thanks mate, i will be at the dairy first thing to get a couple of copies
how many years has it been since they had an old school sit down pic, i like this, but the 'warriors forever' font looks quite cheap
Gameday < 2021 Warriors Offseason/Preseason 2014
- Thread starter mt.wellington
- Start date
All games pre 2021
- Status
thanks mate, i will be at the dairy first thing to get a couple of copies
how many years has it been since they had an old school sit down pic, i like this, but the 'warriors forever' font looks quite cheap
In the mornings 7.00 - 9.00 they often have Matty, Friendy or Sam T on the show and a good link with Brannigan in Oz on a Friday 8.30.
NRL pre-season power rankings
By Matt Encarnacion & Tony Webeck
NRL.com
3:00pm Fri 28th February, 2014
Share
Print
Decrease Font
Increase Font
RSS
The North Queensland Cowboys made the perfect start to 2013. Photo: photosport.co.nz
As the feet get itchy and the fingers get twitchy in anticipation of next Thursday's NRL season-opener, we look at a hypothetical table in search for a hypothetical pre-season winner.
Here's how we rank the 16 NRL clubs based purely on their pre-season results.
1. North Queensland Cowboys
Beat Broncos 32-8, beat Titans 28-12, won the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines.
The Cowboys have come away as the hottest team in the competition after the summer. Not even the loss of starting fullback Lachlan Coote for most of the year could dampen a pre-season that included a Nines trophy and two big wins over Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Rookie coach Paul Green must be ecstatic with their defence – they held the Warriors to nil in the Nines semi-final and conceded just 20 points in their other two trials. Michael Morgan's 60-minute audition for the vacant fullback position looks set to earn him the lead role while Tariq Sims and Jason Taumalolo have been terrorising edge defenders with their powerful runs and sharp footwork at the line. Having taken a couple of years to progress to the top grade, winger Kyle Feldt was named breakout player of the Auckland Nines courtesy of some spectacular try-scoring acrobatics and is on track to become a permanent member of the Cowboys' starting side.
2. Warriors
Lost to Wigan 46-22, beat Broncos 48-4, reached the Auckland Nines semi-finals.
Their reserve grade side were taught a lesson against a visiting Wigan team, but that was before Shaun Johnson and Sam Tomkins brought Hollywood to Auckland, starring in the Nines where fatigue got the better of them on the second day. Johnson and his mates proved they can also play 13-a-side by thumping the Broncos. FYI, the only time they left New Zealand during the pre-season was for the season launch.
3. South Sydney Rabbitohs
Beat Dragons 38-20, beat Bulldogs 28-20, reached the Nines quarter-finals.
Another team hit hard by a serious injury to a key player – this time to rising five-eighth Luke Keary, who tore his pectoral in the Nines. More bad news came in the form of Sam Burgess's announcement he's leaving for England in November, but at least the side nabbed strong wins over Canterbury-Bankstown in the Back to Belmore clash and the Dragons in the Charity Shield.
4. Sydney Roosters
Beat Wigan 36-14, lost to Panthers 52-4 (as NSW Cup side Newtown), beat Knights 32-4, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
You can disregard Newtown's 52-4 loss to Penrith, but that's where Roger Tuivasa-Sheck began skywalking again. The defending premiers did flex their muscles in a trial against Newcastle, and put their foot down again in their World Club Challenge victory over Wigan. More importantly for coach Trent Robinson though they also came through unscathed. Deserved premiership favourites.
5. Newcastle Knights
Beat First Nations Goannas 52-12, lost to Roosters 32-4, beat Raiders 34-14, reached the Nines quarter-finals.
We all winced in unity when Jarrod Mullen clutched his hamstring in the Nines. He's out for four months. The returning Clint Newton is also set for a long stint on the sidelines with a bicep injury. Wayne Bennett's experiment of using Darius Boyd in the No.6 for their final trial game worked a treat – they smashed Canberra 34-14 with comeback kid Kurt Gidley enjoying a cameo. Their other win came against the First Nations Goannas team during the Indigenous Festival of Rugby League in Newcastle.
