Thanks Steven.

Im sure there would of been a lot of clubs interested in Ozil. It was pretty obvious that Bale was heading to Real and from what ive read, Wenger had actually tried to sign Ozil before he moved to Real so no doubt there was already some sort of relationship established there. Im sure Wenger didnt leave it to chance and simply became the right person at the right time.

The only comment I agree with you here is the lack of depth Arsenal have. If they are to survive a heavy season ahead, they no doubt need to secure more firepower up front while solidifying their backline.

Of course to expect Ramsey to score every single game is to believe Arsenal already have the Premiership in the bag. It wont happen, but his confidence and form is stellar at the moment and given the criticism heaped on him over the years, its a testament to his character to be firing this season.

With another win secured this morning against Napoli in the Champions League, confidence in the team must be growing and yes while being top in September means little, they along with Liverpool and Tottenham are the early pace setters in one of the most open season’s of the EPL in years.

Arsene Wenger copped the battering and criticism pre-season, with critics and fans (myself included) wondering why nothing was happening with new recruitments considering how flush with money Arsenal were and still are

All along he had the Ozil card up his sleeve. Genius. One of the best players in the world who has already shown how valuable he is. Imagine when he completely gels with the team and all players are fully fit to play. He is the next Berkgamp for Arsenal.

Lets not discount Ramsey who is absolutely on fire at the moment along with Giroud who is no longer just waiting for his moment to score, but working hard to help create opportunities while developing his class to finish off goals.

The trophy cabinet has been bare for a few years now…its time for the Gunners to rise again!

in Wenger we Trust

Congratulations Manly! A well oiled & battle hardened rugby league team with talent right across the board. Really disappointing to see the Bunnies struggle after bouncing out to a 14-0 lead. It showed the true class of Manly as they exposed their weaknesses while the big guns of the bunnies failed to fire at all. The Sharkies put up a better fight last week!

I have in office in Redfern and the buzz during the day was amazing. All store owners along Redfern st were gearing up to deck out their shops and cafes in red and green for the Grand Final week. I guess things are going to be a little quieter than expected in Redfern st this week which is a shame. Things dont go to plan, Manly were glad that the spotlight was all on the Rabbitohs and they fully deserve their place in the GF next week. They are a fantastic team to watch, especially with the best halves combination in the comp.

It would be great to see Newcastle get up today for a 97 rematch!

Celtic – my point argued a reference to Cronulla receiving handouts by all other clubs to apparently constantly keep them alive. I never said they have not received any hand outs at all.

Sadly the Cronulla administration need to shoulder a lot of blame over the past 10 years as to the predicament of the club. The future looks a lot brighter if it werent for a dark Asada cloud hanging in the horizon

You obviously are not a fan of Cronulla, Manly or Easts, however i think you are a little naive if you think Wests Tigers and the Dragons were pulling in bigger crowds this year than the Sharks or Manly. The tigers nearly sell out Leichardt Oval games every year and they struggled to get past 10 000 there this year. Its normal for crowds not to go to games when their team arent performing well.

The Sharks dont receive a lot of FTA TV so naturally viewer numbers will be down on their games. As to your comment about juniors, Penrith have a wonderful nursery to tap into with the Junior League development in Western Sydney. Its natural for any club to want to scout talent in said area. Its Cronulla’s gain if Western Sydney clubs arent going to hold on to their own talent – Paul Gallen is a perfect example. Born and bred in Western Sydney, he was not wanted by Parramatta and Cronulla recruited him. One of the best forwards in the game today.

Ive already stated that for a long term business model, the NRL needs to reduce the number of Sydney teams. I wouldnt be so harsh as to say they need to “wither and die”. There is no point being so negative and having agendas against clubs you arent a fan of.

cheers oikee

Turbodewd – cronulla arent bailed out by the other 15 clubs at all. I have no idea what you are talking about there.

Cronulla have secured a financial pipeline with the woolooware development BUT they have already received their first pay day from it and wont receive the next for a few years.

This leaves them in a predicament IF the NRL imposes a fine on the club after the ASADA investigations wrap up. It sadly looks like they will be forced to move if a heavy fine occurs – unless there is another famous rich actor who is a passionate Sharks fan and will bail them out

Cronulla were for years in a very bad way but they havent received hand outs from other clubs to keep them alive. They actually have a bright future ahead if it wasnt for the Asada investigations. A competitive team, an attractive location to lure players and a financial pipeline for the future

There are actually other clubs who are probably in a worst position financially going into the future. St George, a merged club, is now asking for handouts from the NRL. Parramatta has a board driven by self preservation and egos that is ripping a once great club apart. No doubt favorites again for the wooden spoon next year. Wests Tigers are funded purely by one of the merged clubs while the other one gets all the glory. Maybe the Magpies will leave the venture and join Penrith who have a bright future ahead of them.

For the development of the game, there unfortunately has to be a reduction in Sydney teams and growth in areas like QLD where rugby league is more of a religion. As a business model, its not viable for the long term to have so many Sydney teams

As a passionate Sharks supporter it would break my heart to see them go. But life isnt always easy now is it?

