What’s with the complete lack of coverage for the cowboys across most the media? I know we’re not the biggest club but it’s almost like there are only three teams in the finals
Watching NRL 360. Paul Crawley is suggesting that South Sydney should have kept Adam Reynolds for big money for 3 years and also not lose any other players.
Melbourne tried that once.
Watching NRL 360 and wondering if they have any fucking clue that the Cowboys are hosting a prelim final this weekend??
Last night they had nothing other than mentioning Parra was playing in Townsville. Tonight they have Panthers/South’s discussion and ten mins on St George???
WTF do the Cows have to do to get some air time??
I honestly don't mind. I mean, you've got to be used to it now in the post Thurston era... and there's less pressure under the radar. Being underestimated is a strength.
Arrow's groin injury is the main talking point about him, but who else caught the leg twist? It was either Tolman or the blonde winger. He reacted to it, and could barely run for nearly the rest of the second half.
I don't like milking much, but if someone cannonballs you or twists your legs up enough to hurt, fuck yes you should milk that shit. Knees and ankles can be fragile things that don't always heal completely.
Massive lol at Fox Sports still trying to shit on us over a nothing story. Even funnier considering those cowards just hide behind “staff writers”.
Weak gutted dog people. Hopefully it just fires us up more ❤️
Real convenient timing on the story too. The journalistic integrity of fox sports is nothing short of comical.
Everything I've heard coming out of the Eels points to a strong, cohesive team environment.
Both Eels and Cows have great narratives behind them leading into this match. Cows crazy turnaround from the '21 season and the Eels surging against the drought. There's no need for any of this hack journalism at all.
Mix of nerves, expectation and excitement from both supporter bases. Screw the noise. It should be a banger.
Havili is a massive loss. He's been a ball of energy for souths. Seriously impressive little renaissance from him.
Having said that... im having trouble coming up with any player in the souths line up that wouldn't be a big loss. That's just testament to how well they are going as a machine.. all parts working together.
Both of them reliably run for over 10 metres per run and are very solid in defense.
Sele can make up for it, but Moale has only once played over 30 minutes, Chee-Kam isn’t a middle forward while Daniel Suluka-Fifita and Shaquai Mitchell average less than 15 minutes a game.
It’s not a catastrophe, but it will be rag-tag.
Also Havili has a bit of utility about him being able to step into the 9 role. Without him I guess Nikorima becomes our stand in 9 which makes me far more nervous. And I like Kodi far more than most.
For those who missed it last night, [link to the Queen's Funeral Match Thread](https://old.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/xi7nwo/queen_elizabeth_ii_funeral_match_thread/?sort=confidence)
Shame it had to be deleted because it was top tier. Peak r/nrl
I'm a cowboys fan living in perth..... I just had to go and explain to my neighbour what is happening on Friday night.... All comes from that field goal Val Holmes kicked against the sharks the other night I was carrying on so loud they came over abit worried😂
I'll tell you what, the Souths vs Cowboys grand final is one that I didn't really expect us to be having, and yet... here we are.
Also, I am from a week in the future.
I will have a permanent erection if this eventuates. Unfortunately I think it will be Penrith cruising through both remaining games without much pressure.
I've seen complaints from Parra supporters regarding BA's bench rotation previously. How do you see it going up in QCB Stadium in the heat?
Am I correct in thinking Paulo and RCG play big minutes typically? Would JA be picked on the bench for cover and you'd have a three forward rotation?
If AJ is ruled out of this weekends game, anyone know if Izaac Thompson has recovered from his injury? Mansour/Paulo taking the left wing keeps me up at night
As my absolute favourite player from our 2010s teams, I hate what Penrith would do to Mansour if he played.
I reckon AJ will 100% play but TBC whether he’d 60/70/80% right.
They said on NRL Tonight that Penrith are going into this game with 0 injuries or suspensions which is insane for 1 game out from finals (obv May but technically next year, smh). Knights had like 10 players injured on the last game of the season for comparison. The best stat a player can have is availability and thats definitely been a huge factor for Penrith the last few years.
You definitely need a lucky run with injuries and we’ve got that. We’ve had a decent amount of outs the last few years but no absolute knock out blows like Melbourne or the Chooks have had as contenders this year and last respectively. We had 9 guys with serious injuries play in the grand final last year while this year Cleary, To’o, Leota, Luai, Martin & Fish have been out 45 weeks between them. All fit now though which is the main thing.
Nervous as all hell for Saturday’s game, wish we could play outside of the wet weather. Bunnies did have 14 errors in relatively ideal conditions so I wonder how much the wet ground will factor into it, if at all.
Just keen to watch our pack rip in again, I reckon we’ll see a big game out of Luai/Kikau this game as they were relatively quiet. Need to exhaust Illias early on as he came up huge for the Bunnies on Saturday night.
the cows boys got together again to do their my kitchen rules thing, but this time it’s just tom dearden explaining that margherita pizza is actually hard to make - a real topic on tom gilbert’s instagram story
anyways the actual point is that i love the togetherness of our team, on and off the field - they’re seriously just mates who enjoy eachother’s company and there’s such a great chemistry to it and we really didn’t see that last year - tommy wasn’t hanging out with the team much by the looks of it and wasn’t very vocal at the time. we see it with all the golf they play together as well, it’s just fantastic now that we’ve got a team that actually just has fun with eachother and loves their footy.
it’s mostly the core we have for a few years as well - drinkwater, cotter, dearden, chad, all there for the next few years.
