Season 2008: Round 21

From The Couch

Judas Notes #1…The class of Judas Williams was no better exemplified than in his two word response to Steve Folkes’ text message chastising Judas for leaving, a message Williams subsequently leaked to the media. There is not an animal on the face of the earth- not the sewer rat, not the pig, not the ball-licking dog- that is as filthy or low as Judas Williams.

Judas Notes #2…The Bulldogs and the NRL have had their first legal victory against Judas Williams with the New South Wales Supreme Court giving permission for subpoenas to be issued to Judas Williams and his cult advisor Khodder Nasser via SMS and at their last known address. The NRL have also been successful in ensuring the injunction hearing against Williams will be heard before Williams’ supposed first game of rugby. Williams continues to plummet to even greater depths and with any luck he will never be able to step on Australian soil again without being arrested.

Judas Notes #3…David Gallop must not back down on his threat to ban Judas Williams for life. Publicly, Gallop weakened his stance this week, stating Williams would be welcomed back in the NRL if he flew back immediately without playing a game of rugby. Gallop’s public stance is most likely a result of legal advice. His actual position must remain firm, however. Judas Williams should never be allowed to play rugby league in Australia again. Ever.

Judas Notes #4…Following on from Judas Williams actions, NRL clubs must force players to sit IQ tests before signing them to contracts, similar to the Wonderlic Test NFL players are forced to sit when entering the league. It is quite apparent, to anybody who has done any reading on mental retardation, that Judas Williams would medically be considered retarded. That, of course, is no excuse for his behaviour. Clubs should, however, be aware of a player’s intelligence. IQ Tests should be mandatory before playing in the NRL. Clubs can then make a weighted and rational decision based on the results as to whether a player is worth having around the club or not.

Perhaps You Would Like To Insert This Somewhere?…Justin Hodges is a wonderful player, a centre with mind-boggling footwork and tremendous skill that has him ranked as one of the premier centres in the game. He has, however, got a significant problem with discipline and the judiciary must sideline him for his gesture towards referee Tony Archer in Sunday’s game with Canberra. Hodges gave the old clenched-fist-under-the-slapped-wrist, a time honoured gesture with a none-too-contentious meaning. It was a silly action but an action that needs to be penalised. As pathetic as the refereeing has been this season, order does need to be maintained.

Farewell, Arana Taumata…Todd Greenberg is stamping his authority out Belmore way and he has done so by getting heavy with the troublemakers who have disgraced the club for the better part of this decade. His most recent decision to tear up the contract of Arana Taumata after the halfback broke a man’s jaw in a fight was an entirely reasonable response. Taumata has since come out and slammed the club. Thankfully, few care as Taumata has a history of causing trouble with both the Broncos and Roosters previously firing the punk. Farewell, Arana. Have fun digging ditches or cleaning the prison showers. Bulldogs fans hope that Ben Roberts, Reni Maitua and Lee Te Maari aren’t far behind him.

Bitches…A few statistics from the Bulldogs game that should see a number of players told to get the hell out of Belmore. Reni Maitua played 72 minutes in a game where the Bulldogs had 47% of possession and made only 19 tackles and 71 metres, missing 4 tackles and conceding a penalty. Ben Roberts made 2 errors and conceded 2 penalties while missing 6 tackles. These two have no understanding of the meaning of ticker. They are both low on intelligence and should be fired from a catapult at high speed.

Coaching Stocks…

Value	LW	Coach	Comment
5	5	Craig Bellamy	The Storm are ruthless at the moment and remain the team to beat.
4.5	4.5	Des Hasler	The Eagles keep winning and playing good football. They are better than '08 and will be out to prove it on Friday.
4.5	4.5	Wayne Bennett	The Broncos are legitimate title contenders and are warming for a big September run.
4.5	4	Brian Smith	A big win against his former club in his 500th game was massive. The Knights are playing with confidence.
4	4	Brad Fittler	Almost lost to the Cowboys, which is a terrible sign. Fired the team up for the second half and they are still in the hunt.
4	3.5	Ricky Stuart	The Sharks are still playing unimpressive football but they are still winning. Credit needs to be given for that.
3.5	4	Neil Henry	The Raiders are playing attractive football but concentration lapses are a major concern.
3.5	3	Tim Sheens	Sheens will take little from their demolition of the Dogs but it was no doubt a confidence booster.
2.5	3	John Cartwright	The Titans are in free fall. They are wrecked by injury but they have still lost 90-8 over the last two weeks.
2	2.5	Matt Elliott	The Panthers may be in the eight but they are no legitimate finals contender. They are a long way off the pace.
1.5	2.5	Ivan Cleary	On the precipice of the finals, the Warriors lose to Souths. Again. No team fails when it counts as often as the Warriors.
1.5	2	Nathan Brown	Blown derby leads are not good for morale. The Dragons are at the crossroads in '08…need to win well soon.
1	0.5	Jason Taylor	Not the long term solution at Souths but at least Taylor can get them to win the odd game at the moment.
0	0.5	Michael Hagan	The Eels do not respond to Hagan's kind love and bitch when he fires up. He should get out before its too late.
-1.5	-0.5	Steve Folkes	The Bulldogs humiliations aren't solely Folkes' fault but he must take some responsibility for bringing in gutless fools.
-2	-1.5	Ian Millward	Another week, another loss, another nail in the coffin of Millward's coaching career.

