Joe, I don’t agree with your comparison to Cam Smith at all. Firstly, Cam Smith had it all, the ability and the natural talent for the game, but most importantly, he knew the game inside and out.
This kid doesn’t. He shows glimmers of talent here and there but his game overall is fairly average. A few skips and a jump here and there and he’s got a lot of people fooled – especially the Knights.
He’s more like Latrell, if you want to compare him to anyone, tunes out a good deal of the time.
I don’t think he’s worth any more than what he’s already being paid now and certainly not up there with the likes of Teddy, RTS, Turbo or even the rising fullbacks, like DWZ, CNK and young Paps. They all show up week after week and play hard. Ponga is more of a show pony. I think the Knights are wasting both time and money on him and I doubt come 2023 the All Black would even consider him. All talk – just like Ponga and the Knights.

I don’t go out of my way to watch the women’s teams, but the few games I’ve seen have been alright. I’m not a fan but I wouldn’t bag them, just not interested.

That’s a great point Noosa Duck.
If we stand at various ceremonies to acknowledge and pay respect to the original Australians, surely it’s only natural for them to reciprocate.
We may not share their traditions, but we now honour them at events.
Ridiculous, tantrums if you ask me.

What makes her more deserving? Nothing.
But you miss the point entirely. This is part of the recognition of the only player in this country’s history to have ever reached such a remarkable milestone. We may never see the likes of it again. Love him or hate him, no one has ever reached the heights in the game like Cameron Smith. So to honour the woman who helped him and supported him achieve such a magnificent career is a great gesture. I don’t see anything wrong with that and I think it’s a step in the right direction. If you look beyond the individual recipient, it’s a recognition of women in general supporting their loved ones.
It’s a great shame people can’t look past their bias towards Cameron Smith and recognise the incredible legacy he’s brought to the game. 400 games, one man, one club, over 500 when you throw in Origin and International. And speaking of International, last year, we didn’t have him and we couldn’t win against the Kiwis. It’s a bad case of tall poppy syndrome all over – Australians are renowned for it. Get over it and learn to accept it for what it is, a token of thanks and recognition for the support of the woman who supported the player who has reached the greatest milestone in the game we’ve ever seen.
And if you can’t, shame on you!

I’m neither a Roosters nor Knights fan but I didn’t think it was so much brilliant play by the Knights that got them over the line, but more the loss of two of the best halves in the game not being there to direct play for the Roosters.
Keary and Cronk both missing pretty much determined the outcome.
Don’t think I’d be putting my money on a top eight finish for the Knights just yet, still a long way to go before round 25.
I’m surprised such a change in bad luck for the Roosters can be attributed to Nathan Brown’s skills as a coach.

I’m not a fan of either club but I can’t see the Roosters losing 2 weeks in a row. They’re too good a side. The Knights haven’t exactly been playing top 8 sides to get their last 4 wins either. One of the things I have noticed over the last few weeks is that the Roosters haven’t scored much, if at all, in the second half of their games. Having said that, I think the Roosters will win decisively.
I also think Pearce has had his day in Origin and has no chance of being selected. Too many good halves ahead of him. I’ll also add, there’s absolutely no way Cleary should be picked. Not only is his form down, but more importantly, his confidence is down. As the great Jack Gibson used to say “talent is secondary to whether players are confident “.

Immortal no, but definitely a legend in the Rugby League Hall of Fame.

Gold! Made my night !!!

The same can be said of the Warriors. Played Saturday in Brisbane then come back to Penrith to play the following Friday. Unless they stayed over, a lot more travel than the Roosters…..and the Warriors managed to win both games.

Apologies Crosscoder, been out of action and just seeing your response now. You’re right, I’m not a Sharks loyal fan but I don’t dislike them and certainly wouldn’t want to see them come undone. The greatest concern I have is money promised by developers. It doesn’t always work out. Sure there’s always front money to get the ball rolling but it’s the end balloon payments that worry me. How many times have you seen developments fall through? I hope it does work out for the Sharks, but until they have all that money, they’ll still be doing a balance act. I wish them well!

Matt Cecchin really likes Cameron Smith. ….. maybe, but more likely respects his knowledge of the game. Yes , he argues with every referee over just about every decision (no different to any other club captain doing their job) and most of refs at least listen because he knows every rule of the game. Matt Cecchin may like him, but it didn’t prevent him from sending Smith to the bin, for backchat, for the first time in his career last year. Every other team captain does the same thing, Smith just does it better than most. No surprises there.

I think people are getting a bit confused about the Shark’s 40 million windfall. They don’t have it.
They were given an initial injection of $9 million, $3 million of which will cover their anticipated loss for 2019, pay current debts and their NRL fine for salary cap breach will also be paid. Later this year they receive another $18 million to be paid into a futures investment fund from which they receive an estimated $1.5 million in interest per year that can be used for working capital. Once work begins on the development they then receive another $12 million. So really, they’re not out of the woods financially yet, but in any case it looks like they need a good administrator to keep them on an even keel. Is Phil Gould the right person? I’m not convinced he is. He certainly did a great job at Panthers, but I can’t help feel much of the success can be attributed to his passion for the club. I think the Sharks need their own club faithful with the same drive and passion.

