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Joined September 2012

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Twitter handle @nathjwilson7

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Legitimately the dumbest thing I’ve read this year. So well done.

It’s not too late to right the wrongs from the Storm salary cap fiasco

And exactly that will be done. Way to miss the point completely. The changes ensure that kids are TAUGHT to tackle before they are expected to tackle or be tackled in game situations.

Don't let the NRL ruin junior rugby league

It’s admirable that Kevvy’s mates want to stick up for him in the media but he hasn’t shown much as a coach, here’s the irony except for his stint in 2015 as Broncos assistant coach. At Origin level he’s been dealt a tough hand following the unprecedented success and retirements but he hasn’t played it in a particularly impressive way.

As a Souths fan Seibold is the best young/new coach in the game by a distance. The way he changed Souths in one off season was remarkable and I’m yet to speak to anyone that thinks Souths got the better end of that swap.

"So clumsy": Broncos legend slams board as Seibold voted coach

Also I would qualify success in the NRL as a top 4 finish rather than only the premiers. 5-8 is a pass mark, and anything less is a failure. Extenuating circumstances aside, example Newcastle at 11th is probably a pass mark, while Parramatta collecting the spoon isn’t a failure it’s a disaster and a miracle the coach survived.

If Ivan Cleary fails, Phil Gould must be sacked

Pathways. Development. Community engagement. Corporate support. Etc etc. Gus back at Penrith has been an unqualified success and they are once again churning out NRL players of the highest caliber year after year. Only one side wins the comp each year and Penrith haven’t been too far from the mark over the last couple of seasons. Injuries more than any coaching dramas curtailed their 2018 season and I don’t think we can blame Gus for that. But I’m sure someone will find a way to connect the dots and then a heap of people will repeat it as nauseam

If Ivan Cleary fails, Phil Gould must be sacked

I think you’re being disingenuous with your correlation of stats Baz but of course that’s why I think stats are subjective.

Of course play the ball speed has little to do with results if you can’t do anything with it – perhaps this is where Burgi benefit from Cook rather than the other way around – chicken or the egg? There’s also intangibles such defenders left on the ground for a slightly slower play the ball vs via the stopwatch a quicker play the ball but everyone including defenders stays on their feet.

Average metres per player to me is the most misleading statistic in the competition. How many times did Paul Gallen run 160+m in a ‘herculean’ Origin performance that ended in defeat because the key players 1,6 and 7 didn’t touch the ball enough.

Swings and roundabouts though. Splitting hairs in my opinion and no doubt I agree that Klemmer had a career year. I disagree entirely on the notion of stats being objective though.

The top 50 NRL players of 2018: 50-41

Metres gained, post contact metres etc are almost irrelevant statistics. I think NSW learned that this year by moving away from Woods. For a prop all that matters is play the ball speed, and the twins were consistently among the best in the competition all year, I anticipate Damian Cook’s appearance on this list owes a lot to it. If there was a stat for leaving defenders on the ground during the play the ball I think both Tom and George would come out on top of that one as well.

So while stats are an ‘objective’ method of discussing players performance they are ‘subjective’ in their importance like everything else. In saying that Klem still my first front rower picked for Australia at a time when I’m struggling to decide who I’d pick 2nd.

The top 50 NRL players of 2018: 50-41

I think people misinterpret the criticism against Griffin. Poor communicator and a (perceived) outdated approach to just about every area of training and skill development has been the whispers from his first pre season at Penrith.

Lies, corporate speak and audacious coach poaching

Where are the bleeding hearts for players that wanted to play under Sheens, Potter or Taylor?? Oh that doesn’t fitted woe is me narrative.

Lies, corporate speak and audacious coach poaching

I think it’s been handled well. Griffin was hooked what yesterday and by today we have Penrith confirming they’ve offered Cleary a 4 year contract. Everything above board with the public aware of the requisite hoops that need to be jumped through for any deal to materialise.

Lies, corporate speak and audacious coach poaching

The sanctity of contracts coming from a club that had sacked how many coaches in a row pre-Cleary?? Laughable comment.

Lies, corporate speak and audacious coach poaching

It’s almost like sport is becoming like the rest of the world…

Lies, corporate speak and audacious coach poaching

I believe the NRL are responsible for employing their development staff country wide and then in NRL club areas they wear branded gear and appear to work for the respective clubs. When I worked in Campbelltown a development bloke that helped with PSSA was responsible for the Southern Highlands area, Mittagong and Moss Vale he said but worked out of the Wests Tigers offices in Campbelltown and often wore Tigers branded gear. When I moved to Albury the development officer wore green and gold NRL branded gear and knew the bloke I’d worked with in Campbelltown from their ‘national conference’. In Albury we were visited by NRL ambassadors, last year a retired Terry Campese while in Sydney I had a Wests Tigers U/20 player as a teacher aide, was visited by Luke Brooks and Mitch Moses for an assembly and had Isaac John from the Panthers attend our sports award as a special guest to hand out awards. I was the sports coordinator at those schools and I did nothing to organise any of that except respond to emails.

