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The Cowboys downward spiral continues

Guest writer and NRL tragic Ricky Ricardo returns today and gives his opinion on the North Queensland Cowboys and their horror run of form.

Can the North Queensland Cowboys stop the rot?

Ricky Ricardo

That is a question that many fans are asking themselves. Is their team really in a bad form slump or will it be reversed with one good performance? Only time will give us the answer to that question, but at this stage it doesn’t look likely.

The Cowboys have now lost a club record 7 games in a row. That’s demoralising for any team surely, just ask the Rabbitohs. The effect that would have on player morale, team confidence both during the game and during training is just gut-wrenching to even think about. As a follower of the NRL, you cannot help but feel for the club as they go through this hard time. Sure they have had injuries to key players, suspensions to back-up players and State of Origin players, but good teams have the youth and experience to back up those players day in day out.

Jonathon Thurston is definitely not pulling his weight. As the side’s leading playmaker he needs to step up and have a more prominent role in the club’s performances. He’s losing his grip at a rapid rate as the game’s best player. He was the key to their success for the past two years as the Cowboys made it to the latter stages of the finals. But he’s losing his touch most definitely. Question us, can he get it back and inspire the Cowboys to a mid season surge? It has been done before by other teams and with each team capable of beating any other, it can most certainly happen again.

And yes, Matthew Bowen, arguably one of the best fullbacks in the game is injured, again, for a prolonged period of time. That is one area that the Cowboys really struggle, depth when their frontliners are out of the side. His meter gains are outstanding in virtually every NRL match he plays, his ability to break the line is incredible and for such a small man, he is exceptionally strong. There is no one there to cover for him at fullback. The Cowboys need someone while he is out to provide that same spark. They need someone and they need someone quick. Questions is, who?

Is the wooden spoon something that the Cowboys want? They seem to be in a two-horse race with fellow strugglers South Sydney. Both of whom are on 8 points and languishing at the bottom of the table. For the Cowboys sake, and for the sake of their fans, they need to hope that it is not them in order to remain a top flight team for many seasons to come.

Their results can only be brought upon themselves when you think about it. Dumping Coach Graham Murray before the season even started, Matthew Bowen missing out on most of the season so far, Thurston and Webb playing State of Origin, Murray forced to walk away halfway through the year, Millward taking over and seemingly not being able to lift morale.>

How can a team possibly come back from this list of disasters, all in a single year? And things were only made worse following Luke O Donnell’s suspension for two separate incidents two weeks ago. He is out for another month leaving Carl Webb as the only prominent forward in the side, the other player they rely on to get results and provide the run they need. Jonathon Thurston is the other player of course.

Lacklustre, dreadful and disorganised are just some of the words being used to describe the Cowboys and their recent performances. Ok so the Knights copped 13 straight losses last year and it’s taken them a good year to recover - but to lose 7 games in a row and your last 4 home games within that, is definitely not something the Cowboys need. As many are saying, it could be the straw that breaks their back and sends them spiraling back to the dark old days of the NRL when they simply were not competitive.

Overall, if the Cowboys don’t improve and improve quickly, they will get the wooden spoon and for the sake of their club and their history, that’s definitely not something they want on their record.

Is Greg Bird is the victim?

Cronulla Sharks and NSW Origin star Greg Bird says he was humiliated by Queensland police officers who handcuffed him for no reason in the early hours of Thursday morning in Brisbane after the State of Origin match. Under pressure to explain the situation the Queensland Police have now come out firing, suggesting the Officers in fact arrested Greg Bird for drunken behaviour and not following directions of a Police Officer.

If this was the case; then why would Greg Bird make it public about his altercation with Police? And why did the Police then release Greg Bird without charge? It all sounds like a cover-up on behalf of the Queensland Police who must be clammering to cover their tarnished image.

Bird was apparently waiting near a taxi rank at West End after visiting a pub following the 30-0 State of Origin drubbing from the Maroons when two police officers jokingly arrested him. In front of a large gathering of locals, the Police Officers thought it would be ‘fun’ to grab Greg Bird and place him under ‘fake’ arrest in front of all the onlookers. Police now claim they were approached by Greg Bird who asked for directions to a cab rank. They alledge that Bird was drunk and refused a direction to move out of the way.

He was released 30 seconds later and caught a taxi back to the NSW Blues hotel, but says the unprovoked incident has caused him a great deal of embarrassment.

