Season 2010: Round 12

From The Couch

Good Riddance, Izzy: Well it looks like Israel Folau has gone for the money. He has decided to become a pawn in the AFL’s plan for world domination, prepared to embarrass and humiliate himself and his family by playing Australian rules for three years for the princely sum of $4.2 million. He is nothing more than a circus animal to the AFL, a dancing bear put on posters to draw a crowd. If he was offered $1.4 million per year to revive the Minstrel Show, he would don the black face-paint and white lips in a second, belting out “Swanee” to anyone prepared to listen. David Gallop attempted to procure Folau a gig as a Polynesian ambassador to help him stay in league. It is obviously for the best that Gallop didn’t because Folau showed the Polynesian community what matters most to him: money, money and more money. What a fine example.

Make no mistake that the one loser out of this will be Folau. Folau cannot kick. In his entire NRL career he has put boot to ball 12 times for 119 metres. In being fair to Folau, he looks like he may drunk when he attempts to kick a football. He certainly isn’t renowned for his ability to run all day. And while he may be able to take a catch, the way they umpire Australian rules these days with all the nit picky in-the-back rules and the like, Folau will give away more free kicks than kick goals if he plays in the goal square, as touted. That is if he plays at all, of course, which is no sure thing as by the time the GWS gets started Folau’s value will have been realised in media coverage.

The AFL will certainly get their kicks with the publicity Folau brings and they will not be upset even if he does turn out to be a dud. The NRL will quickly forget who Folau is. Nobody has missed Karmichael Hunt or anybody else who leaves the game. The reason is simple: the game is bigger than the individual. It is also no surprise that these whores all, to a man, want back in.

The one thing rugby league does well is look after its own. Those who stay loyal are well looked after. Johnathan Thurston’s loyalty to the game will be rewarded for many years after he has retired just like Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler have been well looked after. Israel Folau will not be. He will always be remembered for being the dancing bear prepared to humiliate himself for a big pack cheque. It is embarrassing and sad to watch.

Queensland certainly shouldn’t select him for games two and three. They should follow the lead of Australian selectors and dump his sorry ass. Brent Tate is more deserving of the final three-quarter spot as are plenty of others. Folau should not be rewarded with rep selection and that policy needs to be engrained and gazetted.

Good riddance, Izzy. Hopefully by the time you want to return, measures will be in place preventing you from ever lacing up a rugby league boot again.

The Dumbest Words Ever Uttered: Khoder Nasser is a dirty little man with greed in his black heart and mush in his mind. He this week attacked the Bulldogs for blocking a return to the NRL before disrespecting the great game by stating, explicitly, that Williams was: “one of the greatest players to ever play the game”, that he “is the NRL’s number one export” and that “no other rugby league player has ever received what he has received or the media space or the accolades”. Nasser is one of the dirtiest grubs ever to be associated with rugby league. He should be kept away from the game forever. Sonny Bill is a traitor and that dopey horse was led to water by the cocky little ringmaster called Nasser. He wants back into league but the Bulldogs are pleasingly holding the only gun that worries Williams to his head: the money gun. Williams name is mud in Australia. He is not only loathed, he has virtually been forgotten about. The rugby league world went on when he left. His style is not missed in the slightest. And now he cannot use the NRL to boost his coffers. Good. The quicker that Williams and Nasser are gone forever, the better off we all will be. Williams will soon realise when he is retired and has no tangible positive legacy in any sport and is not welcome in any code that he made the wrong decision. I am eagerly awaiting it. That is one pay-per-view involving Williams I would watch.

Meaningless Field Goal Coronation: There is officially a new king in town and his name is Brett Finch. Finch has seemingly set himself a goal to kick a field goal in every match from now on. He slotted one on the stroke of half-time against Canberra to put the Storm up 11-0. This week he nailed one with 12 minutes to go in the first half to put Melbourne up over the Bulldogs 17-0. Utterly meaningless and Finch admitted as much after the contest when he said he did for the $500 that goes to charity for each point scored by the Storm. All of Finch’s failings over a career where he has been loathed by this author have been forgiven. I just want him to chase down Neil Baker and Eric Simms now.

