The Football (all sorts) Thread

The Tigers actually have 3 potential champion halves in the junior ranks. Tim Moltzen, Wade Dunley and Blake Lazarus are all former australian schoolboys. Although Dunley and Lazarus are untested in first grade and I think they will do well. Tim Moltzen did alright in first grade but developed too much of an ego. He needs to be brought down a peg or two.

Overall I feel all these guys are still too immature for first grade. Sheens needs another champion halfback for a couple of years to help groom these kids.

Actually I think Sheens needs to clean out the Tigers much like what happened at the Knights. Too many players resting on their laurels after 2005.

Judging by their performance in the Toyota Cup I think Canberra should invest heavily in their juniors because they have a real champion team there.

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Originally Posted by Bartrim

The Tigers actually have 3 potential champion halves in the junior ranks. Tim Moltzen, Wade Dunley and Blake Lazarus are all former australian schoolboys. Although Dunley and Lazarus are untested in first grade and I think they will do well. Tim Moltzen did alright in first grade but developed too much of an ego. He needs to be brought down a peg or two.

Overall I feel all these guys are still too immature for first grade. Sheens needs another champion halfback for a couple of years to help groom these kids.

Actually I think Sheens needs to clean out the Tigers much like what happened at the Knights. Too many players resting on their laurels after 2005.

Judging by their performance in the Toyota Cup I think Canberra should invest heavily in their juniors because they have a real champion team there.

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the Tigers forwards should be better next year with the arrival of Gareth Ellis from ESL & Dane Laurie/"Keef" Galloway emerging as two of the best young front rowers in the game

Farah will more than likely be No.7 next year unless a minor miracle happens like Josh Lewis learning how to tackle or do anything else apart from having a great kicking game:p

players i think are on the outer at the Tigers:
Bryce Gibbs (Idiot)
Liam Fulton (Good Player but lacks size)
Dean Collis (Injury Prone)
Bronson Harrison (signed with Raiders for 2009)
Todd Payten (rumoured to be going to Celtic Crusaders with O'Hara & "Dell"):mad:

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Originally Posted by Bartrim

Actually I think Sheens needs to clean out the Tigers much like what happened at the Knights. Too many players resting on their laurels after 2005.

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I wouldnt wish getting Brian Smith and a bunch on St George rejects on anybody, not even Easts. :p
I have to admit Newcastle played very well this year, but if it weren't for Kurt Gidley and Buderus, I think the Knights would have been in 12-13th spot, and I expect that kind of result next year, without the extra 10% Buderus gives them,they won't be winning those tight games.

Was not aware of the Tigers juniors, but the Tigers, Panthers, Eels and St George have a big job ahead of them to keep most of their juniors now, since Easts have decided to not field SG Ball or other junior teams, to save money. Funny how the team that rorts the salary cap the most has to drop their juniors (that were almost all stolen anyway). More of a reason to make any under 21 player poached from another junior area worth 125% of their salary, make the clubs doing nothing for junior footy pay through the nose for it.

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Originally Posted by Rampage

the Tigers forwards should be better next year with the arrival of Gareth Ellis from ESL & Dane Laurie/"Keef" Galloway emerging as two of the best young front rowers in the game

Farah will more than likely be No.7 next year unless a minor miracle happens like Josh Lewis learning how to tackle or do anything else apart from having a great kicking game:p

players i think are on the outer at the Tigers:
Bryce Gibbs (Idiot)
Liam Fulton (Good Player but lacks size)
Dean Collis (Injury Prone)
Bronson Harrison (signed with Raiders for 2009)
Todd Payten (rumoured to be going to Celtic Crusaders with O'Hara & "Dell"):mad:

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What I saw of Josh Lewis this year his kicking game wasn't that great.

I heard management denied Paytens request.

Oh and add Tuiaki to that clean. He's done nothing.

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Originally Posted by Bartrim

Oh and add Tuiaki to that clean. He's done nothing.

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he hasn't been the same since Travis Burns KTFO him earlier in the season:eek:

Well, I'm not a Manly Fan but I'm a fan of Steve Menzies & for that reason alone - I've got a huge ":)" on my face...

haha yeah while i dislike manly like most league fans, i don't mind the beaver and i'm also quite fond of the wolfman, but still disappointed..

manly just wanted it more though, even if we did have cam smith and hoffman, they don't make us a 40 point better team... we looked flat all finals since that loss to warriors, and to be honest we got out of jail against the broncos in the last minute, which was a match where we probably didn't really deserve to win by the way we were playing.. and that thrashing of cronulla made us look in better form than we actually were, cronulla were also lucky to make it that far..

but in the end, like in all grand finals in every sport, anyone can win on the day, and manly wanted it more and deserved to win... it was like we didn't even turn up to play..

