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Set of Six: Who's going to bite on Cooper Cronk?

By Jarret Filmer
Cooper Cronk (Photo: Getty Images)

An intriguing Sliding Doors scenario is in the works with news Cooper Cronk is moving to Sydney next season, while Ivan Cleary’s tenure at Wests has got off to the worst possible start. These and all the week’s other big NRL storylines in this week’s Set of Six.

Where will Cooper Cronk end up next season?

Cooper Cronk managed to flip the NRL landscape on its head this week by declaring his intention to move to Sydney to be with his fiancé Tara Rushton. While he later suggested that he might retire rather than play on with a new club, the possibility that he could link with a Sydney outfit has sent the league into a spin. The two major contenders are the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels. But it seems unlikely that Cronk would be willing to spend the waning years of his career guiding around an also-ran after spending over a decade competing for Premierships. Manly, Souths and the Roosters all seem committed to their halves duos for the foreseeable future, Penrith has a young halves pairing and little wiggle room in the salary cap.

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Still, Cronk is potentially the most impactful free agent since Greg Inglis left the Melbourne Storm and his unexpected availability might cause some clubs to re-think their long-term plans in exchange for a chance at short-circuiting the process of building a Premiership contender. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Cronk’s defection is the domino effect it might have the rest of the competition. Do the Storm make a play at either of the Warriors’ off-contract halves? Would a side with settled halves like the Sea Eagles or the Rabbitohs squeeze out their incumbents in order to secure a short-term upgrade? Do Parramatta abandon their pursuit of Cronulla’s Jack Bird for a shot at Cronk, and if they do does that open the door for Newcastle? Cronk’s bolt out of the blue has sent a shock wave through what had been a rather turgid free agent market so far but it could represent a fascinating Sliding Doors moment that shapes the NRL for near future.

Can Des Hasler win a Premiership at Canterbury?

After many months of speculation and behind-the-scenes drama, Des Hasler has finally re-signed for another two seasons. It speaks to the Bulldogs’ ambitions as a club (and their belief in their place in the order of the NRL) that five consecutive finals appearances and two Grand Final defeats is considered underachieving. Hasler might have the sort of personality that makes board members bristle, but he is undeniably one of the best coaches in the NRL – perhaps only Bellamy and Bennett could mount convincing claims of superiority.

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The fact that no slam-dunk alternative presented itself might have been as important a factor in saving Hasler’s job as the Dogs upset win over the Broncos. Dean Pay and Jim Dymock might bleed blue and white but there is no guarantee that they can replicate Hasler’s success, much less win a Premiership. The Dogs are still a solid side that feel like they are one major line-up change away from clicking – perhaps sliding Josh Reynolds into hooker leaving Frawley to partner with Mbye in the halves and shifting Brett Morris might provide the type of spark that could turn their season around. The Dogs have a soft schedule over the next month and if they can show the same fortitude they displayed in their victory over Brisbane then everyone will forget that Des was nearly unemployed in March.

Is Kieran Foran the missing piece for the Warriors?

Kieran Foran took the field for the Warriors for the first time since his untimely departure from Parramatta on Sunday, helping the Auckland franchise to a stilted win over a battered Titans team. Foran has long been touted as the solution to the Warriors inconsistency and his direct running certainly looked like it could open up the team’s erratic attack and allow offensive stars like Shaun Johnson and Isaac Luke to play their natural games. The Warriors showdown with Foran’s former club Parramatta will give the embattled playmaker the chance to prove his off the field troubles are behind him and he is ready to lead his new club to the finals.

Could the Ivan Cleary era have got off to a worse start?

Cleary apparently started his stint as Wests Tigers coach by laying down the law to the ‘Big Four’ free agents, resulting in Mitchell Moses signing with Parramatta and demanding an immediate release, with strong rumours that James Tedesco, Aaron Woods and Luke Brooks will also sign with rival clubs. If the Tigers do lose ‘the Big Four’ serious questions will have to be asked about the future direction of the club. Ivan Cleary will definitely be questioning whether he made the right decision taking the Tigers job only to find the cupboard is bare.

How can NRL free agency be fixed?

The NRL free agency period is a mess. Players have to make a decision on where they are playing next year without knowing how their team will finish this year. Teams have to make a call on a player for next season and hope that the decision bears up under a complete season’s evidence. Fans are forced to watch a player go around for their side even though he has committed to play for another team next season.

If all free agent transactions took place after the grand final teams, players and fans would have a much clearer position on where they stood and could make better decisions. In many professional sports the off-season free agency period is a key period on the calendar, often serving as much a point of interest as the season itself. For the NRL the various transactions and negotiations taking place mid-season only serve to detract from the actual games being played. Right now teams are negotiating for contracts without knowing what next season’s salary cap is. It’s hard to figure exactly benefits from the current set up and it needs to change.

Game of the Week: Storm vs Sharks

It’s a bit of a no-brainer to nominate the Grand Final re-match as the game of the round but such has been the quality defeated finalist Melbourne’s form this season that there is genuine curiosity about who will rise to challenge them. The Storm ably swatted away rising contenders Penrith with their trademark automaton like defence, but the Sharks are built in a similar fashion to the Storm. This isn’t about revenge for Melbourne – it’s about adding another brick in the wall of excellence. The Storm feel desperate to add another Premiership before Smith, Cronk and Slater ride off into the sunset and if they keep playing like this they might lock up the Minor Premiership before Origin. Cronk’s announcement will only add fuel to the fire.

Picks (season record 24-16): Broncos over Roosters / Bulldogs over Knights / Panthers over Rabbitohs / Dragons over Sea Eagles / Raiders over Titans / Cowboys over Tigers / Warriors over Eels / Storm over Sharks.

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Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 9 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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