Round 9 (2005) Easts v Panthers

[Willow]

Easts Roosters v Penrith Panthers

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 20th July at 9pm (Syd time)

Venue: Sydney Football Stadium

Crowd: 15,570
REFEREE: MysteryGirl

**Referee Blows Game On!**

 

[Big Mick]

Team to play Roosters

1) Big Mick c
2) Moonfire
3) Pantherz9103
4) Paul-The-Cowboy
5) Azkatro

6) [Furrycat]
7) Leaguenut

 

[[furrycat]]

[furry] runs on with 3 seconds

All I heard was wah wah wah I’m a dirty whinger!



I don’t know if its because of the tablets I took (that I found lying on the concrete on the way to work) that is making me think this or not, but it appears to me that the game of Rugby League has a new trait to it that has proven to be extremely effective for teams. With this new trait sweeping the game, the players possessing this won’t be known as the next Brad Fittler, Wally Lewis or Andrew Johns… they’ll all be known as…

The Next Brett Finch!

Let’s ask ourselves, what exactly is Brett Finch good at? We can cross good kicker off straight away, very ordinary passing game, shocking tackler, and from my sources… Let’s call him Ricky S… no that’s too obvious, let’s say R. Stuart; he has also been in a life-time form slump in the bedroom. So if we can rule out the obvious abilities that footballers need to play the game well, what exactly is Brett Finch good at that he uses day in, day out, on (and off) the football field? Here are a few examples of his orchestrated brilliance

Ridiculous decision by Hampstead: Finch

I’d like more money to stay: Finch

Daddy took away my favourite truck!: Finch

Daddy lured me into his gingerbread house: Finch

Result: Please… don’t abuse referees… Or else Sean won’t come to my house to play anymore! Love David.

No Fine

Sound familiar? It should. Every week, Brett Finch amazes me personally with his brilliant ability to whinge uncontrollably, dribbling every single word he mutters due to his problem Buck-tooth-itis. Finch was sin-binned earlier this year for complaining and making comments to Sean Hampstead, in which he cried to his father that referees wouldn’t let him play with the ball. Being a good father, Robert Finch found a good substitute ball (or two). But this disease sweeping the rugby league community by storm is not just confined to players; it affects their coaches, and their families. Ricky Stuart has lashed out four times this year at referees, complaining that referees were ‘cheats’:

“Hampstead shouldn’t have put Brett in the bin.”
”Simpkins needs a few more lessons in refereeing”

“Gallop is a joke. This Viagra he recommended to me does nothing!”

Result: I asked if Ricky would like a $10,000 fine, but he declined so I went back and hid under my desk again. Love David.

No Fine

A few weeks later, George Piggins complained that the Sydney Roosters must be using loop-holes to ‘rort the salary cap’. Although I do believe a few holes are being rorted at the Roosters, I am quite confident they are not salary-cap related. Georgie Porgie was quite upset that his nephew, Braith Anasta, had decided to sign with the Sydney Roosters rather than the Rabbitohs, and lashed out that the NRL was not policing the salary cap correctly.

Result: We do not like you, leave Ian Schubert alone and get a haircut. Love David.

No fine

And just one week later… Nathan Brown lashed out at a press conference, exclaiming that referees act in a bias fashion. Again, another coach claiming that referees had been cheating just because their side had a few calls against them.

Result: You locked in A. The Answer was B. You lose $10,000… Thankyou for playing who wants to win the NRL CEO Job and a carton of Jim Beam. Be nice. Regards, D. Gallop.



And now for the most humourous incident of all. On the weekend, Jake Webster (Storm) was tackled illegally when he was lifted above the horizontal and placed on his head by Broncos veteran, Shane Webcke. The NRL judiciary allowed him to escape suspension due to his clean record, which sparked some complaints… not from Webster, not from Bellamy… but from his parents…. Webster’s parents wrote an angry article to many newspapers that ‘their boy’ had an ‘injustice done to him’ and they expect Webcke to be ‘suspended soon’. Has the NRL got to the point that players have to run to their mummies to have their on-field incidents sorted out? Tomorrow’s headline.

