Sunday, August 16, 2020

Wrap - Going Bunkers

 1. NRL Coaches. Souths are really struggling (yet keep winning) and Bennett seems as though he should join the coach exodus - Dean Pay, Paul McGregor, Steve Kearney and Paul Green. Interesting to see Michael Morgan return when the coach was sent packing. A tough gig. The Seibold nonsense stories don't make it any easier (Who thinks this ridiculous stuff up to attack a coach? Very sad), but it is a winning game the coaching game. Very few coaches have won greater than 50% of their games! 

Hard to know why Kevin Walters has not been ushered into a coaching role. He must have out priced himself or he is on the nose with management.

2. Bites. The dumbest thing about the Kevin Proctor biting matter was that he was not wearing a mouthguard. He may be found to be 'reckless' by the judiciary on this count alone! Must know a good dentist.

3. NRL - Parramatta. Shocking loss v St George. Their forward strength has improved, but they still lack strike power in the backline. The team needs to be more astute at the pressure moments. They lack brilliance. Israel Folau may be an option? The lack of sheer pace in some teams holds them back. 

Manly have become soft too which is staggering really after years of being the toughest of all. I suspect salary cap imbalance (Trobjevics x 2, DCE) has a price. Newcastle keep rising, without impressing.

4. England - Cricket. Stuart Broad is already at 510 Test wickets and surging forward. A great chase by the Poms in the First Test v Pakistan. There is no team like Pakistan to let you off the hook. When they ever return to the top of the tree it will be when they can get a few mentally tough players again.

A day or two of no cricket in the latest Test will get the illegal bookies anxious. Collapse?

5. NRL Team Songs. Noticing a lot of dressing room fist pumping/ group dancing in the NRL post game in victories. Surely that is not to the traditional team song. 'Glory , glory to South Sydney...' and 'Click go the shears...' or 'The red white and bloosters..' should become legend like the AFL do so well (less the sexual touching nonsense - juvenile fools all).

6. NRL State of Origin. The selected NSW and Queensland teams may be like the Prime Minister's XIII team they send to Papau New Guinea, by the time the season ends. The injury toll keeps mounting and it will be a test of roster depth. The form of Wighton and Cook is most alarming. There is no one troubling Melbourne on current form. Melbourne will do a number on Parramatta next week too.

7. NRL Rules. Scrums are a farce... knock backs are a thing of the past and one challenge is needed in each half. A review is needed.

8. NRL Bunker - Jarrod Maxwell. What a cracking bunker voice he has! Big brother! This bunker voice is more popular than Tevita Pangai-Junior.

9. AFL. The effort of GWS is appalling. So inconsistent and lazy. To lose to the Swans this year is awful. Geelong are storming back into contention for the flag. Port have been great but are struggling a bit more now. It is a long season! Brisbane were fortunate, but they have won! St Kilds may finally be turning a corner too.

10. US PGA Golf. Collin Morikawa's win was pretty special last weekend. Jason Day did well but not enough. A future star perhaps...but how hard is it to string together greatness in golf? Sergio...Rose.. Retief ...Rory...Speith...all have had the tag of the next great thing in golf. They certainly have had their moments, but to win over a long period of time is tough. IBF, John Daly, David Duval and Vijay have all had the wheels fall off at different times... Nick Faldo (6) is the most major winners in our lifetimes outside of Tiger Woods (15). A tough craft. Koepka blew it and needs to watch his mouth is respectful.

11. Waratahs. What? Two wins in a row. Another win in the next fortnight and they make finals... hard to believe but the loss v Rebels will be costly. Bonus points will be critical.

12. US Open Tennis. Starts 31 August. Of course Novak Djokovic (17 Grand Slams) is attending and should pick up a cheap major here in the absence of Rafa (19 Grand Slams/ carry over champion). No Wawrinka (3 Grand Slams) or Federer (20 Grand Slams) either. 

13. Football. Barca thrashed 8-2 by Bayern Munich. Incredible. Messi may be on the move to the EPL. That would make it the star league in Europe for sure. In our parts, Sydney FC may deserve the 'dunny seat' trophy the way they have been playing the past couple of weeks!

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Wrap - Fools Paradise

1. NRL Fools. Occassionally we hear the statement that "he doesn't tolerate fools". I am still waiting to find someone who does tolerate fools. Peter V'landys needs to come down hard on these fools.

