NRL’s bottom four teams already sorted for 2012
Roar Pro By Beardan, 7 May 2012 Beardan is a Roar Pro
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- Canberra Raiders, david furner, Gold Coast Titans, NRL, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, Phil Gould, Rugby League
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While there may be still some doubt at the top and middle of the table, the bottom four for 2012 has been settled.
It is not even ten rounds into the season, but it’s clear that Parramatta, Penrith, Canberra and the Gold Coast still have a long 2012 in front of them.
These teams’ output has been poor to pathetic to date. Parramatta and Penrith are copping weekly hidings, while Canberra and the Gold Coast are not much better.
Most Eels’ fans had given up on this season a few weeks after it started, and some had given up even before that. Parramatta are a joke. Their team lacks talent and their new halfback looks like he doesn’t want to be there.
The Chris Sandow fiasco is very similar to when Adam Dykes went to Parra, but actually wanted to stay at the Sharks.
The way he played, you could tell where he wanted to be. Sandow is South Sydney through and through. He took the big dollars but doesn’t want to be an Eel.
The Eels should send him back to Souths – although Souths may not want him back. Souths are going pretty well this year, and young Adam Reynolds is turning out to be a decent first grade halfback.
Penrith’s form over the last four games has been disgraceful. Blokes like Gus Gould, Ian Chappell and Craig Foster have always had all the answers in the media, but getting in and doing it in administration level or within a team is far harder because you have to deal with the politics involved.
Gus has gone in at the deep end and his team is a rabble. Look at Michael Jennings, another high paid player, he doesn’t appear to be even trying. Even the recruitment of supposedly decent coach Ivan Cleary has failed to spark this side.
As for the Raiders, you can pinpoint the moment it was clear David Furner couldn’t coach. In his first year of coaching Canberra played Parramatta at Parramatta stadium.
Canberra used a scrum move where the scrum broke two ways and the lock ran through the middle of the broken scrum to score what was a disallowed try.
Now, this may have been great in 1978 but to use this in 2009 during the video review era was farcical and showed a bloke who didn’t show innovation, rather just a lack of ideas on how to score tries.
Gold Coast put in a decent show against the West Tigers, just losing in golden point, but with Scott Prince slowing down they will finish in the bottom four.
The good news for the other teams is now only 12 teams are effectively fighting for a top eight finish.
May 7th 2012 @ 7:29am
oikee said | May 7th 2012 @ 7:29am | Report comment
Yeah, i look at this another way. Raiders only just lost on the weekend against Manly plus 2 refs, so 15 players.
And the Titans who had kids playing the senior halves roles, only just lost by a point.
Yes the Eels and Panthers are in a rebuilding stage, but someone has to be bottom 4.
Cleary and Kearney are not that bad, they have lots of pressure and only been in the job for a short time,.
Sandow was a dud buy, and there wont be many clubs wanting his service. Still, i think these 2 teams will be better next year, or the one after. No big deal, you will be giving us 4 new teams at the bottom in 2 years time, with your same argument.
Someone has to run last, or in this case bottom 4. It is how well they now go and improve towards the later part of the year.
I have seen some good signs for those teams. This is the time where the fans really have to rally behind their teams. I did the same when the Broncos did not make the eight a couple of years ago. The players need your faith, not continuous knocking.
I dont mind the way these teams are playing, they seem to be trying hard to me, i would be happy to support anyone of those 4 teams.
May 7th 2012 @ 7:52am
Andy said | May 7th 2012 @ 7:52am | Report comment
The Raiders were very ill disciplined and were lucky not to get blown off the park in the first half. Two questionable forward pass calls by officials stopped manly scoring 2 tries, not to mention 2 errors by the raiders in the game being missed. Now to me that does not sound like a team that can compete against the top sides. The Raiders will have to improve a lot to get into the top eight by the end of the season.
May 7th 2012 @ 9:49am
oikee said | May 7th 2012 @ 9:49am | Report comment
? the raiders against a international team like Manly. Come on, Matai, Kitwe, Ballin, Watmough, Stewart, Stewart, Lyons Wolfman, Cherry Evans, King, Forun, all internationals up against the poor old Raiders. Mate if the raiders had Manly never ending sallary cap where they can magic up hundreds of thousands to resign every top class international, then yes they might even win a game or 2 in this comp.
