flashman181

Ya dont have to feel happy but at least redemption for Mitchell Pearce takes some of the pain away. Always seemed a decent fellow who just happened to run into QLD in its glory days. Much like Gallen but no one feels sorry for that ass clown of course

Even during the period of QLD dominance it usually came down to one or two plays and the presence in one team of 2-3 big match winners not present in the other side. Give NSW during that period Thurston and Slater and the results are totally different. Put Teddy and Cook in QLD last night and we win. In between that there is rarely a struck match between the two sides despite the stats. If Qld could have won last night then the nightmares return for NSW and they may never recover. Instead we have the possibility of a short dynasty. I say short because right now no QLD superstars appear on the near horizon while NSW stars are relatively young still and now not scarred irrevocably. However the next superstar may be just around the corner

As with all things human the spine is critical. Personally I dont cream my jeans at the thought of Munster at fullback. Definite star but prefer him at Number 6 not that Norman did a bad job. Qld strike is mostly in its wingers and PonGod set them up well in Game 1. Munster is more of an individual. Even Boyd would be well suited at fullback from an attacking perspective – certainly not defensively! Qld lacks good centres since loss of GI. Chambers is rocks and diamonds but 8 missed tackles is 7 too many and Mbye is nothing. Its where Broncs fall down as well with loss of Roberts. DCE was ok but should have set up FG in last two minutes. Norman is also rocks and diamonds but would stick with him. Hunt is ok but no Cook. Papali was good in patches as was Grub McQuire. Kafusi was solid but part of problem with the Qld pack is it is about 4 Kafusis! Dont get the rap for Ofahengaue – solid young player not SOO material. Lowe was very good on debut, Welch just standard. No variety in pack and no real threat

Glad NSW picked Klemmer because I reckon he is a lumbering log. Maloney was quiet along with Pearce but did nothing wrong. Turbo Tom was quiet while Wighton was dangerous. Ferguson was another redemption story and close to MOM – tip toe down sideline to set up try was icing on cake. NSW were there for the taking but we couldnt get it done and now its history and we have to live through the NSW biased media gloating

Kevvie is a great guy but not a great coach. Good certainly but purleese if around next year drop the new age crap. There is a reason he hasnt got an NRL job yet and think he would struggle there. Perfect assistant and a specialist coach like with the halves. Passion only gets you so far

Hey, at least India lost. Aussies will lose tonight which means only one thing

GO KIWIS

As long as Origin has been played , last nights result was always on the cards apart from a couple of Golden periods for Maroons with Thurston, Lewis etc. NSW sides always look more dangerous on paper, not necessarily better. They have more points in them invariably. Qld gets by on effort and guts and usually some NSW mistakes either on field or at selection table. Many so called experts of course thought the selections for NSW Game 2 were panic but in reality most were forced or obvious. Blind Freddy, let alone Blue Freddy, knows that smaller mobile packs do better in wet conditions than big logs. Of course when selected no one knew it would piss down for the game but Fittler must have been happy when he saw the forecast.

Didnt watch second half so wont give player ratings but will make general observations

Ponga is a great player no doubt but needs to add a conservative, bordering on sensible, part to his game. In those condition you dont go for the big soaring catches mid air. His side step went missing but Tedesco didnt seem to have a problem:) Munster is still the most dangerous and gifted player there but rest of spine did ok especially behind that forward pack. They went missing although Kafusi seemed to give it all. Dont think Gillett has come back the same player post neck nonsense as his Broncos form clearly indicates. McGuire is simply a grub and I dont care how well he plays I would never pick him. The rest were mostly lumbering oafs easily picked off. Our centres lack penetration and therefore the wingers rarely see good ball

Maloney is always worth the risk in must win matches. He will make mistakes but he will also do some brilliant stuff. Turbo Tom is simply all class and a true Origin player. Kevvie said our spine would be better than Game 1. It was an obvious call to make but they still need the forward pack to play well. One thing for certain is the NSW debutantes will be a lot better for Game 3

No doubt for me that Qld were a bit complacent as we are dealing with only footballers after all. The 4 point win at Suncorp was a false dawn and with all the media they just thought they just had to turn up and put on a bit of pressure and NSW would crack. They may well have but of course we never applied any pressure. The wet weather didnt help but that is just a roll of the dice. The penalty try was a 50/50 call but should have eased pressure on QLD and allowed them back into game but instead NSW responded better.

