Origin loss not Pearce’s fault

So, State of Origin is done and dusted for another 12 months and Queensland have won eight straight series. The Blues tried hard but ultimately the Maroons had just that little of bit extra class in the tank to get them home.

Fans are the harshest critics, and in the aftermath of the absorbing finale, fans on social media are calling for Mitchell Pearce’s head.

Let me say two things.

One, it is not Mitchell Pearce’s fault that Queensland won game three. He tried hard all night, as he has all series, and as he did in all of the previous series he has played in.

Two, there is absolutely no way Pearce should be selected next year.

Contradictory statements? Not at all. Let me explain. I absolutely agree with what both Peter Sterling and Laurie Daley said on Sterlo last night. Pearce never gave up during the game and you can’t fault his effort.

But unfortunately, despite his efforts, he just isn’t a talented enough Number 7 for the Origin arena.

It’s not his fault. It’s Laurie Daley’s.

In a bizarre and stubborn show of support for the NSW incumbent, NSW coach Daley declared well before Origin season that he’d be going with Pearce at halfback despite the stellar form of South Sydney’s Adam Reynolds. At the time, to be fair, Pearce was in great club form for the Roosters while history has shown that blooding young stars too early can be to their detriment, a la Jarrod Mullen 2007.

But Daley didn’t even consider Reynolds. He’d made up his mind.

Fast forward to Wednesday night – and up against the class of Queensland halves Jonathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk, Pearce and James Maloney – who are both doing a wonderful job for the Roosters, who are sitting in second place and poised for a top four finish – were unable to come up with the winning play or late tackle option to put NSW over for the win.

Changes must and hopefully will be made for 2014. Adam Reynolds must play. Daley should also strongly consider reinstating Todd Carney for his magical ability to make plays out of nothing.

But for those people looking to point the finger of blame in 2013, it isn’t Mitchell Pearce’s fault he got picked. Nobody can fault him for then turning up and trying his hardest.

NRL - Gaw's mid-season report card for every team

With 13 rounds gone, season 2013 has most certainly had its share of excitement. New stars have emerged while others have struggled. Some teams have excelled while others have under-delivered. Where does your team sit? Read on...

Glory, glory to South Sydney?

It’s been a long time since the Bunnies were this close to living up to their theme song. Souths are sitting pretty at the top on the NRL ladder and looking to better their 2012 finals appearance. With the Burgess boys leading up front, the Sutton/Reynolds halves combo firing and Greg Inglis in devastating form, perhaps this could be their year.

Weathering the Storm

The 2012 Premiers Melbourne Storm seem to have righted the ship after a couple of off weeks with the football. With the key triumvirate of Slater, Cronk and Smith leading the way they are well poised for another crack at the title. No team has won back-to-back titles since Brisbane in 1992 and 1993 (not counting ‘97 Super League and ’98 NRL) but Melbourne could very well be the first.

Are the Roosters the real deal?

The Sydney Roosters’ great form has caught everyone by surprise in 2013 and propelled pivot James Maloney into Origin footy. The Chooks appear well-balanced in both attack and defence with the right mix of experience and youth to take the club forward. But is it too soon to expect a premiership in Bondi? I suspect so. They’re on track to make the eight and maybe even the top four, but a lack of finals experience may be the telling factor.

Manly in the mix

The Sea Eagles sitting in fourth despite suffering a few key injuries, even if question marks are starting to be asked in regard to their recent form. But the boys from Brookie still have the personnel to do some damage, and let’s face it, at this point in 2011 probably no one had them earmarked as the eventual premiers that year. Manly are still very much in the mix.

Gold Coast building for the future

After a couple of lean seasons, most people had the Gold Coast Titans pegged as a bottom-half-of-the-table team. But no one told the Gold Coast. Halves Aiden Sezer and Albert Kelly are making the plays to win games while centre Jamal Idris is having his best season in years. When it comes to the business end of the season they mightn’t be able to overcome the classier, more experienced sides but Titans fans can be confident that John Cartright is building a great base for future success.

Fighting back in the ASADA Shark tank

After having the start of their season gatecrashed by the ASADA allegations, Cronulla seem to have steadied the ship and gotten back to the business of winning football games. Their last start thrashing by Melbourne will have rattled their confidence but with a roster packed with talent the Sharks can still push for the top four.

