Match Review thread

[Big Pete]

Round 1 2005
Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers

Boy, time sure does fly doesn't it? Can't believe it's nearly been 10 years since this game took place - I still remember gearing up for this round way back in the day. It was the first time I had experienced a season launch as a member of the online Rugby League community so I got to see how hyped other fans outside of Brisbane were, who to look out for etc. etc.

Strangely, this is one of those games that just sort of happened. I heard the score on the radio and that was good enough for me. It wouldn't be until I signed up to Foxtel's Fantasy competition that I started really following every game as it happened.

Anyways, I was looking to remedy that and saw this Minor Premiers v Premiers game as a really interesting jump-in point. In a lot of ways, I still think it's a shame we didn't get this match at the Grand Final. I hold little doubt that the Tigers still would have won, but it would have been a better climax than the Cowboys v Tigers GF which was a little too vanilla for my liking. I liked both teams and if anything, the Cowboys were the bigger underdogs having been destroyed by the Tigers a few weeks earlier.

However, I do digress.

EELS 28 TIGERS 12

Watching this game demonstrated what both coaches were up against heading into the season.

Both teams had plenty of talent on their roster but struggled for direction and were guilty of making some very simple mistakes. Even by Round 1 standards, both teams were well off the pace and the scoreline didn't really reflect the contest. In the end, it took the Eels until the 75th minute to put the game to bed as a grubber kick from Tim Smith bounced up for Adam Peek to score underneath the uprights and Tahu intercepted a dusty pass in the dying stages of the game to give the impression that the Eels won comfortably.

It was a fortunate game for Parramatta and while they were always going to take time to find their rhythmn they faced off against Wests at just the right time. Wests were missing Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah and went onto lose Brett Hodgeson part-way through the match leaving a lot of fringe players exposed. Unfortunately for Sheens, it was his more experienced players like Laffranchi, Richards and Skandalis who were coming up with mistakes when the game hung in the balance.

On the bright-side for Parramatta, the game marked the debut of Tim Smith and he really looked the goods here. He didn't control the game, but he put together a number of plays that would have gone close to earning him MotM honours on debut. If I was being honest, his debut was another draw card for me. I've been semi-interested in looking through these old Tim Smith matches to see where it all went wrong for him. The theory I had was that he just didn't have another gear in him and once he was identified as a target, he wilted under that pressure. That happens with players and only the cream of the crop manage to stay on top.

He wasn't the only new (or returning) face in the Eels line-up. Tahu, Riddell, Stringer, Robinson, Morrison, Marsh & Perenara were all new additions from their 04 squad and gave the Eels a level of grit that they were missing that season.

Wests didn't have a whole lot to cheer for although I thought Patty Richards came up with some good plays including some magnificent kick-offs that caught me by surprise. I didn't realise those trick plays went that far back but there he is kicking these 70m on the fly drop-outs. Apart from Scotty Prince, he was the only player that looked dangerous for Wests.

Plenty of talking points about this game, even though quality wise it wasn't that good and having to sit through all these overly-long video referee reviews was pretty arduous.

 

[Broncoman]

Really good review Pete. I remember seeing that game on TV back in 2005 as well I can't believe that was 10 years ago, it doesn't seem like it.

About Tim Smith when I think about I thought his mental health played a big role in his downfall. He suffers from bipolar and something else as well I think and when he started to get into trouble it took his focus away from the game and he couldn't concentrate on his game and lost confidence. Such a shame he didn't go on to bigger things he had awesome talent and potential but never delivered on it.

 

[Big Pete]

Round 12 2005
Brisbane Broncos vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Since FoxSports wasn't willing to offer up anything interesting, I decided to dig into my vault and see what past match up I could find. Decided on this although I would have preferred the Round 25 2011 clash since I'd completely forgotten about it and it would have been nice to see the boys exact same revenge after that miserable night in WA.

The game took place four days after Origin I and most of the Queensland players were backing up. Brent Tate also made a successful return, debuting his new neckbrace that would become a trademark of his for years to come.

Souths were coming off some heavy losses and this wasn't shaping to be any better.

BRONCOS 36 RABBITOHS 12

The game had the makings of a boil-over right up until the 38th minute where Berrigan stood up Lee Hookey and raced 90 metres to score. From there, the Broncos took it up another gear and both Berrigan and Hodges walked away with 3 tries a piece.

Not sure what it was about Souths back then, but I'd dare say our wins against them from 05-08 were among our worst of the season. My only guess is that it was due to a combination of factors - Bennett giving younger players a crack, the Broncos pushing offloads and passes against some feeble defence and just switching off because the game was allowing them too...stuff of that nature and it was on show here.

Fortunately there were some great moments too and some of the play from the likes of Hunt, Hodges, Berrigan, Bott and Lockyer was sensational. My favourite play of the game happened quite early where Hunt fielded a bomb and raced about 60 metres beating about 5-6 players along the way. It was a pretty weak chase by Souths but it really did accentuate a lot of positives in Hunt's game and was an absolute joy to watch.

Misc Thoughts

- I keep forgetting about Costigan's time at the Broncos. He was a frustrating player who had the ability but lacked the discipline and had too many mistakes in him. He was among the Broncos worse.

- Was interesting to see Tate come off the bench and mostly play in the backrow. It really goes to show how much respect the Broncos had for Souths that night.

- Garth Wood scored the best try of the night, finishing off a nice movement that included a sweet flick pass from John Sutton. At that point, I believe Wood had scored 4 of his 5 career tries against the Broncos.