O’Meley and Crocker in massive on field brawl: Mark and Michael say ‘Our mothers have minds of their own’

How can the NRL’s voted “Biggest Sook” be confined to just one player? The next Brett Finch? Or the next… Brett-Finch-Ricky-Stuart-Jake-Webster-and-parents-George Piggins… Please… Stop the whinging.

 

[...Morticia...]

Haven't seen Muz about for a while so......

Supermario (c)
RoostarGirl
Bubbles
Roosterspremiers2002
Morticia

No reserves at this time.

Add......one reserve

ozzie

 

[...Morticia...]

morticia (easts) takes the field, mouth still full of angry pills.


By George!

Georgie porgie pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry…when the boys came out to play, Georgie porgie ran away…I hate Georges. My first recollection of a George that got up my nose was a JNR, as in George ……. JNR. And god help anyone who forgot the little snots JNR. He rode a dragster with a fluro orange chopper flag attached to it and spokie dokies in the wheels. The bike had been suped up with 12 speeds and George JNR thought he was all that, plus some. But George JNR wasn’t cool enough to ride that sort of bike. If he’d been six, sure enough, but you need some real mojo happening to get away with it at 14, in 1985 and little George JNR, Mayors son just didn’t have it. I secretly harboured homicidal thoughts towards him, praying his polyester slacks would get caught on a spokie dokie and he’d be thrown head first into the path of an oncoming truck…

Annoying George, the second was a Doctor that entered my life in Saudi Arabia. When our compound would head into the rec hall to emulate state of origin games, George the II would volunteer to be a touchie. One couldn’t fart on the court without George II flapping his arms around. The first time I witnessed it, I thought the man was having some sort of epileptic fit but no, it was just George II being a wanker of epic proportions. No game was allowed to flow and if anybody dared get a wee tad serious and actually tackle, George II would remind us all of the consequences of what a hard court surface might do to our finely tuned athletic bodies. George II never gained entry on my hit list, however, until our coveted fractioning column still, known for producing alcohol around 95% pure, disappeared from the bowels of the compounds main building one August evening. Never screw with a bunch of Australian and kiwi nurses only guaranteed alcohol supply in a dry country. I admit I stalked George II; I hid his doctoring equipment and prayed that one day I would have the opportunity to shove his gay pink stethoscope up his date…

George III was a fling. A good solid boy, with a bit of league talent to burn. He went into camp with the local barter card cup franchise, but was sent home after failing the drug test. George III turned out to be an impotent idiot whose penchant for dope, ice and alcohol saw a talented player turn into a drooling gimp following driving his car, loaded, into the local pubs wall at full speed after doing donuts in the parking lot. I felt bad…initially…as I’d had a plethora of ghastly thoughts about him and had considered purchasing a voodoo doll and sticking pins in its nether regions. But I soon got over it and dreamed of meeting George III on a pedestrian crossing in my car…

George IV has been in my life longer than I care to remember. I never invited this man into my life, he just turned up one day and, like a fly, proceeded to lay his puerile maggot filth on everything rugby league, I care about. Now, I’m not generally a violent or nasty person but George IV…hell, he deserves to be impaled upon a set of wooden spoons. I’ve got a fair idea that he owns his very own collection so that would alleviate the need to take any with me. You see, George IV is a blithering, blundering idiot, who, every time he opens his mouth, drags the game I love down. Now one would think that impaling George IV on a set of spoons wouldn’t help my case of getting him to shut the **** up but, seeing as this man talks through a hole in his arse, impalement will do nicely thank you. I fantasise about taking this man deep sea diving, being the friendly sort that I am, and testing my spoons buoyancy hypothesis...bottoms up. I covet five minutes in room with George IV; I’ve always fancied what sort of tune I could rip out with a set of spoons inserted into soft tissue. Take a bow, George IV. You sir, are the biggest George of all.

