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Mateo talk stirs media into frenzy

August 20, 2009

Feleti Mateo Eels Bulldogs NRLAs NRL News released information around Feleti Mateo and his possible move away from the Eels next year, media outlets pounced on the Parramatta club and CEO Paul Osborne to get additional information around the ball playing star.

Will Mateo be leaving? Is this just a rumour?

At this stage, take it as absolute gospel - Feleti Mateo wants out of the Parramatta Eels as early as possible. While the talented star has a year remaining on his contract, he has told family and insiders at the Bulldogs that he would happily join the club if a release could be secured from Parramatta.

Out of luck during 2009, the pressure poured on Mateo at the start of the year when he was thrown the pivot role following Jarryd Hayne moving to fullback - was a telling blow. Shortly after, Mateo suffered a serious injury and was forced out for 12 weeks. On top of this, it seems the style of new coach Daniel Anderson may not be 100% suited to Mateo; while this cannot be confirmed - it seems to be another factor in the overall scheme of things.

While the Eels continue to insist that Mateo won’t be released, a player not happy is sure to provide a pain point for the in-form club. There is no doubting the ability of Feleti, however he is a genuine star and cannot be left in the background playing park football. Adding to the pressure is the size of the contract being paid to Mateo, the Eels have recruited well for 2010 and will no doubt have some salary cap pressure.

Offloading Mateo would solve that problem very quickly.

So at this stage, unless Mateo returns and supremely enjoys his time on the football field - you will almost certainly see him leave Parramatta at years end.

It seems that the resurgent Parramatta Eels club are not only playing for their 2009 NRL survival and finals quest, they are also playing for the chance to keep the talented Mateo at their club for 2010. If things go well, Mateo might be only too keen to take another year in the Golden West.

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Shunned Eel Mateo off to Dogs

August 18, 2009

Feleti Mateo signs with Bulldogs for NRL futureIt seems Eels drawcard Feleti Mateo is all but stitched up with the Bulldogs for 2010 and beyond; with sources suggesting the talented Parramatta player having inked a deal but it’s being kept under wraps until the years end.

Injured for several weeks now, Mateo is fit and available for selection in the Eels side but has been again overlooked by coach Daniel Anderson.

While talk of Mateo linking with the Bulldogs simmered down some weeks ago - some sources are suggesting that Mateo has indeed linked with the Bulldogs but is keeping the deal under wraps given his situation with the Eels and their strong run to the 2009 NRL finals.

With salary cap pressure for 2010, the Parramatta club were looking to free up some much needed money and apparently Mateo and coach Anderson aren’t on the best of terms, with insiders suggesting the injured star has returned well overweight and is training below what the new coach has expected.

It would certainly be a frustrating position for the Eels playmaker, a deadset superstar only 18 months ago - he has struggled to capture peak form this year and after riding the low ebb of losses in early rounds, he has had to sit on the sidelines as the side continued from strength to strength.

Parramatta have signed Justin Poore at around $350,000 per season, Shane Shackleton at around $200,000 per season and Timana Tahu at around $250,000 per season for next year; and have also managed to keep hold of Jarryd Hayne for an estimated $475,000 per year.

That kind of splurge ensures that the likes of Mateo are on the outter, regardless of remaining contract and even club stalwarts such as Nathan Cayless are under intense pressure to keep their form - with the club captain on a reported $325,000 per season.

Signings aside, the clash this Friday night with the in-form Wests Tigers looks to be the match up of the year. Finals aside, both these sides have hit peak form at the business end of the season. Each side can score some amazing tries and both look to their key men in Benji Marshall and Jarryd Hayne.

However, this match will be won and lost in the forwards - with the crucial early points up the centre to be fought out by Pommie Gareth Ellis and the Eels Nathan Hindmarsh.

Buckle up, expect a big crowd and get set for a massive game this Friday night.

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Good times for Eels, Holden fans

August 17, 2009

Craig Lowndes Ford Holden Transfer 2009It’s a good time to be an Eels and Holden fan, writes controversial columnist Dave Moyso.