- Speaking of players who played well against the Broncos - Fa'alogo had a strong game

- Even back then - Smith, Lozza and Brandy were having a running battle with the video referees. They weren't happy with a no-try decision against Leon Bott and then Smith wasn't happy with the decision to give Hodges' try a green-light. As a Broncos fan, I thought both tries were alright. SF can double check if he wants to, but it was interesting because both Hodges and Minto started off-side of the kick before they retreated to get back on-side at which point they were able to capitilise on the spilled ball. It's interesting because usually players tend to push forward and never consider getting back onside yet both had the presence of mind - it's really just a matter of whether Minto did end up getting behind Berrigan.

- Finally, Thaiday had a fun little cameo at the end trampelling over players and running like he was Ben Kennedy or Willie Mason. His progress as a player has always intrigued me since I don't remember much about him until he seemingly hit the scene in late 2005, particularly against the Eels in R26. I'd love to see whether or not that's accurate.

 

[Big Pete]

I've been laying off old footy games lately but decided to go back and treat myself to Manly circa 2008.

Prelim Final
Manly Sea Eagles 32 defeated Warriors 6

This game is actually pretty tough to find and even the copy I found had no sound for the first half. Regardless, I was able to get my hands on it and got to see a red-hot Manly team put away a very gritty Warriors outfit.

I was actually a little surprised. I never watched this game back in the day as I assumed the Warriors finally got exposed for the 8th place team that they were but they were pretty competitive on the night.

Unfortunately they didn't have the strike of Manly. The Sea Eagles were such a well drilled team, their passing was spot on, their attack asked plenty of questions and their last tackle kicking was second to none.

It was around this time Brett Stewart was really starting to make waves and was challenging Billy Slater for the Test spot at fullback. Of course history shows that Stewart's career from this point would be plagued by injury and Slater would continue on but Brett was magnificent to watch. He just had it all at this time and if there was one small blemish it was that he could be found out in the air on occasion which he was here.

Lyon and Matai were the other stand-outs but Manly were so well balanced that it's difficult not to give the entire team a wrap.

Under Cleary, the Warriors were a far more methodical team compared to years past who used their power to get the better of their opposition. It worked for large periods but the Kiwis just couldn't capitilise on their opportunities and it seemed like their only play was to give the ball to Manu who was having one of his off nights.

It could have been interesting early had he scored when the line was open, but one of the Manly defenders did a great job of coming across and knocking the ball free. It changed the complexion of the game.

And I know it isn't cool to hype up Manly, but that was the story of this game. This was Manly at their best and the 32-6 scoreline doesn't do them justice. They actually scored 7 tries but Orford's kicking game was off that night and as I said, they had to earn every single point. If I wasn't so heart-broken over the Broncos, I would have changed my tip on GF day but at that point I was too stubborn.

Misc Notes

- There are some players who just remind you of certain years and for me, if you say Aidan Kirk, I know you're talking about the Warriors in 2008. He was the lone try scorer and it was funny because he turned what should have been the easiest consolation try into a bit of an ordeal. What happened was, the Warriors worked the numbers, half puts a kick through with plenty of space...the problem is Kirk is about 10m behind the play! He gets there just in time but it was looking like one of the worst chases up to that point.

- Steve Matai absolutely dominated Brent Tate in this game and got me thinking, where does he rank amongst the other top centres in the modern game? Surely he'd be a Top 10 contender? I get the feeling that time is going to forget him which is a shame since I think he's been one of the better centres since at least 2007. In fact, if he is remembered, it'll be for his bad shoulder or for that hit on Gasnier which I think gave him a dirtier reputation than he really deserves.

 

[Broncoman]

Before I start this review I know that Big Pete has reviewed these games but I want to add my 2 cents in about them and share my thoughts as well.

State of Origin game 1981

Despite the success of the inaugural Origin encounter of 1980 the interstate series remained the same as the first 2 games were played under residency rules, with the 3rd game being an Origin game if 1 side won the first 2 games. NSW's respective 10-2 and 22-9 wins in the first 2 games ensured that State of Origin was on again.

Teams

In contrast to the game in 1980 both sides fielded different teams. The Maroons introduced Greg Conescu, Mark Murray, Terry Saunders, Mitch Brennan, Chris Phelan, John Ribot and Paul McCabe to state football. Queensland hero Arthur Beetson failed a fitness test and withdrew and Wally Lewis took over the captaincy, alongside Beetsen Saunders and Ribot withdrew. Brad Backer came back and Henrick and Kahn joined the debutantes

NSW only retained 2 players from the first game (Michael Cronin and Steve Rogers) and Michael Pattison and Royce Ayliff withdrew during preperation and Terry Lamb and Graham O'Grady were called in. Despite playing their first Origin Ray Price, Les Boyd and Garry Dowling were named in the 1980 NSW team but withdrew because of injuries.

Queensland

1: Colin Scott
2: Brad Backer
3: Mal Meninga
4: Chris Close
5: Mitch Brennan
6: Wally Lewis (Captain)
7: Ross Henrick
8: Chris Phelan
9: Rohan Hancock
10: Paul McCabe
11: Paul Kahn
12: Greg Conescu
13: Rod Morris

14: Norm Carr
15: Mark Murray

Coach: Arthur Beetson

New South Wales

1: Phil Sigsworth
2: Terry Fahey
3: Michael Cronin
4: Steve Rogers (Captain)
5: Eric Grothe
6: Terry Lamb
7: Peter Sterling
8: Ray Price
9: Les Boyd
10: Peter Tunks
11: Ron Hilditch
12: Barry Jensen
13: Steve Bowden

14: Garry Dowling
15: Graham O'Grady

Coach: Ted Glossop

Game

Fists were flying in the early exchanges as both sides were ready to rip into each other and put their club allegiances aside which slowed the flow of the game and gave the Maroons field position early which was evident as NSW didn't have the ball to the 6th minute. The Maroons continued to control the game but a pass went to ground inside the NSW quarter and Eric Grothe picked up the ball and sprinted close to 90 meters for the first try. This gave NSW a big boost as they went on to dominate the next minutes and they went on a mini spree scoring some excellent tries through Mick Cronin and Grothe again through the work of Sterling. Cronin was on song with the boot and NSW had breezed out to a 15-0 lead. Queensland got a chance to fight back through a NSW mistake in their 20 which they took advantage off as Henrick, Khan and McCabe combined to put Backer over in the corner, Meninga landed the goal from touch to get the Maroons on the board. Despite creating some more chances down the left in the next minutes the Maroons couldn't grab another try and went to half time behind 15-5.

