Liars, cheats, and chokers, the bloody lot of them! With four teams remaining in this years competition, it’s clear that the adage ‘nice guys finish last’ is apt within the NRL with the Sea Eagles, Storm, Bulldogs, and Rabbitohs all resorting to dirty tricks in their quest for that elusive premiership.
Where do you start with a team like Manly? The original silver-tails have built their club on pouched players and favorable relations with the League hierarchy. Ken Atherson may no longer walk the halls of NRL headquarters but someone is still pulling a few strings for the boys from Brookvale. How else do you explain Steve Matai’s grade 2 charge for nearly knocking Sam Perret’s head from his shoulders? And last week? The less said about that the better but Kieran Foran’s knock-on would have been a match winning spike on any beach in Australia. Not that bitter rivals from Melbourne deserve any sympathy. Having been stripped of two premierships because of the salary cap rorting, their only remaining gong was on the back of a penalty try. The Storm also pioneered wrestling in the ruck which has continued its evolution to grapple tackles, chicken wings, and choke holds. Grubby!
Tonight’s game is shaping to be brutal and bloody with the two clubs, the most successful this decade, sharing a bitter rivalry. Adam Blair may no longer be around to duke it out with Glenn Stewart but there is still plenty of ill feeling from the all in brawl where Brett Stewart’s ran 30m to ‘protect’ his brother. Luckily his wild hay-maker missed it’s mark but it was still a dog shot that had the Storm fuming. There are some big match ups with Billy Slater vs Brett Stewart always pitched as a best running fullback clash but it’s Cooper Cronk’s battle with his heir apparent (for QLD and Australia), Daly Cherry-Evans that could be the game changer.
Makin da money – Pedestrian Top Tips
Melbourne $1.62 vs Manly $2.35 (Centerbet )
HT/NT Double – Sea Eagle/Storm @ $7.50.
Man of the Match Ryan Hinchcliffe [MEL] @ $26 .00 or Kieran Foran [MAN] @$ 11.00
First Tryscorer Will Chambers [MEL] @$13.00 or Jorge Taufua [MAN] @ $11.00
What a turn around for the Bulldogs this season. All they had to do was poach a rival coach mid-contract and open their kennel to high profile defectors like mid-season ship jumpers Krisnan Inu and Sam Perret. And it’s not like they haven’t been guilty of their own salary cap infractions in the past. We’ll have our eyes on you Greenberg! And Souths. Poor old South Sydney. People wore bell-bottoms and thought it was groovy last time they won the comp but there will be no sympathy here. Internal conflicts and the ridiculous tag as the league’s favorite team have always been a distraction from what’s happening on the field. Since Russell Crowe’s hostile take over, he’s made an effort to ensure the team was a sharp as the Armani suits he dressed them in but it has never looked like paying off as their culture of choking proved a tough one to break. It was only once the Rabbitohs stole Greg Inglis from the Bronco’s did they even begin to look like a team capable of making a dint come finals time. They’re not quite there yet.
Tomorrow night the Bulldogs head into the game as deserved favorites after a fantastic year. With the likes of Ben Barba running hot, the Dogs can score points from anywhere on the field and against the run of play so Souths are going to have to win the battle of the forwards if they are to have a chance of sneaking into their first grand final in 41 years. Greg Inglis has looked a little ginger in recent weeks but the Rabbitohs will need him at his best as well.
Makin da money – Pedestrian Top Tips
Canterbury $1.48 vs South Sydney $2.72 (Centerbet )
HT/NT Margin Double Canterbury 1-8 / Canterbury 13+ @ $8.00
Man of the Match Ben Barba [CBY] @$5.00 or Sam Burgess [SOU] @ $11.00
First TryscorerKrisnan Inu [CBY] @ $13.00 or Nathan Merritt [SOU] @ $11.00
So who are the fair-minded fans of the NRL supposed to barrack for now. Flip a coin for all I care but one thing is for sure; these rivalries between dirty trick merchants are sure to throw up their share of controversies over the next two weeks.
*All Centerbet odds displayed on page are subject to change
Picture by Getty Images
