NRL 2020 Grand Final

[Xzei]

No public Holliday so no real interest for me

 

[vertigo]

It's guaranteed that if the Storm win this then Smith is getting the Clive Churchill regardless of how he plays. Similar story with Cleary if the Panthers get up (especially in light of the Dally M 'robbery').

Both men are $4.50 respectively.

That's the trap. It will go to someone else.

I can see Yeo having a massive game and winning it.

 

[Alec]

It's guaranteed that if the Storm win this then Smith is getting the Clive Churchill regardless of how he plays. Similar story with Cleary if the Panthers get up (especially in light of the Dally M 'robbery').

Both men are $4.50 respectively.

I mean Smith is the most influential player on the Storm and Cleary is having an incredible run of form so it also makes sense they are the most likely to actually influence the game and probably also deserve to be the best odds.

 

[The True King]

That's the trap. It will go to someone else.

I can see Yeo having a massive game and winning it.

I mean Smith is the most influential player on the Storm and Cleary is having an incredible run of form so it also makes sense they are the most likely to actually influence the game and probably also deserve to be the best odds.

Fair points but don't forget Smith has never won a Clive Churchill.

2015 it was always going to JT if the cowboys won, he wasn't even in their top 3 players in that GF. I can see someone like Munster or Papynhouzen having a blinder but Smith getting it as a little send off to cement his legacy.

 

[Big Pete]

However, the Storm's experience is going to be the difference. Just like it was for us in 2006.

Penrith could get over-awed by the occasion, but I don't think the match-up is similar to 2006. In that year, the Broncos had a clear cut advantage in the pack which they exploited by having Berrigan and Hodges in positions where they could get in and around the ruck. It was Webcke, Civoniceiva, Thorn, Thaiday & Carroll vs. White, Kaufusi, Kidwell, Hoffman & Johnson.

There isn't that type of disparity heading into the game. The Panthers pack is just as good if not better on paper, with Smith being the only point of difference when it comes to the starting pack. I would slightly favour the Storm's bench, but I wouldn't underestimate Penrith either - they don't lose much if anything once Leota and Tetevano come onto the field.

 

[BruiserMk1]

 

[The Fisherman]

Sydney media already saying cleary will be an immortal!!!! I recall the same being said about ponga not long ago .....

Sydney media are full of shit as usual.

The honour of being named an immortal has been eroded away over the years, and is now mostly a political honour , when they made Johns an immortal after he confessed to playing most of his career on coke and other drugs, it cheapened the honour bestowed upon the genuine early recipients, if they are serious, Cleary will have to line up behind plenty of players including Cameron, JT, Lockyer & Alfie, Cooper Cronk has been the benchmark halfback over the last decade and I personally don't rate Cleary in Cronks class, very good halfback that he is, and arguably the best in the NRL at present, but a long way to go to annexe Cronk.

Below comment cut and pasted from the NRL Hall of Fame website.

"To be chosen as an Immortal is the greatest honour a player can receive and it is widely considered that to earn the accolade he needs to have changed the game or had an impact beyond his career."

Cleary has a lot to do to meet the Immortal criteria.

Of the aforementioned players only Cameron Smith is a chance of meeting the criteria.

Only my personal opinion of course and I respect other members views, and it is not my intention to create frothing at the mouth responses, probably get some I reckon.

 

[The Fisherman]

No real surprises for either team. Viliame Kikau returns after serving his one-week suspension for a dangerous tackle while Dale Finucane has been named on the bench after starting last week's final.

I was surprised at how much the Panthers missed Kikau against South Sydney. Even with an in-form roster, the Panthers offence was guilty of being overly conservative and it resulted in a very nervous win over a battered South Sydney outfit. They didn't give themselves a platform to put together any quality set plays so all their tries came down to kicks or individual efforts like Yeo.

Kikau's presence should ease the pressure on the Panthers and allow them to put up better formations and challenge the Storm across the field.

I'm curious to see how Melbourne approach this. They flew out the gates against the Raiders early and exposed their edge defence with some well-executed block plays where they used Olam as a decoy. They effectively won the game in the opening 10 minutes and were able to coast as Canberra blew opportunity after opportunity. I think we'll see them try something similar, but just like the Bulldogs GF from 2012 I'm curious to see what they cook up for this defensive line.

I'm surprised that the bookies consider Melbourne the favourites. This feels like the first GF since 1999 where they weren't in the box seat and they're coming up against a team that's out-played them through out the year. It reminds me a lot of the 2006 GF, except Melbourne find themselves coming up against the young up-starts who have taken the competition by storm.