A Dog of a start
The mighty Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs started the season playing more like Maltese Terriers. Now with six wins from their last seven the confidence and combinations are coming back but the Dogs have still to beat a top side to prove they’re truly a force in 2013. They have the personnel –their resurrection began once the full forward pack returned, while Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson are steering the team nicely – but too many errors each week mean the Dogs have been getting the cash but they’re not putting sides away. If they clean up their game, deserved glory will come.

What to make of Canberra?

On their day, the Canberra Raiders can play hands-down like the best team in the comp. But as with previous years consistency is the big question mark. A fit Terry Campese over the last six weeks is making a big difference to the team, but I need to see more of the Raiders before I make my judgement.

Newcastle’s Knight-mare

In Wayne Bennett’s second year at Newcastle he seems to be going backwards. Apart from the Sunday afternoon demolition of the Bulldogs a month or so ago there hasn’t been much from Newcastle to show they can offer anything in season 2013. Granted they have a few key injuries but with the talent that’s on their roster and master coach Bennett calling the shots, their fans have a right to expect more.

Have Penrith run out of steam?

The Panthers surprised many recently when their team of relative no-names went on a great winning run that saw them flirt with the top eight. But a last start loss to the lowly Tigers seems to have recalibrated expectations back to pre-season levels. With a difficult game this weekend against Canberra, Penrith risk drifting further from the top eight, a proposition that will most certainly heap additional pressure on their young playmakers.

Broncos on the slide

Brisbane are exactly where they should be considering the talent they have in 2013. It’s sad but true. They may boast a stable of Origin players in Justin Hodges, Corey Parker, Matt Gillett and Ben Hannant, but their spine is ordinary and their halves are sorely lacking – an over-the-hill Scott Prince and an inconsistent (and by some reports unhappy) Peter Wallace are not the key to winning football games.

Can Dugan help the Saints march in?

The Dragons suffered an ordinary start to the year but the arrival of Origin hopeful Josh Dugan has definitely given the team a spark. The team that kept trying to play like the Bennett-era Dragons are finally trying new things and it’s starting to win them some football games. They lack the class to win the premiership but with some consistent form a top eight finish is not out of the question.

Do we need to worry about the Warriors?

After a woeful end to their 2012 campaign and a 2013 start that was not much better, the Warriors have started to show signs of the potential we all know they have in recent weeks. There’s a lot of work yet to be done and they’re at the wrong end of the table, but there’s enough rounds left in the regular season for them to make a play for the top eight. And I wouldn’t want to be playing them if they get there.

Toothless Tigers

The Tigers were never going to threaten for the premiership in 2013. But an out-of-form Benji Marshall and a decimating injury toll saw the Tigers slide right to the bottom of the table a couple of rounds back. Two hard-fought victories have seen them climb a few rungs back up, but from here it’s all about rebuilding for next year. And they can start by locking in their juniors at the expense of Marshall.

Will the Real North Queensland please stand up?

The Australian front row and the best five-eighth in the world, in a team that went deep into last year’s playoffs and may have gone further if not for refereeing errors. We all expected a lot more from the Cowboys in 2013. Where the rot is who knows, but if North Queensland don’t figure it out soon they can consign this season to the books.

Poor-ramatta

A new coach and the same familiar position at 16^th on the ladder. You’ve got to feel for the Parramatta Eels. They’re not so much a team as a rag-tag collection of guys who play football on weekends. With Ricky Stuart’s announced clearout it is clear the club will take several seasons to come right, but let’s not forget Steve Kearney also had a long term plan, and that failed. Plus apart from inheriting a premiership team in the 2002 Roosters Stuart really doesn’t have any proven success as a club coach. Parra fans, I feel for you. I really do.

No Moore complacency!

Eight long months this blog has gone unloved. Life gets in the way, study gets in the way, you know how it is. So why, for the first time since September 2010 am I suddenly posting?

I am pissed off.

I am pissed off at the half-hearted poor excuse for an attacking performance mustered by the lacklustre Bulldogs on Friday night. I am pissed off at the plethora of talent that seems unable week in, week out to play to their potential. But, most of all, I am pissed off at Bulldogs head coach, Kevin Moore.

