Roar Rookie
Joined February 2016
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Own & run Beast Mode Personal Training in Canberra. Raiders fan and keen follower of the NFL in the offseason.
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Well, well, well. It appears it is time for a good old fashioned ‘I told you so'. In February this year I wrote an…
The Bunker has been quite the success so far this year. It makes for far more interesting viewing on TV than the previous video…
The Marty Taupau high tackle on Jack Bird has caused quite a bit of division in the rugby league community. Most people are coming…
The New Zealand Warriors will win the 2016 NRL premiership. Apparently. The Parramatta Eels will improve massively this year. Apparently. The Manly Sea Eagles…
With the NRL reducing interchanges from ten to eight per game in 2016, I decided to pull out my crystal ball and make my…
I have never understood the largely Australian phenomenon of arguing about which footy code is the best of the lot. It makes no sense,…
Think back to 2014 in Canberra and remember the malaise surrounding the Raiders football club. Average crowds of under 10,000 per match, prodigal son…
Please refer back to these comments at 8pm this Saturday 😉
How my pre-season Raiders prediction was vindicated
Without very closely watching the club it is understandable that people would disagree with me, and the defensive concerns were certainly warranted.
Even I wouldn’t have predicted they could keep the Storm under 10 points.
How my pre-season Raiders prediction was vindicated
I understood where the naysayers were coming from, especially seeing as nobody pays much attention to Canberra when they are out of the spotlight.
I do think that Tapine and Paulo have been major reasons for the success of the Raiders this year, as have Priest and Bateman. Without those four, the depth of the pack probably would not have been strong enough, despite having some very classy players.
How my pre-season Raiders prediction was vindicated
You can call Dugan the best defensive fullback in the comp all you like, and you may well be correct. I have not watched much of the Dragons this year as I have found it frustrating, given the great talent on their roster. However, I’d much prefer to have the second best defensive fullback play every game (also a much better ballplayer) than have the best defensive fullback be made of glass and only play half the season.
I don’t like Dugan, but I would like to see him reach his potential and I don’t think he has even come close to doing so at this stage. It would be great to see him develop a passing game, as it would give his game a new element and also increase the danger of his running game because other teams would not be able to put the blinkers on when he has the ball.
How my pre-season Raiders prediction was vindicated
Let’s just say that the grand final trip is already paid for 😉
How my pre-season Raiders prediction was vindicated
I think the finals will be very interesting. Not wanting to sound overly one-eyed, I do think they can win the premiership. I am normally a pessimist of a fan, but I think their only real threat is the Melbourne Storm. If the Raiders play anywhere close to their best I think the Storm are the only ones with a chance of matching them, and even then I think the Green Machine should get up!
How my pre-season Raiders prediction was vindicated
Any chance you are a Titans fan, Josh? 😛
Remember the Titans: Queensland's forgotten team
It is simple. They cheat, they lose points. A precedent was set by how the Storm were punished, so any other penalty will be easily challenged by other teams and officials. It would be easy for them to demand the Eels lose points and to approach the matter through legal channels of necessary.
I do not understand why there is so much contention around this issue. You cheat, you lose points.
Fans should not be punished for Eels' salary cap mismanagement
I don’t think many people would agree with you there, Ken.
Let's have the guts to award a penalty try when it's due
At this point there is almost no chance of that happening. The young players are still too raw. Bucketloads of potential and ability, certainly, but not yet good enough at NRL level to pull the Roosters out of their hole.
They will fill the hole a little bit, but only enough to poke their head out the top, not enough to climb out all the way.
Why the Roosters will make the finals and can still win it all
A trip, regardless of its intensity, has been a send off for years and should still be so
What does it take to be sin binned?
Ditch golden point and make it good, old fashioned extra time if draws are not acceptable. Two five minute periods of play with the leader at the end being the winner.
This keeps extra times while also promoting genuine attacking play, as teams will know that one point does not automatically win the match, as well as encouraging referees to properly officiate extra time without fear of one decision deciding the outcome.
