When it comes to Origin, Darren Lockyer knows what he’s talking about. So when the Maroons captain comes out and publicly questions the selection of an opposition player, you know something is amiss.

Clearly, Lockyer isn’t having a go at Josh Morris’ playing ability, nor is he engaging in ritual pre-match gamesmanship. It seems he, like many, is perplexed as to why the Blues selectors have gone the way they have.

WIth Craig Wing ruled out, many were predicting the inclusion of Ben Hornby in the utility role. Even Michael Ennis would have offered more variety off the bench than Morris.

The problem for the Blues is that if Morris is called into action, then a myriad of positional changes will most likely occur. Kurt Gidley, Jarryd Hayne and Joel Monaghan will all potentially shuffle around if, as expected, Robbie Farah is given a rest at some stage.

For a team who have struggled for cohesion in recent times, it’s hardly an ideal scenario to be facing.

On the other hand, if there is an injury somewhere across the back line, then they’ll have more than adequate cover – but only slightly more than what Hornby could have offered.

The other potential problem facing the Blues is the decision to only go with one frontrower on the bench. Despite the Maroon’s frontrowers getting on top of the Blues pack for all but the back end of each half in Origin One, the NSW selectors have opted to up the ante on their policy of having mobile forwards.

The Maroon’s are fortunate to be largely unchanged, once again, and they have all the momentum heading into the second match.

While they’ll miss Justin Hodges on their right side, Willie Tonga has been in good form of late and has done the job at this level before. Whether he can move away from his preferred left side is another story, but modern footballers are more than capable of playing on different sides these days.

Across the board, the Maroon’s have too many game breakers, even on the bench, who will be able to turn the game in the unlikely event that it’s a close one.

The Blues selectors will need to go back to the drawing board for Game Three if they want to get anything out of this series.

Again.

Roaring Hot

Yesterday's most commented articles

• Forward pass sinks league's reputation [49 comments]
• The shock of Super 14 ticket prices [43 comments]
• Sydney FC won the title, Melbourne won the true game [23 comments]

Most read articles last 3 days

• The real problem with Australian rugby
• Spot on! Sydney fitting winners of a war of attrition
• Crusaders flattered by margin over winless Lions

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

As if we were in any doubt about what controls rugby league, the NSWRL prove it once again. Perhaps they figured that they didn’t cop too much about it last time, so why not announce their State Of Origin team at half-time during Monday night football again?

Sure, there are the commercial realities of the game. But it wouldn’t do any harm to just wait until the game’s over.

At least in that case, if there were any injuries in the Monday night match, we wouldn’t have players coming in and out of the squad.

Mind you, with the squad they’ve picked this time around, the NSW selectors are a decent chance to have that problem anyway. With Jamie Lyon, Michael Jennings and Craig Wing all under injury clouds, the selectors have taken a risk by picking them all.

Jennings is probably the biggest risk considering he hasn’t played since the first Origin and it will be interesting to see who gets the call up out of Joel Monaghan and Josh Morris.

On current form, you’d think Morris might have the inside running.

However, current form and predictability haven’t been the hallmarks of the Blues selectors in recent times.

True to form, just when it looked like they’d show faith in a halves combination for the first time in years, they go and pick Trent Barrett at five-eighth. Now Terry Campese didn’t have the best of games on debut and Barrett isn’t the worst pivot going around by a long shot, but there isn’t a whole between them apart from experience.

Which begs the question, if experience is all of a sudden a factor again, why isn’t the in-form Brett Kimmorley in the side for Peter Wallace?

Wallace’s form hasn’t been so crash hot recently and he was on par with Campese in Melbourne. They both may have played and kicked poorly, but they both also played behind a pack that was only able to get on top towards the end of each half.

That didn’t allow the fresh combination enough time to gel and show what they could do at that level.

Campese will play Origin again one day, but if the selectors thought he was good enough for game one, then they should have stuck with him for at least the series. And at the very least, game two.

Perhaps if they show some consistency, then their team will, too.

This Saturday night, top flight rugby league is being played in Western Australia again, which gives the people of Perth the chance to show the NRL whether or not their state is ready for a team again.

Only a handful of NRL games have been played in Perth since the Reds were disbanded following the 1997 season with a reported $10 million debt accrued by flying opposition teams out to face them.

The swine flu scare hasn’t helped with much of the game’s lead up coverage being dominated by the threat of the match being called off. But the word is that 10,000 seats of the 18,000 capacity Members Equity Stadium have been sold already.

That’s pretty good message to send NRL headquarters but to be fair anything even slightly positive is sure to be pretty well received by David Gallop and co at the moment.

Whether or not that’s enough to get the Reds front and centre is another story, though.

The Force have shown that the potential is there for the Perth public to take to a new team. Their reasonably impressive crowd averages suggest that the market is there for an oval ball code that isn’t AFL.

The problem is that WA Reds are yet to get a win on the board in the Bundaberg Rum Cup this season, their second in the division following last year’s introduction which Reds officials trumpeted as their first step on the road back into the NRL.

Unfortunately, you’d have to imagine that their side’s inability to get a win so far this season is jeopardising the alleged plans for the Reds to join either the QLD Cup or the NSW Cup before stepping up to the NRL.

While it isn’t a make or break criteria, a strong competition and pathway for local players is high on the NRL’s agenda for incoming sides, as it should be.

But in this case, is there an argument that the NRL side is needed first to generate the interest required to promote their efforts?

At the moment, the WARL First Grade competition only has eight teams and produces some fairly lopsided results which points, understandably, towards a lack of depth.

WIth an NRL side and the lure of more professional contracts, the standard would undoubtedly improve as better players moved west to try their luck.

The Storm have shown just how quickly the presence of a professional team can have an effect on local and specifically, junior competitions.

Whether or not that’s enough for the NRL is a big call.

But you never know.

To the outsider, it must often appear that rugby league is little more than a soap opera that just happens to contain some scenes in it where men in different coloured jerseys run around on a field.

Such is the apparent enthusiasm that many sectors of the media and fans have for the seemingly never ending stream of off-field dramas, it can be hard at times to remember it’s just a game.

It’s become so popular in Sydney that when an actual soapie in Home & Away star Jodi Gordon got herself in some trouble last week, it had nothing on the reaction that league scandals have received recently.

Already this week we’ve had the ongoing saga of the Tony Zappia story line, which seems to just keep rolling with more and more sensational sources and sensationalist reporting.

There are obviously some inconsistencies from both sides of the fence with this issue, but it isn’t being helped by the headline grabbing attempts of the Sydney media.

You have to feel for the Sharks players. They finally turn it around on the field, but the heat is still on the club thanks to those that should know better.

You also have to feel for Joel Clinton.

All the guy wanted to do was meet a women he met online for the first time in the privacy of his hotel room. Unfortunately for Clinton, that happens to be against club policy and now he finds himself $50,000 poorer for the experience.

Apparently Clinton’s misdemeanor attracts a far bigger fine than bringing the game into disrepute, as Darius Boyd, Karmichael Hunt and Sam Thaiday did last year after their toilet cubicle sex scandal.

In any case, it has to be asked if we really needed to know about why Clinton had been dropped?

Then there’s the swine flu panic that’s spreading faster than the actual virus itself around the NRL.

So far we’ve had the threat of matches being called off on game day, players being stood down from actually playing, despite being at the match, and what threat there has been appears to have been exacerbated by slow quarantine measures.

In amongst it all, the one player who does have the virus has been selected to play this Friday night.

Perhaps they should just call all the games off as a precaution.

It’s not as if anyone would notice.

After eighteen minutes, it looked as if the Maroons were going to run away with it, chugging along at a point a minute. You could have forgiven them for thinking it was all too easy. That’s because it had been.

The Blues had only threatened their line once, through Jarryd Hayne’s contentious yet correctly ruled out try, and when they did finish their sets, a quality kick was missing.

But after 25 minutes, the Blues finally managed to put some back to back sets together and the pressure soon told, with Ben Creagh diving on Hayne’s suspicious looking infield pass.

It might have evened things up following the winger’s earlier disallowed try, but if ever there was an example of why video referees should be able to rule on forward passes, that was it. It won’t guarantee they’ll get it right, but you’d hope the obvious ones would get picked up.

In any case, Gidley missed the conversion and the Blues were unable to make any more of their dominance count late in the half. As they trotted off at half time, the Maroons’ twelve point lead still looked safe.

Gidley may have made some more noticeable errors in the second half, but he might well look back on that missed conversion ruefully. Keeping the Maroons under two converted tries in front would have helped the inexperienced Blues’ mindsets.

As it was, the second half started similarly to the first, with Inlgis barging over and Thurston slotting from out wide to put his side three converted tries, and too far ahead of the Blues, even at that early stage.

The Blues might have tightened things up with a try to Craig Wing seconds after he was introduced to the game, probably too late, but the Maroons looked comfortable defending their line, even if they were giving up territory a little easily.

You have to wonder if Bellamy’s habit of keeping game-breaking players on the bench until well into the second half of Origin matches is the right tactic. In past games we’ve seen Brett Stewart go largely unused and last night it was Wing.

HIs introduction gave NSW the spark they needed up the middle and took the pressure to make things happen off his very quiet and possibly overawed halves pairing.