6. Wests Tigers
Lost to Eels 60-14, beat Panthers 32-8, beat Sharks 28-22, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Played their second-graders against Parramatta's first-graders in Alice Springs but were killed off early in the group of death at the Nines. Showed a lot of improvement against the Panthers and Sharks though. Their main problem remains with the merciless footballing gods. You won't see Dene Halatau (ankle, trial) and Curtis Sironen (foot, Nines) for a long time.
7. Cronulla Sharks
Lost to Tigers 28-22, beat Manly 24-12, reached Nines semi-finals.
They'll be without their head coach for a while (pending an appeal), but they still secured a good win against Manly, backed it up with a semi-final finish in the Nines and then lost a close one to the Tigers. Injuries are mounting: Jeff Robson (facial fractures), Luke Lewis (shoulder) and Anthony Tupou (knee) haven't left the Shire, while Todd Carney (hamstring) and Beau Ryan (neck) are in doubt for Round 1.
8. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Lost to Rabbitohs 28-20, beat the Storm 20-10, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Most of the Bulldogs' pre-season was about looking for a fullback but what they found instead was a playmaker by way of youngster Moses Mbye, who starred in the Nines and in a win against the Storm. The Back to Belmore loss to South Sydney was mostly about getting minutes under the belt for most of the squad, and they sent a school of kids to the Nines. Sam Perrett looks likely to start the year at fullback, but Josh Reynolds (shoulder) and Reni Maitua (groin) haven't played a game yet.
9. Panthers
Lost to Wests Tigers 32-8, beat Wentworthville 52-10, beat Newtown 52-4, reached Nines quarter-finals.
It's difficult to judge the Panthers' pre-season, given their two wins came against below-strength teams and their single loss came when they were undermanned themselves. A quarter-final finish in the Auckland Nines came at a price – back-ups George Jennings, Eto Nabuli and Wes Naiqama all came away with medium-term injuries.
10. Manly Sea Eagles
Beat Eels 28-24, lost to Sharks 24-12, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Manly's late comeback to beat the Eels was hectic. There was a real scare though when winger Jorge Taufua (shoulder) went down but he'll be back for Round 3. They could've been without both their wingers after David Williams (knee) got hurt in the Nines but he's likely for Round 1. Prop Jason King should be right too, but he hasn't played any football since early last year.
11. Parramatta Eels
Beat Tigers 60-14, lost to Manly 28-24, reached Nines quarter-finals.
Put the sword through a Tigers' NSW Cup side in the Alice and were impressive enough to make the quarter-finals in the Nines, but lost concentration against Manly. Interestingly, new coach Brad Arthur has already pencilled Luke Kelly to start the year in Chris Sandow's old halfback jumper. There are positives signs though.
12. Gold Coast Titans
Lost to Cowboys 28-12, beat Warriors 36-18, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
An encouraging first-up win over a youthful Warriors side was tempered by a disappointing showing at the Auckland Nines and then a 28-12 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys. Five-eighth Aidan Sezer missed both the Warriors game and the Nines and Ryan James remains in doubt for Round 1 with a shoulder injury suffered in the opening trial game. Amid an injury crisis in the hooking ranks rookie Paul Carter proved a revelation but he is himself in a moon boot currently having had injections for an ankle injury. Despite the niggling injuries, there has been some good news, with co-captain Nate Myles expected to be fit for Round 1 following groin surgery and Albert Kelly's issues with veins in his foot seemingly resolved. At the club's season launch on Thursday night, coach John Cartwright described this group as the most united he has seen in his time at the club.
13. Canberra Raiders
Lost to Knights 34-14, beat Storm 20-12, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Did enough to defeat a 'Big Three'-less Storm side but a poor first half against Newcastle gave new coach Ricky Stuart plenty to think about. The good news is that Terry Campese survived his first pre-season since he had hair, although prop David Shillington (ribs) will be a scratch for the first fortnight of the season.
14. Brisbane Broncos
Lost to Warriors 48-4, lost to Cowboys 32-8, reached the Auckland Nines final.
