NRL 2010

[Noah]

Well if there's an AFL thread......

WARNING CONTAINS RESULTS FOR GAMES PLAYED TODAY

Round 1 Results

Brisbane Broncos 30 def North Queesland Cowboys 24

St George-Illawarra Dragons 18 def Parramatta Eels 12

Newcastle Knights 20 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16

Penrith Panthers 34 def Canberra Raiders 16

Melbourne Storm 16 def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 10

Gold Coast Titans 24 def New Zealand Warriors 18

Sydney Roosters 36 def South Sydney Rabbitohs 10

Wests Tigers 26 def Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22

Round 2 Results

St George-Illawarra Dragons 26 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6

Gold Coast Titans 19 def South Sydney Rabbitohs 18

North Queesland Cowboys 28 def Penrith Panthers 20

Melbourne Storm 20 def Newcastle Knights 14

New Zealand Warriors 30 def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16

Parramatta Eels 24 def Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 20

Sydney Roosters 44 def Wests Tigers 32

Canberra Raiders 22 def Brisbane Broncos 14

Round 3 Results

Wests Tigers 23 def Parramatta Eels 12

St George-Illawarra Dragons 33 def North Queesland Cowboys 8

Melbourne Storm 16 def Penrith Panthers 10

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 36 def Newcastle Knights 12

Gold Coast Titans 24 def Canberra Raiders 4

New Zealand Warriors 48 def Brisbane Broncos 16

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 60 def Sydney Roosters 14

South Sydney Rabbitohs 30 def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 8

Round 4

Melbourne Storm 17 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 4

Sydney Roosters 25 def Brisbane Broncos 6

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 11 def Parramatta Eels 0

North Queesland Cowboys 32 def Gold Coast Titans 18

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 14 def New Zealand Warriors 6

West Tigers 35 def Canberra Raiders 22

Round 4 games to be played tomorrow

Newcastle Knights vs Penrith Panthers 4:00pm

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 7:00pm

Not too happy with the way the season has progressed for my beloved Rabbitohs thus far but the win(albeit an ugly one)over Cronulla in round 3 will do wonders for the team's confidence and I'm hopeful of a good showing against the Bulldogs.

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Woo! Storm unbeaten!

I couldn't care less what happens for most of the NRL though, but they are a damn exciting team to watch.

[Noah]

Agreed.

The Storm are a fantastic team and have been so for a number of years. Maybe they've ridden their luck a bit so far this season but they've done well.

A lot of New South Welshmen and women are determined to hate them, because they aren't of this state but I always admire good quality teams, in any sport, regardless of whether tradition/other factors dictate that I should hate them instead.

[Slogger]

I haven't watched NRL in a while but I do have team's I still quietly follow.

Dragons (For the simple fact that I live 20mins or so away from WIN Stadium)

Paramatta (I was brought up to follow them)

Warriors (Dad's from New Zealand and someone needs to cheer for them)

also any team that can beat the following.

Melbourne

Brisbane

Bulldogs

Manly

So my stance remains the same as in the AFL thread, Wake me when the Eels/Warriors don't suck.

[TheTruth]

Thoughts on each of the teams so far..

Broncos: Too young of a side to be consistent throughout the whole competition as it's already been shown this year, along with last year during their injury run. I bet Henjak is hoping Lockyer retires from rep footy, because the Origin period could be a whole lot uglier this year if he isn't steering the ship.

Cowboys: They've been trying, but they lack some strikepower I think to be a major player in 2010. I feel sorry for Thurston too everytime he plays, looks frustrated with his team all the time. Mason has been shit this year too, thank god Manly didn't sign him.

Dragons: Their game against the Storm proved that at the back end of the season they're gonna suffer the same choking problems like they always do during the finals. Bennett might be a master coach, but I can't see him lifting the choker tag off the Dragons and giving them a premiership. Also, I don't think I have watched a more boring football team.

Eels: Pretty damn poor considering the side they have, and to think they were premiership favourites. They lack heart and committment, something which was integral to their late run last year. Mortimer is showing his weaknesses in first grade, and Hayne isn't firing as much as he was last year thus no attack. They should be winless too, I'm still filthy about THAT pass.

Knights: Solid team, but what is with Mullen? He isn't living up to his potential; should be leading this side around by now but when they played Manly I could've sworn he wasn't even playing. I'm surprised the drug scandal hasn't affected them as much, so kudos.

