Madrid john's Roar Profile

Klestical has written a series of interesting pieces which have got me thinking about the comparative entertainment value of the three rugby traditions. To…

Rugby

2012

Madrid john

Roar Rookie

Why rugby is like sex and league is like good sex

Rugby

2012

Madrid john

Roar Rookie

Madrid john

Roar Rookie

Building on grassroots rugby union

I had a dream last night involving a large lottery win, Brisbane Rugby and the grail. Like most nights I gave The Roar a…

Rugby

2012

Madrid john

Roar Rookie

Building on grassroots rugby union

Rugby

2012

Nothin’ was on TV, so I started googling the origin of Origin players’ surnames – just to see where the top line players would go. Didn’t look pretty. You’d have to field 2 English teams, I don’t mean 2 British teams, I mean 2 English teams (English Origin and Aussish or maybe English-ish English team.)
So, nah, doesn’t even survive the beer drinking, bored typing test. (FYI, I live in Europe so sinking a beer right now is fine.)

For the good of the game, we must cull the Kangaroos from the Rugby League World Cup

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2022

And we’ll get Benji on strict diet of Fruit Loops and Peppa Pig to regain his youth – then have him play each position in the spine simultaneously. We got this Fred!!!

The Roar’s 2020 NRL preview series: The bottom two

Thanks mate, good to know. That helps.

Mate i was born in the 70’s. So i missed those days. Though i was a youngin’ for the back to back grandfinals. (Gary Jack is my all time fav!) But, i can remember both of those defeats. I was right in the back yard, all on my own, righting the wrongs with my own leather ball. Wow that hurt. Almost as much as giving away Tedesco, Fifita, Addo-carr y Marty T…. Nah, there’s nothin for it. I’m going to have to head out into the back yard !!

Redefining the career of Benji Marshall

I met a teacher working in Brisbane high schools who taught Benji down at the Gold Coast. He only had nice things to say about him even then as a school student. One of the real gentlemen of the game. Good article Jeremy. Nice to see a good news story about my beloved Tigers.

Sorry TIm, not sure what relative size has to do with it? Small leagues like in Scotland and Portugal are just as lop-sided and those nations are tiny.

It is just financial gravity, without rules, the rich get richer and the poor, poorer.

Maybe you could offer an example where a league has no salary cap, and is NOT dominated by a handful of rich clubs…?

It is time to kill the salary cap and let the market decide for itself

Oh yes they will Tim. Happens constantly in European football. Real Madrid’s B team routinely beat other La Liga teams in Copa de Rey. How bad does it look when Barcelona ranked first can smash Real Betis, ranked 6th, 5 – 1?

Players wear it because they are concerned about their “own brand.” Better to be on the bench for a big team than playing for a bunch of no bodies. SO it becomes all about the exposure, not about the game.

“Let the market decide – just like happens in the real world.”

Really Tim? Which world would that be? Maybe you could suggest one, cause I teach Economics and I promise you, outside of economists’ fervent imagination, they are like the Easter Bunny, they don’t exist. Any market has special rules put in place to achieve or encourage predetermined outcomes.

For example, people complain about subsidies for solar power, without realising how the coal industry gets massive subsidies to help reduce electricity bills. All governments intervene in the market of their own currencies. etc etc.

If you want to see leagues without salary caps, look at the Football leagues in Spain and England. How much fun are they? Year after year, the same handful of clubs dominate.

Tim you seem to be confusing two seperate issues, salary cap and governance. I am not i follow the logic of your reasoning. You think the solution to bad goverance is to give those same organisations more power and more responsibility? Right, that sounds like a receipe for success. It seems to work well on Wall Street, doesn’t it?

Definitely have him up in the commentary box at least and a QLD jersey also.

I knew that would happen. You pick a team, put it up and immediately discover you’ve over-looked obvious candidates who are in the form of their lives!

Absolutely beepee, PR geniuses and marketing gurus should stay the hell away from referring. Let the whistle blowers apply the rule book and the players deal with it as the game rolls on. Surely that kind of game management is just one more skill that separates the solid first graders from the elite.

Hi Paul, very much don’t think refs should earn anything like the top players of the NRL. I would suspect they wouldn’t either. The game is about the players. The refs’ role is to provide a controlled environment for NRL players to display their skills and endurance.

Ironically, I think the more we ignore them, the better they can do their job. We can rest assured that coaches and players will see to it that poor refs are dumped and good ones rewarded. I just don’t see the merit of that process playing out in the public sphere.

Not at all Rossco. I just think that as the players earn much more dollars and have much greater support behind them, they should be the major focus when discussing why their team did or did not win.

Too often, one ref decision dominates the airways instead of the fact that the losing team made 32 missed tackles, 12 handling errors or gave away 8 penalties. If a team tidies up that area of their performance, they can cop a few poor calls and still win the match.