And finally to Angry Kevvie. Give it a miss Son. You have always been the lovable larrikin and this new stern look is not good – and embarrassing when you lose.

The worse thing of course about a NSW win is the gloating league media which always is strongly Blue Biased. The players themselves are fine. NSW will be big favourites for Game 3 of course which may be our only positive to come out of this debacle. With Broncs going south at a rapid rate Rugby League 2019 is looking like a tough year to endure. Maybe time to switch to another sport

If only we had a top female tennis player…….

Ah the Cherry Evans on top of the cake. The much maligned, and mostly unlikable, DCE showed his worth in first 20 mins with good control and well placed kicks. We still lacked potent attack and no doubt missed GI in the backline. The commentators as usual were creaming their jeans no doubt under instruction that SOO crowds and ratings were down but while a tense and exciting game due to closeness it was never a great game. It was a game of circumstance which can happen. Foe a number of reasons, most self inflicted, NSW were stuffed after 25 mins and even though scored those 2 tries before halftime – after Hunt came on 🙂 – the fatigue was always going to come back and bite them. It seemed to moi that Freddy finally went off the well crafted script before the game alluding to Smiths retirement and from there on things never went their way. Yes Qld probably got the rub of the green this time but mostly deserved and it was clear from start even before fatigue became a factor that the Blues were holding down in tackles and getting away with it because it was SOO. Some general thoughts before the eagerly awaited player ratings!

1. Giving Billy the Man of the Series was embarrassing. Imagine if he had played 3 matches – he would have won last years as well on countback!

2. Qld are not on the crest of a new era but still very much in transition. They lack size and attack in the forwards and will miss Billy heaps next year. They need a better dummy half option than either one they have at present

3. NSW deficiencies in the backline defense around Mitchell and Ado Carr were clear in every game. Mitchell went completely missing.

4. Why is it only our players can get dragged over the sideline?

5. It was a series of missed opportunities. Qld could easily have won the series. Blues could easily have done a whitewash. There is unlikely to be any great dominance again

So

Billy Slater – 8. Not as threatening as Game 2 but great at times including first try involvement
Val Holmes – 9 Class finisher and his stretched intercept towards end was critical
Will Chambers – 6.5. Solid at best, nothing special
Dane Gagai – 7.5. Much more threatening and involved
Corey Oates – 4. Played like a second rower with butter on his hands . Spooky
Cameron Munster – 7. Usually mixed game. Did set up critical try but can be a frustrating talent to watch
DCE – 8. Great first 20 mins with some deft kicks.If he wasnt such a tool and played for Manly could almost warm to him
Josh McQuire – 6.5. Am sure he does plenty in defense but rarely threatens to turn a game
Jai Arrow – 7. Has potential and tried hard but lacks size
Jarrod Wallace – 4. Has size but no heart
Felise Kafusi – 6 Busy but never spectacular
Josh Papali – 6. 8 for first 15 mins, 4 for rest. Simply looks unfit
Andrew McCullough – 5 Workhorse maybe but not up to this class. Maybe try a regional maiden next
Gavin Cooper – 6.5 Like McQuire am sure he does more than appears which is why I dont see it I guess. Good role in match winning try
Coen Hess – 6. Best effort of series which isnt saying much
Ben Hunt – 5.0001 . Once again seemed to notice more his mistakes than anything great but was more threatening than McCullough. Not a high bar folks
Tim Glasby – 4 Limited opportunities .For a reason

Man of Series Selectors – 1. For allowing Loz to still be associated with an SOO Howler for another year
Kevvie Walters – 6. Handled disappointment after first two matches with class but not convinced he is the answer without the stars. Not a Melbourne Cup field mind you
Freddy Fittler – 8. Did and said all the right things until the day before Game 3. Bought much needed change but methinks more a case he was up against a depleted Maroon outfit
WAGS – Mrs Smith looked sour and maybe just realised she now has to watch SOO because she is stuck with hubby. Mrs Slater not sighted but maybe in the box with the Aussie Selectors spelling Billy’s name? Mrs Cronk wisely stayed away

And its Goodnight from him

Its not so much that we lost that gnaws but that we should have won. And no, not talking about the penalty try which was a reasonable call but rather we had our chances and blew it. NSW certainly had the rub of the green this year which is fine as Qld certainly has in some recent years. It comes and goes. The disappointing aspect from a Maroon perspective is we had the chance to scar the next generation and we missed it. There are certainly some chinks in the left side defense for example with the Blues but that will improve each game they win. With prodigious young talent all they really need is confidence and a bit of luck. They had the luck and will get better each game. The last 10 minutes is where we clearly missed Smith, JT and co which brings us to the elephant in the room

Ben Hunt is our Mitchell Pearce! Its not often you can lay the blame at the feet of one player but this is as close as it gets. He missed Addo-Carr badly for first try, he gave away the penalty try, he lost the ball in a crucial tackle etc. Most of all though he fucking kicked the ball dead on the 3rd tackle against 12 men! His lame excuse “was trying to keep the pressure on and get a repeat set” Hey assclown, not sure if u made it past Grade 3 but I was always taught 3+3 is still only 6 so why not use the those 6 first! The game was lost there, plain and simple. Like Pearce he will go back to club land and shine and will keep getting picked. Have not seem him play this year but he lacked game management at Broncos especially in combo with equally useless Milf. Its why Dragons wont win flag this year. If u are going to pick Hunt again you need to make Widdop a Qlder stat! So lets run the slide rule over the team

Slater – 8.5 Brilliant first 15-20 and then tired understandably. Always a threat and will be massive loss next year
Gagai – 8. Class finisher, had weaker defense against
Holmes – 7. Solid with limited chances and up against the stronger defensive side
Inglis – 7. Not the impact of the first game but great combo with Slater
Chalmers – 6. Always a mixed bag. some defensive lapses, a hopeless kick, and a costly stupid tackle late
Munster – 6. Gould thinks he puts them to sleep. I think he goes walkabout. He is a talent but needs a more solid half next to him to shine
Hunt – -4. I cant think of anything good he did and clearly 4 bad things. Hence the score. At least now he will be remembered for something else along with 2015 GF blunder
McGuire – 7. Usual game , always solid but hardly a threat
Cooper -5. Maybe he does a lot in defense but provides nothing in attack and much like his 2018 Cowboy form
Napa – 7 . Potential to impact at times but never quite came off. Better for the run, pick him in the Cup over a longer distance come November
Wallace – 4 Largely missing again
Kafusi – 5 see Cooper although he plays better for Storm and in first game as well
McCullough – 6. 80 min goer but really provides no spark in attack

Ponga – 7/9. First one is for actual game in an odd position. Second is for potential. He is all class and while no Slater will at least provide a similar attacking threat next year but not the organisation skills at this stage. Clearly the next big thing , ok already is. Barring injury a 30+ Origin career awaits
Hess – 4 See Cooper. Not the same impact player as last year. See Cowboys
Arrow -7 Limited chances but like Ponga is the future and it is bright ( once we find a halfback!)
Papali – 3 One of the more overrated players going around. See Milford

For NSW , Maloney is always the danger, Tedesco well controlled while Mitchell and Addo-Carr are the rocks/diamonds in the team. They will win you some and lose you some. Qld had the chance to really dent their confidence but blew it. They will be dangerous in years to come

You couldnt watch the game and not comment on Gould’s ridiculous “commentary” around the penalty try. I usually like his insights and one of the games better thinkers just behind Carlos Smearson 🙂 This was embarrassing though . Everyone expects JT, Joey, Wally etc to be a bit biased but they are only “expert commentators” giving opinions when asked and not commanding the microphone for 5 mins and screaming like a banshee about the penalty try.

Winners are grinners and the biased NSW controlled media will be nauseating for next few weeks now. Pick and Stick will likely be the go and is difficult and dangerous to castigate a couple of players but you have to think of future so would suggest you dump Hunt, Cooper, Hess, Wallace and Papali. Ash Taylor gets a run and Arrow starts along with Glasby and maybe Ofahengaue. It wont happen as would be seen as panic but is needed

There was also the inaugural Womens SOO this year with the most interesting aspect being how they determine the winner when scores are locked at full time. No Golden Point but rather a “kiss off” with the first player to break contact the loser. Doesnt seem fair given the Qld women are clearly more attractive and kissable . Never going to win that one

In either format “2018 Origin Winners NSW” is like “President Trump” – it just doesnt sound right let alone plausible. The victorious NSW dressing room was the second most haunting image saw this week. There was a clear winner that cannot be unseen…..

If one play best sums up the night it was when Maloney tried to repeat Cronk’s brilliant flat cross field kick. Straight into Alfie’s mitts who caught it one handed! It says so much about the dominance of Qld last night and the ineptitude of the Blues to follow any plan. Much was said about the lack of hate between the two and never more evident then with the speech by Cordner at the end and his interruption of Loz at presser. Like Coach Daley he is a class act. But that is not enough at this level. You can be all class off the field and all terrier on the field – just ask Smith. I suspect Daley will sadly go the way of the dinosaur and be gone. Like Lewis he deserves a better coaching record but sometimes it simply does not translate so you are left only with their brilliance on the field as their legacy. Not a bad thing. I did wonder with Qld dynasty of players slowly approaching the end and the prospect of a solid bunch of NSW players likely to stay together for next 5 years whether Gus would be tempted again. He is not stupid and was never coming in mid dynasty but would suggest he saw the crop of new emerging talent from Qld last night and may well think this nightmare may never end! While eyelash boy – Smith, C – was deserved MOM has there ever been a more assured debut than that of Herman’s second born Cameron? Sure Eddie gets all the press but only because of a slightly more ridiculous haircut. It was clear that the Melbourne spine would be useful and it was obviously the platform for everything. Smith the schemer, Cronk the Conductor, Munster the X Factor and Billy popping up everywhere like zits on a 16yr olds face. One negative – why is Glasby in the team? He is slow and ineffectual, dont care what his stats may say.

It is always interesting to watch the replay the next day when all emotion is removed but you get a much more balanced and analytical view. It is also good to listen to old pre game podcasts which I am always trying to catch up on with my hectic lifestyle. The recurring theme that was keeping the experts warm at night was that NSW was clearly the better team for 3 halves of the first two matches. They had a glitch in the last 20 mins but that would be fixed because they were returning to Kingscliff like in Game 1 and then onto Suncorp where they had been so successful before. They also factored in no JT but didnt seem to take into account that this was a different QLD team to Game 1 and that JT was largely an inspirational passenger in Game 2, amazing final kick not withstanding. Blind Freddy ( as opposed to annoying Freddy on the sideline) can see that when under the pump they have no leadership structure to fall back on despite some of these players having many SOO games under the belt. They hate it when accused of lacking the passion of QLD but what else can it be when they simply cant go that last mile when needed. You learn most about QLD when they lose. When you see players chasing down everything with 2 mins to go and no chance to win. They cant win that match but they sure as hell can lose with dignity and know it will help them next time they get to the 77 th minute , winning or losing. The Blues are the strongest case you will see to disprove Darwins Theory of evolution – they simply can not adapt to a changing environment .