Both Terry Campese and, more so, Peter Wallace, had poor games with the boot, which never allowed their side to truly build momentum. Although it’s arguable that Billy Slater’s superb reading of the game made most of their kicks look ordinary.

His defensive play last night showed just why he’s the best player in the world right now.

In the end, a late try to the Maroons flattered them on the scoreboard and didn’t reflect the effort of the fast finishing Blues.

Game two will be an interesting affair. The Blues will be heartened by how they clawed their way back into it, while the Maroons will feel they’ve still got plenty in the tank.

It’ll be a tight one.

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

The general consensus seems to be that the Maroons will run riot over the Blues this year, courtesy of their all star back line. For mine, they’re far more likely to run riot over the Blues due to their frontrow providing better go forward.

But that’s not to say that tonight’s match, or the series for that matter, is a foregone conclusion.

There are plenty of big match ups all over the park, least of all up front, where the Blues pack could well spring a surprise or two.

The Fullbacks
Choosing Gidley as captain is a big call by the NSW selectors.

Is it asking too much of man who hasn’t been a guaranteed starter to lead the side in addition to providing the spark in attack? If Gidley can replicate his club form of late, the Blues will be in with a shot. Otherwise Slater’s free reign in and around the middle of the park will give Queensland the edge.

The Three-Quarters
Jennings obviously has the potential to cause the Maroons headaches with the ball in hand, but there are still questions over his defence, despite some strong tackling displays in recent rounds.

His direct opposite, Hodges, has made it clear he thinks there’s a weakness there, and if he and Folau get enough ball, the chances of him being right are high.

On the other side of the field, the Blues might have a little more luck in attack than they’re expecting.

Lyon’s return to the representative fold, whether he likes it or not, is a good thing for NSW. His experience and composure should ensure that debutant McManus settles quickly, while his attacking skills will keep Inglis and Boyd honest, at the very least.

The Halves
The Maroons hands down have the edge in the halves. Wallace and especially Campese will have to be on the very top of their games if the Blues are going to win. Lockyer and Thurston on the other hand can afford to underplay their hands to ensure a Queensland win. In fact, they often do.

The Hookers
Buderus was a great servant for the Blues over the years, but his lack of inventiveness from dummy half in recent series’ cost his side as they became predictable and were outpointed easily by the Maroons in this department.

Farah’s style of play is very similar to that of Smith’s, so both sides will be kept on their toes in defence with runners coming from a range of different, subtle angles. They’re retty evenly matched, but if one player’s kicking game is more on the money, it could decide the game.

The Packs
Both strong packs in their own right, but with different strengths. Queensland have the experience and the ball carrying yards in Price and Civoniceva, with more than able back up in Myles and Hannant.

The Blues frontrow is a little less intimidating in Kite and Bailey, being supported by Weyman and Poore. But their likely starting back row is a far more dynamic proposition.

Creagh, O’Donnell and Laffranchi are a much more mobile and powerful combination than that of Harrison, Thaiday and Johnson. And if the pace of the game stays high, they could get the Blues on top towards the end of each half. .

The Bench
Depending on which way you look at Lewis, NSW either have two utilities on the bench, or another backrower to call on. The selectors obviously think he’s a backrower, so we can expect that he’ll give the backrowers a quick rest while Wing will give Farah a break at dummy half.

How long he stays on the park will depend on how effective he can be.

Only time will tell if another out and out backrower on the bench would have been a wiser choice.

Speaking of which, Crocker coming off the bench for the Maroons will be inspirational, to say the least. In fact, the only way it won’t be is if he starts the match in a late switch.

Hunt can’t be looking at too many minutes tomorrow night unless he makes a noticeable impact or the Maroons are chasing the game.

It’s going to be a lot closer than what many are predicting, but the Maroons should just hold off a fast finishing Blues in a tight one.

There seems to be a consensus amongst many long time league fans that the eighties were a golden period for the game. The game expanded beyond Sydney and the seeds were sown for the national competition that we have today. Good times.

There’s probably still many who wouldn’t mind if the game was the same as it was back then: brutal local rivalries, mullets and loose fitting jerseys.

But time has marched on, and new derby matches and near-impossible-to-grab-jerseys are the order of the day.

But one aspect from the eighties that most definitely should be brought back is the five minute sin bin.

Craig Bellamy agrees.

He raised it a few weeks back after the Storm’s 28-12 win over the Roosters that saw Steve Turner and Willie Mason sin binned as results of their respective team’s repeated infringements.

Bellamy argued, quite rightly, that the ten minute sin bin is too harsh a penalty for those sort of infringements.

After Benji Marshall’s sin binning for the same thing at a crucial stage of last Friday night’s match against the Broncos, Tigers fans probably agree.

Tigers fans will also have noticed that their team received a general warning at the same time as Brisbane during the first half, despite the fact that the Broncos had been the side repeatedly infringing.

No wonder Tim Sheens was so keen to have a meeting with referee’s boss Robert Finch this week.

With Finch coming out and instructing his charges to use the sin bin more to deter ill discipline it’s likely that we’ll see more games such as last Friday’s that are swung in favour of one team due to an enforced ten minute break. A five minute sin binning would be a would be a much fairer punishment.

Critics of the two referees system seem to think that the influx of less experienced officials is the reason for the perceived bad judgements and extra penalties.

Perhaps it’s just a case of the extra man in the middle now being able to pick up all the sly tricks that the players use in the ruck. For example, in past seasons when a hand on the ball from an opposition player would result in a scrum for a knock on, we are now seeing rightful penalties being blown.

Maybe it is the players who need to be coming in for more criticism.

Bring back five in the bin. It might actually make more people happy.

For the first time in a long time, there’s no way that Queensland can claim to be anything other than favourites heading into State Of Origin. With New South Wales naming eight debutants in their Origin team, and the Maroons boasting the same one through ten as the Australian side, at least the Blues can claim to have underdog status.

That’s not to say that they’re not in with a shot. The New South Wales selectors have to be commended for picking a fresh outfit that is largely unburdened by the losses of recent years.

While the Queensland team largely picks itself at the moment, there’s still a few spots up for grabs, so I’d like to suggest who fills them.

My preferred Queensland Origin team:

1. Billy Slater
2. Darius Boyd
3. Greg Inglis
4. Justin Hodges
5. Israel Folau
6. Darren Lockyer (c)
7. Johnathan Thurston
8. Steve Price
9. Cameron Smith
10. Petero Civoniceva
11. Michael Crocker
12. Ashley Harrison
13. Dallas Johnson

14. Karmichael Hunt
15. Nate Myles
16. Sam Thaiday
17. Ben Hannant

Obviously the all Kangaroo backline is a no brainer, as is the front row.

The second row is less so.

Michael Crocker might only be two games back in the NRL, but he has already shown the kind of form that has made him a mainstay of the Maroon’s pack over recent years. Crocker’s backrow partners, Harrison and Johnson, are also some of the hardest workers in the game and together they give their pack a nice balance.

On the bench, Hunt provides vital cover for the backs and at dummy half, as well, and although it’s hard to see him getting too many minutes, it’s quite a luxury to have.

Nate Myles may have been playing in a beaten pack all season, but there’s something about Origin that changes players. The Roosters might well find Myles the catalyst they need to turn their season around when he returns from rep duties.

Thaiday’s all action go forward and enthusiasm gets him the nod over his Bronco’s team mate, Corey Parker. Perhaps if the side wasn’t already blessed with such competent goal kickers, Parker could have demanded a place. As it is, Hannant rounds out the bench and interestingly would provide Origin with the only member from the league leading Bulldogs.

Not such bad news for Doggies fans on the whole, really.

A lot has been said about the Maroon’s backs, but when it comes down to it, Origin is won and lost up front and if Petero and Price lay the platform again, then the Blues will be playing catch up all series.

It’s Queensland’s to lose.

The rather presumptuous and grey 40 man NSW squad is due to be whittled down to a final 17 for the first Origin this coming Monday so what better time to pre-empt the selectors than right now.

Barring injuries and extraordinary performances this weekend you’d have to imagine the selectors are pretty well settled on their team. It mightn’t count for as much but I’m also settled on my team:

My preferred NSW Origin team

1. Kurt Gidley (c)
2. Joel Monaghan
3. Jamie Lyon
4. Matt Cooper
5. Jarryd Hayne
6. Terry Campese
7. Peter Wallace
8. Luke Bailey
9. Robbie Farah
10. Brent Kite
11. Ben Creagh
12. Paul Gallen
13. Glenn Stewart

14. Craig Wing
15. Michael Weyman
16. Trent Waterhouse
17. Luke Lewis

Gidley’s recent form has been nothing shirt of spectacular so it’s an easy choice to give him the No.1 jersey.

The captaincy on the other hand could just as easily go to Bailey but with a view to the long term the honour and responsibility goes to Gidley.

Monaghan and Hayne get the nod on the wings as much for their size and ability under the high ball, a tactic the maroons are sure to revert to frequently, as their finishing. Lyon has also been in top form of late and as it appears he’s now embraced representative football again he gets the right centre spot.

Cooper takes the left centre spot on the back of his solid defence and experience at Origin level that will be crucial in nullifying the threat of Justin Hodges. Michael Jennings is unlucky to miss out this time around but his time will come, maybe even later in this years series.