I’ve always found the AFL does it better narrative to be strange. Rugby League seem to enjoy nothing more than beating itself up and whinging about everything. You can’t win with them most of the time. But as a kid at school I can remember the NRL road train visiting and now as a teacher I’ve found the NRL do a far better job than any other sports. Today I saw an ad for M8’s rugby league evenings which seems to me like one of the best intitiatives of any sporting organisation. If you haven’t seen it you should check it out

AFL is winning hearts and minds because the NRL just does nothing

Helmets make head injuries FAR FAR FAR worse. I think actually protecting players with modified games and rules is a much better option that your proposal of ‘appearing’ of doing something to help but actually placing more people at risk of injury.

AFL is winning hearts and minds because the NRL just does nothing

I haven’t commented on an article here since I was regularly writing about 4 years ago. But I can’t just let rubbish like this go through to the keeper. I am a primary school teacher. I have worked in Sydney’s West and South West and in the AFL obsessed town of Albury in the Riverina. During my 5 years in the classroom I currently have 3 NRL employees phone numbers saved in my phone and would have received emails from 2 or 3 others. On the other hand I have never seen, spoken to or been emailed by an AFL employee. I have been visited at schools more than once every single year at 4 different schools – at the beginning of the year for a health focused assembly (different every year often a player or two speaks to the kids), skills sessions run by coaches during and after schools and tag and tackle competitive and non-competitive gala days. NRL clubs have provided prizes and a pass the ball competition at school fetes and NRL employees have refereed PSSA competitions. When i moved to Albury an AFL heartland I was sent to the local PSSA meeting and before we began an NRL development officer addressed the group outlining plans for the year, including assemblies school visits coaching courses and gala days. No other sport bothered to show up or communicate any information.

As I said in 5 years the NRL have regularly initiated contact with me as a school teacher to grow the game. They are constantly beaten with this ‘they do nothing for the game’ rubbish which bears no reality in my world as a teacher. In 5 years I have been visited by the West Sydney Wanderers once and a school I worked at had a bag of deflated Sherrins that had apparently been left after a clinic a few years earlier.

I could just as easily sit down and write about my experience teaching 25 mins from the Giants supposed base at Blacktown and never even having an email forwarded from the Giants organisation. Or 15 mins from the Wanderers Fairfield heartland but only a singular 90min visit from two coaches in 2 years

AFL is winning hearts and minds because the NRL just does nothing

Stewart plays as an edge backrower, Sutton played ‘tight’ in his move to the backrow. Whole article about nothing, what a waste of time.

What Stewart's signing means for Sutton and Keary

I often wonder what might have come of Nando if he put ‘that’ shot against Man U the other side of the post. He was rampant that day but has look bereft of confidence since then and the British tabloids are relentless.

Regardless like David Luiz and a DM position I’ve thought that Torres is more suited a little further away from goal these days. He would be a solid option down the right wing, as he still has the ability to beat a player and run all day. Wouldn’t be too bad down the left cutting in either. Would’ve thought it was at least worth a try at some stage

Dear Fernando Torres

Shouldn’t be a decision for Hird or Essendon to make. Both he and Flannagan in the NRL deserve nothing less then life bans from all sport in this country. I wouldn’t let either of them walk my dog

Essendon weak, but James Hird should have the guts to walk

I certainly hope they’re not dumb enough. Deadset..

Are NSW brave enough to pick Luke Brooks?

I’ll be watching live all the way from sunny Malmo in Sweden. Souths vs Manly 1, 2 & 3 last season were three of the best games I’ve seen in my life. That’s enough hype for me

Why I'll watch the A-League instead of the NRL tonight

Had so much to do today but spent the whole day eating humble pie. Thought Marsh looked really sketchy from 70-80 odd but battled through and it was so important to go to stumps 4 rather than 5 down. Another session and a half today with a declaration at 5 or 6 down would give Australia a real mental edge going forward

Australia takes the opening round at Centurion

The Daily Telegraph – Controversy Creates Cash!

They did this last year by announcing as fact that Jamie Lyon had signed with GC. Get a few days mileage off of this. Then they turn around with ‘it was done but someone backed out’ storyline and get a few more days mileage off of this ‘new’ story.

Behind close doors someone at GC probably said ‘Gee it’d be good to get Killer’

What if Sam Burgess stays with Souths?

What about these blokes writing off a kid at 22. Of course he CAN be a Test match star. He is the most talented player of his generation but talent does not necessarily generate onto the field. Faulkner’s batting is seen as a bit below par for an all rounder but he’s a long way ahead of MM at the moment. Like a lot of our younger players he needs to stay injury free for a long time. A county stint would be ideal. Easy to forget he’s only 22 he’s been ‘on the radar’ since he was 17.

Can Mitch Marsh be a genuine Test star?

It was 56 weeks ago that Buzz and The Telegraph ‘broke’ the story that Jamie Lyon had quit Manly to sign with the Titans. And we all know how that story ended up – with Lyon captaining Manly to a Grand Final. Like this story they reported it as fact and fell back on ‘a change of heart’ a few days later.

Sam is not stabbing Souths in the back

Watmough and Gallen are two forwards that sit comfortably amongst the top echelon of the game. It is my opinion that Sam Burgess sits a top of that class at the present time. Some will agree, many probably won’t, but again this is a throwaway line in the article and not a core point.

Sam is not stabbing Souths in the back

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