There is some quote, or maybe it’s a lyric, about not realising how much you need something until it’s gone, but wherever that phrase comes from its apt for the weeks following State of Origin.
“Late withdrawal” seemed to be the phrase of the weekend – amongst the absentees for the week were Nathan Hindmarsh, Michael Luck, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Brett White (a better writer than me could make some thigh slapping gag about it being relevant in a week the whole sporting nation was concerned about teenage pregnancy, but I’ll leave it alone).
While Slater and Inglis are true superstars of the game, I’d argue that the truly irreplaceable players are the work horses like Hindmarsh and Luck and I’d also say the score boards back up that theory.
The fact is when you lose a player who makes around 50 tackles a match it is simply impossible for other players to lift their effort to make up the slack.
The two winners on Friday night might not have been different had the two second rowers been there, but I’d say there is no way you would have seen such blow outs.
For pumped up Eels fans watching their team crumble, the feeling would have been a familiar one.
In the last round of 2009 Parramatta travelled to Kogarah without ‘Hindy’ and were belted 37-0. He then turned up the following week and the Eels turned things around to win 25-12.
Inglis and Slater are the sort of players who do amazing things but in the hard graft of the centre field when teams look to lay the platform for the fleet footed backs it’s these forwards that really earn their dough.
There was another example of the importance of intensity on the weekend.
In the Sea Eagles victory over the Cowboys young centre Dean Whare was struggling to get the ball over the line when winger Michael Robertson dived over the top to help the ball make contact with the ground. Those six points proved valuable for the Sea Eagles as they held onto the fast finishing Cowboys.
Then on Sunday when the Bulldogs were attempting a comeback against the Storm, back rower Yileen Gordon found himself in the same position, yet the Dogs players either stood and watched or started to theatrically applaud Gordon in some attempt to con the video referee.
The result was no-try and the wind quickly vanished for the Bulldogs’ already sodden sail.
Those are the differences between winning and losing, which in the season’s wash up often also sorts out which teams “enjoy” Mad Monday a month early.
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Canberra raised a few eyebrows when they re-signed Ricky Stuart earlier this week to a long-term contract extension but perhaps they know what they're…
Things got a bit heated after the final whistle, with the Raiders securing a 24-20 win over the Bulldogs.
Viliame Kikau produced this horror blunder from dummy half with his opposite number Hudson Young scoring soon after up the other end.
Josh Papalii was sent for ten after this hip-drop tackle on Viliame Kikau. Fans were torn over just how bad it was. https://twitter.com/Fireupnrl/status/1791392199185514588
It all went downhill for the Raiders after leading 12-0. Jordan Rapana and Josh Papalii were sent to the bin.
It was a comedy of errors in the first half. Jordan Rapana took out his teammate Xavier Savage in this Bulldogs try.