The halves have been less clear cut but Wallace has emerged as a frontrunner for the halfback role and deservedly so after a dominant display in City Vs Country.

Campese on the other hand has been less than impressive in recent times but in all fairness he’s been playing behind an often well beaten pack. His bulk and all around awareness on the field are more than suited to Origin and I’m picking him to give NSW the spark they’ve been missing in recent years.

In the forwards Farah’s consistent form of past seasons and left footed kicking game are enough to get him the hooking spot ahead of Michael Ennis. His creativity in and around the ruck will give the Blues another element that they’ve sorely missed during Queensland’s dominance of late.

Bailey and Kite will rotate with Weyman coming off the bench in the front row. Bailey’s experience will be invaluable for the up and coming Weyman and even Kite. It will be interesting to see how Kite, if selected, is used by Craig Bellamy who has been reluctant to play the Manly prop in Origin before.

As with other rep teams picked this year the back row is a contentious point.

Creagh’s barnstorming form gets him a run on jersey while the mongrel of Gallen and Stewart will be integral if the Blues are to topple the Maroons. Waterhouse’s career best form is more than enough reason to give him a seat on the bench.

The other two bench spots go to Wing and Lewis for their utility value. Wing will primarily be used to give Farah a break at dummy half while Lewis will come into play as an extra back rower.

It’s also worth considering that between them they can cover every position on the field except the front row.

The other unlucky ones to miss out include Anthony Laffranchi, Alan Tongue, Anthony Watmough
and Luke O’Donnell but knowing the NSW selectors tendency to change their team mid-series there’s still hope for those that miss out initially.

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

For what would be the first time this season Brad Fittler could well be happy with Willie Mason’s form. Unfortunately for Big Willie it had nothing to do with his form on the field but rather his form off it.

You see the hard hitting expose from the News Ltd sleuths on Mason’s indiscretion of urinating in public diverted a good slice of attention away from the fact that the Roosters got mauled on Saturday night.

It also drew attention away from the Fairfax scoop that Brian Noble might be on his way to the Roosters to oversee and guide Fittler. Which is far more interesting than what Willie Mason got up to post match on Saturday night.

The fact that the Roosters are only two points above last place and are playing pretty uninspiring football suggests that this kind of drastic action could well be about to eventuate.

Considering Fittler inexperience in the coach’s box you have to wonder if the Rooster’s board are beginning to seriously question the wisdom of appointing Freddy to the top job. Indeed the story in recent times has been that Chairman Nick Politis isn’t keen on the prospect of possibly having to sack Fittler one day.

On paper at least, the Roosters should be sitting much higher up the ladder. Their current squad is littered with both current and former representative players and apart from the loss of the inspirational Anthony Minichiello they haven’t exactly been decimated by injuries.

Some big name signings may not have quite lived up to expectations but that isn’t a defining reason either.

Perhaps the day in day out schedule of an NRL coach is grinding away Fittler’s ability to just coach his team. In all fairness to Freddy this is his first real long-term, full time job and it might just be that the extra duties that come with the head coach role are proving more than he can handle.

It’s also worth noting that Fittler isn’t long out of the game and is still fairly young. Nathan Brown’s tenure at St George showed that a younger, less experienced coach can get burnt out quickly as they tend to feel every tackle, kick and pass their team makes.

In that context the appointment of Brian Noble in a director of coaching role might just be what the Roosters need.

With Noble on board in a guiding capacity Fittler would surely be freed up to take a more hands on role with the players and that can’t be a bad thing for the Tricolours.

We all know who really runs the NRL. Like any big business, the boss is never at the coal face, so it can’t be David Gallop, whose performance under extreme pressure this week has been admirable.

As is the case for most professional sports around the world, television runs the show, in this case Channel Nine and, to a lesser extent, Fox Sports.

Just last week we saw the farcical situation where Nine’s controlling demands resulted in two representative matches being played on the same night. As it turned out, the game that appeared to have been relegated to second best status for eternity ended up being the one fans were talking about.

Shows what the executives at Nine know.

But that was last week. The same week they got Matty Johns to apologise to all and sundry except the one person that really mattered on air.

Last week wasn’t a good week for the league department at Nine.

This week they got it right, though. The Nine supremos summonsed Johns back from his hideaway in Western Australia and gave him the axe. No mean feat considering Nine have been a very public face for the misogynist culture in some sectors of the game for so long.

When Gallop took a hard line in response to the Four Corners program, it wasn’t immediately clear if Nine would toe the line and follow suit. Fortunately they did.

The mouth has finally caught up with the brain.

It still remains to be seen just how much Nine have caught up, though. If they’re serious about bringing about a cultural change in rugby league, then the dated content and hosts of the Footy Show need to go as well.

Fatty’s reaction to Johns’ on air apology was deplorable, to say the least. It’s little wonder Sterlo called it quits a few seasons back.

They don’t even talk about footy these days. As it stands, the Footy Show is nothing more than a trumped up version of Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

Nine should be investing their time and money into a real show about league, with informed analysis and opinion. They’ve been doing it for a while on Fox Sports and it’s actually quite entertaining.

Nine need to keep their eyes. and ours, on the ball, and not on the man.

Monday night football didn’t stand a chance last night. Not following a week of anticipation after word spread that one of the game’s most recognisable faces had been implicated in a group sex scandal. It must have been a nervous wait for more than a few in the NRL fraternity, both past and present.

Collectively they may have shared a sigh of relief that the damage wasn’t as bad as perhaps they’d feared. But that doesn’t mean it made for pretty viewing.

The now infamous Cronulla Sharks group sex incident of 2002 was told with a disturbingly detailed recounting of events from the then 19 year-old victim.

She spoke of how those involved didn’t directly talk to her at any stage during the act, but rather joked amongst themselves, with Matthew Johns said to be the loudest protagonist – a claim one of the NRL’s key ambassadors denies, as we already know following his statement on last week’s Footy Show.

In fact, Johns says that he even apologised to the teenager for his teammates behaviour.

Regardless of the veracity of each parties’ stories, Johns’ public, pre-emptive and carefully planned response to last night’s program was cynical to say the least.

Rather than a carefully worded response and segment for their star presenter, Channel Nine should have been standing him down from all duties effective immediately.

While that may sound harsh to some, especially since Johns was cleared of all allegations by police, given recent issues in the NRL, strong action needs to be taken.

Channel Nine’s position as one the NRL’s major stakeholders requires that they take action and show the fans, players and all involved that things must change.

Roy Masters conceded during the program that group sex had been a bonding tool for teams in years gone by, but was adamant that those days were long gone. Self-confessed league groupie Charmyne Palavi painted another picture, though.

She claimed that only recently a younger player had shown her a mobile phone video of a group sex session involving teammates and just one girl. She mightn’t be the most reliable of sources, but the way some of the young Newcastle Knights were shown to react to some similar hypothetical situations suggests she may be closer to the mark than Masters.

In any case, the problem isn’t exclusive to rugby league, or Australia, for that matter. The difference is that rugby league has the chance to do something about it now and not in seven years time.

At some point, an example needs to be set.

Tony Zappia is in an unenviable position at the moment. The Cronulla Sharks are heading down the gurgler, by all accounts, and their CEO has one heck of a decision to make.

With a reported $800,000 debt to the Australian Taxation Office, coupled with crowd and corporate support waning, Zappia must be pretty tempted to take the $8 million to $11 million the NRL is offering for any club willing to relocate to the Central Coast.

While that kind of money is more than enough for the Sharks to sort out their current financial woes, there have to be doubts as to whether it’s enough for an already struggling club to become viable elsewhere.

If the Sharks are already struggling to make ends meet in a region where they have had over forty years to establish themselves, who is to say they’ll do any better on the coast?

We already know from the Northern Eagles’ failure that the people of the Central Coast don’t want a half baked team to follow.

They want a team to call their own.

Zappia and his board must be fully aware that a permanent move for the Sharks is not the answer to their problems, otherwise they’d already be halfway there.

Instead, they’ve come up with a solution in which they propose to play five of their home games there for the next five seasons. A novel solution to a problem, indeed, but when the five years are up and the Sharks head back down south, it’s hard to see exactly where the long-term benefits will be.

For the Sharks, it’s all well and good in the short term to stave off the immediate financial problems. But they’re running the risk of alienating their traditional fan base in the process.

And while they may well build a decent following by playing in Gosford, it’s hard to see how this is the way forward for the game in the region.

For starters, the Central Coast Bears are champing at the bit to bring league to the coast on a full time basis, with games every other week and not every month or so.

The Bears want to be that team for the people of the Central Coast to call their own and the NRL should be working to make that a reality.

Post Super League, some very proud clubs were forced to swallow their pride and merge with bitter rivals. So if the NRL does fund the Sharks plan for a temporary and part relocation, there are going to be some very angry stakeholders.

Perhaps the Sharks should look into making the most of their Adelaide connection or getting some wins on the board.

That always helps to fill grounds.

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

If ever there was a time for the Australian selectors to break from their policy of choosing sides full of incumbents, regardless of form, this was it. The Kangaroos hardly covered themselves in glory when they lost the World Cup final to the Kiwi’s last time out.

But you wouldn’t know it after only five of them weren’t selected to play on Friday night in Brisbane.

