While just recently rugby league roustabout Phil Gould was lampooned for choosing fish ‘n’ chips over his own team’s chip ‘n’ chases, it has now become clear that the great man was in fact trying to convey a far more important message.
For you see, rugby league is a lot like fish ‘n’ chips… with yesterday’s marvellous match at Manly the perfectly cooked Fisherman’s Basket with the works.
Whereas to the untrained eye Gould was just hanging around at his local greasy trying to get something to go with all that choccy milk he’s got sitting around in the garage, to the eye with brains that was Fillet-o-Fish Phil making a poignant point about the state of the game.
Just like rugby league, fish ‘n’ chips is an English import, but one that has become ingrained into our culture.
While both are generally considered to be poor for your health, both pose an irresistible attraction to their besotted.
Sure, we know there’s fancy fare out there, and when you get a bad batch it can be soul-crushing, but when you’re in the mood and you get the goods… man oh man, there ain’t nothing better.
Yesterday’s Manly versus Parramatta match was that perfect parcel.
In a game that would make a particular alcoholic beverage company drop their sponsorship of the Super Israel Fifteens to make a long awaited sequel to their seminal footy advertising masterpiece, the Eagles and Eels captured the essence of the NRL in a flavoursome eighty minutes of awesome.
After a couple of soggy and slightly undercooked previous rounds, yesterday the NRL’s sun shone, the Brookvale crowd bubbled like a banged-up old deep fryer and the on-field product featured more big hits and amazing moves than the Street Fighter 2 machine in the corner.
That’s not to say the game was always pretty. Hell no, like a burger with the lot, the best ones never are.
There were accusations of diving, bombed tries, a team that couldn’t kick Mark Tookey up the bum with a pair of diving flippers and the customer with the number one yellow-and-blue ticket seemed to have used a bit too much vinegar on his crumbed cod.
But the end result? A game that ebbed and flowed like a great game of footy should, and that left a taste in the mouth that even the mildly disappointing lime icy pole for dessert couldn’t remove.
The detractors will tell you that the game was played at a dilapidated venue that wouldn’t pass even the slackest health inspection and that the two teams were simply the same old Sydney clubs bashing out another round of an already heavily battered rivalry.
That we should be expanding our tastes, introducing new key ingredients and more healthy choices to appeal to a more upmarket consumer clientele so that we aren’t taken over down the track by a multinational juggernaut and that mums still let their kids eat fish ‘n’ chips in the future.
And y’know what?
Perhaps one day rugby league’s fans will develop a more refined palate for super-sized stadiums and slick corporate crunch, with the old days of the packed and sweaty local bulldozed to corners of the memory.
But for now I’m just going to take away what I can, and enjoy what’s bad for me even if it is artificially sweetened with a heavy slice of nostalgia.
I mean, it’s got to be better for you than Maccas, right?
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
To be honest though, while I did not watch it but maintained interest with live commentary and radio, Parra usually have one sided penalty counts against them. They are sloppy. I'm an Eels fan by the way.
Haz
Guest
I think most people laugh at, rather than laugh with.
Haz
Guest
Parramatta were pretty ill-disciplined in the ruck. Holding down too long, hands in the ruck, that sort of thing. Manly didn't particularly milk them; but the crowd did.
Chris Chard
Expert
Penalty count was 14-6 against the Titans yesterday...many of them deserved admittedly though
Chris Chard
Expert
Truth is I didn't watch the Manly v Parra game untill late at night, because the end of the delayed telecast in QLD clashed with the start to the live Titans match
Mr snrub
Guest
"Why don't we just get michael slater to call the footy" he typed sarcastically. Channel nine's abuse of the nrl is deplorable. Chard's reference to mark tookey getting kicked up the bum with a flipper however was inspired. a great line, well done. This article made me hungry
TK
Guest
You're right, Will, I was in the same boat here in Melbourne. I enjoyed the baseball so stuck around for the NRL over an hour late, and I was glad I was with that great finish. But it would have been good if GEM put on a ticker noting the late start of the game, or put it over on GO. Nothing like that, though they could muster one the previous night when rain delayed the opening pitch. Pretty ordinary all round. Gutted for the Eels, too.