Friday night's loss was always coming. I knew before the first whistle the Dogs were in trouble. And it wasn't because Mick Ennis was missing through State of Origin duty. It was because barring a spectacular win against the Tigers in Round One, the Dogs have been playing poorly all year.

Even the games that we won, we were lucky to win. And because we came away with the points on those occasions, coach Kevin Moore seemed to remain under the erroneous impression that all was well in Bulldog-land.

Even following Friday's abysmal performance, Moore simply said "I have no doubt we can turn it around next week".

No, Kevin. A "she'll be right" attitude does not win football games. Discipline wins football games. Good defence wins football games. Creativity in attack wins football games. All the things a good coach should be instilling.

The right combination of players wins football games too. Moore in his stubbornness has persisted with the six-seven pairing of Kris Keating and Trent Hodkinson despite the fact that their styles are so similar that there's no attacking dynamism. Whilst creative playmaker Ben Roberts languishes in the NSW Cup playing in front of 100 fans at suburban grounds. Moore's treatment of Roberts this year has been disgusting. It's no wonder the former Kiwi international is off to Parra next year.

This is what needs to change if the Dogs want to make the eight this year (and no, I'm no longer at all confident that they will):

• Roberts should slot in at five-eighth NOW, with Keating moving to the bench


• DEFENCE: Moore needs to ensure the players rush up, rather than wait for attacking players to reach them: Too often we see opposing teams making 10 metres per tackle, an unacceptable statistic


• DIRECTION IN ATTACK: Several things need to happen here. One of the game's most talented centres, Josh Morris, is getting NO ball. Slotting Roberts in at six should correct this. Secondly, fifth tackle options have been abysmal in 2011. This needs to be corrected. There seems to be a "do or die" mindset every time the ref signals fifth tackle. Moore needs to drill it into the players that they don't need to be scoring on every play, they just need to be doing the little things right - kick deep, rush up to tackle, force repeat sets. Scoring tries will then take care of itself

It astounds me that in all the talk of coaches under siege in 2011 Moore's name has not been mentioned. If the Dogs do fail to make the top eight, the only choice is he has to go. Unfortunately it would seem that Bulldogs management, due to placing all their eggs in the Moore basket (perhaps because the famous "Moore" surname has the family club so romanticised they can't see the tryline from the goalposts), missed out when coaching talent was on the market a few months back.

How did my NRL finals week 1 predictions go?

I am a man of modesty. But I think I was pretty dead-on with my picks last weekend. Here's what I said and what actually happened.

"St George will decimate a depleted Sea Eagles side and fly to the preliminary final with momentum on their side":
28-0, anyone? Now it's true that the depleted Manly gallantly held the Dragons to just one try until the 64th minute but once those floodgates opened, the class of the Red and Whites was plain for all to see. They now enjoy a week off and will face the winner of Canberra vs. Wests in week three.

But that very class that St George displayed is a curse as much as it is a blessing. The Daily Telegraph called the Dragons "controlled, measured, patient and methodical" in their performance over the weekend. Against a team full of X-factors in a fortnight, methodical and controlled may not be enough. To win NRL finals, you need to take chances, something their opposition - whether it ends up being the Tigers or Raiders - know plenty about.

"Titans v Warriors is another hard one to pick ... Gold Coast have the talent to shake up the finals series":
OK, so I didn't make a balls-to-the-wall call on this one, but I did say there were injury worries around Mat Rogers, Scott Prince and Ashley Harrison, who all played. Gold Coast now get their week off and face up against the winner of the Roosters and Penrith. This is likely to be the Roosters (more on that below), but I truly believe the Titans are building to something. Each year they're getting better, and with Scott Prince on the park they're a formidable side.

"Saturday night's qualifying final between the Tigers and Roosters ... Trying to pick a winner for this one is hard":
And boy was it ever, even in the 99th minute. Saturday night's game will go down as one of the great Rugby League finals matches. With the scores locked 15-all at fulltime, even regulation extra-time couldn't decide this one, with the game lasting 100 minutes. If you missed it check out the video below:

VIDEO: Roosters pip Tigers in NRL thriller

The Roosters got the spoils, but the Tigers can hold their heads high. The game was also not without refereeing controversies, and ended with concerns over Benji Marshall's fitness, though latest reports suggest he will take the field against Canberra this weekend.

