NRL 2021

@mikedogz four words that were repeated a couple of times, made me sit up and take notice;

‘they’ve got big motors’

This excites me!
I’ll happily support a team that shows plenty of ticker win or lose. And we saw towards the back end of last season that these guys have bigger motors than previous versions of the Warriors.

Now I’m certainly not saying ‘it’s our year’ or anything crazy like that, but there seems to be more substance to what they’re saying, than we’ve seen or heard in many years.

Talk is cheap though isn’t it, let’s see what they put out on the park.

Going by the all the new signings Warriors like clearly means mostly not NZers.

Benji off to Souths to join Bennett?

A second Brisbane team looking likely for 2023

that's hardly a bombshell. Expansion has been on the cards for ages, and it's either Brisbane or the Central Coast.

@mariner4life said in NRL 2021:

that's hardly a bombshell. Expansion has been on the cards for ages, and it's either Brisbane or the Central Coast.

And the Central Coast placements for sports haven't set the world on fire.

Brisbane haven't exactly set the world on fire lately either

@canefan said in NRL 2021:

Brisbane haven't exactly set the world on fire lately either

it's easy to give them a whack, but since their last Premiership they've made the finals something like 11 of 14 years.

The Warriors would kill for that record.

strong rumours of Izzy Folau to the Dragons

the online response is entirely predictable.

what i will say is this. If Matt Lodge can get an NRL contract, then there is no way they can keep Izzy out.

@mariner4life said in NRL 2021:

strong rumours of Izzy Folau to the Dragons

the online response is entirely predictable.

what i will say is this. If Matt Lodge can get an NRL contract, then there is no way they can keep Izzy out.

They've just lost one star in RTS, so you can be sure the greatest game on earth will welcome him with open arms.

V'landys has previously put his marker in the ground about Folau so let's see if he backtracks or holds firm.

He might come back, already talks of him accepting social media restrictions that he said he would never do.

Player roundabout already started

Cam McInnes going to rival Sharks for 2022, no surprise he was going to leave, but the sharks was something that could a few off guard. Money was on the tigers.
Warriors already tabled large offer to the cheese for 2022 as well, now that no RTS. I guess they assume Rocco Berry/Paul Turner will be good enough at fullback.
Latrell knocked back extension with Rabbits and also testing market
CHN who left Bulldogs to revive his career at the Raiders, looks like he will be rubbed out for a while after failing a DUI on the high side. Almost feels like a real housewives reality trainwreck with some of these players

@bayimports McInnes not getting on with the new coach, so left.

I've also read that the Titans are having a crack at the Cheese as well.

Latrell is taking bad advice somewhere. He's on the look out for a million a year. That's extraordinary money even for a FB. How many teams with a guy on a million have won a comp?

@mariner4life said in NRL 2021:

@bayimports McInnes not getting on with the new coach, so left.

I've also read that the Titans are having a crack at the Cheese as well.

Latrell is taking bad advice somewhere. He's on the look out for a million a year. That's extraordinary money even for a FB. How many teams with a guy on a million have won a comp?

Wanting mccullough over mcinnes also crazy..dont know what Griffin was smoking, but yes bad blood all round.

I imagine a few clubs will have a crack at both the cheese (NQL have inside running apparently) and Latrell is apparently having a chat with the broncos as we speak, but the money he wants is huge and given he is not injury free makes it even more insane.

@bayimports you would think the Broncos would learn from the Milford disaster.

@mariner4life and signing Lodge on 800k and is also unlikely to make starting 13, or losing David Fafita..Broncos have historically been one of the strongest clubs in history, but their very recent history is terrible.

Smart move.

@Gunner said in NRL 2021:

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Smart move.

Interesting that he's asked for a release from Catalans on compassionate grounds yet is trying to line up an NRL contract. Well Folau bold face lying is pretty well known so they really should have known better.

@mariner4life said in NRL 2021:

He's also very very average

And fucking massive!

St George have decided against signing Folau due to the bad publicity and criticism.

@Bovidae said in NRL 2021:

St George have decided against signing Folau due to the bad publicity and criticism.

You can argue the issues about cancel culture. But in the real world there are consequences to your actions

@canefan said in NRL 2021:

@Bovidae said in NRL 2021:

St George have decided against signing Folau due to the bad publicity and criticism.

You can argue the issues about cancel culture. But in the real world there are consequences to your actions

unless you horribly bash someone, in which case all good.

The NRL showing a couple of faces here i reckon. I'm absolutely cool with the Dragons' decision, fair enough.

I am less comfortable with the fact the same didn't apply to Russel Packer and Matt Lodge.

Actually, with an extra 10 seconds personal reflection, i was comfortable with the ARU's decision. If Issy had changed his opinion around his social media, then i am not quite so cool with not allowing 2nd chances.

Now i don't know what i believe.

my favourite part of the whole thing has been

The day after the story broke, one of rugby league's dumbest journos (and by fuck isn't that a crowded field) James Hooper pens an "article" titled "Spare Us The Outrage Snowflakes, Israel SHOULD Be Allowed In The NRL". In said drunken pub rant, Hooper uses the example of one Ian Roberts to show just how inclusive Rugby League is.

By the end of the same day Ian Roberts had come out strongly against the signing, calling it a shit storm.

@Nepia said in NRL 2021:

@Gunner said in NRL 2021:

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Smart move.

Interesting that he's asked for a release from Catalans on compassionate grounds yet is trying to line up an NRL contract. Well Folau bold face lying is pretty well known so they really should have known better.

What lies? Genuinely.

@Siam said in NRL 2021:

@Nepia said in NRL 2021:

@Gunner said in NRL 2021:

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Smart move.

Interesting that he's asked for a release from Catalans on compassionate grounds yet is trying to line up an NRL contract. Well Folau bold face lying is pretty well known so they really should have known better.

What lies? Genuinely.

Maybe when he said he’d walk away from his contract if he was hurting ARU and it’s sponsors and then went and did the exact opposite.

@Nepia Not to re-hash all this but Folau was under a different contract when he made those remarks. When everything went down he was under a different new contract.

@Nepia said in NRL 2021:

@Siam said in NRL 2021:

@Nepia said in NRL 2021:

@Gunner said in NRL 2021:

View embedded content

Smart move.

Interesting that he's asked for a release from Catalans on compassionate grounds yet is trying to line up an NRL contract. Well Folau bold face lying is pretty well known so they really should have known better.

What lies? Genuinely.

Maybe when he said he’d walk away from his contract if he was hurting ARU and it’s sponsors and then went and did the exact opposite.

You mean when he was unlawfully sacked and settled out of court? That's a hell of a bold face lying standard for everyone in society to follow, but ok.

@KiwiMurph said in NRL 2021:

@Nepia Not to re-hash all this but Folau was under a different contract when he made those remarks. When everything went down he was under a different new contract.

Up to you if you want to make a distinction on the contracts, like you I can’t be arsed Re-hashing all this (I just found the Catalan situation interesting), was just replying to Siam out of courtesy.

I don’t have Fox anymore so if he goes back to league it’s no skin off my nose.

@Nepia Yeah I was just being pedantic on the contracts.

Someone please help me understand why the NRL have an Indigenous and Māori All Stars game when the commentators and referees can't even pronounce the word Māori properly, let alone any of the players names. Bit of a joke really.

@yeetyaah said in NRL 2021:

Someone please help me understand why the NRL have an Indigenous and Māori All Stars game when the commentators and referees can't even pronounce the word Māori properly, let alone any of the players names. Bit of a joke really.

Yeah, they could have at least added someone to the team who could pronounce the names. I was out for dinner but could have made myself available.

Fierce haka though.

@yeetyaah said in NRL 2021:

Someone please help me understand why the NRL have an Indigenous and Māori All Stars game when the commentators and referees can't even pronounce the word Māori properly, let alone any of the players names. Bit of a joke really.

They got Benji Marshall’s name okay...

Tough conditions out there making it hard to watch.

@act-crusader said in NRL 2021:

@yeetyaah said in NRL 2021:

Someone please help me understand why the NRL have an Indigenous and Māori All Stars game when the commentators and referees can't even pronounce the word Māori properly, let alone any of the players names. Bit of a joke really.

They got Benji Marshall’s name okay...

Tough conditions out there making it hard to watch.

Nah it's Bunji not Beanji, you've bin in Aussie too long.

The Warriors don't expect to have any home games this season.

The NZ Warriors won't be playing at home this season, even if a trans- Ta$man bubble is in place.

The club had hoped to return to Mount Smart Stadium in April for their round five clash with Manly, but unless there is clear certainty around borders remaining open, that won't happen.

The club says even if a bubble does open, it doesn't mean the team will be able to come home straight away. 

Club CEO Cameron George has told Newshub it's too risky for the competition to have the team travel back and forth, if there's no certainty the borders will stay open. 

Newshub ubderstands George and head coach Nathan Brown will discuss the situation with the team and their families this weekend, with an announcement expected in the coming days.

And we're almost underway, comp kicks off on Thursday with Souths v Melbourne.

One assumes Cam Smith is still playing for Melbourne.

Warriors have i think a home game against the Titans. It's actually a pretty big game for both clubs. The Titans have made a lot of good moves and are expected to push hard for finals. If they continue being the Gold Coast Titans, then people will be pissed. The Warriors obviously have a new coach, a bit of a new look side, are still based in Australia. What sort of a season are we looking at?

Storm v Roosters GF then?

Also a question, if i may. Is there a sport with a worse set of "high profile journalists" than Rugby League? And why do these fucking goons continue to get extended air time on Fox League? Rothfield is a sour old drunk who copped a clip from Cooper Cronk last night. Paul Kent just hates everything about the NRL (but desperately wants to be best mates with the names of the sport). That bald flog Hooper is just a dropkick. And yet these guys are nearly the faces of the Fox League channel.

Who is signing off on this shit?

@mariner4life said in NRL 2021:

Storm v Roosters GF then?

I heard that Souths are the favourites to win it all based on a poll.

The majority expect the Warriors to miss the playoffs - again.

@bovidae said in NRL 2021:

@mariner4life said in NRL 2021:

Storm v Roosters GF then?

I heard that Souths are the favourites to win it all based on a poll.

The majority expect the Warriors to miss the playoffs - again.

Souths look bloody good. I just wonder about their halves come the real pointy end, and if a pack built around the lessor Burgess's is actually good enough.

The Roosters, provided a couple of key guys stay fit (radley a prime example) are hard to go past. wait, who is their halfback?

I don't expect the Warriors to finish higher than 10th.

wait, it appears Cam Smith has just sort of wandered off in to the sunset?

Storm out.