As both the NSW Origin Camp, the Cronulla Sharks and the Queensland Police begin to investigate the incident - already people are starting to point the finger at Greg Bird. It’s obvious how much harm this Police prank has already caused and will continue to cause - with Bird forced to defend himself for a late night out and enjoying a few drinks at a pub. The fact that the Queensland Police are covering the whole thing up is a joke.

The mindless intervention of some attention seeking Police will cause no end of damage to Greg Birds image and that of the game of Rugby League.

Sadly, the Queensland Police should not have sought their own 15 seconds of fame and should have simply carried on their duties. While sections of the public may critisise Greg Birds late night out or his failure during the Origin game only hours before, but few are mentioning how the Queensland Police Officers failed in their chosen profession, failed badly and will hurt the profile of Bird, his club and the game.

So lets not forget who the vicitim is here and ensure the culprits cop all the blame.

Steve Roach: Inside NSW Blues Camp

Don’t be fooled. The war has only just begun.

Here we are - with Origin II less than a week away - and the hunger within this NSW camp is tangible.

The air of determination is so thick you could tackle it.

Despite some horrendous weather, Blues fans have come out in force to watch the boys hit the training paddock - and with a first start win on the board, the players look relaxed and calm.

It won’t last long.

The mental preparation will now begin.

See, we talk of passion and pride and enthusiasm and confidence…but the sheer amount of tactical planning and strategic homework which goes on before one of these Origin games is phenomenal.

Of course I can’t go into to the meaty details, but there is plenty more to winning an Origin game than turning up with a Blue jersey on.

There are players we need to target, there are different set structures for different parts of the field and there are mountains of attacking plays and defensive formations to get right.

This is where Craig Bellamy comes into his own. The guy is a tactical guru…and he is working wonders with this young crop.

Never before have I seen a more switched on team of blokes. You tell them something once, and that’s it - they’ve got it.

It’s been said countless times, but Origin games can be won or lost by the ‘one percenters’. They often are.

The best teams in history have been comprised of players who would do that little bit extra. That would do something extraordinary which their position doesn’t necessarily require them to do.

This team is honestly jam-packed with those players.

Players which have the desire and hunger to make that extra tackle, and the skill to make it a good one.

I might be… slightly biased, but I can’t talk up this NSW team enough. The fever is building and the desire is there.

You can touch it. You can smell it.

You can lick it.

We’ll win Origin II, we’ll win the series… and that Origin trophy will be back where it belongs…here on Blue soil.

Jason Taylor hits panic button again

Struggling South Sydney coach Jason Taylor will put his faith in teenage debutant Chris Sandow as the Rabbitohs turn to their 7th halfback this year against New Zealand Warriors tomorrow night.

As the Bunnies continue to lurch from one problem to the next, coach Taylor continues to make wholesale changes week after week in the hope his team can somehow come up with miracle wins. Making constant changes makes it almost impossible for players to form any sort of combination and it makes you wonder; is it pressure from Rusty? Or simply a case of Jason Taylor hitting the panic button?

With just one win in 11 games and besieged by internal turmoil, South Sydney head across the Tasman to face a side who have won the past 12 contests between the two clubs since 1999.

After losing Craig Wing (shoulder) to injury in round one, the Rabbitohs have used Issac Luke, Jeremy Smith (both three games each), Eddie Paea (two games), George Ndaira and Ben Rogers (one game each) in the No.7 jersey.

Rabbitohs coach Jason Taylor admits “it’s backs to the wall time” for his squad and has turned to Sandow to break their drought.

The 19-year-old Queenslander currently leads the player of the year vote in the national under-20s competition.

“We have made a few changes to the team this week,” said Taylor.

“The changes reflect some really good football in the lower grades and in the under-20s side, which has also been going really well.

“Chris Sandow has been a standout in that team.”

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary is buoyed by his side’s Australian breakthrough over Newcastle last week but insists the Rabbitohs are a genuine danger game tomorrow night despite Souths being overwhelming favourites to claim the wooden spoon this year.

“They have had a lot of games where they have been right in it and could have won,” Cleary said.

“We are playing a team with nothing to lose and they’re probably not far away from a win, so we have to make sure it’s not against us.”

Acting Warriors captain Micheal Luck, filling in while Steve Price undertakes Origin duties, said it was difficult to predict how Souths, yet to win away from home, would play.

The Rabbitohs have made several changes to their line up with centre Jamie Simpson also handed his NRL debut and Kiwi international David Kidwell dumped to the bench.

