Season 2008: Round 25

From The Couch

The Mouth Watering Issue of the Week… It appears that we are dealing with spit and plenty of it this week. How delightful. First up Anthony Quinn claims that Newcastle hooker “Waltzing” Matt Hilder spat on him after the Storm’s match with Newcastle. That was followed with claims Warriors fullback Wade Mackinnon spat at a touch judge. It really has been a salivating weekend of rugby league. There are few more disgusting acts that can be undertaken on a football field than spitting at an opponent or an official and if either is found guilty, they should be given a significant spell on the sidelines. Mackinnon, particularly, should be suspended for a significant period of time if he is found guilty of spitting at an official. Another issue that has been brushed over, however, that needs to be examined is Quinn’s refusal to assist the NRL over his charge that Hilder spat on him. Quinn made an extremely serious allegation and now, for reasons only known to him, he does not want charges pressed. Players who make serious allegations on the field and then refuse to cooperate in the investigation of said allegation should be charged by the NRL for bringing the game into disrepute. It can do a player’s reputation a great deal of harm to have a charge of something so reprehensible thrown on him as well as doing the game’s image a great deal of damage. If players are going to throw out allegations such as biting, spitting and eye gouging, they should provide evidence and offer their account or face a charge of their own.

Rugby League Coverage in Melbourne… It is imperative that the NRL seriously addresses the issue of free-to-air rugby league coverage in Melbourne when the next television contract is negotiated. There is virtually no coverage at all of the game in Melbourne with both Friday night games shown after midnight and the Sunday afternoon game not shown at all. Rugby league wishes to compete with the AFL and to do so there needs to be greater coverage in non-traditional rugby league regions. It is apparent Channel Nine don’t wish to come to the party on the issue so the best result would be for the NRL to negotiate separate rights contracts for New South Wales/Queensland and the rest of Australia. This would allow the ABC or SBS to show the games designated for free-to-air coverage at a reasonable hour. Most Melbournians cannot differentiate between rugby league and rugby. If the NRL wish to make an impact outside of traditional league strongholds, there needs to be coverage of the game. It is as simple as that.

The Precedent Has Been Set… Regardless of whether Greg Bird is found guilty of glassing his girlfriend or not, the NRL has already set a precedent by refusing to register Todd Carney for 2009 and must take even sterner action against Bird. Todd Carney was found guilty of nothing but being an obnoxious twat when out on the sauce. Bird, who has been involved in just as many unsavoury incidents as Carney, is facing the charge of attacking a woman with a glass. The accusations against Bird are far more serious than the one’s against Carney and there is little doubt that Bird has done more to damage the reputation of the game than Carney. It would be hypocrisy of the highest order if Bird was allowed to play next season.

Team Divided #1… Parramatta proved over the weekend that their late season resurgence was nothing but a smokescreen. Playing their first tough game in a month, the Eels went to water against a Dragons team that is going reasonably well but is a long way off being rated among the top tier of teams. Michael Hagan would be well advised to go on a big clean-out come season’s end.

Team Divided #2… Penrith have been torn apart by Matthew Elliott. The players, the front office and the fans all seem divided over Elliott and his methods. He has received board support for next year even though most of the team is ready to mutiny. Luke Priddis, the best hooker at the club, cannot get a game and is working behind the scenes to have Elliott removed. Jarrod Sammut, the Panthers best young talent, is languishing in the NSW Cup. So too is Shane Rodney, a player more deserving of a first grade spot than nearly all of the first grade forwards. Frank Pritchard is demanding to be released again and has even resorted to allegedly faking injury. Even captain Petero Civoniceva, a player renowned for loyalty and courage, has been making moves behind the scenes to get out of his contract. The Panthers are a shambles and need a total clean-out.

Team Divided #3… The Wests Tigers have been torn apart this season by Benji Marshall. On the field, he is a yo-yo, mixing moments of rare brilliance with insipid attempts at tackling and a real attitude problem. Off the field, he believes he walks to the beat of his own drum. It has been revealed that a group of senior players wanted Benji Marshall dropped after he was caught drinking, breaking a team edict not to drink until after the season. Tim Sheens, quite astonishingly, stuck with Marshall and in the process created two sets of rules: one for the superstar and one for the rest. Marshall’s story is a familiar one and if Sheens hopes to avoid a Bulldogs 2008 implosion in the near future, he should pull Marshall into line or drop him back to the NSW Cup.

Coaching Stocks…

Value	LW	Coach	Comment
5.0	5.0	Craig Bellamy	Storm showed some chinks over the weekend but in the end were beaten by a team who had a hero to play for.
4.5	5.0	Neil Henry	Injuries can take most of the blame but the loss to the Cowboys was disappointing. Need a big win at home this week.
4.5	4.0	Wayne Bennett	The Broncos are playing some decent footy and Benny has held a team together that really should have fallen apart.
4.5	4.0	Brian Smith	The Knights are on the cusp of a finals berth and they sent Buderus out a winner with a win over the benchmark team.
4.5	4.0	Des Hasler	Has the Eagles on the cusp of the minor premiership. Sent Menzies out a big winner at home.
4.0	3.5	Ricky Stuart	Stuart did an amazing job to get the Sharks up after Bird. It was a stellar job of man management.
3.0	2.5	Nathan Brown	The Dragons are flying at the moment. Brown is seemingly getting a finals farewell, something a little unexpected.
2.5	3.0	John Cartwright	The Titans tried hard but were too ill disciplined. He has to turn their road worries around next season.
1.5	2.0	Tim Sheens	Should have axed Marshall. He has to turn the Tigers around next year or he is gone.
1.5	1.5	Ivan Cleary	The Warriors got the win over Penrith but need to prove themselves in Australia this week.
1.5	1.5	Brad Fittler	The Roosters look so mentally fragile at the moment. They cannot possibly make an impact in the finals.
1.0	1.0	Jason Tayler	Another bad start but the Rabbits showed some grit and almost snatched a win. There is something to build on in '09.
0.5	1.0	Michael Hagan	The Eels were pathetic against the Dragons with a finals spot on the line. It is time he wielded the axe.
-1.5	0.0	Matt Elliott	He has caused plenty of discontent at Penrith and his career in Australia will last no longer than 2009.
-2.5	-3.0	Ian Millward	An important win over the Raiders saved them from the ignomy of the wooden spoon.
-3.0	-3.0	Steve Folkes	The Dogs have been awful this year but they have dug deep the last two weeks. Folkes deserves that.

