One month remains in the NRL regular season and it’s shoulder to shoulder for the best placings. Here come your NRL preview talking points.
Perth turns it on again, but is the NRL listening?
A crowd of 45,814 turned out to Perth Stadium for last week’s double header – that’s the NRL’s sixth highest crowd this year, with four of those above it happening during Magic Round.
It was announced during the weekend that State of Origin will again be played at the venue in 2025 and 2028 and that’s nice, but Western Australia needs its own NRL team and the game needs the money, ratings, scheduling and sponsorship benefits that will come with it. Stop messing around leading on hopeless causes for NSWRL clubs and just get it done.
Whose cat did Adam O’Brien run over?
After dwelling in the cellar early this season as his team dealt with yet another huge injury list, Newcastle have now peeled off five wins on the trot and sit seventh with another eminently winnable game this week at home to the Bulldogs.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
You’d think after the media hiding their coach Adam O’Brien took early in the season as his club battled things out of their control that there’d be a little credit coming his way, no? Well, no.
The Knights’ run of form has basically been ignored by pundits and O’Brien remains the topic of scuttlebutt and scandal from the media, although this was definitely not helped by his own club meeting with sacked Titans coach Justin Holbrook who has since signed a three-year deal with the Roosters as an assistant coach.
If the Knights can win a couple more they might sneak into fourth or fifth spot. Not bad for a team that apparently doesn’t have a coach.
Good games this week
Season defining games for a few this week, in that they might as well start packing for Bali if they lose.
First team in that boat are Manly, who need to knock over the imperious Penrith on Thursday to keep a puncher’s chance of the finals.
Friday’s early game might be the death blow for the Gold Coast if they can’t get past Cronulla, who breathed a sigh of relief after beating Souths last week.
Primetime Friday in in Brisbane surprisingly, with the Eels in real strife unless they can beat their hosts.
Saturday’s triple header starts in Cairns with Souths and the Dragons, a genuine coin toss on recent form. Then it’s off to Hamilton, New Zealand for the Wests Tigers home game against the Warriors. New Zealand can all but secure a top four spot with a win, lose and they’re back in the finals mixer.
Saturday night the Roosters seek revenge on the Dolphins, who embarrassed them in round one. There’s no guarantee of a chooks win, even though they’ve played juuust a little better than average in the last couple of weeks. A Roosters loss will put the official signoff to an incredibly underwhelming season.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Sunday has a curious one in Melbourne when Canberra go for their sixth straight win in the southern capital. The Storm have been wobbly but still look irresistible when they turn it on, while Canberra have mongreled their way to a 12-8 record on the back of horrible yet effective close wins. Don’t be surprised if Melbourne explode, don’t be surprised if Canberra squeak past. Winner takes a really good chance of securing a top four spot.
North Queensland has the bye, and depending on other results, the accompanying two points may be critical in them getting up into the finals places.
Week 24 random observations
- Parramatta NRLW gun Kennedy Cherrington got sent off then rubbed out for four games for an ugly tackle on Knights forward Laishon Albert-Jones. Four games scrubs her out for almost half the NRLW season – not to downplay the tackle, but is that reasonable?
- South Sydney, you’re now officially in the gun. From premiership fancies to barely hanging onto eighth. Their run home is pretty tricky, too – Dragons, Knights, a bye then the Roosters. Those free points for the bye might prove critical.
- Did you know channel Nine are now showing a Saturday night game on free to air? Neither did I. Who would want to know about that?
What’s got you talking ahead of round 24, Roarers?
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
No, but the Thunderbolts program is starting to produce young players that will eventually become NRL ready players. It’s a matter of time and investment. The first generation, ie 20 years, the club puts down roots and develops its identity and fan base, the second generation sees improvement in community participation, the third generation sees real development of young talent. The game in Victoria is in that 2nd generation phase where the game has its niche fan base and now the community is growing. It’s gonna take another 20-30 years before we’ll see Victoria produce enough talent to fill the Storm’s roster.
Nick
Roar Rookie
He's not wrong though, Brett. 25 years on and Victoria couldn't even fill an interchange bench for the tigers.
Dodgy Dragons
Roar Rookie
I baited the hook, but nobody took it. Maybe like me, they’ve had a long hard season trying to be positive about the dragons and don’t have the energy atm. Looking forward to us playing South’s into form this n time for the semis
Albo
Roar Rookie
Agree, Nick. But Vlandys will still need to sell it to 17 Club bosses who have mostly self interest at heart, and they can make life difficult for Vlandys and Co if they are not convinced of their own Club benefits.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
I’m not gonna rehash this argument with you.
