despite being unorthodox, can be fairly handy and effective projectiles in battle. Fortunately enough for the group of Brisbanites, a getaway vehicle was near enough for them to escape unscathed.

But the Newcastle faithful weren’t spared moments of embarrassment either. One particular patron, who undoubtedly appeared to have gone a touch too hard on the turps for the duration of the match, made an unforgivable blunder. A friend, who was kind enough to escort him through the crowd, ended up getting more than he bargained for. A fan sporting a Broncos jersey that was keen to cast a line in a sea of Novocastrian fish decided he’d have a word or two in the man’s ear about the game’s result. The reaction was to be expected from a patriotic Knights supporter with a full tank, and the inevitable procession of “hay-bailers” followed. Little did the aggressor realise that he was angrily walloping his own mate. No doubt the pair would leave the ground from separate exits in the years to come.

As we finally reached the car, a good ten minutes walk from the Stadium, there came an image that typifies our game’s “mate against mate” phrase. Two fans, one wearing the Blue and Red of Newcastle and the other donning the Maroon, Gold and White of Brisbane, exchanged one last piece of friendly banter with a smile, wished each other luck for the season ahead, shook hands and then went their separate ways.

Just shows that at the end of the day however fierce our rivalries are in the bar, in the stands or out on the street, we're all untied in sharing a great passion for Rugby League.


750 words including title, not including references.

Sources and references:

1. “1998 NRL Round 8”, Rleague (http://archive.rleague.com/1998/australia/nrl/nrl8.html)
2. “Match Scores – 1998”, Rleague (http://stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1998.html)
3. “Results Search” – Brisbane Broncos Official Site (http://www.broncos.com.au/index.cfm?TopMenuID=266&MenuID=279#Results)

 

[griffo346]

State Of Origin; What does it really mean??

Is State of Origin really state against state? Mate against mate?
Or is it Aussies against Kiwis?
To me State of Origin is really about Queenslanders against New South Welshman.

Year in, year out we watch the State Of Origin in anticipation that we will see New South Wales against Queensland. However the fact is that these days we are seeing more and more kiwis choosing to play State of Origin instead of representing their country of birth.

State of Origin is where you are selected to represent the state where you first played your very first game of junior football. That means if you where born in New South Wales and played your first game in Queensland that means you are able to don the Maroons jersey. The same rule applies if you were born in Queensland and played your junior football in New South Wales, you would then able to don the Sky Blue as a proud Cockroach.

As for the overseas players like Tonie Carroll, Brad Thorn and Willie Mason, whilst they have done there respective states proud, they are not true Australians as they were born in New Zealand. How is it that they are able to choose to play State of Origin instead of representing their country of birth, that being New Zealand?

There are National Rugby League players out there who have played junior football in the respective states, paid their dues and are still waiting for their chances to don the jerseys for the state they hailed from. For example, Danny Nutley has waited 9 years for his chance to debut in State of Origin and only gets his chance due to a Kiwi being injured. **"No offence to Carl Webb, he has done Queensland proud and he will continually to do so when he is not injured, but I believe he shouldn't be there as he is from New Zealand and not from Queensland, and was keeping a legitimate Maroon in Nutley from taking his rightful place in the team.


Another questionable selection happened in 2001 when Queensland selectors pulled off the shock announcement that they were to bring back inspirational halfback Allan Langer from England, after he answered an SOS from Queensland coach Wayne Bennett to play in the 2001 series decider, where Queensland went on to win the game 40-14, and in doing so, winning the series. People were saying "oh that’s not allowed as he isn’t a National Rugby League registered player as people feel that State of Origin is for National Rugby League registered players.

Another part of this debate you could argue is; is it fair for a side to name a 'to be announced player? In the fairness of the game you wouldn’t think that this would be good for the game, however this has happened on a number of occasions in State Of Origin. This can be used to dodge a player’s suspension, as was the case in 2002 when Lote Tuqiri was suspended. The Queenslanders named their team on the Monday as per usual but named the number 2 jersey as TBA, meaning that Lote Tuqiri could still play Origin and therefore miss the Brisbane Broncos game that weekend.



This year we have anther case of the TBA being used in the third and deciding State of Origin game. The Queensland selectors named the team on the Monday, but in this case left the number 17 jersey as 'to be announced'. This was done to allow an injured player the chance to force himself into the team. The selectors were holding their breath as they watched Tonie Carroll go around for the Broncos, to see how his injury would hold up in the faster pace that State of Origin is renowned for.

In summation, I believe that these issues will become more common place as the game of rugby league continues on its rise in professionalism.

Personally I'm a firm believer that you should be picked for State of Origin on the basis of where you were born, for example if you were born in Sydney you would be legible to wear the sky blue jersey for New South Wales.