Slater 8.5 – always reliable and threatening
Holmes 8 – classy finisher who can be susceptible to high kicks
Chambers 8 – solid as always and has good combo with Gagai
Morgan 7 – not his best position maybe but can be relied on to impact at some point and wont let you down
Gagai 8 – very involved as usual and does a lot of bringing ball back
Munster 9 – one of the best debuts you will ever see. He is no JT but it will delay any wrist slitting for next 10 yrs
Cronk 7 – brilliant kick to set up try and then does what is needed without ever really standing out
McQuire 8.5 – bit of a tool clearly but consistently best forward on ground
Wallace 7 – better for run no doubt and can only improve
Gillett 7 – bit quiet maybe but only because he never plays a bad game so bar is set very high
Papali 6 – still doesnt float my boat. Seems to have the intensity usually only found in the Blues pack
Cooper 7 – defensive workhorse
Smith 9 – deserved MOM. Improved in each game and as if that is not enough he can kick almost as well as JT and certainly more aesthetically pleasing!
Napa 7 – solid again but well contained
Glasby 4 – dont like him. Period
Hess 5 – big wraps coming in, still to show it at this level
Hunt 2 – could well have been MOM if been on field for another 76 mins. 1 point for each ball handle as he didnt drop it #GF2015

NSW are not worth rating individually but rather state that Tedesco, Dugan, Morris, Cordner and Frizell can hold their heads up. Woods is the most overrated forward in the game while Fifita has the smallest heart it appears. Fine when things go his way but goes missing when the going gets tough. Dont get the Klemmer love – he runs straight and hard but the last time he passed anything was after 2l of prune juice. Graham seems to struggle at this level. With such an insipid forward pack its hard to lay into Pearce and Maloney but lets anyway…… Nah Junior cops enough and we still want him picked next year for Redemption 2018 – The Pearce Series

In summary, the main thought that emerged from Game 3 is rather than the rise of the next Dynasty being all dressed in blue it seems more and more likely that the Maroon dynasty is far from over and could even be a rather seamless transition

Which leaves only one question really.

Does Mrs Hunt even have to wash little Benny’s jersey ?

As they say in the classics

Hard to imagine the Blues winning at Lang Park but a lot will depend on what team Qld can put out and in particular if JT can go around one more time. To be honest he was mostly a passenger during the game but is our lucky talisman and last time I checked you dont need two good shoulders to kick goals. Slater was superb in his return but perhaps the biggest thing to take away is that NSW can still crumble under the blowtorch. Their last attacking move was hopeless and that is when Pearce does not step up. Of interest to moi was the similarity to 2015 GF. Broncos got in front and tried to protect lead rather than trying to score and then a miracle pass from Morgan won it on the siren. Sound familiar folks? Of course, barring injury, Qld wont change now and so Papali can consider himself very lucky. Overweight and out of nick. The media south of border will bleet about refs of course. Some forward passes missed, clear shepherding of kick chasers etc. Not all one sided of course and there was the blatant taking out of Slater by Woods near the end right in front of the ref that went unpenalised! Swings and roundabouts folks

Slater 9 – always dangerous and adds spark and threat to any backline movement
Gagai – 9 – class again, great finisher
Chambers 8 – solid in attack and defense
Boyd 8 – did all that was asked
Holmes 7 – quality finisher too, lacks some size
JT 7 – injured clearly but his kicks made the difference
Cronk – 6 – quiet game really
McQuire 8 – hard worker
Gillett 8 – good at times , some solid defense
Papali 4 – no impact
Smith 8 – back to scheming best in second half, some defensive lapses still
Wallace – 6 – solid, middle certainly tighter
Morgan – 7 – made most of opportrunities
Cooper 6 – never really seemed to run with purpose
Napa – 7 – tried all night, not as much impact as at club level
Hess – 6 – will be better for the run, not much opportunity
Glasby – 6 – nervous start

