Originally Posted by Baz
I was right, but for some reason it's between Gareth Ellis, Danny Houghton, and Denny Solomona. Houghton should win it, but they've been coming out with shitty shortlists for a few years now, presumably in an effort to stop James Roby winning it most years.
Jesus. I've not followed much of the NRL this year, but that pass from Maloney (which I saw branded as magic) at 8-0 or whatever it was really does redefine 'flat'. The guy who caught it had to almost jump full length forwards to get on the end of it for fuck's sake. From about 5 yards away. It was so forward even the commentators mentioned the prospect of it being pulled back, which tells you it was essentially a quarterback style effort. If it ends up as a Cronulla v Melbourne final they may as well just blow the stadium up. Fuck the Sharks. 'Mon the Raiders, I guess.
Do Cronulla excite any feelings from the neutral either way? They strike me as the most nothing club in the league, so Michael Ennis using his last match to get right under Sir Cameron Smith's skin would be worth it.
Wait. Hang on. There was the drug stuff. And nobody likes Paul Gallen. Still, Ennis.
The shire dwellers are the enemy, but yeah, Ennis is quite entertaining. Such is my ignorance I had no idea he'd left the Bulldogs. Always seemed a good fit for him, but I suppose the Sharks are dirty bastards as well.
I don't even understand Super League anymore. It seems to last forever. Too many games, too many games.
Our Kiz was moaning about it the other day, which I took with a pinch of salt at the time, but he definitely has a point.
Meanwhile, Levy Nzoungou is off to NRL already. I fully expect him to come back in a couple of years and twat the league.
I'm a twit
The new system is good for the actual league, but, yeah, there are too many games. They need to start a couple of weeks later, move the Challenge Cup final back to May, chuck Magic Weekend in the bin, and just have twenty-two rounds with the old six team play-offs that they binned in 2009, as well as some sort of relegation play-offs at the bottom.
Manly's fortunes appear to be linked to your levels of interest. So well done.
It's probably the other way round, but yeah. Not going there/living there anymore means I have much less interest. I would say that if it was on a normal tv station I'd watch it more, but that's probably not true seeing as my morning tv regime is a strict diet of milkshake/Nick Jr these days.
I can only assume Manly being shit is some sort of wider conspiracy to relocate them to the central coast.
Manly is another case of too many football men and not enough business men ruining a club.
Canberra v Sharks final is the best for the game with Canberra winning in Golden Point. Hopefully Sticky runs his mouth all week about Cronulla's boring, grubby style of play.
I think it's a mixture of injuries and Trent Barrett being a clueless berk whose appointment only makes sense if you assume Bob Fulton is the actual coach, but that he relays information via letters posted twenty years ago. Tom Trbojevic is a complete freak though, so there is that, even if nobody seems to realise that Brett Stewart would make a mega stand-off (I said that when Peta Hiku was first threatening to be good, so maybe I should run it).
I thought it was more a case of the corrupt estate agent owner being ousted and replaced/usurped by the even more corrupt healthcare mob. Bring back Max!
That, and the leagues club not having enough pokies. And no one ever going there. As opposed to Parramatta (and all the rest I guess), which is a bit like Caesar's Palace (asked to leave due to ripped jeans).
In reality Manly is just a localised Sydney version of what Sydney itself is on a wider sport supporting scale - ie no bugger really gives a toss about it.
I had lunch at Penrith Panthers once and the one thing it was not lacking was pokies.
On that last point, I read something ages ago (I can't find it now) which argued that Queensland is more bothered about internationals than New South Wales because Sydney only wants to bother with sporting events that will enhance its [non-existent] World City status. Is that why they're also desperate to force clubs out of their suburban grounds (that baffles me), because it's an excuse for flashy new sporting infrastructure?
Lang Park is a much better night out being an inner City Stadium. The public transport makes it really easy to access for the outer suburbs.
The Wobblies v South Africa in Brisbane wasnt sold out so it's fair to say Brisbane is fickle as well.
On a completely unrelated note, Queenslander, tell me about the 'Northern Suburbs' of Brisbane. Nice place?
How far North? Most of the suburbs are really old and from memory any further north than Chermside would be pretty boring to live for a single person.
Any suburbs in particular?
I went to the Broncos Leagues Club for the first time in years last month. The place a is a massive shithole and hasnt changed since my childhood.
Safe to say the Broncos arent in anyway funded by pokies.
Oh I'm not going there, don't worry about that. What is Wooloowin like? Or the general area around wherever that is.
Standard old suburb full of Queenslander style houses that would be 100 years old. Good location plenty of really good coffee spots. Probably a bit of wanky old money if not there next too heaps of wealth. Very very white area.
Oh yeah and we keep our illegals locked up there
I dont ever go that far north of the river unless I have too. I live inner city south of the river which is far more multicultural and fun.