Nick
Roar Rookie
Actually, there was a very positive piece on the Warriors last week.
Nick
Roar Rookie
100%.
Nick
Roar Rookie
A 2 hour ahead tv time slot works better locally than 2 behind. The AFL makes a motza out of the 2 hours behind timezone. They schedule the AFL for 5:30/6pm starts in Perth that broadcast into prime time in the east. It's also a good time for families to attend matches live in Perth. Kids get home at a reasonable hour. The NRL wouldn't be competing with the AFL, and certainly not like they have to in Victoria. There is only ever one AFL match a week in Perth (west coast and freo never play home matches on the same weekend). Simply schedule the NRL match to be taking place on the night the AFL match isn't. The NRL struggles to get traction when NZ Warriors play that 8pm NZT game on Friday night. Where would the second team in NZ go? The first one isn't all that popular. Wellington is too small to sustain one. Christchurch, maybe. But they are rugby mad on the south island.
Nick
Roar Rookie
I’m guessing if the NRL wanted a Perth club, they offer some form of financial compensation to all Clubs to make it work. The increase in the TV rights deal as a result of a Perth deal would be the compensation.
Nick
Roar Rookie
Perth teams do marvellous things for TV rights though, Albo. Chucking on a 5:30pm game that gets broadcast into prime time in the east, while still at a good time for the west to go and watch live/on TV is a cash cow for the AFL. The increase in TV rights more than offsets the costs of teams flying across the country.
Nick
Roar Rookie
Not to dilute Cleary or Lawton's tackles, but they aren't the types of spears I'm thinking of. I'm thinking a Marcus Bai spear. But I do agree with the broader point. Missing half the NRLW season appears harsh, but you can't be giving one or two weeks for spears either. Extend the NRLW season :happy:
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
I find O'Brien quite unimpressive also. You're right though, they are winning so he deserves some credit for that, but that doesn't mitigate the fact that he wasted a whole off season with Ponga training at 5/8 when anyone who watched rugby league for 5 minutes knew Ponga playing 5/8 wouldn't work in any circumstance other than maybe a stop gap measure for a half game. End of the day, good luck to him and the Knights for winning a few games at the back end. If Ponga doesn't play those games, i don't think they win any of them, so i think if we are splitting up where to credit their form, in lies more with Ponga.
AJ Mithen
Expert
Sad but true BG, but it's also our faults for clicking on it all!
AJ Mithen
Expert
Nathan Cleary got 5 for a spear tackle in 2022, Karl Lawton got 4 (with a guilty plea bringing it down from 5). That’s 20% of the season compared to Cherrington being sent off for a half then missing four more, exactly half a season. Again – not defending the tackle but it’s a quirk cos the season is so short that NRLW suspensions hit harder than they do in the men’s comp, same deal in the AFL/AFLW.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I wonder if the media treatment Adam O'Brien has copped this season, is more an indictment on their mentality than it is on the actual reality that's occurred? The majority of those who cover the sport in Australia seem hell bent on trashing it. All we seem to read about is ref bashing, coaching bashing, bad decisions by the Bunker, teams underperforming, etc. O'Brien fitted into that scenario beautifully when the Knights were struggling, but now they're winning, he doesn't fit that negative mentality they like to write about, so the media simply don't mention him. Just like the outstanding job Andrew Webster's done at the Warriors barely rates a mention After all, we couldn't have a good news story, could we?
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
If V'landys truly wanted a team in Perth, I reckon there'd be one there within 12 - 24 months. It's hard to argue he couldn't make that happen, given the job he did getting the game going again, after the initial covid lockdown.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I'd agree Albo, except we have Clubs in tough to get to places like New Zealand, Townsville and even Canberra for some interstate Clubs. There's also a swag of games in all sorts of different locations through the year. I'm guessing if the NRL wanted a Perth club, they offer some form of financial compensation to all Clubs to make it work.
Nat
Roar Guru
At a 20k seater would make much more sense. You reckon they would fill it though? I’m surprised you didn’t get a bunch of Dragons fans jump on you for the relocation bit. :laughing:
AJ Mithen
Expert
The answer is in your first post, and it’s self interest
Albo
Roar Rookie
So why haven't we had a Perth club in the NRL competition since the Perth Reds for just 2 years in 1995 - 96 ? What can be the reason ?