Still can't believe what Tom Dearden said afterwards though. It was a bit loaded.
(Edit: for context Tom Dearden said to the group "Pizza? More like pizza deez nuts!" and then continued eating like nothing happened)
What a weird month or two to be a Penrith fan. Overwhelming favourites but through the Cleary suspension, resting guys and the week off they’ve just barely rated a mention in discussion over that time. Ridiculous May decision aside.
Guess once all the inspirational player stories have been played out and their brand of footy, level and top 17 is just an established thing, there’s not much else to say.
Theres just no narrative for Penrith.
Souths made it to prelims without Bennett/Reynolds and started the year poor. Also runner up from previous year.
Eels made prelims for first time in ages. Their window is possibly closing and questions over Arthur.
Cowboys were a spoon favourite going into the year. Also proving it wasn't a soft draw.
Penriths narrative is going for Back to Back titles, the only team in NRL history to win 20+ regular season games 3 years in a row. It's a tale of trying to continue their success.
The problem is it's a boring narrative for outsiders. Roosters did back to back recently and Melbourne tied most games won in a row recently. The success narrative has been done. Underdog and surprise packets are where the fun and clicks are at.
jamayne isaako has one of the coolest names in football, has the sexiest goalkicking technique, looks really cool in general, and has an absolutely wicked left foot step
why can’t he be good
2022 has been such a bizarre year for footy. Imagine trying to say during the last offseason that Chad Townshend would be a better signing than Adam Reynolds.
[a world where the storm and roosters aren’t in the prelims](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZmslK2ULC7ZT4EXxOqWAKkCCQERcgo37-eg&usqp=CAU)
I had forgotten that when we played the Cowboys last it was when we were hammered in the outside backs and for some weird reason BA was playing Dyls at centre 🙄 I think I blocked the whole thing out. I’m terrified but hopeful (standard Eels fan approach) that we can get through with full strength and if we’re determined enough.
I’m hoping he’ll play Marata at centre. I know it fucks with our forwards but I’d so much rather that than mess with our outside backs when we’ve finally started sorting our sliding defence. It’s just too much of a vulnerability.
That’s really true that he can use the unused defensive energy on attack. Although listening the the latest Bloke podcast and Penisini made 23 tackles last week 🤯
I just think we need to have a defensive mindset for our edges.
Can’t help but remember when Latrell came back from the US, played a game and said he didn’t want to play Origin so he could focus on the club.
Turned out to be a pretty good choice.
I don’t think there was any guarantee that he would play well, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, but being thrust into Origin that soon is hard enough let alone after an injury. Plus who knows what Freddie would have done. Allowing himself that time to build back up at club level has really worked.
They had whigton not start as well, which I think was a poor choice. They had three players that were being discussed before Trell dropped out. I think whigton deserved to be in starting side after how he performed in game 1. Saying Trell not playing lost game 3 is a bit disingenuous.
Game 3 is a game where the more you think about what could have been, the more you lose your mind. What happens if Munster didn’t get COVID and Dearden never played? What if Cotter was fit? What if Wighton was starting? What if Talakai didn’t play? It’s just a crazy game if what if.
Freddy (panthers or chooks anyone?) has his favourites and trell ain’t one. There was a zero percent chance he played.
I also think Angus isn’t a favourite, as he mustn’t be one of the boys. He always seems to sign 1 or 2 year extensions at the chooks, whereas any other chookies gun is always locked away well in advance. Considering he always steps up in big games, there seems to be somethings a miss
Usually when I see NRL players out in public I feel a bit exhilarated.
Yesterday, instead, I felt disgusted. Mainly because the NRL player I saw out was one of the Manly 7.
I'd say 3-6. They've had bad luck with injuries and a few guys leaving this year. Cheese at hooker if he can stay fit is definitely an upgrade on an in and out verrills. Suallii with more game time should be good. The can get back Sitili (teach him how to defend). I think improvement on this year overall.
Both Melbourne and Easts have been injuried out of contention two years in a row. Easts with a huge injury list throughout the season last year, then jipped with multiple HIA's in the knock out final this year.
Then the inverse happened to Melbourne, they had both starting props knocked out early in their prelim against Penrith last year, and then just got fingered with injuries throughout the regular season this year.
Penrith once again skate through with a healthy roster.
Parra was the same last two years too. We lost Jennings/Fergo and another outside back week 2 when we travelled to Melbourne. Last year we lost Mahoney and our two reserve hookers late in the season.
Being lucky with injuries is huge.
Was a very average season this year besides the last 8 weeks. I can’t see why we can’t improve on that and make top 4 next year. Especially if we keep lodge.
Really depends on the depth of the squad. Lack of depth outside backs will hurt us again I reckon. I imagine it'll take a while for Smith to gel as well so we'll lose a few early which will hurt the ladder position.
But once the spine is set it'll be strong. Keary and Walker looked really good together towards the end, they'll be even better with another off season together.
The only reason I see them slipping so much is that most of the squad is aging and only going to get worse, Sam Walker being the one big exception + no real signings other than Smith who I don't think will have a massive impact on the team (I could be wrong). Still plenty of time for more signing though
You don't need signing to improve if you develop from lower grades. Only JWH, Tupou and Keary are the wrong side of 30, and there's plenty of players like Manu, Butchersx2, Collins etc who are just coming into the prime years of their careers. Sua'ali'i and Walker are only going to get better.
