- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Ever since the great 1909 grand final cock-up, representative rugby league has been difficult for footy administrators, and still manages to plague the big bosses.
Much more so than club footy, rep games can be hit and miss, and while they have given the code some of its greatest moments, they have also seen some Carige-esque shemozzles over the years. The weekend just gone saw a bit of both, so here are the hots and nots from the rep round.
Australia versus New Zealand
Hot: The Kiwis having a dig
Like many rugby league fans, upon hearing the New Zealand team announced early last week I called for coach Stephen Kearney to hand in his whistle and cardigan. When it was revealed before kick-off that he intended to play Tohu Harris at five-eighth, I stopped being angry at the man and started wondering if the Mad Butcher was actually feeding the Kiwi staff tainted meat.
But, to the credit of Kearney and his 17 rag-tag ring-ins, the New Zealanders came out hard and put on an impressive enough display to keep the attending fans entertained and stop viewers at home from flicking over to Space Jam.
Not: DCE getting the Aaron Raper treatment
Watching Australian coach Tim Sheens let one of the best players going around ride the pine most of the evening was definitely the downer. C’mon Sheensy, I know it’s a Test match, but way to rub Kearney’s face in it!
Under 20s Origin
Hot: NSW winning
Yes, it may sound extremely biased to the Roar’s Queensland readers, but at the moment NSW needs something (as one witty individual pointed out, they couldn’t even beat each other in City versus Country), and if the Blues can feel good about themselves for a little while, surely it only benefits the Origin series proper.
Plus, Mamo = Whammo!
Not: The players acting like, well, teenagers
You tend to expect it in the lower age groups, but a number of players behaving like they were waiting in a taxi rank outside the Caxton St Hotel at 3am on a Sunday morning wasn’t really a great look (or listen!) for the game. Microphones off next time, methinks.
Samoa versus Fiji
Hot: Samoa finally getting it together
Every major tournament gone by, you look at Samoa’s roster and pencil them in for greatness, only to see them put in a clunky performance and disappear faster than Paul Kent at a Deceptikonz concert.
That’s until Saturday night anyway, when despite missing talisman Ben Roberts (or maybe…) they managed to put a classy Fijian team to the sword in stunning style and crack through for a lucrative Four Nations berth.
Not: Fiji’s rep schedule
Ok so technically this didn’t happen on Saturday night, but after all the hard work they’ve done it’s a shame to see the Bati miss out on matches. A couple of games against Papua New Guinea or Tonga at the end of the year would be great, even if they did have to swallow their pride and play it before one of the Four Nations games.
City versus Country
Hot: An entertaining match which actually answered some questions
After a few snoozers, it was great to have a reason to watch the game until then end (and still get to see the best part of the A-League grand final), and great to see Jarrod Mullen battle against Josh Reynolds for the five-eighth position.
Not: Delayed coverage
“Hey you rugby league fan! Take City versus Country seriously, this is a time honoured, fair-dinkum clash that fans everywhere get angry and emotional over!”
Sweet, what time’s it on?
“Well it starts at 3 and is on a one hour TV delay…”
Groan.
Also, Dubbo looked pretty cold.
The rep weekend itself
Hot: Having a standalone weekend
Throws the limelight on the big matches and saves the Supercoach – I mean, player – burnout dramas.
Not: Only four games
Let’s share the love and get a few more countries involved next time around. I’ve got family to avoid, you know!
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.