No offence to the nice George’s of this world. I’m going to take 20mgs of diazepam now and have a lie down.

742 words

 

[moonfire]

Posted by: Moonfire
Posted for: Panthers
Number: 2
Words: 738

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Rugby League: Why we rock.


Rugby League is a sport often confused for Rugby Union. Being a kiwi those around me who do not fall into this trap of naivety will often just steered in amazement when I declare I love Rugby League above Rugby Union. Now do not prejudge the tone of this submission as anti-union, I am very much a fan of both codes. In fact very few kiwi league fans can claim otherwise. This is merely my declaration of the reasons I love the great sport of Rugby League.

Out of all the sports I watch religiously only on event every makes my blood curdle in a way I cannot explain. When a little grubber into the in goal is executed perfectly forcing a fullback or winger to try an escape the confines of his (or her) in goal. In such a simple move a game can turn. No other game can claim to have such pressure, with so much at risk as such a common element of their game. This makes Rugby League superior than all the rest.

Many claim Rugby League is too repetitive. Six tackles and a kick is often claimed to be the entire excitement the game has to offer. I disagree. The six tackle rule is one of the most entertaining elements of our game. On one side a fan whose team is not in possession has a guarantee that his team will regain possession if they hold the other team out. This offers excitement for both teams’ fans, preventing a sense of domination from occurring, discouraging loosing team’s fans from attending. On the reverse a team currently in possession has a limited amount of time to gain any benefit from possession. A use it or loose it approach makes the game a much for exciting and stimulating affair.

Another rule often mocked and ridiculed by other sports fans is the played at rule. They claim it is entirely unfair and based upon a referees interpretation, which guarantees bias and controversy. In my personal opinion it brings fairness and skill into the game. No longer can players just pelt the ball into the opposition player and hope it goes out or forward. They must place a skilled kick through in order to apply pressure, none of this last touched nonsense. We are one of the few sports to take this stance, declaring there must be effort by a player in order to deem it fair he made a mistake. Perhaps many will disagree with me, but as we all know, I am right, so they will soon come round to my thinking.

I just simply love a recent addition to our game. The forty-twenty has evolved our game into an even more exciting product than before, something many thought would be impossible. It has added a new dimension to the game. Now a struggling team can turn the game on its head with a simple piece of brilliance from any one of their players. A game is no longer predictable; it adds that element of uncertainty to ever facet of the game. This provides the viewers with an exciting roller coaster ride as they support their team through the entire journey, not because they want to, but because if they don’t, they may wake up the next day to a different result than they expected.

Last but not least one of the other significant facets of our game is the finals system. A top eight structure allows most teams to be in the running for a decent time period, keeping fans hopeful and optimistic. It is a commonly accepted fact that despite how unlikely a team is to make the top eight, as long as it is still mathematically possible hope and optimism remains. Rugby fans are not logical beings, and the NRL has acknowledged since by providing the competition with a finals format designed to keep the fans and supporters involved in the game as long as possible. For a perfect example log into any warriors forum and read a thread or two.

So there you have it my friends (and enemies). Rugby League is a strong product with many features that make it better than all the rest. These elements above are what attract me to the code, as I am sure many others. I am not a rugby league purist, I am the future of the game.

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles on for Easts

__________________________________________________

Hands on Hips

Following another weekend of watching the Roosters discover new and interesting ways to lose games, I find myself on Monday morning poring over the ladder with manic movements and a recently developed facial tic dancing across my left cheekbone. Eyes, conditioned by a diet of success, scan the top of the ladder, my heart sinking in the same direction my eyes travel as I scan down the list – down, down, past the top eight, down, down, ah, there we are, eleventh. Eleventh! I sit back, slack-jawed and mute, my brain digesting this latest twist in my beloved club’s tale.

