not a good start to 2006
its looking like suicide rather then heart attack?
damn shame

NRL mourns loss
Sport

The National Rugby League is in mourning after the death of Cronulla General Manager and former Test legend Steve Rogers, who was 51 years old.

One of the greatest centres to have played Rugby League died of an apparent heart attack while returning to his Cronulla home from a morning jog.

Rogers exploded onto the scene with the Sharks in 1973 as a speedy centre with an uncanny ability to read the play, and was a member of the 1973 and 1978 losing Grand Final teams against Manly.

He was selected in the same year as his first Grand Final for the Kangaroos tour as one of the youngest representatives ever.

Rogers also toured with the Kangaroos in 1978 and again in 1982 (he captained the national team against France in 1981).

He was in the Blues first ever NSW State of Origin team.

NRL CEO David Gallop said that it was Rogers' passion that ensured he had a massive impact on the game as a player and administrator.

"Steve Rogers was a champion player who had gone on to become a talented and dedicated official," Gallop said.

"His drive to make Cronulla a success during his time at the helm was fired by the same passion that made him such a star of the game in the seventies and eighties.

"He combined a love for his club with a modern business approach to the game.

"We offer his wife Ingrid, Mat and all the Rogers family the sympathies of everyone in the game."

His son Mat went on to become a try scoring sensation for the Sharks and was a Kangaroo before switching codes and becoming a dual international with the Wallabies as an outstanding utility.

Steve was appointed General Manager of the Sharks in 1998 and in 2003 was inducted into the Sharks Immortals.

“In the very genuine sense Steve Rogers was one of the game’s all time great players,” Gallop said.

“He was a man who loved the game and loved his club.”




---------------------------------------------
http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/076004ld.jpg

Gower sacked as skipper
Sport

Penrith halfback Craig Gower has been sacked as captain of the club after being found guilty by the Panthers board of misconduct in regards to alcohol-fuelled misbehavior at a charity event two weeks ago.

The Kangaroos representative has also been fine $100,000, of which $70,000 was suspended.

The rest of the money will be administered to an NRL program which educates rugby league players on the responsible use of alcohol.

Panthers' chairman Barry Walsh said the club had not taken the decision to strip Gower of his title lightly.

"In making this decision the board has considered Craig's conduct on the field and his general committment to our community over the years," he told ABC Sport.

"Nevertheless his actions on the Sunshine Coast caused distress to a number of people and damaged our club, our game and the National Rugby League."

Gower's penalties are the result of incidents at the Jack Newton Celebrity Golf Classic on the Sunshine Coast, where the Panthers player allegedly groped the 18-year-old daughter of rugby league legend Wayne Pearce at a function, and other misdemeanors.

When interviewed by Penrith general manager Mick Leary about the incident, Tatum Pearce said Gower had touched her on the vagina at the event's after party.

Gower was also witnessed making threatening gestures towards Pearce's son Mitchell with a champagne bottle, held a butter knife to the throat of a Sydney radio personality and walked naked round the Twin Waters Resort.

Gower, who issued an apology statement in regard to the incidents, was sacked from the Kangaroos after exposing himself to a tourist at the Coogee Bay Hotel in 1999, while last year he was fined after breaking curfew from the NSW State of Origin team.

check out the new nrl website for 2006
www.nrl.com.au

and the new gold coast titans nrl team have their site up and running
www.titans.com.au
http://www.titans.com.au/images/img/img_logo.gif

also check out this rendering of the new robina stadium.. the home of the gold coast titans from 2008 onwards...
http://www.titans.com.au/images/pictures/large/GC-Stadium-Aerial2.jpg

What is different now compared to before with Gold Coast RL? Why will it work now when it failed before. In fact, every sporting team ever placed on the Coast has flunked.

BTW was that bird, Gower "goosed" any good or a bit dodgy?

Well this time theres a lot of things different.

The club has had almost two years to get fully set up before they even have to play there first game, meaning reasonable amount of time for player scouting and juniors development.

Theres also dozens of companies backing the club this time as opposed to a single person owning it last time. They have the financial stability that was lacking last time thanks to economic booms of the gold coast since then.

The population in 1998 when the club last folded was 380'000, its now around 500'000. Also theres no super league crap to send the club bankrupt. Setting up franchiese these days is a lot more professional and its unlikely we will see the merry go round of clubs that we have seen in the past

I love the look of that GC Stadium it's so fucking beautiful!!

MICHAEL HAGAN ANNOUNCED AS COACH
22 January 2006

The Parramatta National Rugby League Club wishes to advise that Michael Hagan has today signed a contract to coach the Club for three years from 2007 - 2009.

"The announcement has been made now to end the ongoing speculation in regard to the coaching position next year. It will also enable Michael to play an active role in recruitment for the 2007 season," Parramatta Chief Executive Denis Fitzgerald said.

"The Board and Management are totally committed to Brian Smith and the players for the 2006 season, and every possible resource will be provided to ensure Brian's 10th year is a successful one," Mr Fitzgerald added.

"The timing also allows Michael to fully concentrate his efforts on his final year with the Newcastle Knights, without the added speculation on his future," Mr Fitzgerald said.
www.parraeels.com.au

Last shot for Brian Smith with the EELS!!!
GO PARRA!

What do the bookmakers say about early season favorites? A good start is vital, it got Broncos that far last year, even with the late season slump.. Newcastle will be fast off the blocks providing Johns is fit. They recruited apparently Great Britain's best winger Brian Carney

Can't wait for the 2006 season. Got my 2006 Broncos jersey on order - due in first week of Feb (figured it was about time for an upgrade).

I'd love to see one of the clubs play a home game here in Darwin. It would sell out, no doubt about it. Don't think it will happen though, not anytime soon.

I think the Titans will go well. Queensland can easily accomodate a third team. It will also do wonders for NRL on the gold coast.

NRL is a much stronger game now than the last time there was a GC team.

Hagan as coach, that good or bad? :S

And i've got my 2006 broncos's jersey on order too! I like broncos you like broncos we all like broncos!!

And i've got my 2006 broncos's jersey on order too! I like broncos you like broncos we all like broncos!!

go the eels!

they put up parking meters all over parramatta city... luckily there is still some free parking near parramatta gaol!

Well i go for the broncos cause i'm originally from Albion in brissy.

MICHAEL HAGAN ANNOUNCED AS COACH
22 January 2006

The Parramatta National Rugby League Club wishes to advise that Michael Hagan has today signed a contract to coach the Club for three years from 2007 - 2009.

"The announcement has been made now to end the ongoing speculation in regard to the coaching position next year. It will also enable Michael to play an active role in recruitment for the 2007 season," Parramatta Chief Executive Denis Fitzgerald said.

"The Board and Management are totally committed to Brian Smith and the players for the 2006 season, and every possible resource will be provided to ensure Brian's 10th year is a successful one," Mr Fitzgerald added.

"The timing also allows Michael to fully concentrate his efforts on his final year with the Newcastle Knights, without the added speculation on his future," Mr Fitzgerald said.
www.parraeels.com.au

Last shot for Brian Smith with the EELS!!!
GO PARRA!
Timana Tahu is gonna love Hagan being coach at the Eels, apparently they don't see eye to eye!! lol

Go the Broncos & go the Cowboys!! :) Broncos have at least got a decent kicker this year in Michael Ennis.

It doesn't mean much, but these are the odds as of 25 JAN 06 10am ACST.

1. St George Illawarra Dragons $5.00
2. Sydney Roosters $6.50
3. Parramatta Eels $6.50
4. Bulldogs $10.00
5. Wests Tigers $10.00
6. Brisbane Broncos $11.00
7. North Queensland Cowboys $11.00
8. Newcastle Knights $12.00
9. Manly Sea Eagles $15.00
10. Penrith Panthers $21.00
11. Sharks $26.00
12. Melbourne Storm $26.00
13. New Zealand Warriors $34.00
14. South Sydney Rabbitohs $51.00
15. Canberra Raiders $67.00

St. George again?! They seem to be bloody favorites for every premiership every year..but you're right it doesn't really mean much. Favorites this year are now blurred after 2005

what a joke this "world cup challenge" has been over the years.
we always have to play in england at either end of our season or our summer.
The Bradford side is basically an international side with few pommies.
Tigers were without benji marshall for a start. way to early in s eason to be thinking about a full on 80min game.

http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/077317ld.jpg
Tigers smashed in WCC
by: Adam Lucius
Sportal

Bradford has continued England's dominance in the World Club Challenge, smashing NRL premiers Wests Tigers 30-10 at Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium.

The UK Super League champions scored five tries to two, ensuring the WCC title stays in the northern hemisphere for the fifth time in six years.

English clubs have now won nine of the 14 matches contested between the UK and Australian champions, with Bradford claiming three of those crowns.

"It was a fantastic performance. We had a game plan and we stuck to it," Bradford skipper Iestyn Harris told Sky Sports.

"We want success at Bradford and we wanted to win this game desperately."

The Bulls' latest victory was never in doubt from the moment former Melbourne Storm winger Marcus Bai, making his Bradford debut, opened the scoring after six minutes.

He was given a clear passage to the line after receiving a smart cutout pass and crossed untouched in the corner.

Harris hit the upright with his conversion attempt from wide out.

The Tigers responded 10 minutes later when Robbie Farah scurried across field and linked with five-eighth Daniel Fitzhenry, who dummied and cut back inside for a terrific try.

Brett Hodgson hooked his conversion to leave the scores locked at 4-all.

The Bulls had a try disallowed in the 20th minute before outstanding prop Stuart Fielden brushed past three defenders to score a superb solo try in the 25th minute.

Harris was on target with the conversion and the hosts led 10-4.

A penalty goal right on half-time eased Bradford further ahead at 12-4.

When Fielden, who had a superb game, crossed for his second try in the 53rd minute following a clever short ball from Ian Henderson, the Bulls were on their way to an 18-4 advantage.

Further tries to Stanley Gene and Bai pushed the home side out to a 30-4 lead before Brett Hodgson scored a late consolation try for the joint venture club.

The Tigers, missing creative five-eighth Benji Marshall and boasting a crop of new players, were a major disappointment.

Why do they even bother with the concept?

To give the pommies brownie points. The fact that Benji Marshall wasn't there makes the game irrelevant. While Prince is the heart of the team Marshall is the soul. You can't have one without the other

Yeah that was disgusting! Now those poms will be laughing at us saying we'd be better off playing afl. :(

Let them have it ffs, they are the ones that still call the NRL the dream RL competition so meh on them...

I guess the Aussies arent used to playing in the snow!

No one likes slipping over and ending their career...

A bit of Broncos news:
Leon Bott, the speedster winger got faster and fitter over the holidays but another new recruit is even faster then Leon. Broncos could possibly have the two fastest wingers in the NRL this year.

Karmichael Hunt has been training at the half back position all pre-season and is expected to stay there to take a bit of pressure of Lockyer.

All Broncos forwards are now lighter, fitter and faster as they try and move away from the big lumbering forward pack and have a more mobile forward pack.

To give the pommies brownie points. The fact that Benji Marshall wasn't there makes the game irrelevant. While Prince is the heart of the team Marshall is the soul. You can't have one without the other
Yeah thats a pretty true statement!! Wonder who the Tigers will put in after next season when Prince comes back to QLD?

i think its almost certain that Scott Prince will come back to QLD in 2007, not sure which team yet though.