The Hottest New Game in Town: We all enjoy our fantasy football with the home-grown fantasy football leagues and the Supercoach and the Nearly NRL and the like. Well, welcome to the next innovation provided exclusively free for you here at From The Couch. Fantasy NRL Referee. Yep, find yourself four friends and set up a league. Scoring is simple. Each person gets two on-field referees and a video ref. A point is awarded for every penalty given. Double points go for penalties to the home team. Five points are dished out for a report. Ten points for a sin bin. Double the ten if the sin bin was a ridiculously rash decision. Thirty points for a send off. Fifty points if Robert Finch is forced to come out and defend a decision. Thirty points for every wrong interpretation of the rules by a video referee. Fifty points for every game-changing wrong decision by a video referee. Ten points are awarded for disrespecting a captain. Another ten is they are heard making a sarcastic remark over sports ears. For what it is worth, the ideal team would be Ben Cummins and Tony Des Las Heras with Steve Clark for the video referee. Knowing these cheap bastards, they probably have a league up and running already amongst themselves.

The Jinx of the Warm-Up: In the space of eight days, three players have gone down injured in the warm-up while half the Penrith team missed a fair portion of their pregame on Sunday after being caught behind a pile-up on the M4 on their way to the match. There is some weird hex going on right now. Dan Hunt snaps an achilles. Nathan Hindmarsh does a sternum (though that is probably a matter of debate). Shannon McPherson breaks down. Half the Penny Panthers nearly don’t arrive. Weirdness reigns supreme. I fancy it is most likely the Gods just trying to jack up the midwinter malaise but such oddness is a little disconcerting, particularly when you are stuck smack in the middle of a fantasy league title defence that has turned into the tightest battle in League history.

Vale, Shane Elford: It astonishes that in the same year that we lost Luke Covell to a likely career ending injury that the next slowest winger in the game and the heir to Covell’s crown as the necessary stodgy winger-captain in the competition, Shane Elford, may also have had his career ended prematurely. Well, prematurely may be a touch debatable but lets not kick a man when he is down sans ability to move. Just as Elford had been elevated to the captaincy in the absence of Petero Civoniceva, an honour many once thought laughable, the blunt winger was struck down by this vicious blow. At his age it is unlikely that he will play in the NRL again. While this column has enjoyed taking the piss out of Shane Elford over the years, it is players like him that make indulging in rugby league so enjoyable. I almost choked on my hamburger when I opened Big League and saw him with the ‘c’ next to his name and I laughed heartily when he was announced as Penrith’s biggest signing going into 2009. Before we go, a quick look at Elford’s career and a comparison with Luke Covell, two peas from the very same pod:

Shane Elford: 147 NRL Games for Penrith and Wests Tigers for 48 tries and a 74-71-2 win-loss record, premiership player for the Tigers in 2005, Panthers fill-in skipper 2010.

Luke Covell: 144 NRL Games for Wests Tigers and Cronulla for 59 tries and 406 goals and a 62-82 win-loss record, 1 Test for New Zealand, 1 appearance for Country, Cronulla fill-in captain 2009 and 2010.

Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals: To rugby league purists, the Wigan-Leeds Challenge Cup quarter-final was one for the ages. The match included former NRL players Brett Delaney, Scott Donald, Danny Buderus, Kylie Leuluai and Greg Eastwood, who turned out for Leeds, and Pat Richards, Amos Roberts, George Carmont, Mark Riddell and Phil Bailey, who played for a Wigan team coached by former Storm assistant Michael Maguire. It was an old school penalty shootout on a water-logged Headingley pitch in which the crowd was disgracefully capped at 10,000 due to a cricket match next door. Between them, Wigan’s Pat Richards and Leeds’s skipper Kevin Sinfield took 13 shots at penalty in a match of such dour excitement that has not been seen since the very early nineties. The accuracy of Pat Richards was prevalent early as Wigan led 6-4 at the break with Richards going three-for-three while Kevin Sinfield nailed two penalty shots after hitting the uprights with his first two. The second-half went the same was as the first with Wigan leading 10-8 and appearing to have the match secured before Leeds fullback Lee Smith was at his evasive best when scoring in the final minute to give the home fans the joy of victory and the pleasantry of a single four-pointer. It was a true classic and one that can only be understood in the context of knockout cup football. If the NRL wants to look at ways to boost its coffers, a cup knockout would not be the worst way to go. In other quarter-final matches, Warrington downed Bradford 26-22, Catalans flogged Batley 74-12 and St. Helens knocked off Barrow 32-12. Interestingly, two of the remaining teams are coached by Australians returning home at the end of the season with Mick Potter in charge of St. Helens and Kevin Walters holding the clipboard at Catalans.

Rumour File: Rumours coming out of NRL headquarters have Seven in the prime position to win the next television rights. NRL heavyweights have reportedly been extremely impressed with presentations made by Seven and overtures from senior executives including a commitment to The Matty Johns Show while reportedly annoyed at Nine’s attempts to win back the AFL rights while doing nothing to push the code nationally. If betting on free-to-air was open now, Seven would be at $1.72 while Nine would be around the $2.10 quote. A number of Super League players are expected to return to the NRL next season if not before due to various reasons, most of which revolve around the living/playing conditions not being worth the cash. Danny Buderus is fed up at Leeds after falling out with coach Brian McClennan over limited playing time with Buderus only playing 40 minutes per match. He will be back in the NRL and possibly this season with the Dragons, Parramatta and Canberra the favourites for his services. Craig Fitzgibbon is enjoying his time at Hull but would love to finish off with the Roosters and with Brian Smith’s club weak in the backrow and poised for a finals run next year then Fitzy could return for a farewell season. Matt Orford is going no good at Bradford and is missing the lifestyle of Australia and could also be home this year. Orford is unlikely to return to Manly with the Knights the favourites to win him back. He could also be a target for the Central Coast Bears when they are included in 2013. He could be back at Manly, however, if the Bulldogs snare young gun Trent Hodkinson. The Bulldogs are favourites but the boost in the salary cap has now put Manly back in the race. The Bulldogs are firmly in the hunt for Josh Dugan with Luke Patten expected to head to England at year’s end. Greg Inglis will be the first of the “Big Four” to abandon the Storm with Inglis in negotiations with Brisbane, Penrith and the Dragons. Somehow the Dragons are favourites. Daniel Fitzhenry is off to the Raiders next year. The resignation of CEO Richard Fisk at Cronulla is seemingly a slap in the face to Chairman Damien Irvine after Irvine was seen as the man driving to get rid of Ricky Stuart. Fisk and Stuart go well back with the two working together at the Roosters. With the glut of potential first grade coaches on the market, there could be a number of coaching changes at year’s end if not before with Brisbane, Canberra, Newcastle, Souths, New Zealand and Wests Tigers all potential clubs who will move to a new coach.

Fun Fact #1: The most handling errors per season since 1998: Brett Kimmorley (1998, tie 2002), Bryan Fletcher (1999, 2000), Preston Campbell (2001), Darren Lockyer (tie 2002), Craig Gower (2003), Kurt Gidley (2004), Anthony Minichiello (tie 2005), Matt Bowen (tie 2005, 2007), Amos Roberts (2006), Paul Gallen (2008), Billy Slater (2009).