"The Raiders should continue their dream run with a win against Penrith on Saturday night":
And they sure did, albeit in a tight contest. The Raiders are playing with incredible belief right now. The Tigers next week will be a test, but with the likes of Terry Campese, David Shillington and Josh Dugan firing, Canberra could almost beat anyone right now. As for the Panthers, they face up against the Sydney Roosters, who are high on their remarkable triumph and boasting the Dally M Player of the Year within their ranks. I don't see Penrith getting the better of them.

First week of the finals!

And so it begins. One of the tightest NRL finals races in memory starts this weekend.

It may sound like a cliche, but this will be a September where anything can happen. Dreams will come true for some, while for others, heartbreak will be their destiny.

Minor Premiers St George are known to choke come finals time. There's an old joke "What do St George have in common with snow? They're both gone by September..." but this time I predict things will be different. First up they face a Manly side decimated through injury and suspension. Steve Matai will be gone for 7 weeks minimum, while Jason King and Chris Bailey are on report and Anthony Watmough, Joe Galuvao, Ben Farrar, Matt Ballin, Brent Kite and Jamie Lyon are all in doubt due to injury. St George will decimate a depleted Sea Eagles side and fly to the preliminary final with momentum on their side.

Saturday night's qualifying final between the Tigers and Roosters is being billed as "The battle of the five-eighths" with the men who will likely play pivot for their respective countries, Todd Carney and Benji Marshall doing battle. Trying to pick a winner for this one is hard - both teams are capable of scoring plenty of points from all over the field. Check out some highlights from the two playmakers:





Titans v Warriors is another hard one to pick. Gold Coast are not without injury worries with key players Mat Rogers, Scott Prince and Ashley Harrison among their walking wounded. Gold Coast have the talent to shake up the finals series but their casualty ward coupled with an ordinary end to the regular season are reason for alarm.

Finally, the Raiders should continue their dream run with a win against Penrith on Saturday night.The Panthers have the home ground advantage but Canberra have proven this year that their away hoodoo is a thing of the past. And the Raiders are simply running too hot for a lacklustre Penrith side who were lucky to finish in the top four anyway.

Penrith have a guaranteed home final... but should they?

Penrith's last-second win over the Bulldogs last night has them firmly entrenched in the top four. Even if they lose this weekend, their for-and-against differential will ensure them a home final.

There was plently of controversy in last night's game, with Petero Civenoceva's high tackle on Gary Warburton and subsequent sendoff the most reported on aspect of the match. Petero will pay for his sins with a guaranteed stint on the sidelines when his side needs him most, so it would appear their luck could run out very soon.

But they were lucky to win last night at all. The 63rd minute try that levelled the scores should never have been awarded. Watch the video below at around the 2:20 mark.

http://bigpondvideo.com/nrl/292168/rd25-bulldogs-v-panthers-hls/

Now maybe I'm just a disgruntled Canterbury fan. Or maybe like the Fox Sports team say, the ref should have gone upstairs.

It was a rare moment where a video ref is ACTUALLY needed but wasn't used. Hell, Tony De Las Heras even went to the video earlier in the night to decide between a line dropout and a 20 metre restart, the first time I've ever seen such a referral. Up until the 63rd minute, he was consulting with Paul Simpkins about what colour underpants to wear.

But when faced with a potential offside and a knock-on in the lead up to a "try", the finger pointed and the whistle blew without hesitation.

I still say it wasn’t a try.

Just like old times...

Sometimes people ask me why I support the Bulldogs even though I grew up in the Eastern Suburbs where I still live. This blog post is the best answer I can give.

I remember the early 1990s rugby league heyday. Back then the comp was called the Winfield Cup, there were no joint ventures and Tina Turner's "The Best" spruiked the code on television screens across NSW.

As a high school kid we were lucky to get free season tickets to regular round matches, and we made good use of them. (Even without them admission for us in those days was only $3!) Every weekend, a bunch of us would meet outside Grace Bros in Bondi Junction and jump on a train, or a bus or whatever mode of transport we needed to get out to the footy.