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Originally Posted by jacksplatt11

it was like we didn't even turn up to play..

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I agree totally. All my mates and all I can see it from the get go. They ran in straight lines, didn't go down the line and change it up. Their body language wasn't very good. Maybe time to re-energise the ranks and re-motivate them. It was biting loss.

Well, You guys belted Manly last year & today they got one back on ya... *shrugs*

The same thing happened with my team (The Panthers) in '90 & '91. Canberra beat us in '90 & losing a Grand Final is indescribable... :( Well, we got Canberra back the following year & the planets were re-aligned in orbit :D

Even though you're losing Folau, I'm sure you'll find plenty of guys ready to step up... :)

yep you're right, its funny how things like that happen... we lost in 06, came back to win in 07, then manly came back in 08, so hopefully 09 will be storms year again :D

also, think of the afl, us kangas back in 98 lost, then won in 99.. sydney beat eagles 05, eagles beat sydney 06... funny how things happen like that..

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Originally Posted by Pulse

Even though you're losing Folau, I'm sure you'll find plenty of guys ready to step up... :)

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izzy is a huge loss, only his second year and he is a superstar, and will only get better, numerous times today it he tried his hardest and made a lot of good breaks, but had no-one there with him in support.. would love to keep him at the storm, but unfortunately money talks, and when you can only spend 10 or so years in the sport earning top money and team loyalty become less of a big deal every year, its hard to begrudge someone of wanting to earn more while they can...

mick crocker is a huge loss, probably the biggest after izzy, hard to replace a player of his quality, although some may hate him haha.. jeremy smith is a shame, he's a good quality player while not being a superstar, and he's also one of my favs, and also antonio kaufusi is a good player, so our forward pack is losing a few quality players..

but saying that, with aiden tolman to step up next season hopefully into the run on side as a prop/second row, sika manu to improve considerably, will chambers to take over from matt geyer in one of the centres, who while being a melbourne great, probably should have retired after the grand final last year..

so overall, we're losing a few good quality players, but hopefully with these others to step up, we should still be a good quality team, but it will hard to come back to the team we were, from the player losses this year and last..

also theres rumours that clint newton and matt king are both homesick, so i would love for them to come back :D

but as always time will tell, but its a long wait till next season, for both NRL and AFL... oh well, cricket season very soon :D

Actually Folau is only returning to Brisbane because he is homesick and not because they are offering him the bank. I read reports that he was trying to get his family to join him in Melbourne but apparently they wanted to remain in Brisbane, hence his desire to return home. He will be our biggest loss - there were times in the game last night where I felt he was going to break through and score the Storm's first try but he had no backup players to offload to. The Storm played an absolute shocker last night - Cam Smith or no Cam Smith, there were no excuses for that performance.

ahh true i forgot about his family, i remember now that was the reason.. although i wouldn't be surprised if brisbane offered him more money as well to make it a certainty.. either way, we're losing him so it sucks haha

Geyer should have worn the #6 in the final, Inglis is a centre, not a half/five-eighth. Folau was easily the Storms best, not that it was difficult, he will be a great addition to the Brisvegas side, and hopefully his maturity at such a young age can rub off on the idiots up there.

Manly deserved to win, they were outstanding, but I don't think they actually beat Melbourne. That was not Melbourne who turned up on Grand Final night, that was a group of look-a-like impostors. Cam Smith would not have made the difference, nor would have Hoffman. I think it's about time Manly had a decent amount of rep players in both Origin and National duty, Watmough, Kite, both Stewarts and even Perry should be given a spot in the 30 man squad.

Makes me wonder how much Cronulla would have lost by if they had have beaten Melbourne last week... 86-0? 90-0?

