NRL 2018
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@raznomore said in NRL 2018:
@mariner4life I think thats a pretty harsh mark on Johnson. He was dynamite tonight.
Agree on Blair. I think by round 8 he'll be coming off the bench.
I actually think he’ll be better for us in that role off the bench. But we paid massive overs for him so he needs to earn that $600K pa by playing minutes.....
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Warriors win away.... in Perth?
Holy sweetbaby bajesus, the Warriors won in Perth!
The big take-away: Unlike last year, the Warriors looked like they were actually trying. This might be because, unlike the past several years, the Warriors looked match fit. Not fit-fit as in "how many abs do I have?" but match fit as in "I can play the full 80 if need be".
I'll be honest - without Mannering I expected the Warriors defensive middle to crumble. Yet it got stronger as the game went on. A lot of this was due to Isaac Luke playing his best game in a Warriors jersey so far, he was a pest with and without the ball. James Gavet also provided some much needed mongrel in the middle.Players to note: The new guys all did their bit. Tohu Harris was Tohu Harris. Leivaha Pulu provided some experience off the bench. Peta Hiku was reliable and worked well with Fusitua (two awesome tries).
Blake Green was the obvious stand out and seems to be what Jeff Robson was suppose to be in 2016 - the straight man in Shaun Johnson's act.
Adam Blair made some dumb penalties and while Kata got sent off, it was Blair who put them in that position. There is a difference between playing dirty and playing smart. Luke and Gavet played smart today while Blair played dirty.The real MVP: The MVP today was Isaiah Papali'i. It was about 20 minutes into the game that I remembered Papali'i was wearing the number 11 jersey and not Pulu. He's only 19 years-old yet was playing like a 10-year wily veteran.
What about the other guys?: As for the Bunnies, they looked buggered after 50 minutes. Alex Johnston was shit at fullback and probably played his last game there while the key playmakers were rusty.
WTF was that?: The breathing exercises the Warriors did after each try was very new-age and hippy. You know the Matty Johns show will be taking the mickey out of it on Monday. But hey, if it works soon all the teams will be doing it. I might even start doing it at work.
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@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.
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@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:
@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.
That’s the beauty of bandwagons, you can just jump from one to another.
Ideally before they crash and burn -
@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:
@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.
That’s the beauty of bandwagons, you can just jump from one to another.
Ideally before they crash and burnIn that case he's probably missed this bandwagon ....
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@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:
@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.
That’s the beauty of bandwagons, you can just jump from one to another.
Ideally before they crash and burnIn that case he's probably missed this bandwagon ....
Still two tests left this summer but we're carrying the bloody thing on our shoulders at the moment.
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Ugliest incident of the weekend? Aaron Woods' housewife bob of a haircut. With added receding hairline. Awful.
Expected winners in the Storm and the Cowboys. Upsets from the Warriors and the Tigers. Unfancied comebacks from the Titans and the Panthers. Always nice to see the Broncos and Manly go down.
A good weekend in the NRL actually, some good games, especially the double-header in Perth. Both games were fun, even if the end scorelines blew out.
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@raznomore said in NRL 2018:
It'll be interesting to see how they handle poor calls and poor play. It's always easier to stay positive when your are playing well and the 50/50 calls go your way.
That penalty count is concerning.
A couple of Blair's were soooo fucking dumb. And that's not a surprise to anyone. I just can't fathom why they bought him. Yes the pack needed some experience, but why bring a guy with his level of "discipline" to a team that needs to improve in that area?
Did you see that penalty when he locked his legs around the guy he had just tackled? It looked like he was going for an MMA submission!
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@mariner4life said in NRL 2018:
@raznomore said in NRL 2018:
It'll be interesting to see how they handle poor calls and poor play. It's always easier to stay positive when your are playing well and the 50/50 calls go your way.
That penalty count is concerning.
A couple of Blair's were soooo fucking dumb. And that's not a surprise to anyone. I just can't fathom why they bought him. Yes the pack needed some experience, but why bring a guy with his level of "discipline" to a team that needs to improve in that area?
Did you see that penalty when he locked his legs around the guy he had just tackled? It looked like he was going for an MMA submission!
Was a superb Kiwis captain as well.
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@mariner4life There was a brief time under Craig Bellamy where he looked the goods and then its been all down hill from there.
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I'm hoping that Blair thinks this tough guy approach is needed as we get momentum moving in 2018. We've already seen evidence that we can mix it up, so pursuing the niggle isn't a strategy we need to adopt. I guess the coaches would consider there is a time and place for it - but we need to shake our rep as a team that gives away easy penalties. Combined with our shithouse defense last year that stuck the knife in us over and over (and over and over etc).
I think we may have finally tipped the balance with enough focused and talented new guys (new this year or last) to really smash that shitty culture we showing. Match that up with a squad that is clearly fit and watch out!!
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@paekakboyz Michael Ennis was hinting that every pack needs a Blair type last night on one of the half million Fox league shows.
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@nepia ahh, fair call - I think it's an important part of the game to be able to unsettle your opponents,. Difference is that Blair's approach is crude and easy to spot. More in the vein of thuggery than crafty niggle... although Ennis is the number one grub without a doubt.
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@paekakboyz said in NRL 2018:
I'm hoping that Blair thinks this tough guy approach is needed as we get momentum moving in 2018. We've already seen evidence that we can mix it up, so pursuing the niggle isn't a strategy we need to adopt. I guess the coaches would consider there is a time and place for it - but we need to shake our rep as a team that gives away easy penalties. Combined with our shithouse defense last year that stuck the knife in us over and over (and over and over etc).
I think we may have finally tipped the balance with enough focused and talented new guys (new this year or last) to really smash that shitty culture we showing. Match that up with a squad that is clearly fit and watch out!!
holy shit. One game in and you're swallowing the lure hard out! I am reserving judgement until 3 games after Origin
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@mariner4life ha ha fuck I don't have time to hold off on judgement (best delivered on little info and far too hastily :-)) till that deep in the season. The only concession the warriors have won from me is that I'll watch the next game live, rather than rec and delete, or fast forward viewing.
The mere fact they are fit and apparently engaged is enough for me.
Fish on!!
edit - as in, I'm on the hook, rather than you jogging on
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@paekakboyz fair enough. I'll take two points any day of the week. I'm tempered by the fact the Bunnies are shit. And we still gave up dumb penalties at dumb times. And that flat fast track suited us.
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But it was in Perth!! and round 1!! this is unheard of!!
