If you ever needed proof that rugby league is the greatest game of all, Round 25 provided multiple such examples!
Friday night produced the greatest finish I’ve ever seen in my (sigh) almight 40 years.
Just when you thought you’d seen it all, the Tigers produced one of the tries of the decade prior to the Cowboys ruining the party.
Simply put, it’s been a massive weekend of footy, on and off the field.
Below are 20 thoughts from a ridiculous (in a good way) Round 25 of NRL action:
1. Sitting second last, winless since Round 16, over 25,000 Newcastle fans turned up on Sunday afternoon. Their reward? A 46-12 loss to the red-hot Broncos. No matter what the circumstance, Knights fans continue to show up in huge numbers. They deserve better. Leo Thompson was arguably their best yesterday and he’s off to the Dogs next year. I know there’s plenty of major injuries at play here but it’s always something. Huge shout-out to the fans.
2. Just last week, I proclaimed I’d seen the worst decision of all time. As usual, I was wrong. Friday night saw a Dogs player throw a ball at a Storm player, only to be awarded a penalty because a Storm player tapped the back of his head. Later in that same game, Cameron Munster felt a similar rev up, reacted out of turn and was awarded a penalty. That’s a horrible precedent to reward an escalation following the slightest of contacts. The officiating team will want that one over again.
3. The Harry Grant suspension may prove to be the final twist in the Minor Premiership story. With the Roosters and Broncos to play, Melbourne needs to win both games to lift the shield. Whether or not Craig Bellamy cares is another story altogether, mind you, as he has rested players in the past in similar circumstances. The major worry for me with be Grant returning for the Finals on the back of the enforced layoff.
4. An even bigger twist came in the form of Sam Walker’s concussion against the Eels. The Roosters looked terrible without their main man and will be without him to the aforementioned Storm clash this Friday night. Walker has produced a ridiculous 14 try assists in his six games prior to the Eels clash. The Chooks were flying. Without him, they looked lost. The timing could not be any worse.
5. Round 25 may have been the greatest weekend of footy we’ve seen. Thursday night was a write off other than a reward for suffering Souths fans. Friday night was everything we hoped for and then some. Two incredible games. That Mudgee classic produced THE greatest finish I’ve ever seen. Manly and the Warriors produced some all-time highlights before Fox ran 100 metres in front of a massive crowd. Brisbane continued the highlight reel tries before Sunday afternoon saw one of the games of the season. Brilliant!
6. From positive to negative, sorry … Kevin Walters, an appointment to the Kangaroos job that left me speechless, is set to announce Gordon Tallis as an assistant coach. This was after the ARL declined his ridiculous idea to bring Tallis along as some “cultural figurehead”. Walters then tried to appoint Brisbane assistants Nathan Brown and Ben Te’o as Roos assistants. Now it looks as though Tallis will be given the job. Jobs for the boys!?
7. Last week I asked how coaches keep getting appointed despite horror runs. The Cowboys and Sea Eagles have rushed out statements saying that Todd Payten and Anthony Seibold are safe for next year but that other changes may be made. Fans are, rightfully, asking how these coaches keep surviving and how the boards justify these guys staying on.
8. It looks as though Daly Cherry-Evans will play on next year. I’m too tired to feign surprise. The rumoured cut-price deal at the Roosters is the worst-kept secret in the game, but why is the NRL allowing him to sign for well below market value?
9. Reactions were mixed re Reece Walsh handing over an obvious try to 100 gamer Kobe Hetherington. I have no issues with it. I understand betting and Supercoach, etc, but Walsh has no requirement to pander to either. It’s like when a centre is almost over and hands off to a winger. No one has the right to complain here.
10. Ben Hunt’s 350th game really snuck under the radar compared to that of DCE. Hunt has been brilliant since returning from injury, and I believe he is one of the most underappreciated players in the game. Yes, he had his moments, both positive and negative, at the Dragons, but he copped way more than he should have.
11. Leichhardt Oval is special. I am the furthest thing from a Tigers fans but those Sunday afternoon games in front of huge crowds are just something else.
12. I am often critical of commentary teams across the two main channels. Cliches, disinterested comments, certain rep coaches making up words … but Cameron Smith has been a rare highlight for mine. It’s similar to listening to Ricky Pointing call the cricket. He just had knowledge beyond all others. Sunday afternoon saw Johnathan Thurston copping plenty from those on the Leichhardt Oval hill. The camera zoomed in to see Cameron Smith amongst the fans, leading the razzing. Brilliant TV.
13. I have to admit, prior to this weekend, the disgusting standing of refereeing was really killing my enjoyment of the game. Round 25 still had numerous refereeing shockers but the footy was so good it pushed all that nonsense to the back.
14. As said above, Saturday evening’s Bunker Show was rudely interrupted by occasional football. I swear Adam Gee was the main character of the Eels/Roosters clash. There were so many extended stoppages that the telecast of the English Premier League didn’t join until almost seven minutes in. Ok the game required several Bunker involvements but boy was it a tough slog.
15. As predicted, the Titans fans were massively outnumbered on Saturday evening by Warriors fans. This happens far too often. Great work by Warriors fans to turn up in huge numbers but at what point do we just admit that locals don’t care re the Titans?
16. I fully understand the frustration from NRL fans seeing players who have been largely unavailable for their NRL clubs suddenly becoming available for rep footy. Cameron Murray and Taniela Paseka may play in the end-of-year rep footy tournaments despite fans wanting them iced for the year. Rep footy is still the pinnacle of the game. I get it.
17. Clint Gutherson will want that moment on Thursday night over again. You all know the moment. His signing at the Dragons has been absolutely magnificent. He is often their best player. He is always their most involved and hardest-working player. He’s up there is age, these moments are going to happen.
18. Remember when Peter V’landys said that players should value their integrity over penalties? I can’t believe that’s a real quote.
19. Samoa and Tonga have gotten considerably stronger over the years and benefit greatly from having Origin stars available. The Kiwis, meanwhile, don’t enjoy such luxury. That is going to become a huge problem, if it hasn’t already.
20. I am convinced that the Titans will never learn. Despite being burned several times after signing players to long term contracts on “overs” i.e. over market value, they’re about to re-sign Jayden Campbell for five years on almost a million dollars a season. Great prospect but they’ve got three fullbacks on huge money.
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