Thoughts on Dogs Roosters game

• Defence is not the strong point of either team
• Jim Dymock may need a while to turn around the Dogs
• Ben Barba scored an exciting length of the field try
• Ben Barba does not like high kicks
• Brian Smith is the perfect coach for this situation at the Roosters (bringing a team at its knees back to respectability)
• Once a team is designated 'still a mathematical chance', that team has no chance of making it to the semi-finals
• It's been a long, long time since the Bulldogs missed the semis two years in a row. Chalk that up for this year

Thoughts on Manly Tigers game

• Benji Marshall is supreme
• Farah is pretty good too (I'd swap him for Ennis in a Bankstown heartbeat - far more creative and potent, although far less brainsnap-induceability)
  
• Manly let Hodkinson go for a reason
• Cherry Evans and Foran are good ball runners
• Matt Utai is not George Costanza
• Brett Stewart is an excellent fullback
• The Tigers *cannot* win it all; Manly can; LB prays neither does
• Gosford stadium is picaresque
• This game is to tonight's Dogs Roosters game as Missile Magnussen is to Eric The Eel
• Desce Hasler is no longer a nihilist Hindu ascetic - he's looking more and more like a cult leader
  

Carney, Clarke and Success

Todd Carney has turned to Michael Clarke for advice on dealing with his annus horribilis

I'll take it from here...

Carney is believed to be considering asking Lara Bingle out, but wants to seek the blessing of the man nicknamed Pup before he asks her out on a date.

"She's real purdy," Carney said.

Michael Clarke's manager, Les Biles, could not be reached for comment, although Clarke himself was happy to open up to League Blog.

"Yeah, Carnes and I have been having a few candlelit dinners to see if we can work out where he went wrong this year. We're pretty sure it's the coach's fault, and if not the coach, then the captain, and if not the captain, the selectors. I can rule out the vice captain as the source of anything annus horribilissy."

LB asked whether Clarke had given Carney the all clear to pursue Bingle.

"He wants to what? You have to be ****ing kidding me."

LB was then privvy to Clarke ringing Carney and engaging in a heated conversation. We of course won't divulge the contents of the conversation, other than to say it was mostly about exotic TAB bets.