| The Adjudicator gives his early take on round seven of the NRL | | Print | |
| Thursday, 22 April 2010 09:33 | |||
Gallen ... one of the Reddest Man in League contenders. Robb Cox After a weekend of big NRL milestones - Hindy's 266th match and the Eels, Bulldogs and Broncos all squeezing out wins - The Adjudicator is primed for a long weekend of footy. I'll be forced to take it easy for the first four games, with Mrs Adjudicator setting an early bedtime on Saturday (as soon as the full-time siren sounds on the Cronulla-Newcastle Knights game) to ensure we pay our respects at the dawn service. I'll then be moving on to the local RSL where a glass will be raised for our diggers. Congratulations to David Boutros, who has taken the lead in my tipping league. Look out for Mr. A to fly home in the back half of the season!
North Queensland Cowboys v Parramatta, Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville, Friday 7.35pm (EST) ravis from Bundy, One Eyed Bronco fan for life says: Mr Adjudicator, the only thing rubbish is the words you write. Sure they might not have the big names of 2006, but these kids are learning new tricks every week. And you know what they say about old dogs (Kimmorley, Pattern....) Even without Pete Wallace (Bet Bruno wishes he kept Tim Smith now), the Broncs will win in a canter. David Wilson from Burleigh Heads: The Cowboys were disgraceful against a very ordinary Newcastle last week. With half their Salary cap sitting on the bench, and with the good judges telling them they can’t win without JT, they are not likely to improve, they will need more than home ground advantage to win against any team (except Cronulla). Parramatta on the other hand are just hitting their straps. They played a strong game against Canberra and played well against South’s. They are on an upward spiral, whilst North Queensland are flat lining at the bottom. Parramatta but by how far, will depend on just how much more improvement they can fine in the week ahead. Jennifer in Madang, Papua New Guinea says: The Cowboys boast a competitive side themselves and mind you they can turn a game around just like any other team. Rob from Dapto says: Paul of Toowoomba turn on your spell check and come to your senses. May the best team win fairly – this is 2010 pal and no one walks! Wallace and Gillett now to warm the seats. What is weaker than a Rudd promise? A bloody Bronco knee - deadset this is killing us. Watch for one of the boys having a whisper in Ben Hannett’s shell-like this Friday (reminding him of course that the weather is spot on and he would be King back in Queensland). Broncos by a mickey I hope. Louis says: This week will be another test for the Bulldogs. Even though we won against the Tigers, we still need to keep the attitude in the group, to preform as good as we did last year. This week we will see if the "Attitude" and "Consistency" are back with the Bulldogs and continue to preform well throughout the season to the end. Bulldogs by 18 Ian Camlett from Mt Coolah says: So inept has my tipping of the Bulldogs been this season that I have resorted to mysticism and consulted a Ouija Board. I asked if the Bulldogs would win this week and the moving glass spelled out the message “DON’T ASK ME I AM NONE OUT OF FIVE TIPPING THEM” However as half the Broncos team is now injured after shaking hands with Paul Gallen before the game last week I have to pick my beloved Doggies – Bulldogs by 10 Jacob Aldridge from Brisbane says: A bit rubbish? A bit rubbish! Well, yeah, but we've been a bit rubbish for 9 of the past 16 seasons. We've still made the finals every year and collected 4 premierships along the way (although it's hard to count the one against Cronulla in '97 after watching them play on Sunday.) A bit rubbish Brisbane is still better than half the sides in the comp, including the Bulldogs this weekend. Broncos by 4. Paul of Towoomba: I didn't see either of these teams play on the weekend, so i can't comment on the last game. As form goes, they both have a long way to go, what we are round 6? they have 20 more rounds to get it right. Both sides have lack lots this year and properly deserve to be at the bottom. Brisbane have a huge injury toll, which lighten slightly last week then, Wallace got injuried. Canterbury, i really have no answer to them, with the side they have they should be on top or close to the top of the ladder. I don't believe any side would gift 2 point to another, they generally just don't turn up on game day with the right attitude to play and 2010 you will be beat if this is the case. In years gone by this clash has been fairly close, both sides winning on different occasions. My heart says the broncos, my head says the bulldogs. Because i am a broncos supporter and have been from day 1, I'm going Broncos by 1. But may the best side win fairly! Natalie says: A-man,How can the broncos not be "A bit Rubbish?"