Fun Fact #2: Worst tacklers since 1998: Craig Polla-Mounta (1998), Rodney Howe (1999, 2000), Bill Peden (2001), P.J Marsh (2002), Preston Campbell (2003, 2004), Brett Seymour (2005), Lincoln Withers (2006), Johnathan Thurston (2007), Brett Kimmorley (2008), Chris Sandow (2009).

Fun Fact #3: The most penalties conceded since penalty stats were first recorded in 2002: Danny Nutley (2002, tie 2003), Luke Priddis (tie 2003, 2004), Brett Kimmorley (2005), Travis Burns (2006), Brad Thorn (tie 2007), Anthony Watmough (tie 2007, 2008), Luke Lewis (tie 2007), Johnathan Thurston (2009).

Fun Fact #4: 68 grounds have hosted a NSWRL/ARL/NRL first grade match in two countries, five states and two territories.

Fun Fact #5: 32 venues in Sydney have hosted a top grade match including the now defunct Sydney Sports Ground (826 matches ’11-’86), North Sydney Oval (749 matches ’10-’05) Belmore Sports Ground (602 matches ’36 to ’98), Pratten Park (335 matches ’12-’85), Henson Park (334 matches ’36 to ’90), Redfern Oval (332 matches ’48 to ’96), Cumberland Oval (329 matches ’20 to ’81), Wentworth Park (217 matches ’08 to ’31), Lidcombe Oval (199 matches ’51 to ’86), Royal Agricultural Society Grounds (183 games ’08 to ’87) and Birchgrove Oval (176 games ’08 to ’42).

Fun Fact #6: Random places that have hosted three or less matches includes Whyalla in South Australia, Waikato in New Zealand, Cairns in Queensland, Darwin in the Northern Territory and Wagga, Parkes, Cootamundra and Goulburn in New South Wales.

Willie M Medal Voting: “Only mediocrity can be trusted to always be at its best”. Thanks Sir Max Beerbohm. If you were still about, you would be guest judge this week.

NSW-QLD	3-Josh Perry (NSW)
	2-Matt Cooper (NSW)
	1-Brett White (NSW)
Dragons-Parramatta	3-Timana Tahu (Par)
	2-Jonathan Wright (Par)
	1-Nathan Cayless (Par)
Tigers-Warriors	3-Kevin Locke
	2-Aaron Heremaia (War)
	1-Joel Moon (War)
Cronulla-Brisbane	3-Trent Barrett (Cro)
	2-Taulima Tautai (Cro)
	1-Broderick Wright (Cro)
Cowboys-Manly	3-Carl Webb (Cow)
	2-Scott Bolton (Cow)
	1-Aaron Payne (Cow)
Melbourne-Bulldogs	3-Blake Green (Bul)
	2-Josh Morris (Bul)
	1-Brett Kimmorley (Bul)
Souths-Penrith	3-Tim Grant (Pen)
	2-Nathan Smith (Pen)
	1-Travis Burns (Pen)
Gold Coast-Roosters	3-Preston Campbell (GC)
	2-Mark Minichiello (GC)
	1-Clinton Toopi (GC)
Leaderboard	11-Preston Campbell (GC)
	10-Trent Barrett (Cro), Chris Sandow (Sou), Joseph Tomane (GC),
	9-Scott Dureau (New)
	8-Greg Bird (GC), Todd Carney (Roo), Eric Grothe (Par), Denan Kemp (Brs), Josh McCrone (Can), Carl Webb (Cow)
	7-James Maloney (War), Mark Minichiello (GC), Ben Roberts (Bul)

 

The Chris Caruana All-Stars: This week we will pay homage to the best double-bungers running around in the NRL with the Chris Caruana All-Stars. Sadly, the double-bunger isn’t as prevalent as it once was with name alliteration seemingly on the wane. There is still a fair bit of talent among the 17 double-bungers in the NRL this season. There are four internationals in Cronk, Tahu, Lewis and Simpson. Shackleton, Minichiello and Keating have all played City-Country. I’d even go so far as to suggest this team would give the current Blues outfit a run for their money. At the very least, Tahu’s incompetence would be evened up.

