Penrifffff Gooooone?

Penrith's Civoniceva out for seven weeks

Is this the end of Penriffffs charge this year. With Luke Lewis out on extended leave and Michael Jenning back, but for how long? I think this could spell the end of any of Penriffs chances this year. With only 10 rounds left and Penriff needing probably 6 out of 10 to make the finals, I think they will be hard pressed to do it without 2 of their best being there. Thoughts?

Spot the Difference

Two stories in the last 24 hours which really sum up the cultural differences between league and union......

Roosters players Jake Friend and Sandor Earl charged with assault

By Steve Gee 29, 2009

The 19-year-old was charged on Monday afternoon following a two-hour interview at The Rocks police station.
Friend was charged along with 19-year-old teammate Sandor Earl, with both players bailed to appear at the Downing Centre on July 20.
The charges come after Roosters coach Brad Fittler defended the pair on Sunday night following reports over the incident at The Tank nightclub earlier in the day.
The melee erupted about 3am - only hours after Friend played a key role in the Roosters 19-12 win over Cronulla.
Friend and Earl, who made his debut on Saturday night, were drinking with Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce, who also gave a statement to police.
Pearce has been cleared over the incident.
Police said the scuffle began after a verbal altercation between the players and former Manly and Wests Tigers player Nick Bradley.
Police will allege a physical altercation ensued between the two groups and as a result Bradley, 29, received soreness to his back and a graze to his chin.
Kristy Bradley, 31, suffered concussion, bruising to her face, pain to her neck and back.
Ambulance officers attended and they were treated at the scene.
Friend, Earl and Pearce arrived at The Rocks police about 2pm on Monday afternoon, escorted by Roosters CEO Steve Noyce. The players were interviewed separately.
Police later released a statement after Friend and Earl were charged.
"A 19-year-old Maroubra man was charged with assault and a 19-year-old Glebe man was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm," the statement said.
"The pair were granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on July 20."

and then......

Wallabies players James O'Connor, Josh Valentine and Quade Cooper fined

By Darren Walton June 28, 2009

Three Wallabies, including teenage sensation James O'Connor, have been fined for engaging in a food fight at a team hotel this month.
The ARU was on Sunday tightlipped about the skylarking, only confirming it took place during the Wallabies' just-completed inbound Test series. "The ARU is extremely disappointed by their behaviour as it does not meet the required standards of a Wallaby," a spokesman said. The ARU fined all three players and declared the matter closed. Despite disciplining the trio, the ARU did not deem the offence serious enough to drop O'Connor or Valentine from the bench for Saturday night's 22-6 Test win over France at ANZ Stadium. O'Connor, 18, and Cooper, just turned 21, have a history of high jinx. On the eve of their Test debuts against Italy on last year's spring tour, the two backline rookies were seen dodging and weaving traffic as they fired passes to one another on the cobbled streets of Padova.

David Gallop must be thinking "I would give my left nut for a month to go by where the worst thing I had to deal with was a food fight......"

Picks of the week

I'm confident this week after getting all 5 right in the NRL- here are some good picks for this weekend-
Get on the Aussies to win the Ashes 3-1 paying $7. The Poms are in disarray again, and if the Aussies can win in South Africa they can win the Ashes over there. But there's alwaysone washout due to the putrid English weather and the Poms usually steal one so pick the 3-1 for value.
Back to the NRL I LOVE the Saints giving only 6.5 to the Tigers, and the Dogs only giving the same start at home to the Cowboys who are up and down, ,especially travelling, as opposed to the Dogs consistency. I'd put on a treble with those two and the resurgent Sharks giving a measly 1.5 to the disgusting Roosters. I'd actually probably take the Windsor Wolves giving 1.5 to the Roosters at the moment, they have kept the last couple relatively close but they cannot buy an actual win.

Over to the GAMBLORS......

Origin Summary

After yet another disappointing defeat at the hands of the QLDers last night I would like to give my report on the NSW 1-17.

