It was heartening to see the renewed focus on scrum formation in round one, with referees lovingly adjusting players’ arms and giving precise instructions. Fantasy League operators are already scrambling to add a scrum formation metric to their player ratings.
The Bulldogs and Eels gave their fans reason to hope by winning against more fancied, though equally unattractive, opposition. This hope is far preferable to the pre-season hope that all clubs bar the Sharks have.
The two teams used different formulae for the victories. The Dogs employed a judicious mixture of recruitment and blind luck, which should put them in good stead for 2013 after the inevitable crash back to earth in 2012. The Eels hired new supercoach Stephen “Firm, not hard” Kearney, who obviously was the real reason for all the Storm’s since revoked amazing success.
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Exotic TAB options. While LB believes firmly that exotic and TAB should never be in the same sentence, it is a sign of the good health our game is in that new betting options are available. These include whether a field goal will be scored, and whether it will be kicked by a prop as the first scoring option. Here’s a TAB spokesman with more:
“If a punter follows a team that is a short-priced favourite in a match, he might simply prefer to take up to $4 about there being a field goal rather than $1.20 about his team winning, just so he still has an interest in the match.”
The NRL is said to be in highly advanced discussions with TAB about boosting the number of exotic options for Sharks and Panthers matches. Meanwhile David Gallop had this to add:
“While exotic bets raise concerns, we have to accept that there are elements of betting on the game that many people enjoy - particularly players and player agents. We don't want to drive punters to the offshore agencies, where it's completely unregulated. Allow me to make an analogy with drug or arms dealing – if we don’t do it, someone else will."
Such frankness is comforting, and appears to be spreading to player evaluations as well. Days after saying Greg Inglis’ natural position was fullback, Craig Bellamy has come out again and said that Chase Stanley’s natural position is sitting in the player’s box in a suit. Fantasy League operators have begun groundwork on a new competition which only allows players to play in their natural positions. LB feels it is high time this discussion was brought out into the open and hereby nominates Craig Bellamy's natural position as National Natural Position Coordinator.
“If a punter follows a team that is a short-priced favourite in a match, he might simply prefer to take up to $4 about there being a field goal rather than $1.20 about his team winning, just so he still has an interest in the match.”
The NRL is said to be in highly advanced discussions with TAB about boosting the number of exotic options for Sharks and Panthers matches. Meanwhile David Gallop had this to add:
“While exotic bets raise concerns, we have to accept that there are elements of betting on the game that many people enjoy - particularly players and player agents. We don't want to drive punters to the offshore agencies, where it's completely unregulated. Allow me to make an analogy with drug or arms dealing – if we don’t do it, someone else will."
Such frankness is comforting, and appears to be spreading to player evaluations as well. Days after saying Greg Inglis’ natural position was fullback, Craig Bellamy has come out again and said that Chase Stanley’s natural position is sitting in the player’s box in a suit. Fantasy League operators have begun groundwork on a new competition which only allows players to play in their natural positions. LB feels it is high time this discussion was brought out into the open and hereby nominates Craig Bellamy's natural position as National Natural Position Coordinator.
One of the best good news stories for 2011 is about to unfold this weekend. At Brookvale Oval, Brett Stewart will make his long-awaited return to his home ground in front of the Manly faithful, and the cheers as he runs onto the field will resound up and down the length of the northern beaches.
ReplyDeleteStewart may be the NRL version of Hurricane Carter: falsely tried (by media), could have been the champion of the world. The fact he has had to overcome two serious knee injuries only adds to the legend. On Sunday, in his return to his happy hunting ground, nothing less than two tries will do. That would bring up his century of tries and provide the perfect headline and photo opportunities for the Monday papers.
If the Knights win, then – simply - there are no rugby league gods after all. They can win all their other matches if they have to, but this one surely belongs to Manly and Brett Stewart.
And as for natural positions, Brett Stewart's natural position is on the back page, pictured racing over for yet another try. In contrast, David Gallop's natural position is seated cross legged, oblivious to the impending strike of the hammer to his knee.
As one proposed Manly banner summed it all up:
Stewart - Graceful
Gallop - Disgraceful
Carney - Full
What are the odds of that one making it onto the Channel 9 telecast?
A powerful, powerful entry Lachlan. You may be interested to know that Bob Dylan is collaborating with former Australian Idol champion Guy Sebastian in a wine selling business. Dylan has also reportedly developed a fetish for tattoos and has a giant cross on his chest, which he unfurls occasionally at concerts, and the words 'Sleeping Giant' on his forehead.
ReplyDeleteLB feels that banners are an underrated form of communication from the NRL proletariat. Hammertime's current favourite is Everybody Loves Weyman, although I'd ditch it in an instant for a Ben The Barba Beefcake one. LB