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Saints vs Sinners: An Easter miracle?

21st April, 2011
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Roar Guru
21st April, 2011
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1252 Reads

You just can’t help but wonder what the big man upstairs (not talking about Darryl Brohman in the Clausens corporate box by the way) has in store for us this Easter Monday/ANZAC Day as Pope Benny’s Saints take on Brian’s rotten Roosters.

In a fixture that rarely disappoints, will the Roosters finally crow or will they do their best to re-enact the day’s military namesake? It shapes as an intriguing contest.

In the Roosters’ favour, it is certainly the time of year for miracles, albeit the only one they seem to have produced so far in 2011 is Todd Carney’s ability to turn last year’s water into this year’s wine.

Whilst his efforts in giving up sobriety for lent have been duly noted by the press, the NRL’s prodigal son is likely to once again find himself a pariah amongst the faithful if he can’t at least break the defensive line this year, as many times as he’s broken his drinking ban.

Such distractions by Carney and his partner in grime Watts can’t be helpful for a team that has more promise than those telly ads on after 11pm at night, but as much substance as anything unwrapped on Easter Sunday.

The Roosters this year have flopped harder than Andrew Gee ever did in a tackle, and if they don’t start to record some wins soon, Brian Smith will have a gig on radio with Daniel Anderson by July.

Adding to the Roosters misery is their opponents in St George-Illawarra; 17 blokes who (if you believe everything you read) go to church every Sunday, volunteer at the RSL in their spare time and generally make Ned Flanders look like Hunter S. Thompson.

It is ever so fitting that they should be one of the teams representing on ANZAC Day, such is their military like precision and attention to detail.

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New recruit Adam ‘the Gymea Gorilla’ Cuthbertson, a man whose own comeback makes Lazarus’ (not Glen, the other bloke) look tame in comparison, even recently spoke of how he had trimmed his hair and beard to fit in better with the first grade squad.

One does not find it hard to imagine a ‘Full Metal Jacket’ type scene with Wayne Bennett patrolling the dressing room measuring side-burn and sock lengths with a pocket ruler. But I digress.

Although it ended in glut of points in the second half (maybe Brian Smith had used his mate Daniel Anderson’s infamous 2002 GF half-time address?) the Roosters showed in last year’s decider that even without an on fire Carney they have enough muscle up front and speed out wide to stick it to the choirboys, and can take some heart from the fact that the Dragon’s have been shown to have a few chinks in their armour already this year.

So sports fans, another ANZAC Day classic awaits.

Here’s hoping the Roosters make it off the front page and on to the back for everyone’s sake.

My prediction? Two Jason Ryles brain snaps, a runaway Jamie Soward try and at least half a dozen jokes about Victoria Cross winner Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith being signed by an NRL club for 2012.

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