From The Couch: Round 3

Shouldering The Burden: Ashley Harrison was laid out on Saturday night by aggressive Manly forward Richie Fa’aoso. It was a blindside shot that was both late and high. The arms also happened to be tucked in, meaning the shoulder charge ban drones were out in force, using the shot to justify the worst rule change in rugby league since, well, Bill Harrigan was allowed to change the rules every week.

Under the old rules – henceforth known as The Good Ole Days – Fa’aoso would have been punished for a late shot and a high shot. Just the same as Greg Inglis was for his shot on Dean Young. Or Ben Te’o for cleaning up Matt Groat. You were not allowed to hit players high pre-shoulder ban. And you can’t now.

The only thing the shoulder charge ban has done is take away good, momentum-changing, legal shots. Oh, for better times …

It will be interesting to see how the NRL punishes Fa’aoso, who to his credit, has apologised. My guess is they will slap him on the wrist and the shoulder charge ban will be nothing but a paper tiger. He has been hit by the match review panel … but we will see how the judiciary acts.

Obstruction Clarity: On Thursday night, we witnessed a ridiculous decision that saw Cooper Cronk denied a try by the video referee for a seemingly innocuous obstruction well infield that had little bearing on the play. Few understood the call. To the credit of referees boss Daniel Anderson though, he quickly laid down an edict to referees that they should immediately blow a penalty when block runners cause contact with the defensive line, rather than wait for it to go to the video. They did over the rest of the weekend. There is rarely going to be complete clarity with the obstruction rule but at least Anderson has shown he is prepared to fight for consistency and is willing to make the rule as clear as possible.

The Moment of the Season: There hasn’t been too much to cheer about for the Dragons this season. They have oscillated between mediocre and inept on their way to a 0-3 start. But they were central to the moment of the season when Jamie Soward, on the stroke of halftime, landed a 40-metre meaningless field goal … to take the score from 6-4 to 6-5. It was sensational, with the Dragons going on to lose 30-17. When Soward hit the field goal, my phone went into meltdown. I have long been a proponent of the meaningless field goal. Soward is one of its greatest supporters. Well done Jimmy, well done.

What The Hell Were You Thinking: Eels second-game winger Vai Toutai, for reasons known only to him, decided to try and save a ball going dead … in his own in-goal. It bounced straight past Jarryd Hayne with Tim Moltzen barely showing enough competence to dive on the ball for a try. It was the dead-head play of the season.  

The Eels Pray: Parramatta announced the signing of exciting Broncos youngster Corey Norman on Monday, a deal worth $1.5 million. It actually seems like a good signing. How long until the Broncos convince him to stay?

Robbie a Roaring Get: Despite all the flash and pizzazz that surrounds Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah is the Tigers’ best and most important player. The Tigers have done a tremendous job in re-signing the skipper for four years. It may end the recruitment rot that has set in over the last two years and turn the tide for new coach Mick Potter.

A Rotten Culture: The Canberra Raiders showed to the world why their culture is rotten to the core by bringing back recidivist Blake Ferguson after just a week on the sidelines. Ferguson has been involved in numerous incidents while at Canberra yet never seems to learn. He was with Josh Dugan when Dugan gave his final fuck you to David Furner. He rarely commits on the field. Yet after only a week in the feeder system, Ferguson was recalled. Apparently a hollow promise was enough to convince the coach and the senior player group. Ferguson is immature and self-centred. He needs to be brought into line. That simply won’t happen while this group allows him to run rampant to the beat of his own drum.

Fun Fact #1: On the last day the Dragons defeated the Raiders in Canberra:
– Current Queensland coach Mal Meninga coached the Raiders while current Blues coach Laurie Daley was the Raiders skipper
–  Only Luke Bailey remains as a player in the NRL while four players (Nathan Brown, David Furner, Daley and Justin Morgan) went onto a career in senior coaching.
–  There was a solar eclipse
– Nobody had heard of IPhones or, mercifully, Ben Roberts.

Fun Fact #2: The last player to go No.1 in the premiership draft: Pat O’Doherty, to the Gold Coast, in 1991.

The Willie M Medal: Such has been the popularity of The Willie M Medal that it has become bigger than the confines of From The Couch. The Willie M Medal votes and leaderboard will now be published each and every Tuesday. So check in tomorrow for all the latest Willie M action.

Power Rankings:
1. Melbourne 3-0 (1)
2. South Sydney 3-0 (2)
3. Manly 2-1 (3)
4. Cronulla 2-1 (5)
5. Newcastle 2-1 (6)
6. Gold Coast 2-1 (9)
7. Canterbury 1-2 (8)
8. Wests Tigers 2-1 (12)
9. Sydney Roosters 2-1 (13)
10. North Queensland 1-2 (4)
11. Brisbane 1-2 (7)
12. Penrith 1-2 (11)
13. Parramatta 1-2 (10)
14. Canberra 1-2 (15)
15. St George Illawarra 0-3 (14)
16. New Zealand 0-3 (16)

Rumour Mill: St George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward has reportedly been told he will not be re-signed by the Dragons. It would make sense – he is playing like he is sooking. Josh Dugan is one player in line to sign with the Dragons, as is rising Raiders star Sam Williams. Also look for the Dragons to make a go at Tigers NYC star Luke Brooks. Todd Carney has also been linked to St George Illawarra.  Dallas Johnson is off contract at the Cowboys. The club will do all it can to keep him but is up against it. A return to Melbourne or a move to Parramatta seem the most likely scenarios. Expect David Smith to make some mass changes to the NRL administration in the coming weeks.