Many nervous types in Brisbane are familiarising themselves with where the panic button is currently located but those inside Broncos HQ insist trial form means nothing. And they'd want to hope that is true. A 32-8 loss to the Cowboys and 48-4 hammering at the hands of the Warriors took the gloss off a Nines showing where a near full-strength Broncos squad made the final. The search for a halves partner for Ben Hunt continues following a serious knee injury to Jordan Kahu and the question remains as to how long it will take Ben Barba to recapture anything like his form of 2012. The emotional return of Jharal Yow Yeh was a rare bright spot but somehow in the next seven days Brisbane needs to find a much better attitude in defence.
15. St George Illawarra Dragons
Beat Mudgee/Illawarra Cutters 60-12, lost to Souths 38-20, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Don't be fooled by their point-scoring blitz against a combined Mudgee/Illawarra outfit, especially after their meek showing in the Nines and in the Charity Shield against the Rabbitohs. When captain Ben Creagh is seeking more effort from his team at this stage of the season, it doesn't look positive for the year ahead. News that Josh Dugan (knee) is out for a month doesn't help things.
16. Melbourne Storm
Lost to Easts Tigers 16-12, lost to Bulldogs 20-10, lost to Raiders 20-12, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
No one really cares that they're this low since they were without their Big Three for the entire pre-season. But three losses is three losses, so heaven help them if Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk or Cameron Smith get hurt during the season. Losing Matt Duffie (ACL) to another season-ending injury sucks, while Justin O'Neill (knee) and Ryan Hinchcliffe (ankle) mightn't be ready for the season either.
By Matt Encarnacion & Tony Webeck
NRL.com
3:00pm Fri 28th February, 2014
Share
Decrease Font
Increase Font
RSS
The North Queensland Cowboys made the perfect start to 2013. Photo: photosport.co.nz
As the feet get itchy and the fingers get twitchy in anticipation of next Thursday's NRL season-opener, we look at a hypothetical table in search for a hypothetical pre-season winner.
Here's how we rank the 16 NRL clubs based purely on their pre-season results.
1. North Queensland Cowboys
Beat Broncos 32-8, beat Titans 28-12, won the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines.
The Cowboys have come away as the hottest team in the competition after the summer. Not even the loss of starting fullback Lachlan Coote for most of the year could dampen a pre-season that included a Nines trophy and two big wins over Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Rookie coach Paul Green must be ecstatic with their defence – they held the Warriors to nil in the Nines semi-final and conceded just 20 points in their other two trials. Michael Morgan's 60-minute audition for the vacant fullback position looks set to earn him the lead role while Tariq Sims and Jason Taumalolo have been terrorising edge defenders with their powerful runs and sharp footwork at the line. Having taken a couple of years to progress to the top grade, winger Kyle Feldt was named breakout player of the Auckland Nines courtesy of some spectacular try-scoring acrobatics and is on track to become a permanent member of the Cowboys' starting side.
2. Warriors
Lost to Wigan 46-22, beat Broncos 48-4, reached the Auckland Nines semi-finals.
Their reserve grade side were taught a lesson against a visiting Wigan team, but that was before Shaun Johnson and Sam Tomkins brought Hollywood to Auckland, starring in the Nines where fatigue got the better of them on the second day. Johnson and his mates proved they can also play 13-a-side by thumping the Broncos. FYI, the only time they left New Zealand during the pre-season was for the season launch.
3. South Sydney Rabbitohs
Beat Dragons 38-20, beat Bulldogs 28-20, reached the Nines quarter-finals.
Another team hit hard by a serious injury to a key player – this time to rising five-eighth Luke Keary, who tore his pectoral in the Nines. More bad news came in the form of Sam Burgess's announcement he's leaving for England in November, but at least the side nabbed strong wins over Canterbury-Bankstown in the Back to Belmore clash and the Dragons in the Charity Shield.
