As usual there will still be an NRL Issues of Contention post if you feel I have missed anything on that front.
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| More to come on this tackle In NRL Issues of Contention |
I will openly defend the fact the Broncos had to defeat more than the Tigers outfit on Friday night. How the Tigers were so good in discipline to only concede one penalty shows what a good job Sheens has done in his whining week in week For a Premiership favourite team it amazes me that people still think the Tigers are aa good team. With so much going in their favour if Benji Marshall was as good as the Channel Nine Commentary box made out then he should have ran riot according to all the press write ups. If the Broncos held on to two passes in the first half it would have been all over by half time and if the Tigers were penalised like other teams for holding down, offside and walking off the mark then Brisbane would have carved them up more. I can also point out two tackles in a row where the sin bin should have been showed in the same way it was shown without hesitation for Jack Reed against South Sydney and he didn't even hold down the player. The Broncos without a doubt are one of the form teams at the moment and that is with their attack not clicking yet in the way that the Storm are. Where the Broncos are dominating though is in defence. Week in week out this Broncos team is showing the basis of a top level team and with a very young squad it is a daunting prospect for other clubs. Once the attacking flair clicks in this team then the Broncos will be up there with the Storm as the team to beat. I only hope that Wallace stays off the Origin radar so he is there to guide the team around when it is needed during the Origin period.
Liverpool Just Can't Seem To Win
A draw is better than a loss but too many times has Liverpool drawn at home. Early in the game though there was what should have been a goal when the ball crossed the line before Aston Villa keeper Given stopped it. His sheepish look to the sideline official was enough for all to know what had really happened. If this goal was awarded then maybe the result would have been very different. But it was the failing of Liverpool's attack to convert all the possession and pressure into goals. It seems that Liverpool have a great ability to hit the woodwork with consistency it is amazing that Dalgliesh is not bald from pulling his hair out. Liverpool definitely need to make a change to their roster in the way of a good midfielder and an forward that can convert. Carroll, Henderson and Adam are the ones that I would be looking to trade. They may have talent but it doesn't show itself in the structure that Liverpool play and their error and turnover rate are just not of an acceptable level.
Firebirds Struggling
Only 2 rounds have gone in the ANZ Championship but the Queensland Firebirds are 0 from 2. Not the start that they were hoping for. Watching the game it appeared that the team is just lacking on speed, intensity and confidence. Things aren't quite working fluidly and as champions when every team wants to beat you, a new level has to be found each week to stay on top as every opposition wants the champions scalp. I am no expert on netball but from what I saw there was definitely a lack of intensity and patience with the ball. Too many turnovers and failure to capitalise on turnovers were costly. I also thought there was an inconsistency in the officials calls at either end which must frustrate the players. When one constantly calls every thing and the other lets a lot go, it does not create a good dynamic in the game and some of te calls or alck of alls were just dumbfounding. Either way though the Firebirds were not the better team on the day but it is early in the season and things can improve from here.
I did enjoy though being able to watch my first game for the season and catch a chance to watch the Firebirds live and will definitely be heading to a game next time I am in Brisbane. It is great for netball that they are getting great coverage on free-to-air and as much as I hate commentators plugging TV shows, I understand that the coverage comes at a cost. What I personally found hard though was identifying the players. As a person with Facial Agnosia it is amazing how they all pretty much look the same. Maybe I just need to watch more game and get used to the players in their position. What could help though is the bibs as I felt they didn't really stand out. I also found the camera angle could have been higher especially when it came to showing shots on goal. Like basketball I feel it looks better when the angle is above the net not below.
AFL Has Lost Me
As much as I like the Brisbane Lions and still support them the game of AFL has lost me. Whilst the Lions did not deserve to win, this is a game where the rules and the inconsistent interpretation of the rules has turned me off. Add to that a game where if any other teams are playing there is no interest factor at all. And a game that thinks expanding and splashing millions of dollars just to have teams losing by massive margins makes you wonder why they bother. Add to this the fanatical one eyed supporters of AFL who love to bag every other code yet scream blue murder when anyone attacks the game of AFL is laughable. I always will always stand by the comment when anyone says that AFL is the best game - "If it is so good why does a hybrid game need to be played against Ireland as the only form of representative fixture that no top level players wants to play. "
Reds are Back Winning
Although I missed the game, I was assured by my Sideline reporter the the Reds were deserving winners regardless of what you read. As much as the commentators kept trying to say the Red's were lucky , then it is about time. How many times have the Red's copped bad decisions? Seems everytime the Red's lose they are bagged and when they win they are lucky. And reports have also filtered in that Greg Martin was back to his usual ways and it is amazing that he is even allowed though the gates of Lang Park. If the Reds make the finals again this year, it might be time for a montage of all Martins negative talk about the Red's to be shown, so that when he jumps back on their bandwagon he can be pushed back off whilst htey are at top speed.
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| Lang park will be a sea of Orange for the A-League Final |
Roar Ready For Back To Back
The Central Coast Mariners were always facing an uphill battle to stop Brisbane from hosting the A-League final, needing a 2-0 nil win as a minimum. And when the Roar went up early with a brilliant free kick from Broich (only controversial on Fox and down south) it was a done and dusted game. Mitch Nichols then sealed the result with an excellent first touch to make it 2-0, even Mariners fans must have known that scoring 4 unanswered goals was never going to happen. Admittedly the mariners did well to claw it back to 2 all, but they never looked like scoring 2 more without letting Brisbane in. The interesting point to come from the game were the yellow cards to key mariner players. These player now tread dangerous line against Perth with another yellow seeing them miss the final. Brisbane Roar will now be heading into the Final with a week off which is crucial during the ACL championship games and have dealt a psychological blow to the Mariners.
Well I might have upset a few people with some of my comments like I did with comments yesterday about AFL but I will not retract from what I said. As always these are my opinions and I try to write what the media won't. Hopefully what I can do is create positive debate not negative argument.
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