I mean the Titans have the money, but whether they can really afford to spend so much on one player is another thing. The Broncos have the money, but dont have the salary cap on their side. Unless they plan on offloading a few high paid stars in the next season i can see him fitting.
Nrth Qld, probably a very likely club, though there half combination at the moment is pretty good anyway, its not worth spending the extra money to get him.

^^
Yeah Cowboys would be a bit silly to go after Prince, they are doing just fine in the halves area. Though i'm sure Prince would like to come back up this way, he already owns a house in Townsville & he hails from up this way. (Mt Isa)

trials over weekend
penrith beat newcastle 38-30
cowboys beat warriors 26-10
parra beat storm 30-24
cronulla beat bulldogs 34-30
broncos beat canberra 28-20
roosters beat manly 44-14
---------------------------------





http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/078025news.jpg

Rabbitohs back to back
by: Adam Lucius
Sportal


South Sydney has recorded back-to-back Charity Shield victories for the first time in 16 years after coming from behind to defeat St George Illawarra 14-12 at Telstra Stadium.

The Rabbitohs trailed 0-12 at half-time but scored three unanswered tries to make it two consecutive wins in the traditional pre-season trial.

The Bunnies won two straight Charity Shields in 1988-89 but didn't look like making it another double when the Dragons skipped to a 12-0 advantage at the break.

But the red and whites failed to score another point after resting influential skipper Trent Barrett for the second 40 minutes.



"We were a bit loose in the first half but we did well in the second half," Souths five-eighth John Sutton told Fox Sports. "It was a good hitout and showed where we stand at this stage."

St George Illawarra centre Mark Gasnier blamed poor ball control for his side's collapse.

"We only completed three or four sets in the second half and you can't win games with that amount of possession," he said.

"We're lucky we've done it now and not in three weeks' time."

Ben Walker revived the Rabbitohs' fortunes with a smart grubber kick for new signing Paul Mellor to pounce on the ball out wide to make it 12-4 after 47 minutes.

Ten minutes later Souths moved to within four points when centre Shannon Hegarty scored after a smart decoy move.

The Bunnies drew level in the 59th minute, backrower David Fa'alogo crashing over after a smart short ball from Walker.

Walker's conversion made it 14-12 and Souths worked hard to hang on for the last 20 minutes.

Earlier it was all the Dragons, led by the inspirational Barrett.

It took a piece of typical Barrett brilliance to break the first half deadlock after 14 minutes.

The Dragons captain received the ball close to the line, looked to his outside then ducked under a tackle to score. Wes Naiqama landed the conversion and the Saints led 6-0.

Barrett was heavily involved in St George Illawarra's second try at the midway point of the half.

Fullback Ben Hornby was perfectly positioned to collect Barrett's clever crossfield chip kick and crash over.

Naiqama potted the easy conversion to hand the Dragons a deserved 12-0 advantage.

But it was all Souths after the interval. The game, played in steamy conditions before a crowd of 24,556, was marred by poor handling and missed opportunities.

Rabbitohs 14
Tries: Mellor, Hegarty, Fa alogo
Conversions: Walker

Dragons 12
Tries: Barrett, Hornby
Conversions: Naiqama 2

Disappointing for the Saints. They lost it because they didnt take it too seriously and resting their stars ie Barrett and Hornby in the second half was bad too.

Yay for the Broncos. bl Raiders....

Looks like Brisbane have finally found a big winger who can play!! Tame Tupou, they seemed to be lacking in that department ever since Salior & Tiquri departed. Also good to see Ennis slotting goals from the sideline, Broncos lost a host of matches last year by missing conversions!!

To the Cowboys, they did well on the weekend, good to see one of my my mates Gavin Cooper making the 1st grade side. Looks like they will again be a force this year!! :)

Tame Tupou still hasn't convinced me, he played a few games last year and some were ok and others he was abosuletly shocking. Superb buy in Michael Ennis too, a goalkicker the Broncos needed and a great on they got! :D

^^
I'm sure he'll turn out to be an excellent talent. He was still a bit raw last year, hopefully he has honed hs skills over the off season. :)

is matthew head playing halfback for st george again, or is hornby there?

Not sure, i'm thinking Matthew Head would be back from injury, so he would be at halfback? Don't quote me on that though.

well scott prince wont be going to the Cowboys, i dont think the Titans can get him so its up to a offer from the Broncos to see if he will come back to QLD.

But then again i remember that it was QLD that his career ultimately stalled all those years ago, broken leg etc.

Anyway this Tupou bloke has been around for a couple of years, debuted at the end of 2004 and played a blinder, and started gettting all these raps about being the next big thing. But then along came a little speedster in Leon Bott who ran around defences until attackers figured out almost any winger could jump higher then he could and he becamse a weakness.

Im going to watch the Broncos-Storm game in Toowoomba next weekend, should be a good game i hope, get to catch up with one of my old mates from the storm as well

^^
I actually think if Prince comes back to QLD, he'll be going to the Gold Coast. Why do you say they can't get him? I really don't see the Broncos needing him, they have Seymour & now it looks as though Hunt could be showing alot of promise at halfback as well.

well they maybe new, but they still dont have a lot of money, the Tigers were still like $300'000 last year of even breaking the salary cap, they could afford to pay another star player but they just didnt have the money.

That makes alot of sense. "they could afford to pay another star player but they just didn't have the money."

I'd nearly put money on it that if Prince comes to QLD, he'll come to the Gold Coast still. He was photographed & filmed having a very friendly looking dinner with the GC managment.

That makes alot of sense. "they could afford to pay another star player but they just didn't have the money."
maybe for a deadshit like you.. let me explain it a little more carefully then

The Tigers had a salary cap of $3.75m?(cant remember exactly) but the club could only afford wages in total of $3.45m meaning they still had around $300k left to spend in the salary cap but just didnt have the money to do it.

maybe for a deadshit like you.. let me explain it a little more carefully then

The Tigers had a salary cap of $3.75m?(cant remember exactly) but the club could only afford wages in total of $3.45m meaning they still had around $300k left to spend in the salary cap but just didnt have the money to do it.

Lol in other words they COULDNT afford it.

"they could afford to pay another star player but they just didn't have the money."
..should have been...
"they had around 300k left in the salary cap but they just didn have the money and couldnt afford it."

??? haha

GO THE EELS.

just needs a bit more brainpower to work it out. If they had 300k to spend they could, but they didn't, even if they could. :yes:

not a good start for warriors

Warriors penalised for cap breach
Sportal


The NRL has fined the New Zealand Warriors $430,000 and docked the club four competition points for the 2006 season for salary cap breaches.

The Warriors breach over the 2004 and 2005 seasons related to total payments of close to $1million.

Included in the breach are undisclosed payments, un-registered agreements with third parties and guaranteed payments to players after player retirement.

It is the first time a club has been stripped of points in advance of a season.



"We can't have a system whereby clubs can gamble on breaking the rules, knowing that they can solve the issue at the end of the year by simply writing a cheque for a fine," NRL chief executive David Gallop said.

"Those charged with the responsibility of running a club for the owners, sponsors and fans have to know that they not only risk one season by breaking the rules, but that they can affect a club for years to come."

"The Warriors matter is a serious breach, it is not the biggest we have recorded but it is above anything that has simply incurred a fine in previous years."

Gallop said the punishment had been reduced following cooperation from the Warriors' management.

"It has certainly been mitigated to some extent by the transparent actions of the current management," he said.

"They are to be acknowledged for the professional manner in which they have conducted themselves, but even that cannot completely negate what has taken place."

"I am confident that they will now focus on restoring the confidence of the fans and players who support the club so passionately."

"It is up to everyone to accept that the club has paid a price and that it should now be able to move forward."

And i've got my 2006 broncos's jersey on order too! I like broncos you like broncos we all like broncos!!


Hasnt changed at all apart from 'Straffield' on the back at the bottom?

what a joke this "world cup challenge" has been over the years.
we always have to play in england at either end of our season or our summer.
The Bradford side is basically an international side with few pommies.
Tigers were without benji marshall for a start. way to early in s eason to be thinking about a full on 80min game.

http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/077317ld.jpg
Tigers smashed in WCC
by: Adam Lucius
Sportal

Bradford has continued England's dominance in the World Club Challenge, smashing NRL premiers Wests Tigers 30-10 at Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium.

The UK Super League champions scored five tries to two, ensuring the WCC title stays in the northern hemisphere for the fifth time in six years.

English clubs have now won nine of the 14 matches contested between the UK and Australian champions, with Bradford claiming three of those crowns.

"It was a fantastic performance. We had a game plan and we stuck to it," Bradford skipper Iestyn Harris told Sky Sports.

"We want success at Bradford and we wanted to win this game desperately."

The Bulls' latest victory was never in doubt from the moment former Melbourne Storm winger Marcus Bai, making his Bradford debut, opened the scoring after six minutes.

He was given a clear passage to the line after receiving a smart cutout pass and crossed untouched in the corner.

Harris hit the upright with his conversion attempt from wide out.

The Tigers responded 10 minutes later when Robbie Farah scurried across field and linked with five-eighth Daniel Fitzhenry, who dummied and cut back inside for a terrific try.

Brett Hodgson hooked his conversion to leave the scores locked at 4-all.

The Bulls had a try disallowed in the 20th minute before outstanding prop Stuart Fielden brushed past three defenders to score a superb solo try in the 25th minute.

Harris was on target with the conversion and the hosts led 10-4.

A penalty goal right on half-time eased Bradford further ahead at 12-4.

When Fielden, who had a superb game, crossed for his second try in the 53rd minute following a clever short ball from Ian Henderson, the Bulls were on their way to an 18-4 advantage.

Further tries to Stanley Gene and Bai pushed the home side out to a 30-4 lead before Brett Hodgson scored a late consolation try for the joint venture club.

The Tigers, missing creative five-eighth Benji Marshall and boasting a crop of new players, were a major disappointment.

Probably because you Aussie's have no idea how to put on International RL events, just look at the 'HUGE' crowd last year in Sydney for the Tri Nations! What a joke! Hope you prove to the RL you will make a meal of the World Cup in 08! :hilarious

I know there is nothing official yet, but it's looking more and more likely that Scott Prince is going to sign with the Gold Coast Titans......... Just like i said. ;)
Edit: Scott Prince will announce that he as signed with the Gold Coast today. He has signed up for 4 years.

Well i was there to watch the Broncos get punished by the Storm, Cooper Cronk filled in nicely and the Storm looked the most threatening ive seen a team in years.

Broncos, minus 10 star players were medicore at best.

Also good to see Scott Prince back in QLD, theres nothing more i hate seeing then a QLDer in NSW beating a QLD team. Apparently the Titans offer was less then what the Tigers were offering as well.

Also good to see Scott Prince back in QLD

hehe not yet.

anyways its very important for the titans to field a strong team.
good performances = more interest = bigger home crowds

The Titans have already bulked up a couple of quality signings....I think they got forgot his name from Penrith.. one of the Dragons centers and Prince.

I'm gonna go for the Eels.

Preston Campbell i think.

And yes GO THE EELS
They only won 1 out of 3 trial games but i guess they are trial games and were experimenting with a 40 man squad. It is Brians last chance to win the Blue and Golds a premiership too as he will be replaced by Michael Hagan next season.