4. Sydney Roosters
Beat Wigan 36-14, lost to Panthers 52-4 (as NSW Cup side Newtown), beat Knights 32-4, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
You can disregard Newtown's 52-4 loss to Penrith, but that's where Roger Tuivasa-Sheck began skywalking again. The defending premiers did flex their muscles in a trial against Newcastle, and put their foot down again in their World Club Challenge victory over Wigan. More importantly for coach Trent Robinson though they also came through unscathed. Deserved premiership favourites.
5. Newcastle Knights
Beat First Nations Goannas 52-12, lost to Roosters 32-4, beat Raiders 34-14, reached the Nines quarter-finals.
We all winced in unity when Jarrod Mullen clutched his hamstring in the Nines. He's out for four months. The returning Clint Newton is also set for a long stint on the sidelines with a bicep injury. Wayne Bennett's experiment of using Darius Boyd in the No.6 for their final trial game worked a treat – they smashed Canberra 34-14 with comeback kid Kurt Gidley enjoying a cameo. Their other win came against the First Nations Goannas team during the Indigenous Festival of Rugby League in Newcastle.
6. Wests Tigers
Lost to Eels 60-14, beat Panthers 32-8, beat Sharks 28-22, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Played their second-graders against Parramatta's first-graders in Alice Springs but were killed off early in the group of death at the Nines. Showed a lot of improvement against the Panthers and Sharks though. Their main problem remains with the merciless footballing gods. You won't see Dene Halatau (ankle, trial) and Curtis Sironen (foot, Nines) for a long time.
7. Cronulla Sharks
Lost to Tigers 28-22, beat Manly 24-12, reached Nines semi-finals.
They'll be without their head coach for a while (pending an appeal), but they still secured a good win against Manly, backed it up with a semi-final finish in the Nines and then lost a close one to the Tigers. Injuries are mounting: Jeff Robson (facial fractures), Luke Lewis (shoulder) and Anthony Tupou (knee) haven't left the Shire, while Todd Carney (hamstring) and Beau Ryan (neck) are in doubt for Round 1.
8. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Lost to Rabbitohs 28-20, beat the Storm 20-10, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Most of the Bulldogs' pre-season was about looking for a fullback but what they found instead was a playmaker by way of youngster Moses Mbye, who starred in the Nines and in a win against the Storm. The Back to Belmore loss to South Sydney was mostly about getting minutes under the belt for most of the squad, and they sent a school of kids to the Nines. Sam Perrett looks likely to start the year at fullback, but Josh Reynolds (shoulder) and Reni Maitua (groin) haven't played a game yet.
9. Panthers
Lost to Wests Tigers 32-8, beat Wentworthville 52-10, beat Newtown 52-4, reached Nines quarter-finals.
It's difficult to judge the Panthers' pre-season, given their two wins came against below-strength teams and their single loss came when they were undermanned themselves. A quarter-final finish in the Auckland Nines came at a price – back-ups George Jennings, Eto Nabuli and Wes Naiqama all came away with medium-term injuries.
10. Manly Sea Eagles
Beat Eels 28-24, lost to Sharks 24-12, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Manly's late comeback to beat the Eels was hectic. There was a real scare though when winger Jorge Taufua (shoulder) went down but he'll be back for Round 3. They could've been without both their wingers after David Williams (knee) got hurt in the Nines but he's likely for Round 1. Prop Jason King should be right too, but he hasn't played any football since early last year.
11. Parramatta Eels
Beat Tigers 60-14, lost to Manly 28-24, reached Nines quarter-finals.
Put the sword through a Tigers' NSW Cup side in the Alice and were impressive enough to make the quarter-finals in the Nines, but lost concentration against Manly. Interestingly, new coach Brad Arthur has already pencilled Luke Kelly to start the year in Chris Sandow's old halfback jumper. There are positives signs though.
