Hull KR land first blow in Middle 8’s
Hull KR
haven’t done anything easy this season and that trend continued in the opening
game of the Middle 8’s on Saturday afternoon against Championship Title winners
Leigh Centurions.
Leigh had
not lost a home game for nearly 2 years and Rovers away form, in Super League
at least, has been atrocious this year with just 1 win from 12 away games so
there was no surprise that the Centurions were heading into this game in
confident mood and this really was an acid test for them to confirm that they
were good enough for Super League.
 |
| Dane Chisholm |
The first 40
minutes could not have gone much better for Leigh. They went in at half time
24-6 up despite Chisholm opening the scoring with a 90 metre try for Rovers –
that was the only positive for the Super League side, for the rest of the half
they were awful and just could not handle the open and swift style of rugby
league that the Centurions were throwing at them – if it wasn’t for the
intervention of Kris Welham and Ken Sio then Leigh would have had 2 more tries
and the game would have been out of the reach of the Super League side.
The Greg
McNally try when he followed a Ryan Brierley break and kick on was brilliant.
Half time
was the best thing to happen for Hull KR but I still did not expect Rovers to
get the win – however, Leigh came out and did not play with the same confidence
that they did in the first half and lacked composure and discipline (especially
Gareth Hock who became a liability) – whereas Rovers tightened up on ball
control and discipline and ground the Centurions down.
Kieran Dixon
got Rovers off to the best possible start in the second half when he backed up
a Graeme Horne half break to scorch down the right wing to score under the
posts. A Leigh penalty goal was all they could muster in the second half as
Rovers scored 30 points to record a 36-26 victory.
Rovers fans
knew this game would be tough but Rovers first half performance was
unacceptable and Chester needed to vent his spleen at half time to get the
reaction he wanted from his team – in the first half Leigh played superbly and
caused Rovers all sorts of problems and they would have blown any Championship
side away before half time – but Super League sides tend to stick around and
play for the full 80 minutes and this is where Leigh failed.
Their
composure and discipline disappeared in the second half when Rovers started
piling the pressure on and the game management of the Rovers half backs
Chisholm and Maurice Blair was far superior in the second half.
However, the
Centurions can be very proud of their effort but the question is still out as
to whether they will make it to Super League at the end of the Middle 8
qualifiers – at the minimum they will be in the ‘million pound’ game that will
decide the 12th Super League team for 2016 – but they will now be fully aware
of the tough task they have ahead of them.
BBC beats Sky
Coming back
to Sky’s coverage of Rugby League this weekend after sampling the BBC coverage
of last week’s hugely entertaining Challenge Cup semi-finals was like going
back to drinking cheap wine from Asda after spending a week sampling the wares
of a world class vineyard – put simply it was boring, bland and irritating. |
| Mark Chapman - leads the BBC coverage very well. |
Not only
were the Cup semi-finals two outstanding games of RL but everything about the
BBC coverage, in my view, outstrips the Sky coverage – from the quality of the
commentators and analysts obviously, the pitch side analysis of Robbie
Hunter-Paul, the studio analysis made up of current intelligent rugby league
players such as Jamie Peacock, Jon Wilkin and Eorl Crabtree, all held together
by the professionalism of Mark Chapman who clearly has a passion for the sport.
Add in the
BBC’s vast archive of Challenge Cup history that they have in their vaults, the
regular nod to the games greats plus the innovative ‘player mic’ and the fact
that terrestrial TV makes the game more available to the wider public and pulls
in bigger audiences than satellite TV, 1.3m viewers for the Friday night
semi-final between Leeds and Saints and 1.4m for the Saturday afternoon Hull KR
v. Warrington semi-final, and you have many plus points for having more rugby
league available on terrestrial TV. The BBC also have the high quality Super
League Show.
The only
swap I would make is Brian Carney for Jonathan Davies – Davies is a legend of
both codes but I think his preference is for Union and he certainly has more
knowledge of the modern day Union game than he does of League whereas Carney is
a shining light of the Sky coverage and should front all of Sky’s Rugby League
coverage.
Chris Sandow joins Warrington.
Chris
Sandow’s debut for Warrington Wolves did not go to plan on Friday night as the
Wolves suffered a heavy 49-10 defeat at Leeds Rhinos in their opening fixture
of the Super 8’s.
Warrington
have struggled all season to find a successful half back combination and have
never quite got it right – I suppose it is fair to say that they have never
found a suitable replacement for Lee Briers. The likes of Chris Bridge, Richie
Myler, Stefan Ratchford and Gareth O’Brien have all shone at times in the half
back positions as individuals but it has been finding the right combination of
halves that has eluded them this season. |
| Chris Sandow - not the best debut. |
Landing
Chris Sandow from Parramatta Eels a little earlier than they expected – he was
released early by the Eels after falling out with Head Coach Brad Arthur and
has agreed a 2 ½ year deal with the Wolves – should give them a boost as they
head into the Super 8’s with the hope of moving up from 6th spot,
where they finished after 23 rounds, into the top 4 after 30 rounds and the opportunity
to play for the right to make the Grand Final for the 3rd time.
The Wolves are
currently 4 points behind 4th place Huddersfield Giants and it will
be hell of a task to make up that gap in the remaining 6 games – it is possible
though and the Sandow magic could be just what they need to fire their back
line but even though he has been playing regularly for Parramatta Eels in the
NRL it will still take him time to settle in at the Wolves and produce the kind
of skill and imagination that he is capable of.
Sandow is
anything but predictable and is very much a player in the mould of Albert Kelly,
who has been outstanding for Hull KR this season, and I believe the space and
time he will have in Super League, the ability of his outside backs and his desire
to prove a lot of people in Australia wrong will take Warrington Wolves to
another level in the long term.
He is fast
and strong, skilful, plays off the cuff and has a solid kicking game and I
believe he will light up Super league IF he keeps his mind on the job and does
not get distracted or fails to settle in the North West.
Sandow
struggled with the pressure of being a high earning NRL star and has never
quite fulfilled the potential that he clearly has and he was fond of often returning
to his hometown of Cherbourg, a remote Queensland town, when the pressure got
too much – no chance of him doing that from Warrington!!!!
I don’t
think Sandow’s talents will be enough to get the Wolves into this season’s
semi-finals but from next season onwards I think Sandow will become one of the
stand out performer’s in Super League and could be a contender for the 2016 Man
of Steel – I think Super League is made for him.
The next England coach?
 |
| USA Coach Brian McDermott |
McDermott
obviously has strong views on the situation at Salford and you can understand
his comments as the club seems to be falling apart behind the scenes. The
ridiculous situation with Head Coach Iestyn Harris still being on ‘sick leave’
and never being mentioned in any kind of press release that Koukash makes, the
Kevin Locke debacle, Theo Fages attempting to terminate his own contract, Rangi
Chase rumoured to be heading to pastures new, Cory Patterson being linked with
Leigh Centurions, poor crowds all season apart from when free entry is given
etc etc – it sure must be tough being a Red Devils supporter.
However, my
main concern with McDermott was him being named as the Head Coach of the USA
and the news that he will be leading them into the 2017 World Cup that is being
held in Australia and New Zealand.
How has this
been allowed to happen?
McDermott is
certainly the best English born coach in Super League – if not the best coach –
and the fact that he will not be leading England into the World Cup diminishes
our chances of having a major impact on the competition in my opinion.
He is a
winner, his record at the Rhinos (2 Super League Titles, 1 Challenge Cup and 1
World Club Title) is outstanding but more importantly his teams play exciting
rugby league and he puts faith in young players and is currently successfully
re-building a Leeds side that will be without a number of long serving star
players next year.
The RFL
should have made it clear to McDermott that he was their choice to lead his
home nation to the next World Cup – instead the mighty USA have got in there
and got the services of a top level coach with a proven successful track record
at the top level of the game in a major Rugby League playing nation – it
beggars belief it really does.
