NRL Almanac – On the schoolyard periphery
Think back to your high school days for a moment. Almost every scenario involves dense layering of social popularity. You had the coolest group – inevitably home to the best-looking girls and the guys who were lucky enough to hook up with them. You had a second group who weren’t quite at the level, but always threatened the make the leap – the reserve grade of cool, if you will. In contrast, you had a pool of people who were the subject of regular taunting or ridicule – the people whom, often for no apparent reason, people loved to hate.
Finally, you had some kids who we far removed from the cool end of town but also safe from the worst of treatment that group could deliver. Chances are, if you weren’t one of these kids yourself, you’ve completely lost all memories of who they were or what they did. They rarely stood out, rarely became the centre of attention…. they were just there, and that’s it.
If the NRL fan base were a school class, Cowboys and Warriors fans would be the kids who were just there.
Their geographical positioning means they can’t feud with a cross-town nemesis, and their brief club histories haven’t developed to a depth where others can take a long-term stance against them. Unlike the Storm or Broncos, they haven’t had enough success (zero premierships and three Grand Final appearances combined) to attract bitter responses from opposing fans.
Others rarely acknowledge them, let alone hate them. This often leads to ‘rivalry round’ matches that always feel a touch contrived; as if two ships passing in the night were presented with an exaggerated subplot as to why they should plough full steam towards each other. At the other end of that spectrum, if they didn’t love themselves, no-one else would love them – much like the schoolkids who blended into the background. Or more to the point, schoolkids for whom geography and history were proving troublesome.
If you happen to be one of these kids on the schoolyard periphery, you have a couple of choices. You can stay ‘out of harm’s way’ and try to get through each day, week and month while making as few waves as possible. Or you can get on the front foot and try to make a statement – that you are relevant; that you will no longer be overlooked; that people need to sit up and take notice.
We saw both modes of operation on display at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night. The Warriors looked sluggish and disinterested, bordering on meek; the Cowboys looked like they had a top-four position and significant NRL relevance in 2012 still well and truly within their sights.
It was unsurprising then to see the home side racing the clock early on, chalking up a 22-0 lead after just 18 minutes. The visitors closed to 22-6 at the half time break and for a fleeting moment, threatened to launch a serious challenge. However, the Cowboys snuffed out any residual likelihood of this with two tries in the first seven minutes after the break and went right on with the job from there. Only a final minute try offered the smallest of consolations to the New Zealand faithful in what was a complete drubbing.
The Warriors now sit 13thon the ladder, their season beyond repair – once again, the NRL world will shuffle on to September without much thought given to their fate. However, the Cowboys are headed for the finals. They may never quite make it to the realm of the NRL ‘cool kids’, but an opportunity to shine with the entire schoolyard watching them is waiting.
NORTH QUEENSLAND 52 (Tries: Graham 3, Bowen, Winterstein, Linnett, Cooper, Tate, Payne Goals: Thurston 8/9)
NEW ZEALAND 12 (Tries: Tuimavave, Vatuvei Goals: Maloney 2/2)
Venue: Dairy Farmers Stadium
Crowd: 13,616
Votes: 3- Ashley Graham (NQ), 2- Matt Bowen (NQ), 1- Brent Tate (NQ)
Thanks to Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images AsiaPac for use of the photo