They only played them once this year and won 21-14 from memory, hopefully its a good game

 

[Sproj]

Sydney media are full of shit as usual.

The honour of being named an immortal has been eroded away over the years, and is now mostly a political honour , when they made Johns an immortal after he confessed to playing most of his career on coke and other drugs, it cheapened the honour bestowed upon the genuine early recipients, if they are serious, Cleary will have to line up behind plenty of players including Cameron, JT, Lockyer & Alfie, Cooper Cronk has been the benchmark halfback over the last decade and I personally don't rate Cleary in Cronks class, very good halfback that he is, and arguably the best in the NRL at present, but a long way to go to annexe Cronk.

Below comment cut and pasted from the NRL Hall of Fame website.

"To be chosen as an Immortal is the greatest honour a player can receive and it is widely considered that to earn the accolade he needs to have changed the game or had an impact beyond his career."

Cleary has a lot to do to meet the Immortal criteria.

Of the aforementioned players only Cameron Smith is a chance of meeting the criteria.

Only my personal opinion of course and I respect other members views, and it is not my intention to create frothing at the mouth responses, probably get some I reckon.

Cameron Smith is a shoo-in. Every club wants a dummy half like him now.

 

[The Fisherman]

Cameron Smith is a shoo-in. Every club wants a dummy half like him now.

Nice of you to agree with me Sproj, I'm still waiting for the missiles from the Cameron Smith haters to hit though

 

[GCBRONCO]

TBH I don't think I can even be bothered to watch it, I'll go Panthers but really meh

 

[Petch67]

Sydney media are full of shit as usual.

The honour of being named an immortal has been eroded away over the years, and is now mostly a political honour , when they made Johns an immortal after he confessed to playing most of his career on coke and other drugs, it cheapened the honour bestowed upon the genuine early recipients, if they are serious, Cleary will have to line up behind plenty of players including Cameron, JT, Lockyer & Alfie, Cooper Cronk has been the benchmark halfback over the last decade and I personally don't rate Cleary in Cronks class, very good halfback that he is, and arguably the best in the NRL at present, but a long way to go to annexe Cronk.

Below comment cut and pasted from the NRL Hall of Fame website.

"To be chosen as an Immortal is the greatest honour a player can receive and it is widely considered that to earn the accolade he needs to have changed the game or had an impact beyond his career."

Cleary has a lot to do to meet the Immortal criteria.

Of the aforementioned players only Cameron Smith is a chance of meeting the criteria.

Only my personal opinion of course and I respect other members views, and it is not my intention to create frothing at the mouth responses, probably get some I reckon.

Agreed.....
The hate down in sydney for cam smith at the moment is on another level......thats not from journos its the public.....the best one i heard was he plays dummy half and passes the ball!!!!!

 

[Petch67]

TBH I don't think I can even be bothered to watch it, I'll go Panthers but really meh

Be watching the women.....not too bothered with the main event...probably be 3 parts pissed by then celebrating the womens 3peat

 

[Petch67]

I mean Smith is the most influential player on the Storm and Cleary is having an incredible run of form so it also makes sense they are the most likely to actually influence the game and probably also deserve to be the best odds.

Remember who won it last year ...from the runners up

 

[Blindside Bronco]

Nice of you to agree with me Sproj, I'm still waiting for the missiles from the Cameron Smith haters to hit though

Here comes a bitting fish, ol fisherman, Cameron Smith doesn't hold a bioluminescence flicker to Alfie! Who should have had the immortal title before crackhead Johns and definitely before Shifty Smith! PS Smith can suck a my mudskipper!

 

[Strop]

The thing that shits me about Cameron Smith is that he is the cause of an ethical dilemma in me. On the one hand, I want to hate him for all the fuckery he has been involved in, but on the other, I need to be honest with myself and admire his skill and longevity. Looked at solely as the individual player, he has been one of the greatest. For stirring up that inner turmoil in me, I think I must just label him a giant prick and worry about other things. **** him.

 

[The Fisherman]

Here comes a bitting fish, ol fisherman, Cameron Smith doesn't hold a bioluminescence flicker to Alfie! Who should have had the immortal title before crackhead Johns and definitely before Shifty Smith! PS Smith can suck a my mudskipper!

No argument from me about Alfie before Crackhead Johns Blindside , but I am a Cameron disciple, never heard it called a mudskipper before hey, I will add that to my vocabulary bank.

 

[Blindside Bronco]

No argument from me about Alfie before Crackhead Johns Blindside , but I am a Cameron disciple, never heard it called a mudskipper before hey, I will add that to my vocabulary bank.

Well I can't stand Cleary! So go Smith (just for today).