Alan Langer (trainer no brainer), Pangai-Junior (bikie club links), Paul Vaughan (dumb prop), Wayne Bennett (King Lear clone)... are all fools. No one is under any illusions in "the bubble" re behaviour for all NRL players and officials. They all know what is expected. Talk about selfishness and self centredness. The game will fall in a heap if these idiots are let loose. It didn't take that long. Bennett should retire and disappear so he can go to a cafe every day he wants then. Then there was also a junior match stabbing or two today. Great look for the game this weekend!

2. Ivan Cleary. He has done some stupid things in recent times ... breaking the salary at Tigers, blowing kisses, now comments re refs that Canberra were being "managed back into the game". Is this why Gus sent him packing? Panthers are killing it without any help from the refs. He needs to get on with winning. 

The Eels had a tight win, but hardly impressive. The hands of Ferguson are a worry. Under pressure he struggles. Blake in the centres is a nightmare too. They need a better centre who is devastating. They are harder to find than an ASADA B-Sample.

3. Tigers. Woeful. Hopeless. Adam Doueihi can cry for Lebanon, but his form has still been woeful. Thumped again. Bottom line is they are dreadful - especially Benji's defence sadly. They are flat and Michael Maguire is on thin ice. They need an absolute clean out at that place, starting with Benji and Chris Lawrence... old world and time to move on.

4. AFL Injuries. Fancy hitting an opponent's injury on the field. Fancy putting strapping around the injury - without the usual decoy strapping on the same limb in a 'healthy' part of the body? The grubbiness of the AFL is being exposed badly in the COVID-19 times. Their image is suffering. Not sure if playing every night of the week helps either.

5. AFL Groping each other in the dressing room. Are they for real? Richmond AFL Club grabbing crotches, poking butts... honestly. Save the nonsense and play better. What an embarrassment. Especially when a younger and newer African player is targeted. Fines? Sackings? Or just counselling? Amazing how apologies only arise when the media get hold of it all.

6. Nathan Brown to Warriors. Not sure of this one, but good luck to him and them. Gus Gould will help, until they get sick of each other. The signings they have earmarked are not great...Adam Elliot, Euan Aiken, Jack de Belin and some English player...That is not going to win a comp for you. Roger Tuivasa-Shek has been limited this year, but he and Ken Mamalo and Tohu Harris are very good. They need leadership.

7. USA PGA Gold Championships. Brooks Koepka looks poised to strike. Bryson DeChambeau hits it off the tee that hard, the club head drops off...never had that issue. Dustin Johnson will go close too.

8. Waratahs beating the Reds. Surely not...their biggest win ever? I hope the ASADA people were there. Remarkable, but how the Reds have folded. Brad Thorn has simply not gotten this team right.

9. Horse racing. Some new exciting types are coming back from the paddock for the spring. From last week, Brooklyn Hustle is a sensational horse!

10. England Cricket v Pakistan. A fourth innings chase for victory is very difficult and extremely rare. The Poms, thanks to Buttler and Woakes got there... not without panic! A great effort.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Wrap - The Best of Times

1. NRL. Great to see players socialising post game..praying, back slapping...Maybe it is a COVID-19 thing, but the affection has never been stronger amongst players. All a bit public, but it presents a very good image of the game. Not very many hard body contact sports do that.

Very impressed seeing Blake Ferguson holding up a teammate (Ryan Matterson) last week after that concussion hit against the Tigers last week. Players waving to medical staff to support injured players is becoming very, very commonplace. Have we ever seen a year like it for injuries? There seems more care in the game..balancing out the goose element perhaps...

2. Indigenous Round. Aboriginal players have a huge representation in the code. It is an amazing strike rate of success and try scoring. Tough and athletic. A lot of clubs have seen great Aboriginal players excel through their doors...Beetson, Renouf, McGrady, Lyons, Blacklock, Mundine, Ferguson, Nagas, Meninga, Daley... on it goes.

The Panthers were pretty special on Saturday night. Travelling largely injury free and have got a great mix of youth and experience. Cleary is played well, but he needs to run to the line. This distinguishes the great half backs from the rest. Compare him to, of all players, Keiran Foran (he of the salary reduction and the small sympathy), who takes the line on all the time. A lot of hits are taken, but it gets the defence back pedaling and really guessing. Kikau is awesome.

