Pre-season wins provide few clues about season proper
Roar Guru
By Steve Kaless, 2 Mar 2010 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Chris Sandow, NRL, Rugby League, World Club Challenge
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy overseeas a training session in Melbourne, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. Melbourne Storm will play the Parramatta Eels in this weekends NRL Grand Final. AAP Image/Julian Smith
The Melbourne Storm will enter the NRL season as world champions after out muscling the Leeds Rhinos 18-10 at Elland Rd on Sunday, but like nearly every other winning NRL club this weekend, they will be seeing it more as good result in their build up to the 2010 season.
Don’t get me wrong, NRL clubs take the match seriously and want to do well, but its position in the calendar and the importance of an NRL title mean that clubs also have an eye on the challenges ahead.
In fact, as a friend and I sat back and enjoyed the match over breakfast, we remarked how nice it was to not have the result have a bearing on the future of the concept.
The format looks here to stay, and while I’d personally like it tweaked, it was good to see it has matured to the point where a victory one way or another doesn’t bring world ending headlines.
The Storm have risen to their position in the game on the back of their ruthlessness, and Leeds will be ruing their lack of that in the wash up, with young winger Callum Watkins failing to convert two golden opportunities to score.
But the Storm looked sharp and Cameron Smith looked more comfortable at five-eighth than previous attempts. It will be interesting to see if he plays more of that this season.
The other notable match of the weekend was the Charity Shield.
The match always seems to be a bigger deal for Souths than it does the Dragons, in a big brother little brother sort of way.
Normally, it represents the Bunnies’ only real chance of winning anything for the season, but on Saturday night it was a chance to see how much the new look Bunnies (in their 1989 jerseys) had closed the gap on the minor premiers.
The answer? They have definitely improved, but by how much will be determined when the real business starts.
St George’s strength last year was their consistency, which is Souths’ traditional weakness. So the big ask is whether they can keep backing it up and how they deal with the hype as the Sydney press normally goes mad if Souths string two wins together.
They have bought well in Sam Burgess and Dave Taylor, but in truth, it will come down to Chris Sandow and John Sutton. Sutton looked good attacking down the left on Saturday, so can Sandow be his foil?
That is the million dollar question.
Souths got Sandow for a song after recruitment manager Mark Hughes was alerted to the fact he’d been cut loose by the Titans over his commitment in training.
If the Bunnies make a dent this year, you can forget talk of Crowe wooing Burgess during the making of Robin Hood. It will all go down to the bloke dubbed the “Aboriginal Alfie.”
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Corey said | March 2nd 2010 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Great article Steve, I too believe it comes down to Sandow and Sutton. Truth be told, Souths have possibly the most formidable forward pack of an NRL team in a very long time. And if the forward pack keeps firing than Sandow and Sutton have all the opportunity in the world, so if they don’t capitalise on it than Aboriginal Alfie and Sutton have failed their club and fans.
But I’m loving the competition this year, it looks like the standard across the board has increased, especially in the All Stars game, most of the boys had at least improved physically compared to last year, even Nate Myles looked slimmer whilst Hayne looked stronger.
This year a premiership may be bet on with hope, and hope alone. Most of the teams have the cavalry to win this year- the only teams I think that will struggle to put up their hand for the trophy is the Roosters and Sharks. But both have some good talent, and I have kept my eye on Blake Ferguson for a while now, and he showed how good he can be in that All Stars game. Truth be told, I am a bit scared for my boys, the Broncos, this year. I hope our finals appearance occurs this year, but the battle for the eight was fierce last year and it looks to be even more fierce this year.
Jay said | March 2nd 2010 @ 9:53am | Report comment
This year looks like a write-off for my boys, the Knights. I think the roosters will do all right this year. As for the others, I can only see Manly and the Warriors struggling. That would leave 13 team fighting it out for the top 8.
Looks like its going to be another cracking NRL season!
jannerboyuk said | March 2nd 2010 @ 9:57am | Report comment
Seeing the way the storm celebrated their win i think they saw it as more then a good prep for the season, if only for the revenge on a couple of years back. I think the WCC has developed that edge of rivalry and revenge that all good series need. Still strongly believe that the winning country should host the subsequent match as a matter of sporting fairness.
M1tch said | March 2nd 2010 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
its the last trophy this Storm era didnt have, it meant alot to them, they prepared alot better too for this game, although challenge to see how they start the season
jus de couchon said | March 3rd 2010 @ 12:06am | Report comment
The WCC is an irrelevance. Doubtful in 2 weeks time anyone will remember who won it. Its surprising its still on the calender given Leagues continued attempts to reinvent itself.
adrien66 said | March 3rd 2010 @ 10:23am | Report comment
useless comment
Crosscoder said | March 3rd 2010 @ 11:23am | Report comment
That is why a company like Gillette hardly a tin pot show,continues to sponsor it.
Another brilliant contribution from jus de couchon ,he considers it is irrelevant QED: it must be LOL.
Funny how the players bust their backsides to win it and the number of fans in attendance suggest otherwise.