1. Gidley-Not enough involvement from the back, was very dangerous when moved into hooker and looks made for that spot in game 3.
2. Williams-HOLD THE BALL, DON'T PASS, DON'T KICK. If he could do these he might have had a good game, unfortunately he made more errors than Hodges did on debut and must be dropped for the last game.
3. Lyon-Solid but very uninspiring in attack.
4. Monaghan-Very ordinary, didn't offer anything and should be moved to the wing or dropped.
5. Hayne-DY-NA-MITE game from Hayne on the wing and fullback. NSW's best by far, should play fullback for game 3.
6. Barrett-Did a few good things but didn't seem to guide the team around well enough for someone with his experience. Good cheap shot on Inglis was his best work
7. Wallace-GOOOOOOOOOONE. Another terrible game must end his rep career for now. Kicking and passing game were sub standard and I think he shouldn't have been brought back out after half time.
8. Kite-Was benched early on for lack of involvement and intensity. Was walking after 7 minutes and was the man who didn't make the effort and let Inglis score the 1st try. Would be on thin ice if NSW had more front rowers.
9. Farah-Couldn't get much going with the amount of errors NSW made. His passing game is very average for a hooker which is a concern. Doesn't tackle like a forward either eg missing that one on Folau for his 1st try. Ennis should get a go in QLD.
10. Weyman-I thought he a good game, not brilliant but very solid and doesn't make any errors. Bellamy made a big mistake by benching him too long between 14-50 minutes mark.
11. O'Donnell-One of our best forwards, tried hard but didn't have much help
12. Creagh-Hands let him down badly with a few dropped balls(Lockyer try wasn't his fault) and didn't hit the line with much gusto, back to the bench for game 3.
13.Gallen-Passenger for the whole game, no impact and shouldn't have been picked.
14. Poore-Ok impact but hands also let him down, below best.
15. Stewart-Good impact in defence and ran the ball well. Handling errors also hurt his game.
16. Watmough-2nd best forward behind O'Donnell. Hit hard in defence and hit the line hard in attack, must start last game.
17. Morris-Should have been on at half time. Couldn't make any impact with limited minutes. Has to be picked in starting 13 for game3.

Fatletes

I was watching the English Super League the other day and noticed that Mark Riddel was actually looking fatter then when he was in the NRL. He had a decent sized keg protruding from his Jersey. This made me wonder about who is possibly the best fat athlete in the history of sport.

There seem to be a few cricketers who fit into the category. People like Lehman, Hughes and Boon clearly drank too much piss and didn't do too much running on the field. There are some fat League stars that come to mind i.e. Ridell, Craige, Widders, Lazarus and Webcke. Other international "Fatletes" include John Daly, Ronaldo (not Cristiano) and Shaq.

Do you know of any other "Fatletes" ??
Who do you nominate as the most skillful and talented "Fatlete" in the history of sport ?

Jail Bird

Do you guys think he will end up behind bars ??

I personally don't think so. Id say he will end up with some community service.

Have fun guys!

This is the sign on the Black course at the Bethpage Golf Club where the current US Open golf major is being played. Doesn't that just fill you with enthusiasm as your are about to tee off on the 1st. To make things worse for the poor fools playing this tournament, it is going to rain and be quite windy the entire tournament making the already difficult course IMPOSSIBLE. I think we will see the winner shooting something around 4 OVER par to win this thing, and that's being generous. Good to see these Pro's having a hard time just like every time I walk onto a golf course and hack it up. I think if I played on this course I would probably need 10 balls per hole and would shoot about 200 for the round.

Props Pentathlon

I absolutely love this segment on NRL on FOX.

Sports bets of the week

Although George should definitely be leading this parade, I thought I'd start things off with two good things- The AllBlacks to beat France by more than 13 paying 2.25 because I don't think you will ever see a more motivated team than this weeks All Black mob.
Roll it into the Wallbies to cover the 23.5 paying 1.70 and thank me later.

Also, with the NRL in Origin stayaway mode, don't pick individual games but pick a high/low roughie- I like Manly high Penrith low paying a juicy 23 bucks- the high is a lottery but other teams are more affected by Origin than are Manly and Penrith might struggle to score against the Dogs, who aren't too Origin-depleted. Dogs/Penrith is actually the fave at 9 bucks here, but thats a bit short.