On top of that, there are 24 rounds to play before the finals start. I just don’t accept that even the poorest referring performance will make much of a difference to a professional team’s season. It seems the attention we give to the refs is way out of proportion to the impact the have on the game.

Thanks for mentioning that other Wallabies v All Blacks match, I wasn’t sure how the commentators dealt with it.

Also, I don’t believe Cam Smith’s dealing with refs has much impact on the outcome. Obviously, the man has gravitas as Qld and Aust. captain, but I think the key is his composure. The refs don’t feel threatened when he approaches them and he probably engages them with calmly and with respect – like a captain should.

Still, nothing compares to how James Graham deals with refs. The naughty school boy, hands behind the back routine should have copy right protection. Absolute gentleman, wish he was a QLDer.

Let me try to get my head around this Jason. NSW has to struggle with a player base spread across the far flung base of NSW and Greater NSW, while QLD get to enjoy the cosy and convenient catchment of SE QLD, Far North QLd and Victoria.

Damn, I thought QLD dominated because we cared more. Better not mention that to NSW hard nuts like Gary Jack. I still support West TIgers because when i began supporting the NRL, the Broncos didn’t exist and he was the hardest full back in the league.

Please, don’t anyone tell Gary he had an easy ride at Origin time. He might just pull on the sky blue again and we on the north of the Tweed definately don’t want that. Seriously!

Cameron Smith's 300th a reminder of State of Origin's great divide

2015

great work Lance. So much Origin press from so many sources – than wham – Suddenly something original.

Your game analysis is way better than anything ive seen on FOX all season, wish i wasn’t joking.

Best of luck next year mate.

Three compelling reasons why NSW lost State of Origin 3

I thought laurie was a centre! My bad. Definitely have him in a maroon if i could though.

Maybe also Gary Jack. How awesome to see him shouting QLDer Billy Moore style, and to think his boy is playing AFL.

The Blues I wish were Maroons

It might grate, but so does meaningless games at the end of the season when Real Madrid or Barcelona have allready celebrated their league win and play the final few rounds out with zero interest. Sure it doesn’t happen every year, but those seasons when it does is, not fun.

Gran finals are not fair, but when was sport ever fair? That is part of the magic. Sport is tragic. Great players get injured just before world cups. Weak teams shock great teams.

Finally, though Souths finished 3rd in the ladder in 2014, do you not think they were the best team of last year?

Time for Australia to drop the grand final model

Don’t expect Inglis to bomb another try like he did with the bad pass to chambers. Don’t talk up you edge defence too much.

Queensland draw first Origin blood

Interesting call nopurtian. Love watching Sandow, but Origin doesn’t suit his game. He is Mr X-factor and Origin often comes down to the percentages. Soward, yeah well, he had a shot at the title.

What i don’t get is you saying the Daley can’t coach? You do know who coached NSW last year right? I’m an Brisbane boy – Blue Hater and i can’t find anything negative to say about Daley. Also funny you calling for more indigenous players and wanting to sack Daley. He was selected for the Indigenous Team of the Century.

PRICHARD: Re-focused Maroons to win Origin opener

What about Ben Hunt Greg? Do you think he’d be wearing the sky blue this week if he was from south of the Tweed? If it wasn’t for Morgan’s versatility, Hunt might well be down in Sydney himself with the Maroons.

Though i am a Broncos fan, i don’t think i’m biased because it was only during the second half of last season that i stopped pulling my hair and and screaming at the TV, “how does this clown keep getting picked?”

You’re assuming Laurie sticks with Tamou. For mine he is the Blues version of David Taylor. Can’t fault the other Blues you mentioned though. MInd you, Laurie Daley, even as coach, is one element of the Blues outfit that makes us QLDers sleep uneasily. Not only is he rabidly passionate, but maintains a cool head, he’s ruthlessly competitive, but not an a@*ehole. Whatsmore, he must be early 30s by now too!

The Kangaroos may be too old, but Queensland are not

One reason they cop flak is because they are so influencial. Excuse my ignorance Aussie Rules fans, but from what i can see, their impact on a game is much less. As far as football goes, well, considering the mammoth egos of the players and the Godfather like corruption indemic in FIFA, I suppose football fans have enough to worry about already.

Golf refs seem to get off lightly too, mind you, Bull fighting whistle blowers cop a beating like you wouldn’t believe.

NRL refs no longer pretty in pink

Met Laurie Daley in a night club in Brisbane very briefly after a match. He seemed to genuinely appreciate a kind word from an anonymous league fan. It was only half a minute while waiting to be served at the bar, but he appeared completely lacking in arrogance.

He was a wizard on the field and i’ve never read a bad word about his behaviour off the field. Think he was involved in something major last year around August too.

These are hard words to write for a QLDer by the way. Long live Laurie.

Sick of the ratbags? Here's the Rugby League Repute XVII

Ah yes, champagne rugby comedy. Delightful.

love your work Armand

The beginner's guide to rugby union positions: The forwards

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