Roar Rookie
Joined May 2017
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I am a Brit who follows the NRL. Not so much Super League as the coverage on TV is truly awful and I'm hundreds of miles from the nearest ground. I was lucky enough to be in Oz many years ago and went to Kogarah to see St. George's last ever game as a stand alone side. My biggest memory is thinking I'd have trouble catching Blacklock with a few yards head start!! Boy, could he fly.
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As a NRL-loving Brit I read loads of articles on The Roar and on other sites and am genuinely confused by this doom and…
If he wants the kind of money he is on at the Titans then his only real alternative is playing union in France. They have no salary cap and more money than sense.
There's no room in Sydney for the Hayne Plane to land
Totally agree about needing to give the ball early to Roberts. It’s one of my biggest bugbears in the game that a side is willing to pay a fortune for a top class centre and they receive the ball a yard or two from the defence. Do that with backrowers not the likes of Roberts, Jennings, Morris etc.
Brisbane Broncos 2017 season review
Ah, how you warm my heart Greg by mentioning Kevin Ward. I actually named my company (Ward & Fitzgibbon) after Kevin and Craig, my all time two favourite players. He was probably not a ‘name’ in Australia but he already had a few GB caps before going out to Manly.
There’s a great story I read from a player who’s debut was against Cas. Ward was never a cheap shot merchant, he did all his damage legally. But what he did in this match was never take his eyes off this new guy, literally staring him out for 80 minutes. The guy admitted he was so scared that his only concern was not soiling himself.
I reckon Chris Hill (Warrington), Alex Walmsley (St. Helens) or Mike McMeeken (Castleford) could do a great job for Manly.
There is something special about the Trbojevic brothers. Immense talent with huge tickers. It’s a shame for Tom that Australia are blessed with such great fullbacks and wingers. James Tedesco, who can’t even get in the side, would be hands down England’s best player if he were one of ours.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 2017 season review
Really impressed how they seemed to relish the physical stuff and they have real weapons in Radradra, Jennings and French. Unlike the author of this piece (and to be fair most people) I just don’t get all the hype surrounding Moses and especially Norman. They seems to drift in and out of matches and some of Norman’s 5th tackle options were just woeful.
Parramatta Eels 2017 season review
Never understood why people were rating them so highly before the season. I didn’t think they’d get in the finals.
Penrith Panthers 2017 season review
Excellent backrow but there must be about 10 Australian centres who are better than Aubusson. The halves look ropey as well. I’ve never understood why people rate Norman although I can understand why nobody rates Moses.
The Kangaroos winning the RLWC is a foregone conclusion
Good article, pretty much agree with all that.
I think Shaun Johnson is very lucky to be picked. He reminds me of Benji Marshall in that they only have two gears, brilliant and awful. Unfortunately Johnson has been stuck in awful for quite some time now.
As a Brit I hope we do well but I fear we could lose to Tonga if we come up against them. We have some quality but how many English players would force their way in the Australian team? There would only be one position and that would be Aaron Woods where we have 5 or 6 better props (and no, I don’t include the stone-hands Burgess twins). How Woods gets in the team is beyond me.
The Kangaroos winning the RLWC is a foregone conclusion
As a Brit I have no illusion that if we play Australia we’ll probably get thumped.
The one player in the squad that baffles me is Aaron Woods. I can’t think of a weaker prop in the national side for the last 30 odd years I’ve been watching. He does everything at an ambling pace and lacks any aggression. Is Jarrod Wallace injured? He’s in a different class to Woods as is Paul Vaughan.
Meninga hails versatile Kangaroos
Pretty much agree with all of that but I would probably have Jake Trbojevic edging out DCE as their top player. He is so dynamic for someone that looks fairly unathletic. He seems like a farmer that has just accidentally wandered onto the pitch.
It must have been a close run thing for Lewis Brown not to take the ‘worst’ tag from Myles. He gets lauded as a really useful utility player but for me he is just a player that is poor in many positions that gives up a lot of soft penalties, an inverse Mitchell Aubusson if you like. I would drop him for Jackson Hastings who has a much better footie brain on him.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 2017 season review
I think the biggest problem was the loss of Michael Ennis. As much as he is known as a grub he is also one of those players you only realise how good they were when they’re gone. Jayden Brailey did ok but I think he found the position as starting hooker a little daunting and probably could have done with another year learning his apprenticeship coming from the bench.
Cronulla Sharks 2017 season review
I don’t think Blake Austin was given much help. Although the Raiders often got yards with dummy half runs and attacking the narrow blindside it was therefore hard for him to set up plays. When he got the ball Rapana and Leilua were often in the middle of the pitch.