A lot has been made already this week of the fact that the twelve incumbents have been given the chance to make amends for the their last-start loss. And on a purely emotional level, it’s hard to argue against giving them the chance.

But from a purely sporting perspective, things aren’t always quite that simple.

Of course, there’s the argument that the incumbents have already developed the vital combinations, understanding, and team spirit that are especially priceless given the short preparation time they’ve got for this game.

All well and good, but there are only so many chances at the highest level and the New Zealanders aren’t the easy beats of years gone by.

New South Wales selectors have shown just how far a complacent selection policy can take you in recent years.

The New South Wales comparison mightn’t be exactly on par with that of the Australian side, but they’ve definitely ignored some quality in-form players this time around.

New coach Tim Sheens even said so himself.

There aren’t many players in the history of the game who have had a mortgage on a representative jumper, and those that have are generally talked of as the game’s truly great players.

Scott Prince, for one, must be wondering what he has to do to get a look into any representative side despite his consistently dominant form over the last few seasons.

Another player who should feel a touch aggrieved is Trent Waterhouse.

The Panthers backrower has been in career best form this season and surely had a case for selection ahead Paul Gallen, whose discipline has started to become a real liability.

The Dragons’ Ben Creagh also put forward a good claim for a spot on form and might consider himself unlucky to have missed out to Anthony Laffranchi and Anthony Watmough.

The problem is that whatever way the selectors choose to go, there’ll always be some controversial decisions given the depth they have to pick from.

Theoretically, they could pick a number of different combinations and still be competitive. Let’s just hope they remember to take a peek at the form guide every now and then.

If anything, it’ll keep the current team looking over their shoulders.

What a year it’s been for Parramatta fans so far. It doesn’t look like the Eels are going to win anything this season, unless they give out a trophy for the dumbest club at the end of it all.

We’ve only had seven rounds of action, yet the Eels have managed to get rid of their only experienced playmaker, play their best player out of position, and look so disinterested at times to have had past greats questioning their commitment to the jersey.

It’s little wonder they’re second last on the ladder, and if Friday night performance against the Broncos is any indication, they’ll be staying at that end of the table all season.

Admittedly, things didn’t quite go their way on the night. But they’ve only got themselves to blame.

Crucial dropped balls in try scoring positions, poor fifth tackle options and a leaking defence is a recipe for a heavy defeat. Nathan Hindmarsh’s feet first slide into Darren Lockyer’s head summed it up: dumb, and now it looks like he could be suspended just when his team needs him most.

Off the field, things haven’t been much better.

The Leagues Club reported a loss of $9.1 million in the lead up the their much publicised board election. While that may have been a blow for their reputation, it had nothing on the stupidity of what appears to be the incumbent board’s “votes for vouchers” campaign.

Chinese leagues club members, along with those with surnames that sound Chinese, each received a $30 voucher for the Tingha Palace restaurant in the club, valid for the three days that voting took place only.

A complimentary meal is one thing, but the how-to-vote card tipped it over the edge and made it quite possibly the dumbest thing the club has done so far in 2009.

It could be too early to call that one, though, after the 3P group, supported by club legends Ray Price, Eric Grothe and Brett Kenny, beat out the incumbent board comfortably and promised to remove long time CEO Denis Fitzgerald from his position as soon as possible.

After three decades under Fitzgerald, it might well be that a change at the top could the tonic that gets the Eels back into premiership contention.

Given that Fitzgerald’s contract is said to be watertight, the incoming board would do well to resolve the situation with some discretion and diplomacy because the last thing Parramatta needs is even more of their dirty laundry being aired.

Notwithstanding the fact that choosing a 40 man “induction day” squad is ridiculous, especially when the top brass come out and say that players who missed out could still make the final team, NSW selectors have done well.

Given three years without a series win, the Blues needed the kind of shake up that our cricket selectors could learn a thing or two from.

For starters, how anyone, Roosters fan or otherwise, can complain about the omission of Willie Mason is beyond me.

Even his own coach at club level has only just given him back his starting spot following his drinking indiscretion.

The other notable omissions from the Roosters, in Craig Fitzgibbon and Braith Anasta, have more grounds to be upset, but not much.

Fitzgibbon has been a loyal servant for the Blues over the years, but the selectors have shown their hand and gone for fresher legs. Anasta, on the other hand, has never shown enough when he’s had the chance to cement a NSW spot.

He seems destined only to come into calculations once injuries hit.

Nathan Hindmarsh somehow managed to find time outside of trying to get his team back on track to pass the judgement that the Bulldogs’ Andrew Ryan was unlucky to miss out.

If I were an Eels fan, I’d rather Hindmarsh was thinking more about his own teams’ predicament and working out how to make an real impact again.

He is right, though, Ryan has been a tower of strength leading the Bulldogs this year and can count himself unlucky.

Or lucky, because apparently this squad doesn’t mean that much anyway.

But the players that have been left out shouldn’t be the main talking points.

The inclusion of the likes of Michael Ennis, Robbie Farah, Michael Jennings, Chris Lawrence, James McManus, Josh Morris, John Sutton and Alan Tongue is to be applauded.

Lawrence has put his hand up for a centre spot with two tries against the Storm, and the way he outpaced Billy Slater for his second won’t have gone unnoticed by Craig Bellamy.

Tongue would be a great bet for the utility role, and whoever gets the hooking job out of Farah or Ennis will probably come down to Bellamy’s game plan.

Either way, the Blues will have a dynamic rake to go up against Cameron Smith in an area where they’ve been shaded in recent years.

While they mightn’t all play, at least it’s a tangible step in the right direction for NSW.

Complacency crept into the Blues camp in recent times and Queensland gained the upper hand by wanting it more, as much as anything else.

The injection of some fresh faces should ensure that if any of the old brigade do get a game, they’ll be well up for it.

They won’t like it one bit, but Queensland can’t shy away from being firm favourites this time around.

Yesterday over on a News Limited website, there was a interesting debate going on. Well, to be fair, the topic was probably more interesting than the actual debating that occurred.

In this debate, chaired by a certain “executive sports editor,” the pros and cons of the City Vs Country game came in for some treatment.

Our “executive sports editor” rather fairly kicked things off by stating that the game is not a selection trial for State Of Origin anymore and it had become “rugby league’s most boring game.”

He then suggested that the games’ elite players are already playing too much, before contributing that from 2004 through 2006, the man of the match from each game failed to make the New South Wales squad.

Another fair point raised, even if it does stretch back a bit far. And it’s hard to argue against the game being degenerated this year as a result of being played merely as a curtain raiser to a Test match.

But surely there’s a place still for this match in the rugby league calendar.

There’s nothing wrong with the concept behind the match that’s just shy of reaching 100 years old. The problem is that the powers-that-be have pandered to Channel 9’s need to broadcast two games on a Friday night and cheapened the match by stripping it of the Origin contenders that are playing in the Test on the same night this year.

It’s not to say there haven’t been bolters come from the match for the Blues in recent years. But the recent trend of leaving out players deemed automatic selections hasn’t exactly paid dividends for them recently.

The other problem is that the match needs to go back to the days when it was a fully-fledged selection match that’s promoted and marketed accordingly.

With all the talk that the codes need to consolidate and expand their places in the crowded market, rugby league needs to take advantage of this point of difference and regain a strong foothold in rural NSW.

Administrators from any other sport in the world would probably kill for the chance to stage a match that features a pretty good slice of their best players competing for higher honours.

In fact, while they’re at it, they should take the concept further and do the same in Queensland, and then they’ll still have two games to show on a Friday night.

And if that’s not good enough, then perhaps the ARL could push for ONE, or one of the commercial stations, to put in a decent bid to show the matches or even bundle them as part of an Origin or representative package once the current deal expires in 2012.

We all know the NRL and Nine’s close relationship (arguably too close) has done its bit for the game, but in this case, they’re denying the fans a chance to see a truly top quality contest.

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

With his team 14-6 up after 65 minutes at an ANZ Stadium that was resembling the adjacent Aquatic Centre more and more as the game wore on, it looked for all money that Michael Ennis had secured victory for the Bulldogs.

Four Rabbitohs tried in vain to keep a firm grip on the rain soaked rake, until he finally hit the deck, with the ball appearing to touch the turf.

But his opposite, Isaac Luke, managed to squeeze an arm in close enough to the ball to force Ashley Klein to send the decision upstairs to Sean Hampstead.

Initial replays showed Ennis had indeed done enough to warrant the four points for his team. All that remained was the mere formality of Hampstead flicking the green light switch. But he didn’t.

Instead, Hampstead rewound back to the moment right after Ennis had picked the ball up from dummy half and was attempting to barge over but for those four Rabbitohs that had him held up directly over the try line.

Then Bulldogs prop Michael Hodgson jumped into the shot and gave his mate a hand by pushing the Souths defenders back into their in-goal in the manner of a rudimentary rolling maul.

“No try,” said Hampstead, and the Bunnies got a relieving penalty, ultimately setting up an exciting finish by managing to hold onto the ball long enough to score another try.

Bulldogs captain Andrew Ryan looked as bemused as Laurie Daley sounded in the Fox Sports commentary booth, when he had the decision explained to him.

Hampstead may just have set a precedent with his decision.

Just how many times in a match do we see players rush to push their team mates in a more desirable direction? Fullbacks headed back into their own in goal, wingers dangerously close to touchlines and even the big men whose hit ups have gone awry.

