State of Origin robbing Storm of their players
Roar Rookie By doubledutch, 16 Jun 2012 doubledutch is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Billy Slater, Melbourne Storm, NRL, Rugby League, State Of Origin
Mercurial Billy Slater for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL (Image: AAP)
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Can just one Origin fan justify losing Billy Slater to us Storm fans? Since moving to the beautiful city of Sydney five years ago, I have done my best to get into the league spirit and culture.
I follow pretty much every sport, but growing up in Melbourne leads you down a very different sporting path to that of Sydney folk.
I have been to a dozen Tigers matches at Leichhardt oval, despite being an avid fan of the Storm. I live in the inner west so this is my local team, and I must say I do love watching the Tigers, in particular Benji Marshall.
I went to the 2009 grand final, seeing my beloved Storm win the premiership, only to have it and their 2007 premiership stripped because of salary cap breaches. All of this I can handle – just!
What I can’t handle and perhaps never will is seeing one of our players representing a state which I have no interest in, risking it all when it is the Storm who are paying a vast amount of Slater’s yearly wage. It is the Storm along with all their fans which have to watch their star players risk everything with no reward for them whatsoever.
I can’t think of one competition in the world which asks this of their clubs and fans. I really can’t, so I want someone here to justify to me why I as a Melbournian (who is trying so hard to love this game in a foreign city), should care about NSW and Queensland potentially destroying the one thing I am interested in; the NRL premiership!
How is it you can have a code which has the pinnacle of its season culminating in a three match series disrupting a third of the NATIONAL competition which represents only two states?
Billy Slater, Copper Cronk and Cameron Smith were all out prior to game one, along with game two. The Tigers defeated the Storm last week while the Storm was deprived of probably the three finest players in their respective positions in the land. The Tigers were only asked to release their captain, since their best player in Benji Marshall is not eligible, thus giving the Tigers a significant advantage.
Excuse me for saying, but this is just rubbish! I am furious and I have left it a few days before writing this article to let my emotions settle somewhat.
Billy Slater has been ruled out with a PCL injury, which in all likelihood will rule him out for four to six weeks. He has no chance to run on it, which means it will take most likely a further two or three weeks to get back to match fitness.
I can tell you now, if you do not find yourself in the top four under the new finals system, you will most likely have no chance of winning the premiership. If the Storm continue to drop games because of this Origin series and more players become injured, this seriously jeopardises their ability to challenge for the premiership.
The argument that all teams have the same issue does not hold weight, so I don’t want to hear it. Most teams are in NSW and Queensland, so if you people want your players risking themselves for a cause you love so be it.
Us Melbournians don’t and I personally can’t wait for the day the Storm refuse to release their players to a state we care nothing for.
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- Explore:
- Billy Slater, Melbourne Storm, NRL, Rugby League, State Of Origin
June 16th 2012 @ 9:13am
Droppa said | June 16th 2012 @ 9:13am | Report comment
the hell with the cheats,shouldn’t even be in the comp
June 16th 2012 @ 9:17am
oikee said | June 16th 2012 @ 9:17am | Report comment
Funny bloke. The Broncos use to have 10 players in origin nearly every year, is probably why we had such a good record of winning premierships.
You have to change your whole mentallity, dont think like AFL would have you beleive, yes the prmeiership is the main goal, but playing origin improves your chances as far as i am concerned, not the other way around.
Look at how many origin players the storm had when they were winning those grand finals.
You can get injured very easily, Brennt Tate had 3 knee reconstructions, i dont think any were caused by playing origin. Look at him now, playing origin and back to his best ever form.
Yes, change your way of thinking, rugby league fans and players put Origin up on a pedistal for a reason. It improves your players who make it to this level. They have to be pretty good to make it this far, then they go up another level, this lasts for the rest of their life in footy.
So, next time you see your players getting picked for Origin, give yourself a little cheer. You might just be that much closer to winning another flag, or grand final as we call it, not a draw, lets have another game next weekend.
If we had your reasoning , we would not have internationals, all-stars, even trail matches. The amount of players who get injured in trails is pretty high as well.
Your a league fan now, start acting like one.
To finish off, even if you lost Billy the Kid, the Broncos lost Lockyer now, it is not the end of the world, life goes on. I am sure Duffy will do a good job. You need to trust, have faith.
June 16th 2012 @ 9:25am
Meesta Cool said | June 16th 2012 @ 9:25am | Report comment
State of orign is great, it is something unique to our game, BUT, the timing is ‘way out’, because of SOO. teams who normally would be hanging around outside the eight stand a chance of moving into the eight, teams at the top (Who supply MOST of the players) are drawn back to the field. it gives a false impression of the real season and falsely adds to the ‘myth’ that we have a competition where all teams have been evened out by the salary cap. The big problem is, WHEN should it be played?.
I have spoken to ex players and they say that Losing a State of Origin series can affect a player for weeks after the final game, this is anothe ‘fallout from the game’ that most people do not realise!.
Last year, Dragon’s were unbeatable until SOO, after,they became a ghost of the team that started the season, it is truly a ‘weird beast. The argument that SOO shouldn’t be played because Billy got injured is pretty soft, a player can get injured in warm up or just running for a ball, Storm will find a suitable replacement at full back to ‘mind’ Billy’s position until he returns, at the end of the season, Slater will not be worn out as in previous year, some good comes of everything! AND Storm are not the first team to be hit by SOO injuries, So, best of luck with the injury Meesta Slater, we see you in five weeks.
June 16th 2012 @ 9:26am
warren said | June 16th 2012 @ 9:26am | Report comment
A valid article but SOO is it for me. I enjoy all sports and have played all the codes but there is something so special about the SOO. I was there on Wednesday night and the last 5 minutes the NSW crowd lifted the side with every tackle being cheered like a try had been scored. The game is in my view the most glabitorial of all sporting contests that can not be copied by any other two sporting teams due to no other reason than the history behind the concept. I am as I have for the last 30 odds years now counting the days down for game III
June 16th 2012 @ 9:39am
oikee said | June 16th 2012 @ 9:39am | Report comment
Can anyone ever imagine Lockyer not playing origin. He played every single year he was available, never missed a game.
The only time he ever got really injured was the last game of his career. That is a big tick for playing origin if you ask me. He just got better and better, year after year.
He had a brilliant sendoff without winning a final premiership, it is the memories that last. Plus the DVD will be good.
Then you look at Benji Marshal, he was out for seasons, never played origin. The luck of the draw.
June 16th 2012 @ 10:09am
jamesb said | June 16th 2012 @ 10:09am | Report comment
doubledutch, I know where your coming from
having nrl games played without origin players is not ideal
I still think the solutions to this in regards to the storm is they need to produce players from Melbourne. Than again if any player is any good, they would be poached to play for either NSW or QLD.
I still like to see stand alone origin weekends where you have a NZ origin series and another rep game to work alongside state of origin
The commission in the future should really have a look at implementing a NZ origin series. It would help kiwi born players like Tamou to stay with NZ.
June 16th 2012 @ 10:13am
doubledutch said | June 16th 2012 @ 10:13am | Report comment
Cameron I’m glad someone has come in to bat for me on this one. You also make an interesting point, one which I wish I had mentioned myself.
The very fact Billy has been in the news papers because he will be out for Origin III, but no mention of how this will affect the Storm does highlight where Origin and the Premiership sit together.
Oikee, I can tell you are a passionate fan. So I will play the devils advocate here and argue the same point, just from a different angle to see how you feel about it.
Lets suppose the problem is solved by the Storm producing their own players, thus not being eligable for rep foorball for either NSW or QLD. Lets also assume for a second a new Perth team comes in and makes the NRL a truely nationalal competition. This team then starts to produce it’s own stars, along with a second NZ team. More players like Benji become the stars of the competition, all of whom are NOT eligable for SOO.
Now my question is Oikee, why should people playing in the NRL be denyed the chance to play in supposedly the highest competition in the world, that being SOO level? If this is to be the case, how long until the number of players outside of QLD and NSW is supparsed by the other states and NZ if the NRL wants to truely become a national sport.
The reason I ask this is simple. If the NRL wants to be truely national it needs to start growing young tallent out of the traditional states. This of course then means they are not eligable. I can tell you now, if I was the Storm manager I would be looking for players like Benji Marshall because I know he wont be disrupted by SOO which instantly adds MORE value to me then a Billy Slater because SOO, despite what you think, seriously disrupts the season for many clubs.
The Bronchos have won so many premierships for one reason and one reason only. They are a better run, better finanaced and better supported team than all of the other clubs combined. They are a true hall mark of the NRL, a team that all other teams should strive to become, simple as that
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on why players outside of QLD and NSW should be denyed playing in such high standard for football when they too are playing in a NATIONAL competition.
June 16th 2012 @ 11:50am
oikee said | June 16th 2012 @ 11:50am | Report comment
Perth, or WA will have to Play Victoria in a smaller Origin version for a few decades. They wont ever be up to NSW Queensland level for that long. You need a lot of players in the comp before you can sustain this level.
Queensland struggled for years to keep up to origin level. 1 or 2 injuries and its all over rover.
You have much to learn grasshopper.
June 16th 2012 @ 10:26am
Meesta Cool said | June 16th 2012 @ 10:26am | Report comment
DoubleDutch, Players born and bred in Vic,Sth Oz and WA will all be eligible to play in the present State of Origin Series, they just have to nominate the state when they are registered with their club!…
On second thoughts, I am not sure if this will apply to players playing for a club in their own state. — A truly strange Beast’ this Origin game!.
June 16th 2012 @ 10:35am
Glenn said | June 16th 2012 @ 10:35am | Report comment
I’m a Melbourne supporter, born and raised here, but I do follow Queensland (surprise, surprise you all say) because my family is from there. The fact is, I can’t agree with the fact that Origin is ‘robbing’ us of Slater because of his injury. I can deal with an injury because it is a part of the game. Slater works as hard as any of the players we have and he’ll be back and aim as high as he can for the run to the finals. So he’s out for 6 weeks. In 2006, he was suspended for 7 games for a kick to John Skandalis’ head. I couldn’t deal with that, and if the best player in the world is going to be out for almost two months and I could choose the reason, there’s no doubting which option I would take. I’m pretty sure Tigers fans would rather Benji go down in the comparatively meaningless ANZAC Test than king hit someone and be suspended for 7 games.
I do agree that when we start regularly seeing players from Victoria pull on the Storm jersey it’ll only benefit the game. There’s a couple on the cusp in the Toyota Cup, and as our current SG Ball crop moves up the grades, more of them will make the cut.
June 16th 2012 @ 10:39am
Dapper1994 said | June 16th 2012 @ 10:39am | Report comment
As much as Origin is the great game between NSW and QLD in the long run this 3 game series could hold back the development of the game in the other states as well as the international game. Not to mention the clarification of how you fit the criteria for selection that issue is very murky as well.