...Not only did we have 9 players out at one time,5 made it back last week only to have the carrot of new hopes for the boys taken away yet again with cruel injuries to key possitions,Nick Kenny,Peter Wallace and now Matt Gillett,Someone please tell me which Football god the Broncos team mascot ran over at the beginning of the season?...Keep trying boys,Greener pastures ahead. Canterbury Supporter Thomas Marriott from Hornsby says: Gifted two Points? I would hardly say that. Yes 61% of possession for one try is rather awful for the first half. But I feel the Bulldogs warmed to their game against the Tigers unlike their past 5 games except for the mauling at Moore Park. Ennis is back in the frame for origin after dominating Farah and I feel he will do the same to the Baby Broncos on Friday after there walk over against the toothless Sharks. It's simple, the Bulldogs are back. Dogs by +12 Agree/disagree with The Adjudicator? Tell him, in 100 words or fewer, why your team will win this match. Email The Adjudicator, including your full name and where you're from. Rob from Dapto says: Go easy you brave soul Anonymous – Mr A calls them as he sees them. Penrith do have the advantage of having a home, let alone a home match unlike the Tigers. Wests without Moltzen now have to rely on Benji – you don’t want anything relying on Benji as he is a 2IC sort of player. Panthers to do it again at CUA allowing the locals to head across to the World of Entertainment until sometime late Monday and good on ‘em. Anonymous says: MR A! I THINK YOUR STUPID!!!Penrith won in 2003 because they were the best in 03,tigers won in 2005 because they were the best in 05.so u don’t have to ponder and confuse yourself anymore over that one easy one dummy!oh and another thing,your tips are no good because your results are poor.Panthers and tigers are great clubs and this sport would be heartless without them.To of the most potent attacking sides in the comp,SO GOOSE GO BACK TO BEING FAITHFULL TO THE WARRIORS BECAUSE YOUR POOR RESULTS AND LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE NRL IS STARTING TO SHOW!!!!!.the AFL needs you. Tigerdave from Burleigh Heads says: The Penrith Panthers are in red hot form. Last week, our best offence play was our defence, and our best defensive play was out offense. With players such as Marice Blair, Daine Laurie, Wade Graham and Masada Iosefa all in the Reserve Grade side, well, what we have on the paddock must be all class. Exemplified in last week’s drubbing of the Warriors, we will go on with the job to make it 4 on the trot. Check the stats, our recent record against the Tigers is solid. Tigers are a very good team and we cannot take it lightly, however, at CUA, with an expected full house and Luke Walsh’s outstanding 5th tackle plays (Cooper Cronk take notice!) and young Coote for support– Panthers by 18. Wow what a game. The Tigers defence on Friday night was extraordinary, but they were back to cheap turnovers again. I don’t think they could play two bad attacking games in a row like that. They missed Moltzen badly. Penrith on the other hand ticked all the boxes against NZ, but NZ were woeful at times. The guide to form tells me Penrith, but Tim Sheens and the Tigers will surprise here. Tigers by 6. Pleant of points to be scored. Dave from the Central Coast says: Adjudicator, why would an NRL fan ask, "how on Earth did these guys win a premiership?" Panthers in ’03 were minor premiers and premiers, to then back up in ’04 losing in the GF qualifier to the eventual premiers, the Bulldogs. In ‘05 the Tigers although not the most dominant force throughout the year, showed their superiority when it mattered (in the finals) just as Melbourne did last year. Pull your head in adjudicator. This game could be the attacking game of the year so far. The lack of a genuine #7 dents the Tigers chances here. Tip the Panthers by 10. Tigers fan Philip from Auburn: Unfortunately last week I was proven right on two counts. Firstly, when the tigers have a few injuries and start favourites their form goes right out the window and they play like their minds are elsewhere, believing all the hype. Secondly, Sheen’s reluctance to put the adjudicator at 7 proved costly indeed. Panther territory has never been a happy hunting ground for the tigers, with about as much success as I usually have with the ladies. While we will compete unfortunately I cannot see us getting the two points here. Panthers by 12. Back to top Andrew says: hey mate ya cant paint the picture as though