Well, the Eels are running hot with 5 wins in a row and they certainly showed on Saturday that they are a lot more than just the Jarryd Hayne show with fantastic games from just about everyone. Burt, Mortimer, Reddy, Moimoi and of course the untouchable, unfathomable, unbelievable, uncompromising Jarryd Hayne. Tigers look out…

And since my last article I’ve been overseas and plenty has been happening with the confirmation and formal announcement that Triple8 the most successful V8Supercar team in recent years has signed a multi year - multi million dollar contract with Holden. And if that in itself isn’t news enough, this little arrangement also heralds the return to Holden of not only the categories hottest driver in Jamie Whincup but the sports most popular personality Craig Lowndes…

Now I’ve been critical of Lowndes in the past (on many, many occasions) but as I’m not only an unabashed Holden fan but also clearly a shallow and hypocritical man I welcome Craig home with open arms. Therefore all is forgiven and the 8 years of pain and suffering you have caused and put Holden fans through is forgotten. Welcome home Craig.

There has been plenty in the media and on forums about how this all came about and the consensus seems to be firstly, a fare degree of anger at Ford closely followed by a far greater degree of anger at Roland Dane, Whincup and Lowndes. It seems the narrow minded Ford fans have to blame someone and for many pointing the finger at their precious blue oval is simply never going to happen. So they take the easy option and blame Dane and his drivers. Despite the fact that the drivers are bound to a multi year contract with the team and therefore have a very restricted choice of either breaking their contract and walking away from the team (expensive and potentially career ending) or going where the team goes and driving what they are told to (which is wisely what Jamie and Craig have chosen to do in this case).

But logic and maturity are unfortunately not strong traits for most Ford fans (neither is bathing and oral hygiene from the one’s I’ve met). So they grab their clubs and look for the easiest option which is to vilify Dane and his drivers.

Meanwhile the suit and tie boys over at Broadmeadows whom I imagine bump into chairs and water coolers whilst walking down the hallways get away almost Scot free with what many in and around the industry think is the dumbest racing strategy since CAMS thought thousands of V8 Ford and Holden fans would warm to Nissans and Volvo’s…

Ford’s local big boss Marin Burela wrote to Ford employees explaining his companies eye watering decision. In essence what he told them was that he had just let the most successful V8 team in recent years along with the sport’s most popular driver walk away and team up with Holden because, wait for it – Triple8 wouldn’t paint their cars blue? Pardon me? nope that is correct, Marin was very clear that Ford wouldn’t support a team that had cars in different colours. Apparently Marin’s never taken a walk through his own corporate car park and seen the red, white, silver, green, orange, and yellow Falcons that his company apparently also produces. So that leads me to believe that Marin either thinks Ford consumers are stupid or colour blind. I’m sure there’s plenty of both, but probably a few who at least know people who could tell them that those silver and red cars with ‘Vodafone’ all over them racing around are in fact Falcons.

So Ford’s strategy is to support just 2 teams and they are Ford Performance Racing (their drivers are currently 7th and 17th in the championship) and Stone Brothers Racing (their drivers are currently 16th and 18th in the championship). But their cars are blue and it seems that this is the key to Ford giving you money, it’s clearly not about actually winning races for them looking at both teams results, but hey, good luck to them.

Meanwhile I’ll get my ‘Lowndes is GOD’ jacket out from inside the dog kennel and dust it off ready for his triumphant return to HOLDEN in 2010.

Welcome home Craig, Brocky would be proud…

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NRL Finals Competition Heats Up

August 17, 2009

NRl 2009 Finals Top 8 SeriesWho would have thought it could get any hotter? The race for the 2009 NRL finals at the completion of Round 23 still sees plenty of teams that can make the grade in the final three weeks.

The Bulldogs flexed their muscle despite having several key players missing through injury, the Dogs handling an early Cowboys onslaught to grind out a tough win in enemy territory. The victory over the Cowboys will give the Canterbury side plenty of confidence leading into the finals.

The Titans too showed plenty of character and class away from home. Usually a little flakey away from Titan-ville, the Gold Coast men trumped the fancied Rabbitohs side and have probably sent Jason Taylor’s men spiralling out of finals contention - now left on 23 points.