Bulldogs: I used to hate this team with a passion, but I've gained a whole new level of respect for them since they're rebuilding. I think they're class despite their slow start, and is one of the few teams who could knock Melbourne off at the end of the season.

Panthers: They need a good quality halfback if they want to be successful, too disorganised in their attack and it costs them too much as shown when they played the Storm. Had a million chances to put them away, and couldn't do it. I like their side though, especially Lewis who is really coming into his own and should make his way back into Origin.

Raiders: Give them a few years and they'll be right up there if they can keep their squad together. Too young at the moment though.

I'll edit this later..

[Noah]

Panthers pip Knights with last-gasp try

By David Beniuk 19:25 AEST Mon Apr 5 2010

Jarrod Mullen looked to have scored the winner against the Panthers but Penrith fought back.Newcastle fans were livid at a controversial video referee decision to award Penrith lock Joseph Paulo a try to helped the Panthers to a nailbiting 34-30 NRL victory over Newcastle at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Monday.

The benefit-of-the-doubt ruling from video referee Paul Simpkins resulted in a 72nd-minute try to Paulo which locked the scores up at 30-30.

Penrith centre Adrian Purtell then crossed in the final minute to deliver the thrilling win to the visitors after Newcastle had led 24-6 at halftime.

Knights halfback Scott Dureau appeared to be impeded as Paulo flew high to grab a Luke Walsh bomb and the decision brought a hail of boos from the crowd of 15,894.

Newcastle five-eighth Jarrod Mullen looked to have scored the clincher in the 68th minute after the Panthers had fought back to 24-24.

Knights winger Akuila Uate bagged a first-half hat-trick as his side took advantage of three Penrith forward passes at their own end to pile on four tries in 15 minutes before the break.

The Panthers mounted a second-half comeback, scoring in their first set of six when Knights fullback Shannon McDonnell spilled a bomb and Michael Jennings sprinted away for his first four-pointer of 2010.

A soft try to interchange forward Sam McKendry eight minutes later made it 24-18 and the momentum was with the resurgent visitors.

Luke Lewis capitalised on a horror bounce from a Walsh grubber in the 62nd minute to score millimetres inside the deadball line and the conversion had the scores level at 24-24.

Mullen shredded the Panthers defence in the 68th minute to give the Knights the ascendancy again before Paulo's controversial four-pointer.

It had been a first half of two halves.

Newcastle were woeful with their handling early and the more controlled Panthers scored first in the 20th minute when fullback Lachlan Coote scooped up loose ball after a grubber from former Knight Walsh.

But then an unforgivable three forward passes in their own territory from the Panthers - twice from hooker Kevin Kingston - gifted the Knights the field position to score four tries.

Uate crashed over twice from dummy half, sandwiching those short-range efforts with a 95m sprint down the right sideline after the Panthers had messed up an attacking raid.

Cory Paterson got the other four-pointer, another soft try from close to Penrith's line.

The Panthers were boosted by the early return of powerhouse second-rower Frank Pritchard (shoulder), who hadn't been due to return for another month.

Burgess onslaught powers Bunnies home

By Steve Jancetic 21:06 AEST Mon Apr 5 2010

They may have taken some time to emerge from the burrow but the Rabbitohs made good on their Easter delivery as South Sydney's much-vaunted pack finally walked the walk in a 38-16 NRL thumping of Canterbury at ANZ Stadium on Monday night.

Inspired by a dominant display from English import Sam Burgess, who scored a first half double as mother Julie watched on from owner Russell Crowe's private box, the Rabbitohs ambushed the Bulldogs with a first-half onslaught from which the visitors never recovered in front of a healthy 30,120 crowd.

After several listless displays to start the year, the seven tries to three romp was just what the Rabbitohs faithful needed to restore a belief that had been heightened by off-season acquisitions of Burgess and David Taylor.

Burgess' double was part of a five-try avalanche in an opening stanza - which started with a Bulldogs try in just the second minute - as the Rabbitohs pack matched the hype by rumbling over a Bulldogs defence that had no answer to the relentless assault.

When Burgess wasn't making inroads it was skipper Roy Asotasi bulldozing his way forward, while lesser lights Scott Geddes and Luke Stuart continued the barrage in attack and defence.