1. Ben Barba (Canterbury)
2. Reece Robinson (Canberra)
3. Timana Tahu (Parramatta)
4. Luke Lewis (Penrith)
5. Taulima Tautai (Cronulla)
6. Kris Keating (Parramatta)
7. Cooper Cronk (Melbourne)
13. Shane Shackleton (Parramatta)
12. Cameron Ciraldo (Newcastle)
11. Mark Minichiello (Gold Coast)
10. Troy Thompson (Canberra)
9. Kevin Kingston (Penrith)
8. Steve Simpson (Newcastle)

14. Michael Morgan (North Queensland)
15. Steve Southern (North Queensland)
16. Manase Manuokafoa (North Queensland)
17. Trevor Thurling (Canberra)

Power Rankings:

Rank	Team	Record	Last Week	High	Low
1	Dragons	9-3	1	1	2
2	Manly	7-4	4	2	10
3	Souths	6-5	6	3	16
4	Gold Coast	7-4	2	2	5
5	Roosters	6-5	8	4	9
6	Penrith	7-4	3	3	11
7	West Tigers	6-5	7	3	8
8	Brisbane	5-6	11	7	15
9	Parramatta	5-6	5	3	13
10	Canberra	4-6	12	10	15
11	Canterbury	3-8	10	5	11
12	Warriors	5-6	9	7	13
13	Newcastle	4-7	13	10	14
14	Cronulla	3-8	14	12	15
15	Cowboys	3-8	15	12	15
*	Melbourne	7-3	*	*	*

 

Where Would the Storm Be If: The Storm would have shot back to second if they were still rolling heavy with the big dogs. Now they are just taking the piss, winning games and having a hell of a lot of fun.

Game of the Year Nomination, Round 12: Cowboys-Manly, 20-24. Manly jumped from the blocks against the Cowboys in Townsville thanks to one of the most extraordinary debut halves ever seen with late inclusion Dean Whare scoring a hat-trick and setting the other try up as the Eagles went to a the break 24-4 up. The Cowboys, simply, were not in the contest. That quickly changed in the second half, however, when Jamie Lyon went down and the Cowboys launched a spirited comeback and Manly put up their traditional fade. The Cowboys, really, should have won the match but blew countless opportunities and were then a little stiff in the dying minutes when a number of decisions went against them. Not an all-time classic but an interesting match and one that will be remembered if Dean Whare makes a name for himself.

Exchanges with Fisk:

Tedeschi on Cronulla: “What is going on a Cronulla? Will they survive?”

Fisk on Cronulla: “Cash and not of enough of it.. They should be sweet. They are just fly blown.”

Fisk on the 2010 Bulldogs: “Now you know how I felt with Wests in ‘99”

Fisk on Sonny Bill Williams: “Sonny who? Nobody has any idea who he is anymore. He can spend the rest of his life at Mundine’s café talking rubbish and nobody would give a damn.”

Obscure Score of the Week: Farrer Memorial High 62-Peel 0 in the under 13’s final of the Tamworth Country Cup. Farrer dominated with wins in the 13’s and 15’s and will go in favourites to dominate the regional Country Cup held June 16 in Tamworth.

The Queanbeyan Kangaroos 2010 Campaign: I don’t wish to take too much credit for the ongoing success of the Queanbeyan Kangaroos as I’m sure Aaron Gorrell and the boys have been working hard and playing well but since From The Couch has gotten on board the Roos have pounced into near favouritism for the Canberra Raiders Cup. This weekend the Kangaroos overcame their curse against the West Belconnen Warriors with a gritty 14-10 victory on a water-logged and muddy West Belconnen Leagues Club Oval. The Roos trailed 10-0 at the break but on the back of a game-plan of kicking for the corners early and waiting for the error, the Roos tied it up thanks to two tries from two Gorrell cut-out passes. Young Berkery then set up the winner with a cut-out pass off the back of a scrum to flying dasher Robinson. The Kangaroos then hung on grimly over the last 10 minutes and were unlucky not to extend the margin when crossing once more only to have the try criminally disallowed when the Kangaroos were penalised for a fight that started after the try. It was the Kangaroos first win over West Belconnen in first grade since 2001, the near-decade long curse broken by a fine game plan and the luck of The Couch. With the Scholars 16-12 win over Gungahlin, the Kangaroos now sit only 1 point off first placed duo Gungahlin and Scholars.