I agree that Whitehead was the best player due to his consistency, something the team badly lacked, but Cotric pushed him close.
Canberra Raiders 2017 season review
Great article,
“Both players will forego significant sums of money….”
That’s the trouble isn’t it. To get a World Cup that is truly competitive the money needs to be shared out more equally so the top Tongans, Fijians, Samoans etc, aren’t tempted for the extra coin to play for Australia or NZ.
The Tongan side is really exciting and could cause a major surprise, although would it be much of a surprise if they take down England, (and I’m English).
Stage set for RLWC 2017 to help brew growth
Although this view might be very unfashionable I would look to up and coming coaches that were never top players as they’ve never had that initial leg-up and must have got where they are purely on their coaching merits.
The firing line: Six aspiring NRL coaches waiting in the wings
“I understand the media; they sell papers, not write truths”
Am I to understand that all his off field shenanigans were made up then and that he has been playing brilliantly all season despite what the journalists have been saying?
Hayne fires shot at sacked coach Henry
Talented players with poor attitude that don’t deliver on the pitch usually end up playing union in France. I expect to see Hayne there very soon.
Neil Henry clearly saw the dangers of an overspend on one player and has been proven right. The result of his correct prediction, he gets the sack. Unbelievable.
Neil Henry sacked by Gold Coast Titans
That’s more like it Tom. It’s been raining here for 6 days straight 😉
50 years left to live: Rugby league's inconvenient truth
“Worse still, rugby league is almost completely reliant on revenue generated from broadcasters.”
While you may be right Tom I would suggest this is true for all sports these days.
Please spare a thought for the game in my country. Castleford clinched the League Leaders’ Shield (the Minor Premiership in your currency) last Thursday, ending a 91 year wait. Trawl the British papers and you’d struggle to spot this. In The Guardian England’s women’s rugby union win over USA was a much bigger story on their sport’s pages. There are far more professional league players, amateur players and supporters compared to the equivalent in women’s union but we are starved of media coverage as it’s still thought of as the northern council estate game.
I look on the game in your country with total jealousy and admiration as it still seems in rude health. Bring back your sunny disposition as it is the job of the Poms to whinge not yours. Don’t steal our misery!
50 years left to live: Rugby league's inconvenient truth
I agree Oliver about how any club would improve with Bellamy and Bennett although I think the Raiders manage to be far less than the sum of their parts.
I feel sorry for Austin as he has trouble organising play as too many players take it on from dummy half. On 4th or 5th tackle he’ll look up to see Leilua playing the ball with Rapana aimlessly wandering around in the middle. There is something to be said for the robotic style of play the Storm and Cowboys use where everyone knows their role in each play.
The biggest disappointment this NRL season
“..but then I realised that actually they were never going to win in the first place”
A bit harsh as all Hayne had to do was a basic pass and not drop a sitter and the Blues would have won the series.
For me the biggest disappointment is the Raiders. With their roster they should be looking to take the Minor Premiership but they seem to find different types of brain explosions to lose matches. There is no plan to the way they play, as if they are in some kind of meaningless exhibition match. Ricky Stuart is a very lucky man to still be there, imagine how well this team would perform under Bellamy or Bennett.
The biggest disappointment this NRL season
It seems unfair to leave anyone of those greats out.
As a Brit I’m surprised Andrew Johns made it in. Undoubtedly he was touched by genius but on the international stage he never had the impact of Lockyer or Meninga. In fact Kimmorley was usually picked ahead of him. I would argue that all those names mentioned are far more deserving than Johns. For what it’s worth I’d go with Meninga, a player that continually put fear into the opposition and smashed us round the park virtually every time.
And rugby league's next Immortal is...
DS is clearly being ironic Mr. Lord. Read his post again.
Mal Meninga's stunning solution to the Titans' uncivil war
I think Hayne is running out of options. No coach would want him because of his underwhelming performances and the boards would baulk at his wage demands. Where do rogues go who want the big pay day? Well, it usually means union in France.
Should Hayne stay or should he go?
“…while the Bulldogs are a team instructed to show adventure, but only on drop-outs.”
Excellent!
NRL issues apology for Souths vs Bulldogs
I agree Agent11, what is the basis for taking them to court. I thought initially it was for the sponsor selling gear to the player!
Roosters headed to court with ex-sponsor after cocaine scandal
I think Thompson will be missed more than you know. A bit like Michael Ennis, you only realise how good they are when they’re gone.
Undoubtedly Luciano Leilua is an impact player but has he got it between the ears. Attitude is the most important attribute a rugby league player possesses. If he is a bit like his brother, Joseph, this could be a problem. The fact that he struggles with his weight could be a pointer at such an early stage in his career.
The Dragons have Thompson well covered