I think that is it for Melbourne, they'll remain a strong side, and top 4 contenders, but I cannot see them remaining the force that they were, they will drop back into the lead pack. Manly have another 2 seasons or so of top quality (as long as they remain injury free), Cronulla will also be finalists again next season (but stand no chance of winning the comp), Penrith, the Dogs and the Cowboys should be the big improvers, Canberra and New Zealand will be top 8 again.
I'm very interested to see how Brisbane and St George go with their new coaches, how Parramatta, Tigers and Easts fare since all 3 were massive disappointments this season, and what excuses Souths come up with for the 2009 season.

you're right, geyer and inglis should've been switched, i don't know why they persist with inglis at five-eigth, i'd much rather have him in the centres.. then towards the end of the match bellamy had him at fullback?? strange, but what's done is done now so no use looking back...

storm will continue to be strong, but i agree, pushing for another premiership will be tough, manly will definitely be in the box seat..

kite, both stewarts and watmough have been named in the sqaud, but to be honest i think watmough is a bit overrated, i dont get what the big deal about him is.. also david "wolfman" williams got picked which is great cause he's one of my favs, although he's a manly player haha... hunt was unlucky to miss out i think as the 2nd full-back with slater, i rate him higher than brett stewart, who while being a tremendous try scorer, i dont think is what the AUS squad needs, we have plenty of scoring ability in inglis, folau, slater and the like..

next season, if NZ get more consistency, they can easily push deep into september against like this year, they just have to start winning games away from home.. i dont think brisbane will be as strong, they're losing tunza, kemp, boyd, ennis, hannant and a few others, not to mention wayne bennet, their first season without him at the helm will be an interesting one...

Any objection to this being renamed the Football (of all sorts) thread? :)

Go for it Paulbot.

I see Brisbane falling a lot. Parramatta and Tigers again not living up to expectations, St George being a possible top 8 side (same as Newcastle and the Bulldogs). Cronulla is a side that will do well, but it all comes down to how the utilise Barrett, if the overpaid hack plays to suit the team, they will be a top 4 side. If the team is changed to suit his bad playing style, then Cronulla will be spoon contenders with the Tigers and Parra (and if Prince gets injured, the Titans). It's that Premiership curse, win the comp, 4 years later you win the spoon.

The Aussie team is a strong one, all the better for no O' Meley, no Mason, no Gasnier and would be better if Gallen was also overlooked, Laffranchi, Price and Civoniceva will do the job. Hopefully Inglis will be used as a centre, as Prince, Lockyer and Thurston more than cover the halves. My team would read:
Slater, Folau, Inglis, Hodges, Monaghan, Lockyer, Prince, Kite, Smith, Fitzgibbon, Civoniceva, Price, Laffranchi, with Gidley, Perry, Watmough and Thurston on the Bench.

i'd love to know how Fitzgibbon gets selected for Australia & Nathan Hindmarsh, Luke O'Donnell, Chris Heighington cant get a run:mad::(:eek:

same with Thurston he is nothing without Matt Bowen. Orford/Cronk/Kimmorley all had better seasons than him

the team will probably be

1-B.Stewart
2-Slater
3-Inglis
4-Hodges
5-Folau
6-Lockyer
7-Thurston
8-Price
9-Smith
10-Civonaceva
11-Gallen
12-Laffranchi
13-G.Stewart

14-Kite
15-Crocker
16-Perry
17-Gidley

hopefully Steve Matai knocks Cam Smith's head off in the first match & Robbie Farah gets a run:p:D

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

The Aussie team is a strong one, all the better for no O' Meley, no Mason, no Gasnier and would be better if Gallen was also overlooked, Laffranchi, Price and Civoniceva will do the job

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mason is as useless as they come, just a big unit with a big mouth, and not much skill.. o' meley has gotten too big, he can't run anymore, a couple of years ago he could get some good runs going, but now with some added weight he can't move with much pace... gasnier is a good player, but if he didn't have the last name that he has, i dont think he would be rated as highly... even at their age, price and civoniceva are still the best probs available for AUS, which is a testament to their staying ability and skill..