“They’ve got a pretty solid forward pack and all the Kiwi boys come home and they always seem to play better … in front of their friends and family,” Luck said.

“Sides with nothing to lose are hard to defend against and unpredictable.

“They are just a young side full of enthusiasm … you never know what sort of things they are going to toss up at you. It is a big challenge for us.”

With Price out of the team, Ruben Wiki has been brought back into the first grade team as prop.

Warriors centre Brent Tate has also been called up by the Maroons, and Aidan Kirk will move from the left wing to play as centre.

George Piggins awakes from slumber

We have hardly heard from the man in the past 12 months writes John Chelsea, but as the South Sydney Rabbitohs slump to 1 win from 10 starts on the field and also cop a beating in the press - out comes George Piggins to slam the club management and the internal factions that ousted the popular former Souths boss.After George Piggins cut ties with the club after losing a vote for control of Souths he went to ground. Piggins refused to attend games or check on the progress of his beloved team. He remained quiet for the majority of 2007 as the South Sydney Rabbitohs under new coach Jason Taylor and operators Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court charged into their first semi-finals birth in over a decade.

There was no congratulations from George Piggins. As the olive branch was continually extended from the new owners of South Sydney, George remained distant and refused to drop the past.

South Sydney is a club that almost every NRL Rugby League supporter has a soft spot for. Australians love an underdog and maybe this is why we have all riden Souths so hard and wished them well at every turn. If you’re team isn’t playing, you’ll generally find most League fans will root for the Bunnies.

The problem for Souths is that the club gets torn apart from within all too often. We’ve heard the media reports of Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court not seeing eye to eye, then George Piggins awakes from his slumber to slam the club and stick the boot in while he has the chance and everything goes back to square one.

While tradition is such an important part of Rugby League and we must cherish it especially in our Centenary Year; the long and distinguished history for South Sydney is probably killing the club and not allowing it to move forward. It seems Crowe and Holmes a Court have the right idea and have tried to bring in new mentalities and systems to forge ahead, but there is always a voice from the past or a comparison to the ‘old days’ that flares up another disagreement at the club and sends everyone in a different direction.

The relocation offer of $8 million from the NRL to any club who moves their homebase away from Sydney should seriously be considered by South Sydney.

While the money would be a handy boost for the club, the biggest advantage would be a fresh start. While Redfern holds such deep roots and memories for the foundation Rugby League club, what is the benefit of staying there now? Clover Moore and the local Council scrapped all plans for a purpose built home ground in Redfern and the compromise was a ‘training facility’ that is being constructed right near the pokie-less Leagues club.

So this means that Souths will still play their games from the distant ANZ Stadium and not only is their Leagues club over 40km from the playing venue, but their chances of making any additional money at their base are thwarted by the fact there are no pokie machines to bring in additional revenue.

Souths need to cut ties with the disgruntled past and forge ahead into a new era. With respect, too many of yesterdays heros are hurting South Sydney. Sometimes we all need to bury the past and put up with some angst just for the good of the NRL team.

George, South Sydney need your support right now. Stop holding the club back, get on board and let the club be re-born. The alternatives are a lot worse, because you risk either losing your team forever or worse still - not being a part of the celebrations when they finally secure the NRL Premiership.

NRL in turmoil; as clubs struggle

When David Gallop went public this week about the NRL’s concerns for struggling Sydney-based clubs and their short to mid term survival, few realised the seriousness of the problems circulating Rugby League as a whole.

Dwindling crowds, reduced injections from League’s clubs due to the pokie tax, woeful membership numbers and an overcrowded Sydney market in terms of NRL teams are causing major headaches for the games operators.

As the AFL does their best to eat into the Rugby League market by targeting Western Sydney, Gold Coast and a brave buy-out attempt of League HQ at ANZ Stadium, Homebush - we are also hearing news of South Sydney once again hitting rocky roads as their new owners struggle to come to terms with how tough things really are.

Only a week ago we saw the likes of Penrith and St George Illawarra playing in front of crowds that were only marginally above the desperation 5000 mark.

Times are certainly tough and in an extremely competitive sporting landscape - the NRL needs to get strategic and do so very quickly, or risk again going through a similar torture to the Super League War. Sydney’s base of NRL clubs especially need to improve their earnings, while boosting crowds through the gate is important - equally important is the amount of club memberships, something almost all Sydney clubs are failing to capitalise on. Clubs need to create slick marketing campaigns and target their supporters on game day at their homeground. Punters are already paying $10 for cold pies and warm beers, offering an on the spot $5 club membership would be an easy sell - especially if the marketing department arranged some attractive girls in skimpy clothing to draw in the supporters. (You get the idea, I’ll leave the marketing to the various clubs now however)

While interstate clubs, notably Brisbane and the Gold Coast, are flourishing, the game’s traditional home is under siege and stubbornly refusing to heed the warning of NRL chief executive David Gallop, who insists clubs may die unless things change.