Are officials now going to be keeping a keen eye out to make sure any helpful pushing is done in the right manner?

If they do rule it out, at least we’ll get to see a few more players bundled into touch without a soft penalty being conceded by the tacklers.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t get out of control.

Even if he was denied a try, Ennis had another influential game and if the opinion of Benny Elias, self-appointed selector of the NSW hooker role, is anything to go by, he’s looking good for a Blues jumper this year.

The fact that Elias has spoken of Ennis in preference to Robbie Farah, whom he has publicly supported in the past, speaks volumes of his form this season.

He mightn’t have got the four points, but there could be a bigger prize waiting for him come June.

So Brett Finch is on his way out of Parramatta after coach Daniel Anderson was apparently unable to guarantee him his first grade spot.

If it’s true Brett Finch has just helped himself the title of the biggest prima donna to ever pull on an NRL jersey, let alone the fabled blue and yellow of the Eels.

What ever happened to the days when players regarded their spot in first grade as an honour as opposed to their god given right?

Everyone’s entitled to a bad game every now and then but by and large the rule of thumb should be that you’re only as good as your last game. Besides which, it goes completely against the grain of being part of a team – it’s very rare that one player is ever that much bigger than the rest of their team.

Even the most one-eyed Parramatta fan would have to agree that Finch’s form hasn’t been the best of late and if you follow the ‘good as your last game’ theory then Finch can’t have too many complaints with Anderson telling it to him straight.

What he can have a complaint about is that there’s every chance he’s being scapegoated following the Eels substantial loss to the Roosters last start and the underwhelming effect that their halves have had this season.

But that can’t possibly be all Finch’s fault as he’s surely been hampered by being partnered with Jarryd Hayne.

There’s no doubt Hayne is a tremendous runner of the ball but he hasn’t exactly looked comfortable as a ball player or directing the play.

His former coach Michael Hagan has come out and said that Hayne is a poor communicator, mind you that could just be sour grapes. In saying that there’d also be a case that perhaps Finch is at fault but you’d have to think that a player who has represented NSW as halfback has enough nous to work it out.

But then Anderson may not want him to work it out. News Ltd media are suggesting that Finch has been laid off to clear space, and a number seven jersey for Michael Monaghan.

With tax issues for foreign players making Super League a little less lucrative it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Monaghan back in the NRL sooner rather than later. Anderson and Monaghan sharing the same manager only thickens the plot.

Still, wouldn’t you rather have Finch and Monaghan feeding Hayne?

Whatever the case there’s clearly something wrong at the Eels that needs to be sorted out quick smart. Best tip them this week then.

Some strange things happened on Saturday night in Melbourne. Firstly, the Storm lost at home, which secondly means that the Titans won away from home. The third strange occurrence was that the Titans managed to get up without Scott Prince steering them around the park.

The fourth was the strange, but somewhat effective tactic that the Titans used to nullify the Storm: on numerous occasions, the Titans chose to kick so long and deep that the ball sailed over the miniscule Olympic Park in goal areas before landing on the running track, forcing a 20-metre restart.

The idea of giving up the tap restart was about as inspiring as such a negative tactic could ever hope to be.

Mat Rogers must have thought he was still playing at five-eighth for the Waratahs with all the kicking out on the full he was doing. He may have lost a yard or two of pace, but he still has a booming left boot on him and Cartwright used it to full effect.

With Rogers punting the ball dead from in his own half on occasion, locals would have been forgiven for wondering if they’d wandered into the wrong stadium.

Apart from minimising Slater’s opportunities to run at them in broken play, the tactic also allowed the Titans to reset their defensive line and get their breath back – a luxury Storm opposition don’t normally get.

Another luxury Storm opposition don’t normally get is a subdued Greg Inglis.

Perhaps Craig Bellamy’s recent habit of shifting his players positionally is doing Inglis more harm than good. Indeed, the Storm looked far less effective than usual, with Smith shifting to pivot and Hinchcliffe starting the match.

But none of that should take away from the fact that the Titans came with a plan and executed it well enough to get themselves the two points.

In a season where all teams have struggled under the pace of the game to keep opposing teams pinned back and to single digits on the scoreboard, their effort is to be commended.

It seems the Titans have found one way of slowing the game down that’s within the rules. How apt then that such a tactic should be unfurled at the home of the side who have done so much to slow down the ruck in recent years.

Not too many teams take a trip down to Melbourne and strangle the Storm as effectively as the Titans did on Saturday night.

In fact, only four team have managed to even beat the Storm on their home patch in the last 45 attempts, and only three in the last three seasons. Let’s hope the next team to do it keeps the ball in hand a bit more.

Last Friday night I ducked into the toilets at the SFS after watching the Tigers finish over the top of the Roosters. The Roosters fan next to me piped up loudly when he saw an old mate a few spots down: “What are you doing in here mate? I didn’t know they let soft cocks in here!”

“Well Willie Mason can’t come in here then can he,” his mate shot back.

A less than refined review of Mason’s performance was followed by plenty of laughs before the testosterone and alcohol fueled banter trailed off towards the bar.

The thing is, it was hard to argue with their assessment of the big man’s game because he looked, well, soft.

He didn’t look anything like the Mason of old, the one who in the past managed to make it look like he was playing in the wrong age group. The one who offloaded and fended off would-be tacklers at will.

He looked like he was going through the motions at times against the Tigers. All talk and no action if you will.

The way he carted the ball up suggested he had little to no expectation that he’d break the line, which would later turn out to be right. In 59 minutes on the field, he didn’t break the line once and, to rub it in, he only managed the one solitary offload.

Hardly vintage Mason.

Throw in that he made the least tackles out of all the starting Roosters pack and it starts to stack up, even on paper.

On the upside, he did only miss one tackle all night. Unfortunately, it was on Chris Lawrence right before he wound up and raced away to score under the posts to get the Tigers back in the game.

His forlorn attempt to grab the young Tiger pretty much summed up his lack of conviction on the night.

All in all, his decision to reward himself with a few cold ones on Sunday arvo looks a touch misguided to say the least.

And while we’re on the subject, since when are “four or five beers” enough to have you reeking of booze so much that your team mates could still smell it on you the next day?

Let’s hope for the game’s sake it doesn’t turn out that he was out on the town all night

With speculation rife that the Roosters are contemplating moving Mason on at the end of the year, you’d think he’d be ripping in to the opposition with every chance he got.

So perhaps there’s something to the rumours that his agent is shopping him around to Super League and French rugby union sides as we speak?

Someone will need to show the Northern Hemisphere scouts the way to Morrie Breen Oval then.

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

Souths fans must be mighty pleased to see that Craig Wing has indeed had time to fit some football training in amongst all his television commitments. It has been a long time coming but Wing’s return to Redfern looks like it’s finally getting going after a series of frustrating injuries.

While he didn’t turn the game from the moment he came on after 28 minutes against the Knights, he did show some classy touches before eventually turning the match well into the second half.

The manner in which Wing’s two tries came highlights the dilemma that Jason Taylor has in finding a way to accommodate the former Origin and Test star in his run on side.

He may be one of the best utilities of the modern game but at NRL level he has far more to offer than just spark from the bench.

The speed and change of angle that Wing displayed in scoring his first try showed why many observers feel his best position is five-eighth, he has the strength, footwork and vision needed for the role.

But his second try showed exactly why he’s played so much hooker throughout his career, he knows how to find and exploit space in and around the ruck which keeps the defence guessing.

So where does Taylor play him?

Issac Luke has come along in leaps and bounds at hooker and after playing a pivotal role in the Kiwi’s World Cup triumph looks like he could become a real star in the future. Besides which he is a specialist and has the energy to play a whole match at dummy half.

John Sutton and Chris Sandow look to be forming a fairly successful partnership in the halves although the latter is still very inexperienced. Given time and a decent forward pack they could become a real force for the Bunnies down the track.

In any case it was interesting to note that Souths looked most dangerous when all four playmakers were on the field at the same time, with Wing nominally playing lock.

But is lock really the best spot for a player such as Wing who is recovering from a run of serious injuries, is a ball player and is quick off the mark?

You’d also have to wonder if the extra tackling involved would be detrimental to his attacking game. Taylor has admitted that Souths need to improve their point scoring this season.

One solution might be to play Wing at fullback where he can chime in on any number of positions in attack and really take advantage of his utility value whilst playing the entire match.

Wing did briefly play fullback for the Bunnies during his first stint with the club and Taylor doesn’t seem to have settled on who will fill the number one jersey permanently.

Having an experienced campaigner such as him on the field would also be beneficial for the likes of young Sandow.

Taylor’s problem is a pleasant one for a coach to have but is a problem nonetheless – if he can find a way to use Wing effectively for 80 minutes it could make all the difference to the Rabbitohs season.

The great news for Wests Tigers fans this year is that they aren’t playing any home games at ANZ Stadium anymore. The bad news is that these games aren’t being played at Leichhardt or Campbelltown, but instead at the Sydney Football Stadium.

While the Tigers’ decision to step away from the financial bonuses on offer for teams to play their home games at ANZ is admirable, the $100,000 they’re reportedly anticipating to make from games at the SFS obiously made the decision easier.