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Originally Posted by Rampage

i'd love to know how Fitzgibbon gets selected for Australia & Nathan Hindmarsh, Luke O'Donnell, Chris Heighington cant get a run:mad::(:eek:

same with Thurston he is nothing without Matt Bowen. Orford/Cronk/Kimmorley all had better seasons than him

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agreed, i don't know how good fitzgibbon was a few years ago, but at the moment there are far better players than him... how come hindmarsh doesn't get any love anymore? he's only 29, played a dozen or so tests and origin matches, still in great form, but doesn't get a look in? granted parra struggled a lot this year, but he still gives everything week in week out like the workhorse that he is.. plus he's one of my favs so :D

i would love for cronk to get more AUS games or maybe even QLD, but while thurston is fit, i don't think you can pick against him.. he is like adam goodes in the AFL, when fully fit they can do some pretty amazing stuff..

my team would look like:
1-Hunt
2-Tate
3-Inglis
4-Hodges
5-Folau
6-Lockyer
7-Thurston
8-Price
9-Smith
10-Civonaceva
11-Laffranchi
12-Crocker
13-G.Stewart

14-B.Stewart
15-Slater
16-Kite
17-Hindmarsh

I agree with everyone here about Fitzgibbon. Yes he is a good player but one thing Australia aren't short on is backrowers.

Anyway IMO the likely side would read
1. Slater
2. Folau
3. Tate
4. Hodges
5. Inglis
6. Lockyer
7. Thurston (although Price should be there)
8. Price
9. Smith
10. Petro
11. Gallen
12. Crocker
13. Fitzgibbon

14. Gidley
15. Kite
16. Laffranchi
17. Either G. Stewart or Perry

Rampage, as much as I'd like to see Farah get a run I'm certain they would use Gidley if anything happened to Cam Smith.

Once again the Tigers get rorted for reps in Australia. Come on New Zealand, Ireland or any other country that has Tigers in it!!!:D

No love for the ever versatile Gidley Splatt?

I think Fitzgibbon gets picked because like Price he can be used as an 80 minute player, he had a decent season (played better when he lost the captaincy), and his sharp shooting with goal kicking is an added bonus if for some reason the normal kickers are off the field.
Hindmarsh had another cracker season, but as great as he is in defence, his offence has been a little meh the last 2 seasons, his meters gained are low compared to other forwards, and his game reminds me most of Martin Lang in his Penrith years; predictable.

And Bartrim, how can the Tigers get Aussie reps from their side, when like Penrith and the Bunnies, most of their players are from the Pacific Islands and New Zealand??? :D

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

And Bartrim, how can the Tigers get Aussie reps from their side, when like Penrith and the Bunnies, most of their players are from the Pacific Islands and New Zealand??? :D

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True. I guess I still haven't forgiven the selectors for snobbing John Skandalis after a fantastic 2005 season.

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

No love for the ever versatile Gidley Splatt?

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haha yeah you could consider him unlucky in my team, you could probably switch either B. Stewart or Slater, probably Stewart..

Should be getting a ticket to the AUS vs ENG world cup match at telstra dome today, i don't get to watch much of the english league so i don't know any of the players, but apparently they have a pretty big forward pack..

Would love to see AUS vs NZ as it would be all NRL players, but unfortunately melb only get AUS vs ENG, should still be a cracker though

I'm thinking of going and watching games from the minnow pool, Tonga vs. Ireland or Scotland vs. Fiji for example. More likely to be close entertaining games!

Fiji and Tonga will both have fairly strong sides mostly full of NRL and Super League Players. I feel for PNG though, those guys have a slightly weaker team than Fiji or Tonga, yet get grouped with the big 3.
It's almost as if the pools are tiered, France, Scotland and Fiji are the 1st Division sides with Ireland, Tonga and Samoa the 2nd Division sides...

As long as England don't do so well I'll be happy!

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

I'm thinking of going and watching games from the minnow pool, Tonga vs. Ireland or Scotland vs. Fiji for example. More likely to be close entertaining games!

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True that, unfortunately us Melbourne-ites only get the one match, so it'll have to do, its AUS though so i'm happy.. but i would love to see some of those other matches, practically every team features NRL players, especially the polynesian countries, so any match would be worth it...

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

Fiji and Tonga will both have fairly strong sides mostly full of NRL and Super League Players. I feel for PNG though, those guys have a slightly weaker team than Fiji or Tonga, yet get grouped with the big 3.
It's almost as if the pools are tiered, France, Scotland and Fiji are the 1st Division sides with Ireland, Tonga and Samoa the 2nd Division sides...

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From what I've heard, that's exactly right... each group is meant to be the same division kinda thing... otherwise, if AUS were in A, NZ in B and ENG in C, they would pretty much dominate their groups... but by grouping those 3 together with PNG, then the others, there shouldn't be any big blowouts in the group stages and everyone gets a fair go pretty much..