Sydney clubs would prefer to blame the New South Wales Government, and its poker machine tax, for their plight. They would rather flog a horse that shows no signs of life than contemplate the more realistic alternative - relocate or merge, a concept that led to rancour during Super League and its aftermath.

Gallop isn’t the only prominent NRL identity suggesting Sydney clubs are in danger. Gold Coast coach John Cartwright promoted the idea of a 12-team competition recently in a magazine column, claiming that Sydney should be divided into four zones.

In effect, Sydney clubs are holding back the game. They are holding earning capacity of players because they can’t afford to pay more money, something that has resulted in superstars Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams looking overseas for opportunities.

They are holding back the game’s exposure on a national level by refusing to contemplate relocation.

Behind the scenes, an undercurrent of support is growing for the game to revisit expansion at the expense of overcrowding in Sydney. Most won’t say it publicly, but some chief executives privately believe the only way to grow the pie is to make the game truly national.

That means returning to Adelaide and Perth, two clubs sacrificed in the wake of the Super League peace deal. It means putting a plan in place and sticking to it. It means leaving financially stricken Sydney clubs with three choices: Merge, relocate or die.

It’s not a new idea, but it resonates more than ever as Sydney clubs grumble about the unfair situation created by the NSW Government.

The NRL held a two-day conference with chief executives this week at which they discussed their plight and bounced around ideas to raise revenue. What came out of it? It appears very little.

The game still has no direction. It doesn’t know where it will be next year, let alone in five years. The AFL has plans to move into western Sydney and the Gold Coast, with timetables in place. Super 14 is talking about expanding its product and lengthening its season. The A-League, still in its infancy, is looking to add clubs in Queensland and possibly elsewhere.

“At the moment the game is under threat more in Sydney than anywhere else,” Brisbane chief executive Bruno Cullen said of rugby league.

“That’s one issue. The other threats that are coming to our game are the other truly national codes - the AFL and soccer, and to a lesser extent rugby union. They can get the big money for sponsorship and television revenue because they are national.”

Rugby league, on the other hand, is preoccupied with the survival of Sydney clubs when the answer lies elsewhere. With the NRL locked into long-term television contracts with the Nine Network and Fox Sports, there will be no sudden influx of money. That means, unlike the AFL, the NRL can’t afford to prop up ailing clubs. Against that backdrop, frustration grows outside Sydney, a mood which led to the Super League revolution in 1995, which in turn led to a split competition in 1997.

“When you strategise you have to know where you’re at to know where you’re going,” Melbourne Storm chief executive Brian Waldron said.

“What I do know is there is a team called the Sydney Roosters that from my understanding has less players participating in rugby league at junior and senior level than we do in Melbourne.

“There are two teams in (southern Sydney) and surrounding areas (Cronulla and St George Illawarra) that arguably are sharing a low potential supporter base. That’s just my perception.

“The reality is you have to get some research to determine where you’re going. There will be some research that will tell you there’s some markets that you can generate enormous revenue in outside of Sydney, or it may just be rationalisation.”

Waldron, who comes from an AFL background, advocates increased ground-sharing among the Sydney clubs, as is the case in Melbourne, where the AFL sides play most of their games at either the MCG or Telstra Dome. Waldron also supports the NRL leveraging stadium officials to get better deals for its clubs.

Another option for cash-strapped Sydney clubs could lie with privatisation, a concept which has taken hold at the Warriors, South Sydney and Manly.

Each of those clubs survives thanks to wealthy benefactors - Eric Watson at the Warriors, Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court at the Rabbitohs, and Max Delmege and Scott Penn at the Sea Eagles.

“We have the private ownership model in the game now,” said Wests Tigers chief executive Steve Noyce, who has managed to operate his club with minimal to no leagues club support. “That’s something the game hasn’t had a lot of. That’s possibly something people need to look at as well.”

Manly chief executive Grant Mayer said any rugby league investor needed to understand there wouldn’t be significant returns, a fact borne out at Souths where Holmes a Court and Crowe lost $4 million in their first year.