the winner of the Sharks vs Knights will decide the NSW captaincy. First of all, Gidley will struggle to make fullback while Hayne is around. Secondly, the game is a team game. You're saying the winner of the match, gets the captaincy, which is silly while the sharks have an awful team. You're writing on a sports website, how about giving some actual insight into the game instead of sensationalising every story. The information you gave was as good as the sports report on Channel 9 news at 6pm every night. Please represent Fox Sports better in the future, or not at all. Darin says: The Sharks have got the Forward Pack to give them the Field Position they need, make the tackles they need and help hold out the opposition. Their Backline needs heavy improvement, the addition of Tim Smith has helped, but Trent Barrett is past his prime and they need a good young Five Eighth to form a good combination with him.Sharks will win this by 8 but it will be a very close game. Paul from Perth says: Re. Mr A’s preposterous prediction that the NSW captaincy might rest between Paul Gallen and Kurt Gidley. Now, Mr A, we’ve all heard about the guy having a “10-gallen” hat covering a half-pint brain. Well, that hat is about to fit any NSW selector who puts the faith, trust and hope of the Great State in the hands of someone with the on-field stability of nitro glycerin. Gallen is a top-flight player, as tough as teak – no doubt. A human battering ram, yes. Tenacious and pugnacious, true.Certainly his great big heart is in the right place whenever he rips and gouges at the defensive line or throws himself unsparingly into the oncoming traffic of attacking teams. He is fearless, yes; but a fearless leader? NO WAY MR A! With a veritable spillway of undisciplined incidents littering his rollercoaster career, Mr Gallen is most suitably qualified to fire from within the ranks of infantry, not from the tactical brains-trust of true Blue generalship. Take a minute to reflect on NSW’s most successful captains and what made them great leaders in State of Origin warfare: Steve Mortimer – a brave, resilient will-o-the-wisp whose reading of play and ability to direct traffic in the tightest of situations made him one SOO’s most successful generals. Laurie Daley – a bright spark who led by the example of never-say-die efforts all around the paddock; Benny Elias – in the recollection of Cane Toads everywhere, the wiliest varmint ever to cross the Tweed River; Andrew Johns – GENIUS personified; Danny Buderus – a relentless terrier who played well above his weight in every dimension of the game. So the Reddest Man in League won’t necessarily be on the field for State of Origin, Mr A. It will be any selector who, as is the wont of half-pint Paul, gets that uncontrollable rush of blood to the head that leads to an aneurismic gusher of “10-gallen” proportion. Brian from Brisbane says: I think it will be a Souths victory. it is a Sunday afternoon game and the cold weather wont come into it as much. The Raiders are much better at night in Canberra. Their last Sunday afternoon game was a loss to the Tigers. On the other hand Souths have recorded good wins at Blutongue and Toyota Park and overall have shown better form than the Raiders. We will also have some returning players this week in Ben Lowe and Eddy Pettybourne to strengthen the forwards. Terry Campese may have been upset last week with Carney but he has to face another old girlfriend in the shape of Colin Best this week and this could also prove uncomfortabe for him. Souths by 6. Craig says: I was expecting a spray, and I had a response prepared too! My pre-match reflections were mostly right, apart from the score. Burgess got his hit on Mortimer, and the referres did ruin the game after all. I think the problem, Jude, was that you put the mocker on Rhys Wesser. Forward pass on the first tackle? Lacksidaysical fullbacking? Went himself when he had an unmarked winger 10m out with the game on the line? This week's match is tough. Canberra are good at home - but they made too many typical Raider's plays on the weekend (dropped ball, first tackle). Souths had heaps of those old Raider's plays against the Eels. I'll say Souths by 12, but with no confidence. Final question for you - why did David Furner go to the Ball dressed as a pumpkin? A - cos he hoped to turn into a coach at midnight. The Missing Hairline says: Ah! Mr Adjudicator I love your column - you get bites from all sorts, I've been on a bash the Eels bandwagon over the last six weeks and even asked what odds the spoon, but now after being called "disallusional" from a Souths fan Fuzzy Wuzzy Muz from Canberra who must have looked ant my artical through the bottom of a