Every rugby league player, fan and media has far more respect for Bulldog powerhouse prop James Graham than the NRL referees.
The whistle-blowers could only manage to award Graham 15 points in the Dally Ms, making the Englishman equal 16th on the pecking order, 17 points shy of the co-winners Johnathan Thurston and Jarryd Hayne.
In relevance to Sunday’s potentially blockbusting grand final, Graham finished 14 points behind Souths’ tearaway Sam Burgess.
And there’s the key to the 2014 premiership – James Graham literally head-to-head with Sam Burgess, two teak-tough Englishmen.
It will be explosive, about eight on the Richter Scale.
Week-in week-out these two warriors have had fans on their feet, and it won’t be any different come Sunday. Both will be inspirational to their teammates in what will be colossal collision combat.
There will be no room for the faint-hearted. Whoever wins the collision, wins the premiership.
Graham will have lookalike Aiden Tolman, a rejuvenated Tony Williams, Josh Jackson and Greg Eastwood firing away on all eight in a bid to overcome the loss of skipper Michael Ennis, who has been selected to play but has none and Buckleys with two broken bones in his foot.
But the Rabbitohs won’t be shy in the physical clashes.
Sam Burgess will have a couple of “little” brothers in George and benchman Thomas peeling off him, with Ben Te’o and Dave Tyrell working with skipper John Sutton to keep the Rabbitohs powering forward.
With all those collisions dictating possession, two sets of backs will be ever ready to make full use of the ball. This will be where the Rabbitohs will have the advantage with Greg Inglis, who so often turns nothing into something spectacular.
I’ve seen all the great rugby backs since Clive Churchill, Kenny Irvine, Reg Gasnier, Graeme Langlands and Wally Lewis, and GI is right up there with them. There’s nothing more spine-tingling than watching Inglis in full flight, unless you’re a Bulldog.
Souths have the ultimate difference in experience on the wings with 35-year-old dual international Lote Tuqiri and 19-year-old soon to be Kangaroo Alex Johnston.
Both will give Bulldog defenders 80 minutes of hurry up.
So too the centres Dyland Walker and Kirisome Auva’a, and the pivots Luke Keary and Adam Reynolds, who will be just as vital a cog in the Rabbitohs’ backline machinery as Inglis.
As will Bulldog and State of Origin pivots Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds – Hodkinson as cool as a cucumber, Reynolds always with fire in his eyes, an angry ant.
But the Dogs need their Kangaroo Josh Morris to tee off in the centres, as the Bulldogs haven’t the firepower of their green and red combatants.
There’s not a struck match between the two goal-kickers Reynolds, and Hodkinson – both are phenomenal. But the Bulldogs have a huge advantage in the coach’s box with the shrewd Des Hasler a veteran of three grand finals as a player, and five as a coach.
He reminds me of Harry Hopman, the greatest tennis coach to lift a racquet. Hopman was known as “The Fox”, Hasler deserves the same salute.
That’s not degrading Rabbitoh’s coach Michael Maguire for one second. This will be his first NRL grand final as head coach, but in his debut year at Wigan he won the 2010 Super League decider, and in 2011 the Challenge Cup.
Maguire has worked wonders with the Rabbitohs as they set out to break their 43-year premiership drought. And they will.
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