You guys are sort of like an endangered species in a Zoo – in the wild we might be intimidated by you but we also feel sorry for you stuck in that big cage of yours….

“ou only have to look at the way we crush governments, and just for fun, ”

I don’t know… the moment a Queenslander actually got into the Lodge the NSW Right moved pretty swiftly to get rid of him at the first opportunity…
🙂

Interesting comments on this topic.

Couple of points however – the way i understand it a Captain is the only member of the team who can question or ask for clarification from a ref. As someone involved with both coaching and refereeing I can tell you that ref’s can and DO make plenty of mistakes – they are human after all. The assumption is that at elite level (like State of Origin) the ref’s employed would be those who referee consistently and fairly – and Gallen as Captain was legitimately questioning whether that was in fact happening…

From a coaching point of view I have had to deal with situations where a referee has failed so badly at their job that my players have ended up in hospital. In those cases I don’t believe the role of the ref is sacrosanct. If they’re not doing their job properly then someone does need to point it out.

“I don’t think New South Wales would change their spine either, if it contained four of the best players in the world”

That’s precisely the point and what a lot of people who criticise Ricky seem to forget – he is trying to name a 1,6,7 and 9 who can compete with the world’s best players. It’s an unfortunate situation and it won’t always be that way – after all Andrew Johns was the core of the NSW side for a long time too.

But the fact remains it’s bloody difficult. And it doesn’t seem to matter who he names – they pale in comparison to Slater, Thurston, Cronk and Smith.

Look let’s hold the rotten tomatoes back until Ricky has actually done something worth complaining about. At the moment the side has not been named and a game has not been played. Ignore everything Ricky says to the media – we all know that’s a game he likes to play. His job is to coach us to a win and unfortunately the Melbourne Storm… uh… I mean the Maroons are a formidable opponent.

Did you watch last night’s game?

“New Zealand never pump themselves up for it and the only reason why people care slightly this year, is to see if James Tamou gets smashed by his real fellow countrymen.”

Not what I saw. Looked like a hell of a lot of passion on the field last night. Maybe you were watching a different game.

“City v Country has never and will never be relevant. We have seen over the years even if you play out of your skin, you most likely still wont get selected.”

You from Sydney right?

How about we stop talking about City v Country as a selection trial and start thinking of it as a stand alone game. After all when I watch a club game I don’t think of it as a selection trial for Origin or the Test Match – I think of it as a game to be enjoyed. Why can’t we afford CvC the same attitude?

“You clown”

How did you recognise me without my make-up….?

I don’t know about you but I don’t think the season is too long from a fans perspective. Was March too early for you to watch footy? Or by September are you bored? If so feel free to switch off your TV – no one’s going to stop you (or care). The length of the season is only a problem in as the negative effect it has on the players. The Stand Alone Wekeend partially addresses this by providing a bye weekend early in the season for non-rep players.

So interesting result. As expected the Kiwi’s tried hard but the Australians got their nose ahead where it counts…

Was impressed with Johnson’s debut – will be one to watch for the future. I think the paring of him and Marshall could reap huge dividends in the future.

Funny watching Darious Boyd taking a dive like a soccer girl 😉 As if i needed another reason to dislike him…

Poor DCE… that must have been such a crap feeling as the clock wound down.

Stand alone weekend is a great idea and here’s why.

Firstly it means that the Test Match and City v Country get all the attention from the Rugby League community for one week as they should.

Secondly it means that players who don’t make those rep squads get a rest weekend – which is helpful in the tough 26 round season.

Thirdly the Test Match is important.

Forthly regardless of what you city folk might think – City v Country still has a lot of relevance here in NSW Country. If you have a problem with it – simple solution – don’t watch it.

Fifthly – people are suddenly going to convert to AFL and Soccer fans because of one weekend? Puhlease…

I guess that’s why the Wallabies have to have an Australian coach and playmaker…. 🙂

“There are no over 75,000 kiwis playing RL in Australia.”

Also – that’s an interesting number. Where did you find that?

And there is far too much reliance on Benji Marshall to provide that miracle pass.

The other thing is mental as well – NZ don’t expect to win (I remember how shocked I was at both the 2005 and 2010 Tri nations and most especially the WC Final) and Australia do. The mental state of the players is half the battle. If they don’t really believe they can win – they won’t.

Looked pretty close to a sell out in Newcastle last year. I went to that game – it was fantastic. Except for the scoreline.

Yeah that was a point I wanted to make but left out due to length. The Kangaroo’s do have a lot more experience playing together than NZ (same is true of QLD in Origin) and the ANZAC Test is usually the best example of how this assists the Kangaroos. As someone who has tried to put together a combined High School’s side with almost no notice – I can tell you it does make a serious difference.