And of course the money boys will be wrapped with a live match at Lang Park in July. Watch the prices skyrocket 😦

No great surprises of course except that is was so close until the 38 th minute. That try before half time was a killer in more ways than one. It showed how brittle the middle was much like the first try. As said in other media commitments once the Blues got on a roll they could score 40 pts – they are a confidence team. They now have enough players not scarred by the last 10 yrs. Getting rid of Gallen and Farrah has finally allowed them to move on

Now its not curtains yet for QLD but is time to be brutal and of course they wont be. Myles has to go for certain. He is old, slow and a dirty player. The new players looked ok until injured but it was the old heads that didnt really stand up in JTs absence. Ratings

Boyd 6 – solid but predictable
Gagai 8.5 – ran with purpose , looked dangerous
Chambers 7 – never got clean air behind a pack going nowhere
O’Neill 3 – carried his NRL form into SOO. What a shock Kevvie
Oates 7 – did nothing wrong and scored a good try but has no zip really
Milford 6 – much like Broncos form. Looked dangerous but never really did anything
Cronk 7 – solid but blunted without JT and usually kicking from deep within own territory
Napa 7 – promising until injured
Smith 7 – like Cronk, didnt have a bad game but never took control
McQuire 7 – tried hard but lacks penetration
Gillett 6 – quiet game by his standards
Myles 3 – old and slow. Gone
Papali 6 – looks overweight and out of nick. Bought his Canberra form yada yada yada
Bench – who cares all over by then

Fifita was the standout of course and is Beetson reincarnate. Tedesco always dangerous like Maloney. Morris very solid and Hayne showed touches of class as expected

Billy has to come back and hopefully JT as well. Hard to dump Oates I guess but I still would along with ONeill, Myles, Guerra, Lillyman. Bring in Billy and Holmes and move Gagai to centres and Boyd to wing. Bring in Hess and Wallace. Like with NSW time to blood these guys – like they did with Bird etc – now even though this year is gone.

Qld wont do it of course and this series will be a 3 nil wash. Next year wont be any better because you will bring in new guys then with no experience and JT will be gone. It wont be any 10 yr dynasty but I see NSW dominating for next 2-3 yrs and the NSW biased media will be unsufferable while the players themselves, and coach, will be fine and good luck to them. Lets hope you are good winners like QLD have been the last decade

We lost. Goodbye.Turn off the lights

So, a few years ago Queenie with the Corgis complained of an anus horribilis. At least you can get a cream for that. We have just had one fuckedup fortnight #flashmanoriginal which could take years to fix if ever. So what went wrong ? Everything

When the Bronte sisters (#royhg) failed in the pool it was disappointing for sure as they were close to gold medal certs as Bolt was in the 4 x 100 – given he did have to rely on 3 other nobodies for certainty. BTW in other media commitments I suggested that any athlete who wants to know what real pressure is should try being one of those 3 in that race! Even N Korea would say you did what to those guys that lost ??? Man that is brutal. Take a chill pill dudes. And a reefer . Anyhoo….

One “disaster” followed another and as each one happened more pressure was exerted on the next “favourites”. Enter the self imploding Boomers! In previous years we have come close in this caper but usually faulted at end as one may reasonably expect with NBL players trying to step up. Like Brisbane Roar appearing at the World Cup. But we had 5 NBA players in this group, several with NBA finals winning experience! The cyclists have been hopeless whether on track or in velodrome. In between, some lesser known athletes have done very well and at times brilliantly

Now you could think well it is the Olympics, only comes around every 4 years. We are still a great sporting nation. Some people like to show that we will still win more medals per person in Australia than USA for example. Whoopie Doo. Half those clowns are voting for Trump – if they ever get near a sporting event it would be a first. Or a Nascar event of course. What about our other sports? Glad you asked

