Hunt to AFL.

We all expected Hunt to swap codes once his contract with the Broncos ended, however no one expected him to swap to AFL.  As Andrew Voss described this revelation on the Footy Show last night, this news was one of the "best kept secrets in NRL history."

I think the new Gold Coast franchise has taken a huge risk, making their first signing a rising NRL star who has played only a handful of school boy AFL games.  Also, how can he be expected to promote the game and/or the club when he is currently a Rugby League ambassador.  It simply makes no sense and was not thought through properly.

If any player should be signed up by the AFL I think it should be Israel Folau, whose acrobatic try scoring abilities have been nothing short of impressive.  He leaps higher than any other winger in the NRL and has extremely reliable hands. 

There is no doubt in my mind that after  stint in the AFL, Hunt will be back playing league, just like most of the players that have switched codes in the past have done.  Players such as Tahu, Rogers, Sailor and Stewart, just to name a few, have all gone to Union and returned.  

I believe that Hunt will be fairly successful in the AFL however I believe he will not be as successful as he has been in the NRL and will be back in the future.

Referee Blunders.

Referee’s and touch judges will always make mistakes, it’s an area of our game that will always have problems.  However, it seems recently, they have made more mistakes than correct calls.  Referee’s are intimidated by a number of factors: the crowd, coaches and angry players.  If the crowd “boo’s” loudly enough for a penalty, it will more often then not be awarded, even when the replay shows no reason for it.  Additionally, in the Dragons vs. Roosters game last round, there was an incident where the ball was knocked over the sideline by a dragons player, Sailor then went right up to the touch judge, stared him in the face and pointed to Shaun Kenny – Dowall, the Roosters winger.  Based on this outburst from Sailor, the touchy ruled that the ball was knocked out by the Roosters and gave the ball to the dragons 20 meters out from the try line, and they scored.  This is just one example of referee blunders influencing the game.

It has been said before and I will say it again, referee’s feel intimidated by coaches who critisise every decision they come up with.  I think coaches need to back away from referee’s because they keep trying to influence their decision making and it’s not good for the game.  For example, coaches came together and said that the grapple tackle had to go.  However, now referee’s are ruling that any contact the looks too high is an automatic penalty.  Coaches are arguing that referee’s have got it wrong and that’s not what they meant…you can see the circle of blame that has begun.  Coaches need to back away and let the referee’s do their job because if they keep involving themselves, no one is going to be happy.

 

Referee Blunders.

Referee’s and touch judges will always make mistakes, it’s an area of our game that will always have problems.  However, it seems recently, they have made more mistakes than correct calls.  Referee’s are intimidated by a number of factors: the crowd, coaches and angry players.  If the crowd “boo’s” loudly enough for a penalty, it will more often then not be awarded, even when the replay shows no reason for it.  Additionally, in the Dragons vs. Roosters game last round, there was an incident where the ball was knocked over the sideline by a dragons player, Sailor then went right up to the touch judge, stared him in the face and pointed to Shaun Kenny – Dowall, the Roosters winger.  Based on this outburst from Sailor, the touchy ruled that the ball was knocked out by the Roosters and gave the ball to the dragons 20 meters out from the try line, and they scored.  This is just one example of referee blunders influencing the game.

It has been said before and I will say it again, referee’s feel intimidated by coaches who critisise every decision they come up with.  I think coaches need to back away from referee’s because they keep trying to influence their decision making and it’s not good for the game.  For example, coaches came together and said that the grapple tackle had to go.  However, now referee’s are ruling that any contact the looks too high is an automatic penalty.  Coaches are arguing that referee’s have got it wrong and that’s not what they meant…you can see the circle of blame that has begun.  Coaches need to back away and let the referee’s do their job because if they keep involving themselves, no one is going to be happy.

 

Roosters Dilemma

With Brian Smith officially the new Roosters coach for the 2010 season, many of the current players are concerned that he will repeat what was done at the Knights and have a mass player clean out.  Reynoldson, who was let go by the Smith in very debatable circumstances was quoted saying "I would trust my wife with Shane Warne more than I would trust Brian Smith."  

