NRL Season 2012

[brisbanite]

Originally Posted by roofromoz

From what I've heard, the cricket will be shafted to GEM (in Sydney anyway) when the footy is on. Or at least that's what the NRL is assuming.

So it should be, March is Footy season!

I'm off to Tassy for the trial game between the Storm and Broncos on Saturday which will be the first game of RL in Tassy for 13 years. Already good ticket sales for the event and both sides are likely to field strong sides.

[BartBart]

Source

Stink over rugby clean-up
Nick Taylor, The West Australian Updated February 16, 2012, 2:40 am


Stink over rugby clean-up

The WA Rugby League faces a big clean-up bill, with a change room carpet having to be ripped up and replaced after it was urinated on during Saturday's National Rugby League trial at nib Stadium.

The WARL, who hired the stadium, has demanded a report from stadium operator Allia and the security staff into the incident.

Allia were forced to remove the carpet yesterday to get rid of a "putrid, rancid" smell in time for tonight's Super Rugby pre-season trial between the Western Force and the reigning champions Queensland Reds.

The Force, who trained at the ground on Tuesday, were unable to use the change room because of the overpowering smell.

One Force member who was at the ground described the smell as "putrid, rancid. Like 100 cats had been locked up in there all weekend".

Allia had the carpets cleaned and deodorised but the smell remained and yesterday they were pulled up. WARL chief executive John Sackson said his organisation would fight the bill, expected to be several thousand dollars.

"What has happened is disgraceful and we face substantial cost and inconvenience over this," Mr Sackson said.

"We hired the venue but whether we are ultimately responsible for what happened is another matter.

"It is important to know who had access to that area.

"We realise it is going to be very hard to pin down who the culprit was as there were probably 100 people who had access to the area but we want to sort this out."

The change room was used by the St George Illawarra Dragons for the trial against the North Queensland Cowboys but they have adamantly denied any knowledge or involvement.

"Having been informally informed by the WA Rugby League of the problems with nib Stadium the Dragons categorically refute any such allegations," St George Illawarra Dragons chief executive Peter Doust said. "Any persons or organisation making unfounded allegations against our brand should think very carefully before doing so.

"Our club and brand have high values and expectations and the club is prepared to provide statutory declarations from those in the dressing room throughout our occupation, including the female staff members."

An Allia spokesman would not comment.

[roofromoz]

Panthers home strip for 2012 - same design as 2011, but with new sponsors.

[lowey]

Originally Posted by roofromoz

Panthers home strip for 2012 - same design as 2011, but with new sponsors.

lol former knights

[BSD]

Nice couple you got there. Penriff!!!! Yum! Go gay rights!

[roofromoz]

Originally Posted by lowey

lol former knights

Re-signings for the club as well. I would really love to see Walsh be a lot more consistent and show his true potential this year. But we have Harry Siejka in the wings just in case he doesn't fire.

[roofromoz]

Originally Posted by BSD

Nice couple you got there. Penriff!!!! Yum! Go gay rights!

Que?!

[Aussie Bhoy]

Are we having a tipping comp again this year?

[Fabian]

I'm happy to have it going again, but the interest by others has waned.

The 29th Charity Shield is on tonight and will be on FOX Sports.

Apparently I heard Jarred Hayne got injured last night which wont be good for the eels.

[BSD]

Dragons beat Souths 18-12. Very strong looking side. Similar defence but different attack routine. Price would be working very well through this.

[roofromoz]

Originally Posted by Aussie Bhoy

Are we having a tipping comp again this year?

Happy to arrange another one. I'll look at setting it up sometime this week.

[Fabian]

Originally Posted by BSD

Dragons beat Souths 18-12. Very strong looking side. Similar defence but different attack routine. Price would be working very well through this.

And three souths players are on report including Burgess and Sutton.

[Choko]

Well, I suppose it's that time of year where we make predictions that are as successful as a cinnamon eating contest...

2012 NRL Premiers: Melbourne (beating the Warriors)
Churchill Medallist: Cam Smith
2012 NRL Minor Premiers: Manly
2012 Wooden Spooners: Roosters
State of Origin Series winners? Queensland, it continues...
Leading Try Scorer? A. Uate
Leading Point Scorer? Benji
Buy of the year? Carney if he stays away from Northies
Most improved team? Newcastle
First Coach to get the boot? Michael Maguire
Dally M Medal Winner: K. Foran
Team most likely to be the dark horse of the competition: Cronulla
Team most likely to underachieve or "choke": Souths

[lowey]

2012 NRL Premiers: newcastle
Churchill Medallist: A uate
2012 NRL Minor Premiers: newcastle
2012 Wooden Spooners: titans
State of Origin Series winners? nsw
Leading Try Scorer? timana tahu
Leading Point Scorer? k gidley
Buy of the year? timana tahu
Most improved team? cronulla
First Coach to get the boot? john cartwright
Dally M Medal Winner: danny buderus
Team most likely to be the dark horse of the competition: Cronulla
Team most likely to underachieve or "choke": manly

[Fabian]

2012 NRL Premiers: Wests Tigers
Churchill Medallist: Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers)
2012 NRL Minor Premiers: Wests Tigers
2012 Wooden Spooners: Canberra
State of Origin Series winners? Queensland and I'll probably be there to see it happen
Leading Try Scorer? Akuila Uate (Newcastle)
Leading Point Scorer? Benji Marshall (Wests)
Buy of the year? Todd Carney (Cronulla)
Most improved team? Newcastle
First Coach to get the boot? John Cartwright (Gold Coast)
Dally M Medal Winner: Darius Boyd (Newcastle)
Team most likely to be the dark horse of the competition: Cronulla
Team most likely to underachieve or "choke": St George

[brisbanite]

Just come back from Hobart and what a great turnout, nearly 12,000 for the Storm-Broncos game at the North Hobart Stadium and front page news on The Mercury. Slater looked in great nick after coming back from a busted shoulder, he was everywhere and I expect a big year from Billy. The Broncos are still a bit shaky in the halves but they have some lethal finishers on the flanks, it will be interesting to see how we go this season.

[brisbanite]

Originally Posted by BartBart

Source

Congratulations on such an irrelevant and immaterial contribution! With all the good news in WA on exansion and interest growing all you can contribute is an article on someone pissing on a piece of carpet at an NRL game. We could dig up overstated articles on every code if we wanted to.

[17 floors up]

The new ARL Comission has scrapped the McIntyre finals system in favour of the AFL's system. Good decision. There should be greater reward for finishing in the top 4 and the McIntyre system is ridiculous.

[Derek40]

Originally Posted by 17 floors up

The new ARL Comission has scrapped the McIntyre finals system in favour of the AFL's system. Good decision. There should be greater reward for finishing in the top 4 and the McIntyre system is ridiculous.

The NRL is always a few years behind the AFL on matters like this.
A great decision.
This ensures that the top 4 get a 2nd chance (although I don't remember a top 4 side getting knocked out in the 1st week of the McIntyre system) - and are not forced into away semi-finals after losing in week 1 of the finals.
I'll never forget St George in 2009 were Minor Premiers - and I am not a St George fan like Fabian and BSD - and then had to play Brisbane in Brisbane after losing one match.
Hardly a fair system.
That same year Melbourne got 2 home semi-finals in a row, and virtually a saloon passage to the Grand Final - which they then won.

[17 floors up]

The articel highlights the farce where last year the Warriors (6th) got thumped by Broncos (3rd) in the first week, but got a second crack against the Tigers (4th) in the second week. They ended up going throuigh to the GF. Stupid!