As always, I take my unique perspective from the comfort of my lounge chair and apply it to the weekend’s NRL action.
Souths versus Canterbury
The NRL will be feeling slightly better after 41,000 turned out for the traditional Good Friday match-up between the Dogs and Rabbits, although it was still a long way short of the 51,000 that attended the fixture last year.
Also traditional at this time of year are the puns about Hot Cross Bunnies or the Easter Bunnies, but it’s also the right time of year for miraculous comebacks.
Eight points down with 12 minutes to go probably doesn’t qualify for the miraculous definition, but the Dogs must have the football gods on their side winning their third match straight by a single point, bettering Melbourne’s back-to-back one-point wins to open the season.
Manly versus North Queensland
If we’ve learnt anything this week, it’s that it can be bad for the career to be caught accepting undeserved and overly generous gifts. Manly should be expecting a phone call from ICAC any day now as this game was stolen from the Cowboys by the six men in pink (assuming the video refs wear pink too) and presented to Manly.
The last time the Cowboys played Manly in Sydney, it was the 2012 finals series and the Cowboys got hosed by the video refs. It couldn’t happen again could it? Oh yes it could, and did.
Trailing 14-20, Manly’s Brett Stewart was caught on the fifth tackle close to the Cowboys’ line. In desperation he attempted to pass the ball. There are tribes in the deepest, most remote parts of the Amazon, as yet untouched by civilisation that could see that Stewart’s pass went forward, yet none of the officials noticed and instead waved six again.
To heap insult upon injury, from the extra set, Foran went through a gap to score a try to level the scores that was opened in part due to the interference of Jamie Buhrer.
Ray Thompson did a pathetic job and instead of theatrically falling down when contact was made as per the modern script, foolishly attempted to play on and make the tackle. Even so, it was an obvious penalty; obvious to everyone on the planet apart from the men pushing the buttons in the video ref’s box.
The refs weren’t the only ones handing out gifts.
Steve Matai had scored eight tries in six games and Manly’s left side attack has statistically been the best in the competition. The Cowboys right side defence would have been well aware that they would face a stern examination. An examination they failed with flying colours; taking all of four minutes to falter the first time and all of Manly’s tries were ultimately scored down that side.
The final margin was five points, and the Cowboys left six very gettable points on the field via some horrible goal kicking after Thurston initially handed over the goal kicking duties to Kyle Feldt who missed two from adjacent to the posts.
Even with their poor goal kicking and the refereeing blunders, the Cowboys were still in front after Thurston’s unlikely field goal, but they were determined to lose.
“Score six – get to your kick” is a golden rule all the time, but when it’s within the last five minutes after your team has just put a massive morale killer behind them to re-take the lead by one point, then there is nothing more important than completing that set.
Tariq Sims took the kick reception back like a man possessed, that was followed by Matt Scott carrying defenders with him. Then NSW and Australian front row forward James Tamou took his hit up, ball in one arm and coughed it up, and the rest is history.
If Tamou hangs onto the ball, then the ref debacle is most likely a moot point rather than the focus. Tamou is guilty of the single worst play of the NRL season so far.
Newcastle versus Brisbane
Trying to follow Newcastle’s form this year has been about as difficult and frustrating as attempting to follow a Wagner Opera without English subtitles (just ask Bob Carr what a problem that is).
You would forgive Newcastle for not having their mind completely on football this season, but with things looking more positive with the return of Jarrod Mullen and a confidence boosting win in Canberra, their effort here was utterly “hoffnungslos” (hopeless).
They were never in the match, despite it being played in Newcastle, as Ben Barba put his nightmare game behind him to spark the Broncos to a very comfortable win, scoring his first try for Brisbane in the process.
St George-Illawarra versus Warriors
Yet another repeat of a Round 2 match-up with the Dragons and Warriors both desperate for points.
The Dragons own this match-up, winning 17 of the 21 matches all time, including the last nine in a row, although the Warriors have killed off a couple of hoodoos this year; winning in Townsville for the first time in many years.
The Dragons put the disappointment of Monday night’s Melbourne match behind them by taking a 12-0 lead to the break, then steadying late in the game after suffering a case of the wobbles early in the second half to continue their dominance over the Warriors.
Different coach, but same result for the Warriors.
Cronulla versus Roosters
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; there is no other team that has suffered worse luck than the Sharks this year. Ongoing drug dramas and injuries aside, their draw has had them playing the worst clubs at the worst possible times.
Facing an emotional Newcastle after the McKinnon injury, facing Manly at Brookvale while they were hurting after being belted by Wests and then this week facing the Premiers a week after they were beaten by the wooden spooners. Difficult games in any circumstances, but the Sharks could have done without the added incentives from the opposition.
Not even the return of Paul Gallen could reverse their luck, with two attacking kicks from the Sharks resulting in Roosters tries down the other end of the field.
Stuck at the bottom of the ladder, it’s almost time to rename the Sharks – to the Wobbegongs who are described as: “bottom-dwelling sharks, spending much of their time resting on the sea floor”.
Unfortunately accurate.
Canberra versus Melbourne
As mentioned last week, over the 2012/13 seasons, Canberra had a winning streak of 12 matches in Canberra. That streak was broken by the Storm in a 68-4 debacle, which triggered a six match losing strea. It seems very fitting and like we’ve come the full circle for the losing streak to be broken by Melbourne’s next visit.
For 78 minutes it looked like the losing streak would continue until Paul Vaughan stepped, stepped and stepped again through the middle of the Storm defence to score the match winning try and escape with the win; perhaps this was the great Easter comeback we’d been waiting for.
Holding onto the four point lead, Melbourne’s Sisa Waqa had two golden chances to score and wrap up the game, the first saw him brilliantly held up by Josh Papalli when he looked certain to score while the second was ruled out by the officials appearing not to have grounded the ball as he slid across the try line.
That’s how I saw it from the Couch, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Twitter: @Armchair_Guru
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