The Roosters again played without luck, losing on Saturday night and probably playing the out of sorts Manly side back into form at the right time. David Williams who was deadset gone a week ago, suddenly remembered how to catch a ball, run a hitup and take a hit. Surprisingly coach Des Hasler continued to play Williams when many would have put him back in reserves a la Tony Williams.

The Parramatta side continued on their roll, notching up 5 successive wins in stellar fashion over a young and in-experienced Warriors side. Playing in front of a strong home crowd, the Eels were too good for the Warriors who were minus Price, Tate, Reopati and others. Jarryd Hayne continued his almost ‘Harlem Globe Trotter’ like form behind a solid Eels pack.

There were fireworks galore down in the ACT, with the Raiders knuckling down - literally to surprise the cocky Dragons. St George Illawarra have probably been a touch arrogant of late and this loss will probably be appreciated by Wayne Bennett who will want his troops razor sharp for the finals. The Raiders through their young brigade played tough, grinding footy to throw the Dragons off their game. The Saints really didn’t react well to some 50/50 calls and went right off their game, this will have opponents licking their lips.

The Wests Tigers remain the form team of the NRL, notching up a massive 6th consecutive win - this time over the hapless Cronulla Sharks. The Sharks deadset look like a reserve grade team and are lucky to be still competiting in the NRL on current form. Sure, they have some injuries - but past mistakes in terms of recruitment have hurt them badly. Hard to see them improving anytime in the next 18 months.

The Penrith Panthers hit a major snag up in Brisbane, falling victim to a resurgent Broncos outfit. The Panthers started well, with the sides engaged in touch football - however, as the Panthers counted the cost of injury - with Lewis struggling badly and Matt Bell feeling the effects of a massive Nick Kenny hit, things were fading bad. The second half saw the Broncos lift a gear and totally blow the visitors away, 40-0.

That only leaves the coachless Knights to host the controversy rattled Storm in Newcastle. The departure of Brian Smith has been a sad end to a strong tenure in Newcastle. Smith divides opinion, but he has been targeted by the press and others within the Knights camp since Day 1 and has done brilliantly to rebuild the outfit after Andrew Johns. If you look at the stats, teams that change coaches generally get a first up win and their chances against the out of sorts Storm could be good tonight.

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Ricardo: Team of Week 22

August 11, 2009

Ricky Ricardo chooses his best players from Round 22 of the NRL.

Fullback: Nathan Merritt – Has continued his good try-scoring form scoring two tries in an upset win over the Sea Eagles and is a catalyst in the Bunnies recent good form.

Wing: Generally a fullback, Burt has been moved to accommodate Hayne at fullback. This hasn’t stopped him from excelling them as he scored 24 points in the Eels thrashing of the Knights. Got some strong praise from Gus on the weekend also.

Centre: Alex Glenn – The strong utility had perhaps his best game of the season scoring a try and showing his class in plays. Definitely a player of the future.

Centre: Mat Rogers – Playing in the centres last week, Rogers scored two skilful tries against a lacklustre Warriors outfit. Showed his versatility with a mix of skill and precision to help the Titans to a win.

Winger: Bryson Goodwin - Scored two more tries to cement his spot in the top tryscorers list. Teams seem to struggle with awareness to find the line whenever he has the ball.

Five Eighth: Brett Finch – Struggled to find his feet early on at the Storm, but since his return from a collapsed lung, he has really excelled and scored a good individual try in the Storm’s win.

Halfback: Brett Kimmorley – Noddy certainly isn’t letting age get in the way of good form as he continues to outshine most of his younger counterparts. Involved in all the Dogs tries and scored one of his own.

Prop: Frank Paul Nuuausula – The NZ’er who was in a poor patch of form only a month ago has turned his game around and is playing some terrific football. Strong carries and strong in defence also and is leading the way for the Roosters.

Hooker: Robbie Farah – Took charge against the Roosters in the second half and set the tone for a strong Tigers resurgence. Is linking well with Benji. Can they keep it up?

Prop: Fui Fui Moi Moi – One of the form props of the competition at the moment. His carries are perhaps some of the most dangerous you will ever see. Not to mention he has been playing with ligament damage to his knee. Courageous stuff!

Second Row: Jeremy Smith – Started off the bench but still managed to score two tries as he gets back into form following a lengthy lay-off with injury. Should be named in the NZ side.

