Opinion
It’s September.
Matty Nable is strutting down the new Sydney Football Stadium serenading a camera with his raspy undertones.
He gestures both arms while staring down the barrel for a Fox League promo – a nerve shivers down the back of every top eight fan.
After 24 rounds never have I seen a finals pack so misleading. Sure, the Panthers have outclassed their 15 opponents in most respects, but away from the minor premiers, are the remaining seven a true depiction of how it stands?
The Sharks and Cowboys round out the top three – two highly improved sides who have benefitted from refreshed spines. Tom Dearden and Chad Townsend, a cracking combo steered by the wisdom of the premiership-winning number seven. Aided by the flare of a Maroon with a massive future ahead – as long as he keeps taking on the line.
But if you’re to go off form, North Queensland aren’t the third best team in the NRL. They have lost all encounters against the Sharks, Rabbitohs, Panthers and Roosters. Granted, Payten’s 13 boasted a dominant 36-6 win over the Storm in Round 11. But out of their 24 games, the Cowboys have clashed against the fellow top seven on just nine outings.
Compare this with the sixth placed Roosters, who have played 11 games against top eight outfits. Or why not the Storm, who will take on a top eight side for the 13th time this season tomorrow night?
Yes, four games may not seem worthy of the dramatics. It is when eight competition points are on the line.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Now let’s venture South seeing Kevvie Walter’s men have seemingly botched their chances to become the second Queensland side in the premiership race.
Not as far south as Illawarra, nor as west Belmore or Balmain. In the heart of Redfern and Bondi lie my two picks for September’s dark horses. In those sides, two number ones who have shown the power of indifference at the back.
James Tedesco remains my pick for the Dally M. I’m bedazzled why all are talking of Ben Hunt. No disrespect, the Red V halfback has performed plays well above his weight (not his pay grade) but hasn’t justified the player of the year title.
The 29-year-old tricolours skipper has averaged 213 running metres a game. I can hear the critics saying now “well statistics don’t govern everything”. You’d be right, they don’t.
When the Roosters lost 14-12 to the Dragons on Anzac Day, Tedesco ran 312 metres with two-line breaks and 12 tackle busts.
Take that for a statistic. But yes, enough of numerical facts. Watch a full NRL round and tell me someone who is more involved around the ruck and can change a score line so quickly.
Honourable mentions go to Nicho Hynes, Dylan Edwards and to chuck a forward in there, Isaah Yeo.
James Tedesco of the Roosters celebrates scoring a try. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Back to the finals.
Sticky’s men have raided their way back into finals discussion. They’ll take on the Tigers in what will be a weary Sunday afternoon for the Broncos if they are to triumph over St. George.
Are we talking about Canberra in the second week of finals? I highly doubt it. Brisbane would provide a more probable week two aura given their best form, but I can’t see that happening with jack-in-the-box Ezra Mam running water.
For Penrith, you can put their season down to the return of the Prince. Nathan Cleary. Lucky for them, the classy no.7 will have two cracks at the cake if needed – a luxury Trent Robinson and Jason Demetriou will have to prove worthless given the history of the finals.
Yes, that old chestnut. No side has ever hoisted an NRL premiership from outside the top four since it’s 1998 inception. Gus Gould doesn’t shut up about it.
He also likes talking about bravery. September is all about bravery. Impulse plays that can make or break a season.
Last year Patrick Herbert made the decision to take on the Roosters left edge instead of finding a wide-open Corey Thompson who would’ve without a doubt taken the Titans to week two of the finals.
It was an impulse cut-out pass that silenced Rabbitohs fans in the big dance last year, Stephen Crichton icing the game after a poor Cody Walker read.
After all of this, I’m still the average punter. The bravest decision I’ll have to make is choosing a broadcaster for my September journey. Would I rather to listen to Mick Ennis calling for Connor Watson to ‘inject himself into the game’ 100 times over, or Joey Johns yelling at NRL officials for watching the game in slow motion.
Apologies to Eels fans for the snub. Predicting their finals outcome is a gamble I’m not willing to take.
For now, I’m going to make like Matt Dufty and disappear.
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