The try before the break added confidence to the Queenslanders and it showed as they manned up in defence and stopped some attacking raids by the Blues before gaining ground the hard way. After 3 quick penalties Lewis sliced through the NSW defence and scored to reduce the margin to just 1 converted try with 20 to go. The Maroons levelled the game after Scott burst through the NSW defence and looked certain to score before Grothe made an amazing try saving tackle but lay on the ground, Choppy Close backhanded Grothe and went over next to the posts. Meninga converted and the scores were level. NSW had no answers and lost cohesion as the Queensland went on to dominate the final quarter adding a goal from Meninga to put them in front inside the last 10 minutes before a penalty try in the shadows of full time wrapped the game up, giving the Maroons a comeback 22-15 win.

Notes ​

How great was Queensland's comeback; To come from 15 points behind (18 in this day) and win by 7 is a great effort and they did it the hard way against a very strong team that dug in and as a result didn't surrender the lead till the 70 something minute NSW were running wild before the Maroons got on the board but the Blues let themselves down with some bad choices. Queensland's comeback in this game is still the biggest comeback to win a game in Origin although the Blues came from 19-0 behind in game 1 2005 to take a 20-19 with 9 minutes remaining.

Did Chris Close deserve to be Man of the Match? Choppy Close backed up his MOM award in the first game with another in the second, but did he deserve to do it? He was a bloody handful again but I think Wally Lewis was more entitled to it as he inspired the Maroons comeback, scoring a try, was heavily involved and lead the Queenslanders superbly in his first game as captain. He got the TV MOM whatever that station was (It was NSW coverage). I personally would've given it to Lewis

- I thought the penalty try at the end was a fair call as Meninga probably would've regained the ball and scored if he wasn't taken out without it by Rogers. Fair decision.

- Watching the Parramatta players Grothe, Sterling, Price and Cronin go about their stuff just shows how great those Parramatta teams were. I rate the Eels of the early 80's as one of the best club sides produced and makes me wonder more about them. I've all the Grand Finals of the 80's and probably should watch them to see those guys in action.

- Eric Grothe was outstanding on debut and was the best NSW player in my view. His strength, power and speed were on display as he scored 2 great tries and made some excellent last ditch defence. I've seen some highlights of him in his day and he is just an awesome winger, one of the best wingers the game has produced imo.

- If the game was played in this day and age the final score would've been Queensland 26 NSW 18

Queensland 22: Tries by Brad Backer, Wally Lewis, Chris Close and a penalty try, 5 goals by Mal Meninga
New South Wales 15: 2 tries by Eric Grothe and a try by Mick Cronin, 3 goals by Cronin

 

[Broncoman]

State of Origin Game 1 2003

The redeveloped Suncorp Stadium opened it's doors again to Origin 10 days after hosting it's first game a 32-22 win for Newcastle over the Broncos and was fittingly treated to an Origin spectacle as NSW drew first blood in the series winning a classic and brutal encounter 25-12.

Teams

Queensland had lost hero Alan Langer to retirement, Darren Smith and Chris McKenna to Super League and Lote Tuquri to Rugby Union forcing changes from the 2002 team. Justin Hodges, Ben Ikin and Tonie Carroll were recalled and Shannon Hegarty was called up to debut after Robbie O'Davis withdrew because of injury.

NSW were forced into changes from 2002 as well as Trent Barrett, Jason Stevens, Steve Simpson and Brett Hodgson were injured so the Blues introduced Anthony Minichiello, Craig Fitzgibbon, Phil Bailey, Josh Perry and Craig Wing to Origin and Michael De'Vere and Robbie Kearns made comebacks to Origin.

Queensland

1: Darren Lockyer
2: Shannon Hegarty
3: Brent Tate
4: Justin Hodges
5: Matt Sing
6: Ben Ikin
7: Shaun Berrigan
8: Shane Webcke
9: PJ Marsh
10: Petero Civoniceva
11: Gorden Tallis (Captain)
12: Dane Carlaw
13: Tonie Carroll

14: Steve Price
15: Chris Flannery
16: Andrew Gee
17: Paul Bowman

Coach: Wayne Bennett

New South Wales

1: Anthony Minichiello
2: Timana Tahu
3: Matt Gidley
4: Jamie Lyon
5: Michael De'Vere
6: Shaun Timmins
7: Andrew Johns (captain)
8: Robbie Kearns
9: Danny Buderus
10: Jason Ryles
11: Craig Fitzgibbon
12: Ben Kennedy
13: Luke Ricketson

14: Luke Bailey
15: Craig Wing
16: Josh Perry
17: Phil Bailey

Coach: Phil Gould

Game

The teams launched into each other from the start as bone shattering and jarring defence dominated the early exchanges. The Maroons controlled the flow of the game as Minichiello had a nervous start under the high ball and Ikin's kicking was keeping the Blues at bay. The Maroons efforts were rewarded as Lockyer sliced through to open the scoring in the 14th minute and converted his own try from wide out to put the Maroons in front. The Blues hit back immediately as Queensland put the ball down in the return set and NSW capitulated as a bomb by Johns resulted in a drop out as Hegarty was taken into his in goal by Tahu, in the ensuring set Johns sent Minicheillo over to score. Johns levelled the score with his conversion. NSW got some luck as Hodges was dragged into touch after an Ikin 40/20 and received a scrum feed after Hegarty was ruled to have played at the ball when he didn't. Johns again put Minichiello over to score and NSW were suddenly ahead 12-6 in the space of 10 minutes. Both sides missed chances to score in the 15 minutes before the break, Johns missed a field goal and in the shadows of half time Gee lost the ball when attempting to force it under the bar. The old state again state mate against mate notion was on show as Tallis gave his Broncos team mate De'Vere a swinging arm spilling more blood. NSW went to the break ahead 12-6.

