NRL 2018

[rags]

considering the $5m has never been confirmed by any party (and was pretty much called a load of BS by bellamy himself), who knows?

whatever the final offer to bellamy is, it's worth every penny IMO, along with paying out bennett to move along...  the broncos can afford it.

it surely must be attractive to bellamy from a football standpoint, with cronk already gone and smith and slater not too far behind...  plenty of young talent at the broncos for him to wield his magic over...

it would also be a masterstroke by the broncos, when it comes to talk of the second team in brisbane...

I sure the Broncos will manage to fit it all under the NRL soft cap for football operations. They have been masters at third party arrangements for years in a one team one town set up. A second team in Brisbane would provide a good challenge to Broncos.
https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/05/24/the-costly-game-of-bluff-over-the-future-of-wayne-bennett-at-the-brisbane-broncos/

[glenm64]

Watched my Bunnies play last night. First game I've been able to see them play on TV here in Perth this year.
Gee they look good. Love the confidence they have to throw the ball around. And some of the young guys are promising. John Sutton is playing like a 21 year old. Think we might do ok this year.

Cheers Glen

[gronk]

Was 1/2 expecting a reply from some Queenslanders.......but I suppose there is nothing to say eh    

[macca]

Was 1/2 expecting a reply from some Queenslanders.......but I suppose there is nothing to say eh    

Not a Queenslander but follow the Maroons, replied in Birds thread at 12:30 this morning when i got home from the game, your right not much to say, maybe their all still hoarse from the last dozen or so years they have flogged you. Gunna be hard for them this year but not writing them off yet

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Rumpig]

The more they soften the game the less interest I find I am having in it....didn’t even watch the Origin last night, first one I have ever missed.

[paceman]

The more they soften the game the less interest I find I am having in it....didn’t even watch the Origin last night, first one I have ever missed.

same... but it wasn't because of lack of biff...

i think origin is on a slow decline... it's a tired concept, IMO...  same old story lines, same old gripes, same old ridiculous 'journalism'...

felt this way even when QLD was dominating...

i am way more excited for the international games coming up...

the RL world cup showed where the focus should be...

[gronk]

same... but it wasn't because of lack of biff...

i think origin is on a slow decline... it's a tired concept, IMO...  same old story lines, same old gripes, same old ridiculous 'journalism'...

felt this way even when QLD was dominating...

i am way more excited for the international games coming up...

the RL world cup showed where the focus should be...

I only watch the game as a game. Don't go in for all the journo crap.

Not sure where they have softened the game ? The biff has been gone for yrs, and it as now a lot faster than it used to be.

[Rumpig]

It’s not just biff missing...you can’t shoulder charge these days for example, and the moment you smash someone in a big hit even if legal they look for a reason to penalise you for it. The game is very different to the one I grew up playing and watching (scrums are a joke and have been for ages now)...yes the players are a lot more athletic and stronger nowadays, but the game is missing something for me now. Let’s not to mention the handbags at 5 paces push and shove rubbish that occurs now because they can’t biff anymore, or we need 10 replays to make a decision on something that was obvious after the first replay. I never used to miss watching a game on free to air, now I miss heaps of games and just missed watching my first Origin match ever....kinda sad really.

[rags]

I had a good laught the other night watching the Fan on fox showing highlights of old SO games.
In one game they had a neutral ref from NZ who gave a penalty against Steve Mortimer NSW for an incorrect scrum feed  only problem was Queensland feed the scrum.
Even Barry Gomesole would have been shocked.

[Bird]

It’s not just biff missing...you can’t shoulder charge these days for example, and the moment you smash someone in a big hit even if legal they look for a reason to penalise you for it. The game is very different to the one I grew up playing and watching (scrums are a joke and have been for ages now)...yes the players are a lot more athletic and stronger nowadays, but the game is missing something for me now. Let’s not to mention the handbags at 5 paces push and shove rubbish that occurs now because they can’t biff anymore, or we need 10 replays to make a decision on something that was obvious after the first replay. I never used to miss watching a game on free to air, now I miss heaps of games and just missed watching my first Origin match ever....kinda sad really.

i'd agree with all of that - but in many sports aren't what they used to be and losing grass roots fans, all because the game is designed for TV now.. The AFL head office is nothing more than a TV production company now. Cricket is all being run around what TV wants etc.. soccer is being... well who cares about diveball anyway

[Bird]

So dont pay penalties when they are there.. that should help people understand the interpretations and quieten down the fans.

The NRL has instructed referees to stop awarding “nitpicking” penalties as its officiating crackdown finally ends to ensure free-flowing footy returns.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and ARLC chairman Peter Beattie announced on Tuesday that players can be sin-binned for foul play – regardless of whether the victim is injured or not – under a change to the game’s laws and interpretations.

The amendment is the result of a spate of late hits on playmakers such as Charlie Gubb’s tackle on Nathan Cleary or  Jack Gosiewski’s shot on Johnathan Thurston in the back and without the football.

However, the biggest change will result from officials being told to stop looking for penalties, believing the edicts around the play-the-ball and the 10 metres have done their job.

Rugby League Central has come under heavy criticism after several games in round 14 were stop-start affairs due to big penalty counts, just days after the opening State of Origin encounter was deemed a quality spectacle due to the lack of penalties awarded.