I had already performed mathematical aerobics following the gut-wrenching loss to the Warriors, to know where we would be placed by the end of the weekend. In fact, the remaining games played out before my unbelieving eyes like a series of worse case scenarios piling one on top of the other, like so much fertilizer for my dark mood. Still, seeing it in black and white like that (eleventh!) brings with it the bitter aftertaste of evidentiary proof.

So I find myself for the first time in many years doing the math, checking the sums, auditing the chances of my team making the finals. Seven games to go – Storm, Dragons, Panthers, Sharks, Rabbits, Broncos, Dogs. Okay, so looking for the definite win, the certain two points, the slam-dunk – searching, searching…ah, found one (maybe). Argh!! The full weight of reality hits me, taking the breath from my lungs. There’s a distinct possibility that Easts may not make the top eight, that our season may end a mere seven weeks down the track!

My throat constricts against this unpalatable morsel of information as frustration bubbles beneath the thin veneer of indifference I have attempted to cloak myself in this season. I, like the majority of Easts fans, did not expect great things. Most of us recognised the end of an era when we saw it disappear upon the slumped shoulders of our number six and captain as he retreated for the last time down the tunnel from our view. Still, it is difficult to let go of the expectations that have been planted, tendered and reaped following season after fruitful season. The seed is still there, waiting to be nourished, only problem is that the sh!t being shoveled by the team is only serving to smother it!

Then it crosses my mind that even if we do scrape into the eight, what then? Are we to offer ourselves up as cannon fodder to be blown off the park by the high-flying Broncos or Eels in the first round of finals? Now there’s an appetising thought for the day! Is it best to bow out in a blaze of mediocrity at the end of the season proper, or can one possibly take something out of making up the numbers and be happy fulfilling the role of training tool for the possible premiers?

I know that there are plenty of League fans that would be stoked to have their respective sides make the finals, and this must all sound so ungrateful and spoilt. You know what, that’s exactly what it is, and I make no apologies. I’ve grown complacent, presumptuous and conditioned to success and it hurts like hell to see my team struggling to stay in touch with the competition.

I hear a lot about how we fans should write this season off, ride it out to its painful conclusion, and then focus on next year. Ah, the mantra of the underachievers, next year…we’ll be back next year! For Easts the hopes of the club seem to have been almost unanimously pinned squarely on the chest of our biggest signing, Braith Anasta. Our great white hope, someone to tread in the footsteps of our Messiah, the start of a new era. Lord help the boy if he falters in His path, for the ire of the masses shall rain stones upon him, the like of which have ne’er been seen!

Negativity…hopelessness. Welcome to but a glimpse of my footy state of mind. But I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression. I’m not a pessimist, really I’m not, it's just that I must always prepare myself for the worst possible outcome!

P.S. Forgive me Freddy, I know you hate this at the Roosters (being a sign of weakness), but my hands are squarely on my curvaceous, childbearing hips! The towel has been thrown...


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Word Count: 744

 

[Big Mick]

Big Mick hits it up for the panthers.​

Loyalty is a two way street​

​

There has been much speculation in the newspapers recently regarding player movements. None more so than the life and times of Matt Orford and the uproar about how he is selling himself to the highest bidder instead of staying loyal to the club that made him, the Melbourne Storm. However, we are losing sight of the fact that while players are demanded by fans to stay loyal to their club, the club also has an obligation to stay loyal to their players, evidenced in the release of Origin prop Ben Ross by Penrith management.

The Ben Ross story began on 23rd of May 1980 in Queensland. At an early age Ben loved the Penrith Panthers. His room on the Sunshine Coast contained a shrine to the Panthers, looking up to Panther greats such as John Cartwright, Mark Geyer, Greg Alexander and Brad Fittler. He even has a tiny chunk of turf in a plastic bag that he cut out of Penrith Stadium when his parents brought him down to watch a game. At the end of 2002 he received a phone call that gave him the opportunity to play for the club he so dearly loved.

