From The Couch: Round 25
Jason Taylor Didn’t Think This Through: Jason Taylor has clearly exposed his own failings as a coach by his decision – and that of the total morons running the Wests Tigers – to call out Robbie Farah in the most humiliating way possible. Taylor’s blinkers showed he is no tactician. He is no thinker. He is just a battling coach trying to save himself and stitching himself up in the process. If he doesn’t think Robbie Farah will happily play his bottle off in reserve grade to get Taylor fired next year, he doesn’t know his own player. Farah has already won the PR battle and is going to win the long-term battle with Taylor no hope of surviving next year. Hoisted by his own petard …
Get Stuffed Rupert: Rupert Murdoch showed himself for the total grub he is by calling AFL his favourite sport. Wrong. He couldn’t name the difference between a Demon and a drop punt. He loves his league. So does his son. And he needs it. So buckle up Rupert, get the sand out of your panties, and start loving the game that deep down you adore. And get your attack dogs off … Paul Crawley’s embarrassing stitch-up of Paul Gallen and naturally, all that Phil Rothfield writes, is humiliating.
Congratulations, Me: My beloved Geurie Greens – the fantasy team of the stars – completed their 10th season with a fourth premiership and the most dominant showing ever in an FFL Grand Final. To do it against great foe Rohan Kendall made it even more special. To quote the incomparable Journey: “Don’t stop believin’ … hold onto that feelin’”.
Fun Fact #1: Jason Taylor never won a premiership as a player and has not as a coach. Jason Taylor never won a premiership as a player and has not as a coach.
2015 Field Goal Count – 36: We have enjoyed four field goals since we last got together and none gave me more pleasure than Anthony Milford’s totally meaningless field goal in Brisbane’s 47-12 win over Souths. Milford took the one at 46-12.
Rumour Mill: Justin Morgan will be the next coach of the Newcastle Knights despite reports that Nathan Brown is the favourite for the job. Melbourne have been sniffing around for a new assistant and it is believed Morgan will be offered the job when the Storm’s season ends. Reports suggesting Michael Maguire may head north are well off the mark. Justin Carney is set to return to the NRL after what is believed to be some untoward behaviour in England. Robbie Farah will not end up at Souths next year with his most likely destination being Newcastle. Willie Mason will be playing for Cronulla next year. He has little love for Trent Barrett so is unlikely to remain with the Sea Eagles.
Betting Market of the Week: Robbie Farah’s next destination will be:
$11.00: A Super League club
$3.50: Another Sydney team
$3.00: A non-Sydney team
$1.20: The grave of Jason Taylor’s coaching career
Manly Collapse Update: The Sea Eagles showed all the respect in the world for their outgoing coach by losing Geoff Toovey’s final home game at Brookvale 46-16. It was an embarrassing farewell for a coach who deserved a better goodbye. The Sea Eagles were box-seating for a finals berth two weeks back but are now all but done. The treatment of Geoff Toovey should shame everyone at the Sea Eagles.
What I Like About … Jack Wighton’s Tackle on Jamie Soward: For starters, it was one of the greatest tackles I’ve ever seen. It was an absolute bell ringer and amazingly in this age of sanctimony and kid gloves, it was ruled legal and correctly so. Wighton laid out Soward and boy … did he lay him out.
The Coaching Crosshairs: It is hard to make any kind of case that Andrew McFadden should be coaching New Zealand next season. The Warriors have been hit reasonably hard by injury but their lack of effort over the last few weeks has bordered on disgusting. They have conceded 50 points two weeks straight and have lost by 34-plus in three of their last four weeks. It is a shocking sign of a club’s culture that when their season is done they simply throw in the towel. It doesn’t matter that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck or Issac Luke is heading across next season because if the culture of the joint is rotten they will be brought down to their level. New Zealand need to find a tough coach and fast if they are to ever reach their potential.
Referee Power Rankings: He might be the worst referee in the NRL but Henry Perenara is – totally unintentionally – the funniest referee in the NRL. Three times he questioned the validity of David Simmons’ elevation to captain in Monday Night Football. “You say you are the captain …”
- Adam Devcich (1)
- Matt Cecchin (2)
- Ben Cummins (3)
- Gerard Sutton (5)
- Ashley Klein (8)
- Gavin Reynolds (n/a)
- Jared Maxwell (7)
- Henry Perenara (n/a)
Game of the Year Nomination, Rounds 23-25: The best games of the last three rounds:
Round 23: Canberra v Manly, 26-28
Round 24: Sydney Roosters v Brisbane, 12-10
Round 25: Parramatta v Cronulla, 28-35
Ricky Stuart Stat of the Week: Canberra managed the fewest home wins of any team in the premiership this year with just three victories.
Beard Watch: When it comes to mascots there is only one beard that matters and that belongs to Canberra’s very own Victor The Vikings. It has filtered down through the Raiders with the likes of Blake Austin, Ed Lee, Sisa Waqa, Kurt Baptiste and Jarrod Kennedy, among others, sporting facial hair. What leadership from Victor.
Watch It: It is hard to miss the Ben Pomeroy “brain explosion” when he was sent off for the second time in two games after launching a German suplex on a Cas opponent. Don’t say that you weren’t given an inside run into Ben Pomeroy’s total lack of football IQ on these very pages a decade ago. He copped six weeks for it and yet amazingly looked stunned when he was marched. Watch it here.
Tags: From The Couch
Howdy, Me again
Speaking of coaches and failings I actually thought Taylor has handled things well considering the media pressure. The coach and club Board need to be on the same page and I think what’s going on here is a bit of a power struggle. I think Taylor should win…he needs to win if the players are ignoring game plans/coaches direction. I actually rate Taylor a better coach than Toovey. Any coach that can take the 2007 Rabbitohs to their first finals appearance since 1989 deserves some kudos. People have feelings or feelings have people and Tooves certainly comes under the latter. I like a bit of outwardly emotion but Tooves tends to be consumed by it. Hard to tell if it was an act but the incessant whining didn’t come across as someone who is in control… look at Robbo or Madge as a shining example of keeping it plain in public. Save the invectives through the proper professional channels. As a fan of Post Game Match Conference videos Tooves came across as emotionally immature and lacking in self awareness. Glad he’s gone…the appeals to sympathy isn’t in accord with to being a top coach IMHO and it put me off with embarrassment for the Manly team. Yes, as a Souths fan, that Milford field goal hurt a bit more than the score line. It made me SOOOO MAD with RAGE I went and made a placard.
Cheers
totally agree …the culprit here is Sam Ayoub , he couldnt offload the farasite , and knew that the longer he left it the worse position it left the M A G P I E S (they will not dump taylor as they have the majority board members ) Ashfield has the cash . Daley the origin fool has declared him hooker next year ….he played on the wkend as well as my grandmother could against a pathetic team ….his best game in 5yrs ….wow ….
Don’t put the blame squarely on Taylor. Farah knew about this months ago. The club and his manager had worked hard to secure alternatives for him, including another 12 months at the Tigers before ESL, and another seeing out his contract at the Dragons. But Farah thought he had the power at the club, and tried to play the game. He lost.
Just a bit of karma for Farah.