Season 2008: Round 24

From The Couch

Vale, Danny Buderus… It is always unfortunate to see a champion walk away on terms other than his own. Danny Buderus has been a tremendous servant of Australian rugby league, the first of the great modern day hookers who was regarded as one of the great team men. Watching him walk off Energy Australia Stadium with an apparent torn bicep would have bought a tear to the eye of all rugby league fans. He was undoubtedly the hooker of the nineties and would push Cameron Smith a long way for the rake duties in the team of this decade. Buderus has achieved everything there is to achieve in Australia and one can only wish him the best with his Super League odyssey.

Right Direction… The NRL needs to be applauded for their attempts to eradicate the over-reliance on kicks that have made the game somewhat predictable this season. The NRL is trialing a number of initiatives in the Toyota Cup including staging a number of eleven-on-eleven matches as well as a rule that will see any kick defused in the in-goal returned to the twenty metre line for a tap to the defensive side. While both rules are unlikely to be introduced to the big time, it is good to see the NRL showing some interest in exterminating the predictability caused by teams winning the ruck and then trying their hand with a kick. They should also look at running experiments in widening the field, penalising dummy-half runs (each dummy-half run counting for two tackles instead of one), shortening the length of the in-goal area and reducing the number of points for tries from kicks. It may also be an idea for the clubs to rid the game of awfully dour coaches like Ricky Stuart if they want to liven the code up.

Salary Cap Revamp… There is no disputing that parity is extremely beneficial for rugby league in Australia. The salary cap provides such parity in an extremely effective manner. The NRL must, however, strike a greater balance between the need for parity and the importance of keeping star drawcards in the game. To do this the NRL should allow clubs a franchise player with that player’s salary not included in the cap. There could be a number of requirements in place to be named a franchise player including service, representative honours and/or contribution to the image of rugby league. The NRL should also introduce a discounting system for loyal players. Such a system would kick in after a player has stayed at a club longer than six years. In year seven, the club would receive a 10% discount on cap space, 20% for year eight and so on. The NRL needs to recognise that total parity is not the answer. It is only part of the solution in keeping fans happy and involved. The game cannot afford to lose Greg Inglis and Karmichael Hunt and should put measures in place to ensure they are kept in rugby league. They are two super talents and need to be looked after. If this gives the Storm and Broncos an edge, so be it. The game would be the loser if they were to leave.

Greg Bird… I am lost for words. Grub does not begin to describe his actions. If Todd Carney was thrown out of the game for a year, Greg Bird should be tossed out for a long time. There is a very good chance, however, that the decision may stop well before it gets to the NRL with the court system likely to take a very dim view of the glassing of a woman and the attempted framing of his flatmate, if the allegations are found to be true.

NRL Senior Citizens XIII… 1.Hazem El Masri (32) 2.Wendell Sailor (34) 3.Nigel Vagana (33) 4.Matt Geyer (32) 5.Adam MacDougall (33) 6.Mat Rogers (32) 7.Brett Kimmorley (31) 8.Danny Nutley (34) 9.Simon Woolford (33) 10.Steve Price (34) 11. Ruben Wiki (35) 12.Logan Swann (33) 13.Steve Menzies (34)

The point of such an exercise is simple. Age is but a number and is no reflection of talent or use. The likes of Vagana, Swann and Woolford are washed up. Players like Menzies, Price and MacDougall have been outstanding this year. Players should not be assigned to the scrapheap just because they have reached the age of thirty. There are plenty who still have what it takes to play at the top level. Good clubs recognise this. Bad clubs do not.

Coaching Stocks…

Value	LW	Coach	Comment
5.0	5.0	Craig Bellamy	The Storm are playing with the ruthless precision of champion teams. Bellamy needs to be credited for that.
5.0	5.0	Neil Henry	With an injury ravaged team of no-names, Henry has the Raiders flying. Great comeback win over Souths
4.0	4.0	Wayne Bennett	Benny has Lockyer to thank for keeping the Broncos top four hopes alive. Broncos warming to something, however.
4.0	4.0	Brian Smith	The Knights won easy against the Cowboys in the end but they were scared after the break. A fringe side at best.
4.0	3.5	Des Hasler	Eagles back on track. Their win over the Tigers was full of resolve and showed Hasler has a grasp on team mentality.
3.5	3.5	Ricky Stuart	Good win over the Roosters but his defence of Greg Bird was limp and distasteful. Sharks are not contenders.
3.0	2.5	John Cartwright	The Titans may be the toughest team in the comp. Desperately unlucky not to get the points against the Broncos.
2.5	1.5	Nathan Brown	The Saints played with smarts and flair against the Warriors and it paid off. Brown's final year may be his finest.
2.0	3.0	Tim Sheens	Sheens is talking tough following another insipid defensive display. Great coach whose days may be numbered.
1.5	3.0	Ivan Cleary	One of the worst efforts of the season by the Warriors. Cleary's head must be ready to explode.
1.5	2.5	Brad Fittler	Letting 20 in against the Sharks is not a good sign. Fittler's honeymoon period is over. Needs to get the egos working.
1.0	1.5	Jason Tayler	Established a handy lead against an injury ravaged Raiders but threw it away. A team lacking confidence.
1.0	1.0	Michael Hagan	The Eels struggled to get over a decrepit Dogs team. They look likely to play finals footy but they will be done quickly.
0.0	0.5	Matt Elliott	Elliott is on the hot seat. The Panthers struggle to get tough and that could cost the coach his job.
-3.0	-2.5	Ian Millward	Another loss for the Cowboys after an abhorrent start. They are yearning for Neil Henry.
-3.0	-3.5	Steve Folkes	The Dogs lost and were at times hopelessly inept but they had a dig for the first time in a while and that counts for lots.