704 words including title

 

[brandell]

brandell takes a hit up for the Dirty Reds

In Pursuit of Perfection

Peripheral vision is defined as the capacity to see fringe
areas when one is looking ahead; one's vision using only the outer
edges of one's retina. Whilst almost everyone in the world has this
capacity there still will always be room for human error. Opportunities where the eyes might deceive the viewer as to what actually took place.

Over the past decade rugby league has helped pave the way for the removal of error in sport, introducing the use of the video referee when there is doubt in a play. The rules are simple: the referee can call on the video ref throughout the match to ask him for help on issues such as knock ons in contentious tries. The video referee has been responsible for making some decisions that have either shaped or destroyed seasons for teams throughout the years. The most famous of which was the 1999 Grand Final between the St. George/Illawarra Dragons and the Melbourne Storm, in which the video referee handed the Storm a penalty try after Jamie Ainscough hit Craig Smith high in the in goal forcing him to drop the ball and bomb a certain try.

While the video referee can help refine a lot of calls during a game, he
cannot help with everything. Forward passes are a grey area where the
video referee is not allowed to pass judgement. This baffles me as it is
probably one of the most common errors made in the game. Time and time
again there are occurrences of sometimes blatant forward passes made that the video referee has to simply ignore. Why is this so? If we want to have a fair and equal system why can’t the referee call upon his man upstairs for
help with something like a forward pass?

The main argument against ruling on forward passes seems to be that it would be too hard for someone who is sitting watching a screen to tell whether or not a pass was forward or not, but then again do we not have enough camera's at our games today to be able to tell? Do we not hear Sterlo and Gouldie rule on forward passes from their spot in the commentary box? Hell, maybe we should have the commentators as our "eyes in the sky". One of the biggest ambassadors for the inclusions of a new rule about forward passes is Phil Gould. Now while I would usually rule off anything that he says, Gould has asked for the inclusion of the rule for years now. It can help tidy up all the areas of the game, and would ensure that each and every win is earned. The level of skill would no doubt rise to another level as players would have to try to ensure that every pass they make is a good one.

Another issue that has popped up in recent seasons seems to be the
issue of the players taking a dive. A lot of players in the modern game
are dropping to the ground and acting injured if they suspect a tackle
has gone above the shoulder. In this case the video referee is able to check the tackle, usually resulting in a penalty to the attacking team. Why is the video ref allowed to pass a judgement on something like this and then not on a forward pass? The ref has missed the high tackle in the normal run of the game but the video referee is allowed to interrupt play to rule on it?

Isn't there room for error there as well?

I'm not saying that the video referee should be able to officiate on everything in the game if he feels like it, just if the ground referee can’t decide on his own.

If we are continue the pursuit of perfection in sport we must find a way
to be able to call on a video referee for forward passes. The percentage of plays that lead to tries because a forward pass is missed or ignored is too high. I know I would dread the grand final where the final winning pass was forward but the video referee was unable to rule on it because his hands were tied.

If we want our game to move forward, we must make sure we can judge on all issues of the game.

WORD COUNT: 728 words

 

[MrCharisma]

MrCharisma bursts off the bench for Glebe and looks to do some damage
-------

Caught In The Middle

A test of a mans faith sometimes comes in the form of your best friend running off with your girlfriend or possibly your house burning down while you are thinking about getting insurance. Yes life is sometimes a bitch and God always enjoys a good laugh, even though it might be at the expense of you, but when is your Rugby League faith tempted? Is it when your team collects the wooden spoon or loses your favourite player, no, it’s comes in the form of this;

I’m a Bulldogs fan who had little choice in the matter. Grew up in the glory days of the 80’s, being born in Bankstown hospital while somehow I have a weird family relationship with the great Terry Lamb. My family was never really into football and I was kind of thrust into the game in grade 6 with my league addict mates. It was ’95 and it was down to Manly Vs. Canterbury in the Grand Final. While most went with Manly, I stood by Canterbury and it’s been that way ever since. Skip forward 10 years and not a lot has changed. My love of the game has only increased. I’ve seen the high points with a Grand Final victory but I’ve also seen the lows after being busted for a salary cap breach.

In 2005 (remember we skipped forward 10 years?) I’m living with my proud Novacastrian best friend Chriswalkerbush. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Knights as I took a liking to Robbie O’Davis and it doesn’t help when you are a hop-skip and a jump away from the stadium. Being so close to the stadium allows me to see three grades of football for a grand total of $10. With Chris being a guy who needs someone to hold his hand (usually either myself or Brandell) I’d been sitting with the supporters group the Crusade. With so many new and exciting friends around me, would be it such a crime to purchase a Knights jersey? I mean it wouldn’t cost me around $100 a game compared to the Bulldogs plus how had is it to see my new heros? Only yesterday the Newcastle Knights were at my local subway. I wouldn’t have to sit on a 3-4hr train ride to and from games and I’d be able to bask in some of the glory of the Crusade.

