Season 2008: Round 12

From The Couch

Rock Around The Clock…Well, Almost All The Way…Many thought the Phantom Siren had returned to ANZ Stadium when half-time was called for prematurely to the tune of 55 seconds. But perhaps not even the Phantom was so audacious as to go off so early. South Sydney had just received a penalty and, thinking they had a full set ahead of them, took a centering hit on the first. As the play-the-ball was completed, the siren blared catching everyone off guard, forcing South Sydney into an easily extinguished cross field kick. Players protested, Jason Taylor blew up and the NRL has admitted to a timekeeping error but nothing will give South Sydney back their rightful last set. In professional sports, such an error should never be made. The official responsible needs to be held accountable and NRL officials must change the rules to allow such gross acts of incompetence to be easily rectified. A simple review of the tape from the video referee would have seen Souths able to continue the set.

Tacklin’ With A Wrecked Back…Robbie Farah was simply outstanding on Monday Night Football, making a remarkable 61 tackles against the Roosters. Throw in a try and the direction he gave the Tigers and you have a brilliant performance from a brilliant player who only weeks ago was out with a potentially serious back injury. Farah is a thinker, he is a workhorse and he is a creator. He is as valuable as any player in the competition.

Send Off #1…Adam Cuthbertson. The promising Manly backrower was flying after a Manly dropout when lithe Canberra prop Troy Thompson attempted to slide past him. The result was a clothesline around the jaw that left Thompson down for the count. The Canberra crowd immediately rose and demanded referee Hampstead dismiss Cuthbertson forthwith. After receiving a report from his touch judge, Hampstead pointed to the sheds and sent Cuthbertson on his way. The decision was justified and the Manly up-and-comer with the hard run and the soft hands will spend a good deal of time on the sidelines. A month would not be out of the question for such a reckless high shot on such a high impact play where both players had gathered considerable speed.

Send Off #2…Luke O’Donnell. Luke O’Donnell is in a bob-of-the-head tussle with Paul Gallen in the race to claim the title of Cheapest Thug in the NRL. O’Donnell, a player also well in contention to claim a double with betting on the Dumbest Player award having O’Donnell behind only Jason Ryles, hit the front after being sent off for raising an elbow to the throat of Panther Luke Lewis, who before having his Adam’s Apple rattled, was attempting to make a tackle. This followed two similar incidents in the same match where O’Donnell had raised his elbow to the throat or face of an opponent attempting to make a tackle. O’Donnell then stood there shocked when debutant referee Alan Shortall sent him from the field before abusing the touch judge who made the report. He has since cried foul in the media, offering no remorse. O’Donnell has already served one long spell for thuggery. He deserves another one.

And Another Thought on the Send Off…It was a grand weekend for the send off and reminded many fans of days long gone when send off were a weekly occurrence. Over the last decade the referees have tended to take the soft option and put players who commit cheap acts of thuggery on report. This has no doubt been a legacy of the misguided media campaign against send offs with many pundits slamming referees for following the practice, bemoaning “the damaged spectacle” and calling for absurd rule changes such as replacing the sent off player. Both Hampstead and Shortall should be applauded for taking the action they did and referees should not be afraid to wave someone off if they deem it necessary.

Shannon Hegarty…One try, three errors, two line-breaks. [Shaking fist and in the best Colonel Klink voice] HEGARTY!

Coaching Stocks…

Value	LW	Coach	Comment
5	5	Craig Bellamy	The Storm were unstoppable against the Dogs even without Chambers.
4.5	4.5	Brad Fittler	Has the Roosters at the top of the table. The Roosters are tough and that will take them along way.
4.5	4.5	Wayne Bennett	Brisbane continue to look brilliant with Lockyer. Bennett is doing a terrific job in his last season at Brisbane.
4	4	Tim Sheens	The Tigers played silly under the conditions and Sheens was furious. Needs to get them playing straighter.
4	4	Ricky Stuart	The Sharks looked shaky but for once they managed to pile on points to win the game. Perhaps on the up?
3.5	4	John Cartwright	Away form continues to hamper the Titans. Cartwright needs to get Titans firing on the road.
3.5	3.5	Des Hasler	The Eagles were tough in winning with only 12 men. Hasler has them ticking over nicely.
3	3.5	Brian Smith	Warriors loss was a shocker and one the knights couldn't afford. A team at the crossroads.
3	2.5	Michael Hagan	The Eels played their best football of the season against Bris. Still lost. The turnaround isn't far away.
2.5	2	Matt Elliott	The Panthers are flying after a shocking start. Elliott has them freed up with Lewis at HB.
2	1.5	Ivan Cleary	A big road win against Newcastle that will boost confidence. A fit Price will be a big help in coming weeks.
1.5	1	Nathan Brown	Ran home over the top of a hapless Souths. The pack looked more dangerous and they are on a roll.
1	1.5	Steve Folkes	The Storm loss was one of the most horrifying of recent times for Dogs fans. An injury ravaged team.
1	*******	Ian Millward	The Cowboys showed some much needed fight against Penrith. Unlucky in the end. May be hitting form.
0.5	1.5	Neil Henry	The Raiders played without intelligence against a 12 man Manly. Henry had a poor game plan.
0	0	Jason Taylor	Simply pathetic again. Taylor is on borrowed time.

