From The Couch: Round 3
From The Couch: Round 3
St Peter, The Magician: There is not enough room in this column nor is there enough hours in the day to pay the due deserved to Peter V’landys. Arguably the greatest Rugby League administrator ever and he has been in the gig less than six months. In that time he has dealt with arguably one of the biggest crises to face not only the sport but the world but has brought the game back quicker than any contact sport and nearly before all other sports in the world. In that time he has shown the leadership and vision few administrators possess to have the strength of character and drive to succeed. It has been unknown to Rugby League to not take the easy option and worry about optics and public opinion and consensus before moving forward. He could not tolerate the ineptitude of Todd Greenberg and moved on him. He has since completely reformed the game. Every Rugby League fan owes him their eternal gratitude. He has done more for the Greatest Game of All than nearly anyone.
The Game Has Been Revolutionised: If there is one action that I may have questioned V’landys on during the offseason it was the decision to revert to a single referee and introduce the new six-again rule. As one would expect, I was wrong and St Peter was correct. The game’s tempo has increased plenty and it has really cleaned the game up. Teams have already generally fallen into line. We are only one week in but the rule looks a winner, as does the return to one referee. The game has notably more flow and the referee seems to be able to offer consistency and control. I will never doubt the Great Man again.
TV Deal Done … Kind Of: In yet another miracle, PVL has locked down a new TV deal, at least on the Pay TV side of things. Fox Sports are locked in until 2027. Nine are yet to extend beyond 2022 but that means little right now for footy fans. There will always be a free-to-air partner ready to come on. What is most important is that we will never have to know about it because Fox Sports has maintained its right to broadcast all games. That is a huge win for Rugby League fans as the difference in broadcast quality is immense and unlikely to be bridged anytime soon.
Raiders The Real Deal: Canberra were among the prime premiership contenders coming into the season and did no damage to that reputation in the first two rounds. They really marked their credentials though with a blistering win against the Storm in Melbourne. No team has handled their business in Melbourne more impressively in the Bellamy Era and no team has hammered the Storm so badly off such a long break. The new rules suit the Raiders’ style and it will play right into the hands of smart hookers like Josh Hodgson.
Seibold is a Clown: It is well known in Rugby League circles that Anthony Seibold fancies himself as the most intelligent person in the room. That position is hard to justify though given how unprepared Brisbane were for the rule changes heading into Thursday night. Seibold then took a position on an island all by how own by slamming the new rules and blaming the Broncos’ loss not on their own inability to tackle or catch but on a short 10 metres. There is absolutely no chance he sees out his five-year deal in Brisbane.
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2020 Field Goal Update – 2: There was not a single field goal across the return round though Blake Green attempted one in the first half of the Warriors-Dragons game while Matt Burton, Tex Hoy and Kurt Mann missed a plethora.
Fun Fact #1: The NRL is being shown around the world and into America … in case you haven’t heard.
Fun Fact #2: Paul McGregor has coached the Dragons to three finals wins.
Fun Fact #3: The New Zealand Warriors became the first team in premiership history to complete their first 40 sets.
Betting Market of the Week: The next honour afforded Peter V’landys.
$2.00: Sainthood
$2.75: Knighthood
$4.50: The Prime Ministership
$1.40: Moving the Melbourne Cup
Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: It is hard to go past Paul McGregor persisting with the Ben Hunt-Corey Norman combination with 10 weeks to prepare for this. No rookie would have had a better opportunity to be ready for the clash with the Warriors but McGregor stuck with a halves pairing that don’t play well together and don’t appear capable of understanding a very simple game plan. It is hard to believe a team would be so ill-prepared after such a long break.
The Coaching Crosshairs: Paul McGregor should never have been signed on as St George Illawarra’s coach six years ago. He certainly should not have even been considered for an extension last year. But here we are three games into said extension and the Dragons are winless and without any idea after losing 18-0 to the Warriors. It is being reported he has a month to save his job. He should be gone after the insipid display against the Warriors that should have had 10 weeks of planning in it. The Dragons would be in a significantly better position if they moved on from the most conservative and unimaginative coach in the game.
Beard Watch: It seems that NRL players en masse decided the best way to spend social isolation was to bring back the peroxide hair look. From Villiame Kikau to Dylan Brown and about a dozen players in between, the ridiculous look was all the rage during the return of Rugby League.
Watch It: Peter V’landys is more than a national hero. He is the leader for our time, a modern day messiah. Here he is 24 years ago on the verge of saving harness racing. Watch The Great Man here.