Great article. The NRL should be doing everything to beat the drums about the fact that it is the NRL prelims this weekend and not old news hyped up as soon as the Sharks bow out of the finals race.

Sensationalist journalism will always win through unfortunately.

Lets get the focus back to the finals series and hope we have another 2 cracking games this weekend!!

I cant believe im writing this, but Oikee I agree with you. Brisbane most certainly needs another team.

And youre a guru?

I dont agree with the spray Flanno and Gal gave at the press conference, thats footy and the Sharks will get over it just like the fans will.

It was fantastic and entertaining finals game

Before you shoot your mouth off labelling them drug cheats, you might want to take all your information into account so your own credibility isnt shot and you yourself dont get knocked out from the Roar. Considering your a “guru” and all.

There is a massive difference between what Essendon has been found guilty of and the current investigation into certain INDIVIDUAL Cronulla players. Dont have the time to digress here, but as other players from other clubs have also been linked to using illegal performance enhancers, its a pathetic analogy to label an entire team drug cheats

Some of the players linked arent even playing for the Sharks this year

Think before you make a comment so you dont look like a fool if you want be called a guru.

Im assuming you were at the game Jonno. SFS holds 45 000. There was at least half the stadium filled easily.

Who cares anyways? The atmosphere at the game was fantastic. The Sharks fans especially were vocal from start to finish. The banter between the bays just added to the enjoyment of a great game

Well said Renegade. Fantastic game of footy between 2 hard working sides. Manly just had the class in the end but the Sharkies never gave up!

If Carney was fit the sharks would have had that extra bit of class to match Cherry Evans in the kicking game which is what was sorely needed. He was outstanding again, best half in the competition

Taufua’s try was a knock on but you said it, thats footy. Morris was the hero last week and villan this week.

Wonderful atmosphere at the game aswell, both sets of fans deserve credit for that.

Couldnt be prouder of the Sharks! Bring on 2014 indeed!

If the game was biased towards the sharks, then why was the clock illegally stopped during the Cowboys final attacking play after their scrum win?

If Lennit had actually scored that try would you be saying the game was biased towards Cronulla then?

Why did the penalty count go in favor of the Cowboys 5-3?

The NRL have a lot to answer for & I hope for the good of the game they do their best to rectify it.

But these accusations of playing favorites or being biased are absurd.

Dave, please. The ball wouldnt get turned over on the 30m line because if the refs counted correctly then the Sharks AND the cowboys would of prepared a 5th tackle play option rather than surrendering posession.

A kick would of went up most likely. Cowboys defender could of knocked on. Sharks could of regathered

This is the point. There are so many variables at play here that you cannot make a simple judgment of saying it cost them the game or take the 6 points of the Sharks.

Just get over it and move on. Refs made a mistake, theyve been dumped. Finished

well said sheek

Dont paint the same brush over an entire team’s fan base because of a few idiots VOR. They were stupid & pathetic in their actions and the NRL should of provided a better solution to the Cowboys post-game.

Every team’s fan base will possess idiots who do something stupid on their own accord because they themselves are idiots, not an entire team’s fan base

Seriously Oikee. The refs dont make pre-determined judgements as to who will and who wont win a game.

The most penalised team in this season’s competition were the Sydney Roosters. The minor premiers.

The Cowboys were predicted by many to be a top 4 team. Their early season form was mediocre at best. Were the refs plotting the downfall of the Cowboys earlier this year or is it simply convenient to blame them now?

I now sit with a spew bucket beside my computer desk ready after I read another irrelevant comment by oikee.

Talks of a conspiracy theory are as comical as the ref’s mistakes last night. People need to relax and think about things before making comments:

1. The mistake was made in the 8th minute of the game. To say it “cost them the game” is a joke. Cowboys had a further 72 minutes to beat the Sharks and had plenty of opportunity to do so.

2. The Sharks played to the whistle, as did the Cowboys. To blame the Sharks is unfair as the Cowboys didnt protest at the time becuase they too played to the whistle

3. The ref’s made a mistake. They are human. To claim that they had a pre-determined mindset to provide Cronulla with a 7 tackle attacking opportunity is absolutely ridiculous.

4. If the Cowboys scored at the end, would we be talking about the time keeper being a QLDer and stopping the clock after the second last scrum play allowing Cowboys extra time to attack the Sharks line? I highly doubt it.

As humans, we want to look for a reason, an explanation behind everything that happens. If you really believe that referees are going into games with a pre-determined mindset of pushing towards a NSW based team to win then you are kidding yourself.

The refs simply made a mistake. They will be demoted or fired, just like any person who makes a mistake in their job would. The NRL will investigate and try and create procedures to ensure it doesnt happen again.

Unfortunately it has marred what has been the most entertaining game of the Finals series to date.

Just to chime in on this point quickly…my mate and i who both run marketing companies have been doing pro-bono work for the Sydney Kings last season simply cause we love the Kings and want to see both the Sydney Kings and the NBL get back to its glory days.

While we cant offer them the world, we do the best we can for the love of it.