4 sleeps till the blockbuster game Broncos v Cowboys. my company decided to buy season passes to the league this year. And going on the form of the Reds. I'm pleased I will be taking my clients to the real deal this year.and especially this weekend. It should be big.
Anyone know how the ticket sales are going ??

^^
I heard about 3 or 4 days ago they had already sold over 30,000 tickets. They are expecting 45,000+ to the match. I hate it when the Broncos & Cowboys play each other!! :)

Why don't you like it? It's a big derby day and good ticket sales are definant

Because i support both teams!! lol :) I was a Broncos supporter before the Cowboys existed though, so i'll be cheering for them this weekend. But i won't be too upset if the Cowboys win.

Because i support both teams!! lol :) I was a Broncos supporter before the Cowboys existed though, so i'll be cheering for them this weekend. But i won't be too upset if the Cowboys win.

I'm a bit that way myself. They are both Queensland sides. Its Queensland version of city versus country

Odd, don't you think that no NRL matches are going to be staged in Melbourne until after the AFL season begins. The Commie Games onto lasts 10 days, not a month and a half.

Hey guys, we've forgotten something-

TIPPING

Instead of the usual manual method of posting our tips - I've created a competition on the nrl.com website. Once you are a member, click on Tipping and then join competition. It's called 'Ozscrapers' and there is no password.

Also, if your username differs between the two sites (mine does) just post the username in this thread.

Mine is justinbrett (My old SCC username but changed and now I want to change back but I missed the 'window' so have to wait until next year).

I guess we can double up and post picks here - but using nrl.com will be better to keep track of winners - also you don't have to enter them twice, like I did last year.

Im on there... Username was Malt but its put me in the list as Matt W

I've joined too :)

And I sense a big upset at Telstra tonight. The dragons will set the tigers on fire. Perfect payback for the semi final loss last year :D

tigers too good for saints in last 5mins!

24-15

Tigers late tries slam Dragons
by: Adam Lucius
Sportal
Two late tries have given Wests Tigers a thrilling 24-15 win over St George Illawarra in a brilliant start to the 2006 NRL season at Telstra Stadium.

The Dragons looked headed for a rare first round victory when skipper Trent Barrett snapped a field goal to break a 14-all deadlock after 75 minutes.

But unheralded replacement Michael Crockett and experienced centre Paul Whatuira ensured the premiers had the final say, crossing for tries deep in the game to steal the match.

Whatuira finished with three tries, while Dragons centre Mark Gasnier also picked up a hat-trick in the free-flowing contest.

The loss was St George Illawarra's seventh opening-round defeat in the past eight years.

The game started on a dramatic note when Tigers lock Liam Fulton was taken from the field with what looked a serious shoulder injury in the second minute.

Whatuira gave Tigers fans something to smile about soon after, crossing for the first try of the season after just six minutes following a quick exchange of passes.

Brett Hodgson's failed conversion left the premiers ahead 4-0.

The Dragons' response was swift, the classy Gasnier beating three defenders and stretching out to level with a four-pointer at the 11-minute mark.

Tigers second-rower Anthony Laffranchi restored his side's lead with a try at the midway point of the half.

Hodgson again missed the conversion but Wests held the upper-hand at 8-4.

But when Gasnier, who says he will adopt a much more relaxed build-up to matches this year, cruised over for his second try after 34 minutes, St George Illawarra was back in it at 8-all.

Wes Naiqama landed the night's first conversion to take the Dragons out to a 10-8 lead.

The red and whites held onto their advantage early in the second half before both sides traded tries to tie it up at 14-all and set the scene for a thrilling finish.

Barrett's field goal appeared to have put the Dragons in control, but the Tigers' late rally ensured last year's grand final winners started the 2006 season as they let off in 2005.

Tigers 24
Tries: Whatuira 3, Laffranchi, Crockett
Conversions: Hodgson 2

Dragons 15
Tries: Gasnier 3
Conversion: Naiqama
Field Goal: Barrett

Not a good way to end off what would of been a good win by the Saints. Unfortuantely they didn't quite set them on fire :(

Gasiner was impressive though with a hatrick of tries :)

Yeh tough luck to the Dragons losing in the final stages of the game. Mark Gasnier is in pretty tip-top shape ... besides the fact that he is losing his hair already!!!

The Eels play up in Newcastle in a few hours. The game is going to be a sellout [as they always r up in newcaslte.. fantastic renovated stadium too!].all the best to the blue and golds! Gonna be kind of wierd seeing these two teams will be doing a trade... swapping coaches for next season!!!!

disappointing for the eels today :(

getting smashed by newcastle 25-6 after being down 8-6 at halftime in front of a sellout crowd.

early days yet!

hmm, ive got every game wrong on my footy tipping so far this weekend! i think i might lose another one or two today as well.

By the way, i so hope Mark Gasnier decides to come to Union he played awsome the other night and his a good finisher.

Yeah, I'm 1 out of 4 so far, hopefully will do better today.

Yeh tough luck to the Dragons losing in the final stages of the game. Mark Gasnier is in pretty tip-top shape ... besides the fact that he is losing his hair already!!!



I heard Gasnier is also gonna be lost to rugby union. He hasn't firmly denied it. So isn't it Cooper to the Gold Coast, Barrett to the Super League, Nathan Brown to somewhere and Gasnier to the ARU?

Eels got owned by the Knights. Besides Johns and Buderus, they have stolen a very good signing in GB winger and captain Brian Carney

Nice start to the season, Storm.

Big game for me is today Broncos vs Cowboys. I wish Fox Sports had live rights to all 7 games. I get to watch all the games live except for the 2 biggest ones.

Nice start to the season, Storm.

Big game for me is today Broncos vs Cowboys. I wish Fox Sports had live rights to all 7 games. I get to watch all the games live except for the 2 biggest ones.

Strike that, I just checked the TV guide, we're getting the Broncos game at 2:30pm, same time as Sydney. We're getting it an hour before Brisbane!

No i dont think Gasnier will come to Union, but for Parramatta theres a few things weighing up at the moment. With the salary cap its pretty much a given that they wont be able to keep Barret, Cooper and Gasnier. So if Barret goes then Gasnier will probably stay or if Barret stays then Gasnier will probably stay.

The -4 point start Warriors lost to the Melbourne storm in Auckland 22-16. At least the Eels arent bottom of the ladder :D

They say they are expecting 45-50,000 up at Suncorp today but apparently there is a problem with the trains.. only running once per hour?? and that might keep crowd lower.

I don't quite understand the way the media and the NRL try to promote the Cowboys-Broncos games as a derby. Usually a derby means that there is a heated rivalry between the teams (e.g. Celtic versus Rangers in soccer,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_derby). And in the case of the Broncos-Cowboys that is just wrong, as just about every follower of one team, has the other as their second favourite team. And you could hardly call them local teams, NQ is about as close as Victoria is to Brisbane.

Further to that point, I can never understand any Queenslander who has a NSW team as their favourites over Qld teams. Having lived in Sydney and followed the Broncos between 1988-1995, I know first hand the anti-Qld insults (all usually in good fun, except one day at Canterbury) that the NSW team followers would throw at the Qld teams. So seeing any Queenslanders here in Brisbane following a NSW team makes me rather sad.

Incidently, before the Broncos, my main team was the Easts Tigers in Brisbane (who are still playing at Langlands park) and if I had any preference for a Sydney team it was Sydney Easts (now the Sydney City Roosters). But once the Broncos were created, as fellow Queenslanders they had my following 100%. Just as I changed from Essendon to the Brisbane Bears in 1987 in AFL (though I still don't mind the Bombers).

Suncorp looks packed and its just a normal NRL match. Okay it's Broncos-Cowboys but it's not like the Grand Final or Origin. Brisbane Lions what?

Suncorp looks packed and its just a normal NRL match. Okay it's Broncos-Cowboys but it's not like the Grand Final or Origin. Brisbane Lions what?

Yup the official crowd was almost 47,000. Great crowd!

The same cant be said for the 10,000 that turned up in Aukland and the 16,000 to Telstra Stadium for Roosters V Souths.

Well the broncos are currently getting bummed 24-0 by the cowboys. I hope the season won't be like this...

It will be a season of twists and turns thats for sure.
I remember last season the Storm thumped the Broncos by 50. Then the following week the Broncos thumped the Eels by 50. The week after that the Eels beat the storm!

So another even and exciting comp! :)

well wariors of t bad start.

roosters were excellent against bunnies.bennet has to go. broncos are crapo.


Round One - completed Ericsson Stadium
Sun 12/11/2006
Warriors 16 Ropati 1t, Koopu 1t, Vatuvei 1t, Matin 2g
Storm 22 Geyer 2t, Inglis 1t, Smith 1t, Turner 1t, Inglis 1g
The Storm led 8-0 at half time, but the Warriors came back after half time to take the lead after tries to Ropati and Koopu, but the Storm held out with Smith, Turner and Geyer all scoring in the second half to win it 22-16 Match Report

Round One - completed Suncorp Stadium
Sun 12/3/2006
Broncos 4 Boyd 1t
Cowboys 36 Thurston 3t, Sing 1t, Bowen 1t, Thurston 5g 1p
The Cowboys led 18-0 at half time and ran away with the game in the second half with Thurston completing a hatrick. The broncos managed to cross the line only once in the final minutes of the game

Round One - completed Telstra Stadium
Sun 12/3/2006
Rabbitohs 22 Walker 1t, Gordon 1t, Sutton 1t, MerrittWalker 3g
Roosters 40 Roberts 2t, Minichello 1t, Cross 1t, Soliola 1t, Soward 1t, Finch 1t, Fitzgibbon 2g, Roberts 3g
The Rabbitohs lead at half time by 18-6 but the Roosters came out and scored 36 unanswered points in the second half, before the Rabitohs got a consolation try right on full time

Round One - completed Telstra Stadium
Sat 11/3/2006
Bulldogs 22 Tonga, Pattern, O'Meley 1t, El Masri 1t, 3g
Panthers 24 Youngquest, Cross, Gower, Hookey 1t, Campbell 4g
The Panthers led 14-10 at half-time and extended that with 2 more tries before the Bulldogs scored a consolation try in the last minute Match Report

Round One - completed Brookvale Oval
Sat 11/3/2006
Sea Eagles 14 Bell 2t, Stewart 1t, Orford 1g
Raiders 27 Graham, Mogg, Woolford 1t, Carney 1t, 1fg, Schifcofske 4g
The Raiders led 14-8 at half-time before scoring 2 tries to 1 in the second half Match Report

Round One - completed Energy Australia Stadium
Sat 11/3/2006
Knights 25 Thaiday, Carney, Brown, Gidley, Woolnough 1t, Johns 2g, 1fg
Eels 6 Vella 1t, Burt 1g
The Knights led 8-6 at half-time before running in 3 unanswered tries in the second half Match Report

Round One - completed Telstra Stadium
Fri 10/3/2006
Wests Tigers 24 Whatuira 3t, Laffranchi, Crockett 1t, Hodgson 2g
Dragons 15 Gasnier 3t, Naiqama 1g, Barrett 1 fg
The Dragons led 10-8 at half-time, and with 5 mins to go and the scores level, Barrett put the Dragons in front, only for the Tigers to score 2 late tries Match Report

Broncos aren't crapo thank you very much!! We're just stuck in a bunker, we'll start winning very soon.