One who could attest to that was Bulldogs forward Jarrod Hickey, who lasted just five minutes before being taken to hospital for observation following a heavy tackle which left him with a suspected chest injury.

Halves Chris Sandow and John Sutton thrived on the platform - the pair combining from a scrum win to put Beau Champion over in the fourth minute before a Sutton bomb eventually ended up in Sandow's arms for a 12-6 lead after seven extraordinary minutes.

The Bulldogs had three straight sets camped on the Bunnies' line but failed to make it across, an Issac Luke bust from inside his own half then leaving the visitors backpedalling as winger Nathan Merrit crossing on the next play in the opposite corner.

Burgess - in his best performance in the NRL - bagged his double with short-range runs before the break, the result put beyond doubt in the 57th minute when Luke scored next to the posts.

The Bulldogs restored some respectability with a pair of second half tries before Champion singled the start of the celebrations with his second right on fulltime.

[Lineker]

I hadn't really watched any NRL until now (I work at the ABC so I get to watch a fair bit ) and from what I have gathered so far, it will take some doing to beat the Storm this season.

[Hornswoggle4PM]

A lot of New South Welshmen and women are determined to hate them, because they aren't of this state...

Yeah, I'm from Victoria and couldn't believe how slanted the commentary was over last year's Grand Final. Had Foxtel for about a month a couple of years back when they were starting to dominate, got hooked on the competition for two/three months because of that. But I can understand people hating the team, whether it be jealousy or because of their location.

[TheTruth]

Melbourne are a great team, and I respect that but I still hate them. It's like with any successful club in any sport, they're going to become hated because of their success. Also, with last year's GF how could you not cheer for Parra after their late run, along with them being Sydney's great white hope to win a premiership.

My hate for Melbourne also comes from the fact I go for Manly (40-0!), and that Slater is pretty much the grubbiest player I have seen.

[Lineker]

Storm lost to the Titans tonight - somehow. They were all over them for a lot of the game.

[Lineker]

Oh dear. Storm = raped.

[Slogger]

PARRAMATTA!

(This woot is under the assumption that Parra' might get the 2009 title awarded to them by default)

[Noah]

From what I heard, they are just stripping Melbourne of the 2 grand finals and the 3 minor premierships and leaving it at that.

Sucks that it had to happen to Melbourne, if some disaster was going to happen to an ex-super league/news funded club I would have hoped for the Sharks.

[Lineker]

Yeah the titles I guess are just remaining vacant as opposed to going to Manly and Parramatta.

[Slogger]

Yeah the titles I guess are just remaining vacant as opposed to going to Manly and Parramatta.

Well that's just shit.

[Noah]

Normally you get idiots online responding to articles and it's just a sad part of life and you ignore it.

However this I read and have to share with someone.

STORM

Posted by: kpar, V, on 22/04/2010 5:28:19 PM

Clap CLap Clap to the NRL you finally managed to do it. Just can't deal with the fact that storm have taken over your sydney based comp, well i guess what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger....Let's go storm boys prove to them that this won't stop us....

Is that person really suggesting the NRL have conspired to screw over the Storm out of jealousy that the game is moving away from its traditional Sydney powerbase?

If anything the NRL would cover up for the Storm to maintain the important link to Victoria.

[Hornswoggle4PM]

It's the "I'm too proud of my team that I can see no fault in them, so everyone/the main people in charge else has conspired to take them down" theory.

Normally considering everyone else hating the Storm, I would agree but in this circumstance it seems plain that the Storm have just cheated their way to winning. Not to say if the same thing happened to Geelong I wouldn't say something equally as absurd ^_^

[Chris the Human]

Is that person really suggesting the NRL have conspired to screw over the Storm out of jealousy that the game is moving away from its traditional Sydney powerbase?

It would seem so. There are a minority of crazies out there. It would be in the NRL's best interests to cover up the Storm's indiscretions and allow them to continue to win on the field, and win the fans' support off of the field. This decision has set them back about ten years in Victoria.

[Chris the Human]

And I could have sworn I started an NRL 2010 thread when the Knights beat the Dogs in round one...

[Noah]

Yeah I know we had a a number of players out with rep duties/injuries/suspensions and some 31 year old that we signed only a couple of days ago had to be rushed into the side(which really tells you how desperate the situation was) but....

50-22??

That's disgusting. It was a chance for my beloved Rabbitohs to show what they were made of and they blew it.