Sea Eagles co-owner Delmege, who bought a share in the club in 2001, is only now starting to realise the benefit of his investment - and only because he is starting to understand the power of the club’s brand.

“Private ownership has got to realise that owning a football club is not about making money — it’s about other opportunities,” Mayer said. “It took Max Delmege six years to see some opportunities for himself after pouring so much money into the club.”

As for the future of Sydney clubs, Mayer said: “The danger is the costs involved with running a footy club are growing - and revenues aren’t.

“Clubs have to find new ways to make money. If you’re competing with seven other clubs in Sydney, that’s a big ask.

“I have no doubt the dark cloud hanging over the game is 100 per cent accurate.

“Literally, a club could fall over within 12 months. I think it would be a wise club to act before its forced upon them and relocate now.”

The NRL is conscious of the benefits of expansion, and $8 million remains on the table for a club which packs up and moves.

South Australian Rugby League general manager Bruce Walker, who won a premiership with Manly in 1978 and toured with Australia that same year, has been lobbying clubs to move games to Adelaide, a city he says is crying out for the NRL.

Like his West Australian counterpart Bill Nosworthy, who wants a team in Perth, Walker believes Adelaide would have sufficient corporate support to back a side.

Initially, he advocates a partial move involving a side potentially playing six games in Adelaide and six at its Sydney home.

To support that bid, he endorses the NRL offering $4 million - half the $8 million on offer for a complete move - to a club which plays half its home games in South Australia.

A partial move would then be the precursor to a club permanently basing itself in Adelaide, and also Perth, by the time the next television deal begins in 2013.

“They could really test the waters by doing that - six games down here and six games at home,” Walker said. “You would get a lot of sponsors to be involved in that. You would make money.”

NRL chief executive David Gallop questions the benefits of a side playing half its game interstate. Asked whether the NRL would consider putting $4 million on the table for a club that partially relocated, with a view to permanently moving its base, Gallop said: “Partial relocation is problematic. We would really prefer a complete move to a new area. But we have got an open mind on any proposal.”

Gallop is reluctant to force Sydney clubs to move, although he understands the benefits of a national competition.

“The game has been through incredible turmoil,” Gallop said in reference to the Super League war. “We have just added a team (Gold Coast) which is successful. We’re not interested in a race to get dots on a map.

“We will be in new places in the short- to medium-term but it’s not the time to be putting more pressure on our existing clubs by adding teams.

“We would love to be in places like Perth and Adelaide, but the local game is not ready.

“It’s not like it was in the AFL where they had thriving competitions.

“We’re building towards it and there will be a point where we can consider those areas.”

Even if it wants to, the NRL is unable to force clubs to relocate under the terms of their current licence agreements.

As such, clubs need to move of their own volition, something Cullen says would benefit the game immeasurably by producing greater sponsorship revenue, which in turn would be drip fed back to the clubs.

“All this talk about rationalisation is not about getting more money in the pool, it’s about survival,” Cullen said.

Waldron is even more emphatic.

“I have been on record since the day I walked into this business, when I heard David Hill (former head of sport at Channel Nine and now a heavy-hitter with Fox Sports in the US) at my first ever chief executives conference say we had the best television product in the world in sport,” Waldron said.

“I have said right from the start the only reason we don’t generate more money than our competitors is because we’re not truly a national game.

“Rationalise the Sydney clubs and make it a national game. Make it a national game and you’ll stop having to worry. We’re not talking about now, we’re talking about a generational approach.

“It’s something that has to happen in the next 10 years.

“What we can’t forget is we still have a magnificent product. It’s a wonderful product. It’s not broken.”

One thing has become patently clear this week: Something needs to change.

“What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” Waldron said. “Many would argue we are insane at the moment in our game.”

Sooky Bill Williams?

It certainly seems like a case of ‘Sooky Bill Williams‘ at the moment as the Bulldogs forward continues to air his feelings of restlessness at Belmore after only 12 months ago signing a 5 year deal to extend his stay with the club for the long haul.

Recently changing management, Sonny Bill Williams was previously managed by Gavin Orr but is now aligned with Khoder Nasser the man who pulls the strings for boxer Anthony Mundine. Ever since the new association it has virtually been a different Sonny Bill Williams. Previously quietly spoken, SBW suddenly was in the headlines and was vocal about various aspects of the game. He also broke up with his long time girlfriend and childhood sweetheart Genna Shaw. Rumours also swept NRL circles that Sonny Bill was even about to change his religion.

From citing a lack of loyalty from his departing team mates Willie Mason, Mark O’Meley and Brent Sherwin to his comments that the Polynesian community within the game are being exploited - SBW was becoming more and more vocal and a totally different man to the one we knew just a few short months before.

What’s the go?

Is Sonny Bill not happy at the Bulldogs only because of their recent poor form? When your NRL club is in a hole, you simply can’t pack up your stuff and walk away! Maybe he is missing Willie Mason, or is he unhappy that Mason is getting big dollars at Bondi? Sure, the departure of Willie Mason a close mate and someone who urged Sonny to stay for less money must hurt - but lets be realistic here, here is a young man on big dollars and playing top level Rugby League. The Bulldogs have been extremely patient as SBW experienced constant injuries and long periods on the sidelines, they paid the bills and were always there to pick up the pieces.

So regardless of results, player departures or coaching changes - Sonny Bill Williams has been well looked after by his employer and ultimately he just needs to do his part. Forget chasing more money only 12 months into a long term deal, do your job and stop making waves for your club.

Admittedly things do not look good for the Bulldogs in the future. While they made a smart choice in snaring Brett Kimmorley, they are without a top line coach and it will take several years for Kevin Moore to develop into a competitive prospect - just look at the time it has taken for Nathan Brown to become competitive at the Dragons after taking his first senior coaching position.

The Bulldogs continue to lose quality players, Willie Tonga the most recent to leave the club and now they have SBW and Reni Maitua also wanting to exit stage left. The Dogs might have new state of the art training facilities at Homebush, but they are a club without a spiritual home and have faced that daunting prospect ever since the Oasis Project fell into a heap.

With so many problems and a bleak looking future, the Bulldogs need the help of Sonny Bill Williams more than ever. Not just on the field with strong performances, but they need respect from SBW in the media and in the eyes of the public. On-going bickering will impact sponsors, members and fans through the gate.

The Bulldogs have put so much money into Sonny Bill Williams and waited patiently as the star forward has played not much over 60 NRL games in 4 years. A sad state of affairs in terms of attendance, regardless of whether SBW could have earned more money elsewhere - he signed a 5 year agreement with the Bulldogs and it’s time to put in.

So Sonny, whether its you or your new manager stirring up this hornets nest - it might be time to have a good hard look at yourself. You say you want a better deal for Polynesian players? Well at the moment, you aren’t setting such a good example yourself.

Newcastle starting to believe in Brian Smith

Next thing you know Pigs might be flying in Newcastle, after local media outlets have begun to release positive news articles about Knights coach Brian Smith. Only just last year Smith probably had to walk down the main street of Newcastle with a SWAT team for personal protection - but now it seems he might actually be getting pats on the back.

Bouyed by strong 2008 NRL results, Brian Smith and the Knights are sitting nicely on the Premiership Ladder. After a year of turmoil and poor results in 2007, Smith chose to wipe the slate clean after the retirement of Andrew Johns. Many of the senior playing group were pushed aside and naturally there was some angst. Players opened up on Smith and so did club backers and supporters.

Smith didn’t have a friend in the world, even close ally and Knights board member Paul Harrogan was starting to lose faith in the new coach.

Fast forward to 2009, with a new playing group, a strong off-season and improved facilities - the Knights have re-emerged and are putting things together on the field. Not only is the heat off Smith to some extent, the Newcastle Herald is even reporting positive articles on his achievements.

Backed by comments from Phil Gould, Warren Ryan, Matt Johns and Peter Sterling - the support for Brian Smith is certainly growing and the possible overthrow from the likes of the White Knights Supporter Group, now seems well and truly in the past.

Gould, Ryan, Johns and Sterling believe such success would have been much tougher had Smith stuck with the same squad of players he inherited when he started coaching at Newcastle in 2007.

“The Knights needed someone like Brian Smith, and they’re going to be very grateful for whatever time he spends there,” Gould said yesterday.

“I think he’s totally turned the place around . . . he’s turned around a lot of clubs over the years that were going no good when he got there.”

Gould said Smith had no options but to refresh the club, players and facilities and rebuild it from scratch after the retirement of Andrew Johns early in 2007.

“Brian was faced with a team of players that rarely won without Andrew Johns,” he said.

“He would have been crazy to continue with the identical squad who had already proven they couldn’t win without Joey.

“What’s he done is give the team a whole new fresh start and the club a fresh start. When you make big change, you obviously get people who resist and you open yourself up to criticism.