Second Row: Willie Mason – Yet again, Mason is putting his hand up and putting in the hard yards for the Roosters. He is in terrific form of late and could be rewarded with a bench spot for Australia.

Lock: Michael Luck – A complete machine in defence. Amassed an incredible 54 tackles and still manages to make good metres as well. Incredible versatility.

Reserve 1: Manu Vatuvei: Scored both of the Warriors tries in an otherwise disappointing performance. Near certain starter for NZ.

Reserve 2: Jack Afamasaga: A relative nobody, he led the way for the Sharks in their attacking raids and caused havoc for the Broncos down the left hand side.

Reserve 3: Terry Campese: Back to his best as some would say with a strong performance despite the Raiders narrow loss. A darkhorse for an Australian jumper.

Reserve 4: Luke Lewis: A terrific utility who scored the only Panthers try and is quickly finding form again following his injury lay-off.

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Round 22 Results, Finals Heat Up

August 10, 2009

NRL 2009 Top 8 Finals SeriesThe race for the NRL Top 8 finals continues to heat up with some interesting results over Round 22. Crucial losses to Manly and Newcastle keep the lower half of the Top 8 wide open, while outsiders Souths, Wests and Parramatta shoot for an unlikely finals birth with wins over the weekend.

Friday Night:

Panthers 6 Dragons 25

Despite being at CUA Stadium, the Dragons juggernaut rolled out with the usual suspects doing the damage. Jamie Soward was highly involved and continues to lift on a weekly basis. Dragons playing more as a squad under Bennett with every player having a hand in things at some stage. Good return for Jeremy Smith and every thing going nicely for the resurgent Red Vee.

Penrith was always up against it, facing the might of the St George side that has been the form outfit for 2009. Luke Lewis made a good return, but it seems without warhorse Petero Civoniceva, the Panthers don’t have the legs to trouble the top sides. Regardless, their draw last week against the Warriors looks to have them a spot in the Top 8 somewhere come seasons end. Probably only need to win one more game.

Storm 20 Cowboys 8

The inconsistency and problems with away games continued for the Cowboys, this time going down to the stuttering Storm in Melbourne. While the Storm boys haven’t been at their best in 2009, they still have a Top 4 spot virtually sewn up and will enjoy a lower profile come the finals series. Given the likes of Cam Smith, Billy Slater and Greg Inglis are fresh enough - they will do fine come the big games.

Cowboys still struggle to win away games, this will again prove their downfall come the finals. Their forwards have plenty of size and can dominate when they are motivated, but they pay for this in speed and when targeted around the ruck they can be badly exposed.

Saturday Night

Manly 22 Souths 36

Manly off the short turnaround were again rolled by an outsider. The Bunnies pounced at the former fortress Brookvale to really leave the Sea Eagles stunned only weeks out from the finals. David Williams minus the wolf beard has hit rock bottom, since Origin this guy has lost every ounce of confidence. Can’t catch a ball, spilling on the hitup and generally making ‘brainsnap’ decisions. Des needs to sort this immediately or risk bowing out of the Top 8.

Souths when ‘on’ can pretty much destroy any opposing team. Their forward pack is lucky to have the benefit of physical aggression but also some good footspeed. The loss of Asotasi is a cruel blow, but providing confidence can remain high - the Bunnies aren’t done with yet. Face Titans in Sydney this week followed by Penrith at CUA.

Bulldogs 23 Raiders 20

The Bulldogs showed snippets of class in this win, but were probably guilty of taking the Raiders too lightly and clocking off a bit early. Kimmorley continues to guide this team around well and things remain on track at this stage for the Belmore clan. The Raiders surged home well in this match off the back of Campese, the pressure and final moments probably giving the Bulldogs the test they needed as opposed to just running away with this game.

Sunday

Warriors 10 Titans 30

The horror year for the Kiwis continues, with the Warriors rolled at home again this Round. Coach Ivan Cleary declaring that his opponents the Titans were simply too impressive and outclassed his side in virtually every department. The exciting part of this win for Titans fans is the young side is now dominating matches and controlling the tempo so very well. Mat Rogers had a man of the match performance and when ever the Gold Coast side got a sniff in enemy territory, they generally took away points. Sitting ideally to make an assault on the NRL Premiership and have their first ever finals appearance sewn up.

