From The Couch: Grand Final Review/Origin I Preview
From The Couch: Grand Final Review/Origin I Preview
Deserved Champions: The Melbourne Storm were the best team across the course of the 2020 NRL season and were deserving premiers despite some very dicey officiating making the result closer than it should have been. The Storm were the most consistent, most brilliant and most reliable team of 2020. They also did it playing outside of Melbourne for most of the year and did it with yet another sad and relentless media campaign against them at the business end of the season. This premiership was truly remarkable and most importantly for the Storm, looks to be the dawn of a new era, not the continuation of an old. If it was Cameron Smith’s farewell, it was a fitting end for a champion. And if it wasn’t it was another brilliant premiership for a club incredibly deserving.
A Grand Final Ruined: Officiating has once again been front and centre over the course of 2020 and unfortunately for the game it caused terrible embarrassment on the biggest and grandest of stages. Gerard Sutton had an appalling game, only topped by a complete embarrassment from Bunker lead Steve Chiddy. Sutton started on the wrong foot and never recovered, getting his first three referrals wrong. He then attempted to manage Penrith back into the game in a shameful manner. Cameron Smith didn’t get fined because he was completely right. None of Sutton’s antics though came close to Steve Chiddy’s monumental fuck-up when he awarded Brian To’o a try. Once again a video referee showed a fundamental lack of understanding for the rules. It was a clear and obvious shepherd. His decision to give To’o a try was bordering on criminal.
Canterbury’s Depravity and Desecration Knows No Bounds: When it appears as if the once-proud Canterbury Bulldogs have delved as low as they can go, they manage to plumb new depths of depravity and desecration. This time they have gone and burnt plenty of cash and more goodwill in signing a former rugby union coach with no history or understanding of Rugby League. The Bulldogs may as well have signed Alan Jones to make a comeback to the Greatest Game of All. This bloke may have done plenty in rugby union … which would be about as impressive as being a champion in cup stacking and as relevant as being the top ranked elf at the North Pole. He is a bloke from a foreign sport who is going to give the Bulldogs nothing. Well done to him for finding a mark and taking full advantage.
Bernard Sutton, It’s Time To Go: Bernard Sutton’s time as Rugby League boss is coming to an end. It will hopefully be followed by the departure of Graham Annesley. Sutton’s time in charge will be marked by a further decline in standards and nepotism that would have made Saddam Hussein blush. Hopefully this marks the end of the ostracisation of the best referee in the game, Matt Cecchin.
Origin I Preview: State of Origin in 2020 is weird. It is being played in November. The stands will be far from full. Team lists are strange.
The NSW team of Brad Fittler at least resembles something reasonably strong. Clint Gutherson was a strange selection in the centres but of the seven changes, Tom Trbojevic’s absence might be the only one that has been forced. Cody Walker’s return on the bench is outstanding while Junior Paulo is deserving at prop. Luke Keary makes his long awaited debut.
The Queensland team looks like either a good Queensland Cup team or a middling NRL team. Eight rookies have been called in including the hopeless Brenko Lee, wooden spoon winger Xavier Coates and Phillip Sami. There are some bright spots including debuts to Big Tino and AJ Brimson.
It is hard to see the Maroons really pushing the Blues. The reduced crowds will favour NSW more than Queensland and the talent disparity is immense.
2020 Field Goal Update – 18: 18 field goals in 24 weeks of Rugby League is a complete and utter disgrace.
Fun Fact #1: Brenko Lee now has more premierships than Nathan Hindmarsh and Andrew Ettingshausen combined.
Fun Fact #2: Mal Meninga and Mick Neill scored all of Queensland’s points in their last four matches played under the old interstate rules.
Fun Fact #3: Noel Pidding holds the record for most points in interstate football before Origin with 169 – six more than Les Johns.
Betting Market of the Week I: Do referees attempt to manage losing teams back into major games?
$67.00: No
$1.01: Yes
Betting Market of the Week II: The next place Canterbury will look for cultural improvement and astute mentoring:
$4.00: John Daly
$3.50: The Victorian ALP
$2.50: Goulburn Supermax
$1.15: Stilettos
Rumour Mill: Bevan French, who is currently Top 10 in the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award, is expected to return to Australia with Parramatta and Canterbury leading the way for his signature. Josh Addo-Carr will sign with the Bulldogs this week. James Roberts will leave Souths and will sign with another Sydney club with the Bulldogs, Tigers, Dragons and Sharks potential fits. Aiden Tolman has been linked to the Sharks. Jake Clifford is expected to shift to Newcastle with Benji Marshall to move to the Cowboys as Clifford’s replacement.
The Coaching Crosshairs: Quality Wakefield Trinity coach Chris Chester is believed to be under the gun despite being the most successful coach in nearly six decades. Factions in the club are running a campaign to oust him. Chester would be an outstanding hire as an assistant at an NRL club. Canterbury would be well served looking at bringing him in.
Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: Playing Tyrone May in the centres was total stupidity from Ivan Cleary. The Panthers got there with Brent Naden in the centres yet a panic move in the preliminary final saw Cleary go with half May in the centres in the two biggest games of the year.
Beard Watch: Beard distribution between the two teams is relatively even but it may be the one area the Maroons have a slight edge. Cameron Munster and Payne Haas lead the respective beards on each teams.
Watch It: State of Origin was built on one thing: hate. Fighting and blues have been synonymous with Origin. Origin started 40 years ago and here is the fight that kicked it all off. Watch it here.
I am enjoying the media reporting how upset the Tigers are with Freddy’s comments about how useless they are letting Papenheuzen go (plus the rest of the departed). If the Tges had common sense, they would prove Fittler and everyone else wrong through their actions but instead are allegedly requesting a “please explain”. I will gladly gibve them one – your recruitment plans and principles are atrocious. They let go Papenheuzen, Teddy, Aaron Woods, Andrew Fifita (pre-prime) and signed such roster enhancers as Joey Leilua (there’s a reason Ricky let him go, guys). I grew up in Campbelltown and the Maggies / Tiges are my “second” team, and would love to see them have a decent crack but until they solidify their spine and iron out the week to week inconsistencies, they will remain the perrenial nine-thers.
As a Brisbane resident, and a city-centre worker, I can confirm there is little to no buzz about the Origin in 2 days’ time up here. I don’t know if that means they are already the white flag (rightly so), or what is going on. I am very supportive in the young fresh team that Bennett has named – I recall NSW losing for 10 years in a row yet picking the same team pretty much during that period and wondering why the same thing was happening all the time. At least giving the potential future QLDers a run will give them that big stage experience for future years, even if they get pumped this year (which would be lovely).