Greenberg said the whistleblowers will be told to let the games flow more freely, beginning with Thursday night’s Parramatta-South Sydney encounter.

“There has been a tendency for the referees to continue to nitpick,” Greenberg said.

“We have to be really careful that we find the balance. We want to see the flow of the game continue. There has been a lot of penalties in the first half of the year.

“I am desperately keen to find that balance. I don’t want referees looking for penalties, what I want referees is to police those areas we have tasked them to do and allow the game to flow.

“They are not going to be perfect, but that’s a strong directive that will continue to come.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/penalty-blitz-to-end-as-nrl-overhauls-sin-bin-system-20180612-p4zkyv.html

[Bird]

what a choice to make..

Josh Mansour sat in his surgeon's office days after his horrific round-six head injury and was presented with two courses of action to repair his shattered face.

Option one involved making four small incisions through which the surgeon could gain access to what resembled a "jigsaw puzzle" of splintered bone beneath the skin.

The alternative was to slice his face open and peel it back for more convenient access to the jumbled mess beneath, which had crumbled when Gold Coast winger Anthony Don's knee accidentally collided with Mansour in a moment that could have ended the Penrith winger's career.

Unsurprisingly, Mansour opted for the surgeon's initial suggestion.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/like-face-off-mansour-reveals-radical-plan-put-to-him-by-surgeon-20180611-p4zkqb.html

[JusyApples]

what a choice to make..

Especially for someone like mansour who spends more time in the mirror then on the field

[Rumpig]

Especially for someone like mansour who spends more time in the mirror then on the field

that'd be half the players out there these days 

[Bird]

Great news
Melbourne has beaten Brisbane for the signature of Craig Bellamy, ending months of speculation about the supercoach’s future.

Bellamy will remain with the Storm for a further three years on a deal worth about $4.5 million. The decision ensures he will remain at the helm to oversee the transition to the next generation of stars as Billy Slater and Cameron Smith approach the end of their careers.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/bellamy-s-reign-continues-as-coach-signs-new-storm-deal-20180616-p4zlwv.html

[Foo]

There was never any doubt about Bellamy staying with the Storm. 

Greenturd should stop changing his mind with what action the refs should take. Bloody school kids are told to put their foot on the ball when getting up and playing it, the same as the offside ruling. Stick to the bloody rules of the game and penalise the plays for breaking them, then the dumb chits that constantly do,  will get the message and you will still have a fast free flowing game! That's my thoughts on the refs predicament. 

Foo

[Bird]

There was never any doubt about Bellamy staying with the Storm. 

Greenturd should stop changing his mind with what action the refs should take. Bloody school kids are told to put their foot on the ball when getting up and playing it, the same as the offside ruling. Stick to the bloody rules of the game and penalise the plays for breaking them, then the dumb chits that constantly do,  will get the message and you will still have a fast free flowing game! That's my thoughts on the refs predicament. 

Shit umpiring/ref-ing and rule changes on the run are bollixing every game.
Just leave the ****in games alone..

But sadly TV holds too much power now - what they want they get

[Foo]

^^ Yep ^^ 

Foo

[rags]

Bit quite up here in Qld tonight

[gronk]

Bit quite up here in Qld tonight

Sshh......it's time for bed !!   













18 - 14 !! 

[achjimmy]

Bit quite up here in Qld tonight

 

[Bigfish]

Could have heard a pin drop in Cairns......

[tryagain]

The age of the NSW team and the way they have played makes me think that QLD might have to get used to loosing for a while, reality is they had a once in a life time combination of players that are no longer there.

[paceman]

The age of the NSW team and the way they have played makes me think that QLD might have to get used to loosing for a while, reality is they had a once in a life time combination of players that are no longer there.

not so sure about that...

NSW had all the momentum from game 1, at home, with QLD having injury concerns (particularly Morgan) and QLD not having a decent goal-kicker, and they still only won by 4...

i think QLD are closer than some think...

yes, we had the once in a generation run, but the dynasty calls from south of the border are a bit premature...

let's see them win a couple of series in a row first...  NSW have a good team, no doubt, and plenty young enough, but that's not all it takes to win consistently, especially in origin football...

[Pete79]

The age of the NSW team and the way they have played makes me think that QLD might have to get used to loosing for a while, reality is they had a once in a life time combination of players that are no longer there.

Let’s wait and see if NSW can manage to pick the same key players for more then 2 or 3 games in a row.

NSW downfall has always been their short sightedness. They pick a halves combo that are perhaps the best 2 players at that exact point in time. Next week there’s another 2 players that had better games so they jump ship. Chopping and changing key combinations has been the NSW trademark for many many years. QLD showed what is possible when you stick with a combo and let it mature properly.

Time will tell if the NSW leopard can change its spots.



But anyway two very important points came up from last night’s game.

1) Gus Gould is the worst commentator of any sport on tv today.
2) Not only do NSW like to live in pretend time for 6 months of the year, they now want to pretend that Wednesday is Sunday. Just get back to living in the real world will you, the sun doesn’t change just because you fiddle with your clocks and Origin is played on Wednesday.....