The Colin Best Express Fan Revue…

Presenting, the most sought after item on Ebay…what a beautiful man…

 

Round Twenty-One in 1989…One of the great rarities of modern day rugby league occurred on this wonderful weekend nearly twenty years ago when crafty North Sydney halfback Clayton Friend opened the scoring with a field goal, putting the Bears up 1-0 over Newcastle. The Knights went on to win the clash 14-1. It is only the second time in the last twenty seasons where a team has scored one point and one point only in a match. The Gold Coast upset Cronulla 8-4 on Friday Night Football with Mark Gee scoring the only try of the match. Eventual minor premiers Souths also won 8-4, defeating St.George on the back of a Mark Ellison try. Manly and Balmain fought out a 10-10 draw at Brookvale Oval in a bruising encounter. Brendan Hall scored a hat-trick in the Roosters 34-2 win over the hapless Bulldogs. Greg Alexander scored a double and Neil Baker kicked a field goal as the Panthers piled on 37 points, allowing zero in the process, in a big win over Wests at Campbelltown.

Game of the Year Nomination, Round 21…Cronulla-St.George-Illawarra, 13-12. This was a classic game, a defensive encounter interspersed with moments of great attacking brilliance and intense drama. Jamie Soward was sparkling for the Dragons, laying on the first try with a deft chip-kick from a scrum before having a hand in the second Dragons special. The Sharks came back, however, fighting with grit and grunt as they have all season. In the end, the clock just would not run out for the Dragons, who blew a 12-0 lead. Brett Kimmorley, with poise, slotted the winner for the Sharks in the 79th minute and the Sharks once more had claimed the points in the dying minutes.

Great Canterbury Prop of Yesteryear…Mitch Newton. The big, lumbering giant of a prop spent twelve seasons at Canterbury, oscillating between first grade and reserve grade for much of his career. He was Jarrad Hickey, in a greater era. From 1990 through to 1998, Newton played 106 first grade matches with 52 of those coming off the bench. His finest year was 1995, where Mitch scored two of his three career tries and played off the bench in the GREATEST GRAND FINAL OF ALL TIME. By 1998, Newton was a regular in reserve grade, playing in the great comeback against Parramatta in the Grand Final that was highlighted by a vicious brawl. He captained the reserve grade team in 1999 before hanging up the boots and accepting life membership to the club.

Fantasy Players of the Week…Benji Marshall, Israel Folau, Robbie Farah, Cooper Cronk, Chris Heighington, Paul Gallen, Cameron Smith, Jarrod Mullen, Mitchell Pearce, Steven Bell, Manu Vatuvei, Greg Inglis, Willie Mason, Karmichael Hunt, Braith Anasta.

Surprise Fantasy Players of the Week…Lance Hohaia, Trevor Thurling, Junior Sau, Shannon Gallant, Amos Roberts, Jeremy Smith, Nathan Smith, Glen Butriss, Mitch Aubusson, Peni Tagive.

Farewell, Geurie Greens, 2008…The wounds are still fresh and the pain still burns deep in the retinas. The Geurie Greens were eliminated in week two of the FFL Finals, tragically losing by a minute number. The Greens, in the end, fielded two zeroes after Ben Creagh and Corey Hughes withdrew late. It was a tragic defeat and the end of my reign as champion of a game and hero to a people. Obituaries are now being written and tears continue to be shed. Farewell, Geurie Greens. May 2009 be your year.

Rebecca Wilson-Danny Wiedler, Postscript…Wiedler seems to have been removed from the Sun Herald after failing to provide the newspaper with the inside word on Judas Williams’ desertion of rugby league. His colleague at Nine, Mike Munro, was so disgusted at his so-called exclusives that he complained to management. There is a very real possibility legal action could be taken against him by the Bulldogs over his involvement in the whole sordid saga of Judas Williams. He has been found out for the cheap fool he really is. Don’t expect to see this punk in any form of mainstream media next year. His time is done. It is a victory for decency.

And One Final Thought…It is a shame that serial pest Peter Hore found it necessary to invade the playing area of Energy Australia Stadium and tackle Parramatta prop Fuifui Moi Moi. It would have been far more useful if he had of assisted Parramatta with their defensive failings. There is little doubt that his effort on Moi Moi would have seen him rate behind only Nathan Hindmarsh and Nathan Cayless as Parramatta’s best if he had of gone after a Knight or two. The Eels are so weak defensively and play with such little heart that a player with Hore’s hustle and ingenuity would be of great assistance to the few Eels players who try. The likes of Weller Hauraki, Joe Galavau, Todd Lowrie and Mark Riddell should all be playing NSW Cup, each and every one of them shirking the task all night long as they have been for much of the season. There is also a case for dropping Jarryd Hayne and Krisnan Inu after both were humiliated on numerous occasions with a lack of effort. Parramatta are an embarrassment to rugby league and it is high time Michael Hagan got heavy with his so-called stars.