Roar Guru
Joined June 2014
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There has certainly been no lack of drama in the league world since the final siren sounded on the last day of September.
It’s been a week since Game 3 of Origin and with pretty much any discussion on the game revolving around post-match drama I figured I’d take the opportunity to remind everyone that a game did in fact take place prior to the awards ceremony.
I’ve been putting this article off for a while now. It has been sitting in my hard drive under various iterations since the Game 1 State of Origin loss for Queensland.
After the retirements of Queensland stalwarts Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk, the state’s first Origin team for 2018 was always going to have a different flavour to it.
Well here we are, nine rounds in and already the football is starting to distract from the true purpose of the early season – providing context to present fans their preferred NSW Blues line-up for Game 1 of State of Origin.
If you’ve been following this series you’ll already be aware which teams have made my all important top five, but now it’s time to place them in order and list arbitrary reasons for doing so!!
Well here we are. With part 1 and part 2 covering teams 9 through 16, it’s time jump into the top eight.
With the bottom five teams established in part one of this series, we find ourselves about to delve into the meat of the season.
‘Tis the season to dress up complete guesswork as research and statistical analysis.
Watching the eighth-placed Cowboys knock out both the fifth-placed Sharks and the fourth-placed Eels in succession got me thinking.
Referee-bashing, it’s existed since the dawn of sport. Yet here we are at the business end of the season and it’s all anyone can talk about.
It’s that time of year again. Queensland have walked away with yet another State of Origin victory and every man and his dog is laying into New South Wales over various perceptions as to why and how they lost.
What just happened? The dynasty was over, Queensland had been weighed, measured and found wanting.
Dunno if a club would make a five year decision as a powerplay. There’s not much point having a general manager of football if you’re going to give the coach full control over everything team related and then have the board doing their own thing with decisions above that. The fact that a board member signed a guy as coach over a coffee while the football manager was negotiating with someone else says it all really. It just sounds like there’s a few too many people in the boards ear giving them too many ideas.
Phil Gould reportedly set for Panthers exit in the coming days
Lazarus has been “slamming” everything broncos related for the last couple years. Chris Johns will be showing up next
Glenn Lazarus slams 'deluded' Anthony Seibold
I doubt that’s the case, it’d be a pretty poor refelection on the board if that’s how they run things. I reckon it’s more a case of the board getting ahead of themselves and lacking forsight in their decisions.
Phil Gould reportedly set for Panthers exit in the coming days
Reckon a fair few people have been expecting this since the Bennett revelations. Not much point having a manager of football and then have the board making their own decisions anyway. Didn’t it come out last year that it was the boards decision to sack Hook as well? If I was a Penrith fan I’d be keeping a close eye on that board.
Phil Gould reportedly set for Panthers exit in the coming days
They had far fewer excuses last year, a much more settled team and a busload more experience. For a team that’s well off the pace in every aspect of the game they’ve had two heavy losses against the top two teams, a very convincing win and three games that went to the death.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 6
If your opinion is dependent on the opinions of others that’s up to you. The team obviously needs to improve in areas, but some of the proposed solutions are just over reactions.
You can keep your forwards and Hunt, wouldn’t mind your draw though.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 6
I didn’t say they were going well, just that they were’t going great starting last year either before finishing equal fifth (above two teams that started 7 from 9 and 8 from 9)
Eight talking points from NRL Round 6
A couple weeks ago they were world beaters and were going to have half the team playing origin. Their issues aren’t team composition or ability, they’ll get there.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 6
I still think the Broncs are travelling better then they were at this stage last year. I think people forget how they started last year, the irony is that they were 3/6 then but one win was very controvercial and two of those losses were to the Titans and Knights.
This year three of their losses have been against the current top three (who are all 5 from 6) and the other two games were lost in the final minute. Compare that to the Dragons who are sitting in 6th with four wins, three of which were won at the death (two against teams with one win to their name and one under controvercial circumstances). Despite their performances the Broncs are about three minutes of game time over six rounds away from being 3 from 6 while the Dragons are around ten minutes over six rounds away from being 1 from 6. It’s amazing how little it takes to completly change the narative.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 6
I don’t mind hunt at 9, as long as he’s playing for the opposition
Hunt, Cherry-Evans in Origin stalemate
Well I’m hoping they go off last years origin form rather then club form this year….
Hunt, Cherry-Evans in Origin stalemate
To be fair, if teams were going just as good after he left as when he was there people would be wondering why he was hired in the first place. And it’s not like he’s ever been replaced with a coach of similar calibre
Troubled waters at the Broncos: Why Bennett jumped ship
He was always going to be the loss that hurt the most
NRL Round 5 teams: Injuriy and suspension forces stack of changes
As long as it’s a better game then last years match up, that’s all I ask
Crunch time for the Broncos and Wests Tigers this Thursday night
You were saying that all last year too mate.
It’s not optimism so mach as I think it’s far too early to be making sweeping judgements yet.
Something has to change at the Brisbane Broncos
For all the doom and gloom their start hasn’t been much different from last year, if not better to be honest.
In round 1 they were smashed by 22 points by the dragons, this year a 10 point loss to the Storm (last years Grand Finalists and still unbeaten).
In round 2 they had a very close win (literally saved by a goal post) against the cowboys, but a 19 point win against them this year.
In round 3 they had a controversial win against the Tigers in a game where they didn’t score a try and both teams were atrocious, this year another poor performance in which they were a missed field goal away from taking home the points against the Dragons.
In round 4 they smashed by the Titans to the tune of 12 points, this year beaten by 32 against the defending premiers.
The criticisms they’re getting now are very similar to what they were getting this time last year, it’s just a different coach now. Speaking of, didn’t someone write a piece about how a certain coach had lost his aura around this time last year?
Something has to change at the Brisbane Broncos
Every team bends the rules, but the Storm are looking to exploit something in every single tackle. There’s a lot of things the Storm do very well with their systems, player development gameplans but damn is it hard to enjoy their games when they play like that.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 4
I wouldn’t be too concerned, if fergo’s known about it and been actively trying to pull it off for however long (and telling his teammates to as well) and has only got it to work once I’m not sure we’re gonna see it ten times a game.
And before we get carried away with how Fergo is some savant that spends his time pouring over the rule book looking for exploits, let’s be honest, someone mentioned it to him once and it stuck in his head.
Ferguson dusts off NRL rule book
Two seems fair. It’ll be interesting to see if any other players actually get charged for late shots this year though. That’s hardly been the first late hit of the season…
Tevita Pangai Junior set for at least a two-game ban for cheap shot on Cronk
I’ve always thought Kodi was better off the bench, and I wouldn’t mind a DCE in the side, but I’m not sure a different halfs pairing changes much last night. Isaako deserves a lot (and I mean a lot) more criticism then either of the halves do for the last two weeks performances, as do a few others. I just think the halves are copping a disproportionate amount of blame which is papering over other issues.
Seibold defends misfiring Broncos halves
Wasn’t it gonna be Saints v Tigers last year?
Sadly, after just six rounds it’s already a two-horse race in the NRL