This week five-star wingers have been in the news, while five-star whingers inflicted ugly scars on the sport of rugby league that will take plenty of healing.
I’ll start with the wingers.
Often the most-maligned members of any team, over the first five rounds of the NRL these guys have provided highlights aplenty and deserve a special pat on the back.
Last weekend was one to savour for the men out on the flank.
Wests Tigers’ veteran Pat Richards was absolutely amazing in the game against Parramatta. The 33-year-old celebrated his 100th NRL appearance by scoring a try and manufacturing two more with sublime kicks in the final 10 minutes to secure a 22-6 win over the Eels.
Earlier this season Richards was the hero for the Tigers when he piloted over a last-minute field goal to sink the Gold Coast at Robina Stadium.
This guy is a freak in the true sense of the word. In a predominantly young man’s game, he stands like a colossus in almost every game he plays. The famed Richards kick-offs are lethal. His goal-kicks are in the dead-eye-dick category. And he showed last weekend that whenever he unleashes a kick in general play – any type of kick – tries seem to result. Inevitably.
Hats off to you Mr Richards. If they are scratching to find a winger for the Blues in this year’s Origin series, you’d be definitely worth a punt. Or a crazy kick-off. Or a match-winning one-pointer…
And now to Melbourne and the amazing Marika Koroibete – what a sensational player this man is proving to be for the Storm.
Against the Warriors, the former Tigers man helped himself to two tries, saved another, and paved the way for one more with a sensational break .
And we all thought halfbacks and five-eighths were the main men!
Last weekend also saw a youngster from Manly make his first-grade debut on the wing. Teenager Tom Trbojevic is pretty much a fullback but the injury-hit Sea Eagles desperately needed a player to add something on their right flank, and Tom Terrific finished with two fine tries.
It was excellent stuff for a Manly team that was absolutely dreadful. The kid was playing out of position on the wing, but what the heck? He was the lone star in an alarmingly black Manly sky.
This weekend will be a highlight for one of our code’s finest performers of the modern era. I speak of yet another winger – New Zealand Warriors’ evergreen Manu Vatuvei, who is shaping up for his 200th first-grade game.
What an amazing player ‘The Beast’ has been! If one could bottle his enthusiasm and love of the game, I suspect there would be enormous riches to be made. Manu seems to be as excited to play in any game, as much as he was in his first.
I’m sure all Roarers wish this wonderful Warrior all the best. I really want to see him score against the Wests Tigers, if only for his heavenly try salute and trademark grin. Manu Vatuvei embodies all that is good about our favourite game.
The Canterbury Bulldogs, however, do not.
I have had enough of the constant whinging and whining from the club’s coach, Des ‘Voldemort’ Hasler, as well as the Canterbury players and fans.
If you want to play your football this way and treat on-field officials like dog turds, you will get sorted out by the authorities and, inevitably, slump to the lowly rungs of the competition ladder.
The referees were, for the most part, spot-on in the Canterbury-Souths game, and the resultant backlash from many in the Bulldogs community has been way out of line, blinkered, and maybe even blind.
It’s simple dogma: your team lost a game it really should have won. Your players did not lock it up. Premiers Souths would not allow that.
The on-field tantrums and full-time aftermath from the fans was a blue and white disgrace. Whinging, protesting or maybe even rioting just ain’t gonna work, fellas.
The Bulldogs need to clean up their act big time, and they might get a chance with a few key players suspended this week, giving others an opportunity.
If the on-field Doggies have a whinge this week about anything, good luck.
The die is cast. Wingers rule in the modern NRL, while whingers wither.
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