A great weekend of trial matches are in the bank, Tigers and Sea Eagles fans are into each other, Dragons fans are in despair, Souths fans are making space for premiership merchandise and everyone’s still laughing at the Broncos. After a barren few months, nature is healing.
Now there are two weeks to get through until the real business gets going. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to look at how teams and the league set themselves up to tackle the job ahead, so for now I’m laying out my 2021 wish list.
Wish 1: A spine for head office
This wish is my annual one, because every year it’s met with crushing disappointment. There’s not much inspiration in the Peter V’landys-Andrew Abdo regime compared to the Peter Beattie-Todd Greenberg version. Rolling over to Channel Nine instead of standing their ground, giving streaming away to Foxtel and Kayo, inventing new rule changes because a random guy on the bus had a thought bubble, expanding the game to Brisbane, being terrified of anything that would grow the game, pandering to the dinosaurs when presented a choice between modernity or chasing a dream about how great things were in the 1980s – or maybe I’m just cynical.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Wish 2: Fewer injuries
The coronavirus-impacted 2020 saw a massive amount of injuries, and it happened in bunches – see Manly, Sydney and Raiders in particular. Already in the trial games this weekend there have been injuries to up and comers like Melbourne’s Harry Grant and New Zealand hooker Wade Egan. Wests Tigers’ Shawn Blore got busted up. Not to mention the list of minor and major injuries coming out of the preseason.
With the introduction of six again penalties for teams inside the ten metres and play the ball instead of scrums for kicks into touch, players might be at even higher risk of injury without opportunities to rest and catch a breath. Rugby league is one of the hardest sports in the world on the body, and I’m wishing that the major injuries are few and far between.
Wish 3: More teams in the hunt
I get it, not every team is a finals team. But in 2020 the gap between the best and the rest was more noticeable than ever and the number of teams you could classify as ‘the best’ shortened too.
The finals last year were done and dusted a long way out from the regular season’s end and it was obvious to all the Knights and Sharks were making up the numbers. The Eels may have finished third, but they’d spent a lot to get there and were run out in straight sets.
The Warriors gave it a crack, the Titans showed some grit and went on a captivating late run, but this was all from a long way back.
Will 2021 be different? I hope so. But right now there are probably six teams you could put a line through for the finals and probably six more you can forget about winning the title.
Is that good for the game? Will people hang around to watch that?
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Wish 4: No Rona
Not Curtis Rona, he’s a lovely fella and he hasn’t played in the NRL since 2016. No – I’m wishing for no COVID-19, the coronavirus that has tipped millions of lives upside down. Australia has managed the pandemic incredibly well compared to the rest of the world, and it’s truly remarkable we’ve been able to enjoy sport at all last year and throughout summer.
That doesn’t mean we’re free and clear though. The virus isn’t gone. And with some state premiers seemingly trigger happy to ‘slam’ state borders shut or to require 14 days of quarantine on a whim, there’s always a risk that fixtures might need to be revised or players be kept away from the rest of their squad.
Spare a thought too for the New Zealand Warriors, once more stuck in Australia. And coached by Nathan Brown.
Wish 5: Just one two-point 40-metre field goal
In announcing this incredible new aspect of the game that not one person asked for, ARLC chair Peter V’landys explained it was to suit broadcasters and would “take the element of unpredictability and entertainment a step further”.
Considering the NRL is handing back $53 million in broadcast money from Channel Nine this year and next, I wish to see one – just one – two-point 40-metre field goal, because it’ll be worth $1.325 million per metre to the broadcaster. That’s unpredictable entertainment right there. Channel Nine must be laughing their arses off.
On a personal note, it’s great to be back for another year of rugby league. I’ve missed The Roar and all of you quite a bit, and boy oh boy am I looking forward to writing about the issues of the week and getting further into it in the comment section.
What’s on your wish list for NRL season 2021?
Emcie
Roar Guru
People were saying the same thing about Greenburg and Smith when they first started too. Every administrator is the best ever until the fallout starts to land and promises start falling flat...
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
PVL is the best thing that has happened to the game in decades, easy to forget the previous trainwreck, imagine if Greenberg and Beattie where still at the helm? We probably would not have a game....it would have gone bust. Finito, kaput, goners.
Rob
Guest
Spot on mushi. V’landy’s took a punt on what many believed was a long shot and won. Winner’s are grinner’s so l’m happy to tip my hat on his stubbornness and willingness to do everything he could against the odds at that time. I don’t agree with some of the stuff he has pushed regarding rule changes and his somewhat mafia boss mentality towards doing things. Hopefully the game doesn’t get changed to much from the simpler game I grew up loving for entertainment sake.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
In my D Grade year 1972, I was knocked out in the trials. I got knocked out by the hooker each time we played Kingsgrove Colts. He was the only dirty player in the competition and it annoyed me that he was always on the field at the end of the game. I woke up in the semi final in extra time to see a colt take an intercept to win the game. The hooker was still on the field.