 

The Colin Best Express Fan Revue…The Colin Best Express must surely be in contention for an Origin spot after Jarryd Hayne gets sidelined for his vicious throw on Tonie Carroll. CBE has been in scintillating form for the Raiders with a beautiful Daryl Halligan like try on Friday night. He could be New South Wales’s answer to Adam Mogg. Pull your finger out McCarthy and give CBE a run.

Round Twelve in 1997 (Super League)…Scenes were wild at Belmore Sports Ground when a brawl involving over 2000 people marred a controversial Penrith victory over Canterbury. The Panthers took the game 28-20 with Ryan Girdler scoring 14 points in the highly explosive affair. The Hunter Mariners recorded one of the upsets of the season, rolling eventual premiers Brisbane 24-6 on the back of doubles from Nick Zisti and Keith Beauchamp. Andrew Ettingshausen scored twice in the Sharks comfortable 24-10 win over the Cowboys. Canberra piled on 34 points in a road victory against Adelaide. The Western Reds beat Auckland 24-12 in a match that held little interest in rugby league heartland.

Game of the Year Nomination, Round 12…Brisbane-Parramatta, 30-26. This Friday night clash was an absolute classic that had all the twists and turns and storylines one would expect from a truly outstanding match. Darren Lockyer was simply outstanding in his return and his role in the matchwinner showed why he remains one of the best players in the game. There was plenty of oomph in the match with Origin players Justin Hodges and Jarryd Hayne likely to be suspended. Tries were plentiful with Denan Kemp bagging four of the eleven scored. Both teams fought and gained an ascendancy but no team could hammer out a victory until after the siren. A truly memorable match that should be watched over and over again if you get your kicks out of exciting rugby league.

Great Canterbury Backrower of Yesteryear…Bradley Clyde. Clyde only played thirty-six games for the Dogs over two seasons at the turn of the century after a long and storied career at Canberra but he is fondly remembered for his work ethic that was still as admirable as ever at the dusk of his career. He was an iron horse and was rightly named as one of the 100 Greatest Players of the Century. He currently works as the Bulldogs Football Manager.

Fantasy Players of the Week…Cameron Smith, Joel Monaghan, Ben Creagh, Robbie Farah, Greg Bird, Karmichael Hunt, Cooper Cronk, Matt Orford, Danny Buderus, Feleti Mateo, Todd Carney, Anthony Watmough, Mark Minichiello.

Surprise Fantasy Players of the Week…Jeremy Smith, Denan Kemp, Ben Pomeroy, Adam MacDougall, Steve Menzies, Chad Robinson, Luke Covell, David Kidwell, Michael Crocker, Michael Jennings.

Rebecca Wilson-Danny Wiedler, Scorecard…Wilson was forced to issue an apology to player manager Gavin Orr after Wilson had written that Gavin Orr was involved in a failed real estate deal with Sonny Bill Williams. It is always highly fulfilling to see such a cheap gossipmonger on her knees, red-faced and moist-eyed, begging forgiveness and pleading for mercy. Wiedler wins clearly. 10-6.

And One Final Thought…A number of bookmakers have cried foul over Greg Bird being awarded man of the match in Origin I. Bookies allege they have been stung by punters who bet Greg Bird with total confidence. Complaints were made to authorities and some bookmakers even refused to pay out. Most bookies believe Bird was far from the best player, citing the player’s poll that named Mark Gasnier the Blues best. The problem is simple. Bookies should know better than to let punters on for a great deal in these subjective specials and deserve everything they get if they decide to be reckless in the bets they accept. If bookmakers decide to bet such markets in the run, they deserve to be whipped like rabid pitbulls. Regardless, the NRL must take steps to provide credibility and transparency for their game statistics so bookmakers are able to bet with confidence on player specials. The first step is for the NRL to provide statistic compiling guidelines and make them public, advising on how stats are accounted. The second step is to rubber stamp the statistics in a more public way. Once this is done, the NRL will be able to present a more compelling case to bookmakers for the proposed betting fee. The result will be more money in the game and more betting options for rugby league bettors.