From The Couch 2019: Finals Week 1
From The Couch 2019: Finals Week 1
The 2019 Season Awards: With the regular season done and dusted, here are the Making The Nut season awards.
Player of the Year: James Tedesco – All class and just continues to get better
Coach of the Year: Des Hasler – Took a team that were bottom four in talent to sixth spot
Rookie of the Year: Maika Sivo – Top tryscorer and now cult hero
Fullback of the Year: James Tedesco
Winger of the Year: Maika Sivo
Centre of the Year: Latrell Mitchell
Five-Eighth of the Year: Cameron Munster
Halfback of the Year: Daly Cherry-Evans
Lock of the Year: Cameron Murray
Second Rower of the Year: John Bateman
Prop of the Year: Josh Papalii
Hooker of the Year: Cameron Smith
Interchange Player of the Year: Manase Fainu
Two More Bite The Dust: Another two teams have exited the premiership. Here is how their 2019s should be viewed.
BRISBANE (8th): There is almost no argument that 2019 was the worst year in the Broncos’ 30-plus season history. It was an embarrassing effort for a team that arrogantly moved on the greatest coach in the game’s history. Brisbane entered the season among the favourites for the title on the back of some exciting young forwards. They exited in humiliating fashion on Sunday and that was a week longer than they deserved to play this year. New coach Anthony Seibold has not resonated at all. Darius Boyd and Anthony Milford have been exposed dreadfully and the Broncos have perhaps the worst spine in the comp. The lack of effort at times was stunning. Brisbane are in a lot of strife going forward.
Best Player: Payne Haas
Discovery: Kotoni Staggs
Most Disappointing: Darius Boyd, Anthony Milford, Andrew McCullough, Jack Bird
CRONULLA (7th): The Sharks just couldn’t get going. While they played to their market position, they were fairly disappointing when it mattered. Particularly disappointing was big-name recruit Shaun Johnson, who was the better part of horrific for most of the year and saved his worst for last. The Sharks could play anyone on their day but when they were off, they were there to be beaten by anyone. The pack has the core there to go forward but there are some major question marks over a backline that costs plenty but delivers little.
Best Player: Andrew Fifita
Discovery: Briton Nikora, Bronson Xerri
Most Disappointing: Shaun Johnson, Matt Moylan, Josh Dugan
Process Concerns Blow Up on NRL: The NRL were left red-faced and embarrassed on Saturday night when two unfortunate incidents exposed vulnerabilities in NRL processes. The first occurred when Joey Leilua was left unable to start the game after a firework exploded in his eye as he was running onto the paddock. The Raiders were allowed a free interchange to get a 13th starter into the game but the league had no provision to allow him on as a free interchange when he got right. The second came at the death with the critical touch judge error. The astounding part there was not the error – it was a matter of centimetres – but that The Bunker could not inform the referee that an error had been made. The Bunker has become pervasive in all areas so it was astonishing that they could not rule on such a clear error.
2019 Field Goal Update – 37: No field goals were added across the first weekend of the finals.
Fun Fact #1: James Maloney led the NRL in missed tackles this year with 122 along with penalties conceded with 26.
Fun Fact #2: Josh Dugan led the NRL in errors this season with 38.
Fun Fact #3: James Fisher-Harris led the NRL in decoy runs this year 305, 83 more than second placed Dale Finucane.
Betting Market of the Week: After setting a firework off in the eye of Joey Leilua last week, Melbourne’s next dirty tactic will be:
$4.00: Powder in the shorts, Mr Fuji style
$2.50: Brass knuckles
$1.70: Pumping Braith Anasta commentary on loop through the visiting team’s dressing room
Rumour Mill: Speculation is rife that Graham Annesley was forced to step in with the refereeing appointments this week to ensure Matt Cecchin was selected as a lead referee after he was overlooked by nemesis Bernard Sutton. Titans winger Phillip Sami is expected to sign with the Wests Tigers. Ryan Matterson is tipped to leave the Tigers though after falling out with Michael Maguire. Jordan Rapana has been linked with a move to Japanese rugby. Matt Prior has been linked with a move to Canterbury.
Random Fact of Rugby League Stupidity: Brisbane are the only team to lose a final by 50-plus points. They lost 58-0 to Parramatta.
Game of the Year Nomination, Finals Week 1: Melbourne – Canberra, 10 – 12. Games don’t come packed with much more drama, starting with Joey Leilua getting hit in the eye with a firework while running out and ending with a controversial decision from a touch judge, capped by a stunning Raiders win. The match was incredible.
Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: Wayne Bennett doesn’t pull the wrong rein very often but he admitted he did on Friday night when he switched Alex Johnston to fullback and played Adam Doueihi on a wing. It didn’t work with the inexperienced flanker exposed plenty of times.
The Coaching Crosshairs: St George Illawarra have undertaken a review of the football department with it likely to end in Paul McGregor’s demise. Phil Gould is the man appointed to undertake the review. McGregor has struggled this year in the face of plenty of challenges but more concerning is the general mediocrity the team has put out in his reign. Craig Fitzgibbon and Jason Ryles would be favoured if a move against McGregor was made but the club needs a hard-nosed veteran with Anthony Griffin or Geoff Toovey appealing.
Beard Watch: Josh Addo-Carr’s career has taken a dramatic downturn since trimming his beard and attempting to look like a model citizen. He has been run down by Phillip Sami and then spilled the simple hitup that cost the Storm a home preliminary final. Bring back the beard, Fox!
Correspondence Corner: Scotty, one played the game and the other didn’t.
Knight Vision, I miss the biff so much too.
Davey G, Tina holds our hearts and we can never change that.
CTPE, the outside back who played one NRL game.
Darren, Lachlan Lewis and Josh Jackson should be Bulldogs for life. Let’s just have a team of double bungers too. Get in Tom Trboejvic, Cooper Cronk and John Jateman.
Scotty, crazy like a fox.
Watch It: The internet, at times, can be a wonderful place. So it was today when in pursuit of looking for highlights of Steve Mavin’s finals shocker, I came across a 56 second piece devoted solely to Steve Mavin dives. Watch it here.
I’d have Arthur as Coach of the Year over Hasler. Took a team that finished below Many in 2018 to ahead of them in 2019. Hasler did it with DCE and the Trbojevic brothers. His spine has 3 current or former origin players. Marty Tapau is one of the best props in the game. Arthur had an Origin winger, and a spine consisting of Mitchell Moses, a 19yo and a 21yo, and Kane Evans at prop.
Fun Fact #4 – Brisbane Broncos have been outscored 136-18 their last three Finals games
Disagree. Outside those players Hasler has had nobody. Reserve grade players who he turned into serviceable players. They have massive salary cap restrictions and Tommy only played half a year.
The Eels may have finished below them last year but it was a disaster. Many had them tipped in the top 4 last year and they had a horrid year, Arthur was very lucky to keep his job. Eels have a far better roster, they mightn’t have star power or origin players but that roster plus a new stadium should be a fringe finals team minimum.
Despite all of that, Craig Bellamy should have been coach of the year. Easy
As much as I thoroughly enjoyed Parramatta’s win (as an Eels fan living in Brisbane), I fully understand the psychological edge the Storm hold over the blue and gold.so haven’t been able to get excited about the upcoming weekend. I think if the Eels take the same mindset (ie attack attack attack) into this weekend’s game, they will give themselves a chance but the Storm are the kings of dominating the ruck and deciding at what pace the game will be played. See how they go I guess, I daresay not many would be too upset to see the Storm backdoor.
And regarding Darius – while the coin he is on is not usual for a winger, it was as a winger he achieved plenty for Qld so if he is going to stick around, why not play him on the wing? May as well get Oates into the pack, they couldn’t do any worse, and that gives them an extra back rower to let go (Hot and Cold Pangai, or Ofahenguae) to then free some coin up for a half (Brodie Croft maybe?)
Cmon nick bit more than that male? female?something?that first tidbit is something buzz rothfield would trot out Bennett and seibold don’t like each other see it’s not that hard or illegal cmon more hints at least lol
From the Couch is my journalistic highlight each week. It’s great reading through the eyes of a true fan. Sadly this week you have missed the mark on Hasler as coach of the year. I’m sick of hearing how bad the Manly team was. This is wrong. The point should be how badly they were coached last year. Front row is as good as anything in the comp. solid toilers in the 2nd row. Best lock in the game. Qld Captain at halfback. Origin 5/8th. Cheap backline and if it wasn’t for Tedesco, we’d be talking up Turbo as the best FB in the game.
Manly had a top 8 team on talent. Barrett coaches them so bad they came bottom 4. Des coached them well and they met expectations. This does not make him coach of the year.
It only highlights how bad Barrett was.
I’ve never heard a commentator more traumatised by referees than Braith Anasta. Clearly this is a long standing trigger for him but wow it is irritating to listen to