Although Smith has said there won't be a mass cleanout, I believe there might be and players that should watch out are those like Willy Mason, Setimata Sa, and Iosia Soliola.  These are the players, in my opinion, that are not playing "badly" but are not doing anything spectacular.  

Also a concern to Smith is the growing injury list.  So far this season the injury toll includes: 

Fitzgibbon - cheekbone

J. Aubusson - knee

O'mealy - hand

Anasta - ankle

Cherrington - leg

Kennedy - knee

Symonds - shoulder

Not to mention Nate Myles who is still suspended after a drunken Terrigal incident. 

Brian Smith has some important decisions to make regarding who to stick by and who to keep however I am positive all his decisions will be in the best interests of the club and rebuilding it to bring it back to its glory days.

Roosters vs. Souths

After a 20 point win over the Roosters, Souths are now only one competition point out of the top eight. Despite getting away with their win, their attack from the 30th minute onwards was nothing special. They only managed to score again after half time once Mason was put in the sin bin. The Roosters struggled in the first half an hour, especially in their defence with Kenny Dowall not committing to his wing and letting in 2 tries to Simpson. However, a beautiful set play from Pearce and Minichiello which lead to Pearce scoring was definitely a highlight of the night.

What concerns me about Souths is their lack of consistency leading up to the finals and their use of players. Luke should be on the field for the full 80 minutes and Wing should be playing half back, Souths are a better team with him at first receiver. Sandow’s lack of consistent form this season should see him either moved to the bench or dropped to reserve grade, at least until he regains the form that saw him win the rookie of the year award last year. At worst, I would move him to 5 8th and Sutton back to lock. This would give them more variety and options in attack. They have to make further structural changes to ensure that they remain in contention for this years premiership.

Eels revival.

The beginning of the 2009 NRL season saw the Eels in turmoil.  With Mateo out injured, no halfback and a low position on the competition ladder, they were destined for the wooden spoon. However, their performance in recent weeks, specifically the individual performances of Mortimer, Hayne and Hindmarsh, have revived the Eels finals hopes and have labelled them serious contenders for a top 8 finish.  In the last 2 weeks they have beaten 2 teams in serious contention for the 2009 premiership.  Last week was a nail biting, 2 point win over the Storm and this week was a convincing win over the Bulldogs.  These wins highlight the Eels rise to the top as they were both in form teams, not bottom ones like the Roosters and the Sharks.  

I believe that if the Eels continue this late form and pull together 4 or 5 wins in a row, they will stamp themselves as serious contenders for the 2009 premiership.  Don't forget, Mortimer has played less than 10 first grade games, given time and proper coaching, he is definately, in my opinion, a player of the future.

Craig Wing: One of Many?

Craig Wing is undeniably a fantastic rugby league player, however he is not the youngest player in the league. If he can attract a deal from Japanese Rugby Union worth $700, 000, what are they willing to offer the younger superstars of our game such as Thurston, Boyd, Hodges or Hayne? It is only a matter of time before these players begin to chase bigger numbers. Thurston has already been offered a deal worth one million dollars a season and it will be interesting to see if he accepts it, if he does, I believe this will cause a landslide affect and more and more players will begin to depart to Japan.

Rugby League cannot afford to lose anymore players to the English Superleauge or to Rugby Union whether it be overseas or in Australia. Will Chambers, who has shown promising signs during his time at the Storm, has decided to switch codes come 2010, along with Fitzgibbon and O’mealy who have both signed contracts with the Superleauge worth much more than their Roosters contracts in the NRL. This money problem has to be solves, too many players, both young and old, are getting away. Look at the likes of Matt King, Adrian Morley and Danny Buderus just to name a few. These days, when I turn on the English Superleague on a Sunday afternoon, I know most of the players with the exception of the 2 or 3 actual Englishmen who are in the teams. Why? Because the NRL is the new breeding ground for Superleague and International Rugby Union. It must stop.