“Smith’s never shyed away from the tough decisions. The simple choice would have been to play the popularity card, and that way you secure your position and you don’t get hammered in the newspapers.

“But Brian’s always been comfortable putting his reputation on the line and handling any criticism from those who don’t understand.”

Gould was not surprised that Smith’s makeover featured a host of unheralded imports.

“You look at Brian’s history, he’s never, ever purchased expensive players,” Gould said.

“He’s made some big stars but he’s never bought them.”

Gould labelled the new-look Knights a wildcard in the finals race and said they had already proved a point to Smith’s doubters.

“The critics are silent,” Gould said. “They’ll sit on the fence waiting for him to fall, but I have to laugh, I just know in the end he’ll prove them wrong.”

Johns confirmed he had doubts about Smith in 2007 but had since changed his mind.

“I’ll admit I had doubts and say that at times last year I was worried about Smith’s methods,” Johns said.

“Some of the bickering that were coming out of the club, I think many had concerns.

“But there’s no doubt Smithy’s coached for a long time and knows his stuff.

“I saw him after Newcastle lost to the Eels in that golden-point game and I said to him then, ‘I was probably doubting what was happening last year, but I’ve got to take my hat off to you’.”

Johns disagreed with reports that the Knights had in the past relied on a home-grown “culture”.

“You don’t need to be a Cessnock kid, to live up to the Knights’ culture,” Johns said.

“Some of the Knights’ greatest players over the years have come from out of town guys like Tony Butterfield, Robbie O’Davis and Ben Kennedy it goes on and on.

“It doesn’t matter if you come from Maitland or Auckland, if you live up to the principles the club was built on, the supporters will accept you as one of their own.”

Johns said that if Newcastle can emerge relatively intact from the Origin stage of the season “then who knows how far they will go”.

“I think they’ve got every chance to go a long way in the competition,” he said.

Ryan was impressed with the resolve Newcastle showed in beating Gold Coast 13-12 last weekend and believes they are bound for the finals.

“Looking at them now, I think they’ll make the eight,” he said.

“At the start of the year, I didn’t think they would be. I thought it would take him [Smith] a year to get them rolling.

“But he’s done a terrific job . . . I think if you’ve got eyes to see what’s happening, he’s proving a point very steadily.

“What he copped last year [from the media] was malicious and unwarranted.”

Sterling said a play-offs berth was “an achievable result” for Newcastle.

“If you were a Newcastle fan, I think every game this year you’d be proud of them and say that they tried their hearts out together as a team,” Sterling said

“Win, lose or draw, that’s what fans want. They want a team that’s putting in . . .

“The thing that has always appealed to me about Brian Smith and the way he coaches football teams is that he’s prepared to make tough decisions.

“Brian understands that if you make decisions based on popularity, you fail.”

Ben Cummins somehow retains his spot

If you didn’t see or hear about the performance of NRL referee Ben Cummins in the Panthers vs Eels match at CUA Stadium, let me touch on just a few of the mistakes he made.

Obviously in a poor frame of mind to start the game, Cummins proceeded to blow 4 penalties in the first 6 minutes after kick-off - immediately putting players and spectators on the back foot. This could be forgiven if the consistency and correct rulings were made for the majority of the game - bad sadly this didn’t eventuate.

However, Cummins went on to disallow two Panthers tries, both of which could have just as easily been awarded. He mis-called plenty of dropped ball incorrectly, twice costing the Eels possession late in the game when the pressure was on - commentators, fans and players all scratching their heads as the poor decisions continued to flow.

Understandably, the game got more and more heated - as players began to become frustrated at the continued poor calls. As the push and shove broke up, again Cummins failed to deal with it correctly. As Penrith’s Priddis and Parramatta’s Hauraki came together at the play the ball, a slight push from Hauraki angering Priddis, referee Cummins initially letting the first infringement go, but after Priddis retaliated more forcefully - the referee suddenly addresses the push and shove but awards the penalty against Hauraki after initially seeing it and allowing play on?

It’s fortunate that there wasn’t more aggression and a total brawl during the game, as you can understand the players getting so frustrated with such a poor showing.

It didn’t matter if you were a Penrith or Parramatta fan, both sides copped their fair share of poor calls.

Whats even more frustrating is the fact that referee quality is slipping and it doesn’t seem like we have much in the way of back-ups. Everyone makes mistakes, however after making at least a dozen mistakes in one outing surely referee Ben Cummins had to be given a spell in lower grades?