3. Parramatta. All those fans looking to get tickets for the Grand Final need to think again. The forwards are tough enough and spirited (Campbell-Gillard, Paulo, Brown, Nicuoro, Evans, Matterson), but they have attacking problems, despite the wallpapering of some of this. They lack a centre who is truly damaging...Bradman best style. Jennings and Blake are fair, but the defense of Blake is woeful sometimes. Their wingers are solid, but Ferguson can't buy a try. Dylan Brown needs more space and looms as the ace in the pack if he gets it right. Not sure if he is big enough yet. Still time, but centre strike power is hard to find.

4. Origin. Having said that, Campbell-Gillard will be there on current form, Reed Mahoney too. I think NSW will pick Junior Paulo in their Origin team as well. His footwork and hands for a big guy are amazing. He actually plays first receiver sometimes he is that good. He is tough and mobile and defensively strong too. His offloads are golden and what's more, he is finally fit.

5. Cricket. How can they be so incompetent? Fancy thinking of cancelling the Shield. It is not about crowds. Cricket Australia killed crowds long ago at the Shield as they got greedy with their scheduling. The golden goose may be cooked. This is not helping the game's image post 'sandpaper gate' when everyone thought the big headed arrogance was eliminated. The administration is proving quite lost.

6. SBW. We will love having SBW back in the comp. He is a media superstar, but says very little. It will bring lots more stories in the paper and lots of wins for the Roosters. The Bulldogs think they are getting him...please.

7. Swans. Crushed. Re-building, but is "re-building" an excuse for poor planning and poor recruitment? St Kilda are returning to some happier times. Zak Jones will be glad he put the transfer papers in! Really liking Port Adelaide and Brisbane. Geelong had a terrible loss to West Coast. What is wrong with that team? They seem to lack purpose and resolve every year when the whips are cracking. They need more leadership on the field. Recruiters forget to recruit leaders. How many codes do you see it in? Then the talent doesn't shine.

8. Rugby. Super Star Rugby (Super 10, Super 12, Super 4?). Some tight results for the purists this weekend, but the crowds and viewing audience must be very limited these days. Do we have brave enough administrators to make changes locally to our product? Or will it just perish and be shown on Channel 2 only once a week?

9. FA Cup. Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1. A great win, but Arsenal have a good record in cups and comps that never seem to count that much. The Premier League and Champions Leagues are a struggle of late. 2003-4 was the last Premier League victory. In FA Cup finals, they have the most appearances (21) and have also won the most at 14!


10. A League. Hard to see the end...when are the semis? The season needs to be streamlined.

11. Nick Kyrgios writing letters to other players and announcing how selfish others are in COVID-19? He may have a point, but didn't Nick himself act selfishly so many times too in his tantrums and behaviours? He seems to be taking the high, hilltop moral high ground here now and well done to him, but it wears a bit thin. These players (Djokovic, Zverev, et al) are not blameless, but they will all make mistakes...like Nick.

12. Hugh Bowman. He knew he was gone and did not even book any rides for this weekend just gone. He has apologised, but still remains extremely lucky with just six weeks punishment! The owners meanwhile have no horse. The jockey has incredible scars and serious injuries.

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Wrap - Towelflicks and Other Nonsense

1. Gold Coast Titans. Offloading the salary cap heavy sponges (Boyd, Cartwright, Peats, etc...) makes sense, especially if David Fifita is now taking up half of the salary cap! Issac Yeo is a valuable player for the Panthers. He and Crighton have lifted their standards and they are starting to look much stronger. Looks like a strong spirit and connection between players. Cleary needs to take the line on more frequently however if they are to win the comp.

Interesting to see the dud buy of the year, Curtis Scott, being shopped around already by Canberra. I don't know how good he actually was with so many gun players around him at the Storm, but it is an unhappy time for him at Canberra thus far.

2. NRL Split. The top four teams are stepping up - Panthers, Eels, Roosters and Storm (maybe Canberra...maybe Manly) but you get the feeling that the Roosters (especially with SBW) will win again to make it a threepeat. Injuries are the key thing. The Knights are having no luck. The Andrew McCulloch hamstring injury was really bad. The Raiders and Knights are copping injuries big time. The lack of a 'second grade'/ 'Reserve Grade' may be a factor.

