Reflections from Kogarah on the NRL finals race

 
Fred Magee Roar Pro

By Fred Magee, 14 Sep 2009 Fred Magee is a Roar Pro

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As the sun set over a packed Kogarah Jubilee Oval, the only solace I took as I walked away from the Parramatta v Dragons game was that Manly supporters would be feeling a lot worse.

It was one of those games that Parramatta won rather than the Dragons lost.

Not to say that they didn’t have their chances as Parramatta coughed up a lot of ball, especially in the second half when the Eels first half defensive effort seemed to be taking its toll. However, once Eric Grothe intercepted Jamie Soward’s pass to go underneath the posts, it was pretty much all she wrote.

Where does that leave the Big Red V?

A huge effort will be needed against a red hot Broncos team who will be extremely hard to beat, especially at Suncorp. It can be done but they will need to replicate both the intensity and the attacking flair that they showed in Round 26 which sadly was not apparent at Kogarah on Sunday.

Otherwise, the Minor Premiers will be finish just that – only Minor Premiers.

So we finish the first week of the semi finals with the Bulldogs and the Storm having the week’s break and the Knights and the Sea Eagles preparing for their end of season trips. While the Knights exit was somewhat expected, Manly will be stunned that their poor effort against the Storm has resulted in their elimination.

Manly fans have bleated about Matt Orford not getting the recognition he deserves, especially after their Premiership win last year.

This year, they should place a fair bit of blame on his shoulders for their early exit. Yes, the Storm were hot on Friday night but Orford was AWOL for three quarters of the game which contributed greatly to their downfall.

The Titans, like the Dragons will be grateful for the second chance.

Stage fright may have accounted for the slow start but they did make a comeback to narrow the margin and in the end push the Broncos to the wire.

However, the Titans have a reputation like Guinness – neither travel well. They will need to be on song right from the get go against Parramatta who seem to perform at the best when it is sudden death.

The Bulldogs put in what could be described as a tradesmen-like performance against the Knights. They did what they had to do to win the game but the key was that they did so without Brett Kimmorley. Now they earn the week’s break and another two weeks for Kimmorley to recover and potentially return to lead them into the Grand Final.

It was the perfect end to a great week for the Bulldogs who cleaned up at the Dally M awards and at the moment would be the favourites to take the crown; with the only side looking like stopping them being Melbourne.

The Storm turned in a performance on Friday night that was reminiscent of the last three seasons where they have played on the first Sunday in October.

Slater’s four try effort was not only an indication of his individual brilliance but also the result of a team timing their September run to perfection with the likes of Inglis, Smith and Cronk turning it up a few notches come September. They will be hard to beat and better for the week’s break.

This is something that also crossed my mind, as I joined the red and white masses making their way down the Princes Highway back to our cars. That, and my plans for a stress free weekend were over

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