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The first month is done and dusted and surprisingly the same pair are still undefeated and the same two sides are still yet to get off the mark.
Ricky Stuart applied the blowtorch to his side this week and we’ll hear the old line from the big wigs at Raiders HQ that the coach is not under pressure and so on. When coaches turn on the playing staff it can go one of two ways so time will tell if Ricky’s premeditated outburst works or ends his coaching career.
At Parramatta, the Eels forwards again failed to match the total metres of a flying big fast Fijian averaged per week in 2017 collectively and looks to be a long season. This weekend both sides need to get off the mark or it could be a case of “there’s always next season” for fans of both clubs.
History shows not many if any have sides have ever made the finals after a 0-5 start to the season. I visited the admin intake patient officer at Callan Park last week as the Dragons and Warriors both won handsomely again. The Warriors minus the late scratching of Shaun Johnson and James Gavet put in a performance not seen by the club pre-2011.
Many an expert ran with the line the Roosters had an off day which was disrespectful to the intensity and aggression the Warriors came at the Roosters with for the full 80 minutes. The resolve and skill this side has shown so far in 2018 has been nothing short of a minor miracle.
In the absence of his flashy halves partner, Blake Green yet again put on a masterclass and it’s his leadership and calming influence which has made this side look so good in the first month of football. The defensive misreads that have been witnessed over the past few seasons from Solomone Kata and the like seem to have been addressed and the improvement from 1-17 has been exceptional.
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Nobody wins the title on April but credit where credit’s due, they broke the club record of three wins the week prior and a fair chance of getting it to five if not six before a mouth-watering clash with a side they have not beaten in a long time – St George Illawarra. The concern for the Warriors this weekend is they will be facing a side who are 1-3 looking to get their season going and who were many an experts tip to win the comp.
A slight drop in attitude and it can all go pear-shaped. In the Warriors favour is an ageing backline that has looked like it has punched above its weight for a long time and is fast becoming the side’s weakness.
The Dragons face a resurgent Bunnies outfit who did beat them in the Charity Shield, which some could argue one side takes it more of a trial game than the other.
The Knights showed opposition sides the Saints are vulnerable and having the fleet-footed Kayln Ponga running at some of the less mobile forwards opened up several chances that the Knights failed to fully capitalise on. The Dragons win looked a lot more comfortable on the scoreboard than it actually did, but this side really struggled against the Knights last season.
The Storm and Sharks game was on par with the Sharks game with the Eels the week before. The highlight being future referee’s boss Cam Smith being sin-binned. A rumour spread this was done in preparation for his new role in 2019 or 2020, which was started by Ray and his good mate Gus Mercurio. The attack and amount of tries had Ray and I thinking we were watching a Tigers game.
To the Tigers, credit coach Ivan Cleary placed our article in the dressing sheds all week and they came out firing doubling their points total, try total, line breaks and all other attacking stats within the first half against the rudderless Eels. I did see a Benji Marshall step and a basketball like off-load yet the headline of vintage Marshall was a bit overrated.
Manly looked good again but who would know what you’ll get this weekend. They lost a fair bit of cattle and may struggle over the coming weeks. I said at the start of the season the depth is pretty bare at Brookie and the next few weeks will let us know if the Blacktown Workers Plovers have players ready to step up other than the usual suspects in Lewis Brown, Matt and Jono Wright etc. who are solid if not spectacular.
Young Tom Wright has been spoken up as the next big thing will Barrett bite the bullet and select this young gun over a Jono Wright? Dylan Walker could be due back so we’ll see how things pan out at Brookie. They have looked good at home but this week will be a test with a long trip to Gladstone which could be a sequel to Trains, Planes and Automobiles.
The Dogs put in a decent fight and could have been pretty gutted to lose to the Rabbits at the death in another pulsating Good Friday clash. They face a fading Raiders outfit fast becoming the most disappointing side in the NRL along with the Eels. At least this week they won’t put their fans through hell losing again at the death. In the mood and in top form the Raiders are hard to handle so it may take one win to kick-start them into action. Only time will tell.
The Cowboys are looking at getting their season started after three straight loses. They look a shadow of the side that charged into the decider against the odds in 2017. They face a Warriors side in form with confidence but aside they have the wood on for quite some time. A huge crowd should be at Mt Smart for the doubleheader which pits the over-performing Tigers against the Storm again.
After last weekend Ricky Stuart is joined by Brad Arthur and the Broncos halves on the chopping block. Arthur seems to have run out of a Plan B without the flying Fijian getting his side on the front foot with his barnstorming charges and the Eels pack look very lightweight and void of any punch.
(AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)
Their halves have come under siege but they can’t do much without field position or have their forwards create the space for them. They are not bending the line and they look two or three big boppers short of matching it with most sides in the competition if not all.
Losing to the Titans at home would of stung old Clint Eastwood and they are up against it this weekend and next against the Knights away and then a trip over the ditch against the Warriors.
So fellow Roarers, let us know your thoughts for the chopping block after the opening month of upsets, thrilling football and the most shocking incident seen in rugby league in decades, the sin-binning of Cameron Gomersall Hartley Harrigan Smith.
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