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Is Semi about to become fully detached from the Eels?

27th June, 2016
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Semi Radradra is a human headline, but he still does his best work on the field. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Expert
27th June, 2016
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I’ll believe Semi Radradra is back at Parramatta when he actually appears back at Parramatta. At the moment, the issue surrounding the Fijian winger has a smell about it that suggests it is not going to end well for the Eels.

As usual, the game that keeps giving is giving plenty. There are any number of topics to talk about which makes it difficult to focus on just one, so I’m going to spread it out to five.

Semi
Why was it not a shock when, on Sunday, it emerged Radradra had been given an extension on his sudden leave from the Eels and was now due back at training on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s big game against Cronulla?

Because while much of what has been said and written about Radradra since he headed back to Fiji is speculation, the facts that have emerged point to this being a complex situation that isn’t going to be easily worked out. Not easily worked out in favour of Parramatta, anyway.

What will the Eels do if Radradra is not back on Wednesday? Give him another “extension”? I won’t be surprised what move Semi makes next.

State of Origin
I’ve already written elsewhere that NSW should dispense with Paul Gallen, Robbie Farah and Greg Bird for State of Origin III and that Michael Jennings and James Tamou should go as well.

The match should be used as a bridge to next year for the Blues. It is a crucial opportunity to get some new players in there who are potentially very important to the future. You’ve seen the names of the various contenders mentioned ad nauseam.

It isn’t a case of whether someone like Gallen, in particular, “deserves” an Origin farewell. It is what is best for the team that matters. Origin careers begin and end and it’s time to move on from the old players in the side.

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Finally, if James Tedesco doesn’t get a run at fullback in game three, I’ll be amazed.

Sam Thaiday’s supension
The two-game ban Thaiday received for his lifting tackle on Gallen in Origin II didn’t receive the examination it deserved in the wake of the game because there was so much else to talk about.

But it was a bad tackle that deserved more than two games. How many games? Somewhere from four to six.
Thaiday tipped Gallen over in the tackle and Gallen landed on his head. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, but it obviously could have been nasty.

All a charge resulting in just a two-match ban does is reinforce the belief there is one rule for Origin and another for the NRL.

Melbourne Storm
There are plenty of teams in the NRL who catch your eye for various reasons, good and bad, but the Storm are the most intriguing to me.

They have a well-earned reputation for being excellent in the regular season over the years, but in recent years they have come undone in the finals series.

Last season, North Queensland beat them 32-12 in a preliminary final. The year before, Canterbury beat them 28-4 in an elimination final.

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Is this a year in which they can go all the way? Melbourne seem to play at such a high level during the regular season and can’t improve on that in the finals, while other teams lift. But the competition has opened up for them.

Brisbane’s recent form hasn’t been good and both the Broncos and North Queensland have slipped off the pace set by Cronulla and the Storm on the competition table. Melbourne are well placed to finish in the top two, so they’re in a great position to do something.

Cronulla
I love watching the Sharks play and I’ve got no doubt they can win the premiership. Right now, they would be my pick.

They can still scrap their way to a win, as had been their trademark in recent years, but now they can attack their way to a win as well. Because of the dynamic players they have who can make something happen out of nothing, they are never out of the game.

Cronulla’s last three games have all been close ones, but they have won them all. It obviously wasn’t their best performance against the Warriors on Saturday, but they still found a way to win and that’s the main thing. They’ve had better days before and those days will come again.

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