Gorden Tallis lifted Queensland after halftime with a swinging tackle on Johns and barged through 4 NSW defenders to score to even the game up after Lockyer converted. The Maroons were high on confidence thanks to Tallis but he was denied a try after celebrating it as the video ref correctly ruled Tallis had juggled the ball and it had hit Matt Gidley on the head before Tallis regathered it. The Maroons were set back further as Hodges did his knee and was forced of on a stretcher leaving Queensland 2 played down after Paul Bowman left the field in the first half with ligament damage. The battle raged on and NSW missed two chances to take the lead as Bailey just failed to ground the ball in goal and Matt Sing saved the Maroons after Johns kicked for Lyon after breaking through. The turning point of the game came in the 62nd minute as Price attempted an intercept but lost the ball gifting NSW another full set which they took advantage of as Johns put the rocket Craig Wing over under the posts to put the Blues back in front. With 10 minutes to go Dane Carlaw made a rampaging break from his own line but lost the ball when swarmed by Tahu on halfway giving NSW a full set which Johns landed a field goal at the end of giving NSW a 7 point buffer. Lockyer's restart went out on the full and the Blues again made the most of it as Buderus sent Johns over under the posts wrapping up the game and giving NSW a 25-12 victory.

Notes

- The game was far closer than the 25-12 score line suggested. It was a brutal, thrilling evenly matched game but the difference was NSW took their chances when the Maroons tired in the last quarter and the ability of Johns made it impossible for the 15 man Queensland team to recover.

- NSW won a series opener in Brisbane for the first time since 1997

- Golden point extra time was introduced to Origin for the first time but wasn't used in this game or throughout the series.

- I remember reading in a RLW magazine about Origin 3 years ago which included interviews from players from both sides about their Origin experiences. Ben Ikin was interviewed about the 2003 series and he said he was a surprise selection but he justified his spot with a strong first half taking the line on bravely and putting in some terrific kicks that gave the Blues problems.

Did Luke Bailey deserve to win the MOM award? Luke Bailey became the 2nd player in Origin to win MOM from the bench after a workaholic performance after replacing Josh Perry. Bailey made 30 tackles and 25 hit ups for 130 meters in a starring effort. Bailey was fantastic but personally I believe that MOM should have gone to Andrew Johns. Johns set up or scored all of NSW points, thew cut out passes giving his outside backs chances, hit hard in defence, took the line on and lead the Blues around superbly. A great captains knock.

New South Wales 25: 2 tries by Anthony Minichiello, tries by Craig Wing and Andrew Johns, 4 goals and a field goal by Johns

Queensland 12: Tries by Darren Lockyer and Gorden Tallis, 2 goals by Lockyer

 

[Big Pete]

That was one of the top ten Origin games of all time. Both teams brought it and it's just a shame that the turf robbed the Maroons of two players at a pivotal moment. It took it's toll and the likes of Wing and Johns exploited the Maroons around the ruck.

Round 8, 2015 - PENRITH 26, CRONULLA 18

One of those wins that will be worth it's weight of gold later in the season.

Both teams were missing key players but I'd dare say Penrith had far more to overcome. It looked like they were going to let it slip away again until they rolled up their sleeves in the second half. From that point, Cronulla didn't look like they could crack through their defence and Penrith were able to make the most of their opportunities.

Brown was a stand-out for the Panthers on the left edge. Really lead from the front and was dangerous with every carry of the football. I've always had a wrap on him as a backrow. He's been quiet for a few years now, but I put that down to him having to play a fair bit of centre when it isn't his spot. Now that he's secured a spot in the backrow, I wouldn't be surprised to see him cause all sorts of headaches for a number of teams.

The Sharks weren't too far off. They were the better team in the first half and Lewis was leading them around nicely. Unfortunately when he went off with his chronic knee problem the Sharks lost a lot of his guidance and by the time he returned, the pendulum had swung. The re-shuffle didn't help and I think any team that's currently utilising a fullback off the bench needs to drop it right away. Barba should either play fullback, or not at all.

If I was Flanno my back 3 would look like...

1. Ben Barba
2. Michael Gordon
5. Valentine Holmes

I'd like to see how that would go, especially with Gal and Fifita back.

 

[Big Pete]

The NRL Essentials Series 1 Boxset is on sale for $45 so I had to pick it up and had to dive right in.

I chose...

Prelim Final #1 2002
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters
Sydney Football Stadium

Sydney Roosters 16 (Minichiello, Mullins tries; Fitzgibbon 4/4 goals)
Brisbane Broncos 12 (Tate, Lockyer tries; De Vere 2/2 goals)

While the scoreboard read 16-12, the most interesting stat for Broncos fan was the 2-8 penalty count in favour of the Roosters. It wasn't so much that the Broncos gave away 8 penalties, that was arguably fair enough, but rather the fact the Roosters were deemed completely clean and innocent until the 69th minute mark. This was despite the Roosters completely and utterly dominating the Broncos in the ruck and being able to hold down for long periods of time.

On face value, the Roosters were the better side, but how much of that was owed to the penalty count? Since the game was effectively decided by the penalties, it's hard to say but at the very least Broncos fans have a right to feel frustrated with the game.