We saw several referees retire at the end of last year, Paul Simpkins and Steve Clark. These guys were two of the top ranking referees and surely Robert Finch and his team must be feeling the void? Why else could Cummins continue to get a gig after such a shocking performance?

It’s hard for the coaches and club officials to comment on the performance of referees, while it’s the referees creditability they can’t question - it’s such a fine line between a $10,000 fine that many don’t even risk touching on the referee. This makes it very hard for anyone to speak their mind on the performance of a match official, there is no doubt coach Matt Elliott and Michael Hagan would have been livid with the performance of Cummins - but virtually powerless to speak their real mind.

As Tim Sheens said recently, the biggest worry for most coaches is now the referees. Coaches can prepare their players in the best possible way, study the enemy and design game plans - but what they can’t prepare for is the ‘interpretations’ of individual referees. So if it’s hard preparing for individual refereeing styles - how do you prepare for a match under Ben Cummins after a performance like that last week?

Wendell Sailor: Will he still be a force?

Wendell Sailor is about to re-enter the limelight of NRL Rugby League at the ripe age of 33 years writes Adam Sutcliffe. Will he still be a force? Has the 2 year ban not only allowed his body and mind to freshen up, but does the passion and quest for success still drive the big man?

Before leaving the Rugby Union, Wendell Sailor was in the Top 5 NRL players going around. A big, strong winger and a crucial part of the Brisbane Broncos machine - Wendell could virtually always beat at least 1 tackle everytime he touched the ball. After taking the big dollars to play Rugby Union, Wendell probably didn’t achieve the heights he had hoped. The talented ball runner saw little of the action and probably didn’t fit in with the ‘boys club’ that is so common in Union circles.

Wendell Sailor found this out first hand, when reports suggest several of Rugby Union’s ‘in-crowd’ were also involved in drug taking - but Sailor refused to dump his colleagues in the mess he has since fought his way through.

Thrown a lifeline by Nathan Brown and the St George Illawarra Dragons, Wendell is expected to sign the official paperwork this Monday and be ready for a first grade call up when needed.

Reportedly training hard on his own, those close to Sailor feel the former Broncos winger is itching at the chance to prove himself again - and should be a success. Not only prove he can climb to the top of the NRL ranks, but show his former Rugby Union bosses and colleagues that he was made a scape goat and still had plenty to offer.

The fact that his aging body has had 2 years to rest and recover along with his burning desire to redeem himself, the chances are pretty good Wendell Sailor will be a resounding success.

Things are starting to pan out well for the former winger, expected to this season play in the forwards - should he prove successful in his comeback and form remains good into next year, his old coach Wayne Bennett is set to take the reigns at the Dragons next year and the old Broncos partnership could be rekindled.

Even Sailor’s ex-Maroons teammate Smith said he could even figure in Queensland’s Origin plans in 2009, but he did not rule out a call-up this year. Certainly a big call and a massive mark of respect for big Wendell

“Maybe not this year, but Wendell looks after himself pretty well and I wouldn’t rule out the possibility if Queensland lost a game or two and Wendell was playing well for St George Illawarra,” Smith said.

“There are eight weeks until the third State of Origin so he has enough time to prove himself, especially if the Dragons give him a chance at NRL level.

“I’ve had first-hand experience with the loyalty Queensland selectors have to blokes who have done the job in the past. I can’t see why there would not be a jersey there for Queensland for him next year. I can see him having three good years in the NRL.”

The Dragons have sounded out Burleigh Bears as a possible Queensland Cup launch pad for Sailor’s NRL comeback.

Sailor said last month that he hoped to be used as a winger despite media speculation last year that his league future might rest in the back row.

Smith was the oldest player in the NRL last year before he retired at the age of 35 years and six months, and he is well placed to judge the effect age is likely to have on Sailor.

Brent Tate, 26, and Greg Inglis, 21, are the incumbent Queensland wingers, with Israel Folau, 19, bidding to move Inglis to the centres, his Test position, for the May 21 Origin series opener.

“Wendell will be fresh after two years off and all that time in union,” Wiki said.

“He has played for his state and country in league and rugby for the Wallabies. I think he can come back as good as ever as long as he’s got the passion to play footy.

“He was a great player in league and union too but it’s good he’s come back to the real game.”

Allan Langer remains the oldest Origin player, as he was a month short of his 36th birthday in his last game for Queensland in 2002.

Smith said that Sailor would harbour private doubts about his ability to replicate what he used to do on the field

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