*Official* NRL 2012 Season thread

[Furball]

I know this is the NRL thread but St Helens are utterly tearing Leeds apart, 24-0 after 20 minutes. Great rugby.

Either Sky are brilliant at picking fixtures or I'm getting lucky, all the games I've seen this season have been top notch.

 

[Ausage]

Didn't think I'd be saying this at the start of the year, but the Tigers really miss Bryce Gibbs. 45 missed tackles last night, Canberra with 12 line breaks. Lucky not to have 50 put on them.

 

[Prince EWS]

Didn't think I'd be saying this at the start of the year, but the Tigers really miss Bryce Gibbs. 45 missed tackles last night, Canberra with 12 line breaks. Lucky not to have 50 put on them.

Galloway being injured and Sheens refusing to play Blair in the middle third have made Gibbs's loss felt, definitely. It really is high time that Heighington and Blair swapped positions and Bell started getting much more gametime than Groat.

 

[Ausage]

Galloway being injured and Sheens refusing to play Blair in the middle third have made Gibbs's loss felt, definitely. It really is high time that Heighington and Blair swapped positions and Bell started getting much more gametime than Groat.

Both Meaney and Humble on the bench is pretty WTF too. Particularly when you start a guy like Groat who tires quickly. Was every front rower at the club injured or something? Very strange.

Blair was just awful last night. Tons of missed tackles, few meters, cheap penalties and on report for a chicken wing.

 

[Burgey]

Thrilled to see big Dave Shillington, who I traded into my Dream Team this week, pick up 22 points before half time.

Now of course he's injured for months. Brilliant.

The Tigers are woeful. Too many blokes there believe too much of what they read about themselves. As soon as a side challenges them up the guts, they go to water. Laughable they were favourites a few weeks back.

 

[howardj]

They are the very embodiment of everything that is wrong with a good number of young folk:

- Pleased with themselves
- Not willing to work for it

 

[Ausage]

Parramatta Eels great Nathan Hindmarsh to quit rugby league at the end of the season | thetelegraph.com.au

I'll let Burgey give the platitudes. Got a lot of time for Hindy though, great player. Epitomises everything that's great about the sport.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Good bloke too. Surprised he's not taking the traditional coupla seasons up here to top up the pension fund tho. 32 pretty young to give it away, but then I suppose he's been at the coalface for all his career.

 

[NUFAN]

32 might seem young, but when you consider the amount of work he's put in every single game and the fact that he has played over 300 games in a career spanning 15 years, it's a fantastic achievement.

Hindmarsh has been an absolute legend of the game, a shame that he'll finish his career without a Premiership.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Loved Hindmarsh, still remember the Origin where he basically ruined himself in the first half an hour, was going at something like a tackle a minute.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Shillington named in the Raiders' line up. Is this wishful thinking?

Several thousand DT managers demand to know.

 

[Ausage]

I thought he had a torn pec. That's usually a season ender isnt it? I wasn't planning on risking it.

EDIT: Done a bit of nosing. Not a long term injury, but Raiders fans are skeptical about him playing.

 

[Burgey]

The juggernaut stirs.....

Burgeinho convinced our attendance is the lucky charm.

Was a good game actually. No penalties first twenty really opened it up. Good to see lots of offloads from our blokes.

 

[Ausage]

Burgeinho convinced our attendance is the lucky charm.

Heh, have a cousin who's convinced of the same thing. We were going to go today but we couldn't make it. Her streak would have been broken so maybe there's something in that.

Wouldn't have thought Hayne would have made that level of difference. They couldn't tackle a thing last week.

Meanwhile we get diddled by a soft penalty and an arsey Todd Carney field goal

 

[Burgey]

Only as good as your last game, etc etc.

 

[howardj]

I agree - the Manly v Eels game was some quality fare

 

[Burgey]

I agree - the Manly v Eels game was some quality fare

Except for Ryan Morgan.

 

[Mister Wright]

I knew the Eels would get up for this one, was thinking about tipping them, but just couldn't.

 

[Burgey]

I wonder if they should play Seo at right centre and put Burt on the wing. Esi Tonga would be the normal choice but I'm not sure he's all that great anyway. Need a solid defender next to Sandow, who alternates between smashing blokes and being a turnstyle.

 

[NUFAN]

Big finish in the Tigpies Bunnies match - I can't stand watching commercial delayed footy on a sunday arvo,