As much as it pains me to say it, Broncos were crap today. Too much dropped ball, gave away too many penalties laying in the tackles & lacking fitness IMO. That being said, i'm sure they will pull it together within the next few matches. For the Broncos, Hodges was great, Hannant played well & i also think Ennis played pretty good when he came on.

The Cowboys were brilliant!! Jonathon Thurston was amazing. If he keeps doing that all season, i'm sure the Cowboys can go one better than last year. Pretty soon everyone will be saying Andrew who? With Thurston in form like todays!! ;) :D

The Broncos have definitly been out of sorts for a couple of years. Something has to be going wrong in the organisation, decent players are not really coming through, and the ones that they have seem to already think they have made it once they become Broncos. Then they can strut around Brisbane like they own the place.

It's a long time since they won anything, and for 1 city, 1 team, that's not good enough. Broncos should be winning 1/3 premierships.

Looks like not even a Tri-Nations win will bump up Warriors crowds. I guess that -4 score didn't help.

Hate to say it but the Roosters looked good too. Ashley Harrison has been filling the gap Ricketson left and bolstered by Anasta and of course Minichello.

the broncos played like a bunch of schoolgirls! theyre so predicable. everyone in the crowd dictates thier next move every time and thats why they are stuck in this rut. get rid of bennent i reckon. hes lost his marbles. on the other hand the cowboys were fantastic and i have no doubt Queensland can win the SOO with the display they put on today. Thurston for No. 6. Lockyer for No. 14

Come on guys, you can't have a tipping comp with only 3 members.

It's not too late, they give you an average score for the missed round.

Join now! http://www.nrl.com

@Maroon Grown. Yeah the Queensland team will be crazy... I think there's an overflow in the halfback and fullback positions however. If you put Scotty Prince in the starting 7, you can put Lockyer in the no. 1, leaving Matty Bowen out. Though Prince as a utility would be a good option.

I've registered and I'll try and keep up with this.

I'm going to register soon.

how can you not put Billy Slater and Mat Bowen in team, its going to be hard to get all these players in.

We have a great crop of backs, it's the forward pack i'm worried about. Thats where we lost it in games 2 & 3 last year. Steve Price was inspirational in game 1 last year.

Agreed, the Qld backs are awesome, but playing behind a poor forward pack is a big liability. They will struggle again this season unless some good Fwd's emerge.

what does everyone think of how beetson and other former players are saying were all soft cocks. a big tackle and players scream suspension ect.
eg moorley

http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/079334ld.jpg

Morley to leave hole
Sportal


Rooster prop Adrian Morley will miss his teams next two matches having been found guilty of making a careless high tackle on Ben Walker of South Sydney.

The suspension mean's that Morley will be unavailable for the Rooster's round two clash at home with the Melbourne Storm, and their round three home match against the Raiders.

Roosters captain Craig Fitzgibbon admits that the loss of Morley is sure to leave a hole in their forward pack - an area that they often seem to be deficient in when playing against the Storm.

"He's the cornerstone of our forward pack, so it's disappointing that we've lost him now for two weeks," Fitzgibbon told ABC Sport.



"Every time we play Melbourne they seem to play really well and they certainly contest every battle.

"And for us as a forward pack, we know we are up against a good team and a quality team, and to miss Adrian is going to hurt."

Despite the loss of Morley, Fitzgibbon is adamant that one of the younger members of the Roosters squad will step up and prove to be an adequate replacement.

"We've got plenty of good young kids that are playing good football and they've all trialled well and they're training well, so the door opens for someone else now."

I agree with all the old sweats, it's good that cheap shots are out of the game, but they are taking it a bit too far now. Players will be like soccer players soon, it's already showing in the AFL, and Kennedy I think, the NSW player did a big injury dive in the Origin series last year to try and get a player sent off.

i think the game is defintely getting softer in one way but its more physical then ever in another.

I liked the players who played from there hearts not from there pay packet. Sure the modern media has destroyed anyone who is a inspirational player by them being to aggressive, to much of a loose cannon and bad for the game. The big hits that used to turn games are now beign criticised, massive tackles that boosted and shook players confidence are now banned and the boiling over of aggression that led to fights are now heavily punished.

I think the games becoming to boring in the sense that its all to strictly about the game, im a avid supporter of bringing back the biff. I much rather watch local teams who play with heart these days.

The NRL is probably scared some bloke will get mashed pretty bad that it'll be fatal. I love these bone-crunching tackles, it's also the reason why I'm in the lounge and not in the field:D

my tips
Bulldogs West Tigers
Eels NZ Warriors
Sharks Broncos
Cowboys Sea Eagles
Roosters Storm
Dragons Panthers
Raiders Knights

lol at sharks over broncos. will be surprised if brisbane wins :runaway:

If we lose to the sharks thats our season gone.

Bulldogs smashed Tigers last night in front of 33,000 at Telstra Stadium.
Unfortunatley some reports of supporters from both sides being bashed? Or was it 4 lebanese bulldogs fans being bashed... i didnt get the full story.

The eels play the warriors in Wellington in a little under an hour! Hopefully their first win of the season. GO PARRA!!!!!

lol at sharks over broncos. will be surprised if brisbane wins :runaway:

ya well i had to pick someone......

rondeez, parra won.22-14. good stuff

Yeaaaaaaaaaah! The Broncos beat the Sharks 16-12 i think! Now our season has officially begun....

Go Broncos, Go Broncos!

I'm 3 for 3 so far, doing a lot better than last week!

lol at sharks over broncos. will be surprised if brisbane wins :runaway:

So I guess this makes you surprised?

Oooh shit imma join the tipping comp!

gee broncos were lucky. they scored with just 5min to go.

good to see hindmarsh back into it
http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/079585ld.jpg

halftime at fairy farmers-
cowboys up 16-4

Cowboys won (another close game)

I'm now 4/4 - and I got the points margin exact for Broncos / Sharks (4).

I'm on a roll this week!

the only reason i'm happy the broncos won is because i picked them... so at least i got the broncos, eels and cowboys right

big news today.
http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/079676news.jpg
Rabbitohs bid approved
Sportal

The $3 million bid by businessman Peter Holmes a Court and actor Russell Crowe to privatise the South Sydney Rabbitohs has been approved by the club's members in a vote on Sunday.

The wealthy pair achieved a 75.8 per cent majority vote at the extraordinary general meeting, 0.8 per cent above the figure required.

Holmes a Court and Crowe will now acquire a 75 per cent controlling interest of the football club.

Over a 1000 members attended Sunday's meeting, where Holmes a Court, Crowe and the chief opponent to the move - former Souths Juniors boss Henry Morris - all spoke.

Superstar actor Crowe was the last to address the crowd, attempting to allay any fears that may have been associated with the bid.
----------------------------------------------------

gee, knights thrashed raiders 70-32
also roosters lost to storm-22-18
first golden point today with pathers beating saints 13-12


NRL Ladder after rd2

Pos. Team P W B D L F A Pts
1 Knights 2 2 0 0 0 95 38 4
2 Cowboys 2 2 0 0 0 56 20 4
3 Storm 2 2 0 0 0 44 34 4
4 Panthers 2 2 0 0 0 37 34 4
5 Bulldogs 2 1 0 0 1 69 36 2
6 Roosters 2 1 0 0 1 58 44 2
7 Sharks 1 0 0 0 1 12 16 2
8 Eels 2 1 0 0 1 28 39 2
9 Raiders 2 1 0 0 1 59 84 2
10 Tigers 2 1 0 0 1 36 62 2
11 Broncos 2 1 0 0 1 20 48 2
12 Dragons 2 0 0 2 0 27 37 0
13 Sea Eagles 2 0 0 0 2 30 47 0
14 Rabbitohs 1 0 0 0 1 22 40 0
15 Warriors 2 0 0 0 2 30 44 -4

Bloody hell, i was a Golden point away from a perfect round, i went the dragons instead of penrith!

Interesting times we live in. Rugby league is the sport in the news for all the wrong reasons such as the hooligan gangs problems and soccer is in the news for all the right reasons.

It's not as though AFL isn't in the news for all the right reasons anyway!!! How about Wayne Carey, Ben Cousins & Ashley Sampi being in trouble with the law? Not to mention one of the player from a Melbourne team last year who was threatening to come forward with players names who were involved in drugs??? Don't throw stones in glass houses.

^^^^^^^^^

Wezza, this topic is not about AFL. It is about the NRL and all its problems.

Ok, i'll talk about it in the AFL thread................ It just seems to me people like to overlook the AFL's problems & make out the NRL is the only competition with dramas, which is far from the case.

Yes, fans fighting in the stands doesn't look good for the NRL, but it has nothing to do with the governing body!! At least they are looking into it & doing something about it. It's not as though they've turned a blind eye to it.

its the minority of young lebanese dicks that ruin the bulldogs games for everyone else. ban them all from games.but first blast them down with those powerful hoses which jam there mobiles up there arse to make them fully sick.

^^
LOL!!

They should just throw Canterbury out of the league or relocate them to the land of the long white sheep. Problem solved.

^^
Now i tend to agree with you on that one!! lol ;) I hate the Bulldogs.

big news coming up lately, it also seems more of leagues top players are set to leave league.

Karmichael Hunt, Anthony Minichello, Timana Tahu and Ryan Cross's managers have all expressed interest in what they could earn in Union, not to mention Mark Gasnier having talks with the Wallaby coach last week and been assured a position of the end of year trip to NH if he signs.

I support league, though it comes second best to Union and i would much rather see Union keep getting more and more succesful as opposed to league.

Im not a big fan of signing league players, but you cant deny the fact that some of the best rugby talent is running around in the NRL. Due to various reasons, more oppurtunities in league, better recruitment, better scouts and more money for the juniors. But the way Union is going this wont be the case for long, union is slowly starting to catch up in the recruitment department and definetly has the money to back itself so hopefully soon we wont see league taking the cream of the crop in Union talent.

Also the publicity generated by signing some league players and the psychological edge is enormous.

By the way, how hard is it to pick this round of the NRL, bloody hell. Storm vs. Cowboys, Knights vs. Bulldogs.

Union can get scrappy in around the ruck area at times, thats why i like league better. Hopefully Karmichael Hunt stays with league, the rest can go!! Lol :)

I think it'll be Cowboys v Storm & Knights v Bulldogs. (Winners in bold)

good to see joeys knights are hosing down the bullydogs. current score 40-6, 20min to go.

So far it only seems to be Qld players that are signed by the ARU, thus leaving the Qld State of Origin team and all ending up playing for the NSW Waratahs. Yet when the ARU were after Johns, the cheque books couldn't come out fast enough to keep him. And from what I hear, a lot of it paid by channel 9.

On the subject of the Bulldogs, in years of following the Broncos in Sydney, Canterbury was the only place we ever had any trouble with the local fans, and that was in the late 80's, early 90's.