The NRL needs to show players loyalty and treat them with respect to ensure that more players return. Let’s hope that the young players who have sought more money elsewhere will follow in the foot steps of Matt Rogers, Wendell Sailor and Tamana Tahu and return to out game.

Justin Hodges: Public enemy number one

Justin Hodges is one of those players who, as of last Wednesday, will be forever hated by all NSW supporters.  Whether he be making death threats to Kimmorley, the smallest player on the field, or trash talking NSW spectacular game 3 win..Hodges has proved himself to be an arrogant player with no sportsmanship. 

Firstly, threatening to slit Kimmorley's neck in hand motions..is that really an appropriate gesture to make during the most televised rugby league game on the season?  Young children look up to football players and we cannot condone the behaviour that Hodges displayed..it's not good for the game.  My second problem with Hodges is that he always manages to pick on the smallest players on the field, I'd like to see him start a fight with someone like Trent Waterhouse, Willy Mason, Mark O'mealy or Fui Fui Moi Moi...there is no doubt in my mind that he would run away like a scared child.

There is no room in rugby league for arrogant players that believe they are above everybody else.  Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic player however incidents like the "slitting throat" actions in origin shift the focus away from his abilities as a player and instead place a negative target on his head...the NSW fans did not appreciate his actions, as can be seen by the number of facebook groups that have started such as the "we hate justin hodges appreciation society."  It's not good for his image as a player or the image of rugby league that has already had a hellish year as it is.

Finals Prediction

The top eight that we currently have in the NRL is, in my opinion, a clear indication of the teams that will be playing finals football come September.  These teams are, in order: dragons, bulldogs, titans, storm, knights, cowboys, panthers, eagles.  The only 2 teams that may threaten the top eight are the broncos and possibly the rabbitohs, which would see the panthers and eagles slip out. I think the grand final is going to be played between the dragons and bulldogs...undeniably the two most "in form" teams this season.  Semi finalists will include the knights and the storm.

This finals series is promising to be a great one.  After the year that rugby league has had, all the bad press, criminal charges and insane off field antics, fans are in desperate needs of a quality month of intense finals football and I have a feeling they are not going to be disappointed, the football being played this season is fast paced and entertaining, setting the foundations for an exciting grand final.

Fittler's sacking.

Brad Fittler will forever be regarded as one of the Sydney Roosters' favourite sons.  However, last night he was fired as head coach as of the end of the 2009 season.  His successor? None other than Brian Smith, Newcastle Knights Coach.  

I think Brad Fittler was thrown into first grade coaching prematurely after Anderson's resignation and therefore has not been able to reach his potential as a first grade coach.  I hope that this is not the end of his coaching career because I believe his light hearted attitude and ability to relate to the players makes him a valuable member to any NRL team.  

That being said, Brian Smith is a fantastic coach and is exactly what the Roosters need after a horrible 2009 performance that so far seems them alone at the bottom of the ladder. Smith has a history of large player clean outs.  He then finds players that most coaches would overlook and turns them into super stars.  Hopefully what Smith did with the Knights can be reproduced at the Roosters.

Fittler was an amazing player and in time will become a great coach, I hope someone in the future gives him the opportunity to show what he can do.

Over Coaching

Is there such thing as "over coaching?" I've heard this term used a number of times when it comes to high profile players who are out of form and not shining as they usually do.  Recently it has been suggested that players such as Roy Asotasi and Israel Folau have been lacking in form due to over coaching by the staff involved with their respective clubs.  Both cases are extremely different so I will focus on each of the two players individually.

First I will talk about Roy Asotasi.  He is a strong runner of the ball and has always seemed to get over the advantage line, encouraging second phase play with his fantastic off loads and line breaks.  However, recently he has begun adding some footwork into his game, as Gould puts it..he has begun "dancing" in front of the defence before he reaches them.  As a consequence, he has been unable to make strong meters and has come up with an increasing number of loose carries.  I believe that Asotasi has been told to be more "creative" in the way he hits the ball up and as a result, he is failing to make those strong meters that once came so easily.  In other words, he has been over coached.  The Rabbitohs staff have forced him to change his playing style which has affected his overall performance as a player.  They should just allow him to hit the ball up as he pleases and eventually, those line breaks and offloads will come back into his game, hopefully with a few less mistakes.