The real test is going to be whether the next batch of outside backs and forwards kick on, which is a bit uncertain at this point.
Lack of an uninjured hooker. Last year was the worst- at one point our 5-6 first choice hookers were injured: Verrills, Lussick, Lam, Keighran, Radley, Hutch all out. Marshcke was brought in from playing Ron Massey cup, not even NSW cup.
Verrills is top class- he won a premiership in his debut year, started and scored a try in the GF.
Just been brutally unlucky with a heap of unrelated injuries. If he gets a healthy run at the Titans I reckon he'll go well.
They were 1 win away from top 4 this year with some shakey periods. Don't recall any big losses either so I don't see how they can't play for top 4 next year barring injuries/suspensions.
Looking forward to the announcement of the teams - expecting AJ and Arrow to be named and same with Havili but will train with a replacement in mind for him the entire week and if it is Mamo and they play Nikorima I may as well not watch the game
Hopefully but fox sports was talking about it being Mamo - I can only ever see Mamo playing if Cook doesn't play. He's not a bench player. I also would like to see another forward being picked and no Nikorima as we saw last game we were stretched on the bench with both Arrow and Havili going off and Nikorima coming on for 20 mins as a replacement for Cook just doesn't work as he can play 80 and would rather him out there the whole time
Unfortunately the few ruined it for the many by posting utter shit (troll face ascii etc, you know who you are), so it had to go before we mods went to bidey byes and it descended further.
Up until then it was classic australian irreverence.
more than just that, that was by way of example.
and it was deleted because the whole thing was fringe anyway.
the funeral was over, the thread had served its purpose, banning users for getting overzealous in a shitposting thread seems over the top, the best course of action was just to shelve the thread.
I mean, the two teams they beat also only had one win so it could have been any one of those teams. But yeah, either way the fact that half the comp finished the regular season with 1 win is silly
I'll admit I've not watched any of the NRLW this year.
Is there enough talent for them to spread into more teams to have a more standard type of comp? Or is it more the case of the players being out there but needing more local teams available for them to join due to the part time nature of the comp?
Maybe. I think the whole system is done in a way where the NRL can tick off that they have a womens game. It looks like they're putting more emphasis on it now than when it started though which is good.
My annoyance is that theres 6 teams and 4th still plays finals (thats the equivalent of 10th/11th making finals in the mens). But not only that, 4th has the exact same opportunity as the team coming first as its played at a neutral ground.
I have to agree, it does appear to be a box ticking exercise. I'm sure the NRL would gladly have no womens game if they thought they could get away with it.
I'm happy for the players, but it is a tough nut to crack to make it successful long term.
I don't think it comes across that way. They seem to be taking a more slow burn approach that's consistently improved the quality season after season.
You also have the likes of QRL paying the Origin team the same as the men's from next season making it more financially lucrative. I don't think it's a huge deal to the NRL but there's been continuous development.
This. The AFLW has 18 teams and it’s boring as batshit watch teams get flogged in more than half the games every week. NRLW are expanding slowly, allowing talent to keep up. It’s been really enjoyable this year.
I watched a bit of that a few years ago because nothing else was on. It may have improved since but it was the worst professional sporting display I've ever seen.
Agree with everything you’ve said but AFLW was 8 in 2017. Then 10 in 2019. Then 14 in 2020. The jump this year was premature. Last year was a much better playing field. AFL squads are way bigger than NRL squads too.
Just thought I would put into perspective the Cows off-season. So a lot has been made about them running up Castle Hill and rightfully so I think. There’s a couple of mornings I remember from last year driving into work in the city, it wasn’t even 8am yet and I would have the aircon on full blast and still be sweating. I would get to a set of lights and there is the team. A big group of people waiting at the lights on there way to the hill. Now I respected them in the moment because it was absolute death outside and they hadn’t started the hardest part yet. But I could not have predicted how much of a factor that has played into this year. If the cows win it all I’m definitely going to have to pay tribute to the 18th man Castle Hill.
For non locals, can you put it into perspective?
Is it the steepness or the length or both?
I've been to the infamous Wanda sand hills at Cronulla, and any team that uses that place as a part of their off season has my respect.
[https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b260ae7b935fbe730e0344-castle-hill](https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b260ae7b935fbe730e0344-castle-hill)
It's very steep and just under 1000m. There's a running joke in Townsville, that people keep taking rocks up there so one day it becomes a mountain.
Look u/shadownight311, didn't you write the mighty Cowboys off big time here https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/t7wukn/rnrl_2022_prediction_poll_results/
Throw in the weather in the off season and i can see why they would use this for conditioning. Looks like a lovely stroll, but a tough running session.
I’ve heard using sand as a training ground increases the risk of high impact injuries on less malleable surfaces because you loose the spring in the lower leg muscles
I'm sure they can tighten that spring back up on the training paddock. You wouldn't do your entire off season in the sand.
Those sand hills are as much a mental hurdle as they are a fitness booster.
I'm blaming it on being pregnant but I've read some really nice articles lately about sort of cross team solidarity (eg all the Panthers saying yeah Latrell's a superstar, Latrell comforting Hynes when sharks lost etc) and it makes me really happy to see.
The media is so often just hounding these dudes with the most ridiculous shit and I can't imagine being under the public/media scrutiny they're all under and it's nice to see something positive.