“The kiwis do match the Kangaroos, they have just not woken up to the fact they are basically world champions,.
Even a couple of their players dont realise they are Kiwis, not aussies. Look, forget your ramble about Union being the main game, mate only one player out of union in NZ is wanted by league, that is Sonny Bill Williams, Do you really think league would want any other player. Brad Thorn left how many years ago, he was on his last legs when he left, yet he lifted a Union world Cup. ”

Oikee sometimes you make a lot of sense and other times you talk like a Queenslander!

My statement about Union’s dominance in NZ is not a dig at Rugby League. I am simply saying that where as in NSW and that Canadian place to the North of us Rugby League is the FiRST choice of sport for a lot of kids, the same is not true in NZ. Union or more specifically the All Blacks hold a place of prestige in NZ culture that League cannot compete with. If young Jimmy Johnson growing up in NZ is a decent footy player then he is more likely to be offered, more likely to be encouraged and more likely to want to play Rugby than Rugby League. You and I may not agree with Jimmy’s choice but this IS the situation.

I understand your points and agree with most of them. I can remember growing up in the 80’s and discovering League when it started to be shown late at night on TV (It was called Aussie League then). I remember the birth of the Auckland Warriors and their first game against the Bronco’s at Mt Smart.

I know that League is growing in NZ and I applaud that. What I am simply stating is that New Zealand won’t get to the point where they regularly match or beat Australia in Rugby League because of the reasons listed above. This is not a statement of disrespect to the NZRL – I think they’re doing a fantastic job. It is simply a prediction that you can feel free to disagree with.

‘Master and apprentice’ ha ha I like that. Although if you follow the narrative – Marshall ends up being defeated by his apprentice when he turns to the dark side under the influence of the evil emperor (Mal Meninga maybe? i’m sure Johnson has an Australian cousin somewhere…)

Seriously though i’ll be intrigued to watch how they perform together on Friday night. Whether it’s enough to be competitive with Thurston and Cronk remains to be seen….

The Tamou issue is a sideshow. The only real concern is that Ricky Stuart has been a bit… Queenslanderish… in the way he went about persuading this kid to defect. The fact he was in the train on squad for NZ last year is the insulting part of it. Where he lived has nothing to do with it. After all Nathan Fien’s NZ Great Grandmother wouldn’t care he plays for NZ….

Probably going to stir up a few people here but…

I think we’re in the Golden Age of Rugby League right now.

The game is fantastic to watch. It rockets along and leaves Rugby Union in the dust. You can play $ 20 and go see some WORLD CLASS athletes playing for Aussie clubs every weekend.

What’s not to love?

Golden Point games are awesome… I love the way they build and build the tension. Drawn games are nothing but a disappointment for the whole audience.

The Salary Cap has worked wonders. If you want to know what it would be like without it, rent Moneyball with Brad Pitt. It’s about a baseball team trying to compete with teams that have 3 times their budget to spend on players. Watch it and rejoice in the fact that League is so evenly spread.

The interchange system keeps the players on the field week after week. They’re human after all. Look at the likes of Sam Burgess and Terry Campese – knocked out by season ending injuries. Now multiply that number of players by ten if the interchange system was reduced. Remember – back in the 70’s the level of athleticism and length of the season wasn’t the same as today.

I’d love to see a scenario where Nathan Merrit was playing fullback for South Sydney every week (not that Inglis isn’t doing an awesome job) as he was a revelation there last year in just a few matches.

Didn’t NSW hold an emerging Blues camp earlier this year similar to the ones Queensland have been holding for years?

I’d be happy to see Tricky coaching with assistance from all the names mentioned above.

As for picking the side – let’s be honest. There are certain players for NSW who know they will be playing (bar injury). There are certain players for QLD who know they will be playing (bar injury). Neither side has named a team or entered camp. The players are spread out around the country and a lot of them will have ANZAC Test duty to do before they worry about Origin. It’s not like QLD are hiding in a bunker somewhere with the team ready to go…

No no Tom you’ve got that all wrong.

QLD – clelarly Mordor with Inglis being Sauramon (sp?) the secret QLD hiding in NSW territory.
also
QLD is the old Galactic Republic – NSW is the remains of a Jedi – a rag tag bunch of players trying desperately to beat a powerful opponent.

My analogy is much more supported by the facts – the NSW blues have fielded a Princess, a farm boy, a cocky young pilot and a slightly gay robot…

OR NSW Blues resemble a dwarf, an elf, two four hobbits and a wizard less powerful than his reputation suggests (Ricky)

I can agree with most of your points. I certainly don’t think we’re going to enter a phase of NSW winning 3 or 4 in a row. The next decade will probably see NSW and QLD winning fairly evenly.

Definitely agree about the half back. That’s NSW’s biggest problem. Maybe Adam Reynolds can be developed into a class half? Of course it probably turn out he has a second cousin from Queensland…

Doesn’t help that the best no #9 is from QLD and the 2nd best from NZ!

It’s hard to leave a cult too – doesn’t make it right. 🙂

Touche