Coaching Stocks:

Wayne Bennett [5] Bennett not only orchestrated a big win over Parra but did so being a good bloke.

Craig Bellamy [4.5] May have the Origin blues but another astonishing effort for the Storm to get up again.

Des Hasler [4] Collapsed again but still got the win on a big road trip. Needs to get Foran back and in halves.

Matt Elliott [4] Disappointing loss to Souths. Season swings on how the Panthers go sans Petero.

John Lang [3.5] Lang seems to have turned Souths around in the space of ½ a season. No knocking him.

Brian Smith [3] Big bounce back. Got Pearce back and looked like a different team. Huge win on GC.

John Cartwright [2.5] Horrible defeat at home to the Roosters off 3-week break. They may not be as good as thought.

Kevin Moore [2] All the money was for the Dogs and they couldn’t beat a Storm team minus 3 big names. Shocker.

Tim Sheens [2] Impressive win over the Warriors but opposition did throw in the towel. Still a bit to prove.

Daniel Anderson [1.5] Lost Hindmarsh so the Eels had nothing. Question over 6,7 and 9 at present.

Ivan Henjak [1.5] Season seems to be turning around. Grinded out a tough win over Cronulla.

David Furner [1] BYE

Rick Stone [0] BYE

Neil Henry [-0.5] Lost to a good team but the fact remains the Cowboys are anchored down bottom.

Ivan Cleary [-5] Humiliating performance in a winnable game. Doubtful he will be there next year.

Ricky Stuart [-5] Another loss but somehow it isn’t doing his reputation any harm. The Teflon coach.
 

Stats from the Penguin: I consider David Riolo one of the most optimistic human beings on the face of the earth. On Ben Pomeroy’s profile at Titan Management, Riolo’s agency, Riolo notes that “[Pomeroy] has proved to be a real handful for opposing teams and his size and strength can cause major headaches for opponents” while stating that Pomeroy is available for “product endorsements, promotional appearances, advertising, guest speaking and corporate events and functions.” Well, for starters the only headaches caused by Pomeroy’s football are to the Cronulla faithful and poor old sportswriters like me who are forced to endure his garbage week after week. I’m not sure what Riolo has in mind for Pomeroy in terms of product endorsement. Perhaps Corn Flakes after he was charged with assault at a Korn concert. Prosthetic hands maybe? Tuxedos, perhaps, the Penguin in a penguin? And one can only imagine how big a crowd he would pull if called on to provide a motivational talk or an after dinner speech reminiscing about the one day he didn’t drop a ball. Surely Macquarie Bank or Telstra have called on his services. The one positive I can take from Pomeroy’s career is that we are all better off seeing him fumble a football knowing he could be causing major damage fumbling children, toxic waste or hard items from great heights.

