The bye week offered no shelter for the Parramatta Eels with both Mitchell Moses and Jonah Pezet succumbing to hamstring injuries. It puts the Eels in a familiar, albeit perilous, situation as their roster is stretched once again to its absolute limits in Round 13. Sixties and Forty20 sift through the latest carnage that also includes massive status downgrades for Junior Paulo and Will Penisini.
Huge news hit the NRL on Monday with reports quickly confirming the immediate departure of NRL CEO Andrew Abdo. He is taking up the same role within Tennis Australia in a shocking midseason development that leaves a huge vacuum at the executive level for rugby league.
State of Origin kicks off tomorrow night as the Blues host the Maroons. Ethan Strange has been drafted into the starting side to replace Moses while the Queenslanders have enjoyed a smooth preparation for the looming battle. The boys call their shots for the big game and settle on whether Nathan Cleary can finally find his feet at the representative level.
The Warriors have worn another blow as the curtain seemingly comes down on Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s illustrious NRL career following confirmation he has sustained an ACL injury. The Cowboys have raided the Sharks with the dual signings of Jesse Ramien and Sione Katoa for 2-years a piece. The market is much cooler for Gehamat Shibasaki with the Broncos reportedly only offering the off-contract centre a $300,000 extension.
Interesting timing for Abdo to resign, I wonder if the Lomax/blowtorch/6 agains were a factor in the decision
Good riddance anyway
Also
Is it advertised anywhere in advance when you are going to be doing lives?
Whatever we do the game has to stop PVL taking both roles.
The bloke is a human ego trip, there just has to be some checks and balances against him.
I’ve heard he used to belittle Abdo in meetings, used to treat him like an errend boy – doesn’t surprise in the least.
The issue between the NRL and the AFL is always interesting where code preference prevails.
One of the issues for AFL is that over the last two seasons, 05 and 06, AFL crowds have dropped. Some AFL commentators have put this down to rule changes every year. Also it has been acknowledged that the NRL is getting more eyeballs on screens.
I think one of the reasons that AFL gets good deals regularly is that the owner of 7 Media is an AFL tragic.
For the NRL as Craig pointed out they have more options on the table including SOO and the International game. However the biggest issue in my opinion is that it is a better product for TV given that the game is played on the ground not in the air.
I could go on a lot about the NRL being a better product but that would be me projecting my own preferences. This opinion of the game was given to me by an AFL tragic who followed the Bulldogs. (AFL). He was also a sponsor of the team. He now follows the Bunnies.
A big problem down the line for the NRL is that Kerry Stokes and therefore 7 Media are not particularly getting behind the Bears. This is no different to when I lived over there for many years. It was like the code didn’t exist. No results or updates.
To watch SOO we had to pick it up from Hong Kong on satellite and overlay it with a radio broadcast. It was not broadcast in English. Most of the town where I lived turned up to the Sports Club to watch it including AFL supporters. Biggest nights of the year for the club. Of course now the Nine affiliates cover the NRL so it has improved significantly.
JE,
I had similar problems trying to watch league in Melbourne circa 1988-1994. Most of my time there we could watch the Sunday game of the day around 2a.m. On Tuesday morning! My housemate at the time left several irate phone calls to no avail, perhaps it was his language.
We did get one season over that period where the Saturday game was live on CH10 and for some reason we always got SOO. All us expat NSW/QLD people would gather at someone’s house to watch together. So a bit better than WA.
As you said Stokes hates league and it is visceral in some AFL parts. I was introduced to the president of one of the AFL clubs at a pub while in Melbourne. I asked what lessons rugby league could learn from AFL about national expansion. He looked down his nose at me and said “don’t ever talk to me about rugby league” and stormed off. The karma for me was that he was running Fitzroy which not long after got taken over by the Brisbane bad new bears in a “merger” to form the Lions.
A positive for the Bears in Perth is that the current Premier is reported to be a mad league man so that has got to help.
Sixties/Forty,
Thanks again for the show.