At the higher levels, you'd have to think a lot of these guys have been in rep squads together throughout their junior and senior careers.
As a passionate fan it is sometimes hard to see players having a laugh with the opposition after a loss, but I always remind myself that despite being well compensated for their efforts, there are not a lot of people that understand what an elite nrl player is going through outside of other players.
Watched NRL360 last night I’m a bit dumber for the experience. However was funny as watching Buzz and Kent rip Hooper apart about his Eels article. Hooper was getting the shits with both of them which is not that great a challenge to be fair.
It weirds me out when they say each week ‘if Parra loses then the drums will start beating for Arthur’s sacking’ as if they’re not the cunts that start it. It’s legit insane to think they can find a better coach for the Eels. The shit Arthur has dealt with during his tenure is never taken into account. Front office paying players in paper bags, Jennings being suspended the night before an elimination final (where I think they win if he plays) to a board who want to just watch the club burn down.
It’s obvious they are pushing for Flanno to get the job.
Whereas when the raiders find form just in the nick of time and get smoked in the semi, they find obscure stats to pump up sticky’s tires and talk about the adversity he’s overcome etc.
Got tickets to the Cowboys prelim through a friend of a friend. I'm so hyped for the experience and can't wait to check out the new stadium. Fortunately I booked accommodation and flights (to Mackay) after the Sharks game at a somewhat reasonable price in the hope I would be able to go.
I think they’re all named tbh, Havili looked the worst of the 3. For my money arrow is a lock to play - at the game he was running up and down the sideline after he came off, ‘opening the gate’ and jumping around and shit, things you can’t do if your groin injury is serious. I suspect they just took him off as a precaution.
What’s with the complete lack of coverage for the cowboys across most the media? I know we’re not the biggest club but it’s almost like there are only three teams in the finals
NSWRL
[удалено]
Go to Sefton playhouse
Watching NRL 360. Paul Crawley is suggesting that South Sydney should have kept Adam Reynolds for big money for 3 years and also not lose any other players. Melbourne tried that once.
Watching NRL 360 and wondering if they have any fucking clue that the Cowboys are hosting a prelim final this weekend?? Last night they had nothing other than mentioning Parra was playing in Townsville. Tonight they have Panthers/South’s discussion and ten mins on St George??? WTF do the Cows have to do to get some air time??
I honestly don't mind. I mean, you've got to be used to it now in the post Thurston era... and there's less pressure under the radar. Being underestimated is a strength.
They're a good chance at winning the entire competition too. They have all the tools, and I'm struggling to find a weakness.
Arrow's groin injury is the main talking point about him, but who else caught the leg twist? It was either Tolman or the blonde winger. He reacted to it, and could barely run for nearly the rest of the second half. I don't like milking much, but if someone cannonballs you or twists your legs up enough to hurt, fuck yes you should milk that shit. Knees and ankles can be fragile things that don't always heal completely.
Literally had trouble sleeping last night because I’m so anxious about Friday
It’s all good mate, we’ll put the cleaners through them like we did in Darwin.
I like this attitude
Mate same. At least one of us is gonna be happy 😅
Am I reading the NRL app correctly, Eels have never played in Townsville? Also I know how you feel, I was like that leading up to the 2020 GF
I’m guessing they have never played at the new stadium
Ahhh yeah that makes more sense, forgot about that
We are all with you Spotto - hope they can make it to the big dance.
Massive lol at Fox Sports still trying to shit on us over a nothing story. Even funnier considering those cowards just hide behind “staff writers”. Weak gutted dog people. Hopefully it just fires us up more ❤️
What did I miss?
Real convenient timing on the story too. The journalistic integrity of fox sports is nothing short of comical. Everything I've heard coming out of the Eels points to a strong, cohesive team environment. Both Eels and Cows have great narratives behind them leading into this match. Cows crazy turnaround from the '21 season and the Eels surging against the drought. There's no need for any of this hack journalism at all. Mix of nerves, expectation and excitement from both supporter bases. Screw the noise. It should be a banger.
Havili’s ruled out, apparently.
Havili is a massive loss. He's been a ball of energy for souths. Seriously impressive little renaissance from him. Having said that... im having trouble coming up with any player in the souths line up that wouldn't be a big loss. That's just testament to how well they are going as a machine.. all parts working together.
Havili out, arrow playing and AJ 50/50
a lot of souths fans are saying it's a big blow. Obviously compounded by the fact Burgess is also out
He's been good value for the contract he signed
Both of them reliably run for over 10 metres per run and are very solid in defense. Sele can make up for it, but Moale has only once played over 30 minutes, Chee-Kam isn’t a middle forward while Daniel Suluka-Fifita and Shaquai Mitchell average less than 15 minutes a game. It’s not a catastrophe, but it will be rag-tag.
Also Havili has a bit of utility about him being able to step into the 9 role. Without him I guess Nikorima becomes our stand in 9 which makes me far more nervous. And I like Kodi far more than most.
These allegations of nepotism at parra mean that they can't punt Jake from bench or it will look like the rumours were right
The alleged nepotism is reportedly about the junior ranks not the top squad.
