While the course of an NRL season generally lurches violently between micro-dramas like the world’s most unpredictable roller coaster, thankfully it very rarely finds itself dealing with full-blown tragedy.
Unfortunately for all rugby league lovers this is not one of those weeks.
The injury to Newcastle player Alex McKinnon is too big and sad an issue to try to paper over with talks of tackle counts and Supercoach statistics.
To give attention to anything else happening in footy makes you feel a bit like the bloke bounding on stage for a stand-up comedy set moments after the audience has been informed that a small puppy not unlike Lassie was just hit by a car in the parking lot.
Chances are there will be a bit of a lull over the opening matches this weekend, as the NRL’s players are forced to confront the game’s fine line between dangerous and reckless and the fans find themselves watching every tackled player get back to their feet like it was their own little brother.
This last point is a salient one, as although the pain of the fan obviously pales in comparison to the trauma faced by Alex and the McKinnon family, or the remorse of Melbourne’s Jordan Mclean, an incident of McKinnon’s severity leaves all footy fans feeling pretty down and concerned.
But whereas McKinnon’s successful rehabilitation will be a lengthy process requiring personal determination and specialist treatment, the fan’s recovery is simple and involves just the one medicine.
That is, football.
Although it may sound base and even a tad cruel, when tragedy strikes in sport sometimes the only cure for those not directly affected by it is to get back to the game, if only to remind ourselves that these events are indeed extremely rare as to make them all the more heartrending when they do occur.
Hence, for NRL fans who have been struggling to find something good with the game this week, here are five ‘feel better’ moments in Round 4 to find some sort of solace in.
5 Neil Henry versus the Cowboys…again!
During his last year in North Queensland you could imagine Neil Henry as the bloke at the park who spends the entire afternoon yelling at his dog trying to get it to sit and roll over, only for the mutt to begin finally doing so after the irate owner had thrown up his hands in frustration and begun walking back to the car.
Can he give the plucky Titans the inside word on the Cowboys? Or will JT and his men continue to torment their former mentor?
4 Dragons v Broncos rebooted
After pencilling this Friday night to scrub the mould out of the bar fridge at the beginning of the season, suddenly this clash has claims for match of the round!
Sure, whichever coach loses will probably be rumoured to be getting the axe by Monday, but with an exciting attack meeting a solid defence this game could be up there with some of the past belters between these two clubs.
3 A game in Wellington
Two teams as unpredictable as your uncle Davo after a dozen schooners at the family Christmas party playing at Welly’s cake tin, what’s not to like?!? (Besides Davo)
2 A game in Perth
Ahoy there! The games in the WA capital have become a high point of recent seasons. At the now ‘dolled up’ NIB stadium, hopefully this game can live up to the hype/hate and keep on pushing the Pirates party at the same time.
1. Birdgang Battles
The dirty birds meet the angry birds in the re-match of a grand final that you’ve re-watched a dozen times now and still find more entertaining than the previous five put together.
Now I don’t want to go off early, but I’ve got a feeling that last year’s decider was the catalyst for an epic rivalry that is going to echo throughout the ages, starting this Friday night at the SFS.
And while we’re all cheering for our teams to cross for a few tries on the weekend, here’s keeping our fingers crossed for some good news for Alex McKinnon and his family in the days to come.
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