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The trials are done and dusted for another year. We all now turn our focus on Round 1 of the 2023 season, which is just nine sleeps away.
But before we cross off any more days on the calendar counting down to kick-off, let’s take a quick minute to reflect on the Pre-Season Challenge and all its, um, glory, along with what we have learnt from the past two weeks.
I love a vegemite sandwich. I know it’s not a gourmet meal and I don’t expect it to be. It is what it is and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
Same with trials. They are not meant to be super exciting, have us on the edge of our seats, or give us any real indication of who the grand final winner will be. Trials are about blowing out the cobwebs, giving young guys some game time, allowing new players to settle in and giving the coaches a chance to work on some combinations. They are what they are and we all know what we are getting.
But some of the trends that emerged will have coaches losing a few extra hours of sleep at night.
And just because you won the competition that nobody seemed to be competing to win, don’t go booking any grand final tickets yet Manly fans.
Changing the trials into a competition definitely wasn’t the best idea the NRL has ever had.
And what was with the points system?! 15 for a win, nine for a draw, three for a loss, bonus points for offloads and line breaks, four points for any vowels in your name and two points for consonants.
It obviously meant nothing to the players and had little to no effect on what they did on the field. Sharks duo Nicho Hynes and Dale Finucane admitted they didn’t even realise how close they were to winning the $100,000 prize money had they thrown a few more offloads. Obviously not part of the game plan or high on the priority list.
I appreciate the effort and applaud the NRL for trying something, but sometimes it’s best to just leave well enough alone.
(Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)
It doesn’t make sense to me either. And I’m aware of what my first point was. But Manly looked … good.
New coach Anthony Seibold seems to have the team harmonious and back on track, they played really well in both games taking out the Pre-Season Challenge, and they looked to have put all of the drama from last season well and truly behind them. And we all need to remember, they were tracking along quite nicely before they imploded after the Pride Jersey saga.
Reuben Garrick was on fire, Josh Schuster looked solid at five-eighth replacing new Titan Keiran Foran and they still have some big names to come back into the team for the start of the season.
Watch this space.
Kelma Tuilagi. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The newest franchise did not do much to help shake their ‘destined for last place’ tag.
After their draw with the Cowboys second-stringers in Week 1 everyone thought, “ok, maybe they will surprise us!” But then it all came crashing down in Week 2 after a terrible performance leading to a 40-16 thrashing.
Yes, it’s only a trial. But if they continue to dish up what they did on Sunday, they will finish exactly where the bookmakers are predicting them to.
Wayne Bennett has A LOT of work ahead of him to avoid taking home a prize he has never won in his career, in his final year as head coach.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
And then, there are these guys. While the engravers prepared to etch the Dolphins on the spoon, the Red V told everyone to hold their beer.
The Dragons were just woeful across the past two weeks. They finished the trials with two losses, 30-18 against St Helens and then 42- 24 against the Bunnies in yet another Charity Shield loss.
Silly errors, paper-thin defence and a lot of blank faces. With rumours circling about the safety of coach Anthony Griffin’s role, he will no doubt be taking a leaf out of Metallica’s song sheet – “Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight!”
Watching young Tyrell Sloan become so emotional after the match has everyone asking just what is really going on at this club.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
There were many Panthers fans on social media coming up with every excuse under the sun following their team’s shock loss to St Helens in the WCC.
Some were claiming the likes of Api Koroisau and Viliame Kikau should have been allowed to play. They were part of the 2022 grand final winning team and may have been the difference in Penrith getting the win.
While the point has merit in theory, it just would not work. There is no way clubs would allow their new star recruit a release to go and play for their former team and risk the chance of being injured for the season, just for one last hurrah with their old buddies.
Can you picture Kikau asking Gus Gould for permission – and getting it?
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Look away Eels fans.
Marata Niukore, Isaiah Papali’i, Oregon Kaufusi and Ray Stone are gone. Same for star hooker Reed Mahoney whose replacement Josh Hodgson looked like an old man who has missed a full season of footy following an ACL injury. (Oh wait, that’s right.)
Now, thanks to the trials, Parramatta can add to the mix a fractured jaw to back-rower Shaun Lane and an ankle injury to Matt Doorey – that’s a lot of pressure to put on a side that was so strong up front in 2022.
Lane and Doorey weren’t the only ones to hobble off the field uncertain of when they would return. Storm’s Justin Olam fractured his arm with a possibility of missing the first six weeks of the season, while Raider Xavier Savage is facing the same stint on the sideline after fracturing his jaw.
Broncos fullback Reece Walsh is uncertain for Round 1 after a fracture around his eye socket, same with Rooster Joseph Suaali’i who failed his HIA after a head knock and is now suffering a concussion. Sea eagle Morgan Harper has picked up a knee injury, Dragon Josh Coric will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his ACL, and Dolphins hooker Harrison Graham looks set to miss months thanks to a high-grade MCL sprain.
Are the risks worth the reward?
Just having a vent here, but there would be many who agree.
You can’t have us NRL fans waiting all off-season for the footy, have two jam-packed weekends of it, and then make us endure another weekend of nothing before it kicks in again. That’s just cruel. There’s not even any cricket to watch.
Apparently, the Super Rugby will be on …