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Set of Six: Why we're fizzing for Panthers vs Roosters this weekend
The Knights are back, approximately a hundred players are already out injured, and why Round 26 can’t come soon enough.
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Broncos vs Cowboys is the great NRL rivalry of modern times
The clash between the Broncos and the Cowboys was the subject of almost State of Origin level hype and, somehow, it improbably lived up to it. North Queensland’s Johnathan Thurston engineered his second extra time victory in as many weeks and further proved his credentials as the best to ever lace boot. This epic gold point clash was the fourth such finale between the two Queensland side in the past three seasons including the now classic 2015 grand final. While there is a strong argument that golden point is too taxing a conclusion for regular season contests ditching the extra period would deprive fans of these epic clashes. Broncos vs Cowboys is the reason we watch rugby league – it’s just a pity that we will be forced to wait until Round 26 for the re-match.
The casualty ward is already overflowing
The injury bug continues to bite and it seems like teams dealing with injured stars could be the dominant theme of the 2017 season. North Queensland Cowboys stalwart Matt Scott has been lost for the season with an ACL tear while human headline Jarryd Hayne suffered an ankle injury that could see him on the sideline for a month. Other key players including Canterbury’s Will Hopoate, Warriors’ Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Parramatta’s Corey Norman will spend some time on the sidelines.It’s only round three and some teams are already finding their depth sorely tested. How teams deal with their crocked players could tell the story of the season.
The Knights are back, baby!
The feel-good story of the week was the Newcastle Knights finally recording a win over the battered Gold Coast Titans, a scant 336 days since last tasting victory. In recent years the boys from the Hunter have found themselves in the salary cap purgatory, playing a squad of journeymen and rookies while trying desperately to dig themselves out of the mess left by the Wayne Bennett-Nathan Tinkler era. Despite a line-up featuring only three players with over 100 NRL games under their belt and only an average of 46 caps per squad member the Knights displayed ample heart in their come from behind win over the Titans. With a win over the Rabbitohs the Knights would record back-to-back wins for the first time since August 2015 and exceed their win total for the entirety of 2016 by round three.
The Doggies are still in this
The Bulldogs might be winless after two rounds but it’s quite possible that both losses came against the two best teams in the competition – the perennially resolute Storm and the suddenly rejuvenated Roosters. This Friday’s showdown against the Warriors in Dunedin gives the Dogs the chance to put some runs on the board against an opposition struggling for momentum and with a poor record away from their Auckland home. Will Hopoate and Kerrod Holland’s injury-enforced absence sees the introduction of highly-touted rookies Brad Abbey and Marcelo Montoya, a move that might ignite the Dogs turgid attack. Bulldogs coach Des Hasler is already under the pump with repeated rumors that the Dogs won’t renew his contract past this season. Despite their well-documented woes in the halves Canterbury features one of the best packs in the comp and if the notoriously caustic Hasler can inspire his misfiring halves combo of Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye to a better performance the Dogs are capable of big things. A win over the stumbling Warriors would quiet the whispers for another week.
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Will Hopoate and Kerrod Holland’s injury-enforced absence sees the introduction of highly-touted rookies Brad Abbey and Marcelo Montoya, a move that might ignite the Dogs turgid attack. Bulldogs coach Des Hasler is already under the pump with repeated rumours that the Dogs won’t renew his contract past this season. Despite their well-documented woes in the halves Canterbury features one of the best packs in the comp and if the notoriously caustic Hasler can inspire his misfiring halves combo of Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye to a better performance the Dogs are capable of big things. A win over the stumbling Warriors would quiet the whispers for another week.
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Match of the Round: Penrith Panthers vs Sydney Roosters at Pepper Stadium
The Panthers and the Roosters enjoyed completely different fortunes last season – the Panthers were the promising up-and-comers who saw their finals campaign end at the hands of fellow upstarts the Canberra Raiders. Meanwhile, the Sydney Roosters were a rep-laden underachiever that saw their season go up in flames before a ball was kicked when key playmaker Mitchell Pearce was caught out in a compromising position with a dog.