In 2003, in his first grade debut at Penrith, he faced off against the Brisbane Broncos and you could see the passion in Ben’s eyes. That day he started an infamous brawl with the raging bull and from then on you could tell Ben was a Panther and he felt right at home.

​

Ross developed in the past two seasons into one of the best props in Australia, his big 114kg frame leading the way and letting his football do the talking. In 2003 he was an integral part of Penrith’s premiership success. In 2004 he was devastated by getting suspended for nine weeks and missing the finals, vowing to make amends for that in 2005.

In 2004 Ben signed an agreement for a three year deal at Penrith capping off an incredible year in which he made his origin debut for Queensland. However, this season, Ben’s career at Penrith has suddenly come to an abrupt halt. Only a month ago Ben was told he could negotiate with other clubs in order to make room to buy outside backs. This decision by management left both Ben and numerous Penrith fans stunned and outraged as to how they can do this to a man who loved this club so much and had two and a half years to run on a contract.


Ross was so happy at Penrith that he recently purchased a property in the area, planning to stay the rest of his career. He stated that “Panthers' decision to release him first came as a "shock" but had become a source of motivation. I want to play my best football so they know they are releasing someone that could have been good for them for the next few years”. Ross also stated that his dream of being a Panther for life was shattered and "I had always seen myself finishing off my career at Penrith,It's not possible now but I am hopeful of making my last eight or so games I have left with them this year the best games I have played for them."

Ross’s father David was quoted as saying “To be fair he’s mostly disappointed that the club was so willing to let him go – they didn’t hesitate. He’s very happy at the club, he gets on extremely well with John Lang and he wants to stay, that’s what upsets him the most”.

These actions and remarks are not of a player disloyal to the club, rather a player that loves the club so much that he’ll bleed for the remainder of the season in order to show that he was worthy. Yet, he is being shown the door, without hesitation. Where is the club’s loyalty to Ben?

Unfortunately this is the reality of rugby league today. Do we blame the NRL or the clubs? It doesn’t matter at this point. What does matter is that Ben Ross was a loyal Panther, showing that loyalty by signing a three year contract and wanting to finish his career at the club he loved so much. Unfortunately, the club has not afforded the same loyalty to Ben and he will be a Shark in 2006. It’s time for the NRL to step up and reward clubs for having players loyal to them.

748 Words


Sources:
- Big League magazine
- Sydney Morning Herald
- Daily Telegraph
- www.panthers.com.au

 

[Azkatro]

Azkatro posting for the Panthers.

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Fans need sports psychologists too

Something the Internet has highlighted to me in recent times is how quickly people are prepared to swallow tall tales that feed aspects of their paranoia or fear.

Most of us have seen them in our email inboxes. You can't go out to clubs anymore because a group are abducting people and removing their body organs for the underground market. You can't eat at restuarants anymore because one woman reportedly got herpes from eating a meal that was laced with HIV-infected semen. You can't eat fast food anymore because of the lady who bit into a KFC burger containing a chicken fillet with pus-filled tumour on it. You can't drink Coca-Cola because it'll dissolve a piece of steak overnight. You can't use your mobile phone at the petrol station because you'll blow up. Microsoft is reading all of your emails!

Most of the time, it's rubbish - a story cooked up to inspire people into being scared so they'll forward the message onto everybody in their contact list. The problem is, even when you know it's probably made up, it affects you in some small way. Some are quite subtle and well written, and let's face it - some are actually true as well, depending of course on who you are. For example, someone who takes public transport won't be overly concerned by an email prophecising the impending $1 increase per litre in fuel prices, whereas those of us with cars - even when we know it's crap - are affected by the mere possibility in some small way.

