Finals football is a brand new season for all involved. It’s a time for tactics and team excellence; a period of courage and resilience for those carrying injuries at the back end of a long domestic competition.
And it’s a stage for the game’s champions to strut their stuff.
The finals also doubles as a theatre for the nervous and the nerveless.
Who can survive and ultimately thrive in such rarified air?
Each of the eight finalists have their go-to men such as Cooper Cronk, Glenn Stewart, Jonathan Thurston, Greg Inglis and Ben Barba.
The coaches expect their big names to perform, but I believe there are specific players they are sweating on to produce their best football and ignite their teams’ finals fires.
Here is my list of ‘Little Lucifers’ and I wonder if it is similar to yours:
TONY WILLIAMS (Manly):
This giant of a man has been gradually powering back to his rampaging best form after suspension. If T-Rex pushes the go-button when he is on the field tonight, heaven help any Bulldogs who cross his path. Interestingly, he will be playing with these guys and coach Des Hasler next season – what better time than to leave a brilliant impression?
JOSH REYNOLDS (Canterbury)
A richly talented young five-eighth with the skills to develop into one of rugby league’s finest. Has incredible strength and self-belief when tackling and running the ball but he is experiencing finals footy for the first time. If he can maintain the rage, the Dogs might be heading for another premiership.
WADE GRAHAM (Cronulla)
Outstanding utility man who has played just one game since Round 20 due to a sternum injury. He returned in Round 23 against Newcastle but aggravated the injury and hasn’t featured in the top grade since. Graham has declared he is fit to play and has been named on an extended bench. A player with a definite X-factor in attack and defence.
JOSH McCRONE (Canberra)
A vastly improved performer for the Raiders who provides much of their attacking spark. Needs to take the line on as often as possible and confound the defence his strength, speed and deft passes.
ISAAC LUKE (Souths)
If Souths are going to record their first-ever win in Melbourne in 10 starts, they will need to seize control of the mid-field. This is where Luke is an attacking spearhead, puncturing the line repeatedly with his dummy half darts. If he can get the big Melbourne forwards back-pedalling, Souths have enough skill and point-scoring ability to dictate terms.
BILLY SLATER (Melbourne)
Returning from injury, Slater has shown only glimpses of his sizzling best form and has not picked up a best player award for some time. However, if he aims up in this one, the Storm’s firepower will be very hard to suppress no matter how well the Rabbitohs defend.
PETER WALLACE (Brisbane)
His organisational skills and kicking game will need to be at an all-time high for the Broncos to stay alive in the 2012 competition. Brisbane needs to counteract the Thurston/Bowen factor and Walsh can go a long way to doing so with his kicks and selective passing.
MICHAEL MORGAN (North Queensland)
Experiencing his first finals game but fortunate that it is at home in front of the Townsville faithful. The former Australian schoolboy rep from Toowoomba has been in fantastic form in recent weeks, feeding his runners superbly and doing what is needed to keep the Cowboys on the rampage.
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
Australian Rules an brewski have the same blinkers on. I've never met more insular people than Victorians. They claim Melbourne is the sporting capital of the world, but they don't bother to sell out a Storm semi-final. Brisbane is more of a sporting capital.
Tim Prentice
Expert
Thanks Dan. In hindsight, your selections and mine were VERY influential.
Tim Prentice
Expert
Roy has an opinion and a background to back it up Brewski. The fact remains, though, that rugby league gets something bordering on zilch coverage everywhere but Qld and NSW. The media people in the other states have blinkers on.
Australian Rules
Guest
"Science doesn't lie"...brilliant!
Brewski
Guest
Just the AFL 2nd IC, imagine the whining from RL if the AFL did that, they know a little bit more about everything than Hulau.
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
What's wrong with Roy's article? Everything he said is true.
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
clipper, 100% of your posts are hateful, biased envy-based crap. What does that say about you? Science doesn't lie.