Wests Tigers 17 Roosters 10

Would have been a concerning game for Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens; his side already on a 4 game winning streak - how would they ‘get up’ for a game against the lowly Roosters? Fears soon compounded with the Roosters starting well and posting points; however after the Tigers settled - they eventually began to dominate and started building pressure and eventually points. An injury to in-form fullback Shannon Gallant will be a concern, losing the little man they call mighty mouse could have an effect - as since he has entered the side and Moltzen shifted to halfback - things have gone ideally.

The Roosters did compete well for a good majority of this match, using Mini at five-eighth seemed to have some merit and the former Australian fullback had some good touches. The Sydney side is really missing Braith Anasta and they simply cannot wait for 2009 to end.

Eels 40 Knights 8

The nightmare for out of sorts Newcastle continued today at Parramatta Stadium. A good turnout of 18,000 locals cheered the reinvented Eels home in a 38 point romp. Early aggression and smart kicking had the Eels well placed, with rookie Daniel Mortimer again showing ability beyond his years. Fui Fui Moi Moi remains possibly the most hard running forward in the comp.

The Knights didn’t look interested, for a side fighting for finals security - they simply just didn’t show enough urgency. Forget the rubbish about Brian Smith leaving, this side simply needs to ‘aim up’. With their forward back getting pushed backwards, the likes of Mullen and Rogers had no chance of creating anything today. The decision to kick for goal at 6 points all 20 minutes into the match, shows exactly how bad this mob are going.

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Biggest NRL Chokers

August 5, 2009

NRL PLAYERS THAT ARE CHOKERSSydney based newspaper ‘The Daily Telegraph’ has run an article today discussing the biggest chokers in the NRL and with the Finals series just around the corner, it’s interesting to look at the players listed and some others that could have possibly made the Top 10 NRL Chokers list.

Here’s how the Telegraph listed the chokers -

1. Chris Sandow (Souths) - Missed more tackles than any player in 2009, and can be easily baited by opponents.

2. David Williams (Manly) - Whats happened to the Wolfman? This guy has had so many brain explosions in 2009 - memories of Paul Carriage a la 1998.

3. Peter Wallace (Broncos) - We disagree with this selection, Wallace has performed well from a young age. Hard to pen him as a ‘choker’

4. Benji Marshall (Tigers) - Not sure if he could be called a ‘choker’ - but Marshall is certainly inconsistent, looking better back at pivot.

5. Jarrod Sammut (Panthers) - Already make 29 errors from 19 games this year, explosive in attack but unsafe in defence.

6. Chris Walker (Titans) - Has nearly made an error in every match he’s played in 2009, a player easily baited that could lose a crucial finals match.

7. Trent Waterhouse (Panthers) - Mr Penalty. This guy has given away more penalties than any other player in the NRL.

8. Ben Rogers (Knights) - The journey man struggles with consistency, can be very hot or woefully cold - could cost the Knights in a big one.

9. Justin Hodges (Broncos) - Arguably the most hated man in NRL, Hodges is talented as a centre but can ‘brain snap’ at any time and cost his team a match.

10. Brett Finch (Storm) - Lost 2 Grand Finals with the Roosters and can be forced into mistakes during pressure situations.

It’s hard to argue with most of these choices, however some other players that didn’t get a mention were as follows:

Eric Grothe - the Eels winger might look good in full flight, but his poor defence reads and problems with the high ball make him a concern. Can drop the ball in attack too.

Jamie Soward - the improving Saints half has had plenty of worrying moments in past years and could be a worry in big finals matches this year.

Ben Pomeroy - the former Panthers, now Sharks centre has made tonnes of errors in 2009 a total of 28 errors from 18 games and struggles with the basics. A real worry.

Matt Orford - may have won the comp in 2008, but over the long term - this guy really struggles with things under pressure. Poor kicks and decisions when it counts.

Ben Roberts - the Bulldogs half is creative, but even with ball in hand can make stupid decisions. Kicking on tackles 1 or 2 and going missing in defence. Choker!