I mention all of this because there's one thing in particular that, if I read it in a forwarded email right now, would scare the absolute bejeezus out of me. It would look something like this:

>
> PLEASE READ THIS AND DON'T DELETE IT!
>
> I was speaking to an insider at the
> North QLD Cowboys last week, and they
> told me there's a really negative
> feeling at the club at the moment.
> The players and coaching staff have
> conceded that the wins early in the
> season were a result of good fortune
> and poor opposition, and they've
> realised the team will be a passenger
> if they make the finals.
>
> So don't put any money on them for
> the title!!!!!
>
> Most people are saying they're
> genuine contenders because it's good
> for the game. But what I heard
> proves they have no hope.
>
> PASS THIS ON TO EVERYBODY YOU KNOW!
>

Now I know that's far from the truth, but as a Cowboys fan, that fear is somewhere inside me. What if they're not really as good as people are saying they are? The team's been getting belted for ten years, and we're desperate to see them succeed. It's new territory for the fans to see them as genuine title contenders. Here we are in July, getting to the business end, and the Cowboys have just lost to 15th and 14th. How many premiership-winning sides lost to last and second-last during the season? Surely none. Of course we're going to doubt our own team's credentials after losses like that.

I suppose it's all part of the trials and tribulations of a football fan. But seriously, it has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world. I honestly think it was far easier when the Cowboys were favorites for the spoon than the title. It was frustrating to see some of the things they did, but you had lower expectations. When they did get a win, it was a special thing to cherish - it put a huge smile on your face.

Now the wins are expected, and what happens? You just gain confidence in your team when they win. But when they lose, you frown. You curse. You get really upset knowing they've lost a game they should have won. I hate that feeling - the feeling of not meeting expectations. That's a fear for all of us, isn't it? That you might fail to meet people's expectations. It's a fear of failure.

As a supporter I feel like I'm part of the Cowboys, and consequently I'm scared that fear will be realised. That we won't meet the expectations.

So it's crunch time for the Cowboys. The time has come for them to prove that they're capable of what everybody says they are. If they don't, the feeling of disappointment might well be far greater than it's ever been before.

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747 words. Liftoff!

 

[RoostarGirl]

RoostarGirl for Easts.

Sydney Roosters - Anthony Minichiello No 1.

For my article today I’ve decided to write about Anthony Minichiello also known as Minno or Mini. Anthony made his first grade debut for Roosters back in February, 2000 against the Bulldogs. It is really hard to believe that Mini was lucky enough to get to play in his first First Grand Final in his debut season with the Roosters, it is even harder to believe that Mini has since gone on to play in 4 Grand Finals out of the past 5 since making that debut.

When Mini burst onto the scene as a Winger he had something about him that set him apart from the rest. He looked confident, he played confident, Mini was confident but, it wasn’t till an injury to Luke Phillips back in 2002 that Minichiello was moved from Wing to Fullback which caused great debate amongst the Rooster fans and the Rugby League Community alike that Mini really began to make his mark. Luke Phillips in the 2000 Grand Final was sensational and playing fullback after him was never going to be any easy task for anyone but I always believed that Anthony was ready for the challenge. Mini has since then set himself apart from the rest again as a fullback.

We have watched Mini turn into one of the worlds best players at the moment playing Fullback a position that many question he would be able to play. At the age of 25 he still has the world at his feet. Anthony has already played City Origin, 8 State of Origin Matches for New South Wales, 12 Test Matches, and one Kangaroo Tour all since 2003, and you have to assume those credentials can only improve.

Unfortunately Mini was involved in a situation last year during the 1st State of Origin Camp that dampened what had been an impeccable run both on and off the field. Minichiello was subsequently dumped from the Origin Team for that game and he knew that it was going to be an uphill battle to regain a position in the Team and the trust of the Coach and Selectors at the time. Fortunately, Anthony turned it all around and got himself back in the squad for game 2 and 3 and back in favour which was excellent to see. It must be so hard for young successful players who are constantly in the spotlight become successful without airing some kind of dirty laundry being a public figure. We often expect too much of our sporting heroes and while I don’t condone what Anthony did along with Mark Gasnier, its not unusual for young people to make such mistakes. It seemed that Anthony was embarrassed about the whole situation and made a conscious effort to put it behind him and move forward, moving forward is what life is all about and Anthony learned that lesson well.

