NRL Season Review 9-16

The regular season is over and the only 8 teams are left in the competition. For the 8 that are left all that is left besides the Mad Monday, end of season holiday and time to get the niggling injuries repaired is the analysis of what went wrong.

For those that just missed out, if they are kicking themselves because they missed out by one win then they should take an ever harder look at themselves. First of all to consider yourself unlucky to only miss out on 8th spot shows how mediocrity is rewarded in the modern age.  When you take into account that the team in  8th spot only won 12 of their 24 games it just shows how ordinary a team that misses out is. Also when you take into account a competition where all teams do not play each other twice then surely something needs to be looked at to understand what is wrong. When you only play 6 sides once the ladder does not truly reflect the best team in a home and away competition. Whilst it would not be workable to have a 30 round competition surely something better needs to be worked out. Personally I would like to see conference style system set up where teams play all teams in their conference twice and each team from the other conference once. Then you take the top four from each conference into the finals system. This is a issue for another day though.

How have the teams that missed out though to be evaluated?

Eels had plenty of opportunities to reflect in goal

The worst performing club that definitely gets the title as the most over-rated club at the start of the season that everyone had in their top 8 is the Parramatta Eels. With a big price tag on the signature of Sandow added to their roster, big things were expected of this club. By season end the coach had paid the price for a team that never looked like they were going to threaten anything other that the race for the wooden spoon. With sieve like defence and a lacklastre attack there is a lot more for this club to do and I can;t see Ricky Stuart bringing this club glory any time soon.

Also a big tip for the top 8 with big signings in Idris and Myles were the Gold Coast Titans. They may have won their first game but with only 1 win in their next 8 games were always going to be a long shot to making the eight. With the addition of Taylor next year though I will be surprised if the Titans don't crack the 8 next year. If they get off to a bad start again though you can be sure there will be a coaching change mid season.

Another big surprise was the dismal effort of the Warriors, Finalists last year to also runs the next is not a good sign for the game in New Zealand. Overall this is a team with talent but not the heart or fortitude to turn up every week for 40 minutes every half every game.

There were really no other surprises in the bottom eight as the Dragons were always going to struggle after Bennett left and Bennett was never going to make the Knights and overnight sensation and most likely won't. The Panthers also were just going to make up the numbers, whilst the Roosters ensured that Brian Smith is never going to win a premiership.

Of the bottom 8 teams coaches have already been sacked and the only one left with real question marks over his position is Sheens at West Tigers. Many had the Tigers in the top eight and making the final but this is a team that has a style that has not evolved. Whilst they may have the players, it definitely looks like a team that needs a new direction of injection of enthusiasm that only a new coach can bring.

It will be interesting to see how these 8 clubs use their off season and what changes occur. With the modern approach to signing players mid season though the only major changes any of these clubs can do is with coaching staff and tactics.

Fathers Day Wish

Every year I am asked what I would like for Father's day, and every year I give the same response. I just like to be able to spend the day watching sport and hope that the teams I barrack for have a win on the day. The only thing about this request is that it is not much different from any other Sunday afternoon, although I do get to escape from cooking the Sunday meal.

This Sunday I would like to have been able to watch Petro play his final game at Lang Park but as we know Channel 9 have ensured that Brisbane have not been granted a Sunday game as usual. Instead I will be watching the North Queensland Cowboys head into the finals with a thumping win over the Cronulla Sharks and set themselves up as the dangerous team in the eight. Unfortunately the 9 network missed a marketing opportunity here. With Brisbane playing a home game on Sunday, the stadium would have been sold out to send off Petro and the TV audience would have been huge with plenty of southerners tuning in hoping that Brisbane lose and get knocked out of the eight. And with Phil Gould's Panthers the opposition I am surprised that they are not featuring. 

One can't have everything though and all the fathers that support North Queensland will be very happy along with many other Queenslanders when the Sharks get a sound beating. All in all I do hope that all fathers out there enjoy the day with their children as that is what the day is actually about. 

