Get Your Mouth Off My Nose: Kyle Flanagan looks likely to spend a significant period on the sidelines after some very clear evidence that he chomped on the nose of Stephen Crichton during Saturday night’s big home loss to the Bulldogs. Video evidence is entirely clear and Stephen Crichton, not an angry player, was livid after the incident, going right at the Dragons players. Flanagan will no doubt claim mitigating circumstances – and already has his dad/Dragons coach Shane and the family’s top carnival barker Phil Rothfield pushing the barrow that he either didn’t do it or had no choice but to do it. Rothfield laughably claimed that Flanagan was “virtually assaulted” while the Dragons coach said “come on” sarcastically when discussing the bite. Flanagan is due for a long stint on the sidelines with the most recent biting suspensions being three and four weeks and this one far more egregious. If Spencer Leniu is copping eight weeks, Flanagan deserves something at least on par.
This Is Democracy Manifest: The Perth Bears are set to be announced this week as the 18th team in the NRL, ending the dual-quarter century travesties that were the disgraceful execution of the North Sydney Bears and the absence of a team in Perth. It is a fantastic move that both broadens the footprint of the most popular football code in the country while bringing back one of the great nostalgic Rugby League brands. Seeing the red and black will pull at the heartstrings of any Rugby League fan over the age of 35. Perth is excellent for the game for so many reasons and given how the League has cuddled the Dolphins in, the Perth team will be given a much fairer run than they were in the 1990s.
What Is The Charge? We are down to four weeks to play and this is how the season looks set to play out:
- Penrith (44) – Will smoke the Storm this week and then have three games they will be huge faves in.
- Melbourne (42) – Look little hope against the Panthers and in current form are likely to drop one of their last three against the Fins, Cowboys and Broncos.
- Roosters (40) – Have three against bottom five teams with their highest matchup being at home against 11th-placed Canberra.
- Cronulla (36) – Look well-placed to beat the Knights at home but have three niggly games to finish with the last-round game against Manly likely to decide Top 4.
- Canterbury (36) – Will start favourites in all four remaining games with the biggest concern their Round 25 clash with the Warriors.
- North Queensland (32) – Get a bye and will be big faves this week but forecast to lose two tough games to finish v Storm and Bulldogs.
- Manly (31) – Should thrash the Warriors and Tigers so well positioned. Have them losing to the Dogs and Sharks but both winnable.
- Brisbane (30) – Get a much-needed bye this week and then the Eels. Should be derby favourites against Phins and then will need to beat bogey team Storm but can.
- St George Illawarra (30) – The Dragons have a great run in. Home games against the Titans and Raiders are marked as wins but marked losses v the Sharks and Eels can be turned.
- Dolphins (28) – The Phins kept their season alive but are marked to lose their next three and a win in the final round v the Knights likely won’t be enough.
- Gold Coast (24) – No chance against the Roosters and could beat the Knights and Dragons so a potential of being 28 when meeting Panthers (who could rest players) in last round. Marked for only one win but upside.
- Newcastle (24) – Should beat the Rabbitohs and have three other winnable games though so poorly coached that they are marked as losers in each.
- Canberra (24) – Brutal run in with almost certain losses to the Panthers and Roosters and tough road trips to the Cowboys and Dragons.
- New Zealand (23) – Have a Round 27 bye but have the Dogs at home and the Sea Eagles and Sharks away from home so could easily fail to win another match.
I See You Know Your Judo Well: We are a month away from the Dally M Medals being finalised and seven weeks from them being announced but here is the early forecast for who should get the awards:
Dally M Player of the Year (Men): Jahrome Hughes
Dally M Player of the Year (Women): Tarryn Aiken
Men’s Team of the Year: Dylan Edwards,, Zac Lomax, Stephen Crichton, Joseph Manu, Brian To’o, Matt Burton, Jahrome Hughes, Mitch Barnett, Reece Robson, Moses Leota, Angus Crichton, Eliesa Katoa, Patrick Carrigan
Women’s Team of the Year: Evania Pelite, Madison Bartlett, Annessa Biddle, Jaime Chapman, Jayme Fressard, Zahara Temara, Tarryn Aiken, Elsie Albert, Olivia Higgins, Millie Elliott, Olivia Kernick, Mahalia Murphy, Simaima Taufa
NRL: Rookie: Lachlan Galvin
NRL Captain: Stephen Crichton
NRL Coach: Cameron Ciraldo
NRLW Rookie: Lily Peacock
NRLW Captain: Georgia Hale
NRLW Coach: Steve Georgallis
Is This The Man Waiting To Receive My Limp P*****? There will not be a more limp performance in the final 10 minutes of a game this season than Parramatta showed against rivals Penrith, adding another incredible capitulation to challenge the infamous Paul Carige game. The Eels led by 14 with 10 to play before conceding three tries in three minutes in a brutal loss. Jason Ryles has one almighty job ahead of him.