Kurt Gidley - a lot of mail for Kurt, no doubt a gun player - but readers have pointed out he has made several failures in big game situations. Jury still out on this one.

John Morris - the utility is full of penalties and can really meltdown under pressure. The Tigers seem to have worked this out and have him off-line at moment.

Who else would you put on the biggest chokers list? Feel free to cast your mind back to previous years and tell us all your pain!

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Ricardo: NRL Team of Week

August 4, 2009

THE NRLNEWS TEAM OF THE WEEK SECTION HAS FINISHED FOR 2009.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR COMPANY IN 2010 WHEN THE NRL KICKS OFF IN MARCH.

Ricky’s NRL Team of the Week

Do you agree with Ricky’s choices? Leave your comments below the article and voice your opinion!

Fullback: Matthew Bowen – The little master struck form this week. Blistering pace and his successful partnership with Thurston is finally coming back into fruition. A darkhorse for an Australian jumper.

Winger: Jarryd Hayne – Had to squeeze this man Hayne onto the wing, as he is just on fire right now. Made 240+ metres against the Sharks and he averages more tackle busts per game then any other player. No matter how much they try - teams cannot contain him at the moment.

Centre: Joel Moon – Gave the Warriors a comfortable lead scoring a whopping 4 tries! How often do see that happen? Making the transition from the halves to the centres has really helped his career and he is playing some of his best footy.

Centre: Michael Jennings – Burst to life late in this one to get his side a valuable draw. This guy is a genuine freak and as Phil Gould always says - give me speed in a football side and you’ll go a long way to winning. Jennings has raw pace and a marvellous swerve.

Winger: Phil Graham – The relative unknown Raider has put his hand up and got himself into the spotlight after scoring 4 tries in the massive slaughter of the Broncos. Two players scoring 4 tries in a game, that’s almost unheard of!

Five-Eighth: Ben Jones – The little redhead who got a shot earlier this year by Fittler has grabbed it with two hands. Forming a strong partnership with Pearce in the halves, the Roosters attitude got them over the line and Jones was deadly.

Halfback: Jonathon Thurston – Fighting with Soward and Hayne for the Dally M, Thurston did his chances no harm with another solid performance in the Cowboys win. Starting to re-form his deadly partnership with Matthew Bowen.

Prop: Mark Taufua – Given a rare chance by outgoing coach Brian Smith, Taufua has been a revelation in the Knights fairytale run and despite their losses, has still put in solid performances.

Hooker: Issac Luke – Caused a lot of trouble for the Bulldogs in the first half and looked dangerous every time he carried the ball. Got taken off by Taylor after 25 minutes though and the Bunnies lost all their momentum.

Prop: Justin Poore – Leaving the Dragons at the end of the year, Poore wants to prove to Bennett that he is still an integral part of the Dragons team and he did just that. Solid carries and very robust for a big man.

Second Row: Nathan Hindmarsh – Is there anything that this man cannot do? Pulled off a try-saving tackle and stopped a near certain try by pouncing on the ball. Not to mention his efforts in defence either. Surely has to be a consideration for the Australian team?

Second Row: Anthony Watmough – The only Manly player who looked hungry for the win last night in the Eagles narrow loss. Scored two tries and his in barnstorming form.

Lock: Corey Parker – The only Broncos player who genuinely tried in their flogging at the hands of the Raider. Led the tackle count and made strong metres.

Reserve 1: Joel Reddy – The son of Rod ‘Rocket’ Reddy is on fire. Having one his best seasons so far in attack and defence. Also pulled out a contender for try of the year with his body contortion for a try.

Reserve 2: Gary Warburton – Not one of the bigger names at the Bulldogs, but this man is all about effort and commitment. Has been a crucial part of the Bulldogs resurgence with strong go forward and good partnerships.

Reserve 3: Nathan Friend – The dynamic hooker is a little machine. Racks up a huge tackle count and still gets involved in all attacking raids.

Reserve 4: Luke Douglas – Developed nicely in 2009 despite playing in a consistently beaten team. Quality front row stocks are low across the NRL and this guy could really rise to the top in the next few years. Has good physical

Player of the Round: Matthew Bowen.