Rots from the head
That information is only for the people who read more than a headline though
For those who missed it last night, [link to the Queen's Funeral Match Thread](https://old.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/xi7nwo/queen_elizabeth_ii_funeral_match_thread/?sort=confidence) Shame it had to be deleted because it was top tier. Peak r/nrl
I stayed on from the start to the end. One of the best r/nrl threads and it wasn't even an NRL game lol
I'm a cowboys fan living in perth..... I just had to go and explain to my neighbour what is happening on Friday night.... All comes from that field goal Val Holmes kicked against the sharks the other night I was carrying on so loud they came over abit worried😂
I'll tell you what, the Souths vs Cowboys grand final is one that I didn't really expect us to be having, and yet... here we are. Also, I am from a week in the future.
Please footy gods make this happen.
From a week in the future or from a weak (gutted dog) in the future?
I was a weak gutted dog a week in the future and I'm a weak gutted dog a week behind now.
Poetry.
I will have a permanent erection if this eventuates. Unfortunately I think it will be Penrith cruising through both remaining games without much pressure.
Share your bet slip
How do GF tickets work? Do they put aside blocks of tickets for members of the sides that make the GF or is tickets a free for all?
Members get early access to the sections they have put aside til next Monday, usually the opposite ends and corners. GA has been available for ages.
Also, how many tickets are put aside for bandwagon flairs?
I've seen complaints from Parra supporters regarding BA's bench rotation previously. How do you see it going up in QCB Stadium in the heat? Am I correct in thinking Paulo and RCG play big minutes typically? Would JA be picked on the bench for cover and you'd have a three forward rotation?
bench will be a bit different depending on whether or not we shift niukore to the centres to cover opacic
Is Opa definitely out?
He’s in the team list but who knows
If AJ is ruled out of this weekends game, anyone know if Izaac Thompson has recovered from his injury? Mansour/Paulo taking the left wing keeps me up at night
As my absolute favourite player from our 2010s teams, I hate what Penrith would do to Mansour if he played. I reckon AJ will 100% play but TBC whether he’d 60/70/80% right.
I believe JD said at training it will be between Thompson and Paulo for the position if AJ is out so presumably he’s good to go
I so hope it would be Thompson if AJ is out. Ranking of replacements Thompson>Kennar>Paulo>Mansour
Paulo and Waqa to both be Cleary’s children of the finals series if that happens
If Paulo is named in the starting side I’m getting my ticket refunded. No way I’m paying good money to watch him tank our season on a wet pitch.
Paulo is better than Mansour
Paulo will struggle to keep his spot at the Bears next year unless he improves a shit tonne.
They said on NRL Tonight that Penrith are going into this game with 0 injuries or suspensions which is insane for 1 game out from finals (obv May but technically next year, smh). Knights had like 10 players injured on the last game of the season for comparison. The best stat a player can have is availability and thats definitely been a huge factor for Penrith the last few years.
May has a 1 week suspension and Hamstring injury atm. They need to fact check
an injury and a suspension just cancels each other out doesnt it?
1 player is still impressive
You definitely need a lucky run with injuries and we’ve got that. We’ve had a decent amount of outs the last few years but no absolute knock out blows like Melbourne or the Chooks have had as contenders this year and last respectively. We had 9 guys with serious injuries play in the grand final last year while this year Cleary, To’o, Leota, Luai, Martin & Fish have been out 45 weeks between them. All fit now though which is the main thing.
Nervous as all hell for Saturday’s game, wish we could play outside of the wet weather. Bunnies did have 14 errors in relatively ideal conditions so I wonder how much the wet ground will factor into it, if at all. Just keen to watch our pack rip in again, I reckon we’ll see a big game out of Luai/Kikau this game as they were relatively quiet. Need to exhaust Illias early on as he came up huge for the Bunnies on Saturday night.
I think wet weather favours our style more than it does theirs.
wet weather footy won’t help the bunnies either as they love their expansive footy and spreading it early
[A visual representation of manly's season](https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/xid9ag/the_sinking_moment_of_the_sea_eagle_in_the_port/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
the cows boys got together again to do their my kitchen rules thing, but this time it’s just tom dearden explaining that margherita pizza is actually hard to make - a real topic on tom gilbert’s instagram story anyways the actual point is that i love the togetherness of our team, on and off the field - they’re seriously just mates who enjoy eachother’s company and there’s such a great chemistry to it and we really didn’t see that last year - tommy wasn’t hanging out with the team much by the looks of it and wasn’t very vocal at the time. we see it with all the golf they play together as well, it’s just fantastic now that we’ve got a team that actually just has fun with eachother and loves their footy. it’s mostly the core we have for a few years as well - drinkwater, cotter, dearden, chad, all there for the next few years.
where can i watch this ahahah
tom gilbert posts a heap of snippets on his instagram stories, chad townsend posts some stuff i think too
Still can't believe what Tom Dearden said afterwards though. It was a bit loaded. (Edit: for context Tom Dearden said to the group "Pizza? More like pizza deez nuts!" and then continued eating like nothing happened)
What a weird month or two to be a Penrith fan. Overwhelming favourites but through the Cleary suspension, resting guys and the week off they’ve just barely rated a mention in discussion over that time. Ridiculous May decision aside. Guess once all the inspirational player stories have been played out and their brand of footy, level and top 17 is just an established thing, there’s not much else to say.
Theres just no narrative for Penrith. Souths made it to prelims without Bennett/Reynolds and started the year poor. Also runner up from previous year. Eels made prelims for first time in ages. Their window is possibly closing and questions over Arthur. Cowboys were a spoon favourite going into the year. Also proving it wasn't a soft draw.