Fantasy Team of the Week:

1. Rhys Wesser (Sou)
2. Lote Tuqiri (Tig)
3. Geoff Daniela (Tig)
4. Dane Nielsen (Mel)
5. Jason Nightingale (Dra)
6. Jamie Soward (Dra)
7. Benji Marshall (Tig)
13. Luke O’Donnell (Cow)
12. Gareth Ellis (Tig)
11. Dave Taylor (Sou)
10. Frank-Paul Nuuisala (Roo)
9. Issac Luke (Sou)
8. Matt Prior (Dra)

Waiver Wire Advice: It would probably be an unwise move to hold onto Billy Slater, Greg Inglis or Cameron Smith over the next six-to-eight weeks. The players signalled their intention on the weekend when both Slater and Inglis were late withdrawals with mystery injuries while Cameron Smith was not rushed back from an elbow injury after playing Origin. I don’t blame any of the trio or the Melbourne Storm for not playing them. These players obviously have individual honours to play for and are saving themselves and rightfully so. All will likely play this week but they will be late withdrawals plenty of times over the next little bit so at the big money dump them all and make those dollars work in a more efficient way for you.

Watch It: I have spent a good deal of time talking Illawarra Steelers history at The Old Bar this week with a died-in-the-wool Steeler named Paul Robertson, a man who claims that “without Steve Larder we would never have had Billy Slater”. So it seemed timely to go back to the Steelers only ever trophy win: the 1992 Tooheys Challenge Cup. This was a magnificent game for many reasons. The Steelers, the most likable of teams, won their one and only title, downing the evil Brisbane Broncos in a huge boilover. The match was tryless with the boot of Brett Docherty proving the difference in a 4-2 classic. The game was held at Dubbo’s Apex Park. Graham Murray had possibly the greatest ‘stache/hat combination in the history of the world…please just bend that brim a touch Muzza! There were some great names like Alan McIndoe, Chris Walsh, Mark Hohn and David Riolo as well as a very young greenhorn named Ryan Girdler all running around. Bolts and Rabs had some wonderful haircuts. The crowd was packed, the title meaningful and the occasion duly recognised. Oh Lord, please bring back the preseason competition. It was oh so exciting. Click Here

As a bonus, to celebrate the Steelers victory, the Illawarra victory song: Taste of Steel. Click Here

Lazy Long Bay Days, Part 13: Wicks is struggling in solitary confinement when a guard slips him two slices of white bread and some water, his first intake in two days. Wicks is shivering, naked, alone but grateful for some food and water. The gratitude does not last long. The Warden soon burst in and took a photo of Wicks, naked and chewing on some bread. “Fat Boy, I’m going to humiliate you until you wish you had never fucked my Knights.”

Beard Watch: There is only one place to look beard wise this time of year: the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The home of the playoff beard, this week our beard of the week goes to Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith. Keith doesn’t usually sport a beard but is following hockey tradition and growing one throughout the playoffs. Keith doesn’t get the award for his wispy beard though but for his courage and toughness. Last week Keith had seven teeth knocked out in a vicious hit laid on him by a San Jose player. Keith went off for five minutes before returning. That is toughness. And here we have Matt Cooper missing half an Origin match with a bruised hip. It makes you sad to think that impostors like Cooper can denigrate a game like Origin when there are true men like Keith running about that, if circumstances were different and Australia rather than Canada was home, would be busting chops in the NRL.

Correspondence Corner: I got an email from a close league follower named Steve who sniffed a rort in the Dally M Medal when Lachlan Coote was awarded the 3 points in the Bulldogs-Panthers match last Monday Night. “I don’t believe Coote was even in the top five players on the field. Michael Gordon, Tim Grant, Kevin Kingston, Matthew Bell, Travis Burns and possibly even Luke Walsh were more worthy of points than Coote” said Steve. Well Steve, I agree completely that Coote was undeserving of points in a game where he officially had 2 handling errors and quite obviously made a number of others with no tries, try assists or line breaks. Conveniently, the 3 points were given by Greg Alexander. While I don’t think there is anything untoward going on, I do think the Dally M judges have very little idea and I think many of them get caught up in the hype of a youngster making a run. I think that is particularly the case if said player is playing for the club of the former player now judging. The judges would do well to be a little more discerning. There is no way Jarryd Hayne deserved to beat Jamie Soward last year and I get the weird feeling Lachlan Coote may be the beneficiary of some friendly judges this year.