Knights 46 Thaiday 3t, Carney, Buderus, M Gidley, Lowrie 1t, Johns 6g, 3p
Bulldogs 22 Tonga, Mason, Hughes 1t, El Masri 1t, 3g
The Knights led 34-6 at half-time and extended it to 46-6 with 20 mins to go, before the Bulldogs scored 3 late tries as the Knights rested Johns

Round Three - completed Dairy Farmers Stadium
Sat 25/3/2006
Cowboys 40 Sweeney, O'Donnell, Williams, Bowman 1t, Thurston 2t, 8g
Storm 8 Geyer, Webster 1t
THe Cowboys led 22-4 at half-time and ran in another 3 tries to 1 in the 2nd half

Round Three - completed Brookvale Oval
Sat 25/3/2006
Sea Eagles 20 Stewart, Burns, Bell 1t, Orford 4g
Sharks 18 Dykes, Albert, Bailey 1t, Covell 3g
The Sea Eagles trailed 6-10 at half-time and ran in 2 tries to 1 in the 2nd half to win their first match

Round Three - completed Jade Stadium, Christchurch
Sat 25/3/2006
Wests Tigers 10 Crockett, Fitzhenry 1t, Hodgson 1g
Warriors 26 Ropati, Webb, Toopi, Vatuvei, Guttenbeil 1t, Martin 3g
The Warriors led 14-0 at half-time and added another 2 tries in the 2nd half to record its first win of the season

Round Three - completed Energy Australia Stadium
Fri 24/3/2006
Knights 46 Thaiday 3t, Carney, Buderus, M Gidley, Lowrie 1t, Johns 6g, 3p
Bulldogs 22 Emilio, Mason, Hughes 1t, El Masri 1t, 3g
The Knights led 34-6 at half-time and extended it to 46-6 with 20 mins to go, before the Bulldogs scored 3 late tries as the Knights rested Johns


UPCOMING MATCHES
Rabbitohs v Dragons Mar 26
Broncos v Eels Mar 26
Roosters v Raiders Mar 26

Round Three - completed Aussie Stadium
Sun 26/3/2006
Roosters 56 Tupou, Minichiello 2t, Soliola, Finch, Cross, Harrison 1t, Roberts 2t, 2g, Fitzgibbon 6g
Raiders 20 Tongue 2t, Howell, Withers 1t, Schifcofske 2g
The Raiders had the lead 14-10 going into the break, the 2nd half a different story as the Roosters ran in 8 tries to 2

Round Three - completed Suncorp Stadium
Sun 26/3/2006
Broncos 30 Tupou 2t, Lockyer, Hodges, Hunt, Stagg 1t, Ennis 2g, Parker 1g
Eels 10 Vella, Smith 1t, Burt 1g
It was a tight battle in the 1st half, seeing a 2 tries to 1 advantage to the Broncos, leading 8-6 at half-time, before outclassing the Eels 4 tries to 1 in the 2nd half

Round Three - completed Telstra Stadium
Sun 26/3/2006
Rabbitohs 14 Gordon, Rigon 1t, Merritt 1t, 1g
Dragons 44 Gasnier 3t, Best, Millard, Hornby 1t, Gorrell 1t, 7g, 1p
The Rabbitohs got off to a great start with 2 early tries before the Dragons came back and scored 5 of their own, half-time score 32-8. The Dragons were the only ones to score in the 2nd half, Gasnier adding 2 to complete his hat-trick.

who would of that last year that knights would be league leaders in 2006.

NRL Ladder
Pos. Team P W B D L F A Pts
1 Knights 3 3 0 0 0 141 60 6
2 Cowboys 3 3 0 0 0 96 28 6
3 Panthers 2 2 1 0 0 37 34 6
4 Roosters 3 2 0 0 1 114 64 4
5 Broncos 3 2 0 0 1 50 58 4
6 Storm 3 2 0 0 1 52 74 4
7 Dragons 3 1 0 2 71 51 2
8 Bulldogs 3 1 0 0 2 91 82 2
9 Sharks 2 0 1 0 2 30 36 2
10 Sea Eagles 3 1 0 0 2 50 65 2
11 Eels 3 1 0 0 2 38 69 2
12 Tigers 3 1 0 0 2 46 88 2
13 Rabbitohs 2 0 1 0 2 36 84 2
14 Raiders 3 1 0 0 2 79 140 2
15 Warriors 3 1 0 0 2 56 54 -2

Great to see my 2 teams in a couple of big wins on the weekend. Cowboys still on their winning ways. How good is Jonathon Thurston?? He's the best player in the competition at the moment, by a fair margin. :)

Broncos were also impressive yesterday, they've had plenty of knockers after their 1st 2 matches. Great to see them bounce back. Everyone stepped up to take the workload off Darren Lockyer. Lockyer still controlled the play & he looked really good. :D I'm happy with that!!! GO QLD!! ;)

^ i think a guy called Andrew Johns is still worlds best player atm, thurston maybe 2nd? lol

I never used to think Johns was the best player, but last years state of origin performance compared to Darren Lockyer had me thinking. I still think Qld could struggle this year, we have lots of small nippy guys, but not much brawn to match up with NSW, and I think it's the big guys that win the games, a bit of razzle dazzle is just the cream.

the tigers screwed up my perfect round for tips. who would have picked the warriors over the tigers????

I think it's the big guys that win the games, a bit of razzle dazzle is just the cream.

Not necessarily. I remember 2004 when the cowboys started playing really well, they were saying they were a team of small guys but were really fast, whereas the Broncos then had a lot of beefy guys. The cowboys just tired out the Broncos.

^ i think a guy called Andrew Johns is still worlds best player atm, thurston maybe 2nd? lol
I think Thurston has got the wood on Johns at the moment. Everything he touches turns to gold. Johns isn't as good as he was a few years ago, he's had his peak. Just think about it, Thursto is only 23, how good is this guy going to get???

small nippy guys work at club level, but at state or origin time where the big guys are pretty agile and can defend well there not nearly as effective

^^
Who are you talking about?

Anyway, looks like NSW won't have their favourite son for SOO, Johns has said his final rep game will be for Australia against NZ in May. He wants to focus on the Knights.

well if he isn't playing, I'm tipping the Maroons unfortunately. That or I hope Kimmorley, Anasta and Barrett spark up in their clubs. All three have been quite anonymous so far.

Good luck NSW.............:lol:

I was at Parra Stadium last night.

The Eels were robbed after leading 14-0 early :(

Still early days though!

I think Thurston has got the wood on Johns at the moment. Everything he touches turns to gold. Johns isn't as good as he was a few years ago, he's had his peak. Just think about it, Thursto is only 23, how good is this guy going to get???
i think still johns is no 1, everything he touches also turns to gold.
yes thurston is good but he is young and still learning.

anyway
sharks held off rabbitohs tonight-24-22
penrith-20-raiders-20-so far
manly-30-roosters-22

crap, i picked the roosters and penrith. though i got the cowboys and sharks picks.

Anyway, parra wasnt robbed the cowboys just have too much class

I was at Parra Stadium last night.

The Eels were robbed after leading 14-0 early :(

Still early days though!

The Eels played well in patches, but the team that made less mistakes got the 2 points. The Cowboys always had the Eels measure. They go into another gear when they have to. They are playing like premiership favourites now.They believe in themselves..

wow? warriors won?
also good to see saints get a win.
WARRIORS 26 KNIGHTS 22
DRAGONS 26 BRONCOS 12
TIGERS 30 STORM 28

because knights loss, cowboys now outright leaders

table

NRL Ladder
Pos. Team P W B D L F A Pts
1 Cowboys 4 4 0 0 0 122 46 8
2 Knights 4 3 0 0 1 163 86 6
3 Panthers 3 2 1 0 1 57 55 6
4 Roosters 4 2 0 0 2 136 94 4
5 Dragons 4 2 0 0 2 97 63 4
6 Bulldogs 3 1 1 0 2 91 82 4
7 Sharks 3 1 1 0 2 54 58 4
8 Sea Eagles 4 2 0 0 2 80 87 4
9 Broncos 4 2 0 0 2 62 84 4
10 Storm 4 2 0 0 2 80 104 4
11 Tigers 4 2 0 0 2 76 116 4
12 Raiders 4 2 0 0 2 100 160 4
13 Eels 4 1 0 0 3 56 95 2
14 Rabbitohs 3 0 1 0 3 58 108 2
15 Warriors 4 2 0 0 2 82 76 0

LOL
Newcastle.................They are such a one man team. Useless pricks.

^knights only just lost. johns pulled out at 8am. silly back pain again. but amazing how just 1 man can change a team. thats how good he is. anyway.
cowboys going well.
they have wests this week at home. they have to stop the benji factor.lol

Anyway, parra wasnt robbed the cowboys just have too much class

well after being 14-0 up.

TWO DISALLOWED TRIES THAT WERE TRIES.
Forward pass and obstruction my ass!

And plus two cowboys tries as a result of two silly eels mistakes.. one just before and one just after halftime.


Defintely unlucky not to win.
Oh wells EARLY DAYS! And the Eels showed they can match it with the cowboys.

^^
Lol......
Come on, you're clutching at straws there rondeez!! :) You were beaten by a classier team!!

Cul,
You're right, Andrew Johns is extremely valuable to Newcastle, but i still stand by my comment that he's not the best player in the comp currently. And i still stand by my comment that Newcastle are useless pricks without him. lol

Tim Smith threw a couple of good passes in the first half, would've been tries if they weren't forward. Hard to tell from the angle the ch 9 cameras are in.

^^
Come on, you're clutching at straws there rondeez!! :) You were beaten by a classier team!!


So the Eels should have beaten a classier team and can match it with a classier team. Great :)

^^
Lol

good teams create there own luck, eg the Cowboys!
teams like Parra arent quite there yet, there choker sydrome just keeps sticking around

I'm going to the Cowboys V Tigers this Friday night. 17,000 tickets already sold as of this morning!!! Benji won't help this time, i smell revenge!!! :D

you idiot
out for 7 weeks.
http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/080735ld.jpg

Slater out for seven
Sportal

Melbourne fullback Billy Slater has been suspended for seven matches by the NRL judiciary, ruling him out of this year's first State of Origin clash.

Slater had already pleaded guilty to kicking Wests Tigers forward John Skandalis in the head last weekend, but the judiciary rejected his appeal against the grading of his charge.

Slater's legal team argued that the fullback was trying to free himself from Skandalis's tackle and that his action was reckless but not intentional, but the judiciary upheld the original charge.

"[I'm] obviously very disappointed," Slater told Fox Sports.

"I'm going to have a fair while on the sideline now so I'll cop that on the chin and I'll get back to playing football after that."

"It was one of those things out there where I didn't mean to do it but it's come across a different way and I have to put up with that now."

Slater will now been ineligible for selection in Queensland's squad for the Origin opener on May 24.

He was expected to be in contention for the No.1 Maroons jersey, along with North Queensland's Matt Bowen and Newcastle's Milton Thaiday.

Slater was initially suspended for six matches after accepted the early guilty plea, which would have seen him return to action just three days before the Origin match.

Meanwhile, Canberra hooker Simon Woolford has also failed to have his grade two careless high tackle charge downgraded.

Woolford was charged for his tackle on Penrith forward Joel Clinton last weekend and will now miss the Raiders' next two matches.

^^^^^^^^^^

The dirty prick deserves it.

It was laughable watching him and his manager pretty much saying "it looks bad on the video but i assure you it was a accident".

Qld don't really need him anyway..... They've got plenty of stocks in the wing & fullback areas.