It also begs
the question as well – who will lead England into the 2017 World Cup?
I think
Steve McNamara has done a good job as England Head Coach but I also think that
he has taken the team as far as he can – we need a coach who can win the big
games against Australia and New Zealand and not just make us competitive, I
think McDermott would have been that man. He is clearly respected by his
players and has a confident no-nonsense approach.
But that
option is now closed and there is no other English born coach that I would like
to see in charge of the National side – I certainly don’t want Shaun Wane as
the next England coach and I think Paul Anderson needs to gain more experience
but is an option for the future.
So, who will
it be??
Busy Dragons
It seems
every day for the last few weeks there has been a story about Catalans Dragons
in the press and they have certainly been busy re-building their squad for
2016.
My concern
for the Dragons though is that they are losing some top quality players and I
don’t think there replacements are going to be of similar quality and they may
struggle to make the 8 in 2016 – a bit early to say that I know.
To lose one
high class second rower, with Elliot Whitehead moving to Canberra Raiders next
year is bad enough, but to then lose his partner in crime and without doubt one
of their stand out players this year, Zeb Taia, to the Gold Coast Titans is
near enough a disaster. Add in the fact that Benjamin Garcia, an outstanding young
French back rower, is also heading to the NRL, with Penrith Panthers, and there
are some big boots to fill. |
| Dave Taylor |
I’m not sure
that there replacements, former one time Australian international and
Queensland State of Origin representative Dave Taylor who has been signed from
Gold Coast Titans and Justin Horo, signed from Manly Sea Eagles, are up to the
job.
Taylor is a
big unit, 6’2” and over 19 stone, and on his day the ‘coal train’ can be
rampant and damaging but his form over the last 2 years has been patchy and he
has been dropped from first grade recently by the Titans whilst Horo is a solid
player at best.
The loss of
Scott Dureau and Ian Henderson will hit the Dragons just as hard and whilst the
signing of Leeds Rhinos hooker Paul Aiton should fill the gap left by Henderson
– Aiton turned down a new deal with the Rhinos to head to the South of France –
I’m clear that Richie Myler is not in the same league as Dureau.
Myler is
another one that can be devastating when he is on form but he has been dropped
numerous times by Warrington Wolves since being signed as the most expensive
teenager in the world for £200,000 from Salford for the start of the 2010
season and has not been selected for an international squad since 2012 – he has
immense talent but he needs to be more consistent and the Dragons will be
hoping that a fully fit Todd Carney can form an effective half back partnership
with the enigmatic Myler.
Former Wigan
wingman Pat Richards has signed from Wests Tigers and whilst he has been
outstanding on his return to the NRL he will be 34 by the start of the 2016
season. He may replace Michael Oldfield who has been looking at the possibility
of returning to the NRL himself.
Whilst the
Dragons are losing quite a few players, you can add young powerhouse Gadwin
Springer to that list after he joined Castleford Tigers earlier this year, they
have extended the contract of three quarter Tony Gigot who has been a stand out
performer this year and have awarded full time contracts to Academy players
Lucas Albert and Fouad Yaha – both have made their Super League debuts this
year and Yaha, in particular, impressed before a shoulder injury ruled him out
for the season.
One
interesting question is whether they will keep hold of former New Zeal and
international Krisnan Inu beyond the end of this season. Inu signed a short
term deal from French Rugby Union a couple of months ago and has been
outstanding – the Dragons squad will be a lot stronger if he is in it.
So, it has
been a busy time at the Dragons in the last few weeks and they will have an
overhauled squad in 2016 – it will be interesting to see how it performs.
Fifita twins should miss Finals
 |
| Fifita Twins |
The Fifita
twins, both professionals with the Cronulla Sharks, Andrew has played State of
Origin for NSW and international Rugby League for Australia – have been found
guilty of intimidating Junior League officials.
David was
acting as an on field trainer and Andrew was spectating and both have been
found guilty of intimidating the three match officials – one of them an off
duty police officer who filmed the incident – and local league officials have
said all three match officials were ‘’rattled’’ by the incident and had to be
escorted to their cars for their own safety.