Folau is a different story.  He is wasted on the wing.  Folau stays on his wing and waits for the ball to come to him.  There is no denying he is an incredible athlete with an instinct for scoring spectacular tries and always seems to be in the right place and the right time.  However, the line he runs has to be fixed.  He needs to be coached to come in and find the ball instead of letting the ball find him.  For example, look at Roosters winger Shaun Kenny Dowall.  He is always coming in field in search of hit ups and opportunities to hit the ball up.  I believe Folau would be a greater asset to his team if he adopted some more creativity into his game, but I believe he is told to stay put on his wing and wait for the ball, yet another example of over coaching.

This could all just be in my head, but I believe that some of the league's great players could be performing on a whole new level, they could be greater than we know...we just have to allow them to do what they do best and not try and control their natural game too much.

state of Origin Game 3 2009: Review

Game 3 - without doubt, the best of the series. It had it all - biff, send offs, concussion, 2 sin bins and an 8 point try...what more could you ask for?

The Blues put in an amazing effort and although Queensland brought themselves back into the game on a few occasions, NSW held out in a gutsy performance. I think the selectors finally got it right this time however I am concerned that this team is not a team of the future, given the age of the halves combination.

There were many exciting moments in this game. Waterhouse's hit on Price, which saw him being stretchered off the field resulted in him being sent off for the game. Creagh and Thaiday both found themselves in the sin bin for 10 for a series of biffs. And when Thurston, aiming for the "ball," "accidently" kicked winger David Williams in the head, Origin saw its first 8 point try awarded, with Gidley getting both conversion attempts.

Apart from some weak defence, especially Morris shooting out of the line creating a large gap for Hodges, NSW played a very good game and were able to limit the number of early points that QLD scored. Watmough was undeniably the best player on the field and Hayne once again had a fantastic game.

NSW definately put some proud back into the Blues camp and this win will definately give them confidence going into next years series, however they still have a lot to work on! Blues half back, Kimmorley said "I think we've got a lot of pride back for New South Wales tonight, especially for any member who was involved with this team this year."

I look forward to see what both teams can come up with next year!

State of Origin Game 3 2009: Preview

In games one and two this year, due to a lack of cohesion and very sloppy goal line defense, QLD have scored early, easy points and despite courageous fight backs in both games, NSW was never able to recover from these early onslaughts of points.  If NSW can start the game strong and come up with the first couple of tries, leaving QLD scoreless in the first 20 minutes of the game, I think NSW has a slight chance of winning the game, as impossible as that sounds. 

However, I am concerned that the team is going to lack cohesion in both offence and defense due to the number of changes made to the side in important positions. Phil Gould made an interesting point on the Sunday Roast last week.  He said that Newcastle coach Brain Smith has a tendency to take on players that most people would disregard and then coaches them into strong ball players.  He went on to say that if Smith chose the team from the beginning, it would be an entirely different outfit of under rated players and those who stay out of the headlines.  I agree with this and believe that NSW should have perhaps focused on those under rated players to be included in the side.

That being said, the team chosen for game 3 has a nice balance to the side and Kimmorley brings both consistency and experience to the team and his kicking game will be welcomed because he has the ability to find the grass on most of his kicks, keeping Billy Slater just that little bit quieter on his kick returns.

Hayne and Watmough have been NSW best players so far in my opinion and both will have to have big games to keep NSW in the contest and perhaps restore a little pride back in the NSW camp.

One Man Teams

Is there such thing as "one man teams?"

