Outstanding,
I log on here just to read your work, Mike. The most informed and entertaining voice in our sport. Why not start your own podcast or Youtube channel? The boneheads running NRL 360 and The Footy Show could continue to look after their niche market, Roy and HG theirs, but other than yourself (and The Roar) there’s no one looking after us RL lovers who also look forward to the irreverence and hilarity our sport regularly tosses up.

Thanks for those personal details Julius.
They do put your assumptions in a much clearer light. With you love of Rugby I’m assuming you’re Argentine? Wonderful country. You’ll be happy to know I took your advice years ago and left Australia to coach Rugby Union in St. George’s College, Buenos Aires (My CV also includes rugby coaching in France, Portugal, The Bahamas and now Spain. I hope you’re impressed!) so unlike most ROAR readers please don’t confuse me with someone you can spin some fairytale “Criollo rugby as equaliser” proclamation.
Most Pumas came from the extensive Buenos Aires Polo/Sporting club network or from Anglo Private Schools like St. Andrews, St. Luke’s, or my St. George’s. Visiting Private School Rugby teams from Chile were exactly the same. Children from the upper classes. I lived in Acasusso and played for CASI and had many friends in neighbouring SIC and can assure you, other than the gardeners, bar people and cleaners there was absolutely zero working class people in those clubs. I’d even go as far to say the extraordinary membership conditions and fees actively discouraged them from going near the place. Like many Sydney kids I grew up playing Union with my school on Saturdays (my school was Public) and League on Sundays with my local club. Looking at the parents and cars parked by the oval, I understood very early what world the GPS boys moved in.
No te mientas a ti mismo. Como en todo el mundo, rugby en Latinoamérica es para privilegiados.

I love it when private school boys get all defensive at even obvious ARU truths, Julius.
Mike is simply stating an obvious point. Through shameful administration Rugby Union in Australia has become a private school game. Hence, it’s on the canvas. My old state school played Union. Not any more.
No need to quote international third-tier teams or romantic venues to inflate a sense that Union is a world game. Working class kids in Europe and Latin America play soccer. Another version of Rugby would struggle to gain a foothold, unfortunately. Believe me, I live in Spain where the exposure, bling and haircuts of all the La Liga players casts a massive shadow.
So please, enjoy your Union but don’t get your back up over comments based on solid facts. Vamos Los Toros!

Absolutely outstanding!
Why didn’t you go the whole hog and include what Cpt. Marcus “Cement” Aurelias and Hard-running Steve Epicurus would’ve thought of block plays and a sliding defence?

Totally agree. How can you have a modern day fullback who runs for less than 50m in a full 80 min Final? Both Trell and Turbo play like roving fullbacks at centre when they turn out for NSW, yet back at the Bunnies he plays like a centre at fullback. 4 tries came from Panther chips into the in goal when he was bludging up in the line instead of covering at the back where he should have been. He had a SHOCKER. Either get fit or get back into the centres.

Exactly. Solomona, Kafusi and Munster are WORSE than grubs, they’re cowards. Anyone else notice whenever they elbow faces, headslam tackled players or smash people’s teeth it’s always much smaller/younger men like Sam Walker or Joseph Suaali they single out?They’re nothing but cheap-shotting bullies.
At least when Jared WH goes after blokes, they’re big units, not tiny halves or 18 year old debutants.

Goodness me but you write well. Your analysis and understanding of the game is first rate. But your detailed explanation and ability to inject interest and charm into even the most dull and peripheral aspects of NRL is top notch. I’m reading everything you write, and your press conference questions denigrate the Fox and DT sideshow giggles to their proper place. All thinking RL fans sends you their blessings and thanks. Not too ashamed to admit a Pom journalist is showing us how it should be done.

Unfortunately Mike in this country the media has the league public pencilled in as too bovine to understand intricate spine/forward interplay or other such complex structure.
We are fed the latest ref/bunker/coach controversy or off-field atrocity and the intelligent to and fro of the game is left to the true believers on podcasts or websites like this one.
I heard your question in real time and loved it. Baz’s answer was as disappointing as it was expected.
We need more artful analysis like yours. Kudos. Bring it on.

Heads up, NRL HQ

My 2 boys (one a rooster, one a rabbit) actually inquired about playing and following AFL next year. Why?
“Mum, how can you possibly suspend someone for 2 weeks for standing in front of a falling player”?
Other players can knee people in the back, puncture lungs, smash cheekbones, take people’s heads off, concus opponents and get 3 weeks?
Children have an innate sense of justice and to all and sundry it seems if the “player protection” by the judicial system is simply hot air.

If kids growing up in league families feel their heroes are being unprofessionally judged and not protected… you’re losing young people VERY quickly

I think you’ve captured the measure of the man superbly. Well done Tim.
When your club proactively chooses decent men and solid characters as leaders others will follow their example. When Boyd singled out Roosters support team members for special mention (Kathy King) in his farewell press conference I realised his uniqueness and just how much he will be missed.
His greatest memory in a stellar career?
“To call myself a rooster”
Love and respect.
The greatest legacy possible.