To be honest I think it's a 3 horse race, if you have a look at the group and knockout stage and who goes through, i can't see the final being between anyone except obviously two of AUS, NZ and ENG.. I would love to see an upset though..

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

As long as England don't do so well I'll be happy!

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haha i have nothing against them, go Aus though :D

and if anyone at all is interested in the AFL international rules series (i'll watch it, but it doesn't really interest me compared to normal AFL), here is the AUS squad, to be honest it's a waste of time, they shouldn't have brought it back, should bring back AFL state of origin...

Nathan Bock (Adelaide), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), Matt Campbell (North Melbourne), Ryan Crowley (Fremantle), Michael Firrito (North Melbourne), Nathan Foley (Richmond), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne), Roger Hayden (Fremantle), Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide), Marc Murphy (Carlton), Michael Osborne (Hawthorn), Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood), Drew Petrie (North Melbourne), David Rodan (Port Adelaide), Max Rooke (Geelong), Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), Kade Simpson (Carlton), Adam Selwood (West Coast), Dale Thomas (Collingwood), Scott Thompson (Adelaide), Daniel Wells (North Melbourne).

I'm with you entirely. State of Origin with a flair and passion would be awesome. I absolutely love the NSW/QLD rivalry even though its only between two states and I care little for either state. there's a strong atmosphere to it.

It seems though that the AFL are picking more appropriate players these days for the Gaelic hybrid which really is a joke as it doesn't have a place for the talls of AFL.

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Originally Posted by STL

I'm with you entirely. State of Origin with a flair and passion would be awesome. I absolutely love the NSW/QLD rivalry even though its only between two states and I care little for either state. there's a strong atmosphere to it.

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Yep you're exactly the right, there's nothing else like the atmosphere to the NRL SoO, and I would love it if they could bring that kind of atmosphere to AFL, which I'm sure they could do if they bring proper origin back to AFL, and not just the tribute match they had earlier this year.. I love the fact that I have no allegiance to either NSW or QLD, means I can just watch 3 really great matches and not worry about my team winning or losing :D

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Originally Posted by STL

It seems though that the AFL are picking more appropriate players these days for the Gaelic hybrid which really is a joke as it doesn't have a place for the talls of AFL.

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Yeah the international rules series is really more suited for the smaller, quicker players, and maybe a few taller ones for goalkeeper and perhaps some other defense.. The thing is though, our players struggle a bit kicking the round ball, which is where the Irish have the advantage, but when it comes to tackling and ferocity at the ball, we just slaughter them.. It's like watching those national geographic videos of the lions running down the deer, they just have no chance haha..

Is it just me, or does anyone else think the Aussies will give every other team a shellacking in the upcoming RLWC? I'm not just talking about the minnows the Aussies will play in the early games, but also the Poms & the Kiwis.

Of course the Poms & the Kiwis always seem to find that little bit extra when playing in their own country, but with the Aussie Supporters at full noise - Both the Poms & the Kiwis could be in for a right-royal belting... (& therefore not such a great image for Int. RL :rolleyes:)

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Originally Posted by Pulse

Is it just me, or does anyone else think the Aussies will give every other team a shellacking in the upcoming RLWC? I'm not just talking about the minnows the Aussies will play in the early games, but also the Poms & the Kiwis.

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Australia will only play NZ, ENG and PNG in the stage round, then will play someone like Fiji or France in the quarter finals. But I concur, I cannot see anyone really putting up a great fight to the Aussies. NZ will give it a go, but I think they will struggle to last the full game, the opening 20 minutes should be fantastic though. England are the dark horse, they have the potential to compete, but I haven't paid anywhere near enough attention to Super League to really notice how they have been going.

International Rules is an awesome game/series to watch, it's great to see the Aussies picking a smaller, younger faster team. The series should be extended to 3 games, a decider makes it more fun.

i find sports metaphors extremely useful for making veiled sexual remarks

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Originally Posted by roller

i find sports metaphors extremely useful for making veiled sexual remarks

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Sounds like you'd make a great Football player then Roller! :D

Loving that Todd Carney and Greg Bird aren't getting away with their idiocy anymore, NSW police seem intent on charging Bird, very hopeful they get him and put him away, means he cant be a thug on the field anymore (now they only have to get Gallen!)

