Set of Six: How hard is the NRL actually trying to curb bad behaviour?

Another week of rugby league scandal in Australia has seen the game back in the headlines – does the NRL like it that way? Is all publicity good publicity? That and more in Jarret Filmer’s weekly league round-up.

Is the NRL actually trying to prevent bad behaviour?

Another week, another round of off-the-field incidents, all involving cocaine. This has prompted all the regular talking heads to vent their spleen about the NRL being full of thugs and derelicts, reinforcing all the familiar narratives about how league players can’t be trusted to behave and how the NRL doesn’t provide enough support to all the poor troubled souls that fill their playing ranks. The more pertinent question is not whether the NRL is doing enough to prevent such incidents but whether they actually want all the off-the-field nonsense to continue unabated.

The NRL obviously revels in the non-stop, wall-to-wall coverage of its players’ failings across every available media outlet – if they were serious about rooting out bad behaviour they would level serious penalties for major anti-social acts like drink driving or domestic violence. Combine this ineffectualness with the slew of other recurring distractions – mid-season free agency, the failings of the Bunker and the difficulty enforcing the Head Injury Assessment protocol – it’s almost impossible to believe that the league isn’t at least partially complicit in ensuring a surfeit of coverage.

The NRL isn’t content with owning gameday – they want to own the headlines every day of the week, no matter how bad those headlines are. The NRL doesn’t see off the field incidents as a problem but just another opportunity to grab some more headlines.

https://twitter.com/NRL/status/862049588936572928

Is Origin obsession hurting the NRL?

It’s that time of year where every injury or incident is viewed through the lens of how it might impact State of Origin. Much of the discussion around Johnathan Thurston’s potentially season-ending injury, for example, has focused on the impact on the Queensland Origin team rather than the North Queensland Cowboys’ season hopes. Queensland is arguably much better placed to survive an injury to Thurston, with ample talented replacements waiting in the wings. The Cowboys season, on the other hand, will be on life support if JT is scratched.

Origin is the pinnacle of the Australian rugby league season, but the amount of focus it receives still feels overblown. Much of the interest in the contest has been dissipated due to Queensland’s decade-long dominance and the dour nature of recent contests. In the past few years Origin has felt like something to be endured rather than celebrated.

While Origin is on, the NRL season lurches to a halt. The slew of byes interrupts the momentum and the enforced absence of Origin players robs crucial clashes of star power. Once Origin is concluded it takes the competition a couple of weeks to get back up to speed, at a time when it should be hitting its peak. Origin is important, but the continued Origin obsession is at risk of ruining the NRL.

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Can’t the NRL find a spot for City-Country Origin?

Last weekend saw the demise of the City-Country game, a somewhat beloved institution that has faded in recent years due to player withdrawals and its increasing irrelevance as a trial match for the NSW Origin team. Despite its tatty status, it’s obvious that the game held a special importance to the Country regions of the game, areas that have provided some of the games greatest players. The fact the NRL has bowed to pressure from the clubs and given City-Country the heave-ho should be more troubling than a few players banging out a couple of lines. If City-Country has reached the end of the road then hopefully the NRL can find a suitable way to acknowledge the contribution that the regions make to the game.

Can Jamal Idris make (another) comeback?

Man-mountain Jamal Idris suffered a season-ending knee injury at Wests Tigers training, prematurely ending what could have been one of the feel-good stories of the season. Idris took a break from his NRL career in 2016 to travel the globe and survive a kidnap attempt in Vietnam.

Idris had enjoyed a tumultuous career across three clubs and a slew of off-the-field issues including depression, alcohol abuse and being attacked with a samurai sword. But since signing a one-year deal with the Wests Tigers he seemed more comfortable in his skin – and while his attacking game had yet to regain its former venom, he was proving a fearsome presence on the edge defensively. If Idris can recover from another significant injury he’ll need another club desperate enough to take a chance on a player with a significant history of injury and off-the-field issues. Hopefully another NRL comeback isn’t beyond Jamal Idris.

https://twitter.com/WestsTigers/status/861893518410694657

Should we just give the Kangaroos the World Cup now?

Despite some whole-hearted efforts by the Pacific Island nations during rep round, there were worrying signs for the spectacle of the Rugby League World Cup later this year. The Kiwis simply failed to turn up in the first half of the ANZAC test in Canberra. David Kidwell’s tenure as Kiwis coach is verging on disastrous and the subsequent suspension of Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor threatens to seriously compromise the Kiwis’ ability to challenge the Kangaroos. England were impressive in dismissing Samoa, but there is still a vast gulf between them and the Kangaroos. Maybe Wayne Bennett can work some trademark magic, but it’s hard to see England giving the Kangaroos a serious challenge at the end of the year.

https://twitter.com/brisbanebroncos/status/861378426711687168

Match of the Round: Broncos vs Sea Eagles

The second half of Saturday night’s Brisbane double header promises to be the highlight of Round 10. Brisbane will be looking to bank some points ahead of the Origin period, while Manly needs to consolidate recent victories over Canberra and Souths. Dylan Walker has been pressing for an unlikely Origin call-up and given Thurston’s injury his halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans will be wanting to put on a show for the Queensland crown in the hope of a recall.

But the most intriguing match-up is the coaching duel: grizzled icon Wayne Bennett versus the unreasonably handsome Trent Barrett. Bennett’s previously bulletproof reputation has been dinged up in recent years while Barrett has received plaudits in his second year at the helm of the Sea Eagles. Look for the old master to teach the young upstart a few tricks and for the Broncos to squeak home in front of their rabid fanbase.

PICKS (Last Week 5-3, Season Record 44-28): BULLDOGS OVER COWBOYS / SHARKS OVER DRAGONS / TIGERS OVER RABBITOHS / PANTHERS OVER WARRIORS / STORM OVER TITANS / BRONCOS OVER SEA EAGLES / RAIDERS OVER KNIGHTS / ROOSTERS OVER EELS.