Moving on to the Year 2005 and the State of Origin Series, the 25 Year Anniversary of Origin Anthony Minichiello plays consistently well, throughout an extremely tough series and he was rewarded for his excellence being named the Wally Lewis Player of the Series together with the Game 3 Man of the Match award and a series win to complete the trifecta.

My all time favourite Anthony Minichiello moment was a try he scored on half time against the Dragons in an Anzac clash where he scooped up the ball to run the full length of the field and score under the posts.

Anthony Minichiello is an absolute pleasure to watch, the Roosters have struggled in season 2005 however, Mini has still managed to thrill the crowds and play a major role for the chooks in a defeated Team. He just never ceases to amaze me with his talent and natural ability. He is so strong and has such great athleticism. Mini is a true born champion and a leader and I can’t imagine in my lifetime seeing a better Roosters fullback. I just hope that Mini can continue to weave his magic over the final rounds of this years Competition to help the Roosters make their final assault on the Top 8, and from there, anything is still possible especially if you have Mini in your Team.

Love Ya Mini!!!!!

716 words including heading.
References, Sydney Roosters Website, NRL Website.

 

[Big Mick]

SUBSTITUTION

Paul-The-Cowboy off the field after a late shot by a roosters player lmao.

On comes the crazy kiwi...Leaguenut

 

[LeagueNut]

LeagueNut leaps off the bench, leaving behind a half-finished Steak & Cheese pie ...

LeagueNut (Panthers)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Red & The Green

Cardinal Red and Myrtle Green … two colours that have been intrinsically linked to Rugby League for near on an entire century now. The famous South Sydney Rabbitohs, born on January 17th 1908, have had a long and proud tradition in the Premiership competition that has certainly seen it’s share of enormous highs … and more recently, painful lows.

No one could really argue that the Rabbitohs have been regarded as a success since their resurrection in 2002 … on the playing field at least. The fact that many of their fans are rejoicing at a possible finishing spot of 14th instead of 15th this year says it all. Positive headlines have been few and far between ever since Russell Crowe rang his bell at Aussie Stadium to unleash the famous South Sydney club into the NRL once more in 2002.

While the recent history is nothing to write home about, it almost borders on being sacrilegious to ignore the immense contribution that South Sydney has made to the history of the game in Australia, and even the games very emergence all those years ago. There have been many proud moments in the history of this famous club - far too many to list. The vast majority of League fans would love the Rabbitohs to return to the top of the NRL tree, and as the old saying goes “When Souths is strong, the League is strong” … or something like that.

So how are they going to get there again?

Let’s be honest for a minute– when your club plays Souths, do you envisage anything other than a gift two points? Sure, recent results have tried to prove that theory wrong, but any South Sydney win is still seen as a “massive upset” and it will take much more than a brief glimpse of form to change that. One of the major factors in any Souths win these days would surely be the complacency of the opposition.

It might not be too far off the mark to label them a team of ‘outcasts’ – players who have been squeezed out of their current clubs by salary cap constraints, players who wouldn’t attract too many offers elsewhere, players looking for a quick buck with minimal effort – and while that may seem harsh and unjustified, it’s still the perception of the “masses”. And I’m sure that this perception is a major contributor to the current recruitment problems plaguing the club as well.

The cardinal red and myrtle green hoops stand for many things … the pride of the League, the long and successful history, the famous Premiership victories, the long line of greats who have worn the jumper before … but those things were all long, long ago.

These days, those hoops stand for a club in the doldrums … dismal results, struggling players, low crowd figures … and unfortunately, for many of the newer generations of League supporters, that is all that the hoops stand for in their eyes.

