Set of Six: Is it time for Queensland to Bring Back Billy?
Queensland seemingly angered the rugby league gods by leaving Billy Slater out of Origin 1 – do they have any other option than to bring him back for the must-win Origin 2?
Can any team outside the eight make a finals push?
It’s not quite high noon for those teams currently outside the eight but the spectre of their season clinging onto ‘mathematical probability’ looms pretty large. Already the fans of a host of teams including the Knights, Tigers, Bulldogs and Warriors will have their calculators at the ready, desperately banging away trying to figure out if there is still life in their seasons.
The @Storm remain the ladder leaders following #NRL Round 13, with the @Cronulla_Sharks, @NRL_Dragons & @SydneyRoosters in the Top 4. pic.twitter.com/x6enoG1Jmd
— NRL (@NRL) June 5, 2017
In terms of teams currently in the eight only Parramatta seem vulnerable to be overtaken by those teams below them on the ladder – if the Eels can’t figure out how to integrate new acquisition Mitchell Moses into their line-up then they might find themselves on the outside of the finals picture. For the teams outside the eight only the Panthers and the Raiders look likely to challenge for a finals spot. If they are to make a run then they’ll need to make the most of the rest of the Origin period to put some pressure on the teams above them.
Who will put their hand up for Queensland selection?
Perhaps the team with the most on the line this round is Queensland. Coach Kevin Walters is under the pump after their first up loss and the Canetoads face the unenviable task of scoring a series-levelling victory on the road. The Queensland pack was desperately in need of some added fire and aggression but there aren’t any overwhelmingly obvious choices for reinforcements.
[rugbypass-ad-banner id=”1473723640″]
Jarrod Wallace and Coen Hess have been popular suggestions, but it’s a big call to ask a couple of rookies to come in and have a big impact in a crucial match. Hess definitely looks like a future Origin star but its massive ask for someone with fewer than 25 NRL games to play a pivotal role in a must-win Origin match. A less splashy move might be to opt for Cowboys veterans Ethan Lowe and Gavin Cooper, a couple of players who at least have a Premiership title under their belts.
Will Queensland recall Origin legend Billy Slater?
The other big question facing Queensland this round is whether they recall Origin stalwart Billy Slater and what impact this might have on other spots in their backline. The decision to overlook Slater for Origin 1 was contentious when it happened and heavily criticised after Queensland’s loss – it was almost as if the decision to leave out the totemic Storm custodian had cruelled Queensland’s karma.
"Mum found this photo taken after my NRL debut in 2003. #nicenecklacebill"
? @RyanHoffman12 #NRL pic.twitter.com/qWCC79zDcJ
— NRL (@NRL) June 6, 2017
If Slater is included it seems likely that Justin O’Neill will drop out and Dane Gagai will slide into his centre position, a move that should shore up the defensive woes that plague Queensland’s three-quarter line in Game 1. The other option for Queensland is to continue to exclude Slater in favour of bringing in Kangaroo Valentine Holmes on the wing allowing Gagai to shift into centre – a move that might pay similar dividends to recalling Slater but would risk angering the Origin gods by ignoring Slater’s storied career.
Is Paul McGregor the rugby league Lazarus?
St George Illawarra Dragons coach Paul McGregor has pulled off one of the great Lazarus acts, signing a two-year contract extension only a few months after being short odds to be the first coach fired this season. Many had picked the Dragons to be off the pace for a finals spot but they find themselves firmly in the top four behind only both of last year’s grand finalists.
Paul McGregor has re-signed as coach of the @NRL_Dragons until the end of the 2019 #NRL season.https://t.co/PN7iJpJaAn#NRL pic.twitter.com/ftyuaGXuzx
— NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2017
The key issue that saw McGregor’s detractors call for his head was the Red V’s turgid offense. In a spectacular turnaround this year they have the most potent attack in the comp. In many ways McGregor’s success and subsequent contract extension is a testimony to the power of persisting with a coach even when the results aren’t coming – it’s often easier to throw the coach overboard than give someone the chance to fully implement their vision. In league, as in life, sometimes patience pays dividends.
Does James Maloney deserve a new contract?
Watching younger (and less accomplished) halves such as Ben Hunt, Mitchell Moses, Shaun Johnson and Luke Brooks sign outsized deals under the newly-inflated salary cap it’s understandable to see why Kangaroo and multiple premiership winner James Maloney wants a new deal. At age 30 it seems likely that Maloney won’t hit the open market in a position to take advantage of new market value for halves so his only way to receive his fair due is to agitate for an upgrade. This sort of thing tends to aggravate old heads who like to spout things like “you were happy enough when you signed it” which overlooks the fact that clubs rip up deals or offload players whenever it suits.
The career of a rugby league player is painfully short and they have to make the most of it while they can – Maloney came up the hard way, toiling at multiple clubs before getting his first consistent crack at first grade with the Warriors. He later won a comp with the Roosters only to be moved on to the Sharks in favour of other shinier free agency prizes only to help lead the Sharks to their maiden Premiership last season. While money certainly plays a part in his dissatisfaction surely there is part of Maloney that just wants to be wanted – despite his whole-hearted effort and on field success Maloney has never been a club’s first choice. Maybe the Sharks will see sense and show Maloney a little love.
Match of the Round: Panthers vs Raiders
While the grand final re-match might be the more tantalising match-up on paper, the showdown in Bathurst features two underachieving teams desperate to snag the two competition points in the run to the finals. Both teams had aspirations of making deep finals runs but currently sit outside the eight – if they are to live up to pre-season expectations then they will both need to start racking up some wins soon.
Plenty of ? as the Panthers trained at Carrington Park this morning ? School visits this afternoon! #pantherpride ? pic.twitter.com/6En5rtGIHH
— Penrith Panthers ??? (@PenrithPanthers) June 8, 2017
The Raiders face a tough slate of upcoming games but might get lucky if their top four opponents are riddled with Origin defections. The Panthers might have turned their season around with their thumping win over the Bulldogs, with the positional shift of Matt Moylan into stand-off proving to be the sort of season-altering move that could push the Panthers into the top eight. Penrith will be keen to prove that last week’s strong showing wasn’t a fluke – look for Moylan to have another massive performance while the Raiders will try to dominate up front with their big forward pack.
Comments on RugbyPass
My heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
69 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
69 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
5 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to comments