At the same time, they need to accept that the Broncos didn't give themselves the best chance to get back into the game. I think there were only two players who rose to the occasion - Petero Civoniceiva and Darren Lockyer. The rest went missing and simply didn't produce the type of football required in the finals. This was especially true of the forward pack who got dominated by Morley, Fitzgibbon, Fletcher and Crocker.

Want to know why players stand so flat these days?

Watch this game. Brisbane are standing deep on every play the ball and can't make any metres because the Roosters are meeting them on the advantage line. Without any room or momentum to work off of, the Broncos have nothing to work with and are just desperately doing their best to hold on against a Roosters outfit with the will to win.

For all this talk of Melbourne, it was the Roosters who invented it.

And I'm sure the Broncos assistant coach took notes that night!

To sum up, Brisbane did well to hold the Roosters to just two tries but ultimately felt like the inferior side except for one window. Did penalties play a factor? Of course but the Roosters did more to earn them so it's hard to get too upset. Ultimately, I never got the sense the Broncos were a premiership team in 2002. One of the better teams? Sure, but they just never clicked like other Broncos outfits have.

Talking Points

Allan Langer - I'm sure most will remember this, but the availability of Alfie was one of the biggest talking points heading into the game. His father's health took a turn for the worst and he was touch and go. Unfortunately for Alf, he didn't produce one of his better games. Defensively he was targeted and he just couldn't get into the game. For all the good kicks he put in, he let it all down with that wayward pass to nobody which essentially handed Sydney all the momentum back. It's a shame his career had to end on that note but he was on borrowed time as is. While he had his moments for the Broncos in 2002, I like to remember his comeback more for his Origin exploits such as teaching the immortal a thing or two.

Hodges/McGuire - Apparently this call made Harrigan throw his hands up in the air and admit he just lost it but honestly it wasn't a bad call. McGuire got Mini with a high-ish tackle, Hodgo responded which caused Casey to overreact. Now it may have been a touch and go penalty back then (which Sterlo says) but if this was to happen now, nobody would blink that McGuire was in the wrong.

Speaking of Hodgo, it's so odd seeing him in the opposition. It makes you understand why opposition supporters disliked him so - he spent more time moving his lips than his legs!

Harrigan - Hodges/McGuire for mine wasn't the most controversial call, there were others that felt very timely, plain wrong or simply ignored. Arguably the most costly was the two on one strip of Walker which lead to...

Tallis - Not his best game, but I loved his banter. "Are you a lip reader, Bill? I was standing right next to Chris and I didn't hear anything so how did you hear it from all the way over there?" :laugh:

Simon Bonetti - In this day and age of concussions, it was so jarring seeing a player like Bonetti absolutely writhing on the ground only to return later in the game. I remember Bman pointing that out and even then, I was skeptical he was going to return. For me, it was a reminder of how deadly Civoniceiva's head is.

One of these days when the NRL launch their Network (2018), I'm going to do a 2002 project just to get a gauge of what the team was really like. As a kid, they were one of my favourite teams in history but as I grow older they're rapidly falling down my rankings.

 

[Broncoman]

That was a very interesting game to watch. I remember reading Bennett's memoir about it and he was very pissed of at Harrigan's referring and said how disappointing it was that a referee played such a part in the result. When I watched that game I thought that the Roosters rushing defense and some luck which went Easts way was the difference between the two teams in the end. The Broncos were hammered in the penalty count by 8-2 as Pete put it but apart from 2 calls I thought most of the penalties were fair enough and weren't as bad as what I thought they would be. Controversial game but not as controversial as I thought it would be.

I have a faint memory of watching this game as a young kid and being so young at the time I didn't really notice the controversy, not noticing all the controversial moments in games and across the code in general makes watching games as a young kid so much fun. Personally that Roosters team from 2002-2004 is the best club side I've seen in my time watching Rugby League. They made 3 consecutive Grand Finals and the team contained some of the best modern day players. To perform at such a high level consistently in this day and age in Rugby League deserves all the credit it gets. (The Storm from 2006-2009 don't make the cut because that team was illegal).

 

[Black Philip]

**** Bill Harrigan. I used to hate him so much.

 

[Big Pete]

Round 10 2004
Brisbane Broncos vs Newcastle Knights

Really entertaining game.

Not one for the coaches or the purists but in terms of entertainment the game had it all.

I can definitely understand why the Knights hold the win in such high regard. Not only did they enter the game without key personnel, they lost two of their big names (Mark Hughes and Ben Kennedy) quite early in the contest. That should have cost them the game right then and there.

However they hung on and ultimately finished on top.

I remember being pretty livid with the result at the time. I hated losing to the Knights back then, but I didn't realise how bad a loss this was. Not only did the Broncos get beaten by an understrength Knights outfit, they bombed opportunity after opportunity with some really poor footy.

The lowlight was watching Kelly play hooker because Bennett hadn't come up with a proper replacement. It highlighted how skinny the Broncos were at the time but it was just so embarrassing. Especially since Kelly shouldn't have even been at the club at the time and was just relying on his speed. I thought things were pretty dire with Hoffman/Maranta and Vidot/Copley but they don't compare with those two.

Still as frustrating as it would have been, time has been pretty kind and it's cool to see Tallis, Costigan and TC lay some shots on and Hunt come up with some skillful moments.

 

[Broncoman]

A very notable fact about that game against Newcastle was that it was the Channel 9 game that went to golden point. The only reason why I remember that game was because we went to the Lone Star at Springwood the next night and I remember seeing the match report on the wall somewhere in there.

 

[Super Freak]

I'll give this a crack.

2008 Semi Final #1
New Zealand Warriors 30 def Sydney Roosters 13
Mt Smart Stadium

This is one of my favorite finals games. I had a soft spot for the Warriors, especially after they beat the Storm. Although, I would end up hating them for doing that..