I think Thurston has got the wood on Johns at the moment. Everything he touches turns to gold. Johns isn't as good as he was a few years ago, he's had his peak. Just think about it, Thursto is only 23, how good is this guy going to get???
thurston musnt be that good, he didnt even make the kangaroo side? lol

I haven't even seen the side...... I'd rather him not make it anyway, that way the Cowboys don't lose him for a meaningless test match.

I still stand by my comment, he's the best player in the NRL at the moment.

actually the worlds best player atm is Anthony minichello! he was voted this last year by a large panel in UK/Aus.

haha as if Minichello is the worlds best player, im a qlder still admit that Johns is the worlds best player. Also DallyM has to stand for something, Thurston was the best and most consisitent last year. Unfortunately for him the reputation of other players has been around for a little bit longer.

Qld don't really need him anyway..... They've got plenty of stocks in the wing & fullback areas.

Sure they don't need him, but they could sure use him! :D

when you have players like Mat Bowen, Darren Lockyer, Greg Inglis and Karmichael Hunt all capable of playing full back its not that much of a concern

But you wouldn't leave out an explosive player that made a tremendous impact in previous SOO's would you? :D But you make a good point, Karmichael Hunt needs to get his chance, though I would think Matty Bowen is, by far, the greatest option possible. What a player, what a player. :D

TOCC- minachelo was voted best player by a consortium of coaches and players from around the world. The Its held annually.he played awesome last year in club/origin and kanagroo games.and hasnt missed a game in 3 years.
anway nuf said.
cowboys too good for tigers tonight in tville
32-12

COWBOYS 32 TIGERS 12.

Big news out of tonights game, Marshall has agrivated his shoulder injury. Tim Sheens has said possible 6-8 weeks

GO THE COWBOYS!!!!

thurston musnt be that good, he didnt even make the kangaroo side? lol

everyone knows the rep sides are picked on past appearances and coach alliances. I dont think the kangaroos have even been picked yet.


I'm gonna name a QLD side and if these players dont get picked, then im not alive

1. Bowen
2. Slater (if possible) otherwise Williams
3. Bowman
4. Hodges
5. Sing
6. Lockyer
7. Thurston
8. Nutley
9. PJ Marsh
10.Tronc
11. Civenoceiva
12. Stagg
13. Norton

14. Carrol
15. Ross
16. Hannay
17. Inglis

minachelo was voted best player by a consortium of coaches and players from around the world. The Its held annually.he played awesome last year in club/origin and kanagroo games.and hasnt missed a game in 3 years.
anway nuf said.
so his consistently overated, its gotta be known that bias comes into selecting the rep sides when the dally m players and captains of premiership teams are left out.

Went to the game last night. Excellent match!! :) Even the weather held off for it. It was raining heavily all day right up until the match, then stopped about an hour beforehand. Cowboys look like the real deal this year.

so his consistently overated, its gotta be known that bias comes into selecting the rep sides when the dally m players and captains of premiership teams are left out.
overated? nah, never. ask any player who plays first grade and they will say he has been the inform fullback/player over past couple of years. his credentials speaks for themselves.

He's been consistent. Though you have to say a lot of rap has been to halfbacks and 5/8ths of the teams (Prince, Thurston, Barrett, Gower, Kimmorley) and less on the others.

gee, andrew johns returns, and knights thrash saints.54-6
also bronx 30-12 over souths and roosters 28-24 over sharkies.

PARRATHETIC :(

The Newcastle team is such a joke..................

joke? lol
GF preview this weekend? knights V cowboys?
johns V thurston
cant wait. the Master V apprentice?



NRL Ladder
Pos. Team P W B D L F A Pts
1 Cowboys 5 5 0 0 0 154 58 10
2 Knights 5 4 0 0 1 217 92 8
3 Panthers 4 3 1 0 1 101 73 8
4 Roosters 5 3 0 0 2 164 118 6
5 Bulldogs 4 2 1 0 2 121 94 6
6 Sea Eagles 5 3 0 0 2 102 95 6
7 Broncos 5 3 0 0 2 92 96 6
8 Storm 4 2 1 0 2 80 104 6
9 Sharks 4 1 1 0 3 78 86 4
10 Dragons 5 2 0 0 3 103 117 4
11 Tigers 5 2 0 0 3 88 148 4
12 Raiders 5 2 0 0 3 112 190 4
13 Eels 4 1 0 0 3 74 139 2
14 Rabbitohs 4 0 1 0 4 70 138 2
15 Warriors 4 2 0 0 3 90 98 0

The Newcastle team is such a joke..................

I'm at a loss for the saints dismal performance. This was virtually the same team they played and won against last time :cry:

And yes Newcastle remind me of the English Rugby Team. They depend too much on the one player for their success, and need to play as a team.

PARRATHETIC :(

Well something needs to be happening... have they tried Widders to start upfront?

Newcastle... well in 2 seasons they haven't won a game without Joey. FACT

joke? lol
GF preview this weekend? knights V cowboys?
johns V thurston
cant wait. the Master V apprentice?



NRL Ladder
Pos. Team P W B D L F A Pts
1 Cowboys 5 5 0 0 0 154 58 10
2 Knights 5 4 0 0 1 217 92 8
3 Panthers 4 3 1 0 1 101 73 8
4 Roosters 5 3 0 0 2 164 118 6
5 Bulldogs 4 2 1 0 2 121 94 6
6 Sea Eagles 5 3 0 0 2 102 95 6
7 Broncos 5 3 0 0 2 92 96 6
8 Storm 4 2 1 0 2 80 104 6
9 Sharks 4 1 1 0 3 78 86 4
10 Dragons 5 2 0 0 3 103 117 4
11 Tigers 5 2 0 0 3 88 148 4
12 Raiders 5 2 0 0 3 112 190 4
13 Eels 4 1 0 0 3 74 139 2
14 Rabbitohs 4 0 1 0 4 70 138 2
15 Warriors 4 2 0 0 3 90 98 0
Yeah they are a joke.......... How about losing to the Warriors at home? One man band!! lol

Lets see how they go this weekend.............. Though in Newcastle, it could be a tough one for the Cowboys, i'll back them though. :)

yeah 26-22 warriors just hung on.but im sure knights can win without johns. matter of time.

And yes Newcastle remind me of the English Rugby Team. They depend too much on the one player for their success, and need to play as a team.

Except England rely on a kicking game and going for goals compared to Newcastly who play are running game with Johns, where as the last Englishman to run with the ball was William Webb Ellis himself

yeah 26-22 warriors just hung on.but im sure knights can win without johns. matter of time.
Lol!!
But it shouldn't take time, if they are a quality team, they should be able to do it pronto!! How long has it been since Newcastle has won without him? I think Buderus is overrated as well, NSW & Australian hooker should be Priddis.

a few hard pick this weeken, i went with the Broncos, Cowboys and Penrith in what i though were the harder of the picks

The Dragons are planning to approach Ch 9 Director Eddie McGuire to see if he can save Mark Gasiner from defecting to Rugby. Hope Eddie is nice :)

^^ It should work, ch9 and the ARL have a policy of only allowing Queensland stars to leave League.

^^ It should work, ch9 and the ARL have a policy of only allowing Queensland stars to leave League.

Matt Rogers? Nathan Blacklock?

Matt Rogers played for Queensland.

Nathan Blacklock wasn't that big of a star, he played 2 games for Australia (but never for NSW), and from what I just read after looking him up, there were a few "issues" going on with him when he retired from league, and then came back to with St George before leaving again anyway.

http://www.showroom.com.au/dragons/blacklock.htm

Broncos take it by 18 points 24, Roosters 6. Yeah Sydney's gonna need a lot to stop their decline, all these signings on paper was supposed to boost them immensely.

But holy hell... how many penalties were there in the first half? :bash:

Broncos take it by 18 points 24, Roosters 6. Yeah Sydney's gonna need a lot to stop their decline, all these signings on paper was supposed to boost them immensely.

But holy hell... how many penalties were there in the first half? :bash:

That was the worst game of football I have seen this year. Clarke wreck whatever hope the game had with the amount of penalities, he is an obsessive technocrat, he is all by the very letter of the rule book. The amount of errors made for a very ugly game. I think Wayne Bennett would have been relieved to get the 2 points. The Broncos would have been ripped to pieces but any other team. Man how bad were the Roosters !!!

I'm looking forward to the clash on Sunday between the Cowboys and the Knights... GO THE COWBOYS........

You can't just blame the ref, it's the players, should the ref ignore rule breaking to allow a faster flowing game?

How bad are the Ch 9 commentators, Sterlo is the only one I can take. Why does that Rabbits have to scream and carry on even time there is even a half break, it's painfull.

Warren Boland on the ABC must be the best commentator, I used to love it when Ch 2 had the Saturday afternoon game.

i watched the roosters vs broncos... aussie stadium has one of the longest player races i;ve seen in my live.

Saints too good for Sea Eagles 26-24 :D

^ they only just got away with it.
Dragons end Manly's streak
Sportal

The St George Illawarra Dragons have edged out the Manly Sea Eagles 26-24 in a thriller at Brookvale Oval.

The Dragons bounced back from last week's 6-54 thrashing at the hands of the Knights to end Manly's three-game winning streak, coming out on top in what was the game of the season so far.

There was little between the sides after a brutal first half, scoring two tries apiece, but St George Illawarra managed to hang on in the tense final minutes to take an important win.

Ben Kennedy crashed over for his first try as Manly's captain to open the scoring after seven minutes. Matt Orford added the extras and then landed a penalty goal as St George Illawarra struggled to keep up with the Sea Eagles' quick tempo in the game's early stages.

The Dragons got back into the game after receiving back-to-back sets, hooker Dean Young burrowing over from dummy half midway through the first term.

The visitors hit the lead when halfback Matthew Head breezed past Anthony Watmough before sending Matt Cooper through for the centre's first try of the season.

But Manly bounced back in style, Michael Robertson leaping high to clutch a perfect cross-field bomb from five-eighth Travis Burns before scoring in the corner. Orford slotted the sideline conversion to give the Eagles a 14-12 advantage after a thrilling first half.

The home side started the second term on fire with Kennedy and Steve Menzies making barnstorming runs, but were then forced to show some first-rate cover defence to hold out several attacking raids from the dangerous Dragons backs.

But Cooper had his second after sustained pressure from St George Illawarra, breaking through Steve Bell's tackle before slamming the ball down inches from the sideline.

Head nailed the wide conversion attempt before taking a penalty goal to give the Dragons a six-point buffer with 20 minutes left.

Manly brought the gap back to two when Steve Matai made a bust from dummy half and sent speedster Brett Stewart clear, but the visitors replied immediately with a try to Matt Bickerstaff, 26-18.

Brent Kite then powered his way to the try-line with six minutes remaining to set up a thrilling finish.

Manly pressed for the win in the dying moments but a tiring Dragons outfit managed to hold on and clinch a memorable win.

St George Illawarra 26
Tries: Cooper 2, Young, Bickerstaff
Conversions: Head 4
Penalty: Head

Manly 24
Tries: Kennedy, Robertson, Stewart, Kite
Conversions: Orford 3
Penalty: Orford

game of the round is a beuaty. knights V cowboys.
halftime score- knights 16-6
tigers have thrashed sharkies by 40 points,

wow, great try by bowen sealed the match for cowboys. 18-16.