Now both teams look like they are headed in the same direction in 2017 and this round three clash shapes as an early test of both sides’ final credentials. Luke Keary is shaping as the buy of the season and his combination with a rejuvenated Pearce give the Roosters a dynamic playmaking axis. The Panthers rebounded after their week one atrocity against the Dragons by obliterating the Tigers and showing off their violent attacking prowess. Penrith general manager Phil Gould’s vaunted ‘five year plan’ to return the Panthers to glory has received a lot of flak but the sheer depth of the Panthers squad is testimony to the care and planning that has gone into assembling the team – despite having Josh Mansour, Peta Hiku and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak on the sideline the Panthers still boast a three-quarter line of Dean Whare, Waqa Blake, Tyrone Peachey and Dylan Edwards.
Both sides favour a free-flowing, attacking style of football and a riveting showdown in the centres between Peachey and Blake and Roosters Latrell Mitchell and Joseph Manu looms as crucial to the outcome. The Panthers’ demolition of the Wests Tigers made their round one loss to the Dragons look like an aberration. If they can repeat the dose against an emerging Roosters team they will confirm their status as a premiership favourite. On the flipside, the Roosters will be looking to nail another pelt to the wall and the highly-rated Panthers would represent a bigger trophy than either the Dogs or the Titans. You can’t win a Premiership in March but a big win here could confirm either side’s status as a contender.
Picks (season record 9-7): Storm over Broncos / Bulldogs over Warriors / Titans over Eels / Knights over Rabbitohs / Cowboys over Sea Eagles / Raiders over Tigers / Sharks over Dragons.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
7 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
7 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
5 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
7 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
7 Go to commentsSurprising how standing down or benching a player can do wonders for their motivation. Several players this week in that category.
1 Go to commentsHaha lads lads lads, that’s how you have a holiday In Majorca
4 Go to commentshit on Lynagh was defo late and card-worthy. The other 2 are bang on OK. Hurts you at Test level if youre timing is off and the nostrils are flared. Jerry C knew when to lean in on one, Finau just needs to keep his discipline and head straight.
5 Go to commentsSlade was exceptional against Gloucester. Not only was he doing the classic Slade stuff of running amazing lines and timing passes to perfection to put his wingers into space, he was kicking goals, flying off the line smashing people and crashing into rucks like a flanker… his hair even looked on point. 😍
1 Go to commentsThat’s really sad, hope everyone involved is ok. At least he had pants on.
4 Go to commentsTo be fair it was nowhere bear the Leinster first team (for which, btw, Leinster copped nothing like the outrage that Jake White did for sending a rotated team to the UK). But it’s fun to watch the Stormers doing their thing. They are attracting big, diverse crowds of young fans, and deservedly so. Great to see.
1 Go to commentsIt might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
5 Go to commentsCan we also show some love for Tane Edmed’s fantastic draw and pass? Put his body on the line and committed the defender before letting go of that pass. Flawless skill.
5 Go to commentsYou forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time. For Rassie, a loss is never a loss because he uses it as a chance to learn and improve. Sometimes during a game, again like the England match in last year's Semi Final.
7 Go to commentsDanny don't care. He pretends to care but he don't. He says all this stuff to justify his reasoning but no one can claim that legitimately. He knew exactly what he was doing and wondered if his old team mate would overlook it, which he did. Ref has got to be sidelined or properly trained. It's one thing for refs to move up the ranks but if it was me I would require refs to either have played in different clubs or not at all having the temptation to bias in high stakes games like this. This has got to be stamped out. But then again World Rugby is so destroying the game of rugby in an attempt to be more “safe” and “concussion free”. What they are doing is making it more infuriating for the fans and more difficult for the refs to officiate evenly and consistently. It's fast become Australian Rules football. If guys don't want concussions, they should have played chess. Stop complaining you oldies of the game. When they played the game was vastly heavier hitting than it is now but of course they can't see that.
3 Go to commentsJa, why do Bulls get flack for not bringing their best but Leinster never bring their best and it goes “unnoticed”?
5 Go to commentsIt’ll be very interesting to see how Razor’s AB’s handle the new England rush D. It’s basically the Bok recipe they copied, so if England goes well then we know most likely the Boks will go well too. If England cops a hiding then we’ll have to study and adapt.
7 Go to commentsTypical trait of an australian is to moan. Goes well with there lack of humbleness as evident by the Reds bench on the weekend.
5 Go to comments