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
"50 QLDers on AFL lists" From Victorian families who migrated to Queensland. Where do you think Michael Voss and Jason Akermanis were born? Not Queensland! It doesn't take much to get a spot in the AFL. A broken down Canadian rugby player who was forced into retirement after breaking his back got a spot in the AFL. He never played the game before he moved to Australia, but he get into the top flight league pretty quickly. Amateurs from Ireland make it in the AFL all the time. There's no much skill in Aussie rules, so it's no wonder that players are able to make the transition to the game within a few months of taking it up. Of all the football codes in the world it is the least skillful one, bar none.
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
The only thing to look at is the bottom line, which is all that matters. The Brisbane Lions Financial Review says it all: "the loss for the year was $1,855,926 (2010: loss of $2,476,274)." I'd like to point out that the Lions are getting a large chunk of their from the Lions @ Springwood Social club which is littered with pokies. Springwood, a suburb in north-eastern Logan, is the perfect place for for a social club, as Logan is considered the gambling capital of Queensland. The Lions' revenue jumped from 30,694,874 to 42,297,354 aftertheir little social/gambling club at Springwood was opened to the public. http://www.lions.com.au/Portals/0/lions_docs/00000%20LIONS%20Annual%20Report%20ART.pdf "In terms of crowds and members, after a few years being cellar-dwellers, crowds and memberships have contracted to a respectable 20k in both categories. When they were dominating 10 years ago, their crowds and memberships dwarfed the Broncos." Tell the full story pal. The Suns came into the competition in 2011. The Lions membership base dropped by 8,222 from the previous year (29,014 in 2010 vs 20,792 in 2011). A huge drop. Many of the fans who cancelled their membership would be ex-pat Victorians living on the Gold Coast. They are now members of the Suns. There are heaps of old Victorians on the Gold Coast. The current membershp tally for the Lions is 20,752. Around 7,000 to 10,000 of them are FItzroy suppoters based in Victoria. So about 10,000 to 13,000 are living in Queensland. The Lions have pet membership catergories...
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
How many AFL players has the ARLC/NRL tried to poach for publicity?
Brewski
Guest
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/politicians-insult-rugby-league-by-treating-it-as-afls-poor-cousin-20120908-25l0u.html Here we go, his new "article" . Roy sure has issues. Puts the boot in at any oppurtunity, we can add it to the above list.
Brewski
Guest
With all due respect Tim, my case is a lot more telling.
Tim Prentice
Expert
D.Hill was not in charge when the Bears ran aground.
Tim Prentice
Expert
To illustrate my point Brewski, get a copy of tomorrow's Tele and tomorrow's Herald Sun and check the respective space given to League in Melbourne and AFL in Sydney. Also, if possible, listen to the hourly radio news in both cities (via the net). Then, quite simply, I will rest my case.
NF
Guest
clipper I point you out because you being saying the same ole same ole negative posts about RL for a long time perhaps the moment you post on the Roar. I wasn't around then on this site but I assume you being doing trolling league threads for a long time here and seems to get away with it all the time.
Brewski
Guest
Sorry Tim, but these articles prove to me where RL is at, it is truly reactionary and paranoid, perhaps this new deal $$$$$ will change things but i doubt it. If you call this constant barrage of sly and not so sly digs, mistruths and misinformation a good run, then perhaps i am wrong.
clipper
Guest
It was your link - that's what David Hill said! Funny you never have a go at Qgirl and all their cheap shots at AFL.
Tim Prentice
Expert
Come on Brewski, stop wasting yours (and our) time. So easy to drag out articles etc but the fact remains AFL gets a decent run on TV, radio and in the newspapers in Syd and Bris. League hardly gets a mention in the biased states' mass media outlets. Too many closed minds mean that too many other minds will remain closed as well.
Brewski
Guest
Roy, in particular should step forward .... i agree. LOL
eagleJack
Guest
Brewski the first step is admitting you have a problem......