With Dean Pay just having extended his contract by 12 months and another win banked last night, I think the pressure is lifting off him. Added to that, his team have really lifted over the last couple of weeks. Sure they’re still making errors and losing games, but they’re not losing by much. The dogs are playing with attitude and enjoying their game, wins will follow.
I hope so, for a team of unknown and reasonably young players, they’re giving it a great shot.
I think the Broncos are having a problem getting used to the Seibold coaching methods and there’s a few still missing Wayne. A long coaching contract, he’s looking a bit silly after all the huge build up he enjoyed last year, but he’s safe and the Broncos will come good.
I don’t hold out much hope for the Knights and Nathan Brown though. Certainly he has a good team on paper but unfortunately the game is played on grass – as the saying goes. Brown is the King of hype and publicity – keep your name out there and you’re sure to convince everyone you’re doing great things. But the abysmal performance by the Knights overall this season lends support to their current position of bottom of the ladder. Personally, I think they need a new coach sooner rather than later and definitely someone with a very strong character who will pull them into line. Cellar dwellers otherwise.

Adrian, I’d like to offer you some words of encouragement, but I honestly don’t hold out much hope for the Knights. I’m not a fan of Nathan Brown, as a coach, but I think the players need to take some responsibility for their own poor performances too. While there was a bit of effort there yesterday, they could be described as lethargic and even stood by to watch the Titans cross the line with no sense of urgency, no effort, especially in the first half. I feel sorry for all you Knights fans, so loyal and patient. You all deserve so much better from your team. Chin up mate and I take my hat off to you for your steadfast loyalty and support.

Great analysis Albo.

JimboJones – the account of his lawyer’s closing summary, or parts thereof, have been publicised widely so no use accusing the ABC of fake news. I’m sure you must be aware the courtroom would have several representatives from the various media outlets covering the story. It’s been well covered by radio, television and print media and certainly someone with Mary’s legal background and intelligence is not going to put herself in a position of presenting questionable information. You’re flogging a dead horse.
Great story Mary, thank you. Can’t help but wonder if such a statement from his QC is building the foundations for the legal case ahead. Just seems a little odd for a QC to make a remark that leaves his client open to suggestions of guilt. QCs are intelligent people and not usually open to errors.

Superspud,

What makes you think Cameron Smith is to blame for the problem between he and Cronk?
Few people know the reason, but it will all come out one day. I hope it does, I hate seeing people blamed for things they haven’t done.

Congratulations to Cameron Smith on such an incredible achievement. It seems a shame The Roar hasn’t made more of this amazing record with a feature article to recognise the event. By the time he finishes his outstanding career , it will more than likely be a long time before his record is ever broken.

They say a truly good player can play just about anywhere and there’s certainly evidence of good players being moved to different positions and starring for their teams. Cooper Cronk was a centre but Bellamy turned him into one of the best half backs in the game. Wayne Bennett made changes with Lockyer and we know that while Billy Slater was out of action for a long period, a young 5/8 by the name of Munster took over as fullback and instantly made it look as though he’d always played there. So it is more than possible for good players to make the transition and in some cases fairly quickly. But is it just the quality of the player or does it take a master coach to make it possible?
I’m not saying Ponga isn’t a star of the future but I don’t believe he’s a star now. I think he’s a young player with enormous enthusiasm, limited skills that were highlighted in a lacklustre team last season, but without the nous to yet lay claim to star status. I think he needs a much better coach to hone his still erratic skills and while he looks like a star at the Knights, I’m not convinced he’ll reach the heights under Brown. Ponga looks really good at times, while at others, he looks like he’s playing out of his league.
I know many may have a go at my analysis but I’m not one to be caught up in the hype surrounding players, but rather look at things realistically. There’s much excitement around Ponga, great PR puffery and it doesn’t always end well if young players, and their coaches, get caught up in it. That’s my biggest concern for Ponga.

Paul, absolutely spot on!
You’ve covered it from every angle and I couldn’t agree with you more, as I think many others will.
Great analysis.

PaulC, just about all teams employ professional wrestling coaches these days, as I mentioned above.
How many times have you heard the pundits say: every team does it, the Storm just do it better than everyone else.
And that’s about the size of it. The other thing to take into consideration, love him or hate him, is they have the master of controlling the speed of the game leading their team around. They have one of the greatest coaches in the game drilling them, so only when these two retire will you probably see a different Storm. But then again, you never know with them.

Hodgson is a great player, but I think his only problem on Friday night, was he allowed himself to get frustrated so he couldn’t play as calming and calculating as he normally would. But I personally think they have a much better year ahead of them this year. I don’t think Ricky’s a bad coach, but I do think he’s a bit tired these days. Let’s hope I’m wrong, love to see them finish in the 8.

I’m not sure expansion means adding more teams, but rather relocation to spread the teams, geographically.
That’s the impression arising from the news coming out of NRL HQ.
As has so rightly been stated, there aren’t at least another 60 players to be found to form teams and I can’t see current clubs wanting to share star /up and coming players with new competitors.
I honestly think it will be a move to get two of the current nine teams out of Sydney.
Do Brisbane really need another team? Queensland already have 3 teams. Wouldn’t hurt to give New Zealand another team, possibly Wellington or Christchurch and perhaps the other to Perth. But would Perth prove to be a logistical nightmare? Don’t think it would work in Adelaide. Maybe it’s time for the rural areas to be given a run.

Geoff from Bruce Stadium, I can’t understand why people continue to complain about the Storm’s wrestling tactics. We all know that most teams employ wrestling coaches. But maybe it’s just true what the pundits say – every team does it, the Storm just do it better than everyone else.
The Raiders have a team of enormously talented players, so I’m expecting big things this year but I think I’d be looking for another coach. Time for Sticky to move on I reckon.

One of the better refs. Great to see him back.