Very good game, I thought the Knights would be too good at home, (great and lively crowd too), but in an exciting finish, well done Cowboys.

how good was matty bowens try, chip and catch the followed by a side step on milton thaiday. Brilliant stuff just when they needed it the most as well

i felt A johns wasnt at his best, now i know why. At halftime is ankle was badly injured and blew up. he needed pain killers just to get back on 2nd half. he tried. maybe next time.

They couldnt have had a better oppurtunity to beat the Cowboys, coming into the match they had no injuries, were in stunning form and were playing at home. The Cowboys showed who was the better side, and that there game plan doesnt revolve around one player no matter how good he is

^ yeah might have been dif if johns didnt play injured 2nd half. im sure if thurston was injured they would miss him dearly.
anyway im pissed how bulldogs come back and beat rabbitohs.damn

NRL Ladder
Pos. Team P W B D L F A Pts
1 Cowboys 6 6 0 0 0 172 74 12
2 Knights 6 4 0 0 2 233 110 8
3 Bulldogs 5 3 1 0 2 147 112 8
4 Broncos 6 4 0 0 2 116 102 8
5 Panthers 5 3 1 0 2 119 113 8
6 Storm 5 3 1 0 2 120 122 8
7 Roosters 6 3 0 0 3 170 142 6
8 Sea Eagles 6 3 0 0 3 126 121 6
9 Dragons 6 3 0 0 3 129 141 6
10 Tigers 6 3 0 0 3 130 164 6
11 Raiders 6 3 0 0 3 130 204 6
12 Sharks 5 1 1 0 4 94 128 4
13 Eels 4 1 0 0 3 74 139 2
14 Rabbitohs 5 0 1 0 5 88 164 2
15 Warriors 6 2 0 0 4 104 116 0

I think the season is starting to settle and we're beginning to see the stand outs.

You can't argue the two hot teams so far are Cowboys & Knights (I'm so glad they're back in the top half) but the Eels really are lagging.

The Broncos didn't look too good at the start of the season but 6 games in and they've won 4/6, starting to look much better.

Strange to see Dragons and Tigers in the bottom half again - has their short time of sucess come to an end?

suprising to see the Broncos have the second best defensive record, and thats including the 40 odd points that the Cowboys punished them with early on

Cowboys fitness was a level above that of the Knights, thats what got them home. The last 30 minutes of the match you could see how they just started to run all over the Knights. A Johns out for 2 weeks? Nice. :) More losses for the Knights??? Lol

if the cowboys are so fit, it should prove interesting for the away teams playing up in Townsville throughout the season who deal with humidity and heat.

^^
Yeah thats true, but the worst of the weather is over for the year now. The heat & humidity isn't so bad up here mid season. In fact, it's really quite nice during the cooler months. Still alot warmer than southern Australia though.

Cowboys fitness was a level above that of the Knights, thats what got them home. The last 30 minutes of the match you could see how they just started to run all over the Knights. A Johns out for 2 weeks? Nice. :) More losses for the Knights??? Lol
but didnt they only loose because of the bowen chip with just 6mins remaining? if he didnt do that, cowboys would of lost 16-12. newtown nealy scored with seconds lft which would of sealed match for knights.
;-)

from match report>
Bowen then put the Cowboys ahead with a piece of individual brilliance, recovering his own chip kick to score with six minutes left.

Newcastle back-rower Clint Newton then intercepted a pass from Bowen with seconds remaining, but the fullback chased him down to make a desperate tackle and secure the win.

Cul, it was pretty clear the Cowboys were finishing all over Newcastle. Coming from 16-6 down pretty much says it all. Even blind Freddy could see it!! lol Newton intercepted a pass, but didn't score, Cowboys win. Don't worry, the Cowboys hero nearly turned villan, luckily for us, he made up for it! Cowboys certainly are the real deal this year.

I'm also happy with the progress the Broncos are making. They have a host of players out & are still in the top 4, good stuff!

good to see para win.

http://www.sportal.com.au/photos/news/081426ld.jpg

Eels rise above Wests
by: Adam Lucius
Sportal

Parramatta has emerged from a week of crisis meetings and soul searching to get its season back on track with a 28-16 win over premiers Wests Tigers at Parramatta Stadium.

The desperate Eels went into the game with just win one from five starts but finished over the top of the weakened Tigers to record a much-needed victory before a big Friday night crowd.

The hosts led 14-6 at half-time but fell behind 14-16 midway through the second half before tries to Tim Smith and Glenn Morrison restored the Eels' advantage.

A Brett Delaney penalty goal five minutes from time put the icing on the cake and relieved the pressure in the Parramatta camp for at least a week.

The Eels were keen to get off to a good start before their loyal fans and skipped to an early 12-0 lead courtesy of converted tries to Timana Tahu and Chad Robinson.

The Tigers took 21 minutes to register their first points via a Dean Collis try, with Scott Prince's conversion narrowing the gap to six points.

Parramatta nudged ahead 14-8 after Delaney landed a penalty goal 28 minutes in.

The Tigers needed to score next to stay in the contest and centre Paul Whatuira provided the four-pointer nine minutes into the second half.

Prince missed the conversion but only had to wait two minutes for another attempt after rookie Shannon McDonnell crossed in the 51st minute.

The Prince conversion gave the premiers the lead for the first time at 16-14.

But the Tigers only enjoyed the lead for five minutes before Parramatta hit back through half-back Tim Smith after 56 minutes.

His try and Delaney's conversion handed the Eels a 20-16 advantage in what was becoming an absorbing match.

But Morrison's converted try in the 66th minute put the blue and golds safely out of reach.

Eels 28
Tries: Tahu, Robinson, Smith, Morrison
Conversions: Delaney 4
Penalties: Delaney 2

Tigers 16
Tries: Collis, Whatuira, McDonnell
Conversions: Prince 2

Anyone catch the Benny Elias' blurb on SBS's World Sports on Wednesday night?

He is the most switched on Sydney journo by a mile. He has hit the nail right on the head about Melbourne and rugby league. It is an incredible waste of time and energy by the ARL for staging a SOO match in Melbourne. It would be up there for pure idiocy with having the NHL(ice hockey) stage its All Star game in Melbourne. What relevance has SOO to Melbourne in Victoria? You will get a crowd because there are a lot of Queenslanders and NSWers living down here but what is the point in trying to convert the already converted?

The NRL or whatever it was called back in 1999 missed the boat completely. They didn't capitalize on the Storm winning the premiership, what they allowed to happen was good old Channell Packer shoving league completely off tv schedules and in the no-man's land of pay tv which nobody has.

Now it is on a par with the Melbourne Tigers basketball team for support and interest which is right up there with various district Aussie rules clubs playing in leagues like the Eastern Districts or Footscray and Districts competitions to put it into context.

Too little too late which is a real shame and damning of how badly the NRL is run.

warriors finally on the board beating luckless rabbitohs 46-14.
storm to0 good for knights 52-6. wheres joey??lol
sharkies chomp up cowboys./? 24-22. lol

this weekend winners
parra
warriors
storm
sharks
broncos
seaeagles
roostersV saints -anzac day game.

TABLE

Pos. Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
1 Cowboys 7 6 0 1 194 98 12
2 Storm 6 4 0 2 172 128 10
3 Broncos 7 5 0 2 146 108 10
4 Knights 7 4 0 3 239 162 8
5 Sea Eagles 7 4 0 3 166 135 8
6 Bulldogs 6 3 0 3 161 152 8
7 Panthers 6 3 0 3 125 143 8
8 Raiders 6 3 0 3 130 204 8
9 Roosters 6 3 0 3 170 142 6
10 Dragons 6 3 0 3 129 141 6
11 Sharks 6 2 0 4 118 150 6
12 Wests Tigers 7 3 0 4 146 192 6
13 Eels 6 2 0 4 102 155 6
14 Warriors 7 3 0 4 150 130 2
15 Rabbitohs 6 0 0 6 102 210 2

Bugger about the Cowboys loss. Oh well, that'll keep em honest i guess. But i am a bit sceptical about that so called try that was awarded to Cronulla after it went to the video ref because it looked to be held up. If the video ref can't award it, how can the ref? Oh well, doesn't matter.

Good to see the Broncos hitting their straps!! (Touch wood) Just how good is Justin Hodges?? It's good to see he has cleaned up his act alot in the past year or so. His performances on the park reflect that as well. He should be rewarded with a test jumper. Hopefully knobhead Stuart can see that!!

And finally, how about thpse Knights?? LMAO!!! As i said, what a joke........

Those knights play like school girls without joey johns! And the sharks beating the cowboys could be the upset of the season... Anyway happy to see the broncos trunce those silly panthers and their streaking gower.

Anyone catch the Benny Elias' blurb on SBS's World Sports on Wednesday night?

He is the most switched on Sydney journo by a mile. He has hit the nail right on the head about Melbourne and rugby league. It is an incredible waste of time and energy by the ARL for staging a SOO match in Melbourne.


^^ agreed! it pisses me off and everyone who is a die hard league fan to think that Melbourne gets one of our showcase games. Melb doesnt support the storm so why should they get the SOO.

Also, how good did the mighty broncos look today. :) heya!!!!

the knights are rubbish without Johns! as clearly shown last night! It just makes u wonder how good Johns is or how his presence lifts a side's spirits

Hate to live in newcastle these days...

yeah decent effort from the Broncos considering a third of the squad is out injured. Also dissapointed to see the Cowboys go down but considering the big name teams they have been playing over the last few weeks im sure there all a bit tired

sharkies just too strong. always hard to beat at home on sat nite.
i think with knights, is that yes, joey johns is THAT good , but also they are all seem to step up when he is on field. just look at state of origin. when he plays, nSW are awesome.kniights need to learn to live without him, beacuse he aint gonna be around much longer.

Another thing comes to light with Newcaste with Johns out, shows how overrated Buderus is................ If he is so good, shouldn't he be able to lift the team? Priddis is by far a better hooker than him.

Knights are a joke without Andrew Johns. We're only 7 rounds into the comp but the numbers have been clear cut.

NSW can win without Johns, it's just much easier with him. But the names in the Queensland side, well.... I'll be surprised if they lose to a Joey-less Blues side.

damn, roosters will really miss minachello in tommorrows match.

Roosters have been pretty much woeful so far this season don't know why, they have a pretty big name player roster!! Allthough, i think they wasted their money on Anasta..........

.

Lol @ BobDaBuilder. For someone who dislikes RL and is eagerly anticipating its supposed "upcoming downfall" [lol absolutley hopeless!], he sure has a big interest in it to post and let alone come into this thread. Pure sh#t-stirring imo. But what can you do?

The ANZAC clash today will be interesting. Neither of the too are going crash hot at the moment so it will be a toss of the coin. Im tipping the Dragons!

roosters really missed there best player. as most teams would.
St George-Illawarra 22 Naiqama 2t, Gasnier, Bickerstaff 1t, Head 2g 1p
Sydney 12 Shillington, Roberts 1t, Fitzgibon 2g
The Dragons held a slight 14-12 lead at half time before running in 2 unanswered tries in the second half.
--------------

TABLE

Pos. Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
1 Cowboys 7 6 0 1 194 98 12
2 Storm 6 4 0 2 172 128 10
3 Broncos 7 5 0 2 146 108 10
4 Knights 7 4 0 3 239 162 8
5 Sea Eagles 7 4 0 3 166 135 8
6 Bulldogs 6 3 0 3 161 152 8
7 Dragons 7 4 0 3 151 153 8
8 Panthers 6 3 0 3 125 143 8
9 Raiders 6 3 0 3 130 204 8
10 Roosters 7 3 0 4 182 164 6
11 Sharks 6 2 0 4 118 150 6
12 Wests Tigers 7 3 0 4 146 192 6
13 Eels 6 2 0 4 102 155 6
14 Warriors 7 3 0 4 150 130 2
15 Rabbitohs 6 0 0 6 102 210 2

The Dragons are back. Tough first half, but they shone in the second half as usual like in any game.