NRL Finals Are Close

With only one round to play it will be soon down to 8 teams battling it out and 8 more dissecting what went wrong.

The top six is decided and all that remains fro them is where they finish. Bulldogs & Storm will be 1 & 2, it is just a matter of whether Bulldogs win their last game and maintain top position. Souths & Manly realistically should finish 3 & 4 but losses to either can see them drop to fifth allowing the Cowboys or the Sharks to grab the vital top four spot.  Sitting in 7th and 8th at the moment are the Raiders & the Broncos and victories are vital for both of the to stay in the eight, losses could still see them make with points differentials coming into play.

Looking at the middle tiered team it is interesting to see the spread. Go back ten rounds and everyone had written off the Raiders and any chance they had and their coach surviving the season. Brisbane on the other hand were looking a certain finals prospect but their chances faded with their ability to find the try line, and any semblance of attacking skill.The Broncos are clearly lacking in attacking flair and more importantly, speed. For a team with so much Origin experience they seem to let in a lot of soft tries. Following on their heals are 4 teams that most had in their top eight predictions at the start of the year, Tigers, Titans, Knights & Dragons. The Dragons are no surprise at missing out and were always going to struggle after Bennett left and didn't leave much of a legacy for them to follow on with. The Knights were always struggling and key signings for them just didn't stand up in the same way that Bennett's coaching style doesn't stand up so well any more either.  The Titans are also in the category of a team that had good signings but no reward from them, whilst Myles has had a good season, a lot more was expected from Idris who definitely looked to be playing injured all season. For me there is no surprise the the Tigers could and will miss out on the eight.  Whilst they may have Marshall and Farrah, there are too many under performing players at the club. This is a club that is too often only playing half a game.

Even with a round to play the Final predictions are already being discussed but I don;t think it is a certainty this year.  In the last 2 weeks, the Broncos had the chance to defeat the Bulldogs and Sea-Eagles and came up short. Storm also ave not been overly convincing but as usual grind their way to wins. Then you have the Cowboys who are the hot/cold team of the year but of late are hot and with Thurston and Bowen in form along with their team this is the team everyone should expect to see in the final. With the new finals format this year, the first round will be crucial. I expect that the teams in the top 4 who lose the opening round finals game will progress no further or if they do will not get to the final with injuries and fatigue playing a part.

Whilst I would love to see a Cowboys v Broncos final, I predict the Cowboys will be playing the Storm in the Final.

Weekend Wrap

After a brief absence the Weekend Wrap is back.  Quite a few things have occurred over the weeks but as usual the topics seem to stay the same. Coaches are being sacked or considered for sacking, the officials are making more and more errors and drug cheats are in the headlines.

Lance Armstrong - Is he a drug cheat?

I have always held a question mark over Lance Armstrong when it comes to being a drug cheat. Now that he has all but admitted to being a cheat by deciding to not defend himself has left open a wide door for anyone to label him a drug cheat. He may have been smart in doing so, as now the evidence will never been shown in a court of law and the speculation will remain. Maybe this was his intention or maybe his lawyers advised him to take this action to avoid the humiliation when all the facts were presented or instead they showed him the bill for their services if he went ahead and fought the charges. 

Which ever side you take in this debate, when you look at the history of Lance Armstrong, the accusations and the record of his team in the Tour de France, then you can understand why so many doubt his ability. With many of his fellow team mates being caught and doctors in his team being caught it is hard to believe that he is innocent of any dealing with drugs. Unfortunately if the evidence is not given to the public then this debate will forever rage on.  Yet again the image of cycling has been dealt a harsh blow.

Wallabies or Wannabes

Watching the wallabies go down in a historic loss to the All-Blacks and now going 10 years without holding the Bledisloe Cup it is easy to blame many things. Whilst I will maintain the official in charge of the game did not have a good concept of free flowing rugby and was farcical in some of his decision making, the result purely comes back to one thing. Australia is just not hungry enough. 

