NRL Round 4: Spare us the hoopla and just give us the footy, please.

 

Photo: Russel Hansen

 

I have a particular dislike for what’s sold as ‘the game day experience’, that cacophony of noise, flashing images and mindless hoopla that is supposed to excite, entertain and thrill me to be at the footy. It actually does the opposite – I rarely go to matches because I can’t stand all of that baloney. I just want to watch the footy and hear the natural involvement, cheering and banter of the crowd. I want to experience the footy and the diehard fans, not shouty announcers, pushy promoters and pyrotechnics..

 

Almost equally I don’t follow the media all that much in the lead-up to each weekend. Too often the writers/commentators are looking for an angle for the sake of having an angle rather than offering reasoned analysis of what’s to come. So-called style over my preference for substance. (I find this more the case in the electronic media; there are several print journos worth the read.)

 

And so, this week, we’ll be subjected to a confected list of angles on the Dolphins v Broncos match at Lang Park tomorrow night. It will be Wayne v Kevvie; the Bronco defectors to the Dolphins; the start of a new rivalry/grudge match; rumours about backroom negotiations; the Battle for Brisbane supremacy; the innocent newcomers against the old hands; and on and on.

 

What a load of bollocks! Let’s just get the two teams out on the paddock and let them go at each other under the direction of their coaches in what we hope will be an entertaining and skilful match. And may the best team win.

 

Meanwhile, back in Round 3, Parramatta continued its journey towards the bottom of the pile with a fighting, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort against Manly. With Penrith and the Roosters to come, it’s getting desperate for the Eels to even think about a double chance come September. The Dolphins took a while to put the Knights away but showed character to notch 3 in a row and sit at the top of the ladder alongside Brisbane and Manly. It will be a long season for Newcastle. Cody Walker has to get his head together if South Sydney are to go anywhere this year. It seemed that he had it all together in the latter part of last season but the new one has found him temperamentally awol too often. The Chooks were tough and you get the feeling that they’re building as the season unfolds. The Storm are in strife, unable to cope at this stage with an extensive injury list. But I wouldn’t read too much into the Titans’ win given that Melbourne were so undermanned.

 

The Cowboys will be kicking themselves after giving up the points at home to a Warriors side that just might force other teams to be prepared for a real contest. The Dragons put up a good show for a while but were found wanting when the pressure was applied. By contrast, the Broncos held tough and, when the moment came (about 8 minutes, to be exact), unleashed the pyrotechnics they’re capable of producing. The Bulldogs almost blew it against the mostly aimless Tigers. Take out a five minute burst and the Tiger were their usual awful selves. Canberra pulled off the other upset of the round with a gutsy win over Cronulla who look like they need Hynes to be at their best.

 

Felise Kaufusi is a very tough nut who pushes the boundaries. But the original grading of his tackle left more than me bewildered by apparent double standards when compared to the almost identical (arguably worse) tackle that drew only a fine last round. The cry of double standards has been far wand wide, so it’s not just me.

 

Round 4:

Tonight the Panthers visit the Eels in the Grand Final rematch and it’s hard to see the outcome changing on current form. King Gutho is doing all he can to lift the Eels but there aren’t enough troops following his lead. Moses is copping his share of the blame but he’s not the only one not seizing the moment. The return of Matterson might help a bit. Penrith look too strong and mobile up front which should create the spaces for their backs to run wild. Panthers for me.

 

On Friday evening the Storm are at AAMI Park to take on the Wests Tigers. Bellamy will be giving his men a tough old time on the training track this week and heaven help them if they don’t lift for this game. The return of Munster is a huge boost but balanced by the loss of Hughes to suspension. It’s hard to see the Tigers causing too much bother – game for a while, perhaps, but eventually not good enough. Put your money on the Storm.

 

Then the match of the round sees the Dolphins go up against the Broncos at Lang park in their ultimate test to date. There’s a lot to admire about the ‘Phins – an interesting collection of players who seem to have found a common cause early on. But I can’t see that being enough to beat the Broncos who have discovered defence to add to their attacking capabilities. Those 8 minutes at the end of Sunday’s game had to be seen to be believed. Big brother Broncos to down the game but not-there-yet little brother Dolphins.

 

The Cowboys will be looking to get things back in order when they take on the Titans in Townsville. Cotter is out to injury but I think there’s too much talent in the NQ side for the journeymen GC lads to handle, especially now that Verrills is out for a while. Actually, I’m expecting a bit of a blow-out in this one with the Cowboys winning in a canter.

 

The Rabbitohs simply have to beat the Sea Eagles to have any early season credibility. And with the passing of club legend John Sattlerthis week, the men from Redfern should stand up and make a statement. The Bunnies have the players but not the cohesion or the smarts at this stage, with Cody Walker the man who most needs to get his act together. They produce moments of brilliance but allow themselves to be distracted too easily when the football is the only objective. This match will also tell us more about the Sea Eagles who can also play some great, creative footy. Schuster is emerging as a playmaker to support DCE with Turbo always lurking. But it has been their forwards who have muscled up to give the backs some time and space. Let’s see how they go against the Bunnies. I’m going against form to stick with the Rabbitohs.

 

The Warriors v Bulldogs match will also be  a pointer to where each side is going this year. This is the sort of game each side needs to win to establish their standing in the competition. The Dogs are rising but aren’t the real deal yet by a long way – that 5 minute drop-off in intensity almost cost them the game on Sunday. Do that again and it will be a long flight home. I like the enthusiasm of the Warriors and I think the home crowd will get them over the line.

 

The Knights host the Raiders in a tipster’s nightmare. Newcastle are decimated by injuries and suspension. Not surprisingly, they’re struggling as a result. But would you say that Canberra have shown themselves worthy of being favourites after one win? Josh Papali’i is back this week to add experience and muscle up front. In the end, I think the Raiders will have too many of their best players on the field compared to the Knights and that will be enough to take the points back to the capital.

 

Finally, the Dragons meet the Sharks, both teams coming off losses last weekend. This is also about self-belief for the Sharks who have the roster but not the consistency of effort at the moment. The return of Nicho Hynes is a huge boost. The Dragons have shown pluck but can’t get an 80 minute effort in place. Local derby; a lot of history; plenty of feeling. Could make for one of the clashes of the round. I’ll go with the Sharks.

 

The Roosters have the bye.

 

So my winners this week (6/8 last week) are the Panthers, Storm, Broncos, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Raiders and Sharks.

 

To see the full draw for Season 2023 click HERE.

To read our library of rugby league stories click HERE.

To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?

And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE.