***Official*** NRL 2008 Thread

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I think Manly would be worried about us. We're soft in general, but on our day, good luck. Like last time we played Manly.

 

[Craig]

Good to see both matches selling well.

The Brisbane-Melbourne-Cronulla side is so wide open IMO, compared with Manly who you'd have to think would be heavy favourites v either Roosters or Warriors next week. **** I hate Manly.

Who doesn't?

 

[Simon]

Channel 9 are so ****, gonna be in Melbourne for Indoor Cricket over the weekend and they arent showing the Broncos vs Melbourne game until after midnight. Douchebags.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Tell all of us about it...

 

[Spinksy]

Who doesn't?

My family. I think they've gone soft...

 

[Jakester1288]

1 Parramatta Eels
2 Brisbane Broncos
3 Melbourne Storm
4 North Queensland Cowboys
5 Manly Sea Eagles
6 New Zealand Warriors
7 Canberra Raiders
8 Sydney Roosters
9 Penrith Panthers
10 Cronulla Sharks
11 Wests Tigers
12 South Sydney Rabbitohs
13 Canterbury Bulldogs
14 Newcastle Knights
15 Gold Coast Titans
16 St George/Illawarra Dragons

Premiers: Brisbane Broncos
Runners Up: North Queensland Cowboys
Top Tryscorer: Michael Jennings (Penrith Panthers)
Top Pointscorer: Luke Burt (Parramatta Eels)
Rookie of the Year: Matt Keating (Parramatta Eels) or Josh McCrone (Penrith Panthers)
Origin Debuts: Qld - Michael Jennings, Israel Folau and David Taylor NSW - Todd Carney, Dean Collis and Anthony Laffranchi
Origin Series - Queensland 2-1
Dally M Winner: Johnathon Thurston
Best Buys: Travis Burns (North Queensland Cowboys) and Joel Monaghan (Canberra Raiders)
Worst Buys: Wes Naiqama (Newcastle Knights) and Mark O'Meley (Sydney Roosters)
Coaches Not to See out 2008 - Brian Smith (Newcastle Knights) and Nathan Brown (St George/Illawarra Dragons)

Other Predictions
Hazem El Masri to see out the season in Premier League
Parramatta to finish first in the Under 20's comp as well as first grade
St George's injury curse to hit again
One team will be winless after 8 weeks
Melbourne will suffer a premiership hangover and be midtable come middle of the season
Willie Mason will be dropped from the NSW side mid Origin series
At Least one Raiders player will be selected in Origin
Sonny Bill Williams will suffer another serious injury
Anthony Minichiello will regain his NSW #1 Jersey but not make the Australian team

Hardly any of them happened, and the table is a bit...umm....errr...off.

 

[Burgey]

Hardly any of them happened, and the table is a bit...umm....errr...off.

Ya nay carn criticise a mon for putting his stones on the line and making predictions, laddie.

His top 8 had any number of teams in it which a lot of experts were tipping at the beginning of the year, and even I, as a wizened, cynical Parra fan with 22 years of **** efforts thought this might be the year. Instead, the Roosters, with all the heart and soul of Hymie the Robot from Get Smart, bought their way into the eight.

But they're going down this week, I tells ya!!!

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Haha, you're a joke.

"Parra are ****in soft, WAH ROOSTERS BUYING SUCCESS WAH!!!!!"

This ain't the Premier League son, there's a salary cap. It's the reason our backline ****in' sucks.

 

[Burgey]

The Roosters have tried to buy success long before the salary cap - it's been ingrained in their club culture since at least the early 80s. They've been this decade's Manly though as the most obvious at it, apart from the Broncos of course, and Canterbury re the salary cap thing, not to mention Manly, the Sharks, Warriors, Storm, and anyone else who finished ahead of Parra this year. All blatantly over the cap IMO.

And really, we both need to concern ourselves with the direness of Black this season, rather than this paltry issue.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

And really, we both need to concern ourselves with the direness of Black this season, rather than this paltry issue.

Top of OD table, 3rd in FC.

Massively dire, yeah.

 

[Burgey]

Got the impression you weren't happy

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Well it certainly doesn't help that under any bit of pressure we're softer than the Eels back row.

But it's all relative in the end.

 

[Burgey]

Mate, no one's softer than Parra's back row under pressure (save Hindmarsh, who's just buggered from tackling for everyone else).

Except the front row......

 

[Burgey]

Interesting sidelight to the "Lockyer tackling the bar owner" story, with reports today confirming he could not have made the tackle alleged. Everyone knows Tony Carroll does Lockyer's tackling for him.

Details at six.

 

[howardj]

Gearing up for a Benny Cousins-style bender for tomorrow night. How st00pid are the Broncos/Ticketek. They allow you to purchase tickets over the internet, and print them out - and you don't have to show student or pensioner ID at the gate...you just get your ticket scanned electronically. Doesn't hurt Ticketek, I guess - they still get their standard $3 fee regardless.

 

[ripper868]

haha, yeah, same thing for when i went to aus v france at suncorp...bought me and the missus concession tickets (uni students so it's genuine and the folks adult tickets....got there and didnt have to show id or anything...should have just bought concessions all round and spent the money i saved on booze.

 

[howardj]

My head says Melbourne and the Roosters this weekend.

Then Melbourne and Manly next weekend

Then Manly to win the comp.

 

[Craig]

Manly won't win when Orford goes MIA.

 

[morgieb]

My head says Melbourne and the Warriors in front of a HUGE home crowd this weekend.

Then Melbourne and Manly next weekend

Then Melbourne to win the comp and Manly choke again.

Fixed.

 

[chaminda_00]

Manly won't win when Orford goes MIA.

Been MIA all season, we still won the odd match.