 

The Colin Best Express Fan Revue… Any real fan of the Colin Best Express would be well aware that his favourite food is the Kentucky Fried Colonel. He has been a freak for Mr. Sanders for a long time and can often, in the off-season of course, be seen indulging in a sweet-and-sour twister or a two-piece feed with extra coleslaw. The Colonel would no doubt have been proud of our very own CBE, not ashamed of his taste for fried chicken despite his public standing as one of the most beloved and admired sporting figures of his generation. It would therefore seem only natural that KFC create the Colin Best Express Burger. It would be massive and extra spicy and a real feast for the senses. Sometimes I wonder why I spend my days searching for the right words when I could be running the marketing department for the good old Colonel for Kentucky.

Round Twenty-Five in 2005… Luke Burt scored 28 points with three tries and eight goals and Ben Smith also scored a hat-trick as minor premiers Parramatta destroyed the Canberra Raiders 48-10. Wooden spooners Newcastle destroyed semi-finalists Cronulla 44-14 in a shock at Energy Australia Stadium. Matt Sing scored a hat-trick as the Cowboys rolled Souths 30-16. Paul “Fonzie” Franze also nabbed a hat-trick as the Panthers beat Canterbury 28-6. The boot of Stacey Jones proved the difference in the Warriors match with Manly, the New Zealand team winning 22-20 in a game where both teams scored four tries. Anthony Minichiello led the Roosters to one of their few highlights of 2005, scoring two tries in Easts 17-10 win over Brisbane. The Wests Tigers, eventual premiers, suffered a 34-22 loss to the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park.

Game of the Year Nomination, Round 25… Newcastle-Melbourne, 17-16. There is no doubt that the Storm struggled mentally throughout the match but credit must be given to the Knights, who lifted markedly in an effort to send out their fearless leader Danny Buderus on a winning note. Buderus was absent after suffering a season ending bicep injury last week but was on hand for a lap of honour, a recognition well deserved. Nearly 20,000 Novocastrians stood as one as “Danny Boy” rang over the loud speaker and Buderus gave a teary farewell to a town that adores him. It fired up the Knights to the extent that they did what many thought impossible: beat the Melbourne Storm. The Knights jumped from the blocks and could not be headed. With a 17-10 lead established after sixty-five minutes, Newcastle buckled down with some stirring defence. Scott Dureau’s field goal proved decisive in the end. It was a wonderful game of rugby league and a reflection of the uplifting spirit of the game. It was a farewell that Danny Buderus deserved.

Great Canterbury Outside Back of Yesteryear… Jonathan Davies. The great Welsh dual international played only fourteen games for Canterbury back in the star-crossed season of 1991 but his time at Belmore was filled with brilliance and grace and he has long been regarded as one of the best players of the last-quarter century to play for the Bulldogs in the outside backs. In those fourteen matches, Davies scored seven tries and tallied one hundred points in a stellar run for the blue and white that ended in one of the most controversial games ever, the Canterbury-Wests playoff. Wests led that match 19-14 when the siren sounded but Davies had the ball in his hands and open space ahead of him when Wests fans invaded the field. The referee determined that it was wise to call full-time and the Bulldogs were robbed of their rightful semi-final berth. Davies made one more run in Australia- with the Cowboys in 1995- but by then his best years were past him. Davies was one of the last great British players to play at Belmore and his class and professionalism left a lasting impact at the club who would be a force over the next few seasons.

Fantasy Players of the Week… Wendell Sailor, Mark Gasnier, Braith Anasta, Fraser Anderson, Matt Cooper, Matt Hilder, Michael Witt, Anthony Tupou, Chris Heighington, Luke Rooney, Sam Perrett, Dan Hunt, Justin Hodges, John Sutton.

Surprise Fantasy Players of the Week… Nathan Merritt, Aaron Payne, Shannon McPherson, Carl Webb, Brett Kimmorley, Ben Rogers.

Rebecca Wilson Knows Less About Rugby League Than A Blind Madagascan Stripper… This week Rebecca Wilson, long known as a vindictive fool, took Bulldogs mentor Steve Folkes to task for not talking to certain members of the media in the lead-up to his last home game. Wilson, of course, didn’t talk about anything to do with the game; she doesn’t know enough to engage in such commentary. No, she thought it wise to hammer an ornament of the sport because he coaches a team that has long held her in (deserved) contempt. Folkes has done some things wrong and probably stayed on a little too long but it is certainly a feather in his cap that he refuses to talk to propagandists like Wilson.

And One Final Thought… It has been reported throughout the week that “Sugar” Shane Rodney, one of my personal favourite players currently in the game, is set to join Manly on a four year deal. Rodney had been linked to Canterbury and would have been an ideal replacement for Tony Grimaldi, whose kind has been desperately needed in this most awful of seasons. Rodney is a workhorse with plenty of skill who will flourish when away from the madhouse that is Penrith. All Bulldogs fans should hope that Bulldogs management up their offer to Rodney and steal him back from Manly.