It's not often the Warriors get to play a finals game at home, so the crowd really turned out in force for this one. All you could see was a sea of black, I only spotted a handful of Roosters jerseys in the crowd.

I knew the Warriors would be fired up for two reasons. To make up for their loss against the Eels the previous year, and to ensure that Ruben Wiki's final game at home was a successful one.

But despite a strong start to the game, the Warriors were a bit of a disappointment in attack in the first half. They started making silly errors and Roosters defense handled them well. Once they started getting more time with the ball, they started to control the game and Warriors were spending a fair bit of time defending in their own half. Eventually they would crack after Roosters gained a repeat set from a 40/20 kick and after a couple of tackles, Pearce crashed over.

Just a few minutes later, a very controversial call was made.

The Roosters were awarded a penalty try after the video ref ruled that Minichiello was denied a try because of the foul play by Hohaia. Hohaia did foul him, but I don't think there was a guarantee that Minichiello would have scored. It was one of those calls that could have gone either way and it ended up going the way of penalty try. I thought Hohaia was a bit lucky to stay on the field after what the video ref ruled.

In the final minute of the half, Anasta nails a field goal and the Roosters go into half time leading by 7.

I got to say, even though they were trailing at half time I have to give credit to the Warriors. The Roosters were certain to score on a couple more occasions but they held them out.

I'm not sure what went on at half time, but the Roosters were the complete opposite in the second half.

Warriors must have realized that they owed it to Wiki and the fans to put in a better performance because they came out in that second half and played with a lot of hunger and determination. They put in nearly a perfect half of footy. They wanted a win badly.

They needed to be the first to score and they were just 4 minutes after the break when Hohaia sliced through some lazy defense in the middle and scored under the posts.

They came close not long after, but some desperate defense from Anasta denied Kirk a try in the corner.

The Warriors could have leveled the scores by kicking a field goal, but they didn't want a field goal. They wanted tries and after a couple of back to back sets from penalties, they were in again when Henderson ran from dummy half and scored under the posts. I thought they were very fortunate to get the try, I thought he had lost control before the ball touched the ground but the call ended up going the Warriors way.

The lead up to their next try was superb. Fien put in a perfectly weighted kick into the in goal and when Minichiello got the ball, he was swarmed by Warriors defenders who ended up smashing him and pushing him back in goal. On the following set, the crowd got their wish when big Manu scored in the corner. You could tell from that point, it was well and truly game over. While the Roosters still had time to score points, they were just unable to stop the Warriors onslaught.

The kick return after that try was probably the best kick return I had seen that year. Ruben Wiki received the ball and charged straight at the Roosters as hard as he could and ended up knocking out Soliola. He came close to putting him on his ass earlier in the second half, as well.

Ropati and Wiki came close to scoring after that. After Warriors threw the ball around, Ropati put in a grubber kick and Minichiello failed to clean it up. Ropati grabbed the ball but he just couldn't control it. It was the Warriors only error in that second half.

Wiki came close to crashing over, but the Roosters managed to hold him up. The Warriors fans would have gone completely mental if Wiki had scored.

A few minutes later, the Roosters got a rare opportunity in the Warriors half. They spread the ball left and ended up creating an overlap but Tupou held the ball too long and a good tackle from Tate forced his pass to go forward and straight into the hands of Kirk who ran 80 metres to score and cap off a brilliant second half from the Warriors.

While Wiki's final game of his career was a disappointing one, he can take comfort in the fact that his last game at Mt Smart was a successful one.

I'm not sure what happened to the Roosters, but they did the same thing the week earlier against the Broncos. They played well in the first half, but it all just went to shit in the second half.

They had very little opportunity at the Warriors end in that second half and did what the Warriors did in the first half, made a bunch of silly errors which ended up hurting them and gifting the Warriors the chances they needed.

Anyway, that's about it.

 

[Big Pete]

Is it just me, or was 2008 a really weird season in retrospect?

At the time, I loved it. Brisbane may not have been one of the most successful sides, but they were certainly one of the most entertaining and a lot of games stuck with me all these years later.

The rest of the season is a blur.

Big things were expected of Parra and North Queensland.

Neither delivered.

Warriors looked like they were going to miss the 8 altogether.

Then they caught everyone off guard by downing Melbourne in Melbourne in the first week of the finals.

Strange year, been meaning to look at the Rugby League Annual and check out a few non-Broncos clashes that year.

In the mean time I've been fascinated in 2001. Obviously we've all got fond memories of 2000 but the unlimited interchange rule makes it feel a little mickey mouse in general. 2001 felt like the real start to the modern game yet I struggle to remember all that much about it. Just going through the round by round reports and it makes for interesting reads and some ol talking points.

 

[Broncoman]

Good observation Pete

Something I find very weird about the 2008 season is the performance of the Cronulla Sharks. They were coming of 2 ordinary seasons which they flamed out and missed the finals yet this season they came 3rd behind Melbourne and Manly before sinking the next year. They came equal first and had the 2nd worst attack in the competition but made it due to their strong defense. If that Sharks team won the premiership to me it would've been the most unlikely team I can think of to do so.

Seriously this was their backline that year presuming when they were at full strength

1: Brett Kearney
2: Misi Taulapapa
3: Ben Pomeroy
4: David Simmons
5: Luke Covell
6: Brett Seymour
7: Brett Kimmorley

 

[Big Pete]

It's interesting you mention 2006 and 2007 because they were actually one of the form teams at certain stages of both seasons before falling away. In 2008, outside of losing Bird for his indiscretion and Gallen during the Origin period they didn't really have any distractions, allowing them to play consistent footy through out.

The backline wasn't much chop on paper, but on form you had...