Roasting rugby league's chestnuts: How to reform golden point
The NFL system is very good and well implemented, though it would need tweaking for the NRL. What would the NRL use as collateral for each challenge (NFL uses timeouts). Perhaps the NRL could use an interchange, though that calls player safety into question and is probably overdoing it.
The NRL's Bunker process is broken
How about next time you contribute something positive to the conversation, rather than whinging about whinging?
The point of articles such as these is to attempt to promote discussion on ways to improve the game, not to push it down.
The NRL's Bunker process is broken
Did you even read the article?
If you can’t understand the issue I believe to be present then I don’t know how else to explain it to you.
I make it quite clear that the article is not about the one decision, but merely uses that as a fresh and recent example. It seems to me that you have read the article with a preconceived idea of how you wanted to comment and stuck to that regardless of the article’s content.
If the referee or touch judge did see ball on ground, then fair enough. But if the touch judge saw ball on ground, why even go to the bunker? In all other rugby league competitions that would be a quick chat with the main referee and a try awarded.
The NRL's Bunker process is broken
Expand soon and aghressively, and if it doesn’t work then there will be no major harm done. Do you think the AFL would have gone under if GWS had been a failure? Of course not!
Rugby league forever standing still
Isn’t Hastings an accomplished goal kicker?
Trent Robinson must find a goalkicker in a hurry
Very nice piece. I agree strongly regarding tries in golden point. On Sam Williams’ final attempt at field goal last week there were two unmarked men with over twenty metres of space to the right. A long pass or chip kick would have sealed the game much easier than a field goal attempt, but that is not how the players are conditioned to think about golden point these days.
Roosters, Warriors and Knights need to win this weekend, or give 2016 away
I agree that he should have been charged more significantly. The point of the article is to point out the lack of logic in gradings and the apparent lack of understanding the match review committee has regarding the actual play-to-play aspect of rugby league and what can/cannot happen in a split second.
He either was not at fault at all, or he was massively at fault. This is a case where there cannot be a grey area and a one or two week ban. Suspend the man properly or don’t suspend him at all. Now there is a precedent for late swinging arms that any semi-competent lawyer can refer to and get their players off a similar charge if it is graded more heavily.
Taupau high shot warrants suspension
The sensationalism issue now permeates almost all media, and it is social media that seems to be the root cause.
It now seems that every article that is mildly interesting is ‘shocking’ or something that has been rumoured for weeks and is considered common knowledge is now a ‘stunning revelation’. You see it alot on the Fox Sports NRL Facebook page, with almost every link containing at least one ADJECTIVE in capitals to get your ATTENTION. I agree it is ridiculous. People do not talk like that, so why write like that?
Similarly, people do not consider all players to be stars, so why label them as such?
As you say, clickbait.
Get the sensationalism out of rugby league journalism
I have dipped my toe in the water by writing a few. Mostly late at night sort of stuff. I might have to give it a bit more of a serious crack if you think I should!
Total madness: The sin binning of Joseph Leilua
Much appreciated. I like the way you think about the game.
Total madness: The sin binning of Joseph Leilua
There was never even a public uproar about the Gallen punch. The only reason there was a perceived uproar was that the media made one up to sell newspapers and get clicks. There was never a need to create this rule. Sure, punish idiots that punch other without provocation. Punish them harshly.
But when you have just been belted by a swinging arm you do not have the cool head that logically thinks against punching. You strike out on retaliation and/or self-defence. Anyone who says otherwise has clearly never played the game and been hit with a high swinging arm.
You don’t think straight afterwards, and that should be understood and taken into account by the rules. If you punch someone unprovoked, you deserve to be suspended. If you hit someone blatantly high, you need to be prepared to be punched, as it is the basic combative instinct of these guys.
You don’t become an NRL player by having the ‘flight’ aspect of the fight or flight response.
Total madness: The sin binning of Joseph Leilua
There is certainly a reasonable chance the Sharks will get up, but given the magnitude of form reversals it would take from both teams, you must be a brave man to so openly claim that they will!
How my pre-season Raiders prediction was vindicated