The Willie M Team of the Year: It is with great delight that the 2024 Willie M Team of the Year is presented. This team is made up of players who have struggled for form, shown ill-discipline, found catching and tackling difficult and really just hurt their team whenever they were on the paddock. A minimum six games needed to qualify.
1.Tristan Sailor (Bri)
2.Mikaele Ravalawa (Dra)
3.Taane Milne (Sou)
4.Morgan Harper (Par)
5.Brent Naden (Tig)
6.Drew Hutchison (Bul)
7.Dean Hawkins (Sou)
8.Sean Keppie (Sou)
9.Phoenix Crossland (New)
10.David Klemmer (Tig)
11.Brendan Piakura (Bri)
12.Ben Trbojevic (Man)
13.Jaeman Salmon (Bul)
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14.Jayden Sullivan (Tig)
15.Simi Sasagi (Can)
16.Corey Waddell (Man)
17.Fletcher Baker (Bri)
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Coach: Kevin Walters (Brisbane)
Call The Lawyers: Willie Mason is now giving out votes for his own Willie M Medal that does not appear to be rewarding mediocrity, incompetence and failure. It started two weeks ago and is a complete infringement on the time-honoured gong. Someone get a cease and desist written up for Mr Mason.
Enough is Enough: Wayne Bennett absolutely eviscerated Gerard Sutton and The Bunker on Sunday after Sutton disallowed a try that even a blind pig with an ice addiction would have green lighted . The Dolphins should have led 4-0 over the Knights in the playoff but were downright screwed by Sutton, who played his tired and overused party trick of trying to seem smarter than everyone else by disallowing a try everyone knows was and is and always be a try. Sutton’s arrogance would be boring if it wasn’t so impactful. While he is a competent enough referee, his work in The Bunker as bad as the vet who put down the wrong dog or aircraft engineer that is careless with the crews. Graham Anneseley and Jared Maxwell have to go at any rate. If they are appointed for next year, there should be a riot. But they need to ensure that the only bunkers Sutton ever sees again is The Coffin at Troon or Fritzl’s if things keep going the way they are going. That one wrong decision completely spoilt an incredible game.
Embarrassment for Tigers: The Wests Tigers began the year with plenty of hope but sadly for a club that cannot get out of its own way, they claimed their third straight wooden spoon and did so conceding 60 points to a team coached by Trent Barrett and missing their key playmaker. In another diabolical season, that performance was particularly galling. Only Parramatta, University, Newtown, Newcastle and Gold Coast Seagulls claimed three spoons on the trot. Richo is the right man to turn things around but even an administrator of his class must be daunted by the project.
Long Live The Farewell Kick: There is absolutely nothing more enjoyable in the last few rounds of the season than when teams give departing players a farewell kick. We saw Tom Burgess and Reagan Campbell-Gillard given shots over the weekend, both of which landed, a delightful way to farewell a club legend.
Sublime Schedule: Those charged with putting together the draw for 2024 did a stellar job with the final round, highlighted by the Spoon Bowl and the Playoff with a number of other critical games.
Twins: Michael Ennis is typically a well-prepared caller so it was particularly grating that during the Bulldogs-Cowboys clash that Ennis kept mixing up debutants Jonathan Sua and Eli Clark. Sua is a tall man of colour. Clark is about a foot shorter and white. They look as alike as Arnie and Danny DeVito.
Bring Back The Brown: The Penrith Panthers typically have one of the least appealing jerseys in the league and there is probably no team that is less identified with its colours than the Panthers. So it was great to see the Panthers pay homage to their traditions and their colours for the first two decades of their existence by donning the brown on Old Boys night as the club said goodbye to Penrith Park. The Panthers should bring back the brown permanently.
2024 Field Goal Update – 26: The regular season sadly finished with fewer field goals than rounds with just 26 field goals kicked this season, down from 42 last season.
Fun Fact #1: Joe Ofahengaue has played for bottom three sides in four of his last five seasons.
Fun Fact #2: In four of the five seasons Trent Barrett finished as coach of a team, that team finished in the bottom four. Canterbury were in the bottom four the year he was fired before climbing out upon his departure.
Fun Fact #3: Just four teams have played more than 20 seasons in the premiership and have not won the wooden spoon: Manly, New Zealand, St George Illawarra and Glebe.
Betting Market of the Week: Will Trent Barrett improve the Broncos?
- $1001: Yes
- $1.01: No
- $6.00: Walters will be fired before Barrett starts.
Rumour Mill: After touring the nation looking for a new club, Corey Horsburgh is set to remain at the Raiders in 2025. Storm prop Christian Welch looks set to make a shift to the Broncos to finish off his career. Mat Croker has been linked with a move to Cronulla.
The Coaching Crosshairs: Don’t buy into the media defence or his pledge to figure out what went wrong in 2024 – Kevin Walters is cast and Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy will be putting together a list of who should replace him. Donaghy won’t move immediately even though he likely knows he should, understanding the politics involved in getting rid of a coach as popular as Walters, even if the world can see he is out of his depth. He saw how the Old Boys treated Anthony Seibold. He is likely aware of how inept his board is. Walters will not survive long next year and will do well to get that far considering not only the disappointment of the year but the disgusting manner in which it ended. Donaghy has a close relationship with Craig Bellamy and will do his best to get Bellamy,, who wants to return to Queensland, but Bellamy’s hatred of the Broncos likely prevents that. Michael Maguire has been mentioned and is a contender. Justin Holbrook should get a big look as he did a great job at the Gold Coast, is tactically astute and learnt from a great mentor. There should be more respect paid to the English coaches including Steve McNamara. Whatever way it is chopped though, Walters is done.
Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: Cameron Ciraldo has a major blindspot and that blindspot is Jaeman Salmon. Rolling him out at lock in two must-win games was Rugby League suicide. The Bulldogs are 11-8 with Salmon this year. They are 1-5 when he starts at lock. He is a bad player. He ranks Top 20 in average missed tackles. He ranks Top 45 in penalties conceded. This is to say nothing of the damage caused by playing Drew Hutchinson. Ciraldo needs to get it together before the club’s first final in nearly a decade.
Watch It: This week we go back to 1981 and the Controversy Corner after the infamous semi between between Newtown and Manly. If you were after a table of cantankerous characters, you’ve found it with Warren Ryan a guest of Rex Mossop, Noel Kelly and company. The Wok could not stop smiling. They refused to show the brawl. They showed Les Boyd trying to be a thug but getting put on his backside. Rex defending Manly on a clear no-try. There was a miraculous intercept from Phil Gould on a ridiculous mousetrap play from Manly. And more love for Phil Sigsworth than as ever been shown. Watch it here.