Brett Kearney - One of the form fullbacks of the competition who could tear teams apart if they weren't careful.
Misi Taulapapa - Busy winger who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
Ben Pomeroy - His best season in first grade. Wasn't flashy but had a strong carry in him and could run good lines off his half.
David Simmons - Solid and reliable.
Luke Covell - Arguably the most consistent winger in the competition that year.
Brett Seymour - Underrated season from Brett. Played in his natural position where he was able to showcase some of his skills which resulted in points.
Brett Kimmorley - Was still one of the best organisers in the competition and his long distance kicking game allowed the forwards to do their job.

But let's not get it twisted either, the forwards were the stars. Gallen, Bird (for half a season), De Gois, Ross, Douglas, Nutley...even guys like Anderson & Peek had their uses.

Always had a sense they over-achieved that year and when the whips started cracking they couldn't go with teams like Manly, Brisbane or the Warriors. Still, they were a good advertisement of what playing a tough uncompromising brand of football can do for you.

They were a lot like the Dragons in that sense, with less emphasis on halves, more on the pack.

 

[Broncoman]

2001 1st Semi Final, St-George Illawarra Dragons V Brisbane Broncos, 15th September 2001, Sydney Football Stadium

What was happening before the game;

The Dragons reward for a sudden death upset 23-22 win over the Bulldogs in the first week of the finals was another sudden death final against the Broncos who had battled injuries throughout the year and had only won 2 games during the past 10 weeks and were hurting from a 22-6 loss to the Sharks in the first week of the finals. The Broncos kept their season alive with a dominant 44-28 victory in a high scoring game on the back of a 4 try performance from Wendell Sailor.

First half;

Before the game the crowd and players paid their respects to one of the worst days in history with a minutes silence. The Broncos got stuck in and played a perfect first 20 minutes. Brisbane were not giving the Dragons any possession, were busting some poor defense at will, were rolling over the top of the Dragons forwards and were being productive on every set. After 20 minutes the Broncos lead 20-0 with Civoniceva scoring 2 tries in the first 5 minutes and Sailor scoring a 50 meter solo effort and Lockyer landing 4 goals from as many attempts. The Dragons were playing incredibly poorly missing basic tackles and giving away stupid penalties.

The Dragons got on the board thanks to a knock on from Broncos lock Burns and a poor call from referee Paul Simpkins that paid of for them as Barrett laid on a kick for lock Andrew Hart to pounce. Both sides then traded tries as Sailor scored another great solo effort and Mark Gasnier scored his first try. Both conversions were successful and the score at the break was 26-12. The Dragons were starting to fight back into the game but they still had plenty to do.

Second half;

Normal business resumed as Chris Walker scored his first try about 10 minutes after the break as Amos Roberts fluffed a kick from Lockyer so badly it was laughable and Walker pounced to get the Broncos back to a 20 point buffer. Blacklock scored his 27th try of the season thanks to a poor video ref call which somehow awarded him the try despite replays suggesting a double movement (which was obvious). Sailor scored another superb try thanks to some great work from Stuart Kelly deep in our 20 meter zone which got the 20 point lead back. The Dragons kept coming resolutely and thanks to tries from Gasnier and Ryles they got to within 8 points with 10 minutes remaining but the Broncos ensured it was all in vain as Sailor added his 4th try and Chris Walker scored a double to give the Broncos a resounding 44-28 success.

Brisbane Broncos 44: 4 tries by Wendell Sailor, 2 tries by Petero Civoniceva and Chris Walker, 6 goals by Darren Lockyer
St George Illawarra 28: 2 tries by Mark Gasnier, tries by Nathan Blacklock, Andrew Hart and Jason Ryles, 2 goals by Wayne Bartrim and Mark Riddell

Match Summary;

Very entertaining game to watch. 13 tries were scored and both sides really threw the ball around and scored some crackers which made for some great entertainment. The Dragons didn't give in and fought to the end but the Broncos really won the game on the back of the first 20 minutes, after that the Dragons won the game 28-20. It was a fairly comfortable win for the Broncos in the end as they never looked like surrendering the lead and whenever the Dragons looked like they were fighting back in they would score and put it to bed.

Notes

- Who would've thought Bulla would score 2 tries in the first 5 minutes of the game :laugh: I didn't think that was possible

- Pretty disappointing crowd for a finals game. There were only 19,259 people in the crowd.

- Michael Coorey from the famous Baby Broncos game came of the bench and played the final 15 minutes

- Corey Parker was playing his 12th first grade game

- I think this game is a good example of why Nathan Blacklock didn't play Origin. Blacklock scored 27 tries in 2001 and topped the try scoring list for the 3rd straight year but still didn't get picked for NSW. Blacklock was great with the ball in hand but he was pretty fragile elsewhere and I think in Origin guys like Sailor, Tuquri, Walker, Lockyer, Sing and other big QLD backs would've destroyed him. He had nothing in this game against Sailor and looked frozen. The Dragons also had Amos Roberts at fullback who I regard as another player who missed out on playing Origin due to his defense and other stuff, good with the ball but ordinary elsewhere. Of topic but I think Amos Roberts would be the player with the most City V Country games without a NSW jersey. Roberts played for Country 5 times.

- Ash Harrison played at 5/8th for the Broncs and he did very well. His kicking game limited the impact of Gasnier, McGregor and Roberts very efficiently and he helped lay a try on in the first half. Bit of a blast from the past seeing Harrison in a Broncos 5/8th jersey.

- Paul McGregor played the 158th and last game of his career. I really like McGregor from the games i've seen.