3. Bulldogs. Interesting that the Bulldogs can lift when their coach has vanished. They have had the chat re contracts moving ahead. Trent Barrett looks as though he has sent the players an email too. Interesting how that can impact!

4. Bunker. Can we end it now? Not sure what the difference between a video ref and a bunker is..maybe a few large TVs and a microphone perhaps. The errors are inexcusable. The Dragsters could have won late, but it never looks good. When is another coach going to ask for an investigation into this? Geoff Toovey cannot be the only one surely.

5. Rugby. They have truly lost the plot in trying to spend 3 million on a Kings student in Year 10. Remember Barney Haslett, signed by Parramatta at 14 years of age? Let the kid grow up and spend the money on something sensible for the greater good of the game. Honestly. How daft.

6. AFL. Tom Papley staying at the Swans was important. Without him they would have two fewer wins and no way for Alistair Clarkson to get upset with the Club! Clarkson seems to be getting quite cranky lately. This is a sure sign the knives are out for him. Port, Brisbane and St Kilda looking strongest. Not enjoying the footy as much this year thus far. The quarters are too short and not as free wheeling for the running games needed for maximum entertainment.

7. Test Cricket. England v Windies. As mentioned, the Windies cannot string together enough quality sessions to win Tests regularly. They look doomed again. 1-1 with this Test to play. Looking like a 2-1 test series victory to England. James Anderson is nearing in on 600 test wickets too. Broad closing in on 500. When they retire things could be different for England. Legends are irreplaceable.

8. A-League Champions. Sydney FC win the Premier's Plate, but no one really cares sadly. The game has hit the wall.

9. Hugh Bowman. Sadly for Hugh, who rode three winners on the day, his effort in race 1 on Smart Image looked like an impatient older jockey who was showing up a younger rider in Andrew Adkins. Ribs, legs all broken and a stunning horse of huge potential (Hot n' Hazy) dead. Hugh has a fair bit to answer for here and should receive a lengthy suspension. The connections of the horse will be looking for him too.

10. Towelflicks. Good to see the towelflick championships through Sportsbet still alive as a sport in COVID-19 times. What's next...nipple cripples, sack whacks, bum flicks...?

11. EPL. The top four is yet to be decided (outside of Liverpool and Man City). Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester compete for Champions League places this weekend. All must win, but Leicester host ManU. Jamie Vardy looks like remaining the highest goal scorer this season at 23. Norwich are gone, but a couple of others will need to join them...Bournemouth? Watford? Aston Villa? A great competition where everything matters right down to the end.

If ManU win, a third place end point would be an exemplary season after the start they had.

12. A-B...C? I have been assured that Bronson Xerri's B Sample is on its way.

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Wrap - Hands Like a Digital Watch

1. Swans and GWS. Just when they should be dominating with home games, they are folding up under pressure. With no pace, there is a sameness about both of their under performing teams. There will be no cleaning the trophy cupboards there this year. Keep the lock on it. Swans may need to house the spoon. Gold Coast carving it up! Brisbane looking sharp.

2. Bulldogs. Nothing like a player dropping a straightforward ball and giving up a try. Montoya and a few others. Basic errors. Nice to see Foran being offered what he is worth now. Talk about a player getting overs, but his body looks beat now. Steve Georgalis knows his footy, but you get the sense that coaching gig is a poison chalice. Trent Barrett as coach? As talented as he may be, not sure that is what they need right now.

3. Warriors. Another mortifying loss. They have no pride in their jersey at present. They are doing more that just doing every one a favour they are involved in the disrupted 2020 season. They need to work on what they believe as a football team and manage themselves carefully. Their brand could take irreparable damage here. Todd Payton is up against it.

4. Broncos. Isaako also had the dropsies on Friday night to gift a try for Benji. Hands like canoe paddles. Apart from Seibold, there are a few players that need the chop - Croft, Millford, Boyd... all badly out of form and on notice. Lots of injuries, but honestly...48-0 v the Wigers. Pleeease. However, it is worth remembering that it is more important that everyone has fun and tries their best. Even if that means getting rid of the traditional Broncos BBQ! Five wins to keep your job...excuse me?

5. Eels Arrogance? A few wins and you think you are better than you are. Matterson and Ferguson resting or injured? Matterson makes a huge difference to the team. The greats of the game seem to string games together...ask Cameron Smith what he thinks. How Brad Arthur thinks eliminating offloads is a good tactic is beyond me on a slow field. They lacked spark and focus. The tactics were poor on that ground.