^^ agreed! it pisses me off and everyone who is a die hard league fan to think that Melbourne gets one of our showcase games. Melb doesnt support the storm so why should they get the SOO.

Also, how good did the mighty broncos look today. :) heya!!!!

It's the Victorian Government. As a condition of the NRL getting funding to upgrade Olympic Park, the NRL had to make them play SOO down there.

I dont mind it in Melbourne as it's a neutral venue especially if Origin goes to the wire like it has in recent years. The turnouts have been very strong, even if people trek down from the states to watch the game.

Phil Gould considers origin games at the MCG to be one of the great origin moments due to atmosphere that the ground produced when they did play there :) . It disappoints me that they chose Telstra Dome over the MCG for that reason.

What do you guys think of the obstruction call made by the ref that denied the Roosters the match winner? I missed it.

Well done to Matty Head who also helped set up the corresponding win last year.

^ yeah it was definately an obstruction. what can you do?
roosters will come good. just let team gel abit. normally teams that go well early in season crap out later and vice versa.

^^
Only problem with the Roosters is, it has taken them all last year to come good & they still haven't done it. I have no doubt that they have the playing roster to do it though. I hope they don't come good anyway...... Lol

Good to see the two QLD teams and the Storm up at the top of the ladder there.

The Storm are primarily a QLD team anyway so when they do good it often reflects there QLD players, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk etc are all QLD'ers.

Should be interesting come state of origin!

If you think about it the Warriors would be around 10th place if it wasn't for that -4 points.

Interesting how the Melbourne Storm is structured. It does have a lot of Queensland players like TOCC said, but it's feeder club is apparently up in North Sydney.

The Dragons are back. Tough first half, but they shone in the second half as usual like in any game.



It's the Victorian Government. As a condition of the NRL getting funding to upgrade Olympic Park, the NRL had to make them play SOO down there.

I dont mind it in Melbourne as it's a neutral venue especially if Origin goes to the wire like it has in recent years. The turnouts have been very strong, even if people trek down from the states to watch the game.

Phil Gould considers origin games at the MCG to be one of the great origin moments due to atmosphere that the ground produced when they did play there :) . It disappoints me that they chose Telstra Dome over the MCG for that reason.

is is a one year only thing or are we gonna see this happen for a while. i really hope not. u cant beat the atmosphere generated at Lang Park and the chance of us having 2 games next year has been taken away from us.

Plus Phil Gould is a wanker

What do you guys think of the obstruction call made by the ref that denied the Roosters the match winner? I missed it.

Well done to Matty Head who also helped set up the corresponding win last year.

speaking of blatent mistakes by the referees, what about the quad-drouple movement by one of Penrith forwards the other day against the broncos. i couldnt beleive my eyes when the ref didnt even consider the video ref. geez!!!!!! that would have held Penrith to Nil and would have been the first time the Broncos had of since 1999, so there was definately something to play for.

I was at the Broncos-Penrith game, it was a shocking call, the crowd were stunned

Dragons were fined $20 000 for breaching the salary cap last year :bash:. Newcastle and Canberra also copped fines for doing the same.

sharkies shat on panthers tonight 40-12.

^^ penrith are in serious trouble! they were woeful

Yeah what has happened to Penrith?? They have been absolutely crap over the past few weeks!! They were the team who i considered to be the dark horse this year as well. They'll wanna pull their fingers out real quick!! On another note, ths Sharkies are looking better, maybe they should leave Kimmorley out when i finally is ready to play again. Dykes is playing well.

Manly verses Parramatta at the SCG tomorrow should be awesome. Unfortunatley i have 3 assignments to do and wont be able to go :(

Who the Roosters got this w/end?

^^ Cowboys in about an hour, and despite the fact that prior to the Broncos, if I followed a Sydney team it was the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, I hope the Cowboys kill them.

cant believe the cowboys lost, and jeez the broncos game sounded interesting after losing 18-0 at half time to win 30-28

Shit i didn't even realise the broncos played tonite!! Arrrgh!!! :( Went to the Cowboys match earlier, absolutely shithouse. More dropped ball than an under 12 match. Ref made some ordinary decisions as well. But that being said, Cowboys didn't deserve to win anyway. Very frusterating!!! Grrrrrrr.............

^^ Cowboys in about an hour, and despite the fact that prior to the Broncos, if I followed a Sydney team it was the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, I hope the Cowboys kill them.
as i said , roosters will eventually gel.

North Queensland 18 Payne, Sweeney 1t,Thurston 1t 3g
Sydney 22 Perrett, Roberts, Tupou, Mellars 1t, Fitzgibbon 3g
The Roosters went into the half time break with a 10-6 lead and held on in the second half for a hard fought victory.

Brisbane lucky to get away with win/

Brisbane 30 Stagg, Hodges 1t, Hunt 2t, Lockyer 1t 1g, Parker 4g
Canberra 28 Tongue, Croker 1t, Mogg 2t, Schifcofske 1t 4g
The Broncos were behind 18-0 at half time before piling on five 2nd half tries to two to come from behind and win,

saints are crapo this year.

Melbourne 24 Turner, Donnelly 1t, Webster 2t, Smith 2g 2p
St George-Illawarra 10 Best, Simmonds 1t, Gorrell 1g
The Storm went into half time with a 14-4 lead and consolidated their lead in the second half due to two penalty goals and a try

The Broncos are back to their old form.

By that I mean they can be playing absolutely terrible and get thrashed - and can turn it all around in the second half to win.

It's what makes watching the Broncos interesting. You never know what's going to happen.

yeah apparently the first half was absolute crap but the second half was some of their best footy(broncos)

classic match at SCG today, manly winning with 2mins to go by field goal.

Manly 23 Stewert, Hicks, Bell, Kite 1t, Orford 3g, Orford 1dg
Parramatta 22 Delaney, Petersen, Morrison 1t, Delaney 5g
The Eels took a 16-12 lead to half-time before Manly levelled the scores at 22-22, with Orford breaking the deadlock with a field goal in the 78th min.
----------------

South Sydney 18 Galuvao, Fa'alogo, A.MacDougall 1t, Merritt 3g

Newcastle 24 Buderus 2, Thaiday, Carmont 1t, Johns 4g
The Knights led 12-6 at half-time before the Rabbitohs levelled at 18-18, but Buderus scored the winner with 3 mins to play;
-----------------------------
New Zealand 16 Koopu, Faumuina 1t, Martin 2g, 2p
Canterbury 30 Holdsworth, Asotasi, Tonga 1t, El Masri 2t, 4g, 1p
The Bulldogs had the lead 16-8 at half-time, before the Warriors cameback with an early 2nd half try to level the scores 16-16, but the Bulldogs proved too strong scoring to retake the lead, then another 2 mins before full-time.
----------------------
damn, top 3 teams, no teams from NSW.

NRL Ladder
Pos. Team P W B D L F A Pts
1 Cowboys 8 6 0 0 2 212 120 12
2 Storm 7 5 1 0 2 196 138 12
3 Broncos 8 6 0 0 2 176 136 12
4 Bulldogs 7 4 1 0 3 191 168 10
5 Knights 7 4 0 0 3 239 162 8
6 Sea Eagles 7 4 0 0 3 166 135 8
7 Roosters 8 4 0 0 4 204 182 8
8 Sharks 7 3 1 0 4 158 162 8

9 Dragons 8 4 0 0 4 161 177 8
10 Panthers 7 3 1 0 4 137 183 8
11 Raiders 7 3 1 0 4 158 234 8
12 Tigers 7 3 0 0 4 146 192 6
13 Eels 6 2 1 0 4 102 155 6
14 Warriors 8 3 0 0 5 166 160 2
15 Rabbitohs 6 0 1 0 6 102 210 2

Finally the Roosters are gelling after being a massive blob of jelly against Brisbane a couple of weeks back. Finch and Anasta are yet to show their worth.

^ yeah anasta is still adjusting to team, but Finch ran all over cowboys. he done well.

Yeah i was actually surprised with Finch, he has played crap since he went the to Rorters. He did play pretty good the other night. I think Souths would've beaten the Cowboys the other night though. I think they must be still suffering from a hangover after the Newcastle match!!!

Just watched the replay of the Broncos v Raiders, 1st half was ordinary. Broncos piled on 4 tries in the opening 15 min of the 2nd half. They played some really good footy in that time. All in all, good to see the 2 Qld teams on top of the table. :)

Round 9 will be crammed into the Weekend due to the Test Match:

(Home teams on left)

Saturday
EELS VS RAIDERS
RABBITOHS VS STORM
COWBOYS VS PANTHERS

Sunday
KNIGHTS VS BRONCOS
WESTS TIGERS VS SEA EAGLES
ROOSTERS VS BULLDOGS
SHARKS VS DRAGONS

Some big local derbies there on Sunday. Knights V Broncos should be good as well.

i go for
eels
storm
cowboys
knights
tigers
roosters
sharks
;-)

The EELS are languishing down the bottom and once again i am busy Saturday and will miss the game against the Raiders :( Something tells me they will only pull about 8,000 people to that game.

Trent Barret will head to England next year :(

Has also retired from representativ footy which is an overall sad result for Aussie RL :(

But all the best! Ive hated him ever since the cheap punch on PJ Marsh last year though LOL

Lol
Yeah that was a cheap shot alright. NSW are losing halves in fast fashion. Anasta & Noddy NSW halves combo this year??? :D :D

I thought Kimmorley was out for a couple more months? According to SMH it will probably be Anasta and Matt Orford.

If you look at Queensland, they have another problem altogether. They have too much choices: Lockyer, Thurston, Prince, etc.

Ahh yeah Noddy is out for about 5 more weeks. Sorry forgot about that one. Either way, with Anasta at 5/8, NSW won't have much direction. He is shite........

Yeah well just look at the Roosters. For all of last season's hype on Anasta, which I fell into aswell, it's been all smoke without a fire. And if it's rust, he has a lot of frickin rust to remove, or he's just slow in removing it. Look at the other halfbacks/ Five-eigths who have switched recently: Orford has settled into Manly, it didn't take Firman long in the Cowboys last year, Cooper Cronk is slowly making his name, but still faster than Anasta is in losing his reputation.

Yeah so much hype surrounded him moving to Roosters. I've never really thought much of him though. He has put in a good performance here and there, but they have been few and far between.

Ahh yeah Noddy is out for about 5 more weeks. Sorry forgot about that one. Either way, with Anasta at 5/8, NSW won't have much direction. He is shite........
yes, anasta has been disapointing but he does lift for big games.

Give me someone else who will be consistent, not spectacular, for 26 rounds or so, and then in the finals.

Best of luck to him. Hard to think just last year the Rugby Union tried to lure him in.

now speaking of shit teams.... argh, Parramatta, we never seem to win do we :bash: