The NRL Season of 2016

@Razbra That was the first full NRL game I've watched in years. Even though I'm a Raiders fan it is hard to warm to that lot. They're not a patch on the team from the 1990s.

Anyone else get the impression that the Fox comms were willing the Raiders to win? Canberra were more cynical at slowing down the play-the-ball than Melbourne but only one team was criticised for it.

I'm cheering for the Storm and the KIwi boys. I want Gallen to lose again to a Smith-led team.

@Bovidae yeah , I picked up on that ,

it will be all Sharks next week, they will be the darlings of the sydney led media , but that goes in the Storms favor, Bellamy thrives on that us against them spirit

I hope the Sharks lose for two reasons:

• Being drug cheats, and
• Paul Gallen.

@kiwiinmelb said in The NRL Season of 2016:

@Bovidae yeah , I picked up on that ,

it will be all Sharks next week, they will be the darlings of the sydney led media , but that goes in the Storms favor, Bellamy thrives on that us against them spirit

I'm not so sure. The Sydney media were pretty scathing of Cronulla and the whole peptides issue. No one really likes Gallen despite the fact he is NSW captain - more a case of last man standing.

The whole Fifita thing didn't endear anyone really.

So other than the real diehard Sharks supporters and a few anti-Melbourne/Victoria, I think most will be in the Storm camp.

In saying that there will be plenty not supporting either and just hoping for a close game and biff....

Considering Ennis is retiring (is Gallen as well?) there will almost certainly be biff. Last game a GF? He'll be at his absolute pesty worst this weekend, and i would imagine Bellamy is drilling in to his side to ignore it.

@mariner4life said in The NRL Season of 2016:

Considering Ennis is retiring (is Gallen as well?) there will almost certainly be biff. Last game a GF? He'll be at his absolute pesty worst this weekend, and i would imagine Bellamy is drilling in to his side to ignore it.

Or to provoke it ...

@ACT-Crusader said in The NRL Season of 2016:

@kiwiinmelb said in The NRL Season of 2016:

@Bovidae yeah , I picked up on that ,

it will be all Sharks next week, they will be the darlings of the sydney led media , but that goes in the Storms favor, Bellamy thrives on that us against them spirit

I'm not so sure. The Sydney media were pretty scathing of Cronulla and the whole peptides issue. No one really likes Gallen despite the fact he is NSW captain - more a case of last man standing.

The whole Fifita thing didn't endear anyone really.

So other than the real diehard Sharks supporters and a few anti-Melbourne/Victoria, I think most will be in the Storm camp.

In saying that there will be plenty not supporting either and just hoping for a close game and biff....

Yeah, fair point , I guess I was thinking more about the long suffering supporter base , and the media milking those stories

@kiwiinmelb there will definitely be an element of that for sure, but by and large they are a side on the nose that have a batch of vets and young players that have put a good season together. I'm just not sure many will be on the bandwagon ala Western Bulldogs.

Jason Taumalolo becomes the first proper forward to win the Dally M since 1989, and the first kiwi since Gary Freeman in '92 when he shared it last night with Cooper Cronk.

Bromwich named prop of the year as well.

If they win will the Warriors be the only team James Maloney never won the championship with when playing as a regular in the first grade team?

@canefan yes. And it leaves i think just us and the Titans as the only teams not to win a comp. FML

@mariner4life Great that Taumalolo won the Dally M. Shows he is far and away the best player in the competition, since the Dally M is traditionally skewered towards halfbacks.

Taumalolo, Jordan Rapana and Joseph Tapine added to Kiwis training squad. Squad is named after the GF.

@Sneakdefreak he's had an incredible year. Was massive against the Broncos. His minutes got longer, and his impact was through the roof.

Maybe not the best player in the comp, but certainly the most effective.

Taumalolo, Tapau, Bromwich and Matulino will take some stopping for the kiwis. Add in the support cast of Proctor and Harris and it's some pack we are assembling.

@Sneakdefreak said in The NRL Season of 2016:

Taumalolo, Jordan Rapana and Joseph Tapine added to Kiwis training squad. Squad is named after the GF.
Finally! Hope he makes the actual team and hope the Cowboys let Taumalolo play.

Rapana is a certainty for the wing and if Vunivalu is eligible (which he probably is since he played schoolboy rugby here) I could see Jason Nightingale being the fullback (because every Kiwis team needs Nightingale in there somewhere).

Grand Final day and a good (but not great) player is calling it a career after the final whistle.

What time (NZT) does the GF kick off?
Can't be bothered with any of the BS beforehand.

isnt it like 9 or 9.30?

Grand Finals when they were on a late Sunday arvo were much better!

7:28PM Sydney time. We started DST today so we're back to 2 hours' difference.

NOTE: it was 7:18PM but they added Gould minutes.

I think it's a stupid time to kickoff on a Sunday. 5pm Local time is much better for a Sunday night.

@Damo said in The NRL Season of 2016:

I think it's a stupid time to kickoff on a Sunday. 5pm Local time is much better for a Sunday night.

27 degrees here today. Know what I'd prefer

Ennis straight into the grub work

Also noting: public holiday here tomorrow (not all States)

I hope Melbourne win coz of the Kiwi connection.

And coz Ennis and Gallen. Fuck them.

Barba in off the base of the scrum.

I'm liking the work of the two Sharks wingers, Sosaia Feki and Valentine Holmes.

Maloney has exposed Tohu Harris twice

Grubs versus cheats... Cheats versus grubs... Jeez it's a hard one

Ennis has a rubbish kicking game.

Storm doing bloody well to only be 8 behind. They look fúcked.

@Damo said in The NRL Season of 2016:

Storm doing bloody well to only be 8 behind. They look fúcked.

Not surprising though, because the Sharks playmakers are rubbish. Maloney is damn good in broken play situations, but other than that the 6, 7 and 9 aren't much chop.

Sharks playing much better. Very low error and missed tackle rates, plus they're just too big and too strong with ball in hand. It's like watching a club's senior team playing the U18s.

@NTA said in The NRL Season of 2016:

Also noting: public holiday here tomorrow (not all States)

I didn't know that. Makes more sense.

@ACT-Crusader said in The NRL Season of 2016:

@Damo said in The NRL Season of 2016:

Storm doing bloody well to only be 8 behind. They look fúcked.

Not surprising though, because the Sharks playmakers are rubbish. Maloney is damn good in broken play situations, but other than that the 6, 7 and 9 aren't much chop.

Yeah but this can't carry on. Storm will need to get some Ball in the second half or they'll be buggered.

Only one team playing. I hate these fucking grubs, but they're playing awesome and deserve this game so far. Amazing performance so far

Storm looked tired the way they're bunched. Sharks are just waiting for them.

Storm are playing like the Warriors right now. It appears Cronulla is going to win its first title in a romp.

Sharks have now lost their best player - Feki - to injury. Was an ugly tackle by McLean and Chambers.

Storm are back

Bromwich gets the Storm back into the game with a try. 8-6 to the Sharks.

Some dirty shit going on in the contract zone. Wonder how long it will take until someone sues the NRL for letting this stuff go. There was a chicken wing tackle earlier that looked fairly shit.

Ennis' grubbers have shit on some good work by the Sharks

Ennis and Townsend kicking game is what keeping the Storm in it.

Sharks are now losing guys - Bukuya got fucked up by Tohu Harris's knee. Bad tackle made by Bukuya.