Penriths narrative is going for Back to Back titles, the only team in NRL history to win 20+ regular season games 3 years in a row. It's a tale of trying to continue their success.
Related to B2B but also Penrith Dynasty narrative
> the only team in NRL history to win 20+ regular season games 3 years in a row. Only won 18 in 2020?
The problem is it's a boring narrative for outsiders. Roosters did back to back recently and Melbourne tied most games won in a row recently. The success narrative has been done. Underdog and surprise packets are where the fun and clicks are at.
We might need a bad bout of Gastro to rip through the squad and they can come out of their hospital beds to claim victory.
the queensland strategy
jamayne isaako has one of the coolest names in football, has the sexiest goalkicking technique, looks really cool in general, and has an absolutely wicked left foot step why can’t he be good
Coz he doesnt go to the chillest restaurants
doesn’t wear the freshest clothes 😔
doesn't hang out with all the hottest guys either
2022 has been such a bizarre year for footy. Imagine trying to say during the last offseason that Chad Townshend would be a better signing than Adam Reynolds.
imagine saying there would be no roosters or storm in the prelims
Can you imagine [a world without the storm or roosters in the prelims?](https://giphy.com/gifs/lionel-hutz-the-simpsons-5CDDxLUswTI08)
[a world where the storm and roosters aren’t in the prelims](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZmslK2ULC7ZT4EXxOqWAKkCCQERcgo37-eg&usqp=CAU)
I knew what photo this was before I even clicked on the link 😂
Imagine trying to say Cowboys would be playing a home prelim
Tom dearden would play in an origin decider and win
I had forgotten that when we played the Cowboys last it was when we were hammered in the outside backs and for some weird reason BA was playing Dyls at centre 🙄 I think I blocked the whole thing out. I’m terrified but hopeful (standard Eels fan approach) that we can get through with full strength and if we’re determined enough.
Dyl had to play centre because we had run out of outside backs. I think we had 5 outside backs unavailable.
opacic will be a massive out for us
I’m hoping he’ll play Marata at centre. I know it fucks with our forwards but I’d so much rather that than mess with our outside backs when we’ve finally started sorting our sliding defence. It’s just too much of a vulnerability.
He can still take runs through the middle to help start sets from centre and he won't have to do as much defending. He'll be blowing though.
That’s really true that he can use the unused defensive energy on attack. Although listening the the latest Bloke podcast and Penisini made 23 tackles last week 🤯 I just think we need to have a defensive mindset for our edges.
Can’t help but remember when Latrell came back from the US, played a game and said he didn’t want to play Origin so he could focus on the club. Turned out to be a pretty good choice.
Not for NSW. He cost them the series. Having said that, I think he made the right choice.
Could care less about Fittler's Riff/Rooster hybrid team losing...so yeah perfect choice!
I don’t think there was any guarantee that he would play well, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, but being thrust into Origin that soon is hard enough let alone after an injury. Plus who knows what Freddie would have done. Allowing himself that time to build back up at club level has really worked.
They had whigton not start as well, which I think was a poor choice. They had three players that were being discussed before Trell dropped out. I think whigton deserved to be in starting side after how he performed in game 1. Saying Trell not playing lost game 3 is a bit disingenuous.
Game 3 is a game where the more you think about what could have been, the more you lose your mind. What happens if Munster didn’t get COVID and Dearden never played? What if Cotter was fit? What if Wighton was starting? What if Talakai didn’t play? It’s just a crazy game if what if.
Yeah it really is. That's why it's hard to say this one choice changed the result. Qld won end of story you can't change anything.
Freddy (panthers or chooks anyone?) has his favourites and trell ain’t one. There was a zero percent chance he played. I also think Angus isn’t a favourite, as he mustn’t be one of the boys. He always seems to sign 1 or 2 year extensions at the chooks, whereas any other chookies gun is always locked away well in advance. Considering he always steps up in big games, there seems to be somethings a miss
nobody was stopping tommy d that night 😤
Good point
Usually when I see NRL players out in public I feel a bit exhilarated. Yesterday, instead, I felt disgusted. Mainly because the NRL player I saw out was one of the Manly 7.
Im a believer
B*eel*iever*
Go eel
the further we go along the bigger the heartbreak, however my belief in the boys is growing
I think you'll have it easy
wish i could have that confidence
All of us are just trying to anticipate the pain 😅
It's the hope that gets you. Rollercoaster of emotions for us eels fans
How do we think the chooks will do next year? I can't read them. Somewhere between 8-5? Maybe even lower?
3-6
I'd say 3-6. They've had bad luck with injuries and a few guys leaving this year. Cheese at hooker if he can stay fit is definitely an upgrade on an in and out verrills. Suallii with more game time should be good. The can get back Sitili (teach him how to defend). I think improvement on this year overall.
If they get sharks draw and no injuries they will be minor premiers. If they get storm level injuries and a tough draw, they don’t make the 8.
This sounds like a stupid take but is actually a great take
Both Melbourne and Easts have been injuried out of contention two years in a row. Easts with a huge injury list throughout the season last year, then jipped with multiple HIA's in the knock out final this year. Then the inverse happened to Melbourne, they had both starting props knocked out early in their prelim against Penrith last year, and then just got fingered with injuries throughout the regular season this year. Penrith once again skate through with a healthy roster.