To add the cherry on this bizarre cake, my now looking like long term girlfriend happens to be a Roosters fan (I know, no body is perfect). Being the supportive boyfriend I am, I’ll go to Roosters games with her and chant the guys on (except Walker). What doesn’t help my case is the fact I’m a huge Adrian Morely supporter and it looks like my favourite NRL player: Braith Anasta looks to be converting to this dark side. With my favourite players list looking like this;

1. Braith Anasta
2. Stuart Fielden
3. Adrian Morely

Things look they could possibly slide at any moment, considering I’ve heard many rumours that Stuart Fielden will sign with the Roosters to replace Jason Cayless. Since being with the missus, I’ve found myself less and less hating the Roosters. I laughed at some of the jokes Brett Finch made at the Roosters fan day while I got photos and signatures with some of the players (don’t ask, it’s a long story). With me about to buy a Great Britain jersey, could I possibly get used to wearing the red, white and blue? With my most hated players (Crocker, Ricketson, Walker and Hodges) already left and some new possibly signings on the horizon, it’s like a natural transition to supporting the Roosters right. It’s more like I’m supporting Braith Anasta rather then a specific team.

HA! Yeah right!

What I’ve come to learn out of all of this, is that Rugby League isn’t a game of straight black and white. Within most teams there is a player or aspect while you like, hell even in State Of Origin there is usually a player in your opposition which you like or want to be less beaten up. You might not have a second favourite team but you definitely have shades of hatred, i.e I loathe Brisbane but Manly are just above them and Cronulla is just above Manly… etc. No team is all home grown talent so get used to cheering for someone else!
------------------------

Word Count : 742

 

[antonius]

Ref Blows Fulltime.

 

[madunit]

SHARKS GOT 5 IN! thats good ebough for a win for me.

Good work fellas, im proud of ya's!

 

[SirShire]

Quite a few posts in after full time...

 

[madunit]

full time was extended this week mate, due to the origin ;-)

 

[SirShire]

Ahh sweet as then.

 

[The_Joey_Show]

5 vs 5... good work guys. Quality articles all round... should be a closely fought encounter. Hoping for that breakthrough win - C'mon Reds!

 

[Willow]

GLEBE DIRTY REDS

chriswalkerbush (c)
So, Your Side’s on a Record Losing Streak…
Comments: Diagnosing the Newcastle woes with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. A possible cure at the end but as the author points out, a difficult one to administer.
(NB: The last pic was a bit large for some resolutions - no penalty)
Word count: 757
Preliminary score: 89
Word count penalty: -2 points (possible reason: quotation formats counts as words)
Score: 87

les norton
A win would be lovely
Comments: This could apply to a few F7s teams, and easily translates to a couple of League teams. Imaginative, original and funny stuff.
Word count: 729
Score: 91

The_Joey_Show
The Good, The Bad and The Really Ugly – Newcastle Knights 2005
Comments: Another essay on plight of the Newcastle Knights. Fairly damning towards the end. Well laid out.
Word count: 744
Score: 86

brandell
In Pursuit of Perfection
Comments: Passing a critical eye over the role of the video ref in the game with emphasis on forward passes. Good subject matter worthy of discussion.
Word count: 728
Score: 84

MrCharisma
Caught In The Middle
Comments: You can choose your friends but you can't choose which team they support. Enjoyable and personable read about family and friends and the rugby league connection.
Word count: 742
Score: 85

TOTAL SCORE FOR THE DIRTY REDS: 433

Regarding Glebe replacement:
The Glebe captain should announce replacements in the thread as it helps the ref - no penalty for this, just handy to know for future reference.

CRONULLA SHARKS

madunit (c)
Who’s Next?
Comments: A solid roasting for the underachievers of the competition, and those who weren't even good enough to underachieve. To answer the question: University.
Word count: 750
Score: 88

JW
Super Bowl ’98 - A Recollection
Comments: When the lines between passion and drunken violence are blurred. An eye witness account of the Newcastle vs Brisbane match and the fan's reaction in the aftermath of the Super League war. Well written.
Word count: 750
Score: 91

glockers
What We Can Learn from College Basketball
Comments: A thoughtful piece on the distribution of juniors in rugby league and some interesting proposals. Always worthy of discussion.
Word count: 757
Preliminary score: 87
Word count penalty: -2 points (possible reason: title is included in word count)
Score: 85

griffo346
State Of Origin; What does it really mean??
Comments: A good essay on what 'origin' means in the State of Origin and the opinion of the author at the end.
Word count: 704
Score: 82

SirShire
Recapping an illustrious career…
Comments: A fitting tribute to David Peachey, one of the great players of this generation and a favourite son of the Shire.
Word count: 748
Score: 84

TOTAL SCORE FOR THE SHARKS: 430

FULL TIME SCORE:
DIRTY REDS 433 have defeated SHARKS 430
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH:
les norton (Dirty Reds) and JW (Sharks) both with a top score of 91.

Well played everyone.