There are many teams in the NRL who struggle to win with their key players missing, and some may argue that the team falls apart when these players are absent. These key players include Thurston for the Cowboys, Mullen for the Knights and Soward for the Dragons.  These three players are extremely influential in the way they move the ball and create both long and short distance opportunities and without them, their teams struggle to win games and maintain form.  

In the past this theory of "one man teams" has been proven with the Cowboys lacking form and consistency during the origin period in which Thurston was missing from the team.  However, I do not believe that a team relies on one player.  A win for a team can not be put down to one man, it is a team effort and it is a combination of the efforts of the 17 men who played the field.  

Last night, 3 minutes into the Raiders vs. Knights game, Mullen was injured and the Knights lost their key play maker.  However, they dominated the game and came out on top with a convincing 23 - 4 win.  This simply proves that players don't depend on one man.  

Teams will naturally play better and be more cohesive with their key play makers and best players playing, however I believe games can still be won without them.

Coach, Selectors or Players...whose to blame?

It seems that in todays game we're quick to place the blame when something goes wrong. But who do we blame? Referee's have had their share of critisicm this season and coaches such as Jason Taylor have been critisced for their teams on field performances. Selectors have been blamed for NSW lack of form and players have been criticised for "not trying" and "giving up." It seems that everyone is looking for someone else to blame but I don't think we can point the finger at one particular person. It is a correlation of the above factors that have put the game where it is now, in a sort of "black hole."

Referee's will never get every call correct, we must learn to accept that. Every season we fix one problem and another arises, it will never end and we just have to live with that. However that being said, there are still some consistency improvements that can be made; especially when it comes to being held up in goal and high tackles.

It does not matter how well a coach prepares his team for a big game, if the team doesn't show up with the right attitude and a positive mind frame, they will underperform..which is what is happening with the Rabbitohs at the moment. They have several international players however as a team, they are failing to communicate and work together. The same could be said for the Roosters and the Eels. However, I don't believe that player performance has anything to do with the team giving up on the field, I believe that confidence and psychology has alot to do with the result of a rugby game. Teams like the Dragons, who have literally risen from the dead are much more psychologically prepared and stable than most other teams. They absorb pressure and do not let it get to them. This is also the case with the Queensland Origin Team.

As you can see from what was said above, the finger cannot be pointed at a certain aspect of our game. It is a correlation of these factors that need to be tweaked in order to ensure that the games continue to be consistent and fair, and also to ensure that those teams sitting on the bottom of the ladder have the opportunity to rise to the top.

Origin 3 - NSW team

This is the team NSW should have stuck with from the beginning.  There are only a few changes I would make.  Firstly I believe the selectors are more focused on winning this game than focusing on the future of NSW rugby league...which is not a good thing.  Although Kimmorley is an amazing player and is having a fantastic season for the Bulldogs, he would not have been my first pick simply because of his age. Kimmorley and Barret make the oldest halfs combination in the history of Origin.  I would have gone for Jaimee Soward and Mitchell Pearce, or even Anasta is he was fit to play. I saw Mullen as another option however i believe that he has to work on his consistency.  

The other change I would have made would be replacing Stewart with Tupou.  Tupou is an amazing player who brings experience and creativity off the bench with his offloads and footwork and i believe he was overlooked due to the horrible season the Sharks are having on the field.

Although there are a few changes I would have made, overall, I am pleased with the team chosen and believe that with this team, the Blues at least have a chance of winning; even if it does appear to be very slim.

Role Models

We are constantly shown images of sports stars such as sonny bill williams, ben cousins, barry hall, greg bird, matthew johns and andrew johns in a light that makes us question whether or not they should be role models for younger generations. 

However what about the sports stars that are not involved in any off field incidents? those players that perform and inspire both on and off the field? Although some sports, especially rugby league have their "bad boys" i believe that there are still enough respectful and talented players such as greg inglis to safely say that sports stars make good role models. 

There are many sports stars such as Glen Mcgrathwho use their celebrity status to raise money for charities. Additionally, there are players such as Greg Inglis who has used his status to become an ambassador for Aboriginal Rugby League.