beer glass thinking I was talking about those Waskerwy Wabbits getting the spoon and I should watch them more and back them to make the 8, well I did watch them and what a wast of 80 minutes that was, I should have watched Hogans Heroes on the GO channel, even Sargent Shultz would show more ticker than that mob - they are no hope for the comp and no hope in beating the Green Machine in Canberra for one reason its toooo cold and the Rabbits aren't hot enough and yes I did back the Rabbits to make the 8, the bottom 8. Raiders by +13. Mille says: Canberra appear to relish getting the better of the city slickers . Now we know why -because they pinch their girls when they come to town. Nothing will change when big Sam and Dave hit the capital this weekend .Campo should keep a close eye on his girl . I’m told that a big bloke sitting on a Vespa drives the girls crazy! You’re prediction for the result is spot on . South’s fans are all too familiar with a 3 game winning streak followed by a few barren months .Last week’s loss to the Eels followed by another to the Raiders will not come as a surprise. Souths will not have the personnel or mental toughness to change the result but should consider changing their name to the South Sydney Hollywoods .This would at least strike a chord with Rusty’s other passion and explain the teams chameleon like efforts on the park from week to week. Peter from Carlton says: Mr A - I picked the Raiders (away) last week on the back of their win vs the Eels using a form line of Eels to beat a weakened Souths side - this will never happen again. Even when they beat the Broncos at home, Canberra's error rate was abysmal. They have a number of players that drop the ball on the first 3 tackles and they have not gotten any better as the season has wore on. Blokes like Miller, Troy Thompson etc. are the reason why Canberra will miss the 8. Provided that Souths get some forwards back this week like Asotasi, Lowe and Crocker, and as long as Souths hold the ball a bit, they will be the Raiders by 16. Watch for Wesser to run hard to collect the ball the whole match - he will have been placed on notice by coaching staff that walking 22m to collect the ball vs 52m to score a try like Luke Burt is not acceptable if he wants an extension to his contract for next year. Dandy says: It is unlike you Mr A. for tipping Manly ???, what's change your tune so quickly.........perhaps last Monday game???? At this moment Manly has being flying under the radar (4 Monday's night game). BTW channel 9 lose out on a ripper of the game between Manly Vs Storm. Manly should win on Monday as long they don't believe that they are the bench mark team and keep on telling that St George and Storm are the team to beat. They need to fly under the radar all the way to the grand final. Geoff of The Insular Peninsular says: Your backhanded Manly-phobic prediction (typical of the Sydney media for as long as I can remember) doesn't deserve the careful analysis provided by your respondents. Give credit where it is due without fear or favour? Naahh the media doesn't do that for Manly. Manly by lots. Jake from the Gold Coast says: thank you for NOT picking the titans, whenever you decide to pick them they lose badly like when you pick the reds. Titans to win by a few granted you don't change your mind. Alex from Leeton says: Manly by 13+ and then some, the only thing stopping the eagles from piling on a cricket score is if the 2 refs in this match are worse than the 2 at ANZ on Sunday. Ozmatt says: Nice to see your joining the Manly bandwagon Mr. Adjudicator, I hope you've learnt never to tip against us again. After watching our gutsy win in Melbourne I think Manly fans are thinking 2008 all over again. As for the Titans with our without their Prince they have as much chance of taking down fortress Brookvale as the U.S has of 'winning' in Iraq. Manly to start slow (for a change) after the brutal encounter in Melbourne but put your house on a 13+ Manly victory. Silvertail of Manly says: You should have listened to me last week Mr. A and you would have had a few extra tipping points....I told you the Melbourne Milkmen were going to get worked at home by the Might of the Manly Sea Eagles....and not only did Inglis hurt himself trying to keep up with the Eagles....T-Rex was pushing them aside like ragdolls....expect more of the same from the Manly boys against the Titans....the Eagles will pick them off one-by-one....and the scoreline will be bigger too....the Titans won't have enough in the tank to win this game or a premiership in 2010 .....run for cover Titanettes......The Eagles are coming in for the kill.....Manly by 16!
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