Teams

Brisbane Broncos

1: Darren Lockyer
2: Lote Tuquri
3: Chris Walker
4: Stuart Kelly
5: Wendell Sailor
6: Ash Harrison
7: Shaun Berrigan
8: Shane Webcke
9: Luke Priddis
10: Petero Civoniceva
11: Brad Meyers
12: Dane Carlaw
13: Darren Burns

15: Carl Webb
16: Corey Parker
17: Shane Walker
18: Michael Coorey

Coach: Wayne Bennett

St-George Illawarra Dragons

1: Amos Roberts
2: Nathan Blacklock
3: Mark Gasnier
4: Paul McGregor
5: Jamie Ainscough
6: Trent Barrett (captain)
7: Jason Hooper
8: Chris Leikvoll
13: Wayne Bartrim
10: Jason Ryles
11: Darren Treacy
16: Lance Thompson
12: Andrew Hart

9: Mark Riddel
14: Colin Ward
15: Luke Bailey
18: Willie Peters

Coach: Andrew Farrer

 

[Big Pete]

Great post. I remember only tuning in part-way through that game for whatever reason. I must have been out that evening, and didn't think of anything of that game. I think after we lost to the Sharks in Week 1, I assumed that was the Broncos for the season, not realising they had a second chance. It was pretty uplifting to put a score on the Dragons but I was filthy with one of the tries Blacklock scored. I caught the game a few years back and the thing that struck me was the ability of the backline. As bad as Kelly would become, I thought he was redeemable in 2001. Couldn't defend to save himself (neither could Walker) but certainly had some toe on him.

Unfortunately, haven't had a chance to watch through old games. Closest I came to doing so was when I was digging through my collection and stumbled on the R6 2006 Good Friday clash between the Roosters. Only watched a half of it, but it reminded me of how annoying Gus was as a commentator and how it kicked off a new-phase of Brisbane attack. Losing Ennis really hurt the Broncos creativity around the ruck, meaning Lockyer had to be smarter about his kicking game. Which meant he would just kick it to Mellers in the corner, over and over and over again before it got to the Roosters. The only interesting aspect of the first half was the try to Amos Roberts, which the 9 commentary dubbed a mirror image of the Bott try some 12 months prior. Unsure if I agree but it was well worked and goes to show how good Mini once was.

As I said, I'm not really into old games and if anything find myself catching up on games I missed. The last game I caught was the Sharks/Cows game. An interesting match as far as the Cows being unable to meet the Sharks finals intensity. I've got to give Cronulla plenty of credit this year. I thought Round 5, they were goners but the emergence of Bird has really saved them. That's why he'd be my pick for Rookie of the Year. Sure, Taukeiaho is amazing and a contender for the best bench player in the game, but he didn't have anywhere near the amount of responsibility Bird has. Plus, Bird's skill just puts him on another level. The kid shouldn't even be playing five eighth, yet he'd be right up there in terms of 2015 is concerned. He was great, but he had plenty of support as well. I thought Michael Gordon really turned back the clock here. He's been largely quiet since 2013, Gordon, but I don't know if it was because he was going up against Coote AKA the guy who forced him out of Penrith or what it was but he was great here. Set up a try and then scored a really important try after half-time by running at JT and beating the tackle of Lowe. I thought that was great and honestly, from there it appeared as if the Sharks were going to roll all over the top of the Cowboys before the referees started finding penalties. In fairness, most were probably deserved, but the 'strip' call was a real 50/50 and if play was able to continue, the score is probably 24-0 Sharks with 30 left to play. Instead, Cows get a few lucky calls (and non-calls), score 12 points, make a game of it until JT stuffed up one of his kicks and Beale scores the try the Sharks should have been allowed to score. Must say, Beale hasn't done a lot for me this season, but I'd consider him a good buy on the basis that he isn't a liability and he's replaced Ayshford who was terrible for the Sharks last year.

There was a lot of controversy over Gal's 'ref the game evenly' comment. I guess it could be read into and interpreted as the referees being rigged, but you'd be digging a little bit to get there. Should it have been charged? Yes, but I disagree with Vossy that it was deserving of a sin-bin. I don't know what the rule is as far as Morgan's knock-on kick, but it shouldn't be allowed.

Cronulla have been an interesting side to watch post-Bird selection. For mine, they just seem to have all the fundamentals down and they have a few gifted players in Holmes, Bird, Fifita, Lewis, Graham & Gal who can get things going, while Ennis leads them around the field extremely well. I honestly wouldn't have an issue with Ennis being selected Hooker of the Year. He's been the key for Cronulla and if he's injured, Cronulla are doing their best to avoid another spoon.

Cows are still too inconsistent for my liking. At times, they play with great intensity. Others, it doesn't seem like they're awake, their timing sucks and they're struggling to make ground. I think their pack was found out somewhat in this game. Hannant & Cooper both tried really hard, but couldn't say the same thing about the rest. Tamou in particular...

Oh god Tamou. So, JT throws this awesome inside ball to Tamou and he's through. The only player in his way is Gordon, and he isn't exactly front on either so he should score 5m out for sure. Except he doesn't. Gordon drags him down with one of the most desperate tackles I've seen. Great effort by Gordon, but a player of Tamou's size should really break the tackle. That was him for the night though, either picking poor lines for his dummy-half, running sideways and not really fighting in the tackle.

To be fair, I don't think anyone played well. The Sharks barely gave them an opportunity too, and they weren't able to overcome that. Apart of the problem also was their inability to build pressure. They had a few attacking opportunities in the first half but squandered them with errors or poor kicks. If Coote didn't have a better second, I'd swear it was the worst game I'd seen him play for the Cows. As it stands, the jury is out.

So a tough one to judge the Cows on. I'll be interested to see how they respond against Souths tomorrow night. I think they'll make a better account of themselves with Scott back but I really hope for their sake Taumalolo steps it up. He really needs to pull the trigger, otherwise the Cows may need to wait till 2016 to be a shot.

Oh, also want to give a shout out to Asiata. I think he's been really underrated off the bench for the Cows. He's been outplaying Taumalolo for sometime now.