I like the take on how during the glory years we still got outside players in. Among them Steve Edge, Stumpy Stevens, Bob O’Reilly returning and Chris Phelan to name a few. So now, as back then, we can’t wait for a full team to come through the juniors. The important thing with those bought in was that they all seemed to add experience to complement the young ones coming through. Last night on Face to Face Fatty Vautin mentioned that in late 1982 Jack Gibson rang him and offered $40,000 for 1983. Fatty said he was on $15,000 at Manly.
If true it drives home the point about recruiting top tier players. Even in the halcyon days it seems Gibbo was always on the lookout to strengthen the team.
I’ve seen numerous posts across several sites now showing players who have left or arrived over the club over different periods of time. Trying to assess the lists objectively you still come to the judgement that there has been a significant talent deficit occur with the movements. That would suggest to most with any business acumen that the recruitment and negotiation philosophy needs a review and overview with associated change. I’m not one to criticise people in the administration side of the house because I know I probably couldn’t do the roles justice. But the club really needs to take stock and reevaluate some of our thinking or else it will be eighty, not forty years and I’ll be in my late nineties!
Interesting to see how the blues go WITHOUT Mitch Moses..
What do you think happens?
I’ve actually got the maroons willing quote comfortably without Moses in.
Thoughts?
Ps I feel like Jack Williams probably offers more than Radley who is on the BSW bench
Maroons winning quite comfortably* I think 😅
I’m a blues supporter but rugby league died yet another death tonight.
That send off by Klein was an absolute disgrace.
I dont know what the bunker said to him but he was determined to send him off as soon as it happened.
Still in shock.
Referees are a complete pox on the game at the moment.
It was a hollow victory.
Did you miss 2024 origin 1 in the 7th minute. Have a look.
not even close mate .. and that decision was from the bunker .. hence my point.
Do you have the bunker transcript from last night? No? So you’ve come to your conclusions on scant information then.
You aren’t interested in the precedence of Walsh v Suaalii and you don’t have the transcript between bunker and Klein.
I rest my case.
No I don’t have the transcript but it was pretty obvious from what was released that the bunker had a contrary view.
Sualli almost decapitated Walsh. Any reasonable person can see that there was a massive difference between the two.
Sualli was the most clear cut send off in history.
Anyway, we have differing opinions and that’s all good.
Williams is a massive liability with his lateral defence close to the line and he can drop a ball.
Way too big of a risk in origin.
Radley is aggressive and defensively does not stuff up
I’m hearing the bunker told Klein that it was a head clash and only warranted a sin bin…
Maybe ten in the bin at worst. A couple of angles suggested head clash with an element of careless ( based on what we see happen all year)but there was one angle I think they showed twice which the shoulder also seems to find its way to Koula’s head. In days gone by, it would have come under the ‘he fell into it’ category. The two commentating on it…one was a Qldr the other a Newcastle legend, so it didn’t surprise me that Ponga was judged ‘not guilty’ by them.
I have always had a lot of time for the on field official as it’s bloody hard to judge it in real time. That’s why we have a multi million dollar bunker.
The on field official has a view and then checks with the bunker to see if he either missed anything or saw it wrong due to the angle he viewed it.
The very same reason we have a VAR in Premier league.
Klein decided that it was a send off straight away and then went to the bunker. The bunker said it was a sin bin careless but Klein sent him off, overruling the bunker.
Ok that’s fine but if Klein was not going to go with the bunker why didn’t he just send him off straight away ?? And not even consult the bunker?
Klein was hoping that the bunker would side with him and when it didn’t he decided to act.
A bloody ballsey move to be sure but now when the on field official says that it’s “been reviewed by the bunker and that’s the decision ” what does that mean ?
What’s next? The bunker deciding on a obstruction whilst scoring a try and the referee overruling that and awarding the try ??.
That would be great to see !
Why have a bunker ?
Confusing.
Who really gives a toss about state of origin anymore. It’s been so sanitized with so many rule changes and do gooders. Oh for the days when big Artie belted his Parra team mate Mick Cronin to show what passion was. Let’s hope our blue and golds can find some of that Beetson love of his colours to kick start this club again.