12. Gold Coast Titans
Lost to Cowboys 28-12, beat Warriors 36-18, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
An encouraging first-up win over a youthful Warriors side was tempered by a disappointing showing at the Auckland Nines and then a 28-12 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys. Five-eighth Aidan Sezer missed both the Warriors game and the Nines and Ryan James remains in doubt for Round 1 with a shoulder injury suffered in the opening trial game. Amid an injury crisis in the hooking ranks rookie Paul Carter proved a revelation but he is himself in a moon boot currently having had injections for an ankle injury. Despite the niggling injuries, there has been some good news, with co-captain Nate Myles expected to be fit for Round 1 following groin surgery and Albert Kelly's issues with veins in his foot seemingly resolved. At the club's season launch on Thursday night, coach John Cartwright described this group as the most united he has seen in his time at the club.
13. Canberra Raiders
Lost to Knights 34-14, beat Storm 20-12, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Did enough to defeat a 'Big Three'-less Storm side but a poor first half against Newcastle gave new coach Ricky Stuart plenty to think about. The good news is that Terry Campese survived his first pre-season since he had hair, although prop David Shillington (ribs) will be a scratch for the first fortnight of the season.
14. Brisbane Broncos
Lost to Warriors 48-4, lost to Cowboys 32-8, reached the Auckland Nines final.
Many nervous types in Brisbane are familiarising themselves with where the panic button is currently located but those inside Broncos HQ insist trial form means nothing. And they'd want to hope that is true. A 32-8 loss to the Cowboys and 48-4 hammering at the hands of the Warriors took the gloss off a Nines showing where a near full-strength Broncos squad made the final. The search for a halves partner for Ben Hunt continues following a serious knee injury to Jordan Kahu and the question remains as to how long it will take Ben Barba to recapture anything like his form of 2012. The emotional return of Jharal Yow Yeh was a rare bright spot but somehow in the next seven days Brisbane needs to find a much better attitude in defence.
15. St George Illawarra Dragons
Beat Mudgee/Illawarra Cutters 60-12, lost to Souths 38-20, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
Don't be fooled by their point-scoring blitz against a combined Mudgee/Illawarra outfit, especially after their meek showing in the Nines and in the Charity Shield against the Rabbitohs. When captain Ben Creagh is seeking more effort from his team at this stage of the season, it doesn't look positive for the year ahead. News that Josh Dugan (knee) is out for a month doesn't help things.
16. Melbourne Storm
Lost to Easts Tigers 16-12, lost to Bulldogs 20-10, lost to Raiders 20-12, bowed out of the Nines group stage.
No one really cares that they're this low since they were without their Big Three for the entire pre-season. But three losses is three losses, so heaven help them if Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk or Cameron Smith get hurt during the season. Losing Matt Duffie (ACL) to another season-ending injury sucks, while Justin O'Neill (knee) and Ryan Hinchcliffe (ankle) mightn't be ready for the season either.
Cheers for that.
The very best Material in on the radio....something about Radio gets people talking ( fear of awkward silence perhaps ).....last year Mcfadden for instance....leaked the signing of Tomkins on Radio sport.....gold.
Yea I read that just before myself, looks good early season form for the Warriors, but as you guys are always saying early season form doesn't count for anything if you don't back it up in the nrl propper.
The early season means nothing is for good reason ( because in the past it's true ).
For me it the optimism comes from changes to the core elements of the team, not so much about us playing well , good attitude etc...that stuffs an added bonus.
The smart spine players from structured systems ( playing for schools from that young age ) have been added in ( Tomkins / Townsend ) and you have to go back to Jones to find a player of the class of Tomkins in the Warriors system ( spine player ).
Johnson has become somewhat Like Lance Hohaia with the changes ( an invaluable unstoppable ball runner ) only Johnson is likely to be better than Hohaia because he is there for eighty minutes.
It's a radically different configuration to our past sides ( the strength being loaded right across the spine versus the past which has seen all responsibility resting on the shoulders of one NZ spine player and a useful Aussie ).
The best teams we have had could count on three spine players Hooker , Half and Fullback.
This team has Hooker , Half , Fullback and Stand off looking structured,
In all honesty, we've never seen a Warriors side like this one.
I expected the slick backline ball movement to be generated by Tomkins and Townsend , forget what I've been banging on about those two check out the replays folks.
There's an article on stuff.co.nz today about Koni's over-eating during his summer break.
