NRL 2023 + Internationals

@canefan said in NRL 2023:

@NTA said in NRL 2023:

@antipodean said in NRL 2023:

@canefan said in NRL 2023:

@antipodean said in NRL 2023:

@canefan said in NRL 2023:

@antipodean said in NRL 2023:

@canefan said in NRL 2023:

@antipodean said in NRL 2023:

Penrith defending like Italy.

Or are Brisbane just that good? Mam a couple of yards faster than his defenders

Nah. Penrith look out on their feet. Can't keep a line and none of them can make a dominant tackle.

Brisbane just so much quicker

I'd say more energy running at a defensive line that's on their heels and can't stop an offload. Meanwhile Cleary looks like the flat track bully he and his chin are. At no point has he taken control of this game for his team. I hope the next SoO coach is paying attention.

Sorry mate but this comment aged Soo poorly

One left foot step and he's a genius.

How did Brisbane lose that!?

Penrith lost their mojo until cleary demonstrated what it looked like. Not a genius but if rugby was going to throw money at a league player, I'd want him

Set up one, scored one, caught restart out of bounds and a 40:20. Did a bit of everything, a leader's knock

We'll all be wetting ourselves with joy if our 10 stands up like that over the next few weeks.

Wow! That was entertainment. Crichton and Cleary were amazing. Felt sorry for Ezra Mam.
World Cup Rugby can't match that for drama and skill execution. The ref was the conductor out there today!

@ARHS said in NRL 2023:

Wow! That was entertainment. Crichton and Cleary were amazing. Felt sorry for Ezra Mam.
World Cup Rugby can't match that for drama and skill execution. The ref was the conductor out there today!

Good refs are rarely seen or heard from

You will rarely see a game won by 1 person

But Nathan cleary won this GF by himself. Incredible performance

@mariner4life said in NRL 2023:

You will rarely see a game won by 1 person

But Nathan cleary won this GF by himself. Incredible performance

And I'm happy to say: that was compelling viewing. Better than pretty much any rugby I've seen recently in terms of the entire game, and the drama. Ebbed and flowed. Superb contest.

When we were 24-8 down and looked lethargic I was very close to turning it off and going to bed. But I was like nah I’ll stay and watch to the end don’t be a sore loser geez glad I stayed up.

@mikey07 said in NRL 2023:

When we were 24-8 down and looked lethargic I was very close to turning it off and going to bed. But I was like nah I’ll stay and watch to the end don’t be a sore loser geez glad I stayed up.

Good decision mate. I am always puzzled by people leaving a game early, it is never over until it's over! But jeez that felt pretty damn near over

@canefan You know what it’s like also being a Canes fan and us being down but we stay watched hoping we’d comeback.

@mikey07 said in NRL 2023:

@canefan You know what it’s like also being a Canes fan and us being down but we stay watched hoping we’d comeback.

Even odder is when people are at the ground and leave when their team is probably going to win. Where do they need to rush too? I would have thought it was part of the experience to bask in the victory. Penrith were so gone though, but there was a lot of time left. It reminds me of a comeback by the Miami Heat ago. Half the crowd left only to find out the team stormed back and won. And they couldn't get back in because once you leave that's it

@canefan Ironically there my Basketball team also

Apparently Tedesco has been named captain of the Kangaroos. WTF. He's a shadow of his former self.

The 2nd GF of an epic weekend was every bit as good as the first.

The first half sort of looked like Penrith were just going to do Penrith things and squeeze Brisbane to death. But, for all their effort, the only try was a freak error, and then Flegler sending the Broncos in to half time only down 2 felt really significant.

The 2nd half Brisbane blew them away and at the hour mark that game should be put to bed. The Brisbane middles had taken over, and their speed was tearing Penrith up. That should have been it, Penrith looked beaten.

But Nathan fucking Cleary. Sets up Leota. Kicks a 3rd tackle 40/20. kicks the wide conversion. Scores the game winner. And on the flip side Adam Reynolds was falling apart. Brisbane commit grave error after grave error, and eventually got buried.

