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Post by hoskotafe3 on Feb 26, 2018 20:25:05 GMT
Well Super Rugby's back with 3 out of 4 Aussie teams winning. The trials are on in earnest in the NRL (where my Dragons lost yet another Charity Shield) and the AFL is busy promoting a glorified interclub training session and their women's comp.
Condensation has returned to the windscreens of our vehicles. Evenings and early mornings are getting that cool touch. Put all these things together and it means the footy season is almost here.
AFL: Haven't looked at the odds, but Sydney, Adelaide, GWS and Geelong would be heavily favoured. I'd be surprised if defending premiers Richmond who, let's face it, won out of nowhere didn't suffer some sort of premiership hangover.
In the NRL, I'd have to think Melbourne, North Queensland and the Roosters are the major players, with Parra, Penrith and Brisbane also top 4 contenders. Big year for Canberra, St George and Manly who all need to play finals.
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Post by weststigersbob on Feb 27, 2018 12:59:09 GMT
Welcome Back Hosko !
I always wondered if anybody else actually read this thread and our posts last year.
Didn’t see any of the Super Rugby, frankly because I had absolutely no idea it was on. The coverage before a ball was kicked was non existent in my neck of the woods. Anyways, from what I read on Monday, Qld sucked, ACT beat nothing, ditto Melb (who beat Qld) and Nsw was lucky to win the last minute.
AFL - almost everything I’ve read has an Adelaide v Sydney GF. Richmond will have a premiership hangover, it’s now or never for GWS - it looks like their window is closing. West Coast, Freo and Hawthorn have seen theirs close, while Port and Melbourne especially the window is opening. The 2 intriguing clubs are Essendon and Western Bulldogs. They are the real wildcards IMHO. Geelong will be there or there about too.
Personally, I just can’t see past Adelaide. Close last year, and by the looks of it, they have improved.
NRL - With so much player movement and according to the rumour mill (which never stops in Brisbane and Sydney BTW) more to come, it’s almost impossible to predict what will happen in the NRL. 2 trials for most teams, and it’s probably even more confusing. The favourites for the Premiership are obviously Melbourne, but they have lost a third of their big 3. Nth Qld will be there again, given they were second last year with 2 of their best players missing most of the season and are my Tip for the premiership. Both Parramatta and Roosters have recruited well and will have many youngsters improve on last year and both will be gunning for Top 4 spots. Now, outside of those 4, it is a dead set lottery. The competition is so even, anything is possible and there are too many variables. So, I’ll say this. The next 3 teams will go good - Penrith, Dragons, Dogs. The next 3 sides will slide - Canberra, Brisbane, Manly. The next 3 sides will improve but won’t make the finals - Titans, Tigers, Knights. The next 3 god only knows what will happen - Souths (I can literally see them finishing anywhere from 3rd to 14th), Warriors (Probably wont make finals, but if they get on a roll they can do anything), Cronulla (Probably will make the finals, but they rely on a) some really old hands and b) some really unpredictable talents).
The others :
Penrith: I like Maloney there. Some issues with a few players and the coach might derail the season. A few early wins, and its all forgotten.
Dragons : Hunt, Widdop, Graham with some great young talent headed by Dufty and Leilua. Good side, just a bit off the top few.
Dogs : I reckon every move they have made is the correct one. They will surprise quite a few people, esp. if Foran gets going.
Canberra : Without Hodgson, they’ll struggle. Teams have figured out how to keep Leipana quiet. Their forwards have to step up and improve.
Brisbane : The biggest problem the Broncos will face is how they handle not having a dream draw and schedule this year. I don’t think they’ve recruited very well at all.
Manly : let the ‘glue’ in their back line walk away in Blake Green. They’ve got the backs, don’t have the forwards. I think teams have gone past them.
Titans : the key for them is injuries. If they can keep their best 17 healthy, they can make the finals. A few key players go down - it’s the spoon.
Knights : Recruited very very well. How quickly they all get together is the key. We will see how good a player Pearce truly is in 2018.
And Finally, my beloved Tigers.
I’m hoping we can make inroads in the back half of the season, because our draw at the start could see us go 0-8 very easily. I think the finals are a bridge too far, but a respectable 10th-12th and a good springboard into 2019 might be the best us Tiger fans can hope for.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Feb 27, 2018 17:31:23 GMT
Good to have you back.
For my teams: Dragons need to play finals, simple as that. Missed out by 1 game last year, went out and recruited some big names. No excuses for missing. If we do, Mary's time is up I'd say.
Collingwood: need to be in the mix all year and finish 7th-10th. Showed real quality at times last year thumping Geelong, winning in Sydney, overcoming a 43 point deficit to beat Hawthorn, leading Adelaide by 54 and knocking Melbourne out of the finals. Also showed some real dross with poor losses to Essendon, Port and St Kilda. No recruiting to speak of and more disciplinary problems over the off season with de Gooey's arrest. Say what you want about Malthouse, but he was happy to suspend two key players, Heath Shaw and Alan Didak, for the season when they gad similar issues. This will either come together in the first 5 rounds or disintegrate instantly.
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Post by weststigersbob on Feb 27, 2018 19:19:14 GMT
I have the Dragons 7th. I reckon they will go alright. It’s better to have more forwards than backs like the Dragons do provided that your halves are satisfactory. Hunt and Widdop fit that bill. Like I said, overall they are a good chance, should make the finals but are shaded by the top teams in overall quality.