Apparently,
one of the brothers had to be restrained to stop him from getting to the
referee and Andrew entered the playing area unsanctioned to try and stop the
official recording the incident on his phone.
The Penrith
Junior League have served a 12 month ban on both brothers which stops them
attending any Junior game organised by the Penrith League – a decent ban
without a doubt and wholly warranted.
This
intimidation of Junior League match officials took place in front of other
children and families and as high profile professional players the Fifita
brothers should have known better and should have been caned by the NRL.
Instead they
have both been handed 6 game bans, backdated to the date of the incident, which
means they will miss the rest of the regular season but WILL be available for
the play-off series which the Sharks look likely to qualify for – all very
handy.
Both will
perform 25 hours Community Service to support match official across the Cronulla
Sutherland District and Andrew has been fined AUS$30,000 and will undergo an
anger management course – obviously, he was the one who tried to physically
attack the referee.
This is all
a bit too light for me – what is AUS$30,000 to an experienced NRL player on a
big contract? They probably have 25 hours spare per week so will have the
Community Service done in no time and will be nice and fresh going into the
Finals series.
What message
does this send to match officials about the protection they receive and also
what message does it send to children AND parent’s when they see professional
player’s behaving like this – if he can do it, so can I?
Both players
should have been banned for the rest of the playing year and been made to do a
referee’s course and referee Junior games every week until their Penrith Junior
League ban expired – without referee’s there is no game and we need to be
encouraging younger people to take up refereeing.
I have seen
abuse of match official in my local league on and off over the years and am
aware of referee’s being followed home and have seen them attacked on pitches –
no way would I want to be a referee – it’s a thankless task.
A bit of
extra time thinking…
I was sad to
see the news that New Zealand half back Shaun Johnson has been ruled out of the
end of year Test series in England. Johnson suffered a serious ankle injury
when scoring his second try of the match for the Warriors against Manly Sea
Eagles at the back end of July. Johnson is the current holder of the Golden
Boot and has been instrumental in helping New Zealand gain the world no. 1
ranking that the Aussies had held for so long. Whilst his absence gives England
a greater chance of winning the Test Series in November it will be a great
shame that this hugely entertaining and exciting young player will not be
showcasing his skill on our shores. Plus it would have been nice to get him
back for his last minute try in the 2013 World Cup semi-final.
Just a quick
nod to a couple of former Hull KR players currently plying their trade in the
NRL. Last season’s co-captain and hooker Josh Hodgson is earning rave reviews
for his performances for Canberra Raiders. The Raiders where a lot people’s
favourites for the wooden spoon this year but coach Ricky Stuart has recruited
well and whilst they have not set the NRL alight they have suffered some close
defeats that, if they had gone the other way, would have seen the Raiders in
the top 8. Hodgson has played superbly all year and is already a major
favourite with the Raiders fans. The other ex-Rovers player I want to mention
is Clint Newton. ‘Mean Machine’ was a huge favourite at Craven Park during his
4 year spell at the club from 2008-2011 and is still remembered fondly. He has
announced that he will retire at the end of the year and I know that every Hull
KR fan will wish Clint the very best for the future and will hope that he will
return to East Hull for a visit early in his retirement.
Many Sea
Eagles have finally confirmed that Head Coach Geoff Toovey is going to be replaced
with the untested Trent Barratt in 2016. This has caused consternation amongst
Manly fans and members who do not like the fact that a club legend has been
removed from his position a year early and also that a coach with no
affiliations to Manly or any Head Coach experience will be taking the helm. The
decision is tough on Toovey. He has taken the Sea Eagles to a Grand Final and
the play off’s in the other 2 season and it is only this year that they have
struggled for form under Toovey and even now they are making a late charge for
the play offs. Barratt is making sure there is a major clear out of players and
backroom staff for next year so the former Australia international will be
under intense pressure right from the off next year.
You can
follow me on Twitter @sharpster69
No comments:
Post a Comment