6. Michael Jennings seems to have more speed this year and is surging up the all time NRL try scoring list into the top 10 ever, equaling Nathan Merritt with his double! Six more to beat Matt Sing and Hazem El Masri (11 behind ET). How good was Billy Slater?:



7. Paul McGregor. Funny to hear Paul McGregor thanking the Board for their "full support" recently!

8. Ben Stokes. How good is this bloke? Admittedly it was against the Windies, but he gets wickets, big runs and takes amazing catches. Interesting how the Poms produce Botham, Flintoff and Stokes and we produce Trevor Laughlin, Simon O'Donnell, Shane Watson and Hilton Cartwright? We did have Gilchrist however! Windies up 1-0, but you get the feeling that it is not for long. Once Jofra Archer gets back on a seaming deck...curtains.

9. Black Lives Matter (BLM) in South African Cricket/ Rugby. A super hot historical and current issue. Lungi Ngidi their current crack fast bowler is taking them on and shaking up a few of the past players (Symcox, of course) in his BLM stance. Disturbing reports from some former greats of South African cricket - Makhaya Ntini (390 Test wickets) - about how lonely the team bus and team hotel was for him...latent racism and troubling stuff. A huge divide looms here. One to watch.

10. Adelaide AFL Club. When will they stop whinging about a pre-season disaster a few years ago? Surely their poor form and roster is not linked to that. Talk about not owning your own performances.

Tom Papley leading the most goals for the season? Surely that is a sad indictment on the game at present. Plugger used to kick that many in an afternoon.

11. Rugby. Catering for the limited audience involvement and trudging around in a reasonable show of skills. Brumbies too good for Tahs at the last moment, but a few bright lights in the younger brigade on show.

12. A League. Central Coast Mariners. Is it time to shut the joint down? They have really struggled to win anything. They seem incapable of turning any game their way. Professional football requires more than this. They need some significant international investors to buy in and restore the club to a powerhouse.

13. Golf. Is the great game of golf under threat with the antics of a growing number of current players? There have always been a few hot heads (Big Phil Mickelson, Long John Daly, VJ, et al), but the presence of Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed and Bryson De Chambeau seem to be taking the sport into the drink a bit more regularly...

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Wrap - Buddy Hard To Watch

1. Warm Up Injuries. Interesting to see more and more NRL players getting injured in their warm ups - Morris (Roosters), Liam Knight (Rabbits), Tom Eisenhuth (Storm)? This is ridiculous. They crap around for too long with silly run throughs. In the old days, Reserve Grade used to play and you would never get on the field to muck around. There is too much silly shoulder rubbing and internal run throughs. Honestly, what happened to the footy being passed round the circle, muck around kicks for goal, drop kicks off the tryline to try and thread the posts...field goals...

2. NRL Haircuts. Why do so many players look like they have their hair cut by the council at the moment?

3. Melbourne. First they completely stuff up COVID-19, then we change the world for them. They get special treatment everywhere they look. The refereeing to allow them extra time at goaline drop outs and extras here and there is masterful, but the web is tightening around them. The wrestle that has plagued the game has been removed, but not completely...the slow play the balls have been eliminated. Through all this, injuries and new signings, Melbourne Storm keep surging ahead. Would it be wise for the Bulldogs or Warriors to sign Cameron Smith up as their long term coach?

4. Broncos. You can stop crying now. They beat the Bulldogs. Dean Pay is shot and has been telling people for some time. I think the exit of Foran, Hopoate and a few others will help ...more pace out wide and some leadership in the backs will do the trick. Their forwards have slow feet (Tolman, Jackson)...it is a brutal game. The new Englishman forward, Luke Thompson, looks like a young James Graham. Not very creative, but tough. The life of an NRL forward is very limited. Leg speed matters.

Manly were absolutely pole axed by St George. Their best win in a long time. They have some talent in their side...Sims makes a big difference. Young Lomax is really stepping up.

Loving some of the big hits on the attacking players in these wrap/ decoy plays.

5. Ill Discipline. Joey Leulia and Hudson Young..maybe Josh Maguire...are these the most ill disciplined players in the NRL? Nathan Brown (Parramatta) is up there.