Collingwood - AFL isn’t my strong suit, and I just can’t get a read on them. I think they’ll be lucky to make the 8
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Feb 27, 2018 19:30:37 GMT
I'll take back my criticisms of Buckley's disciplining of de Goey. He's banned him indefinitely from the AFL without pay. He's working a full time job as a landscaper to make ends meet and has to train for the VFL around his work hours, as well as being banned from alcohol for the year. Now THAT's a punishment.
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Post by weststigersbob on Feb 28, 2018 1:34:15 GMT
I'll take back my criticisms of Buckley's disciplining of de Goey. He's banned him indefinitely from the AFL without pay. He's working a full time job as a landscaper to make ends meet and has to train for the VFL around his work hours, as well as being banned from alcohol for the year. Now THAT's a punishment. Wow - that’s full on harsh. Then again, I think it’s high time the AFL especially stopped this ridiculous practice of sweeping bad player behaviour under the carpet. While the “off season atrocities” are synonymous with the NRL, it like the AFL is populated with choir boys. The difference is that the AFL media has a bizarre “no names, no pack drill” mentality to poor behaviour, including drugs (recreational and performance enhancing). The West Coast Eagles are a classic example. In the NRL, there would be more investigations than The Bill if that were happening. The only player I’ve ever heard of being summarily and repeatedly “let off” was Andrew Johns in Newcastle. Whilst that was happening; Robbie O’Davies, Wayne Richards and later, Adam McDougall all got pinched for drugs whilst at the Knights..... |
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 8, 2018 10:26:48 GMT
Couldn't be much happier with the first hour here. Dragons leading Brisbane 24-6 with Hunt putting on a show. Started last year pretty well too, but down the stretch is when you expect some of oyr vet recruits to provide some durability.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 8, 2018 11:20:48 GMT
Emphatic win in the end 34-12. Some good signs there.
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Post by weststigersbob on Mar 9, 2018 11:33:40 GMT
Very good signs for the Dragons.
Not so good for the Broncos.
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Post by weststigersbob on Mar 9, 2018 11:57:27 GMT
Both Cronulla and Nth Qld were pretty rusty - but the Cowboys always looked in control and won by 6
Haven’t seen the Newcastle-Manly game, but looks like a cracker with it going to extra time and Newcastle winning by a point.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 9, 2018 20:33:48 GMT
De Gooey update: tore his hamstring in the VFL meaning he lost his job as a landscaper so the club is looking for office work for him in a 4-5 week recovery window. The punishment rolls on...
Personally, I think Bucks wants to give the kid a real scare and work him back in sometime after round 12. He's an elite mid at his best (which is rarely seen) and this is an effort to drag that out of him on a consistent basis.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 10, 2018 2:41:24 GMT
Rebels beat the Brumbies last night too. Good start to the year for Melbourne
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Post by weststigersbob on Mar 10, 2018 10:08:17 GMT
This thread has been irrelevant, until now !
Tigers win !
10-8 over one of the premiership favourites the Roosters
Bob is in la la land....
🤪🤪🤪
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 10, 2018 11:33:01 GMT
Glad to see the Roosters go down after s pretty horrible performance. Low quality games this round, but some cracking contests. Warriors got a good away win over Souths. Bulldogs and Storm going back and forth.
In Super Rugby Reds made it two in a row with a win over the Bulls. Waratahs take on the Jags tomorrow morning.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 10, 2018 20:20:43 GMT
Storm won pretty easily in the end scoring 12 unanswered points down the stretch to win 36-18.
Only pre season, but the Magpies belted the bulldogs by 33, which is a lot more encouraging tgan losing to GWS by 60 the week before.
Waratahs lost 28-38
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 12, 2018 1:41:43 GMT
Parra and Canberra cough up big leads to go down on the road. Parra led 14-0 over Penrith who then piled on 24 unanswered. Canberra's was particularly cruel. They led 18-0, weathered a fightback to lead 24-12. Led with a minute to go and then gave up a last gasp try.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 15, 2018 20:25:08 GMT
Dragons go to 2-0 with a comeback win over Cronulla. There was a stiff wind aiding teams running to one side so 14-0 was never a safe lead. Cronulla did themselves no favours by constantly coughing up the ball in the second half (just as the Dragons did in the first). Overall a fairly scrappy game.
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Post by weststigersbob on Mar 16, 2018 0:14:04 GMT
Very scrappy game last night - I’m sure the breeze didn’t help but there was some very ordinary mistakes out there.
Cronulla look like the classic “too many chiefs, not enough Indians” type side. Too many blokes want to play here, play there, do this, do that. They have 3 fullbacks and 3 five eights. I wish someone would tell both Wade Graham and Andrew Fifita to run with the ball, instead of always looking to pass.
Penrith showed their class in beating Parramatta. The Eels look a bench forward short.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 16, 2018 1:48:32 GMT
Never brought into the Sharks as an improver this year. Parra, I thought, looked OK until they inexplicably went after Hayne. That's like getting off heroin, moving on with your life, and then starting up again after landing a 6 figure job. They don't want to succeed.
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Post by weststigersbob on Mar 16, 2018 4:00:53 GMT
The problem with the sharks is that without Gallen and Lewis they look too unpredictable. Thus the relying on old hands comment.
Parramatta will be okay with Hayne as long as they don’t expect the 2009 edition of Hayne. He’s always played his most consistent football in the centres. Nothing brilliant, but rarely the “trying too hard” Hayne we’ve seen a lot of. They will be a better side when Gutherson comes back in too. If they can somehow find Kane Evans’ best form and he becomes really punchy off the bench, they will be a very hard side to beat.
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