Wallabies were flogged – really no point in even crossing the Tasman in a couple of weeks. Save us all the pain. Have the Bledisloe Cup permanently mounted in middle of Auckland Harbour. Our cricketers cant win a chook raffle in the sub continent – even with John the Bookie onside. We use to rule the world in Rugby League – now we struggle against the sheep herders. Individual sports? Tennis – bunch of overpaid egos and dummy spitters. Golfers – not bad to be fair but then it is a unique sport where just about every player “chokes” at some point so lets not single out our boys. Except Sharkie of course

Many factors at play methinks. Good point made this morning by someone else – we use to dominate Tennis and Swimming when they were outdoor sports predominantly and our weather enabled us to train more and longer year round. Now they are mostly all indoors and even Iceland can train all year round! The intrusion of media cant be understated – both social and other forms. Our losers have to climb out of the pool and then read off the lines from 100 Polite Ways to Lose to a microphone shoved in their face. At this rate we are down to number 97 – my dog ate my speedos, honest . The reason is two fold – to be such highly paid amateurs relies on massive sponsorship and secondly several are always eyeing off a career in media after they have finished being losers in the sporting world. Note – in an abysmal effort by Channel 7 for these games a few commentators stood out and none better than the two at Swimming. Aussies have a laid back nature in general and of course we sell this as a central theme of our much sought after national identity. Sadly it only works in the backstroke for swimmers!

Our sporting stars are paid too much too soon as is clearly evident with Tomic the Tanker. He wins about 35% of matches and is a multi millionaire. Imagine in my old job of saving humanity in general and lives in particular. A 35% success rate would have you out on the street living under a bridge rather quickly. Our cricketers are way overpaid of course and yet still after so many years cant hit a spinning ball? Doesnt matter will be back in Big Bash next summer making another million for 4 overs of whacking. Which is about 3 overs more than what they probably do in the dressing room afterwards. Our NRL heroes are now full time wankers so have too much time and money on their hands and a limited IQ often to address these Twin Towers of Temptation. Can we finally agree that the QT man is the same as every other NRL coach and not some wonderful “man manager” ? Jimmy the Jet needs to take off somewhere else.

Now most of this doesnt really matter because this is still the greatest country in the world to live in. Period. Pity our media is the same as everywhere else in the world

Lets just not sugarcoat what has been a very poor performance across the board by well paid and often pampered sporting “heroes”. In the never ending discussion about the “cop” problem in USA some critics argue that while the job may be tough it is one they choose to do for whatever reason. That is a bit harsh in my view but does have a certain validity. I wouldnt want to get up at 4am in the morning and dive in the pool so choose not to although have passed by a couple on way home from pub in younger days. Those that choose to do know that for a small % there can be rich rewards ahead and a guaranteed “successful life” . Its a choice they make

Or maybe they just dont want to dig roads or sit in an office all day ?

Even Blind Freddy, let alone Blithering Idiot Freddy on the sideline, knows that for the cash cow ( of a greenish hue) that is SOO to keep ripping us all off you need an even contest so no surprises NSW won the “dead rubber” and needed a calamine bath to stop the rubbing after the game. Now lets be fair it was their turn to get a proportion of the 50/50 calls for a change but 110% ( I was taught Maths by a Blue ok ) is a bit rich. Lets see if the massively NSW biased NRL media at least acknowledge that. Not concerned about the penalty count per se as with the NSW ledger in previous games they are mostly deserved due to poor discipline or brain snaps. In fact towards end of first half it was a deliberate ploy to slow down game by Qld so u wear it. No point whingeing about a stat the next morning you helped create Eyelash Boy. More concerned with missed forward passes and ball strips but that is life and we move on because the one thing you realise even after a loss is next morning you still wake up a Queenslander and thats the important thing.