Over to George for his weekly collect......

Melbourne Heart??!

This is the name announced as the new franchise to join the A League next season 2010-11. What a joke. Surely we can come up with more appealing names than the appallingly weak ones currently in place in soccer, or football as the purists are trying to have it called.

The Perth Glory, Melbourne Victory, and the CC Mariners are just a few other examples of weak as piss names. Sums up the sport in this country still unfortunately.

Until you come up with some decent names and some decent 'football' to watch in the normal footy off season, then we will continue to call the game SOCCER and not football in this country. Sort it out FFA

Poor commentary

I would like to get your opinions on what I think was poor biased commentary by Phil Gould on Sunday in the Saints Vs Cowboys game. Twice in the 1st half Jonathon Thurston did cross field kicks from within his own 30 metre line looking for his winger. Twice the ball went into touch inside his own half handing possession back to the Dragons and putting them on the attack. Instead of giving Thurston a serve, Gould loved the tactic and thought it was a good idea because of Saints compressed defensive line. If this was any run of the mill halfback they would have been slammed for these actions and the pressure they were putting their team under. Because it is JT and Gould obviously has a man crush on him he was complimented for what was a very high risk play, TWICE in 1 half. If it was a better attacking side it could have easily been 24nil at half time. I remember Tim Smith doing it in the 2005 finals series and getting absolutely slammed by the commentators.
I think this is also the problem with Dally M voting. Players like Thurston, Slater etc get votes they don't deserve because of "Man Love" from the person awarding the points. How often do you go "Your Kidding" when the man of the match is awarded? Sure they are very good players but get preferential treatment more than they should.

Mason going to the Land of the Rising Sun

"FIRST it was boxing, then NFL, and now Willie Mason wants to quit the NRL to play rugby union in Japan. The controversial career of Mason is poised to fade away in the Land of the Rising Sun with Brad Fittler last week giving the 115kg behemoth permission to negotiate with Japanese rugby clubs"

He will be sorely missed... Such a talent !! . Why the hell are they willing to pay $700k for a soft, fat and lazy slug is beyond me ?!?! Maybe he can get a start on Takeshi's castle ??

NSW Origin Injuries

The man pictured in the pink beard surely has now played or should I say tackled his way to a Blues Jersey. That tackle on Coote is the best cover tackle I have seen since Sattler in '03. He tripped with 40m to go and should have had no hope in hell of catching a flying Coote, but some how found an extra leg and dragged him into touch. Awesome!! He also was excellent under the high ball and makes no mistakes. Mcmanus has an injury cloud over him but I think he will be dropped for the Wolfman regardless.

Injuries- Bailey is out and its looks as though Watmough is in on the bench. He was excellent on Saturday night and is leading the league in tackle busts.
Lewis is out and Stewart will most likely replace him on the bench.
Gallen will be back to the starting line up with Laffranchi possibly pushed to 18th man
If Jennings or Lyons don't play then I think Matt Cooper has done enough to earn a recall. I was a massive Monaghan fan but the last 2 games I think he has struggled. He would do the job if put there but Cooper was outstanding on the weekend and is hard to look past.
Campese - How bad is he going ?? Dropped the ball cold on the last tackle, made plenty of bad plays and a terrible kicking game. His origin selection has killed his momentum. Has it gone to his head ?? If Mullen is fit then he has to be included if not then what about Barrett ? Is he too old ? Soward a chance ??
Wing is in doubt also with a hamstring injury. What decent utilities are left ?? Can Soward fill this gap or do we need someone like Hornby, Patten or for a bolter Wade Mckinnon?

Picks of the Week

Even though George should be running this given some of his recent tips- here are three specials for this weeks NRL sked-
Manly (-2.5) over PENRITH Sure Penrith beat the Tigers, but without Lewis and Jennings they won't beat a rounding-into-form Manly.
Newcastle ($2.30) over WARRIORS- If NZ can lose to Cronulla, they can lose to anyone
Melbourne (-12.5) over SOUTHS- Souths have resumed sucking, while Melbourne have resumed dominating.
Over to the GAMBLORS.....