Robz
Guest
Agree completely - he has become my favourite caller. I don't watch the Sunday game as I refuse to watch a delayed telecast, but when I watch the FNF I always mute the TV and crank up Triple M for the commentary.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
But as an added bonus, he can actually speak clearly, pronounces words properly, doesn't say ...um...um...um constantly, has personality and is charismatic. Something which pretty much every NRL commentator (excusing Rabs) hasn't got an ounce of.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Yeah I think he's quite good. Can go a bit ballistic. But he's also a really good host and interviewer. Asks the hard questions
Ando
Guest
I wondered whether anyone found the Gould/Rabs atempt at comedy entertaining.
Steve b
Guest
Bad calls they were shockers , and that one ref he hates Parra with a passion just check out any game that Parra has had him and you will see we hsve never won the count yet. As for the commentry i just turn it down works for me.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
I'm a fan of Dan Ginnane's call on Triple M, some say he gets over the top with his excitement, but I kinda like that. I wonder how he would go calling the game for TV.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Minor correction, bilbo: that should be five articles a day, every day, followed by 200 comments saying tickets and food are two expensive.
BA Sports
Guest
speaking of bad commentary and people called Warren, did anyone by chance have 2GB on when the Sharks v Dragons match started..? Chris Warren.. OMG, I have never turned a league game off faster!
Benedict Arnold
Guest
I agree, and Gould has tended to be more mellow and less biased these days. His man crush that he shares with Rabs warren on Keith Galloway is comedy gold.
Fazed
Guest
Well said regarding the 9 commentary team. In fact I tend to turn the sound down & just enjoy the game (when possible) The worst of it that the alternative to Rabbits is Hadley & that does not leave me cold but frozen, as bad as the other one was who is working in NZ now there really is no decent RL caller. Sterling did call one game last year & was reasonable at it, bit more practice would help I think. As for gobble gob, he would be better giving fish & chip lessons, & get Fittler away from it as well knows everything about nothing & talks over those who do. Certainly the penalty counts are more often than not lop sided & that is my whole point in the whole debacle of what is refereeing decisions. One week a team is all but perfect the next, well! why or how can they go that bad in that space of time? I hear there will a blitz on the play the ball next weekend, so perhaps we will see the game go bonkers again & more suffering for the fans. My money is in my pocket.
Bearfax
Guest
I watch UK soccer matches and listen to the commentators who express with passion every moment of a game. They dont meander on about some inane subject or whether Fat Tony is on later tonight and what's likely to happen. They dont make frankly biased opinions about decisions and what a ref should or shouldnt do. They excite the observer with a good critical analysis of the game, and maintain a sense of sheer excitement, no matter which team scores. I'm sorry but I'm not a fan of the 9's commentary panel. Warren in my opinion is losing his way far worse than Mossop did in his final years. Gould may have an intelligent thing to say from time to time but you have to wade through a multitude of inane comments in between. Sterling tries to remain focused and makes some decent comments, but is as exciting as a wet rag. These guys in my opinion have reached their used by date. We need some new talent coming through. Talent that focuses on the game, not Fat Tony or the comings and goings of some reality nonsense. A team that excites those watching and stops carrying on about decisions such as marginal forward passes. As for the game I think you described it pretty accurately. Not the greatest game I've seen by a long shot, but a good mix of what makes suburban games such a joy to watch. And looking at the crowd packed in so close to the play added to the atmosphere. Personally I prefer the suburban game. These stadium games leave me cold with their antiseptic, sanitised taste. And as for the criticism regarding the penalty count. Well surprise. A good 20% of matches have blow outs like that. There was nothing unusual there. And in fact this Manly side, like Sydney City suffered such blow outs against them several times last year
bilbo
Guest
Crowds were down by 80 000 in AFL for the first round compered to last year, So I expect to see a least five articles on the roar about lack of crowd numbers
Fazed
Guest
Agree in that way completely & the point of what I was saying yet, when one considers the lop sided count 10-4 it makes it hard on which one cops the most. I do not believe that one side no matter who they are can be that much worse than the other side. The difference in what I read is that this time it was against Parramatta with Hayne challenging the decisions on field, imagine the after game press conference if Manly had lost with a similar penalty account against them. People may go off about Hayne with the challenges, & rightfully so, but is he any worse than Lyon or Ennis or nearly every other captain?