Dont get me started on Manly and the magic salary cap money.
What are they paying Stewart, peanut money, Forun and Evans are on over half a million each, surely Snake is getting more, and Lyons their captain, come-on, Gallop you really must think we are stupid, blind to Manly, and when are the refs going to penalise for holding down in the tackle, every mnaly player is doing it, either holding the players shirts or hands in the ruck or knees in the ruck. Come-on.
15 thousand bothered to turn up, what is it going to be like in a few years when Manly cant win a game. Lets not prolong this farce. Bring back the Bears now. Manly out, gone.
The rest of the comp cant keep them on life support.
Taking games to Perth, the Broncos having to have double headers, they wont even travel across that big bridge in Sydney, come-on. No more of this, it just makes the game look Amatuer.
May 7th 2012 @ 10:52am
Andy said | May 7th 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
I have already discussed this with you oikee and i think Manly is not over the cap and even if they were good luck proving anything, because the last time i checked Ian Schubert played for Manly.
May 7th 2012 @ 1:21pm
Renegade said | May 7th 2012 @ 1:21pm | Report comment
As a neutral watching yesterday’s game….i thought Manly got all the calls from the refs which was a result of the 15’000 partisan crowd breathing down their neck – so well done to the home fans.
May 7th 2012 @ 3:11pm
NF said | May 7th 2012 @ 3:11pm | Report comment
Oikee the Broncos only missed the finals once since forever they ain’t rallying, how about 4-6 years of missing out like the Cowboys went through I can’t wait til the Broncos missed consecutive finals and eventually a wooden spoon one day you being spoiled since day one and being ungrateful judging by the medicore Broncos attendencs which should be 40k minimum.
May 7th 2012 @ 10:01am
Will Sinclair said | May 7th 2012 @ 10:01am | Report comment
I think you’re being a bit hard on the Raiders – they’ve been very good in patches this season and I expect them to push for a spot in the Finals.
On another topic – it’s just occured to me that the Dragons are set to really take advantage of the State of Origin period this season. There is a chance they won’t lose anyone to Origin (maybe Merrin or Weyman?), and they could really make hay over the next few weeks and emerge from the Origin period close to the top of the table.
May 7th 2012 @ 10:32am
Matt F said | May 7th 2012 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Good point about the Dragons. The SOO period may be very kind to them this year.
It’s great to see that the NRL is, for the most part, as even as ever. Only 2 points separates 4th and 12th
May 7th 2012 @ 10:28am
Matt F said | May 7th 2012 @ 10:28am | Report comment
The Raiders always promise so much and deliver so little. Season ending injuries to Campese and White will really hurt them. I’ve never been convinced by David Furner as a coach either. that being said they are the most likely team out of the four to push up the ladder.
The other three are definitley done for the season.
May 7th 2012 @ 3:34pm
OldManEmu said | May 7th 2012 @ 3:34pm | Report comment
As a Roosters fan I find it hard to contain my excitement when I can see positive signs but to tip the premise of this article on its head, I think the Roosters are Top four bound along with the big two of Melbourne, the Broncos and one of Canterbury or Manly.
Coach Smith has the team just starting to get on board with his high energy, mutiple phase style and there really could be a few shellackings once the season gets on a bit, and during Origin when Mortimer will come in for Pearce and yet everyone else will be on board. It is not Grand Final winning stuff.
Another thing Smith is doing really well is using his bench – keeping Warea Hargreaves back for the final ten minutes yesterday was awesome; I thought he was going to kill someone when he got out there and damn nearly did Neville Costigan.
May 7th 2012 @ 7:21pm
Dubble Bubble said | May 7th 2012 @ 7:21pm | Report comment
With four teams struggling to register wins and the Storm and the Broncos streaking away from the rest of the pack we are looking at teams making the finals with less wins than losses. I recall the Storm were 8/1 to win the premiership. I didn’t have the cash to put any money on them but though they were pretty juicy odds. Would n’t mind getting on them for that now!
May 8th 2012 @ 3:54am
all7days said | May 8th 2012 @ 3:54am | Report comment
Agree with most of this bar Jennings. I reckon he’s looked good on a losing side