What’s less admirable is that their decision means they’ll play most of their home matches where the Eastern Subu … sorry Sydney Roosters also play. You can understand where the Tigers are coming from: the SFS is more realistically sized and shaped than ANZ, so the atmosphere should be better even if they pull similar crowds.

The problem is that they’re an amalgamation of the old Western Suburbs and Balmain areas, and according to the latest Gregorys, neither are situated east of the CBD.

The talk from Tiger town is that there is a “geographically broad brand,” which may be the case but the round one crowd at Campbelltown spoke volumes about where their brand is strongest.

So why don’t the Tigers consider playing some of their home games at the Sydney Showground? The Bulldogs played out of there a few seasons ago to great effect.

One of the few pluses for Tigers fans about playing at Homebush was that it is at least closer to a couple of their spiritual bases in Ashfield and Lidcombe. The Showground has a capacity of only 15,000, but that could be used to their advantage – what a boost it would be for a club to be playing in front of a sold out crowd all the time.

They’ll still have to hire have the mandatory big screen, but at least the lights are alright. And what does it matter if there’s only one decent pub within walking distance of the stadium, with the game all set to go booze free once Phil “Baby” Gould gets his way.

The Dragons have paved the way for redeveloping the suburban ground to be fit for NRL games all year round and it’s time not only for the Tigers, but also the Bulldogs and Souths, to make it a priority to do the same.

The game needs the passion back in the stands, not just in living rooms. Not every game in the English Premier League is played in a 40,000 plus capacity ground and they’re doing more than just fine.

Until the game can get a serious bidding war happening for the TV rights again, the clubs should get back to basics and try and play somewhere close to where they’re actually from.

In the mean time the Tigers will be hosting the Roosters at the SFS on Friday night.

Storm fans aside, there can’t be too many complaints about the two referee system that looks to be everything NRL HQ had hoped for. Games are being played at such a frightening speed in early season heat it’s surprising club doctors haven’t got players on drips all week.

Most matches have had a good flow to them, and we’re getting more than our fair share of tight finishes.

But on Saturday night in Townsville, the Tigers looked out on their feet well before half time and both teams struggled with their handling in the sweaty conditions. It’s hard to imagine many teams being able to beat the Cowboys at home this year as long as they stay injury free.

It’s shaping up that a strong bench will be key to managing fatigued players and it will be interesting as to how each coach selects and uses their reserves as the season progresses.

Do they include a back up dummy half or a true utility player? Do they select four big men and rotate regularly?

Already we’ve seen a number of different approaches with a variety of results.

In round one, John Cartwright’s use of Will Zillman paid dividends as the speedster scored a spectacular long-range effort and the Titans got up.

Fast forward a week and the selection of the fullback/winger on the bench in a surprisingly tight defeat looked far from right. Zillman replacing Campbell at the back with the Titans chasing the game hampered their efforts in more ways than one.

Apart from missing Preston’s ability to create something from nothing, the Titans would have been better served having another, fresher big man to get them the go forward they really needed.

On Friday night, Ivan Henjak rolled the dice by leaving out young winger Jharal Yow Yeh after the late inclusion of Justin Hodges.

Henjak couldn’t find cause to use Yow Yeh until the final ten minutes when his players were just hanging on to their lead. Given another five minutes, the Storm would have been odds on to finish over the top of the tiring Broncos.

He might be new in the role, but you can’t see Henjak selecting a winger on the bench again in a hurry.

Even after the Warriors second win in as many weeks, their coach Ivan Cleary has a bench problem of his own.

After Stacey Jones produced a virtuoso display that included setting up the match winning try despite not starting the match, Cleary has plenty to think about.

The Warriors coach will surely be tempted to slot Jones back into the starting lineup, but will he be able to find the right balance?

The Warriors still have the increasingly dangerous Lance Hohaia to return from injury, and Ian Henderson looks to be the best hooker they’ve had in a few seasons.

They’d both be unlucky on early season form, but either Joel Moon or Nathan Fein could be squeezed out by the extra referee.

It’s a tough call but the competition for spots is great news if you’re a Warriors fan.

Isn’t it great how the early rounds of the season are always jigged to throw up the juiciest of match ups? Last week we had our fair share and then some, and next week we’ve got Trent Barrett returning to his old stomping ground.

This week’s juicy match-up has to be the Storm’s visit to Brisbane.

Wayne Bennett’s shadow loomed large over Brisbane, and even he’s headed south as this one still has his name written all over it. Players often talk about how influential Bennett has been in their lives, both on and off the field.

While they might not admit it while they’re in direct competition with him, his former assistants, Ivan Henjak and Craig Bellamy, must feel similarly.

It’s no coincidence that Bellamy hasn’t missed out on the finals and made three grand finals on the trot in his five seasons at the Storm.

Sure, that can’t all be down to Bennett, but the Storm are on the verge of becoming a dynasty in their own right against all odds (well, a salary cap) and Bennett has form in that department.

Two decades of consistent success speaks for itself.

Which brings us to Henjak, the man charged with filling one of the biggest pairs of boots to ever set foot in a coaches box.

He wasn’t the biggest name linked to Broncos job when it came up, but Bruno Cullen and the rest of the Brisbane board are no mugs.

They’ve worked patiently to ensure the club remains successful and they wouldn’t have shown so much faith in Henjak if they didn’t think he was up to the job.

Tactically Bellamy is calling the shots in this one, but that shouldn’t dishearten Henjak too much. The Storm are going to do that to everyone they face.

All Bellamy’s pre-season talk of throwing Cam Smith into the five-eighth role seems to have been a smokescreen he’s pulled to detract attention from Greg Inglis.

Smith is still at dummy-half, but Inglis is playing anything but a traditional pivot’s role.

Bellamy has given him a free role to patrol predominantly the left edge in attack while still slotting in at second receiver in equal amounts.

Ironically, Bennett’s Dragons weren’t able to contain the bulked up Inglis when he did run at them out wide, probably because they were uncertain about when he was coming.

Henjak, on the other hand, has one of Bellamy’s old trump cards to trouble the opposition’s fringes in Israel Folau. But you’d think if anyone can keep him in check, it’s his old teammates.

Against the Cowboys, Henjak had the luxury of Karmichael Hunt slotting into his back line as a third playmaker to exploit a defence fixated on Folau.

Young Will Chambers will have his hands full with the traffic the Broncos are going to send his way tonight.

As usual, much depends on whose forward pack gets on top. But if it comes down to the coaches, Bellamy has the experience but Henjak still has Bennett’s legacy stamped all over his team.

What price for golden point at Suncorp two weeks in a row?

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

All the talk leading up to the opening round of the NRL season has been about a certain fullback’s alleged indiscretions and when he’ll play again.

One of the saddest parts about this whole saga is that there are some tantalising match-ups between some of the games’ most exciting fullbacks flying under the radar.

These are the guys that can swing a game in their team’s favour with a moment of brilliance and hopefully come Monday they’ll be hogging the headlines.

Billy Slater v Darius Boyd
The Storm will be mighty relieved that Billy the Kid is staying put for another three years for a host of reasons. Not least of all that you’d hate to play against him unless you’re a New Zealander.

Slater had an incredible 2008 and he’s said himself that ‘that pass’ isn’t going to change the way he plays which is great news for fans. Boyd on the other hand comes into this one having already won the battle to become the Dragons custodian and will be looking cement himself in his favoured spot.

Slater’s ability to marshal his sides defensive line is often overlooked and he’ll have the edge over the less experienced Boyd in this department, which alone could prove the difference between the two teams.

And at the other end of the park his telepathic combinations with the likes of Smith, Cronk and Inglis will have it all over the ones Boyd is still be developing. Slater and the Storm to get up comfortably.

Karmichael Hunt v Matt Bowen
The one-time Queensland fullbacks are now more likely to be battling it for the utility spot on the Maroons bench given Slater’s recent form. They can both take solace from the fact the Maroons selectors aren’t averse to picking their side on current form so they could still be in with a shot.

Hunt’s physical approach will see him looking to hit holes out wide from Lockyer’s passes and his one-on-one defence is up there with the best of them.

Bowen might be a touch tentative considering his last game was in round eight last year but it shouldn’t take him long to become a nuisance in and around the ruck again. Hunt and the Broncos will have the size and edge out wide and on the scoreboard at full-time.

Preston Campbell v Kurt Gidley
Two of the most mercurial men in league, they’ll both start at fullback but will pop up at dummy half, first receiver, second receiver and basically everywhere else at some stage.

Unfortunately for Gidley he’ll be doing it all out of necessity while Campbell has the luxury of picking and choosing his moments that will be the difference. Gidley will be more visible throughout the match but the little man’s effectiveness will see his team over the line. It’s going to be a long, hard year for Gidley.

Anthony Minichiello v Rhys Wesser
If it was still 2006 then this would be the custodian battle of the round, but it’s not and both players will see season 2009 as a fresh start. Minichiello must just be hoping to get through the season unscathed after two years of injury interruptions while Wesser will be hoping that he can find his old form at his new club.

Both will know that barring an injury epidemic their Origin careers are all but over so they’ll be free to concentrate on landing another premiership ring even if it’s a bit fanciful.

Tough one to call but Minichiello should be just that little bit hungrier in a stronger outfit.