What I Like About … Andrew Fifita: Boy, can this guy go. He is one of the hardest forwards in the NRL to put down and has been a sensation for Cronulla since Tim Sheens decided he was taking up valuable Adam Blair space at the Tigers. In three games this year, Fifita has averaged 137 metres and 28 tackles a game. He is a beast and is the perfect example of why Tim Sheens’ time at the Tigers was well and truly over.

What I Don’t Like About … Ellen: This woman comes to Sydney, promises to attend the Penrith v Souths game at Centrebet Stadium and then no shows. I have no idea what else she would have been doing in Sydney on Sunday but unless she was at the Sharks-Warriors. In my day, if you made a commitment to rugby league, you honoured it. Let’s deport her immediately. Or at least before our current Prime Minister comes out of the closet for her and they create the most anti-rugby league state in the world.

Betting Market of the Week: The cause of Brisbane’s next line break will be:

$2.00: A Justin Hodges jink and fend
$3.50: A Corey Norman burst
$41.00: A well-timed meteorite
$1001.00: A well-time Peter Wallace pass

Combo XIII: The Canberra Raiders and St George Illawarra are intrinsically linked. The Raiders and Illawarra Steelers both entered the premiership in 1982, the first teams outside of Sydney to join the premiership. They also both achieved incredible success in the late 1980s and early 1990s – despite St George not winning a title in the era – with one of the Raiders or Dragons playing in all bar five of the 15 deciders between 1985 and 1999. There has been a strong array of talent play for the Raiders and either the Steelers or Dragons, as seen from the team below. Such is the quality of the Raiders and Dragons/Steelers players in this team, the likes of Quentin Pongia, Simon Woolford, Wayne Collins, Bronson Harrison, Josh Miller and Daniel Vidot have all missed the cut.
1. Rod Maybon (35 for St George, 9 for Canberra)
2. Craig Dimond (23 for Illawarra, 14 for Canberra)
3. Colin Best (45 for St George Illawarra, 44 for Canberra)
4. Mark Bell (50 for Canberra, 52 for St George)
5. Mitch Brennan (51 for St George, 8 for Canberra)
6. Phil Blake (16 for Canberra, 29 for St George)
7. Ivan Henjak (34 for St George, 110 for Canberra)
13. Neville Costigan (25 for Canberra, 42 for St George)
12. David Barnhill (41 for Canberra, 111 for St George)
11. Darren Fritz (53 for Canberra, 59 for Illawarra)
10. Michael Weyman (47 for Canberra, 74 for St George Illawarra)
9. Luke Priddis (44 for Canberra, 30 for St George Illawarra)
8. Paul Osborne (84 for St George, 51 for Canberra)

The Coaching Crosshairs: The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday that the Dragons, Broncos and Warriors are all considering early season coaching changes. Steve Price is under immense pressure after the Dragons opened 0-3. The club has had a very tough draw but does not have a history of midseason firings, sacking only David Waite midyear in favour of co-coach Andrew Farrar in 2000. Anthony Griffin’s Broncos have never fired a coach midseason but fired Ivan Henjak on the eve of the year. Brisbane as a club do not panic though and won’t fire Griffin. Matt Elliott though, he is a man that should be worried. The Warriors have made three mid-season switches and have had four coaches who haven’t survived two years. Elliott is unwanted by the players. This could get ugly quickly.

The Life and Times of the Special Needs Penguin: Ben Pomeroy is readying himself for plenty of NSW Cup when he returns from his groin injury. He is unlikely to excel at that level either.

Game of the Year Nomination, Round 4: Melbourne-Canterbury, 22-18. The Storm were a little stiff to win by just four after some dud calls from the referees, particularly the decision to disallow a Cooper Cronk try because of an obstruction. Melbourne showed how far clear of the pack they are though with a clearcut knockout win. The Bulldogs tried hard but without their stars were well off the pace. They need to keep touch until the big guns return if they are to make an impact in 2013.

Beard Watch: Wests Tigers flyer Marika Korobiete has burst onto the NRL scene in sensational style but one aspect that has not been examined is his full and fierce beard. This guy will go all the way.

Watch It: Les Davidson and Peter Kelly were two hard men. They gave no inch and they asked for none in return. When Davidson launches one at Kelly, he barely flinches. Ah, rugby league, the way it once was. Watch it here.

Correspondence Corner: Anon, Hamoudi84 and Keyboard Rambo, the stats issue is totally the fault of the NRL, who like a meth head or Ben Roberts, just can’t get it together. They owe the fans stats. Hamoudi is right – it is not NRL Stats’ fault. It is the fault of the NRL and NRL.com.

Mik, Pomeroy can’t write scripts – he only has flippers for hands.

Semi Pro, there is nothing like a rugby league reunion.

Anon, I am no chef – that is apparent.

Anon, we have worked hard for a long time to bring back the beard. I’m just happy to be able to contribute.

Anon, I  am a shift shaper and a soothsayer – hence the early submission. I don’t want to let you behind the curtain of the magic that is From The Couch but it is nearly all written and uploaded prior to the Monday game.

Anon, Gagai was terrible when he was on but perhaps a little stiff. John Sutton was terrible against Cronulla, consistently taking the wrong last tackle options. How he got man of the match is beyond me.