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Last week I wrote about how amazing Round 1 of the NRL finals series was, considering all the tension, drama, excitement and great play on show across the four games.
You could totally understand if the following weekend failed to live up to the lofty standards of entertainment that had been set, but instead the Roosters, Cowboys, Bulldogs and Sea Eagles took the finals series to an even higher level, with both games decided by a solitary point.
Both semi-finals will go down in rugby league folklore as two of the most memorable games in the NRL’s history, and here are four questions from the weekend.
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Were the Cowboys dudded?
When I watched it the first time, I didn’t think Robert Lui knocked the ball on before Johnathan Thurston scored what seemed to be the match-winning try. I’m still not 100 per cent sure Lui knocked-on, and it appears the most appropriate description for that decision is that it was a 50/50 call.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys and their fans, the call didn’t go their way, but were they really dudded?
In a vacuum – simply analysing that single decision – no, they weren’t. A 50/50 call, by virtue of its name, is a call that can go either way.
However, such a decision does not exist in a vacuum. Looking at the impact that call had on the game, and the team it was made against, adds greater context.
It adds yet another chapter to the Cowboys’ history of finals controversy, joining Kieran Foran’s knock-on two years ago, the seven-tackle fiasco last season, Tariq Sims’ five-week suspension last week, and Sonny Bill Williams knock-on – that was called a strip – before James Maloney’s field-goal on Friday night.
Adding those facts to the equation, I’ll ask again: were the Cowboys dudded?
I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist, and the Roosters had a few bad calls go against them as well, so my honest answer is that the Cowboys are just horribly unlucky.
Yet I’d be lying if I said I’m not starting to wonder, ever so slightly, if something else isn’t at play.
Was Gorden Tallis out of line with his question to Johnathan Thurston?
Gorden Tallis was trying a little too hard to make Johnathan Thurston say something he’d get in trouble for during their post-match interview on Friday night.
Clearly emotional, frustrated and upset after losing by a single point, and with his season over, JT told Tallis early in the interview, “I’m going to say something stupid . . . I’ll regret it.” He was also visibly trying to control himself, with his body language suggesting he’d rather just walk away and not talk.
Tallis then followed up with this question:“Kieran Foran, hand-of-God. Last year, seven tackles. Is there something against you guys?”
Thurston had just stated that he didn’t want to say anything he’d regret, and Tallis asks a question like that? Seriously? That’s disgraceful.
After 80 minutes of finals football, along with a devastating and controversial loss under dubious circumstances for the third year in a row, Thurston takes the time to be interviewed, shows enormous class and restraint considering the difficult circumstances, and overtly states that he’s worried about what he might say.
So Tallis baits him.
Poor question and poor form, Gordy. If you think there is ‘something’ against the Cowboys, as a member of the media, it’s your job to make a comment about it, rather than trying to entice Thurston into saying something that will get him into trouble.
Were the Dogs lucky?
A few people texted and tweeted me after the Manly versus Canterbury game on Saturday night, saying that the Dogs were lucky to win. Though the intent behind the messages was to wind me up, the truth is, anytime you win a game by one point in extra time, luck is going to play a part. But were the Dogs really all that lucky?
I’m not sure how it appeared on TV, but being at the game, it was Manly who were extremely lucky to only be trailing by 10 points at halftime. It honestly felt like every time the Dogs got within 40 metres of Manly’s line, they were going to score.
The Sea Eagles defence was a disorganised mess, and the simplest of attacking moves by the Dogs were resulting in overlaps and line breaks by the Dogs. A 30-0 halftime scoreline was not out of the question, and as it stood, the actual halftime scoreline of 16-6 not only flattered Manly, it ensured they were still well within striking distance.
Strike they did in the second half, bringing the score level on two separate occasions, before Trent Hodkinson’s field goal won the game in golden point.
Yet it was halves partner Josh Reynolds’ kick on the last tackle before that set that delivered the Dogs some important fortune. The five-eighth’s kick hit the referee, which resulted in a scrum feed to the Dogs, providing them with the crucial field position needed for Hodkinson to pot the game-winner.
Luck? Sure. However, the Dogs were the better side for the majority of the game anyway, and every team wins with a little bit of luck come this time of the year.
Would you have preferred your team had the week off, or played a tough finals game?
This type of question always surfaces during the finals, as we like to debate the merits of a week off, versus the advantage of playing a hard game of football and maintaining your momentum.
There is no correct answer to the question, and an informed response can only really be given after the following weekend, when the impact – either way – can be judged.
In September, players are tired and weary from a full season of football, and are no doubt also carrying a few niggling injuries, so a little bit of rest courtesy of a week off is always welcome. There’s also the obvious point that you can’t lose if you’re not playing, nor can players get suspended or injured from the game, so it’s difficult to ever proclaim that the week off isn’t the preferred outcome after Round 1 of the finals series.
Having said that, I’ve always been a strong proponent of momentum, and both the Roosters and the Bulldogs will be buoyed by their emotional wins on the weekend. That’s the excitement a last-minute win generates; it makes you feel invincible. It can make you believe that destiny is on your side, and that the football gods are smiling on you.
That’s the power of irrational thought. That’s the benefit of playing on the weekend.
Personally, I’d take the week off, but come this time next weekend, the Rabbitohs and Panthers might think differently.