In summary, yes, he put on 10kg and he acknowledges letting his team-mates down etc etc, but it was nothing that some intense sessions with Ruben Wiki couldn't put right, he said. And that has now happened, he's shed those 10 kilos. And he's carrying on working on his fitness and defence. He wants to win a premiership and play every match this year bla bla but faces competition for his spot from (shock horror!) Carlos, he says, who (alarmingly) has been told to specialise in being a centre this season.
Carlos to take Koni's place at centre?! WTF!!!
In summary, yes, he put on 10kg and he acknowledges letting his team-mates down etc etc, but it was nothing that some intense sessions with Ruben Wiki couldn't put right, he said. And that has now happened, he's shed those 10 kilos. And he's carrying on working on his fitness and defence. He wants to win a premiership and play every match this year bla bla but faces competition for his spot from (shock horror!) Carlos, he says, who (alarmingly) has been told to specialise in being a centre this season.
Carlos to take Koni's place at centre?! WTF!!!
I don't care that Konrad has now lost the weight. All that means is that he has lost time in getting prepared for this season. While everyone else was out getting fit, konni was eating pies. While everyone else was working on improving their fitness, konni was getting back to where he was last year. For a guy who struggled last year and had to have a man on the bench to cover his fitness you would think he would be the one working the hardest to improve.
Another thing that pissed me off was that he talked about wanting to make the kiwis Anzac team. Talk is easy mate, show us that you don't want to let the team down and show us that you want that kiwis spot. 1 good action is worth 1000 good intentions. Grow up mate.
Another thing that pissed me off was that he talked about wanting to make the kiwis Anzac team. Talk is easy mate, show us that you don't want to let the team down and show us that you want that kiwis spot. 1 good action is worth 1000 good intentions. Grow up mate.
cant fault his attitude at this point though,least he aint throwing his toys out the cot & obviously taking responsibility for his actions
'I don't mind who's going to play, it's all about what's best for the team and the coach will do what he thinks is the best,'' Hurrell said.
''It's up to me and Carlos about who's going to train harder and better, there's a bit of competition there but we both want what's best for the team.''
Hope Carlos has learnt to tackle in the off season. It's not like he is a tiny dude. He should be doing some special classes with Nielson, Friend etc where Matulino tries to steamroll him or Shaun Johnson tries to evade him. Something of that nature, at least.
hopefully hes viewed some old footage & asked for some tips from his Uncle Tony Tuimavave,the best tackler ive personally ever seen in the history of the Warriors!
although the tackling technique has pretty much evolved since then to wrapping the ball & all as a priority,the simplicity of it still is,take out the oppostions legs with full force like Tony use to do & they going nowhere,also making a well executed off-load harder to produce,...this should be the smaller blokes on the fields priority in defence against the bigger blokes,instead of trying to go high & coming off 2nd best majority of the time
Last edited:
I didn't read his attitude as positively as you did. When I read it, the bit about a bit of Wiki love getting him back to where he needed to be as a bit of a cop-out. He has come back each season out of shape, and he is saying with a little extra training he can get it back. Seems like he is preparing for the feasting in the next off-season. This is where hard trainers deserve it over players who are told too often how good they are. Laumape and Kata have the attitude and the drive I want to see running out there all season, and I know that they will probably come back next year in the same or better shape than they are now, unlike Konrad. We lose very little with these other two, but we don't have to worry about whether they have the stamina to last, or whether there is the inevitable brain explosion, or limp.
I feel for Ngani that Carlos is being ranked ahead of him. Seems odd, but ME has clearly pegged him as wing cover. Which also probably means Nielson has his spot sewn up.
Everything you said about Tony the Chief is true.
Toughest nut around , pound for pound in the Warriors D line. Not a big dude and if he had the running game of Campion would have been revered more than he is now.
We had some intimidating forwards in those days , in a pub fight he would be the one I'd look out for lol.
Could tell some stories but that would derail too far...still I saw Tony have a go at the ring pub fights at the Power station ( the tough man comp ). In open division there was only really two guys who were stand outs to make the Final , Tuimavave and a Bouncer ( forgot your name sorry brother ). Heavily built brawler versus tough nut big motor fight.
