One of our favourite sons here at NRL News, the Grubber has officially been placed on suicide watch; after NRL Results have seen the League tipster unable to manage even one correct tip in his popular predictions.
It started with the injury-riddled Brisbane Broncos getting over the in form Sydney Roosters on Friday night. The new look Broncos proving very slick as they disposed of the Chooks with ex-Panther Peter Wallace guiding them around nicely.
The pain didn’t end there. Just like many in Rugby League circles, the Grubber predicted that the South Sydney Rabbitohs would quickly bounce back and get themselves into gear for 2008 – but they fell to the unpredictable Bulldogs; under pressure and without Sonny Bill Williams; the Dogs did more than enough to get home with a no name forward pack.
As Super Saturday got underway things got worse for the Grubber and many tipsters around Australia. The Panthers at home were near certainties to wipe the floor with the Canberra Raiders, but CUA Stadium turned cold and Matt Elliott was looking for blades to cut his wrists as the Mountain Men turned into Mountain Mice and gifted the Raiders so much ball that they took away the two competition points.
Then moving north Brian Smith has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse as the Newcastle Knights stopped last years Grand Finalists Manly in a cracker game that went into Golden Point. Josh Perry the villain and hero, turning up against his old side – but gifting them with a crucial penalty after a brain snap headbutt that cost the Eagles dearly. This game was such an upset, it’s hard to find even a Knights supporter that tipped their team in this one.
Results continued to be turned on their head, when the Wests Tigers proved successful in their raid on Cowboy territory up north. The Tigers pulling off a magnificent smash and grab raid, beating the North Queenslander’s in their home patch – something few manage to do. So good is the Tigers form, they won’t want Benji Marshall back in too much of a hurry and they also have the likes of Dean Collis, Taniela Tuiaki, Bryce Gibbs and Ryan O’Hara all to come back in the weeks ahead. Tim Sheens has these guys playing out of their skin and they are proving a real dark horse in the early rounds.
Alas, the slaughter wasn’t over. Tipsters were admitted to hospital wards all over Australia on Sunday, as the Cronulla Sharks won a game in the trenches against the Melbourne Storm. The Shire lads systematically breaking down the defence lines of both 2007 Grand Finalists in the space of 2 weeks. The Storm had no answer when things got tough and the Sharks proved their gritty, take no prisoners style will get them further in this years NRL.
Across the ditch, the high flying Eels were quickly brought back down to Earth as the NZ Warriors wheeled out a rejuvenated Manu Vatuvei to seek revenge on the team that burnt him in a boil over at Parramatta Stadium last year. The Warriors minus captain Steve Price and potent fullback Wade McKinnon, still had plenty at home and showed the Eels – they won’t be push overs in Auckland this year.
So as we prepare for Monday Night Football, the Grubber is bunkering down somewhere in Sydney hoping that NRL Results will go his way – meaning the St George Illawarra Dragons need to get home over the Gold Coast Titans and secure him the correct tip for at least one game in Round 2 – so he won’t have to perform the obligatory undie run should he remain winless in the tipping department.