NRL game called off?

I have heard a rumour that if K Hunt is quarantined, as expected, with the swine flu that the whole Broncos side may be also quarantined for up to 72 hours meaning they wouldn't be able to play this Friday night against the Dogs. What is the fair course of action here? Does the NRL call this game a draw and award each side 1 point? I would be in favour of a Wednesday night game as a catch up like the old Panasonic and Amco Cup days. Thoughts?

Stood Down! For this...

This is management and team discipline gone made…

let me get this right. He is a unmarried bloke and he takes a girl back to his hotel room for a shag.

And he gets stood down…..

If you have ever met Joel…. There is no way he is proficient enough in the English language to write the statement….


“I invited a young lady, who I'd been communicating with for a month or so beforehand, to my room at our team hotel and we spent some time together alone,'' Clinton said in a statement.

“By inviting the lady to my room, I clearly breached the club's strict policy, which is well-known to me and all the players. “At a time when the game is battling off-field controversies, this was a particularly foolish decision.

Beyond a Joke

These refs are kidding.
The try awarded to Farah before half time in the Friday night defies common sense.
Anyone watching the game would've thought that Marshall was tackled. Why does it matter whether his arm hit the ground or not, his momentum was stopped and his whole body except one arm were on the ground, and he was wrapped up by the defender. If thats not a pass off the ground I'm Andrew Johns.
How does that not constitute a tackle? Common sense has completely left the area of rugby league officiating. The whole replay system is a farce- watching 18 replays to make a decision is ridiculous.
The system should be changed to be more like the NFL system- make the ref on the ground make a call, and if there is doubt, the replay official has 90 seconds and/or 5 replays to find irrefutable evidence to overturn the decision on the field. No coaching challenges like in the NFL, but the refs should be making the decision and then unless it was a blatant mistake visible in a couple of replays, the call stands.
The current system is reaping too many nonsense calls and must be changed immediately.

AFL Drug Policy

For those who did not watch last nights NRL Footy Show, Jason Akermanis was one of the guests and he discussed the three strike AFL drug policy. I personally think this policy is excellent. The theory behind it is that the first strike is designed for the younger players who go back home and get blotto and make bad out of character decisions like taking cocaine. They get their warning and thats it. If that same person does it for a second time and is caught then there is a problem and they go into counselling and rehab. If they do it a third time then see you later, your a drugo try and get a run for the Roosters in the NRL.

"The AFL says it will expand its illicit drug testing regime even further in 2009, after 10 players failed tests last year.
Of the 10, two players failed two tests each, putting them among a list of seven players with two strikes. Under the AFL's three strike drug policy, players who fail three tests within four years will be named and face an 18 game ban and a $5,000 fine".

It is obvious that recreational drugs are used by players of all sports in Australia and its funny that the NRL has been tainted by having a couple of players get done in the last few years and receive long bans where there have been 10 players in the AFL in the AFL tests positive in the last 12 months and it appears as though they haven't even missed a game.

As long as the drug isn't performance enhancing then I think the AFL is on the money. People make mistakes and shouldn't have the book thrown at them. If they do it again then take action. Opinions on the policy ? Should the NRL take the same steps ?

Andrew Symonds

"All-rounder Andrew Symonds is being sent home from the World Twenty20 cricket tournament in England for breaking a number of team rules related to alcohol and other issues".

Can we just let the guy have a beer or what ?? Opinions ?

Origin 1 wrap up

I thought it was a fairly boring origin compared to its usually high standards. NSW and Queensland both played below par and there were very few big hits or any biff. NSW didn't deserve to even be in the match. The scoreline was flattering. Inglis was excellent and Thurston played well as usual but no one else from QLD really stood out from my point of view. 

For NSW Hayne, Wing and Lewis gave everything they had and are the probably the only blues that can hold their heads high. The impact of Wing off the bench was excellent, he turned the match straight away. Lewis tested the maroons line a few times and made some good defensive decisions. Hayne was excellent and needs to be involved more. I think he needs to be the fullback for game 2.

