From The Couch: Round 13
Farewell Rabs: The voice of Rugby League is no longer. Ray ‘Rabbits’ Warren has called it a day after a stunning career in the Greatest Game of All that has seen him call 45 Grand Finals and 99 Origin matches among many more achievements. While we could argue long into the night his best call – you are wrong if you say anything other than “that’s not a try, that’s a miracle” but each to their own – his contribution to the game should never be forgotten. The game in Australia has existed for 115 seasons. Warren has called the biggest game in nearly 40% of those years and has called top level football for just under a half. He has not been the voice of a generation. He has been the voice of the biggest games for nearly everyone alive today. Warren, by the end of his career, was not the most accurate caller but he was unmatched in the gravitas he brought and the excitement he delivered. Rugby League is not a sport full of nice guys. Rabs was absolutely one, a gentleman to the end, beloved by the public and liked by everyone in the game. His legacy will last forever and a day.
Wrong Said Fred: Brad Fittler is absolutely the right coach for New South Wales. He is also absolutely the wrong coach for Canterbury and speculation that Phil Gould is working to bring him in is hopefully nothing more than a red herring. Let’s start off with why he will not work at the Bulldogs. Firstly, recycled coaches do not work. They almost never work. Ivan Cleary and John Lang are the only recycled coaches to win a premiership with a club this century that was not their first team. Both, however, had overachieved in bad situations. The same cannot be said for Fittler. Secondly, the Bulldogs do not need a Gus sycophant. Gould can absolutely contribute to building developmental systems but his casual relationship with the truth and loosening grip on what is required for success in first grade means he cannot have a significant role with the team. Thirdly, the Bulldogs are in desperate need of an experienced coach to give the side a hard edge. Fittler is many things but he is not regarded as a hard-nosed coach. Rep coaching is different to the weekly grind of the premiership. Fittler has found his niche and will hopefully stick with it.
A National Nightmare: Four games on a single weekend sans the best players is about as flat as one can get. The NRL needs to reintroduce club football and ensure those games are played on Origin impacted weekends. The number of games may be similar but at least the stakes will give a bump to an otherwise dreary weekend.
2022 Field Goal Update – 18: Only Matt Frawley had a stab over the shortened weekend and missed with an almighty shank.
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Fun Fact #1: Brad Fittler is 25-32-1 as an NRL head coach, last coaching a premiership game in 2009.
Fun Fact #2: The most common score since 2000 for a team to land on is 12, which has happened 704 times.
Fun Fact #3: There are three scores under 60 no team has landed on since 2000: 5, 55 and 57.
Betting Market of the Week: Corey Parker believes Warriors half Shaun Johnson is:
$1001: Trying his best and contributing to the Warriors
$1001: Adequately taking on the line and attracting defenders
$1001: Providing the Warriors with excellent value for money
$1.01: Is robbing the Warriors, wears a dinner suit on the paddock and has no interest in helping the Warriors win
Rumour Mill: There is strong speculation that Sonny Bill Williams and Khoder Nasser are behind Payne Haas’ disgraceful attempts to exit his Broncos contract early, claims Williams denies but given his long history in this area those denials are to be taken with a strong dose of Saxa. Semi Radradra has been linked with a move to The Dolphins. Desperate for halves, Canterbury are believed to have made enquiries into the availability of Kurt Falls. Cameron Ciraldo has knocked Canterbury back but is believed to be interested in the Tigers role.
The Coaching Crosshairs: Michael Maguire is expected to be sacked this week in what can only be considered classic Tigers fashion. The Tigers are going through some optics-driven mid-season review in order to pin this on Tim Sheens. The Tigers had a bye. If he is going to be sacked, he should have been sacked last week in order to give likely new interim coach Brett Kimmorley time to prepare. This Maguire fiasco has truly been a tale unique to Tigertown. He may not be the most astute coach but he is hardly the worst coach in the league and the chances of the Tigers finding someone better is highly unlikely.
Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: Mick Potter is just Canterbury’s interim coach and he will cap out at that if he continues to make idiotic decisions like playing Jake Averillo at fullback. It is incredibly sad how Averillo’s career has played out. He is a three-quarter, no more and no less, yet there seems to be this need to play him in a key position. Matt Dufty may have deserved to be dropped but it is pretty hard to make an argument that he isn’t the best option at the Bulldogs this year or at the very least, a better option than Averillo.
Watch It: Ray Warren has called time on his decorated career. This week we go back to 1980 where Rabs interviews “Miss Playmate” Rosemary Paul at the draw of the 1980 Tooth Cup Quarter Finals. It is hard to pick a highlight: Rabs’ jacket, his reference to the “Beauty Stakes”, asking a clearly disinterested Paul her thoughts on Norths’ showing the Wednesday prior, Rabs’ surprise at her like of western Sydney or the extended “barrel talk”. Watch it here.