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NRL Finals, the run home

August 3, 2009

2009 NRL Finals predictionsThe beauty of the Top 8 finals system is that the final weeks of the NRL premiership are that much more exciting.

There have been critics over the years that say the Top 8 format rewards mediocrity, however if we had a Top 5 or similar system - then many of the contenders would be out of the race and the final few weeks of the competition would involve many dead rubbers.

Crowds would drop and supports would obviously ’sign-off’ early, as would some players.

With 5 Rounds remaining in the 2009 NRL Telstra Premiership - here’s how your team is looking:

Dragons - Have the minor premiership all but sewn up. Have been the form side for most of 2009 and have built the season on the back of their impressive defence. Looking back through history, defence has been the cornerstone to most Rugby League success and the Saints look to have that. Only threat seems to be the Bulldogs.

Bulldogs - Another consistent performer all year, have not lost back to back games all season. Were robbed of 2 points after a bungled interchange against Penrith and then copped another shocking call when they overcame the Saints at Kogarah. Have the mental strength and roster to go all the way it seems. Look to have secured a second bite at the cherry and a home final.

Titans - A good consistent year from Cartwrights men. Another team with a great roster, they also feature an array of young attacking talent that can score from anywhere. Only concern is around their inability to win away from home, which could be a massive task come finals time where travel is inevitable. Could surprise early in the finals, but probably lack the battle hardened culture to  go all the way.

Storm - Have surprisingly remained with the NRL leaders, despite having a hot and cold year. There is no question that on their day, they’ll flog anyone in the comp. They probably lack the forwards they’ve had in recent years, but their experience at finals time is greater than any other team. Will not be overawed by any hurdle from here on in. Just ask Brisbane who had these guys beat with 1 minute to go! Don’t write them off.

Panthers - The overachievers for 2009. The Panthers have built some similarities with their 2003 season, it seems they are winning through sheer attacking prowess. Their defence can be wafer thin at times, but given a sniff they’ll cut their opponents up with ball in hand. Missing key men at present; without the likes of Lewis, Pritchard and Civoniceva all on deck and working together - they’re not the same team. Their draw with the Warriors at the weekend has probably given them enough points at 25 to secure a finals berth. Riding their luck, but the house of cards will fall soon.

Cowboys - The North Queenslanders have been woeful in 2009. Probably lucky to be where they are on the ladder, have suffered some big defeats and it seems the club lacks harmony. New coach is taking time to adapt to their playing style and their problems with away games will make things almost impossible. Unless pigs start flying, these guys are set to wither and die.

Manly - The Sea Eagles have worked hard to build form in the latter half of the season. Also had to overcome the loss of Brett Stewart, but they’ve done that and now seem to understand how to play without him. Forwards have been the real key to these guys going well, never having been noted ‘hard nuts’ - the forward pack has really got physical and developed some nice second phase to get them going. Orfords kicking game and organisation are suffering without a strong pivot to take the load off him - this might be why Dessie is moving Lyon back to the playmaking role. Probably don’t have enough depth to take the prize this year.

Broncos - Absolutely under-siege. Riddled with injury, have no confidence, apparent off-field problems and have too many youngsters to boot. Will be lucky to make the Top 8 and if they do, they’ll be cannon fodder. Even their great former coach would struggle to dig them out of this hole, Ivan Henjack has the task of getting a Datsun 180B to perform like a Ferrari and it aint going to happen in 2009. The loss of Hunt to a rival code is evidence enough that the Brisbane camp isn’t a happy place right now.

Rabbitohs - While in-consistent, the Bunnies are another team on their day that can outshine anyone. When firing, they possess amazing attack and ferocious defence. Way too inconsistent right now, but if they can manage to sneak into the Top 8 and jag a first week win, they could do anything. If they are motivated, watch out. Dark Horse.

Eels - A fairytale story in the past few weeks for the Parramatta club. While mathematically a chance, realistically they would have to pull off a miracle to get into the finals let alone progress anywhere past week 1. In saying that, they are playing a ‘carefree’ brand of football which is building confidence and the playing group seems to be having fun. Could cause some damage to teams with finals hopes in the weeks ahead.