So Gallen got his dream send off and for a lot of NSW players that would be fine but not that grub. He calls us poor winners and yet turns his back on Smiths speech at end where he was even being praised! As one wag on twitter said ” to be fair he has heard so many Smith speeches by now ” . In general NSW players are grubs and of course we have a few in our team but the thing they cant seem to grasp is running in 35 mts to blindside someone in a necklock does not make you tough. JT tackling Tamou front on is tough. Even after the winning try Maloney had an off the ball shot at Parker – one of the cleaner players going around. One of the positives to come out of a loss is that some of the same old clowns will be picked again for NSW next year. Jennings and Ferguson(gladly no relation) are both dangerous players but also come with plenty mistakes which tend to mean the ledger in general tilts our way. Jennings is the most dangerous broken play runner in the game and so it was lucky for them that loose ball at the end found him and for me that sums up NSW at SOO level. They are usually unlucky to lose yet invariably very lucky when they win. Farah is about the 8th best hooker running around and that includes the one Corey Norman keeps at home for “personal use” . Pick him every year please Loz. JTs miss at end when he decided to play billiards instead of rugby league had bells being tuned and of course sadly led to that last image of Gallen kicking for goal

Elite sport , and especially NRL, is all about momentum because at end of day we are not dealing with the sharpest sheep in the paddock. Towards the end of second half QLD were simply out on their feet due to the courageous work done in first half. A loss last night would have scarred a whole new bunch of NSW players for a couple of years so sad to see that opportunity lost. Instead Tedesco, Bird, Frissel and Moylan will form a strong base to build a dangerous team around for years to come. For Qld , Inglis was great as was Smith. Time for players like Myles to move on and Josh Mcquire is very overrated for moi. They missed Papali but every team has injuries to deal with.

NRL of late has been tres boring bordering on embarrassing with all the Eels nonsense and the constant need for media to flog nothing stories. With SOO over and Broncs struggling it will fade even more into background for this LBD. Time to start supporting the Reds and the Lions

Oops

Another Origin game that NSW could easily have won but at end of day they lack composure, discipline and quality finishers. One suspects though that when they start winning they could well go on a little dynasty themselves. NSW whinge about the penalty count but a lot of it, though maybe not all, is due to poor discipline. Their new players were their best and there is a very good side in there somewhere

Thurston was great. He got knocked to the ground heavily after every kick but never whined. His goal kicking should never be under estimated especially if you are going to let wingers score all your tries! Gagai is a class finisher as is Oates. Boyd does whatever is needed at time and it pretty well is now Billy Who ? Smith controlled game well while Cronk was quiet again. Would like to see a full game with Thurston and Morgan as halves but am sure Cronk brings his own class to it all. With Myles away Thaiday went full grub. The tackle on Gallen is simply unacceptable.

For NSW, Tamou went missing simple as that – very overrated player. Maloney looks dangerous always as does Jennings but he also does some stupid things. Like Ferguson – clearly no relation. Time to blood some new players but Gallen deserves one last game. Moylan appears to be a scapegoat with all the rave for Tedesco but not sure what else he could do

Is Kevvy a great coach and Loz a shocker? Nope. Kevvy is smarter than he looks though whereas Loz may be exactly as he looks. Like The King , Loz was an exceptionally gifted player but that does not make you a great coach. Look at Gus, Bellamy, The QT man…. all good players certainly but not superstars . You need a mix of talent, knowledge, experience and man management. Personally I think both these guys, but maybe Loz in particular, should shelve the media career for a while and concentrate on coaching

So is it a dead rubber ? Check the Stilnox sales the day before 🙂 It shouldnt be but then again these are not necessarily the sharpest tools in the box we are dealing with. All the usual comments will be made but you will only know after the first 15 mins what the deal really is. If they keep starting the show at 830 pm and having extended half time breaks then expect the TV ratings to drop for the third one. Lot of talk of playing one game in NZ after 2018. All about money sadly.