 

The Colin Best Express Fan Revue… Most rugby league fans are eagerly awaiting the brand new DVD featuring Colin Best’s thirteen tries this season. It will make a wonderful Christmas present. Best only increased the value of the production with another sensational solo effort over the weekend against the Roosters, a brilliant display of speed, guile and footwork. The Colin Best Express was at full speed and anyone in his path was bound to look foolish. CBE will take the Raiders deep into September and probably collect the centre of the year award. Expect the DVD “The Colin Best Express: Choo Chooing To The Chalk” to retail for approximately $99.95 a pop.

Round Twenty-Four in 2002… Bulldogs legend Steve Mortimer met with angry Bulldogs fans at the southern end of Bruce Stadium as livid Bulldogs fans prepared to vent their anger after being criminally deducted 37 premiership points by the NRL during the week. The Bulldogs fans, after enduring taunting from Brett Finch and stalling from Clinton Schifcofske, hurled plenty of abuse and some rubbish but were generally well behaved, despite going down to the Raiders 38-34 in a match that saw both teams score six tries. A footnote to the match was that your excitable author graced the cover of “League Week” that week, hurling profanity at someone or other. In a preview of the alleged Grand Final, the Roosters smashed the Warriors 44-0 with the slowest winger in rugby league history, Todd Byrne, scoring two tries. David Peachey scored a hat-trick in the Sharks 36-14 win over the Cowboys. John Morris and Andrew Johns both scored doubles in Newcastle’s 40-10 win over Brisbane. The Wests Tigers upset Melbourne 26-16 at Leichhardt Oval.

Game of the Year Nomination, Round 24… Brisbane-Gold Coast, 25-21. This game was a real bell-ringer that was a brilliant advertisement for the code and a wonderful example of Darren Lockyer’s brilliance and courage. Lockyer, seriously ill, was lucky to even make it on the field. He turned out to be the match-winner for the Broncos, once again rescuing Brisbane from the jaws of defeat. The Broncos got off to a flying start but the plucky Titans took the ascendancy and appeared to have the game in their grasp at the break, leading 14-4. Step in Darren Lockyer, who led the Broncos to a late lead, most notably with a 77th minute field goal. After Scott Prince tied the game up in the final minutes, Lockyer again stepped up in extra-time, sending the ball wide when looking to attempt a game winning field goal, in the process setting up the winning try. Lockyer was simply amazing. His brilliance should never be taken for granted. He is a rare beast.

Great Canterbury Outside Back of Yesteryear… Daryl Halligan. The Chook was one of Canterbury’s finest servants, a game-winning goalkicker and a rock solid winger with a taste for tries. Halligan’s impact on the Bulldogs was immediate. In his first season, Halligan kicked the winning field goal against the Canberra Raiders in the major semi-final to send the Bulldogs to the big dance. He was just as brilliant in 1995, his goal-kicking playing a crucial role throughout the semi-final series. It was 1998, however, that was the real making of Halligan, the year that Halligan stepped above his peers to be titled the greatest goal kicker ever. Halligan, who at one stage landed thirty consecutive goals to break Mick Cronin’s record, landed two crucial sideline kicks in Canterbury’s dramatic comeback against Parramatta in their elimination final. The best was a kick from the widest point on the ground to tie the scores up and send the game to extra-time. Halligan retired after the disappointing 2000 season with a first grade tally of 2.034 points, 1.490 in the blue and white. Halligan was a star and will always be worshipped out Belmore way.

Fantasy Players of the Week… Preston Campbell, Brett Stewart, Terry Campese, Jarrod Mullen, Joel Monaghan, Jason Ryles, Mark Gasnier, Matt Orford, John Sutton, Adrian Purtell, Glenn Stewart, Kurt Gidley, Matt Cooper, Josh Morris, Greg Inglis.

Surprise Fantasy Players of the Week… Sam Rapira, Glenn Hall, Dane Laurie, Matt Ballin, Luke O’Donnell, Benji Marshall, Joel Moon, Nathan Smith, Taulima Tautai, Fraser Anderson.

Rebecca Wilson-Danny Wiedler, Postscript IV… Word has spread that Wiedler has been blackballed by the NRL fraternity after his recent promotional behaviour for rugby union and the Mundine cult. While this will never be made official, it does appear to be the case. By all reports Wiedler’s gossip column was little more than a rugby promotional piece. His only NRL source is now playing French rugby and no other player, coach, club official or administrator will speak to him. It is the wisest decision rugby league types have made in a long time.

And One Final Thought… Nothing irritated me more over the weekend than the ridiculous reviews dished out to the grand new movie Pineapple Express. Attempting to grade the movie in the context of regular movies is pretentious and insulting. The makers of the film did not hide behind the fact the movie was intended purely for stoners. On that front, the film was a rampaging success. One need only witness the constant string of giggles and snickers that emanated from fog-covered movie theaters across the country when the reel was set spinning. Movie critics are pretentious gits who just don’t get it. Take their advice at your peril.