Changes ???

I don't think NSW will make many changes but I really hope they make a couple. Hayne to fullback and Gidley to either 5/8 or hooker. If we move Gidley to hooker then we can bring in Mullen at 6 and drop Campese. Campese really struggled to make any impact and looked out of sorts. Mullen is in form and has been there before. Laffranchi also played very average and you would expect that Stewart will come in for him. Mcmanus struggled too and we need Monaghan's size and strength in there to slow down Inglis on the right hand side.

One positive the on field refs actually went ok. Shame about the video ref call. In the end it probably didn't matter anyway. 

 What are your thoughts and suggestions ?

NSW Raped?

I like to think of myself as a fair, open minded person who isn't overly bias and can cop it when the better man/team wins. I can't cop everyone saying that QLD were the dominant force in last nights game and NSW were lucky to get close, NSW were raped. AS I was watching the game with a few mates we commented at full time that Shayne "I want to be Bill Harrigan" Hayne and Tony "Little bitch" Archer should have went down to the NSW change rooms and requested each player to drop their shorts and bend over. They had been fucking them over all night so whats another few minutes guys! The level of inconsistency and SOFT penalties favouring QLD was ridiculous. Some main points that come to mind are
1. The Jarrod Hayne NO TRY. I believe it probably wasn't a try but can't be certain. How does Bill Harrigan look at the footage almost 10 times and then say definitely that it is no try. He has to have doubt in his mind and should have referred it back for a refs call. Bill is too arrogant to say he doesn't know anything so had to say NO TRY, what a joke.
2. Late in the 1st half Ben Creagh hits the ball up, gets tackled, gets to his feet to play the ball. Mick Croker comes in late and elbows/tackles Creagh to the ground and he loses the ball. PENALTY to QLD for not getting up to play the ball. I know what standing on you feet and playing the ball looks like and that was a fair example by Ben Creagh and he was penalised for it. NSW had momentum which was killed off by a blatantly poor call.
3. QLD attacking the NSW line, bomb goes up for Folau who collides with a NSW player also looking at the ball. Folau takes a dive and gets the penalty. Replay clearly showed both players only looking at the ball, another poor decsion. QLD score off the next set.

That was all in the 1st half and effectively ruined any chance of NSW winning the game. They did try hard in the 2nd half but couldn't bridge the gap enough. You again have to wonder how the 2 referees, linesman and video ref can all have calls that go against the same team on the night?
NSW can definitely be positive about their chances in game 2 as they showed with no luck and minimal ball they can compete with QLD.

Another Crazeeee British Pastime!

Do yourself a favour and have a look at the link below. It is to the Cotswold Olympicks 2009 "Shin Kicking" tour. Very simple violent game played by out of their mind Britsih Isle geezers. All you have for protection is as much straw as you can pack into you pants. I think the rednecks out here would love it. Check out the You Tube video at the bottom, fast forward to about the 1 minute mark and enjoy. Have your sound on as the sound of boot on shin is great.
http://www.pillow.co.uk/shin-kicking.html

Stupidity

I wanted to put this in the Mad Moments in Sport but its just not good enough...

Harbhajan Singh and Sree Sreesanth - The slap and the tears

"Harbhajan, who is leading the Mumbai Indians in the absence of injured Sachin Tendulkar, allegedly slapped Sreesanth when the paceman said "hard luck'' following his team's 66-run win".

I hate Harbhajan more then any other "athlete", and I use the term athlete very losely. This guy is a racist wanker that is very typical of alot of Indians. The Symonds "Monkey" taunts show what sort of person he is !! It was not a surprise to see him slap Sreesanth in the IPL. It was a dog act but at the same time a part of me was happy to see Sreesanth get slapped because he is almost equally as annoying. His reaction to the slap was a joke...seriously crying over that ??? Both their antics on the field is poor and they both of them should go into the cricket wilderness, never to be heard of again!!

Mad Moments in Sport - Part 2 (i)

Mike Tyson bitting Evander Holyfield's ear off !!