It’s a time when NRL fans should only be filled with an overwhelming sense of anticipation for the first round of the season proper but once again off-field dramas are taking centre stage.

Instead of column inches being filled by the build up of what should be a cracker of a match between the Dragons and the Storm this Friday night they’ve been filled with lurid allegations.

We’ve seen the return of Todd Carney in his role as the antithesis of a model NRL player despite him actually being ineligible to perform that duty anymore. It seems Carney has successfully pulled off the exact opposite of the NRL’s inspirational “Park to Premiership” campaign.

A Wests Tigers feeder team did their bit to revive memories of why the Bulldogs shouldn’t visit Coffs Harbour anymore and now the NRL has been forced to hold back some of its advertising campaign for the upcoming season pending a police investigation.

It must have been a surreal week for Brett Stewart. First it seemed he had come of age as one of the games true stars as a poster boy for the upcoming season but by the end of it he was facing sexual assault allegations.

Now he’s not only facing a police investigation there’s a chance he won’t play until the matter is resolved. Not an ideal situation for one of the games most exciting players. Unfortunately it’s becoming a regular occurrence for the games fans to be denied the chance to see the likes of Greg Bird and even Carney in action because of their off-field indiscretions.

Perhaps it’s time that the de-registration of individual players and internal club sanctions such as fines and community service stints that conveniently fit in with marketing plans are replaced by the deduction of competition points.

We know that since the Bulldogs contravened the salary cap in 2002 and had 37 competition points stripped from them that no other club has dared to emulate them. The $150,000 fine handed to the Belmore based club for bringing the game into disrepute following the Coffs Harbour incident was little more than a slap on the wrist compared to the sponsorship dollars they lost as a result anyway.

Imagine if the NRL decided to dock teams points each time they brought the game into disrepute? Regardless of what Brett Stewart did or didn’t do after he left Manly’s season launch, if there happened to be points on the line he wouldn’t have found himself in that position in the first place.

Competition points are the reason that the players train as often as they do and the reason that they hone their bodies to withstand the rigours of the game. At the end of the day it’s the reason they play the game.

Would Brett Stewart have left the Wharf Hotel in such an apparently unfit state if he’d known there was a chance his behaviour would lead to his team starting the season 20 pints adrift?

Probably not, his fellow ‘playing group’ members would have made sure he got home safe and sound.

Would the up and coming Tigers players have found themselves in a similar position if they knew that their indiscretions may have landed the team they’re aspiring to represent at the bottom of the ladder? Earning the wrath of potential teammates and fans in such a way would put paid to those aspirations anyway.

Rugby League has always thrived on camaraderie and team spirit so maybe the time has come for those qualities to count as much in social settings as they do on the field.

The onus needs to be put on the players to perform.

As the global financial crisis swings full steam ahead into Australia just in time for the NRL season, there are conflicting messages coming from its administrators.

Cronulla CEO Tony Zappia admits that his team are in financial trouble. He’s even gone so far as to say it’s “make or break” year for the Sharks.

If a CEO freely admits their organisation is in bad shape, then you know something is seriously wrong. And he reckons Cronulla aren’t the only ones.

David Gallop, on the other hand, seems a little non-plussed by the outcome that the GFC might have on the game he runs. Gallop seems to constantly have his head in the goal kickers bucket of sand.

Unfortunately, even the bucket of sand has long been replaced with a kicking tee.

His assertion that a financial crisis is nothing new for rugby league because the NSW clubs have been dealing with the loss of poker-machine revenue for a few years is naïve at best.

Perhaps clubs did set themselves up to deal with the poker-machine tax the NSW government introduced, but just how many of them can claim to have had that and a global financial meltdown covered?

You can be sure that many of the clubs will have lost significant sponsorship income over the off-season.

The NRL’s other standard answer to how they’ll combat the financial strain is to sing the praises of the salary cap.

“That’s why we have a salary-cap system, to distribute the playing talent and make sure all our clubs are competitive and that gives them the best chance of going forward financially,” was the well-versed line from Gallop at the season launch.

To be fair, it will get the NRL through a time when sporting bodies around the world will all be feeling the pinch. The problem is, what cost it takes on the game.

We already know that the NRL are in no mood to share their stars. The Benji Marshall saga proved that.

Apart from club loyalty, the incentive for the stars of the NRL to stay put are paling in comparison to the revenue rich league and union clubs of the northern hemisphere.

This is where Gallop needs to stand up and be counted. He talked the talk when he put the brakes on Benji Marshall setting a precedent by spending his off-season playing for a cashed up Japanese club.

While you have to admire his pugnacity in the face of a challenge, it’s time for tangible answers.

Gallop needs a new game plan, otherwise the game needs a leader who has one.

Before the start of the 2004 season, Wayne Bennett came up with the type of plan only Wayne Bennett can come up with. He moved the then world’s best fullback to five-eighth. The critics doubted the decision and initially Lockyer looked all at sea in his new role.

But then it clicked – premierships and plaudits followed for the duo and many regarded the man with the gravel voice as the worlds best. Fast-forward to the pre-season of 2009 and a number of NRL coaches are trying to come up with their own version of the Lockyer switch.

Authorising the switch is one thing but sticking to your guns another.

This weekend we saw Jarryd Hayne play his second first grade match in the number six jersey for the Eels and by all accounts he performed better than his “rocks and diamonds” hit out a week earlier.

Unlike Lockyer however, the majority of Hayne’s top grade matches have been played on the wing and not at fullback where joining in the back line closer to the ruck than the touchline is a regular occurrence. Daniel Anderson will be hoping that his new five-eighths midfield running game will overshadow his untested passing and kicking skills other wise he could well find himself back on a plane to St Helens.

The problem Anderson might face is similar to the one that’s had Craig Bellamy thinking about moving Cam Smith out to five-eighth. Bellamy had the same train of thought that Anderson is having now when he decided to move Greg Inglis from centre to pivot but despite their recent success Inglis has never looked as comfortable there.

Whether it was the extra defensive work or having less room to work with, Anderson should take note – great ball runners can’t always make that step closer to the ruck.

Bellamy shouldn’t have that problem if he does decide to try Smith at six, his biggest problem will be filling the void of the world’s best hooker. No mean feat, but the need for a quality ball player like Smith in midfield is such that you can see where Bellamy is coming from. Smith and Cronk standing either side of the ruck eager to get their hands on the ball is not a situation other NRL coaches will be keen to see eventuate.

Further north Tim Sheens and Brad Fitler are taking the opposite step and have new positions in mind for their incumbent five-eighths. Sheens is taking what looks to be a logical step in moving Benji Marshall into halfback but there’ll be concerns over Marshall’s ability to restrain his own attacking instincts and direct the Tigers around the park. Sheens is obviously concerned enough to enlist Andrew Johns to come and mentor his new halfback.

Fitler has Braith Anasta lining up at lock after a much publicised off season positional switch but from pre-season reports it appears Anasta is still slotting into his old playmaking role.

Perhaps Fitler is playing a trick on those of us who look too deeply into the number on a player’s back.

Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
SPONSOR

Which must be concerning for the A-League’s answer to Sir Alex Ferguson. Ernie Merrick may have had the assistant referees tuned in last time the teams met but it’s unlikely Adelaide are going to sit that high up the park tonight.

In fact the only way Adelaide will sit up high is if they’ve brought the double decker bus to park in front of their goal. Their victory over the Roar last weekend has as much to do with the pairing of Salley and Reid at the base of their midfield as it did with their oppositions hopeless finishing. Thompson and Allsop won’t be nearly as generous if Hernandez can continue to supply the chances. If Adelaide can keep Hernandez quiet then they’ll have the platform to launch their counter-attachng plan from – otherwise there could be a strong sense of deja vu going around tonight.

Don’t forget to refresh your browser every few minutes and post a comment or two. My predication is Adelaide 2-1 in extra time. You heard it here first.

So here we are. Less than half an hour until kick off and I can report that both coaches have named unchanged teams.

Adelaide United: 20.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2.Robert CORNTHWAITE,  7.Lucas PANTELIS, 10.CRISTIANO, 13.Travis DODD (C), 14.Scott JAMIESON, 15.Jonas SALLEY, 16.Daniel MULLEN, 18.Fabian BARBIERO, 19.Sasa OGNENOVSKI,  24.Paul REID.

Subs: 30.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 6. CASSIO, 9.Paul AGOSTINO, 27.Michael MARRONE, 28.Rostyn GRIFFITHS.

Melbourne Victory: 1.Michael THEOKLITOS (gk), 2.Kevin MUSCAT (C),  5.Sebastian RYALL, 7.Matthew KEMP,  9.Danny ALLSOPP, 10.Archie THOMPSON, 12.Rodrigo VARGAS, 14.Billy CELESKI, 15.Tom PONDELJAK, 16.Carlos HERNANDEZ, 22.Nick WARD

Subs: 20.Mitchell LANGERAK (gk), 8.Grant BREBNER, 11.NEY FABIANO, 17.Jose Luis LOPEZ, 19.Evan BERGER.

No surprise that Merrick has stuck with the same line up but maybe a little bit surprising that Vidmar has stuck with the same side for once. Cassio must be kicking himself for getting that silly red card last time he visited the Dome.