Why Would You Do This? For What Reason? Craig Bellamy looked thoroughly exasperated with the Storm in their awful 10-point win over South Sydney and he had every right to be. If there is one thing the Storm have been built on over the Bellamy era, it is discipline. He is happy to play entertaining, attractive football as long as it has been earned and it is within the game plan. He would have been absolutely disgusted with the lairyness shown on Thursday night, particularly as it came primarily from the senior players. Ryan Papenhuyzen was throwing no-look cutout balls that went to the house the other way. Harry Grant was doing absolutely moronic work at times. There was ridiculous kick after ridiculous kick. Absolutely zero patience was shown. Players that should have known better let the Storm team down and it is something Bellamy will want to drum out of them as soon as possible.
2024 Field Goal Update – 25: Sean O’Sullivan nailed an absolute belter in golden point from two-point range to give the Dolphins a much-needed win. It was O’Sullivan’s 6th career field goal.
Fun Fact #1: The last North Sydney Bears head coach was Kieran Dempsey, whose only career wins came against Chris Anderson and Tim Sheens.
Fun Fact #2: The Bears made the preliminary in three of their final six years as a standalone team in the premiership.
Fun Fact #3: Ken Irvine score 1999 tries for North Sydney – 106 tries clear of second-placed Cec Blinkhorn.
Willie M Team of the Week: This week’s team of jokers, smokers and midnight tokers:
1.Keano Kini (GC)
2.Jordan Rapana (Can)
3.Valentine Holmes (NQ)
4.Adam Doueihi (Tig)
5.Solomon Alaimalo (Tig)
6.Kyle Flanagan (Dra)
7.Ben Hunt (Dra)
8.Sam McIntyre (NQ)
9.Tom Starling (GC)
10.Sean Keppie (Sou)
11.Klese Haas (GC)
12.Michael Chee Kam (Sou)
13.Kenny Bromwich (Dol)
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14.Griffin Neame (NQ)
15.Shaq Mitchell (Sou)
16.Isaac Liu (GC)
17.Ryan Couchman (Dra)
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Coach: Todd Payten (NQ)
Betting Market of the Week: The worst ever blown lead by Parramatta:
- $1.40: 1998 Preliminary Final v Canterbury (aka the Paul Carige game)
- $2.80: 2024 Round 23 v Penrith
- $4.00: 2015 v North Queensland
Rumour Mill: Iconic Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen has been linked with a move to Parramatta with the Eels having a lot of cash to spend and the Storm recently resigning Sua Fa’alogo. Dylan Walker has been lined with a move away from the Warriors with personal reasons being cited. Michael Chee Kam has been linked to a return to Manly.
The Coaching Crosshairs: The race is on to get in the gun position for the new Perth Bears head coaching gig. While no formal criteria has been made public – and likely has not been done – names are emerging. Jason Taylor will certainly be in the mix after playing for Norths as a player and being the hot assistant in 2024 having done a super job with the Bulldogs. Fellow former Bear David Fairleigh will also come under consideration. Brad Arthur, Justin Holbrook, Mick Potter, David Furner and Steve McNamara are others who will be in the running.
Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: Todd Payten being unable to develop a game plan to take advantage of Brisbane’s predisposition to play a compressed defensive line when their edge tackling, particularly on their left, is poor sums up Payten as a coach. He relies too much on emotion and not enough on game planning. That was an exceptionally poor loss.
Watch It: It was a terribly sad week just gone with the passing of the iconic Jack Karlson, he of “succulent Chinese meal” fame. Karlson was a passionate rugby league man known for his over-excited support of the Valley Diehards, where he would have enjoyed their five premierships in the 1970s and the hat-trick from 1988-90 that preceded his infamous video by a year. Here it is, a video that everyone has seen, but everyone should watch once more. Watch it here.