Penrith win 3 straight, and cement themselves as the best NRL team i have ever seen, even above the great Melbourne side, and the Broncos of the early 90s

@mariner4life said in NRL 2023:

The 2nd GF of an epic weekend was every bit as good as the first.

The first half sort of looked like Penrith were just going to do Penrith things and squeeze Brisbane to death. But, for all their effort, the only try was a freak error, and then Flegler sending the Broncos in to half time only down 2 felt really significant.

The 2nd half Brisbane blew them away and at the hour mark that game should be put to bed. The Brisbane middles had taken over, and their speed was tearing Penrith up. That should have been it, Penrith looked beaten.

But Nathan fucking Cleary. Sets up Leota. Kicks a 3rd tackle 40/20. kicks the wide conversion. Scores the game winner. And on the flip side Adam Reynolds was falling apart. Brisbane commit grave error after grave error, and eventually got buried.

Penrith win 3 straight, and cement themselves as the best NRL team i have ever seen, even above the great Melbourne side, and the Broncos of the early 90s

Better than the great Storm sides? That's a big call

4 straight Grand finals winning 3 of them? Minor premiers 3 of the 4 years? (and the other was 2nd on points diff)
Losing a couple of top level first graders along the way without any hiccup at all?

I actually think a few of their players are weirdly underrated because the collective is so good. Those Melbourne sides probably had the higher end talent in Smith, Slater, Inglis etc. But Penrith across the board are better. And their a middle four in JFH, Leota, Yeo and Leniu is probably better than anything Melbourne threw up.

It's an interesting discussion

@Nepia said in NRL 2023:

Apparently Tedesco has been named captain of the Kangaroos. WTF. He's a shadow of his former self.

View embedded content

Tedesco is really the only WTF selection.

The fact he is, at best, 4th in line at FB but still gets picked is hilarious.

@mariner4life said in NRL 2023:

The 2nd GF of an epic weekend was every bit as good as the first.

The first half sort of looked like Penrith were just going to do Penrith things and squeeze Brisbane to death. But, for all their effort, the only try was a freak error, and then Flegler sending the Broncos in to half time only down 2 felt really significant.

The 2nd half Brisbane blew them away and at the hour mark that game should be put to bed. The Brisbane middles had taken over, and their speed was tearing Penrith up. That should have been it, Penrith looked beaten.

But Nathan fucking Cleary. Sets up Leota. Kicks a 3rd tackle 40/20. kicks the wide conversion. Scores the game winner. And on the flip side Adam Reynolds was falling apart. Brisbane commit grave error after grave error, and eventually got buried.

Penrith win 3 straight, and cement themselves as the best NRL team i have ever seen, even above the great Melbourne side, and the Broncos of the early 90s

I have to agree that this was a great game and both of these teams deserved to be in that grand final

Penrith almost caught going through the motions in the first half. Error free mounting pressure but added very little to the score line. When Brisbane went in before halftime they were right back in it, where perhaps they should not have been.

Ezra Mam then tears the game apart with some insane speed and skill and at 24-8 you would think the game was dead and buried.

The chin single handedly steps up and carries Penrith to the next level where most of his team were only just hanging on.

Seriously one of the best grand finals I have watched. I feel for Brisbane as they were involved in two of the better grand finals across codes and came out on the losing side of both, but fans should be proud as their effort was incredible.

It will be interesting to see how both Penrith and Brisbane go next year with both losing some more key players. I suspect one or both becomes a bit like Melbourne, still really good and will beat most, but beatable. Penrith are arguably the best as @mariner4life says, three peats are near on impossible with the salary cap being followed correctly (hey Melbourne)

@Nepia said in NRL 2023:

Apparently Tedesco has been named captain of the Kangaroos. WTF. He's a shadow of his former self.

View embedded content

lol Tedesco, I can only assume some unrecorded injuries, I know they have favourites but that is ridiculous

Hopefully Valentine Holmes is back from Hastings

of all people, The Cheese actually made a very pertinent point about Sunday.

