2026 NRL – Prop By the Sea: Round 14: You Gotta Love Footy

 

 

 

 

Round 14 started with the Sea Eagles up against the Rabbitohs. Souths were very disappointing in this match, after getting out to an early lead, but from then on at Brookvale it was all one-way traffic as Manly had their Finger on the Trigger. Manly are certainly playing well and that is reflected in the fact that they are now in the top 4. 

 

Friday night had two games. The first was a cracking game where the Storm hung on to win 32 points to 30 over Newcastle. Ponga really pushed the limit again in terms of one of his tackles and could easily have been given another suspension if he had connected fully. It is the Nature of the Beast, but he needs to be careful. The Storm were just too strong in the end after leading 14-12 at half time. The second Friday night game saw the Roosters completely demolishing the Raiders. Canberra is falling down the ladder, and the club must Face the Day that the finals are slipping away. 

 

There were two games on Saturday. The first saw a very professional Redcliffe put the Cowboys away comprehensively. Into the Heat of Townsville, Redcliffe are looking better every week and certainly could be a surprise packet going into the finals this year. They have speed, their forwards are playing well, and they play an exciting brand of football. The second game on Saturday on the Queensland Derby Day saw a very plucky Titans run out 28 to 23 winners over the Broncos. All credit to the Titans and their coach, as they are also playing an open brand of rugby league and they have some talented players. Their young half, Harrison, has steadied the ship and Kini scored a great try to win the match. The Broncos, on the other hand, continue to be very disappointing and are Comin’ Down to a point of no return. I guess the Broncos are best summed up by the option Mam took on the last play of the game, where if he spreads the ball to the right, the Broncos win, but he went for the low percentage play for himself and the ball was knocked dead in goal. Madge will end up in a Straight Jacket if they do that again. Well done, Titans.

 

There were two games on Sunday, and the first one saw the complete demolition of the Tigers at home. 68-nil. The old Shadow Boxer Laurie Nichols would be rolling in his grave. No more needs to be said other than the Penrith juggernaut keeps rolling on. In the second Sunday match, the Dragons could not back up their win over the Broncos the previous week and Stand Up against the Sharks. The Sharks were far too good running out winners 34 points to 12. 

 

Finally, on Monday afternoon, in a very ordinary game, One Word – fumbleathon, would describe a game in which the Bulldogs ran out 12-10 winners over the Eels. The Bulldogs made many mistakes in the first half, and the Eels were not much better. The Eels did have a try disallowed that could have changed things a bit, but it was not to be.  The game was interesting at the end because it was close, but other than that, you cannot see either of these sides troubling the top four teams in the competition.

 

 

Round 15 is a shortened round because the State of Origin is on in Melbourne on Wednesday night. On Thursday night, the Rabbitohs are at home against the Broncos, and it is difficult to select either of these sides based on last week’s performances. I think the Rabbits at home may be too strong given the number of players Brisbane has out. Both sides have been inconsistent and need to Turn it on, starting now.

 

On Friday night, there is an interesting game between the Dolphins and the Roosters. The Dolphins are at home, but both sides are heavily impacted by their Origin call ups. I am going to go with the Dolphins in this game because they have shown that they really are jelling and are playing well. 6 Origin players is testament to that, although Katoa can play (I think). The Roosters have 7 out. It certainly gives players Living on the Outside a chance to ply their wares.

 

There are two games on Saturday. The first has the Warriors at home to the Sharks. The Warriors, of course, are just about unaffected by Origin, as are the Sharks, as they both only have 2 out. So, I will be going with the Warriors at home, especially given they are coming off the bye and will be thinking We Gotta get out of this Place before full time. The second Saturday night game has the Eels at home for the Raiders. The Raiders have been off form recently; however, I think they will get the Eels who just are not playing well enough. The Raiders must win as their season is nearly Beyond Salvation.

 

Finally, on Sunday there is a very interesting game as the Tigers are at home to the Titans. Given how poor the Tigers were last week, you would expect that they will be warmed up for this match. Their loyal spectators Can’t Take Any More of the rubbish served up last week. However, the Titans are coming off one of their best wins in years and must have high confidence. The game is at Leichhardt Oval, which always favours the Tigers, but I think the Titans might be able to put two together and win this one.

 

Of course, on Wednesday night it is State of Origin 2 in Melbourne and I will be attending. I am looking forward to going to the Almanac lunch on Wednesday afternoon and talking about all things Rugby League. I think Queensland will be too good this time, even though Melbourne has not been a happy hunting ground for us. They certainly will play with confidence given their dominance of the first 60 minutes in the last game. 

 

Last week’s embedded music clue was the Dogs are Talking by the great Australian band ‘The Angels’. I saw them first at the Metropolitan Hotel in Bundaberg in 1979 as a 16-year-old, when Gus Gorman, Buzz Burrows and I snuck out of our accommodation during a Surf Lifesaving Carnival and have been a fan ever since. Legendary front man the Doc fell out with the Brewster Brothers, but their playlist before that was great. Dogs Are Talking was off the 1989 Beyond Salvation Album and was released as a single in 1990, peaking at #11 on the charts. See if you can find this week’s clue.

 

The Greatest Origin Tries 13

1 Darren Lockyer  G3 2006 – the Intercept 

2 Billy Slater G2 2004 – The double chip 

3 Mark Coyne G1 1994 – the Miracle 

4 Chris Close G1 1980 – how good 

5 Brett Dallas G2 1995 – 90 metres for the Nevilles 

6 Wally Lewis G3 1989 – We are right boys, I’ll do it 

7 Allan Langer G3 2001 – Out of retirement and fooled everyone 

8 Greg Dowling G2 1984 – off the crossbar 

9 Ben Hunt G3 2022 – run to me on legs like pigs trotters ( I was sitting 10 rows back right in front of where he placed the ball) 

10 Carl Webb G1 2001 –new kid on for last game at Lang Park  

11 Dane Carlaw G3 2002 – to draw game in last minute and win series 

12 Tonie Carrol G1 1998 – scored in last minute to win game

13 Billy Moore G2 1992 – Famous try for Qld to win 5-4

 

Funny – I could not find a single NSW try to put on the list!

 

Round 14 Tips

Rabbits Dolphins Warriors Raiders Titans Queensland  

 

I beat the Prop Tipping Comp Leaderboard

A better 6 last week thankfully

1 Timmoie (72) 2 Banksie, Bimbi Bob, The Uncle, Gerry (68), Gladstone (67) Flying Mattress, RITV (66). 

The top ESPN score at the end of Rd 14 is 82 which 1 tipster has.

 

My Pre Season Top Eight 

1 Penrith 3 Roosters 6 Cronulla 8 Souths 9 Cowboys 11 Storm 12 Broncos 14 Bulldogs 

 

 Odd Fact

There have been 44 Origin Series since 1982. 23 times the series has gone to a decider with Queensland winning 18 deciders (including drawn series). So, if Queensland win Game 2 the odds are stacked well and truly in their favour to win the series. NSW on the other hand have won 5 of the games at the MCG which stands out as an anomaly as Qld has been outscored 127-82. Game 2 1995 is Qld’s only win at the ground and what a win it was for Vautin’s ‘Neville Nobodies’ with Brett Dallas scooting from dummy half and running away in the dying minutes for Qld to win 20-12 (see above).

 

Rugby League is no longer on Vacation- It is a Quest!

 

You gotta love footy.

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