Slater wins the battle but Brisbane the war

 

Roar Guru

By Steve Kaless, 23 Mar 2009 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru

Tagged:

 Billy Slater, Brisbane Broncos, Karmichael Hunt, Melbourne Storm, NRL, Rugby League

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Friday’s clash in Brisbane was billed as a clash between two heavyweights but also two thoroughbreds as Karmichael Hunt came up against Billy Slater in what was seen by some as an early State of Origin trial.

If selection came down to that game then the first name on the Maroons team sheet would have to be B. Slater.

Slater got the points over Hunt in every facet of fullback play, his positional play, his support of the forwards and his defence were all outstanding.

Importantly, Slater’s ability to chime into the backline and operate as a second five eighth in the Storm’s sweeping movements were something out of a manual.

Hunt on the other hand seemed uneasy when coming in off Lockyer and a number of times his passes were poor and ill timed.

Of course in the wash it all means little as the Broncos took the two points to remain undefeated and those you predicted a sluggish starts to the Bennett-less Broncos are now staying very quiet.

Despite the season being only two rounds old having a zero in the losses column is no mean feat, as only three sides have managed it thus far.

The Bulldogs look a far more menacing unit than most predicted, although their fans will face an anxious wait to see if their side is again forced to ride out the season with an asterisk next their name, with some talk of an extra man on the field during their match against Penrith.

It would be rough justice for another thrilling match to be decided by the men in suits.

The Warriors have no such worries and their defeat of the Sea Eagles must surely mark them as early contenders.

It was nice to see that after the match all the talk was not about a player that was absent, but a player who was there. Stacey Jones might just have returned to finish off a job he started in 2002.

While the two referee system seems to be working well from a fans perspective as the matches seem to have really increased in speed, there does seem to be some teething problems.

An Adam Gorrell knock on seemed to be missed by all four officials in the lead up to a Brisbane try, while the Bulldogs Michael Ennis was penalised for diving on the ball in a ruck. Apparently it would have been okay for him to pick it up and run with it, but not dive on it.

When did that become a rule? And surely it should be upto the player to decide whether he wants to gain metres on not, the rule should simply state whether or not he can make a play at it.

But overall perhaps the best sign of the officiating is I often have difficulty recalling who was in charge, and surely anonymity is the best result a referee can hope for.

In his form Billy Slater is unlikely to go unnoticed but if the men in the ironically bright pink tops can stay under the radar we could have a great season ahead.

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