Rob
Guest
The 6 again became so inconsistent during games let alone from how it was policed week to week. Sometimes it was becoming touch football and I didn’t like how a kick chaser was at a disadvantage for making a good low 1 on 1. Pretty much the speed required for release for the first 2 tackles of release was ridiculous and encouraged gang tackles? The blocker is a real issue on how it interpreted. Aiming for a perfect rule is not practical but certainly we can all expect someone understanding of when and why? it’s can be less ambiguous IMO. An attacker plowing into the back of a defender is not blocking. Similar anyone moving side ways as an attacker or defender taking the legs out of a player out whilst in the air is a 10min sin bin at the very least IMO. Are shoulders charges illegal or legal? By the end of last year it seemed they were legal again. eg. Cleary on Coats (Broncos) and others? Taumalolo was allowed to be shoulder charged not allowed to do the same back. I’m also wondering if a Sivo bump is about as dangerous as a shoulder charge gets? Just hoping the rules in round 1 are the same in round 24.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Good morning John. They're both within the rules but only one is unethical thanks to the disgraceful act of bad sportsmanship from Greg Chappel. The '69 Tigers won 11-2 and maybe it was because the stoppages annoyed the Rabbitohs so much it put them off their game.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
I would’ve wished for an injury free Turbo this season but his “bathroom” incident has kicked that into touch. I’ve now revised the wish to have him play more games than the last two years.. call me an optimist
Paul
Roar Guru
I hate red lights and speed cameras, but right now, they're here to stay, so I guess we have to grin and bear each of them. Don't have to like them, just hope they each do a good job.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
4020, do you mean the same experts who advised him that nothing bad was happening to retired racehorses; that they were all out in the pastures living the life in their old age?
Tony
Roar Guru
:laughing: :laughing:
Big Daddy
Guest
Tony, you wouldn't believe it Barry Beath hated the bunker as well.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Funny how no one was bagging Wayne Pearce at the time. All the hysterics were directed firmly at one person, PVL. The rewriting of history has happened in record time. I have no knowledge of PVL's impact in racing beyond the headlines but those headlines tell me he had a great impact on that industry. Presumably he can't take any credit there either because he assembled some experts to advise him ?
Sam
Guest
Pretty sure every employee in the NRL was keen to get restarted as soon as possible. "Project Apollo Chair Wayne Pearce said the working group would continue lengthy consultations with experts before finalising the protocols ahead of Commission approval." The role of PVL in all of this was just to approve (along with the commission) all of the hard work that the team had done around players retuning to training, game day protocols, potential bubbles etc. If it went pear shaped PVL would have thrown Pearce and the Project Apollo team under the bus like he did with Greenberg.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Scrap the captains challenge, you either can challenge all calls or none... it can’t be just the calls when play actually stops. Keep scrums, intentional offside from scrum is professional foul. When you are one down (Sin binned player), you just still pack with full compliment in the scrum..... therefore giving attacking advantage to non offending team. Any six again on first 2 plays following downtown kicks should be a penalty out of your end. Teams have just moved the slowing down of play the ball from try line D in 2019 to kick chase D in 2020. Like the quickening of play but we don’t want to move too much towards touch footy. Removal of scrums goes against fabric of RL. Make refs award or disallow tries, there’s enough time before the next action to rule otherwise. Plus we’d all rather see the odd one overturned than sending every decision up. No point having ball in play longer and quicker game speed if we have more breaks in play.
Rob
Guest
Jimmmy, Wasn’t it great to see the Cowboys back on the field? Mind you when Morgan dropped the kick off, Clifford put the football into the grandstand off the first set and the Broncos kids sliced through both edges early I was questioning my enthusiasm. Thank goodness the Cowboys woke up in the last 50min. I really like Payten’s move to include Cotter at lock. It’s different and a move to a more mobile middle that will bring speed and possibly more second phase opportunities. I thought Dunn would be the option at lock but Cotter was an interesting option to explore. Jensen did everything possible to put his name on the selection table. Holmes is the fullback for mine and Hammer is next best option at this point. Hammer on the wing for now. There’s something about Clifford’s kick and management game working better with Drinkwater’s running and stepping that works. Bit like Cleary/Luai, Reynolds/Walker, Cronk/Kleary? Morgan/Drinkwater and Clifford/Morgan are somewhat less balanced and effective combinations IMO. Play Morgan at centre because they look so exciting with Holmes, Drinkwater, Morgan running the football and Hammer and Feldt finishing on the edges. Unfortunately I’m not excited about Burr? Seems like a McGuire type. The Cowboys showed enough to be more than competitive and the depth looks stronger than last year with plenty of improvement in the young players being a year stronger and smarter. The Broncos will get better with Hass, Staggs and Farnsworth but depth wise injuries will really hurt them.
Edward Kelly
Roar Guru
Nice list AJ. My one and only wish is for Ray Warren to retire. Please Please Please PLEASE. I can not watch many great games of the past simply because Ray Warren is "commentating". 5 years too long in the job.
Big Daddy
Guest
Mr Booze, WOW!!! That is surely a mouthful.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Reminds me of my primary school days when teams were graded by weight rather than age. That’s how it was for some time back in “the dinosaur days”. At least with that system, kids weren’t overpowered by those who were much stronger although the same age. Is anybody else ancient enough to recall those days?
Rellum
Roar Guru
He is off contract soon so maybe if he gets a go and plays well we can out bid the Roosters
Tony
Roar Guru
I like your lateral thinking John