The NBL needs to replicate what the last A-league season has done. Basketball Australia needs to provide each club with cash to secure a marquee signing that will bring more people to the games. Imagine Jordan doing a stint for the Kings next season? (yes- i know that wont happen, but thats the type of thing they need to do)

Furthermore, Fox Sports and Free to Air really need to support the game. More live games and even a basic 30min highlight show for each round will do wonders. Even some basic coverage in print media will help

Its a high-participation support that has a base there to tap into and while it might not be as massive as football, taking a leaf out of the A-league book would certainly help the NBL in leaps and bounds

Well said Crosscoder

V.O.R -At worst it had looked like they grounded the ball simultaneously, which still would of meant a try anyways.

Sharks were woeful. Any other year & against a better team, they would of been whipped by 50.

They have come a long way to still end up winning a game like that. But sadly, they have to do a hell of a lot better to have any sort of impact come finals time..this is coming from a die-hard Sharkies fan!

Almost felt sorry for the Dragons. Almost….

Interesting article and post-script to it all. The fact that its one of the most read articles here is more interesting than the article itself!!

I think the rise of A-league has many more important contributing factors, but there is no doubt Mel’s influence will be sadly missed

I worked with Mel way back in the day at Woolies for a number of years. The thing we talked most about was football. To this day, i havent met a woman who could come close to the knowledge and passion Mel has for football. As an Arsenal supporter, our regular arguments comparing her beloved Man Utd to my gunners was the highlight of my working day!

Watching her career progress on Fox Sports was fantastic and her passion for football, as everyone here can tell, shone through. Fox will definitely struggle to replace her.

At the end of the day, if any of us are offered great money to switch we would take it. She has the chance of a lifetime to set herself up while surely once her contract is up at Ten, we will hopefully see her as a (beautiful) commentary face of A-league again.

Good luck Mel!

Oikee

Why do you even bother watching NRL games if you hate it so much?

I dont understand your constant negativity. It achieves nothing but make you sound like a whining old nag who has nothing better to do in life than complain.

You sound like a broken record.

If you really want to be heard and try and make a change to better our great game, then do something more positive than vent your annoying diatribes on The Roar.

If not for our sanity, then your own.

Its interesting reading all the comments from QLD fans in reference to Gal and his punches on Myles. The QLD team arent even complaining about it & infact, Myles even mentioned how good it was!

If it was the other way round, no doubt we NSWelshman would be angered by it and QLDers would be thriving on it. Gal did cross the line, but this is State of Origin and its almost expected that an incident like this happens.

Furthemore, if you watch the first half again, pay close attention to every tackle Myles commits to. He puts something “extra” in his tackles every single time & i wasnt surprised that someone was going to snap against him.

The spectacle that is State of Origin isnt complete without the fire & passion. We would probably complain that it was too boring if there was no biff!

Gal will plead guilty, as he should and cop a 1-2 week ban.Then he will be available for Round 2. Like Myles said, there will be another opportunity to square up!

Bring it on!!

Sheek

I completely disagree with you and your comments are actually part of the problem

there is a distinct difference between casual work place banter and direct racist comments

As someone of Mediterranean heritage, work colleagues had often called me “wog” in casual banter, of which I took no offense too.

Ive also experienced Anglo Saxon Australians spitting at my parents in the street while telling us to”go back home you f**n wogs”

Same words, completely different contexts.

Goodes was racially taunted by the girl. Saying he is a bit precious is beyond ridiculous.

Sledging is a completely different matter and he can obviously take it on the field because he is a true champion of the sport and has achieved so much more than what a lot of AFL players will achieve in their careers

EM’s comments yesterday just go beyond comprehension.

Stupid comments fail to hide underlying tones of one’s belief. Whether you are a 13 year old girl or the president of a footy club

Your ignorance is simply part of the problem.

If the leaked report is correct, then Maloney is the no.6 & Carney is out.

There are positives to both sides of the argument. Maloney’s form is currently better than Carney’s – thanks to an injury to Carney earlier this year. So he deserves the no.6 based on form.

And yes, building on previous years teams would be obviously benefitial. Carney has taken a while to adapt to Origin, but he certainly would learn from his experience to step it up this year.

What astounds me more, if this report is correct, is that there is no Sutton or Reynolds involved.

I could understand Pearce’s selection over Reynolds, just. If Pearce doesnt step up in game 1, bring in Reynolds. A passionate, skilled and in-form number 7 is what the Blues are craving. But Pearce’s form this year & past Origin experience earns him the no.7 for mine.

Sutton surely deserves a spot on the bench over say Merrin. His past season’s inconsistencies are a long gone memory. On fire, highly versatile and gaining confidence in a team that is favored to win the premiership he will no doubt bring fire off the bench to give it the Maroons!

A team sitting pretty on top spot in the NRL is there for a reason. One could argue that Merritt also deserves a wing spot over Morris.

Im no Bunnies supporter – i bleed Black, White & Blue. But surely the 6 & 7 of the front running team in the competition, who are both NSWelshman, deserve their chance in the Origin Arena.

Looking forward to the announcement this afternoon…