The Broncos were dealing with the Panthers' shape on Sunday, they had done their homework, knew what was coming, and were comfortable.
Then what happened?
The Panthers lost Luai and most importantly Yeo. Suddenly Cleary is at first receiver and Cogger is playing 6, and playing straight, and the Panthers offence changes, and the Broncos didn't know what to do about it.

Internationals started on the weekend

Australia has a frankly ridiculous side, even with Tedesco at the back. Talent everywhere, and they just smashed Samoa. The Aussie pack is huge and mobile.

@canefan he was 14 when he left Auckland. And never played rugby. Couple of good reasons why he never played 1st xv

James Fisher Harris has been named captain of the Kiwis. Interesting choice, very much a follow me style player, but his speaking is terrible, if I didn't know any better I'd have thought English was his second language..

heaps of movement in North Queensland

The Cowboys have traditionally used 3 feeder teams to spread their talent, in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay. Last year they decided they wanted more direct control, and just used the Townsville Blackhawks as their reserve grade side. This proved too much disruption, and the Blackhawks had a poor year.
So they went nuclear and have declared their allegiance is now to the Rabbitohs. Meaning the Cowboys now do not have a Q-Cup presence in Townsville. Presumably they will come crawling back to the Pride and Cutters asking them to take back their players. Bizarre situation all round

And now it is being widely reported that the next NRL team will be "PNG". Now, will that be based in PNG full time? Or will they be based here in Cairns? How can you have 2 NRL teams up here? We don't even have a stadium worth the name. If it's based in PNG, exactly how are they going to attract players who aren't already from there? I haven't seen any answers for any of that.

Wests Jnr takes things literally when they get asked to show a little more killer attitude. Masei Tavui 'charged with the murder of underworld figure Dejan “Danny the Serb” Radulvoic in Sydney’s inner west'.

Kiwi A playing really well in this second half after Tonga A were dominant in the first.

Our spine starting to get on top

Rocco Berry with a great chase and try saver.

Some earlier posts about international league matches can be found here: https://www.forum.thesilverfern.com/topic/5288/international-league-matches/49

lol International League alive and well.

Losing 50-0 to NZ. Who do Samoa think they are? The Wallabies?!!

@NTA said in NRL 2023 + Internationals:

lol International League alive and well.

Losing 50-0 to NZ. Who do Samoa think they are? The Wallabies?!!

I don't follow league too much, but how many of Samoa are kiwi born like their union brethren?

@Machpants said in NRL 2023 + Internationals:

@NTA said in NRL 2023 + Internationals:

lol International League alive and well.

Losing 50-0 to NZ. Who do Samoa think they are? The Wallabies?!!

I don't follow league too much, but how many of Samoa are kiwi born like their union brethren?

I don't either, so @mariner4life is about to come in here and tell me to fuck off

But I suspect a few of the Samoan blokes are Aussie-based, if not -born.

@NTA princely true. And we don't have a with South American League website with a chip on it's shoulder to give us all the meticulous details

International league is a poach-a-thon. It used to be easy, if you were brown you played for the kiwis, no matter the link.

Then the islands became a viable option, so heritage got really blurred.
Kiwis. Samoans. Tongans. Unless they are warriors juniors they are all Australian developed.

And we can't whinge. We've had a lot of "my dad was from NZ" over the years

@mariner4life said in NRL 2023 + Internationals:

International league is a poach-a-thon.

There is a guy from a Subbies club here in Sydney. Anglo surname, white as fuck.

Playing an "international" for Chile v Malta tomorrow.

I reckon the Malta team would have far more Maltese in it - Borg, Camilleri, Farrugia, Zammit, Galea - they're fucking everywhere!

I know nothing about League, but when I saw this pic, I knew there would be a Hopoate involved

Leo Thompson leading the Kiwis' haka.

Great atmosphere here at AAMi. Not quite Mt Smart, but plenty of Kiwis

The Mexican stare off.