6. Bunker. Sick to death of bunker decisions which over assess the play. Can we get rid of it? The single referee has barely raised an eyebrow of difference, outside of some dodgy touch judge forward pass calls. Back to the original model? Or in goal touch judges perhaps? Live decisions are always best.

7. West Indies. It is a shame they are not as terrifying as they once were. The fear of batsmen in the 1980s was something else. They can play one or maybe two good test innings... but never four innings. England at home under sunny skies will punish you. A tricky chase of 200 or so will be interesting when James Anderson is playing. Hard to believe you drop Stuart Broad. He has almost taken 500 test wickers and is one of the game's most elite players ever. He specialises in winning games in England in the fourth innings.

8. EPL Relegation. Norwich are gone. Bournemouth and Aston Villa look like joining them. Liverpool are within an ace of 100 point season... a remarkable sign of domination, despite picking up a draw with Burnley at Anfield overnight. Leicester and ManU have a chance to leapfrog Chelsea into the top four as well.

9. AFL. Hard to knock Port Adelaide's domination. Lots of ups and downs for GWS continue and the Swans are cooked. Their poor recruitment of lots of midfielders and very few blokes with speed is hurting them now. They got focused on a certain style of player - Heeney, Mills... What an atrocious style of play they are bringing to the game each week. How long away is Buddy Franklin. There is no doubting he will be fresh when he arrives back. He's been injured for over a year!

10. Super Rugby. No one is quite clear what is going on with this sport, but the Waratahs had a win (just) over the Force who would be happy COVID-19 arrived. A lifeline.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Wrap - Something In The Water

1. COVID-19 Crazies. Put down Joey Leilua as the goose of the week. He loses it too regularly, but has a lot of ability. He needs to show more guidance for the younger players like Tommy Talau and play without chronic errors. Ricky Stuart got some good work out of him (until the GF) last year but the Tigers have not got the discipline or talent. They lack halves speed. Simple. However good Josh Reynolds has been, he is dogged and tough, but too slow. Same with Benji. The quicker teams run rings around you. Look at the Roosters. Blistering. Even Michael Jennings is showing the same turn of foot that he showed running from the coppers at PJ Gallaghers in Parramatta all those years ago.

2. COVID-19 Crazies. The Fonua-Blake bust up late for Manly v Newcastle was not good, but I suspect Jake Trobjevic giving it to the touch judge was no better. Their discipline was out and Des Hasler needs to eliminate this outdated  'whinging Manly' culture if they are to make finals and excel.

Surprised to see the red headed Canberra dude - Corey Horsburgh - admit to acts of madness himself in the past and as late as last week. Target drawn and being coloured in right now, ready for his return to the field.

3. Sivo, Sivo, Sivo. He did an absolute number on Kyle Feldt (who still has the best kick off in the NRL it must be said). Makai Sivo has done wonderfully well since coming from Penrith. Brad Arthur has a set of forwards who are pretty dominant and physical now...Campbell-Gillard, Nathan Brown,  Oregon Kafusi...fast feet. The footwork, step and offloads of Junior Paulo is exceptional. He is a super talented player - up there with David Solomona in his hey day.

4.  EPL. Wolves and Sheffield United are making ground on the big name clubs in the EPL. ManU are rebounding and the drop zone relegation battle is outstanding. Norwich are gone, but West Ham are holding strong and so are Brighton. Watford, Aston Villa and Bournemouth are nearby... all the while, Leeds are ready to spring back into the top flight football from the Championship. It has been a long time coming!

5. AFL Bubble. Victoria has absolutely dropped the ball with coronavirus and as a result the AFL is in turmoil. They have not really done COVID-19 really well at all down there. Players travelling, not travelling... some think they are in Africa. What do cricketers do all year long?

6. AFL. GWS are making a resurgence after a slow post COVID-19 start. Brisbane are flying under the radar too. What has happened to the once proud Melbourne AFL club? They continue to disappoint badly!

7. Eric The Injured. Not since the twilight of Eric Grothe Senior's career have we seen such injuries...Buddy Franklin or Matt 'Hamstrings' Moylan for the most injured modern footballer?

8. Broncos Demise. I think we are all supposed to be in tears about the Broncos situation. Does anyone care and what makes them so special? Maybe only that they have all the talent in Brisbane and Queensland at their disposal. Can't wait for State of Origin again.

9. Bronson Xerri. That B Sample should be arriving any day now...