I’m constantly defending League from my Union-loving mates but felt palpably sick after watching that game last night. To watch a blatantly cowardly act go not only unpunished but seemingly rewarded (Brown scored the winning try and the roosters try where he fouled Hutchinson was denied) was very hard to take for anyone with an innate sense of justice and fair-play.
Explaining to my young nephews how so much courage and effort can be not only denied but openly mocked by incompetent match officials was a very difficult job indeed. Simple mistakes are one thing but turning a blind eye to openly thuggish and cheap-shot behaviour does long term damage to a sport that does itself no favours.
Rugby League has taken a huge backward step in our family. A terrible night for anyone who loves the game.

I had the pleasure of watching Aubo helping a little boy at the SFS swimming pool one full afternoon. The kid, who had no idea who Aubo was, had brought along an impressive toy sailing boat but couldn’t make it float. Aubo (and JWH) spent time explaining and demonstrating how balast worked and had the boat working in no time. Measure of the man.

Wow! Such blind obsession is extraordinary. Obviously your every single, waking thought is in red, white and blue Papi. Why not just be honest with yourself and jump aboard the Rooster train?

“From our deepest desires often come the deepest of hates” Socrates

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Thanks Paul
Glad to see we do agree on something. Thanks again for your offer of helping me with my reading, too. Let’s start with ambiguous and confusing opinions. How do you read that?

Not sure I understand Paul,
You believe no place exists for racism in sport but believe these issues should be addressed in a different forum? Not on a sporting website?
Could you please explain what the more appropriate forum for racism in sport would be?

Try google

Paul,
It’s interesting to be called ignorant by someone denying blatant racism and quoting Martin Luther King jr. An Afro-American civil rights legend. The irony was not lost on me. I imagine his inspiration also came from a “whites only” perspective.
I suppose if wilful blindness is your choice, than all I can do is wish you luck. Wish us all luck.
And as you love MLK so much I return serve with another quote you perhaps overlooked.
“To ignore evil is to become accomplice to it”

Paul,
This is exactly the type of buck-passing and excuse-making that allows casual racism in our country to flourish. Honestly how can you not see the rise of white supremacist ideology in Australia
Why are we so fragile about being labelled racists? Our modern nation is based upon a racist lie, our segregation laws were the model for apartheid and we championed the stolen generations idea for decades yet we get upset when someone points out a few home truths. Isaac makes very valid points about links between the growth of white violence in Australia and the USA. The latest stabbing episode in Melbourne backs this up.
Have you never heard of Amanda Stoker? Fraser Anning? James McGrath? Blair Cottrell? Brenton Tarrant?

An article by Andrew Webster in yesterday’s SMH disproves this theory.
Both authors of the racist tirades had posted under their real names (their sense of racial entitlement knows no bounds) and both were either on the back foot or went completely AWOL when topublic light shone on their tawdry little worlds.
Casual racism in Australia is as destructive and hurtful as all racism. It continues to exist because we consider it innocuous, turn a blind eye or believe it’s targets should “man-up and take it on the chin.” Wrong on every single count. Indifference just allows more racism to flourish, eg. an entire AFL stadium seeing nothing wrong with a child calling Adam Goodes an ape. How can that possibly be let go? Ignoring the perpetrators will not make the problem vanish.
Good on Latrell and Blake for calling these maggots out. Racism and all it’s horrible consequences will continue to exist if we refuse to immediately call it out and nip it’s casual cousin in the bud. Stamping out racism begins with stamping out this laissez-faire attitude.
When every single Australian does the same thing, instead of joining in on the jeering or offering up such limp platitudes, we can finally step into the a more modern world.

Absolutely. After the debacle of Billy Slater’s absolution and subsequent booing in last year’s GF I thought the MRC would’ve bitten the bullet, sacked the goons involved and at least attempted to gain some credibility back.
Seriously? A serial thug belts a much smaller player square on the chin, shakes his braincase, leaves him on the sidelines for a few weeks with no sleep and walks away laughing. This time you’ve done lasting damage, to the poor player involved, to the credibility of the game and when the CTE hammer comes down in the future the REAL judges will be looking up the names of all the second-raters who let this rubbish fly.

Papi,
I’m speechless. You’ve researched every single detail of every single ROAR comment I’ve made for over 4 years? Slightly creepy, wouldn’t you say?

Wow Papi Smurf,
I can see how all this misdirected hatred and angst is really eating you up inside. You sound like a ticking bomb.. maybe all this trumpeting and ranting against the honest success of another club is symptomatic of an internal self-loathing toward your own sense of inadequacy and failure. Not healthy. I suggest you take some “me” time alone in a quiet, dark room, burn some candles and incense, play meditative chanting music and practice some tantric breathing.

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Kudos on your article Tony,
Totally agree on every point. An outstanding spectacle that eclipsed the boundaries of sport, becoming more a Shakespearean drama than a simple game.