Tigers - Some have been talking about 2005 all over again. The mission for Sheens’ men starts tonight. Their whole season rests on a victory over the Manly Sea Eagles. If the Tiggers can get the upset in Monday Night Football tonight, then not only do they progress another week - but it opens the door for several of the lower teams including, Cowboys, Broncos, Souths and Eels - who all hope Positions 6,7,8 remain on low points. This side always require a ‘positive’ start and if they get that tonight and the weeks ahead, they can do damage.

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Moyso: Mezera cop this bullet

July 27, 2009

Tomas Mezera Perkins Whincup V8 Supercars Decision OfficialsOur new columnist Dave Moyso backs up this week with a follow-up article on last weeks V8 discussion. In his eyes, similar to NRL officials the men behind the decisions in V8’s are also off the mark - getting it totally wrong in relation to the Whincup and Perkins collision just a few weeks back. It seems V8 Official Tomas Mezera has gone to the utmost length to justify his decision; but our man Moyso was there to tell us just whats happening behind the scenes; 

The assassination of John F. Kennedy took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was fatally wounded by gunfire while riding with his wife in a Presidential motorcade.

The ten-month investigation of the Warren Commission and other government investigations concluded that the President was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.

The assassination is still the subject of widespread debate and has spawned numerous conspiracy theories and alternative scenarios. Some of these conspiracies centre on what is known as the magic bullet. A single bullet that had to do amazing things if the initial government enquiry and official explanation for President Kennedy’s assassination is to be believed.

The problem is the facts just don’t support the theory. The bullet had no marks from clothing threads despite traveling through multiple layers and types of cloth. It wasn’t marked with blood or any type of human tissue despite supposedly traveling through 2 people - President Kennedy and Governor Connally and had no pieces of clothing attached.

What has this tragic event got to do with Supercar driving standards boss Tomas Mezera I can hear you asking. Well, much like this magic bullet, Tomas now wants us to believe that he has data from Jack Perkins and Jamie Whincup’s cars to support his original decision not to penalise Whincup for running into Perkins and spinning him off.

Apparently what I’m now calling the ‘magic data theory’ has Jamie arriving at the corner in Townsville at the same speed and braking at th same point as the previous lap before he whacked young Jack and that is supposed to be the magic proof that Jamie was not at fault.

The big hole in this theory is that no matter how fast or slow the data says you were going, it doesn’t show that there just happened to be another car in the way when you came lumbering into the corner.

It’s that simple. You can fluff it up with theory and try and justify the incident, but we can all see and we can all watch the youtube footage. It’s as plain as day as to what happened, there was no trees in the way or long fuzzy Zapruder style footage like the Kennedy assassination. It was clear cut and right in front of everyone.

Now we have Wollerman, again another official of dubious distinction who apparently claims that they had made the decision that these types of incidents would be looked at after the race with all footage and data. So a fundamental and hugely significant change to how on track incidents are judged and dealt with has been brought in prior to Townsville and it appears none of the usually very well informed commentators on Seven had any idea about the change and obviously judging by Whincup’s comments and reaction he certainly had no idea of it either nor did Jack Perkins obviously.

So just to clarify now the rules appear to be that it is incumbent on the lapped car to not only get out of the way of the race leaders but that any contact that results from what ever the leaders need to do to get passed them is entirely the lapped car’s responsibility and the passing car is without fault.

If this is the case it opens up a huge range of issues for any regular front runner who finds themselves a lap down. Basically according to Mezera and Wollerman, now if you happen to go a lap down, let’s say due to a flat tyre or extended pit stop your race is literally over as you have zero rights on the track to attempt to un lap yourself as the leaders now appear to have absolute right of way on track and are no longer under any apparent form of race regulation once a car is in a lapped position.

So if you drop a lap at say Bathurst early in the race, then bad luck, you’re day’s over as you have zero rights in any passing situation against anyone on the lead lap.

Well done Tomas and Peter, because of your attempts to defend stupid decisions you have managed to throw the entire sport into disarray with what now appear to be a set of unworkable and unenforceable rules.

Mezera got it wrong and everything that has followed, all the claims of supporting bits of data or the officials changing the rules before the event is nothing more than blatant arse covering. You know it and so does everyone else.

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Written by NRL News · Filed Under NRL Editorials | 3 Comments 

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