Good to see that Adrian and Midfielder have already dropped in. Midfielder I’m with you, I think it might be Adelaide’s night. Adrian, anymore news or observations from the ground would be much appreciated.

“There’s no time for doubt, only for belief.”  Andy Harper doing what he does best pre-game. If I managed a team of commentators, he’d be on the bench.

Anthem.

0 mins: And we’re off, Matthew Breeze gets his first big one underway. Adelaide kick off and are running left to right as I see it.

1 mins: Adelaide have started brightly. Barbiero nearly gets away down the right channel but Kemp has him covered.

3 mins: Good shout for an Adelaide penalty as Jamieson goes down but you’re never going to get those this early in a big game.

5 mins: They’re feeling each other out by playing an open game. Looks like Salley is going to hang out next to Hernandez all night and Mullen has been given the task of watching Thompson. Not an enviable task.

7 mins: Ward breaks from midfield and drives a low shot just wide of the post. It’s very open so far.

9 mins: CRISTIANO IS OFF! The Brazilian clobbers Vargas with his elbow and there’s plenty of blood. Looked more like a yellow to me. Unbelievable.

12 mins: Adelaide get something to go their way and have a free kick from wide on the right that Salley heads high and wide from the edge of the box.

13 mins: Looks like the assistant referee made the Cristiano call.

15 mins: Victory are bossing this one now. Adelaide are allowing them deeper and deeper into their box. Hernandez and Thompson combine to win a corner after a goalmouth scramble.

16 mins: That’s left a nasty taste in my mouth, that was a big decision and I think he’s got that wrong. Kazama, it appears you tempted fate and lost. I feel for Adelaide fans right now.

18 mins: Kemp drives forward from left back and drives a shot at goal that gets deflected for a corner. Celeski drills it hard and low and lo and behold it’s cut out at the near post.

19 mins: Hernandez gets a bit too much time in the box and he finds Pondeljak on the edge but the ball gets stuck under his feet and Salley mops up.

22 mins: Muscat hits a raking ball for Allsop and only a last ditch block from Cornthwaite stops a goal. A better corner from Celeski is flicked on but there’sno Victory player to get on the end of it.

23 mins: Adelaide are seriously under the pump now, they can’t get out of their half.

25 mins: Just to make me look stupid Cornthwaite takes a throw in the Melbourne half.

26 mins: Muscat threads a pass to Allsop on the edge of the area where the big man controls and rifles a shot that Galekovic has to pull out an impressive save to stop.

28 mins: Herandez drives from midfield into space but he pulls his shot well wide.

29 mins: Jamieson wins free kick for Adelaide in a dangerous position wide on the left wing. He swings a quality ball in that Salley gets to, but can’t direct on target.

30 mins: Dodd feeds Jamieson who pulls a shot across the face of goal. What bus?

32 mins: Our live correspondent has just reported that the Victory fans are getting frustrated. What more do they want? Bigger goals perhaps? We’ll look into it at half-time.

34 mins: Thompson tees up Hernandez but the Costa Rican blasts his shot over from inside the penalty area.

35 mins: Adelaide just can’t make enough options for each other.

36 mins: The Big O gets a yellow for bundling a Victory player momentarily after the whistle is blown. Vidmar’s press conference should be interesting post-match.

39 mins: This is like watching Arsenal play Stoke.

40 mins: Kemp drives into the Adelaide box but his square ball is easily cut out which pretty much sums up their play in the final third so far.

41 mins: United win flick on that the Victory clear for a throw. From the long throw The Big O (easier than typing his whole name) has a decent ask for a penalty but it hasn’t been his day so far and a free kick is given against him.

44 mins: More Melbourne attacks amount to nothing. Merrick won’t be pleased but they still have the upper hand.

45 mins +1: The Adelaide players will be pleased to hear the whistle for once because it signals some respite from the blue waves.

Well they’re back on the pitch, lets hope we don’t have to talk about the referee this half.

46 mins: Vidmar might be wishing he actually brought a bus with him.

47 mins: Dodd finds himself in between three Victory defenders, in their box, but he can’t get his head up and he’s forced away from goal. He had a chance then, he just didn’t know it.

48 mins: Thompson drops all the way back to halfway to pick up the ball. That speaks volumes of Adelaide’s defending.

49 mins: Allsop lays it off for Ward but he shanks it well wide off the side of the side of his boot.

50 mins: Merrick looks to be preparing Berger for an introduction. The PM or the game? Probably the game I’d say. Looks like Ward or Pondeljak might come off.

52 mins: Vargas bundles Dodd over near the corner flag so Adelaide basically have a corner. Jamieson whips it in and it falls for The Big O who has a goalbound snap shot blocked. Then Mullen charges down the right after picking up the clearence and squares it for Barbiero who has a shot from inside the six yard box  blocked by Theoklitos. What a chance.

54 mins: Dodd jinks his way to the edge of the Victory box but hits his stinging shot straight at the keeper who can’t hold it at the first attempt but gets to the rebound just in front of Dodd.

55 mins: Berger replaces Ward. Looks like they’ll play with wing backs and a back three now.

56 mins: Adelaide wina another corner that Salley gets to again but can’t direct towards goal. They’re really taking it to the Victory. It’s hard to keep up with.

59 mins: PONDELJAK SCORES!!! he drifts in from the left and hits a low, slightly innocuous shot towards the back post. Galekovic must have seen that late because he surely would have stopped that otherwise. The Jak gets a yellow for putting his shirt over his head. Killjoy Breeze strikes again.

61 mins: Dodd loses his feet as he’s about to shoot from around twenty out much to the amusement of the Melbourne fans.

62 mins: Agostino comes on for his last game and the first thing he gets to do is watch Hernandez miss a sitter.

64 mins: ALLSOP IS OFF!! There was a big pushing match there but it’s hard to see what happened. He may have headbutted Cornthwaite. Well that changes everything.

67 mins: Barbiero got a yellow too then, a few others may have too. There’s more action in this one now. Did you pick that one too Kazama?

69 mins: The ball falls to Vargas in the box after he’d stayed up following a corner but he mishits his effort. He looked like a defender there.

71 mins: Salley wins a free kick at the top of the box just off center. Jamieson is over it. He forces a decent save from Theoklitos who dives to his right and catches cleanly.

72 mins: Another Adelaide free kick deep in the Melbourne half. Cassio comes on for Jamieson. Mullen has a few attempts at getting it over from the free kick but nothing comes from any of his efforts.

74 mins: Naughty Danny was headbutting Simon Hill tells me, cheers Simon. Good luck with the rest of the call mate. Pondeljak hooks another shot wide.

76 mins: Mullen launches a long throw but Theoklitos plucks it out of the air. Hernandez brings down the clearance deftly, turns, shoots, and forces a fingertip save from Galekovic. Is he worth a million Melbourne fans?

77 mins: Are the neutrals hoping for an Adelaide win now?

79 mins: A tired looking Adelaide side are trying to make something happen.

80 mins: Cornthwaite picks up a yellow for dissent. The Victory must be thinking about hanging on now.

81 mins: Agostino has the chance to be a hero but he can’t connect to the cross. From the resulting corner he volleys just wide of the near post. He should have scored at least one of those chances but in his defence he hasn’t played much recently.

84 mins: Hernandez plays Berger through and he whips a low ball for Thompson but it’s a touch behind him and it runs right through. Thompson has been quite quiet tonight. If I were you Kazama, I’d predict an equaliser!

86 mins: Berger does his best Matthew Mitcham impression after climbing all over an Adelaide player. Unfortunately for the young man there isn’t a diving pool in the middle of the Telstra Dome. He’s replaced by Lopez.

90 mins: Dodd is booked for turning up in a red shirt. There’ll be three minutes of added time. It should be at least double that, maybe triple.

90 +2 mins: Reid pumps a long ball in and Theoklitos punches clear. Tense stuff.

90  +3 mins: Celeski kicks Agostino in the chest so Breeze blows for full-time. The Victory have won it again! Cassio has taken matters up with Celeski. That won’t be remembered but it was a terrible challenge.

All credit to the Victory, they’ve been the form side all regular season, all finals and they played well tonight. In fact they’ve shown how it should be done off the park too so you can’t begrudge them their title. And they’ve got some of the loyalest fans in the country that I’m sure will be partying in Melbourne tonight.

Thanks to everyone that’s dropped by tonight, it’s been a real pleasure. To Kazama, Adrian, Dasilva – commiserations. Football is a cruel game as I’m sure you guys have learnt on more than one occasion this year! Midfielder, it looks like we were both wrong but Slippery Jim might have hit the nail on the head this evening. It was a terrible shame that a red card had to come so early in the piece (Breeze gets booed as I type, I don’t think you can blame his after all that blood spilled onto the pitch) as it really did stop the game from being an even better spectacle. As it was Adelaide showed plently of courage and made the Victory sweat right until the final whistle. I think I’ve become a default Adelaide fan after watching them come so close all season!

Bit disappointing to hear the crowd booing the Adelaide players getting their runners up medals. Great to see a goalkeeper collect his medal without his gloves on, why do they do that!? I doubt they sleep with them on. Allsop gets a medal despite being sent off. Here we go… Muscat gets to have a chat with the Fox Sports News guy. Very humble victory speech from Muscat, he’s come along way has Kevin. And there it is!! The Golden Toilet Seat comes back to Melbourne!!