Tuimavave took it out , just never stopped throwing.
mt.wellington
Warriors Orange Peeler
One thing that I really hate is how a good solid tackle around the legs is actually penalised now. As you say the tackle has morphed into more of a Jiu jitsu wrestling move then the more traditional footy tackle. It stops a potential offload and mainly slows the play down but I do wish they created an incentive for good smash him in the guts tackling.
We dont have to look far though for a master to teach anyone. Simon Mannering is one of the best in the game. He does have a height advantage over most of the other players but his technique is flawless and is something he can pass down to anyone...
I agree, I think so would guys like Fittler and Stirling. At the point where a player is not able to offload under the laws the refs should toughen up to make tacklers release. It is at the end of the day a ploy to slow play down. Perhaps a good one on one old school low tackle could be classed as dominant. Then again I want to get the refs out of the game as much as possible.
That's the thing I like about world cups. PNG un polluted by the NRL just hit front on or smash low and hard. It dated them as far as current footy strategy goes but they were a reminder of the old days.
The wrestling has wrecked the sport. Origin is so Gay now by comparison to Mark Carol Versus Paul Harigan.....it really is a poofter contest by comparison.
Perhaps the NRL will find a way to make the grappling irrelevant ( get rid of the dominant tackle rule and make it about releasing within a set time frame monitored by another time keeper as in basketball and the shot clock ).
The wrestling has wrecked the sport. Origin is so Gay now by comparison to Mark Carol Versus Paul Harigan.....it really is a poofter contest by comparison.
Perhaps the NRL will find a way to make the grappling irrelevant ( get rid of the dominant tackle rule and make it about releasing within a set time frame monitored by another time keeper as in basketball and the shot clock ).
Hate the wrestling. The Storm may have started it but Souths are by far the worst offenders these days. They flip a player onto their back after they have hit the ground and been stopped, its blatant. Isaac Luke is the player that stands out for me when it comes to wrestling
Sorry if this has been posted already (or if I'm in the wrong place). Got sent this excerpt from a new story on Friday.
Vatuvei went into last season in great shape, having prepared for the Fight for Life boxing contest against Eric Murray, but his off-season this time around was vastly different.
``This summer I didn't do too much,'' he said. ``I had six weeks off after World Cup and went to Samoa to my wife's village. I just ate what I have always wanted to eat, like junk food.
``I came back about 110kg but I'm back to my match weight of about 106kg-107kg. I'm in good shape now so everything is going well.''
Couple of questions that others will be able to answer:
Isn't Manu Hurrell's mentor in the team?
When he came back from FFL training at around 102/3kg, am I right that Manu was going on about how much fitter and better he felt than his previous playing weight of 106kg?
If my recollection is correct, given that the 4kg difference was more likely due to improved cardio than a pro-boxer's weight cutting, I'm seriously questioning Manu's approach to the game, and with his off-season, you really have to wonder whether he's the right player to mentor anyone.
Vatuvei went into last season in great shape, having prepared for the Fight for Life boxing contest against Eric Murray, but his off-season this time around was vastly different.
``This summer I didn't do too much,'' he said. ``I had six weeks off after World Cup and went to Samoa to my wife's village. I just ate what I have always wanted to eat, like junk food.
``I came back about 110kg but I'm back to my match weight of about 106kg-107kg. I'm in good shape now so everything is going well.''
Couple of questions that others will be able to answer:
Isn't Manu Hurrell's mentor in the team?
When he came back from FFL training at around 102/3kg, am I right that Manu was going on about how much fitter and better he felt than his previous playing weight of 106kg?
If my recollection is correct, given that the 4kg difference was more likely due to improved cardio than a pro-boxer's weight cutting, I'm seriously questioning Manu's approach to the game, and with his off-season, you really have to wonder whether he's the right player to mentor anyone.
Backyard tattoo at best. Looks like the Vibe Gang or whatever the fuck they called themselves have created a legacy.
- Status
