NRL Round 9 – Women’s State of Origin and NRL Magic Round

 

 

What a season we’re having! Upsets galore, a ladder that looks inverted, the no fun police out in full force, an unbridled Bunker, player manager mayhem and, just to make sure we talk about the games themselves, some cracking footy (as my editing colleague Col Ritchie would say). Big comebacks seem to be de rigueur,  20 minute purple patches of scoring seem almost passe, and at least two sin bins per game is a bit sub par. What’s going on? The bottom line for me is that there’s no such thing as a certainty and I just find myself being amused by the chaos of it all. More, please!

 

Round 8 had it all. The Broncos played a first half that looked like the weather must have been fine and the track dry yet, in reality, the rain bucketed down. Amazing! It made me wonder if the Bulldogs have actually played a top side up until now. The Roosters are so hot and cold but, when they’re hot…Bear in mind that the opposition was the spluttering Dragons, so don’t read too much into it just yet. The Knights continue to be awful while the Wahs keep winning at home. The Rabbitohs put up a better showing but the Storm retained their perfect record against them in Melbourne without several first choice picks. The Cowboys slept in but, when they were finally roused, bolted away from the frustrating Titans. Time for a cleanout, Des! The Sea Eagles were the best performers of the round and regained some credibility. Turbo certainly makes a difference, and DCE taught Cleary a lesson or two. The Panthers are stone cold motherless last! Also amazing! I said last week that the Dolphins and Raiders would be a race to get to 40 first. Initially the Dolphins looked like they’d surpass that mark but the Raiders saved their fury for a second half pillage. The Sharks were their flaky selves, giving away a healthy lead, fighting back and gaining momentum with the opposition down to 12, possession and field position at their mercy – and they still couldn’t put the game away. Good on the Tigers for hanging in, saving a couple of certain tries and then snatching it at the end when the Sharks gave away the silliest of penalties. What a round!

 

 

Magic Round begins tonight with a stand alone women’s State of Origin clash, the first of a three game series. One gripe – why is this being played when very few of the players are actually playing in a live competition and are far from match fit or mentally attuned for something at this level? Poor scheduling indeed. Yes, by all means play the game this week as part of a special round, but perhaps get the NRLW season underway months earlier so that the players are at their peak.

 

Last year’s series was a cracker with the Blues scoring a big win in Game 1 before the Maroons fought back to win two gritty encounters to take the shield. It’s hard to know what to expect tonight. The squads have a familiar look but a few of the usual suspects are missing, a few new faces are coming on the scene. What we do know is that we’ll see some good footy played at a cracking pace, competitively and in good spirit. Perhaps fitness will decide it – a missed tackle, a 1% effort, an audacious play on the last tackle…

 

No tip because there’s absolutely no form guide to use as a basis. Take it away, ladies!

 

Before I even start on Round 9, I have to say that my scientific method of tipping had a 50/50 success rate – I got 4/8 and reverted to my form for the season. Looking at the games coming up this weekend, it will take a certain level of genius to score well. Here’s why:

 

Tomorrow night begins with the Sharks up against the Eels. Why aren’t the Sharks doing better? Is it a problem with their halves, as many pundits suggest? Are they getting in each other’s way as playmakers? Meanwhile the Eels have their version of Moses to lead them to better pastures. He did the job last week and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does it again – don’t you know it’s magic? (With apologies to Brian Cadd.) I’ll go with the vibe and tip Parra. The late game features the Roosters against the Dolphins, another 50/50 call. Will home turf play into the Dolphins’ hands? Or do the Roosters have more strut to their game? I’ll bank on the home crowd to get the Dolphins over the line (repeatedly, I hope!).

 

Saturday’s matches begin with another nightmare, the Rabbitohs versus the Knights, neither of whom generates a great deal of confidence in yours truly. Yes, the Bunnies were a bit better but the Knights did look, at times, as if they had rediscovered how to play footy. I’ll go with Rabbitohs – I’m not sure why, maybe because the Knights can’t improve enough to win. How’s that for vague reasoning? The twilight game has the wining Warriors up against the prancing Cowboys in what is another difficult call. There’s no doubting whose side the crowd will be on, so the question will about the depth of the Warriors’ character to counteract the vibe. Tom Dearden is all class, so I’ll go with the Cowboys. The late game has the slowly emerging Wests Tigers taking on the could-be-but-not-always-on-task Dragons. Either side is capable of winning this on their day, but just as likely to have a shocker. Benji’s boys will take a lot of heart out of their heart-stopping win last week where Galvin and Luai looked like they can co-exist, even if they may not be on the best of terms. I’ll stick with Wests Tigers.

 

Come Sunday’s triple header, we’ll have the Titans against the Bulldogs, both last round losers. I just cannot get excited about the Gold Coast lads while the Bulldogs had a bad night last week. But they will be short of manpower because of several suspensions this week, including the important Matt Burton. Enough to swing the game? I don’t think so. Quick bounce back will see the Bulldogs get home. The following Panthers v Broncos game is the match of the round and anything could happen. On paper, their respective places on the ladder and form say the Broncos win. But this is all too often the sort of game they lose, much to the frustration of their fans. Penrith can’t really be the bottom of the ladder. That’s just ridiculous, but can they overcome their current incapacity to get back on the winning side? I’m not confident but I’ll let the heart rule and say Broncos. Maybe the match of the round really deserves to be allocated to the Storm v Raiders clash which brings Magic Round to a close. This could be a classic as both sides have firepower to burn. Another first to 40 game? I don’t think so, but who can defend well enough to keep the opposition within reach? As much as I admire the Raiders’ recent form, I think they may find Melbourne a bit much, so I’ll go with the Storm because only a fool tips against them.

 

The Sea Eagles have the bye.

 

Given my absolute lack of confidence in my tips this week, as well as my poor tipping form for just about the whole season, I’ve decided to escape the potential for even worse fallout this week by getting out of the country for a while. Thankfully that decision coincides with a long held plan to travel to Europe for several weeks. Talk about timing! So, for the next 10 weeks or so, keep an eye on the tips by Prop by the Sea – he’s towards the top of the tipping competition, and so offers far better prospects than me.

 

Cheers!

 

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