2008 NRL Premiership (3 Viewers)

[wuddie]

you can't communicate directly to the players during the match. you can relay messages to them via the trainer, but that's about it. of course taylor knew about the rules, he was a player himself for 10 odd years. he is playing dumb.

shaun berrigan is a quality centre, and i still think that's his best position. i think if you let him pick between hooker and there, he'd play centre anyday of the week.

timmy smith quits nrl indefinitely. i think that is the best move for him at the moment. johns put it quite correctly - he did what johns couldn't do for 10 years.

 

[Muz4PM]

you can't communicate directly to the players during the match. you can relay messages to them via the trainer, but that's about it. of course taylor knew about the rules, he was a player himself for 10 odd years. he is playing dumb.

shaun berrigan is a quality centre, and i still think that's his best position. i think if you let him pick between hooker and there, he'd play centre anyday of the week.

timmy smith quits nrl indefinitely. i think that is the best move for him at the moment. johns put it quite correctly - he did what johns couldn't do for 10 years.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Sad to hear about Smith though, he was a good prospect for the Eels, but you have to put yourself and your health first, and I applaud him for it. Hopefully he gets help and can play again.

 

[Triangulum]

Tips for this week:
-eels
-broncos by 7
-dogs
-warriors
-sharks
-roosters
-rabbitohs (bit of a risk, but the bunnies' drought has to break sometime and with about a million tigers injured now is as good a time as any)
-storm

 

[blakegman]

Someone give brad fittler a 10 year contract extension

 

[blue_chameleon]

CRAIG Bellamy is reported to have signed a five-year contract to remain Melbourne Storm coach until 2013.

The contract is believed to be worth around $2.5 million, among the most lucrative coaching deals in rugby league history.

This has made me a very happy man! Bellamy has been pretty clearly the in form coach over the past 2 seasons, and one would think his form will be hard to top by many others in the NRL coaching circle, for a while anyway.

I guess for Brisbane though, all is not lost. They got Folau. But one has to wonder whether if Bellamy had gone, whether Inglis, Smith, Cronk et al, would have exercised clauses in their contracts to follow him.

Im tipping Henjak for the Brisbane job.

Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23559935-23214,00.html

 

[Muz4PM]

This is great to see! I'd rate Bellamy as clearly the best over the past 2 seasons, and his form woill be hard to top by many others in the NRl coaching circle.

I guess for Brisbane though, all is not lost. They got Folau. But one has to wonder whether if Bellamy had gone, whether Inglis, Smith, Cronk et al, would have exercised clauses in their contracts to follow him.

Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23559935-23214,00.html

I agree, Bellamy is a top coach, he is probably worth every cent. Personally, I would have signed Bellamy before I would have bought Folau.

 

[blue_chameleon]

I agree, Bellamy is a top coach, he is probably worth every cent. Personally, I would have signed Bellamy before I would have bought Folau.

Yeah, you would have thought so, wouldn't you? Who knows though. There are still some good assistant coaches and coaches available, and knowing Brisbane, id say they'd put somebody they believed was up to the task.

Just on the article for Bellamy though, I was a bit surprised to see the media label the $2.5 million over what, 4 years, as being the 'most lucrative in history.' Bennett has moved to the Dragons for around $600,000 a year, if my memory serves me correct?

 

[Muz4PM]

Yeah, you would have thought so, wouldn't you? Who knows though. There are still some good assistant coaches and coaches available, and knowing Brisbane, id say they'd put somebody they believed was up to the task.

Just on the article for Bellamy though, I was a bit surprised to see the media label the $2.5 million over what, 4 years, as being the 'most lucrative in history.' Bennett has moved to the Dragons for around $600,000 a year, if my memory serves me correct?

I am not sure the amount Bennett is on, I couldn't find it, but he is there for three years, so that is $1.8 million if you are correct, another one I think is worth every cent. I think that the Dragons desperatley needed a different coach, I didn't think that Brown would cut it to be honest. Now with someone as successful and as widely respected as Bennett, they may see a change in fortunes. Maybe Brown can stay on as assistant or something, and learn from someone like Bennett, maybe as Bellamy did when he was at the Broncos. I think Nathan Brown could make a reasonable coach, but I don't think that the times at the Dragons suited him.

 

[Triangulum]

-rabbitohs (bit of a risk, but the bunnies' drought has to break sometime and with about a million tigers injured now is as good a time as any)

clearly i gave the rabbitohs too much credit. they lost 30-10 to the tigers, for god's sake.

 

[wuddie]

if anyone watched the bit where benji marshall was handing out the jerseys to the loyals, yours truly was standing right behind him and had about 10sec air time, black suit yellow tie. but that was probably before chnl 9 began their broadcast.

anyway, souths, another week, another lose. same ol' story with those guys. i think they've just accepted the ways of losing and going into games expecting a lose, and hope for a win. but to the tigers credit, they played very well.

also the knights came up with a belter against the chooks, funny how we don't hear the roosters fans post here the week their team lose. there isn't much left to say when danny wicks, weighing at 112kg and got a gut you cannot miss, manage to break the line and out run the entire roosters team. onya knights. mitchell pierce couldn't find touch and the knights scored a try in that set.

kimmorley missed a 40m drop goal by this much and penrith won lancey thompson's last game. very, very unlucky i'd have to say. thompson will be sorely missed.

 

[mcquinn]

Mmm Roosters definately should have won that game on paper, and leading up until the 60th minutes all signs pointed that way. Knights just smashed them in terms of enthusiasm and persistence, something the Roosters havent had to rely upon due to their recent good from through following game plans to perfection. Also, looking at Danny Wicks' stats, you'll see he only made 3 hitups and 10 tackles from his 33 minutes, so its understandable why he was able to sprint 60m for the tryline. Still, it was the best solo try of the year, no doubt.

Manly's gritty performance also deserves a mention i think, no players on the bench with 10minutes to go with forwards out there who had played close to a full game...inspiring really.

 

[blakegman]

All the attention to hicks is bullshit. The only reason he got that far is because perret thought that soliola or whoever was chasing was going to easily get him so slowed down. all hicks did was break 1 tackle and run in a straight line. Doesnt see amazing to me


O meley summed it up pretty well in the media i thought.

 

[wuddie]

typical roosters response, never say die even in the aftermath of a defeat.

firstly it is wicks, not hicks (took me a while to figure out, thought you were talking about chris hicks). regardless of how he got through the line, which he shouldn't have at the first instance, how can the fullback "think" someone else will get the player and leave the responsibility to that player? if you've ever played footy, the first thing your coach tells you is that never assume it is someone else's job unless they've claimed it.

for a player weighing at 112kg and a gut you cannot disguise, you'd imagine there'd be someone at the roosters amongst all their stars and speedsters would catch him. but what do you know. o'meley is clearly pissed because he could not come to terms with it, as well as jealous at the fact that he has never done anything like it.

say what you want about danny wicks, the matter of fact is he scored the solo try of the year and the roosters lost a game they should have wrapped up.

 

[blakegman]

typical roosters response, never say die even in the aftermath of a defeat.

firstly it is wicks, not hicks (took me a while to figure out, thought you were talking about chris hicks). regardless of how he got through the line, which he shouldn't have at the first instance, how can the fullback "think" someone else will get the player and leave the responsibility to that player? if you've ever played footy, the first thing your coach tells you is that never assume it is someone else's job unless they've claimed it.

for a player weighing at 112kg and a gut you cannot disguise, you'd imagine there'd be someone at the roosters amongst all their stars and speedsters would catch him. but what do you know. o'meley is clearly pissed because he could not come to terms with it, as well as jealous at the fact that he has never done anything like it.

say what you want about danny wicks, the matter of fact is he scored the solo try of the year and the roosters lost a game they should have wrapped up.

How is it a typical roosters response? im not discounting it because i support the roosters or hate the knights i just think it was overrated. You argument doesn't change the fact that it was more a mistake by the defence then brilliance by the attacker, thus the focus should be on the roosters shit defending then wicks (dont know why i said hicks, i know his name) brilliance.

My coach in soccer tells me to always keep my head over the ball when i shoot but it doesnt mean i actually do it does it ? players aren't robots.

I was only pointing out that not everyone is wanking furiously over the try.

 

[frontman]

well wicks is the fastest over 40m at the knights so it's not that surprising he could outpace some backs at the roosters...

I think someone said that as a joke.

 

[blakegman]

I think someone said that as a joke.

Definately was. Surely wes naquaima plus other are much faster

 

[wuddie]

How is it a typical roosters response? im not discounting it because i support the roosters or hate the knights i just think it was overrated. You argument doesn't change the fact that it was more a mistake by the defence then brilliance by the attacker, thus the focus should be on the roosters shit defending then wicks (dont know why i said hicks, i know his name) brilliance.

My coach in soccer tells me to always keep my head over the ball when i shoot but it doesnt mean i actually do it does it ? players aren't robots.

I was only pointing out that not everyone is wanking furiously over the try.

true, most tries come from some form of defensive lapse, rarely do we see a set play or instinctive play which cannot be countered. but if you are going to look at how crap the defence is everytime a try is scored, you will inevitably take the shine off every try on the face of nrl history. if you choose to look at it that way, then we'll just have to agree to disagree.

but be warned, the next time you brag about a try, be it from the roosters or not, i will be on to the defence like a flash.

to those who prefer to look at tries as brilliance in attack, i'd say wicks was determined as well as fitter than he was given credit for.

 

[blakegman]

true, most tries come from some form of defensive lapse, rarely do we see a set play or instinctive play which cannot be countered. but if you are going to look at how crap the defence is everytime a try is scored, you will inevitably take the shine off every try on the face of nrl history. if you choose to look at it that way, then we'll just have to agree to disagree.

but be warned, the next time you brag about a try, be it from the roosters or not, i will be on to the defence like a flash.

to those who prefer to look at tries as brilliance in attack, i'd say wicks was determined as well as fitter than he was given credit for.

Great tries usually require a defensive error yes, but that is usually caused by great offence. I honestly fail to see how breaking one tackle and running in a straight line to the try line could be considered anything better then decent.

I recogonise it's all subjective, but surely there has been better then that. If not, doesn't say much for the game.

 

[~Claire~]

All i know is that i would love for Souths to win atleast one game, sooner rather than later!!!

 

[wuddie]

south sydney will win one game, i bet my house on it. at this day and age, it is impossible for a team to go through a season winless. of course, if asotasi and kidwell are both out, then their chances just get slimmer.

there was an article in the tele, talks about how origin punishes teams that are doing well. you think about it and it makes sense - origin picks all the form players, and they usually come from clubs in the top 6 or so. in many ways, i think it is unfair for those clubs to be playing 2 nrl games without their form players. why should they be punished for it?

hence, i think we can incorporate the byes into the week leading up to the origin. so for that week, no team plays. the rep players can do their thing and play soo the follow week, and back up for the weekend if they choose to. that way, the clubs can decide whether they want their rep players to back up, or give them a rest. so every team gets the 3 byes in the season, at the same week, so then byes won't have to constitute as a win on the ladder.