Did anyone else think it was odd that the selectors picked Anthony Tupou as Crockers replacement after he was picked by his hertiage nation to play?

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

Loving that Todd Carney and Greg Bird aren't getting away with their idiocy anymore, NSW police seem intent on charging Bird, very hopeful they get him and put him away, means he cant be a thug on the field anymore (now they only have to get Gallen!)

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Yep, hopefully Bird gets put away. Never liked him on the field, and anyone who hits women deserves to be put away for a long time. The Hunt, Thaiday and Boyd sexual assault case seems to have gone very quiet, I haven't heard anything about that in a while, are there any reports on it up in Sydney?

NRL seem to have problem with players and their off field behavior. I looked at a list a NRL incidents few weeks ago, and it was just crazy the amount of alleged and proven incidents and the players involved. They have to bring in some kind of education program for the younger players so they know how to act properly, I know its common sense, but there is obviously something wrong.

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Originally Posted by Bartrim

Did anyone else think it was odd that the selectors picked Anthony Tupou as Crockers replacement after he was picked by his hertiage nation to play?

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The eligibility rules are very strange, apparently players can change their allegiance once between world cups. So Tupou was Australian up to now, didn't get picked, went to training with Tonga because he's eligibile to play for them, with all intentions of playing, then Aus need him so all of a sudden hie's back to being Aussie? Once you pick your country that you are eligible for, that should be it. Not changing just so you can get a game.

Nothing much about the Broncos toilet tryst here since they lost their final to the Storm. Last I had heard was that the 3 players involved in the act may get off completely or very lightly, as the big part was the alleged 4th member with the phone.
Still the guys are idiots for even going ahead with it, there are reports in the news every week about these kinds of incidents, and the NRL players are given plenty of education, which I would hope included some time on "celebrity hunters/groupies/moderately psychotic persons".

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

Nothing much about the Broncos toilet tryst here since they lost their final to the Storm. Last I had heard was that the 3 players involved in the act may get off completely or very lightly, as the big part was the alleged 4th member with the phone.

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Just like every other "off-field incident" in Football (ie. the Bulldogs thing from a couple of years ago), they brush it under the carpet & make it disappear... *shakes head*

I don't know if anyone else has read this, but I read on the NRL site earlier today that Wally Lewis thinks that instead of AUS competing in the WC, that NSW and QLD should compete..

To be honest, I think that either of those teams could still handle most of the others, apart from NZ and ENG would probably have a greater chance, but really why should we make it easier for the other teams?

I get bored of seeing us thrash other teams, don't get me wrong I love to see us aussies win, but I would much rather see more competetive matches. I don't think it is our duty to make our teams weaker, the other countries have to step up and improve their teams... I know it can be hard in a lot of countries when there isn't a lot of money in sport and there is not a proffesional competition of the same calibre of the NRL, but give it time and they will improve..

I know there was a similar idea brought up in cricket a few years ago, where AUS would just compete as our different states, but the same rationale still holds for me, why should we make it easier for the other teams? They should improve...

Plus it would also take away one of the main aims for a lot of players, both proffesional and kids, and not only RL but all sports, and that is to play for your country..

Anyone else have a thought on this? Perhaps for tour/exhibition matches it could be a good idea, but in a proffesional competition like the WC I don't think it is the right option..

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegrap...referrer=email

Poor bastard. lol.:D

And so Stewart and Cooper are out, Hunt and Boyd come in.

Are we really that low for centres that Boyd had to be called?
Should be interesting to see what will happen with the case against these two, if the QLD Police hold off charges till after the World Cup or not.

No surprise that Hunt replaces Stewart but Boyd? Come on selectors pick an actual centre. Chris Lawrence deserves a call up!!!!!

Strange choices I agree, especially as it looks like they're ignoring the sexual assualt case, I know innocent until proven guilty, but what would happen if they were charged with something while the WC is on?

Anywho, Hunt for Stewart is a given, but Boyd for Hodges, strange I agree. I suppose they could move Folau to the centres and Boyd could go on the wing, but I would much rather leave Folau on the wing and bring in a true centre. I would've loved to have seen Robbie Farah come in, I know he's not a centres player but I believe he can bring much more to the squad than Boyd.

These few losses won't remove Aus from being favourite, but you can't help but feel that the other countries will believe they have a greater chance now, albiet probably slightly.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/...750137394.html <-- sweet