I'm a twit
There are a few French units around these days. It's just a shame Catalans are a mess.
Why cant Catalans get it together?
Semi would be a great signing for Brisbane and could easly play the Wendell Sailor role. Bennent loves himself massive wingers.
I don't know. They don't really like playing away (just as nobody likes going to France), and I think they always end up split between the French players and the imports (half of them never settle), so it falls apart at the first sign of difficulties. They're basically the Warriors.
Wank.
Rovers getting tonked as well. If they get Salford in the MILLION POUND GAME then they are going down. What a disgrace.
Is promotion/relegation helpful?
In theory, but they have always struggled to find a way to do it without 1) the promoted team being too shit to compete (or bankrupting themselves trying to compete); and 2) the relegated team being set back a decade. The new system will probably address both of those, but Rovers are my side, so...
Ring fencing it would help surely?
Is there a big enough player catchment in Hull for them to bounce back relying on there local area?
League in Brisbane has never been stronger. My local Club Easts and the Junior club at Carina are both enormous.
They could easily afford to run an NRL club alone playing games out of Suncorp.
You could ring-fence it right now if you went back to fourteen teams with Leigh (who have the support and backing for Super League) and London (to keep the fantasy alive); but they want to have Toulouse in Super League within the next few years, Bradford will be back once idiots stop running it, and obviously Toronto will be a big success, so franchising with twelve would inevitably end up feeling a bit restrictive, and then just inviting another French team in would inevitably get all the short-termists moaning (like how plebs prioritise another Brisbane team over expanding elsewhere because they still have that dominant Broncos mindset from when they had most of the Queensland team without a salary cap).
I think the system works for the moment, and nobody would care if it was Huddersfield going down with their shit fanbase and second rate youth system, but losing Rovers or Salford will be a bit of a blow for the league (to be honest, Super League needs a decent Salford more than it needs Rovers). As for the catchment area. Yes, in theory; but in reality the Super League teams would just pick anybody decent off before they could establish a winning side.
That's my old stomping ground.
Nice, but dull. Basically impossible to get around unless you own a car. Pretty much constructed around three main highways.
Wooloowin is inner enough that you can enjoy it. Much further out than that, and it'll be a bit of a snore. Great place to raise a family though.
lol at that voice. He looks like his own son.
I'm almost certain Geoff Parling was in my office today.
Robbed, Baz. Robbed.
What a team that was. Des Hasler looks about 45 and Menzies looks 18. Lol
The 90's will forever be the glory days for me.
I cant think of a more boring grand final than this weekends bore off?
I suppose I prefer a sharks win because it's better for the game overall. Melbourne still havent produced a Victorian player so they can fuck off!
Plus it will bring Harold Holt back.
Mahe Fonua was their first Victorian, but he's at Hull now, and he's probably been the best import this season. Speaking of which, let's go back to the start of the season:
Stewart was killing it for about three months, but he never got to grips with living in France and his form suffered; Horo was average; Pritchard hasn't really done much; Galloway is rubbish; Gidley has been very good and got in the Team of the Year (not least because he does all of Chris Sandow's defending); and Lui had two decent games and stopped trying. Elsewhere, your mate Dave Taylor was a great novelty for a few rounds, but he plays twenty minutes a week, misses as many tackles as he breaks, and Catalans want rid of him. God knows where he goes next, the fat twat.
I need to pay more attention.
Taylor is a mess and should be made to play bush football on dusty roads. Are the fans sick of all the NRL dropkicks taking up spots that could be used for local blokes?
The bigger teams only have about three imports each these days, the French fans would seethe regardless, and the smaller clubs will just treat them as another player as long as they look interested. For example Rovers fans love Terry Campese, even though (surprisingly) he spends most of his time injured, because he comes across as somebody who cares about the club; but Albert Kelly phoning it in all year has seen his chant and his contract consigned to the memory hole.
Ouch.
They deserved that. I think they've lost every match I've been to this season.
Im all aboard then Sharkies train today! Looking forward to trolling all the plastic Storm fans aswell.
That was clever. Melbourne look well off the pace.
Melbourne have been comfortably second best, but they're defending freakishly.
I'm not sure who to pick from here.
They both look knackered already, so the peptides will see Cronulla through.
I will say that Melbourne still look pretty dangerous when they do get a chance to attack, up until it comes to the kick.
Cronulla are walking wounded now. That could tell in the end. Prior and Bird both in trouble, I think.
I truly despise the spidercam.
EDIT: Melbourne score. I don't see Cronulla getting anymore points.
I was just posting that Cronulla needed another one and my stream dropped out. There is something to be said for taking drop goals when you've got all that pressure and not scoring tries. It keeps the scoreboard going, and you get the ball back.
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