Many things are going wrong with rugby and it has been a gradual slide for years. The coach is the first change that needs to happen. If we want our players to have pride in their jersey then we need an Australian telling them why. Robbie Deans was hired and expected to turn our side into a world class team. Since the start of the World Cup it looks like the team is going backwards and the brakes need to be applied. Also it seems strange that the best two sides in our country, the Reds & Brumbies are out numbered by the Warratahs side. If the Reds were so dominant in the Super Rugby competition it seems amiss that only Higginbotham is in the Scrum and the backline is majority Warratahs as well. In all 7 of the starting 15 are from the Warratahs, a team that only won 4 games all season. Surely with the Reds & Brumbies totally dominating the Australian Conference they should have dominated the Australian side as well.  

 Drew Mitchell is a good player but why rush back a player from injury so quickly? It is no surprise that he is out injured again.  Kurtley Beale was rightfully dropped to the bench but maybe he should be taken to a weight loss clinic as it seems very obvious he is trying to bulk up for the forward pack. many will blame the backs but when the forwards are making no inroads and not having an impact, then the backs will never win a game. One of the most dangerous and explosive backs in the game was sitting on the bench. What do te Fainga'a brothers need to do to get a starting position.

When the decision is finally made to replace the coach, I also think that a few other changes need to be made with the selection and managerial positions as well.

NRL = Nine's Rugby League

The NRL is proudly rejoicing it $1 Billion dollar deal with Channel 9 and Foxtel, but in reality it has completely sold out and acknowledged that the game is controlled by the Nine Network.

Here was a chance for the NRL to not only get a large financial deal with the network rights but to also show that it understands what the teams, players and fans want. When the deal was announced and the news filtered out that the NRL had negotiated a deal for 5 years and $1 Billion dollars there was plenty to be happy about. It didn't take long for the details to be seen and the truth about who is in charge f the game. Channel Nine's boss David Gyngell soon outlined what would happen for the next five years.

What I hope this does is make plenty of people who complain about scheduling put their focus solely on the broadcasters.  Every week for years people have been complaining about the Brisbane Broncos playing predominantly on Friday's but with Gyngell now being quoted as stating:

"Why wouldn't they be on every Friday night in Brisbane? We just bought the game."

surely it is clear to even the ignorant that the teams have no control on when they play. So for those on their soap boxes posting their complaints every week and bashing the Broncos for the schedule need to redirect their focus to the network that shows the games.

Whilst the money is good and the game now has fixed scheduling for the first twenty rounds, the NRL unfortunately has lost a great opportunity to fix a few issues that are important to the people that actually count. The fans.  Personally I know very few people who are happy with the two games on a Friday night. The second game is on too late, littered with ads and it is easier to check the score to see if it is worth watching. Has anyone ever spoken to someone that actually likes the Sunday night Grand Final? What was a well held tradition seems to have long gone and with the addition of Sunday night games during the season, I doubt we will ever see day games in the future. If the NRL wants a game that attracts families it will need to rethink it's strategy. 

Surely the answer was an easy one for Nine to fix. One Friday night game, Live. If they want a second one, then let Fox show that game live and both show the alternative after. Saturdays are working well but maybe Nine should have looked to show one game live. Then there is the big issue of Sunday's. Always a traditional afternoon for watching football, instead has become a lovefest for Phil Gould and Ray Warren to prattle on about how much they love an afternoon game as they watch their favourite few teams player each other every week. Gyngell clearly stated his position:

"We have paid enough money to play games in prime time, don't you think. A lot of people like to be out with their families and get home at 4pm. That games works well for families and viewers."

If Nine still wanted to show this game at 4pm then still do it but show it live. If Nine have that much control then they have the ability to change the kick-off time. If you think they don't then why does the Origin never kick off at 8pm as the official program always states, but instead a good 15-20 minutes later.

