A little run of bad luck in the first half last week saw the Chooks trail by 2 at the Orange break against the Chip Stealers. Then the gears clicked up into 5th, and the Chooks ran away with the game before the second period was half baked. This week they travel to another Bogie Ground, World of Entertainment Stadium, to take on the other bogie team, The Mountin Pussies, who are in great form and lead the Comp. With several Chooks backing up from the Skippies V Flightless Bird test match, and a full bar expected, this is the match of the season.
1. Anthony Minichiello V Rhys Wesser - "The Blue Moth", following a great season thus far has graduated from the Blue Cardigan to the Green and Gold. Will need to back up and flutter tirelessly as he'll be tested by the speedy Pussies at the back. Facing a man that was a little unlucky not to break into the rep scene in "Plumbing". Has a knack of scoring against the Chooks, with a string of hat-tricks, and this week he continues the trend with 3 tackles, 3 missed, 3 hitup for 3 metres and of course 3 handling errors. Unfortunately for this turnstile, he'll need more than a can of Bars leaks and a couple of washers to stop the Chooks floodgates.
2. Chris Walker V Luke Rooney - Rewarded for his selective running that netted him a brace of tries last week, "Texas Ranger" gets another start this week ahead of "Lil' Guru". Showed why he is all class at a bargain basement price, but will need to vary tactics of running away from his wing and off "The Messiah" as everyone with half a brain has cottoned onto that one. Then again dont be suprised if that tactic is deployed against his opposite "Macca". The Pussy Parmagianna is not your choice pasta, and will strain to keep up with the Texan's mobility.
3. Shannon Hegarty V Paul Whatuira - "Latino Heat" has been sizzling since his origin awakening and is putting on some moves Fred Astair would be paying. The Capricorn Cape Cha Cha is burning up the floor, and will be hard to contain. The man tasked with finding the answer to this riddle is "What are Ya", and frankly if he doesnt consolidate his identity crisis, wont take the number of the Rio Rollercoaster that steamrolls over him on Sunday.
4. Ryan Cross V Ryan Girdler - A strong performance from "Quentin" with his chalky arm proving to be stronger than anticipated, saw him make some strong tackles and score a neat try. I was waiting for the snap as he crossed over in the very spot that claimed his knee, but the Lactose Leuitenant got over his own personal hoodoo at Blacktown with a Beach Oval. Faces another life member of the Fragile RSL in "Lingerie". The Horse toothed Hosier looks to be finding his feet again after a longish lay off, and has started firing with the fishnetted boot of his. This is the Battle of Brittle.
5. Todd Byrne V Luke Lewis - Another so-so performance from "Carpet" sees him needing to call in Grace Brothers cleaning service for a steam clean and replush. Looks jaggered around the edges and needs a big one to re-gain some confidence. Gets no better chance facing "Jerry". The Glenbrook Goofball is apparently all the rage in them there hills, and tipped to represent in the near future. Look for his best work to come out of Gosford Leagues Club, on his "Dean Martinless Roast Reunion Tour".
6. Brad Fittler V Preston Campbell - "Messiah" called the shots last week, elevating the great Chooks to heavenly heights and banishing the evil Chippies to Hades with a masterful performance. He returns to Nazareth, where the locals will be braiding a Crown of Thorns for Him, as they still cant get over the fact he chose the light over the eternal darkness of Stupid League. The best defensive 5/8 in the business faces the worst in "Webster". The tiny sitcom tot, runs well and offers good attacking play but will be targetted heavily as he misses more tackles than he makes, a legacy of the headgear continually slipping over his eyes due to his miniscule head.
7. Brett Finch V Craig Gower - "Budgie" has been named in the Chooks side following several weeks recovering from yet another Chooks knee injury. Following a heavy doseage of Cuttlefish Bone and Trill, he's set to take flight against "Pommie Captain". On his day the skipper is capable of tearing oppositions apart with a flurry of options, but is suspect to the yorker, so look for the Chooks attack to radar their kicks in at his feet followed by a couple of short "Backpacker" deliveries around the rib cage...Howzaaaat!!!
8. Jason Cayless V Joel Clinton - Disappointment for "Captain Caveman" after not being named in the Flightless Bird 17 for the upcoming Test match. Will be out to prove selectors wrong and will need to swing the club freely and frequently to topple his rising opponent, "Hillary". Rumoured to be making a charge as a female Presidential candidate, her inexperience doesnt seem to be hindering her progress. Look for the wry smile from former hubby Bill, if this Pussy runs out wearing the little Blue "Away" number.
9. Craig Wing V Luke Priddis - "Cleo" was back to his attacking best continually bamboozling the opposition with his running game. Scored a great try running 70 metres and not missing a camera on the way to the line. His opponent is former Shetland "Pasture", who was put out to graze a couple of seasons ago by them. Makes more meters ploughing farmland than running out of dummy half.
10. Todd Payten V Martin Lang - "Mullet" starts again after the news that "Yak" is offocially on compo for the rest of the season. Needs a big performance as he faces "Crash Test Dummy". Volvo finally look to be getting their design right after this guy reporting fewer cases of whiplash. He's defensive workload has improved, and just in time as he'll need it this Sunday.
11. Adrian Morley V Joe Galuvau - Try time for the "Pommie Backpacker" last week as he sent a cheerio to his family watching the game back in the Old Dart. Needs to correct some fundamental handling errors, but his defense is superb and will be called upon to stop the Pussy coconut back row. He faces another unlucky player to miss Flightless Bird selection in "Sambuca". He has shot to the top this season and faces his biggest test up against the Salford Slayerr.
12. Chris Flannery V Tony Puletua - A successful return from injury for "The Hitman" adds a new attacking dimension to the Chooks, as well as bolstering their defense with strongarm standover tactics. Facing the better brother "Two Up", who like the toss of a coin you dont know what is gonan come up. Inconsistent workload from week to week will be his problem, as is with "Sambuca" compared the the Chooks back row.
13. Luke Ricketson V Scott Sattler - Finally justice has been done with the selection of "Stud for Life" in the Skippy Squad. One milestone that has been realised for the thirty year old, he's been waiting for this as long as I have been waiting for "Sir Turnstiles" and "Droppsies" to be dropped from same said squad. Two Birds..one stone. The ARL's becoming efficient. Facing another old timer in "Jaws II". Not as scary as the original Benchly benchmark, and his signing with the Tigpies testiment that as you get older, sometimes things dont get easier. The Chooks will give him a dose of what to expect next season.
The bench
Bookie V Spiderman
Mount V Cuzzy Bro
Lake V Danger Will
HIH Adler V Barry
One piece of news floating around is that "Danger Will" has injured his knee at training and may be out. The Pussies fans and officials have made some big calls this week not rating the reigning champs, and whilst they hover on top of the table, the Chooks seemed to jump another class last weekend. The same class that saw them win 9 in a row at the right time last year to actually take the title. The Pussies confidence is justified. Their underestimation of the Chooks will be their downfall.
Chooks by 12