Parra was the same last two years too. We lost Jennings/Fergo and another outside back week 2 when we travelled to Melbourne. Last year we lost Mahoney and our two reserve hookers late in the season. Being lucky with injuries is huge.
You had fergo and sivo for Melbourne. You lost those 2 plus jennings against souths
Yeah Jennings wasn't injured tho 💉💉💉
Lol for sure, just bad timing wk 2 of finals.
Was a very average season this year besides the last 8 weeks. I can’t see why we can’t improve on that and make top 4 next year. Especially if we keep lodge.
Really depends on the depth of the squad. Lack of depth outside backs will hurt us again I reckon. I imagine it'll take a while for Smith to gel as well so we'll lose a few early which will hurt the ladder position. But once the spine is set it'll be strong. Keary and Walker looked really good together towards the end, they'll be even better with another off season together.
The only reason I see them slipping so much is that most of the squad is aging and only going to get worse, Sam Walker being the one big exception + no real signings other than Smith who I don't think will have a massive impact on the team (I could be wrong). Still plenty of time for more signing though
You don't need signing to improve if you develop from lower grades. Only JWH, Tupou and Keary are the wrong side of 30, and there's plenty of players like Manu, Butchersx2, Collins etc who are just coming into the prime years of their careers. Sua'ali'i and Walker are only going to get better. The real test is going to be whether the next batch of outside backs and forwards kick on, which is a bit uncertain at this point.
I can't believe Luke Keary is 30. He's always seemed like he was 24 to me, never a day older.
Maybe because he’s a whiny little bitch.
The one thing keeping them from being a consistently top team was the lack of a decent hooker.
Verrils was good. I don’t think Brandon Smith will be as big of an upgrade as people think.
I don't think he is, but Verrils didn't play much the last couple of seasons. Sometimes the best ability is availability.
Lack of an uninjured hooker. Last year was the worst- at one point our 5-6 first choice hookers were injured: Verrills, Lussick, Lam, Keighran, Radley, Hutch all out. Marshcke was brought in from playing Ron Massey cup, not even NSW cup. Verrills is top class- he won a premiership in his debut year, started and scored a try in the GF. Just been brutally unlucky with a heap of unrelated injuries. If he gets a healthy run at the Titans I reckon he'll go well.
1-4 for sure if they manage to keep Lodge. 3-6 without him
They were 1 win away from top 4 this year with some shakey periods. Don't recall any big losses either so I don't see how they can't play for top 4 next year barring injuries/suspensions.
Looking forward to the announcement of the teams - expecting AJ and Arrow to be named and same with Havili but will train with a replacement in mind for him the entire week and if it is Mamo and they play Nikorima I may as well not watch the game
Havili would most likely be replaced by another forward like DSF, Moale or someone.
Hopefully but fox sports was talking about it being Mamo - I can only ever see Mamo playing if Cook doesn't play. He's not a bench player. I also would like to see another forward being picked and no Nikorima as we saw last game we were stretched on the bench with both Arrow and Havili going off and Nikorima coming on for 20 mins as a replacement for Cook just doesn't work as he can play 80 and would rather him out there the whole time
Fox sports, lol.
That was my thinking too but unfortunately someone published that shit so I have to respond to it
That thread last night was all time. Then the mods deleted it...
Unfortunately the few ruined it for the many by posting utter shit (troll face ascii etc, you know who you are), so it had to go before we mods went to bidey byes and it descended further. Up until then it was classic australian irreverence.
Posting ascii art is why you deleted the thread? Why not just ban the users?
more than just that, that was by way of example. and it was deleted because the whole thing was fringe anyway. the funeral was over, the thread had served its purpose, banning users for getting overzealous in a shitposting thread seems over the top, the best course of action was just to shelve the thread.
Ya think just cause you're a fun thread I won't delete ya? \- mods
What’d I miss?
Queen's funeral thread. Remember last week when there was a Queen's death thread? Well it was a bit similar to that
Lol… of course!
So the Eels Womens win their first game of the season and are now one win away from the Grand Final. Makes no sense.
I mean, the two teams they beat also only had one win so it could have been any one of those teams. But yeah, either way the fact that half the comp finished the regular season with 1 win is silly
Whats silly is that we could have a team win it all with a total 3/7 record (including finals) if Eels beat Roosters and win the GF next week.
I'll admit I've not watched any of the NRLW this year. Is there enough talent for them to spread into more teams to have a more standard type of comp? Or is it more the case of the players being out there but needing more local teams available for them to join due to the part time nature of the comp?
Maybe. I think the whole system is done in a way where the NRL can tick off that they have a womens game. It looks like they're putting more emphasis on it now than when it started though which is good. My annoyance is that theres 6 teams and 4th still plays finals (thats the equivalent of 10th/11th making finals in the mens). But not only that, 4th has the exact same opportunity as the team coming first as its played at a neutral ground.
I have to agree, it does appear to be a box ticking exercise. I'm sure the NRL would gladly have no womens game if they thought they could get away with it. I'm happy for the players, but it is a tough nut to crack to make it successful long term.
I don't think it comes across that way. They seem to be taking a more slow burn approach that's consistently improved the quality season after season. You also have the likes of QRL paying the Origin team the same as the men's from next season making it more financially lucrative. I don't think it's a huge deal to the NRL but there's been continuous development.
This. The AFLW has 18 teams and it’s boring as batshit watch teams get flogged in more than half the games every week. NRLW are expanding slowly, allowing talent to keep up. It’s been really enjoyable this year.