So here’s my suggestion to lead the Rabbitohs into a new era – DITCH THE HOOPS!

I’ve got no doubt that there is some strong work going on behind the scenes to improve the Rabbitohs fortunes, but many of the problems will be much harder to shake without a change in the perceptions that fans, players and media commentators hold. People form these perceptions from what they see – so why not change what they are seeing in the most basic sense? A fresh new image could be the one missing piece to a fresh new future!

If you line up all 15 club jerseys in a row, the current Souths jersey sticks out like a sore thumb. Everyone else has ‘modernised’ their club strips, with regular alterations every few seasons to keep the designs interesting. Poor old Souths seem to be stuck in a prison with red and green bars that keep getting heavier each year as the pressure to perform for the proud tradition of the jersey increases.

I’m certainly not going to suggest that Souths turn their backs on the famous red and green … but I do think that an innovative new design could be a great starting point for a Rabbitoh resurgence. It’s ludicrous to think that a simple jersey change could turn things around all by itself, but it could just be a critical forward step in the right direction.

Surely it would be worth a shot … wouldn’t it?

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Word Count - 747. GO THE PANTHERS!!

 

[supermario]

Supermario (c) taking the hitup for Easts !
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The referee.

What a luckless job to have, you can’t pick a side, you must be fair and impartial, you need to see EVERYTHING! Be seen, but unseen. You need to run like the wind. Always the target of fans from all quarters, their team wins, they jeer you for not sending off a player, their team loses and you get jeered off for caning teams in penalties.

But why does this happen? Are refs too inconsistent to actually be lauded with praise for a good effort? Are they too by the book to actually go out on a limb to make a gutsy call for fear of retribution? Or has technology made their jobs harder?

The referees job is one for the mentally fit and strong, even in today’s world of video refs and microphone touchies, the referee is now wired to the punter through "sports ears", everything that is said every directive that is given the fans hear. Is this too much pressure for the referees to handle? Are they too much in the spot light to actually be appreciated by the fans? With everything being heard, it is brought upon the referee to be precise and correct on every call, which should be the case, but does the average punter have too much information from the referee and is he expecting too much from the man in the middle ?

I am from the old school, where the referee took the game by the scruff of the neck and went with his gut, yeah there were some dodgy calls, but what the referee said was respected and taken, now the fans can use what was said on the field (via sports ears) to grill a referee over an interpretation or call that was made and that is not the way it should be!

The art form that was being a referee has now been lost in the world of technology and is now making referees softer and less accountable for their actions. Great referees like Greg Hartley, Barry "the Grasshopper" Gomersal, Mick Stone and to a lesser extent Bill Harrigan were all ref's who's decision was final and not questioned, there was nothing to question it with, no microphones, no head sets, no technology to compromise their position. The middle of the field was the inner sanctum for the referees, what happened out there stayed out there.

Some advances in technology have helped the referee, like the video ref, but others, the ref's call and sports ears, have only applied more pressure to the man in the middle, with his inner sanctum now out in the open for all to hear, disect and criticise! The intrusion in to the referees inner sanctum has brought them straight into the lime light, which is where the referee should not be. the referee is there to keep order, not to dictate games, he should be seen but not heard by the fans and be respected at all times, unfortunatly technology has taken away this respect and has opened up a new world of criticisim to hit the referees with.

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519 words between the lines

 

[Big Mick]

Substitution:

[Furrycat] in for Pantherz9103

 

[[furrycat]]

[furrycat] has posted in an edited post up top.

 

[antonius]

Ref Blows Fulltime.

 

[Big Mick]

Cheers Timekeeper.

Well done Penrith.

Bad luck easts

5 v 4

should be interesting.

 

[supermario]

Good game guys.

Thakyou referee, thankyou ballboys

 

[[furrycat]]

Great game all... I hate you mick for giving me 30 mins!

 

[...Morticia...]

bugger, another game where only four turn up. sorry panthers and congrats. thanks roosters who came through.