Now I'd been a Canterbury fan since 1985, when they were the reigning (and soon to be back-to-back) premiers. 1985 was the year I started collecting Scanlens footy stickers. I remember as premiers the Dogs had a special middle section in the sticker album, and all the stickers were bordered in silver.

But after around 1986 I had a couple of years where I lost a bit of interest in footy. Coming up through primary school I was distracted by my first crush in year five then a year later I discovered rock music. If you'd asked me who my footy team was in those years I would have answered that it was Canterbury but I had no idea how they were faring in what was then the New South Wales Rugby League. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't even watch the 1988 grand final victory.

1992 was the year it changed, and the year my true love for the Blue and Whites was cemented. Which brings us back to the beginning of this tale.

The core group of us was Cliff, Mark and myself. Sometimes other guys joined us, depending on who "we" were playing. I remember that year, in what used to be a 22 round season we went to at least 16 regular games. Every other weekend it was at Belmore, and in the rounds in between we went to North Sydney Oval, Jubilee Stadium, Caltex Field (now Toyota Park), the Sydney Football Stadium and Brookvale Oval, to name a few.

Our heroes were Terry Lamb and Ewan McGrady. Coming up through the ranks we were entertained by legends in the making Darren Smith, Dean Pay and Jarrod McCracken. I remember current Dogs coach Kevin Moore running around in the number seven a couple of times, though the first-choice half was Craig Polla-Mounter.

Canterbury struggled that year. We won a couple of good games, one notably against that year's eventual premiers the Brisbane Broncos, but lost more than we won, including capitulating to a then-terrible South Sydney outfit and going down by a point to Newcastle after "Baa" kicked a field goal thinking it was 10-all when we in fact down by two.

Canterbury finished that season on 22 points, just missing out on the top five. But they were good times. We were teenagers without worries. I wasn't paying rent or running a motor vehicle. I wasn't concerned about building a career. The only thing I had to worry about was that weekend's game.

The years flew by and my love for the Bulldogs never waned, even if the number of games I went to shrunk year by year. I always made sure to go at least once in a season, and in more recent times have managed around four games per year. I have even flown to Melbourne twice and up to the Gold Coast to see the team play.

Yesterday (Sunday) I went to the Roosters vs Bulldogs game. Cliff organised a bunch of us to go - he'd been living in Melbourne for the four years up to December 2009 and is now married with a baby due next month. Through Facebook he'd started talking to Mark again for the first time in years and invited him along too. Hence the core of our 1992 Bulldogs fan group was reunited.

As you know the Roosters prevailed in a roller-coaster ride of a match. The Chooks kept one foot in front for most of the first half before Canterbury finished the first 40 ahead. The start of the second stanza belonged to the Dogs who looked like winning it until the Roosters came back stunningly with two tries in the final ten minutes to seal the win.

All through it the three of us shared the agony and ecstasy of every play as if no time had passed since 1992. Canterbury tries brought high-fives, Roosters tries glum silence. Ref calls against us met with cries of "whaddaya mean, ref?" or "open your eyes!" while decisions in our favour (and there were some sketchy ones, I'll admit) were greeted with "we'll take it!". We stood in our seats every time the line was broken, uttering "ooh" and "ahh" as the game played out. I sat next to Mark, who I hadn't seen in years, discussing players and team tactics as if the last time we'd done so was only last week.

And in doing so, even though we lost, I was reminded of one of the things I love so much about the game of rugby league. I can watch other sports, but none will take me back to a time I remember so fondly. In the moment, watching our beloved Dogs, there we were again, those three teenagers barracking for our beloved team.

So much has happened in the years since 1992. I have studied at a variety of tertiary organisations. I have tried three career paths before settling into my current one. I have lived overseas and travelled to different parts of the world. I have fallen in love and have had my heart broken. But on Sunday I was taken back to the 16-year-old that was yet to live those experiences.

As the game played out on the field before us, our jobs weren't in our minds. Rents, mortgages, bills - we were in a dimension where none of it mattered. Our responsibilities could wait until later.

The Bulldogs were playing.