The NRL may be a Billion dollars richer but little in the game will change. For 5 more years we will have the debate about stand alone weekends for origin, for 5 years we will hear complaints about the Broncos getting too many Friday night games, for 5 years we will have to listen to the Channel 9 idiots like Gould and Warren, for 5 years we will call for live football, for 5 years we will be subjected to ad riddled football on delay, for 5 years we will ask for a return to Sunday afternoon Grand Finals, for 5 years we will only see Sydney teams on a Sunday afternoon, for 5 years we will wish that another station got the rights and for five years we will wonder what the NRL commission has actually done. After 5 years we will be assured that the NRL stands for Nine's Rugby league.

Sorry but....

Sunday's game between the Bulldogs and the Broncos is one that has many stories to tell. Firstly, the Broncos showed that the Bulldog's are by no means unbackable favourites. If Brisbane converted more of their chances in the first half then the result would have been very different.  And also a few other instances from the first half raised eyebrows and some worrying concerns.  

When Tony Archer decided to penalise Jack Reed for falling into the ruck even though Gavin Badger was yelling that Reed had been pushed by Bulldog Josh Reynolds, you knew Brisbane were in for a tough time for the rest of the game.  What makes it worse for me is the statement from Archer that he couldn't reverse the decision because he had already blown the whistle. This is where I find the refs accountable for controlling the game in a way that is detrimental to the game. If the penalty is given the ref can still change the decision. If as stated by badger that the Bulldog player had interfered with a player returning to the defensive line then he has the ability to penalise that player and could have quit easily reversed the decision. We also see in most games where a player is told to go back to the mark as he was tackled or passed the ball after the call of held is made. If the game can be controlled this way then surely the refs had an out to correct what was a decision that affected the result. Instead we have a situation where the ref has immediately admitted to making a wrong decision, standing by that decision and then thinking it is ok to come out and apologise for that decision at the end of the game. Butvall is ok because it is looking more and more like a Sydney Grand Final which is all the media and NRL want.

All that aside though in the fallout from the game, all credit must be given to Anthony Griffen on how coaches handle such games. Everyone know the ref got it wrong but instead of the standard complaints we see from the likes of Hasler and Toovey, we saw instead a coach who wanted to talk about his team. 

With the way the season is panning out I am picking a final played between Manly and Canterbury and it will come down to whose players get away with the most and the coach that complains the most winning it for their team. That is why I would love to see the NQ Cowboys throw all the predictions out the window.

London 2012: Wrap Up

The London 2012 Olympics are almost over and the final day has begun. All that remains is for the Closing Ceremony to be completed so that those who hold no interest in sport at all will finally have something to talk about since the opening ceremony. Also it will be one final chance for the likes of Eddie McGuire to show why Channel 9 should never be allowed within cooee of an Olympic coverage again.

Over the duration of the Olympics there has been more sport and topics than a TV network can manage to fit within the replays and interviews and pre-recorded footage, so over the next few months expect a complete barrage of replays and highlight packages. 

We all should have known how bad the coverage was going to be from the outset....

All the talk for Australia will now be focused on whether or not enough funding was being provided and what needs to be done to improve for Rio 2016.  I for one agree that funding of our athletes is a good thing but it also needs to be done right. Where the money should mainly be directed though is not at the top but rather in the developmental stage.  Talent identification and honing that talent is where Australia is dropping the ball.  There are many other arguments that can be added to that but personally it is at the junior level that potentially many great athletes are dropping off the radar.  If we want to be a great nation it is not just about providing help to those that already have made it to the top level but ensuring we keep discovering and developing those for generations to come.  Australia is a great sporting nation but have a look in your streets and backyards and ask yourself what it was like when you were a child. How many weekends and afternoons were you outside playing until dark waiting for a call to say "come inside".  Times have changed but it also means they can change again. Maybe if we can get our country to be more focused on participation rather than just solely on watching and commentating then we can solve some other large issues we are facing as a community as well.