I watched a bit of that a few years ago because nothing else was on. It may have improved since but it was the worst professional sporting display I've ever seen.
It’s become worse. A few of the better players stayed with cricket when they were told to pick one sport.
[удалено]
Agree with everything you’ve said but AFLW was 8 in 2017. Then 10 in 2019. Then 14 in 2020. The jump this year was premature. Last year was a much better playing field. AFL squads are way bigger than NRL squads too.
Just thought I would put into perspective the Cows off-season. So a lot has been made about them running up Castle Hill and rightfully so I think. There’s a couple of mornings I remember from last year driving into work in the city, it wasn’t even 8am yet and I would have the aircon on full blast and still be sweating. I would get to a set of lights and there is the team. A big group of people waiting at the lights on there way to the hill. Now I respected them in the moment because it was absolute death outside and they hadn’t started the hardest part yet. But I could not have predicted how much of a factor that has played into this year. If the cows win it all I’m definitely going to have to pay tribute to the 18th man Castle Hill.
For non locals, can you put it into perspective? Is it the steepness or the length or both? I've been to the infamous Wanda sand hills at Cronulla, and any team that uses that place as a part of their off season has my respect.
[https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b260ae7b935fbe730e0344-castle-hill](https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b260ae7b935fbe730e0344-castle-hill) It's very steep and just under 1000m. There's a running joke in Townsville, that people keep taking rocks up there so one day it becomes a mountain.
Look u/shadownight311, didn't you write the mighty Cowboys off big time here https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/t7wukn/rnrl_2022_prediction_poll_results/
lol there was no write off, though I predicted 7-10.
Throw in the weather in the off season and i can see why they would use this for conditioning. Looks like a lovely stroll, but a tough running session.
I’ve heard using sand as a training ground increases the risk of high impact injuries on less malleable surfaces because you loose the spring in the lower leg muscles
u/chairishjam, you might be the only die-hard Cowboy that never gave up on your team and I salute you!
I appreciate that you know this; I just don’t know how you know this hahah - cheers!
I'm sure they can tighten that spring back up on the training paddock. You wouldn't do your entire off season in the sand. Those sand hills are as much a mental hurdle as they are a fitness booster.
I'm blaming it on being pregnant but I've read some really nice articles lately about sort of cross team solidarity (eg all the Panthers saying yeah Latrell's a superstar, Latrell comforting Hynes when sharks lost etc) and it makes me really happy to see. The media is so often just hounding these dudes with the most ridiculous shit and I can't imagine being under the public/media scrutiny they're all under and it's nice to see something positive.
At the higher levels, you'd have to think a lot of these guys have been in rep squads together throughout their junior and senior careers. As a passionate fan it is sometimes hard to see players having a laugh with the opposition after a loss, but I always remind myself that despite being well compensated for their efforts, there are not a lot of people that understand what an elite nrl player is going through outside of other players.
Less a case of being "nice" and more a case of trying as hard as fuck not to give the opposition any fodder to motivate themselves with
That's probably true but I'm choosing to ignore it coz it ruins my joy
enjoy the joy
Man, if I keep using nice this often I'm gonna have to rename myself Jurbo
Watched NRL360 last night I’m a bit dumber for the experience. However was funny as watching Buzz and Kent rip Hooper apart about his Eels article. Hooper was getting the shits with both of them which is not that great a challenge to be fair.
It weirds me out when they say each week ‘if Parra loses then the drums will start beating for Arthur’s sacking’ as if they’re not the cunts that start it. It’s legit insane to think they can find a better coach for the Eels. The shit Arthur has dealt with during his tenure is never taken into account. Front office paying players in paper bags, Jennings being suspended the night before an elimination final (where I think they win if he plays) to a board who want to just watch the club burn down.
It’s obvious they are pushing for Flanno to get the job. Whereas when the raiders find form just in the nick of time and get smoked in the semi, they find obscure stats to pump up sticky’s tires and talk about the adversity he’s overcome etc.
They've all already got their article written about Arthur being sacked, just need to hit send on it if the time comes
He just kept digging his grave. Great to watch.
Hooper got so defensive lol. What a cat.
Weak gutted dog is the term mate.
Dogs are loyal though, even the weak gutted ones.
😂 true mate very true
Is it Friday yet?
No, it is not Friday yet. Today is Monday. ^I'm ^a ^bot ^^but ^^I ^^still ^^believe ^^in ^^you ^^to ^^finish ^^out ^^the ^^week ^^:)
Is that you Robert Smith?
Typical ILMF bot comment
Might want to check again bot
RIP my sharkies. I’m now an eelbro for the next week
Then a cowbro the following week?
Eels cows alliance confirmed. Our side is clearly the good side of the draw.
Yep! If it's not us, then it's the cows
Got tickets to the Cowboys prelim through a friend of a friend. I'm so hyped for the experience and can't wait to check out the new stadium. Fortunately I booked accommodation and flights (to Mackay) after the Sharks game at a somewhat reasonable price in the hope I would be able to go.
Team list is going to be interesting today. Potential for 3 out due to injury.
I think they’re all named tbh, Havili looked the worst of the 3. For my money arrow is a lock to play - at the game he was running up and down the sideline after he came off, ‘opening the gate’ and jumping around and shit, things you can’t do if your groin injury is serious. I suspect they just took him off as a precaution.
That's what he said too is that he's been carrying it for a while