The Courier Mail Bronco headline last week had the ‘Broncos Braced for Classic Bennett Ambush’ but by Saturday morning it was ‘Horse Power Zero to Sixty’. Surely that was not a surprise, and no one seriously thought (other than RITV, souffs, Smithy _65 and Crabman) the Rabbits were a chance. By Monday, the Courier had bought in the big gun, Bennett whose headline read ‘Broncos Can Go All Way’, backing their finals credentials.
Round 22 started off with a match between the Storm and the Eels. The match never reached any great heights with the Storm playing within themselves, not overly well, but controlling the game and getting away with the win. Coates try – outjumping Lomax – was most probably the highpoint.
On Friday night the first of two games had the Dolphins up against the Warriors. The Dolphins started off terrifically and looked like they would really run away with the game until bad luck struck with Farnworth, who was having an outstanding game, pulling his hamstring. The Dolphins showed a tenacity that many other clubs could take a try and follow as they just hung on and stuck in the game. They beat the Warriors in the last minute with a fine try to Isaako when they ran the ball as opposed to taking a penalty kick for two to level up. There’s not much that can be said about the third game with the Broncos winning as you would expect against a Reserve Grade side.
There were three games on Saturday and I was lucky enough to attend the Panthers v Titans match. People say the Titans were unlucky but when you give away 24 points start in the first half no-one really expects you to win. The field goal by Cleary shows why he is one of the class players in the competition. Watching at the ground you could see him setting for that kick from the first tackle, making sure he didn’t cross the 40-metre line. It was bad luck for the Titans as they played well but, again, 24 start you don’t deserve to win. The second Saturday game had the Raiders beaten by the Dragons. This was a fair upset given the Dragons recent form hasn’t been good and Canberra are on top of the table. The final Saturday game saw the Roosters running out fairly comfortable winners over the Manly 20 points to 4. It was an important win for the Roosters because it puts them ahead of the Manly in that race for the last spot in the top 8.
There were two games on Sunday, the first, a stunning upset by the Tigers over the Bulldogs. The Tigers certainly deserved the win and they played with plenty of heart and spirit, and proved again that the Dogs can be a little soft in the middle. If the game is played very tight it doesn’t suit the Bulldogs as they certainly prefer a free-running, wide game. The Tigers exploited this by controlling the middle of the field. The game was played in a torrential downpour as were many of the others over the weekend and wet weather certainly doesn’t suit the Dogs. The final game saw a very, very poor Cowboys get beaten comfortably by the Sharks. The season for the Cowboys, given their representative players, has been a disaster and without Dearden they would be a rabble.
Round 23 begins on Thursday night with the Storm at home to the Broncos. All the talk has been about the Broncos’ improvement but we’ll find out about this when they fly into the eye of the storm. I think the Storm will be too strong but it will give us a marker as to whether the huff and puff around the Broncos is correct.
There are two games on Friday night and the first one has the Knights at home to the Panthers. The Panthers should be too strong and they can’t afford to make a mistake against the lower place sides if they are to hold their position and move into in the four. The scare from the Titans last week should be enough to see their focus in place for this game. The second game has the Raiders at home against Manly. The Raiders were poor last week against Saint George but Manly were even poorer against the Roosters. You would think at home, and at this stage of the season, the Raiders will win and it puts the Sea Eagles in a very precarious position.
Saturday has three games, the first a local Derby between the Dragons and the Sharks. There is always plenty of feeling in this game, but I get the feeling that the Sharks are starting to find their momentum again and, even though the Dragons won last week, the Sharks will be too strong. The second game has the Dolphins up against the Roosters and these sides are battling it out for that eighth spot. The Dolphins have lost a lot of players to injury but they are playing with more ticker than any other club in the competition. You would have to think, however, that the Roosters, with their best side on the park, should just beat the Dolphins who have been slowly bleeding to death. Kaufusi’s suspension (again) and Herbie’s hamstring really hurt. The final match-up has the Bulldogs against the Warriors, both beaten sides from last week and both will be looking to improve their performance. The Bulldogs at home should be too strong for the Warriors who have gone backwards since the injury to Metcalf.
On Sunday there are two games, the first almost a wooden spoon classic with both the Titans and Rabbitohs locked on 16 points. The Rabbits, however, do have a bye up their sleeve. But you would have to think that if the Titans can replicate their performance from last week they will be able to deal with the Rabbits. The final Sunday game has the Eels, who are on the up, playing the Cowboys who have been on the down for the last four weeks. The Eels at home might just be too good for the Cowboys who are the most disappointing team in the competition.
Top Eight (in order)
2 Melbourne 5 Panthers 6 Broncos 7 Cronullaargh 9 Roosters 10 Manly 13 Cowboys 17 Rabbitohs
Fact / Stat for the day – I was looking through some old Rugby League Weeks and they really did have some fascinating headlines. Here is a sample of some I saw that gave me a bit of a chuckle. ‘TRUCE: The West Manly war must end’! and just following that was a big picture of Les Boyd and Ray Brown on the front cover with the following- ‘Exclusive- Manly’s boss tells all’. What about the 1975 Christmas special with ‘Ho Ho Says Santa Artie’ with a picture of Arthur on the front page in a full Santa suit with a Roosters jersey at his feet. What about the 1971 cover where Ian Walsh, who was coaching Parramatta, headlines ‘Cut Out The Booze’, a warning to his team that they needed to get serious (They must have listened because they finished 4th and were knocked out in the minor semi.) Another had a group of players fighting in a wild brawl on the cover with the message underneath ‘6 Tackles Out’. RLW was such a bible for so many, it’s a shame that is now gone. And, of course, the greatest RLW headline of all – ‘I Am The Phantom Biter’.
Tipping Stats – I performed much better to go back into the top 10 and I am still paying the price for my risk round last week. My chasers are all off the bit at the moment and, of course, the Rabbit diehards can’t take a trick.
Queensland won the School Sport Australia U/12 Schoolboys, and the quality of football was very good. Well done to the SSA team for an excellent program at the South Pine Complex.
You gotta love footy!
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Prop, we seem to be on the same page about the prospects of various teams. What a pity the Dolphins aren’t at full strength going into the end of the season. They just might have done a bit of damage to better credentialed teams. But let’s not write them off just yet. What did you make of the Panthers’ trainer incident?
I left a comment on your post- agree with Dolphins comment-they have really shown their mettle this season and have most probably out performed most predictions of them early in the year