2007 Grand Final Video Preview

2007 NRL GRAND FINAL
Sunday 7:00pm AEST, 30th September 2007, @ Telstra Stadium, Homebush.
V
#1 MELBOURNE STORM
1-13: B Slater, S Turner, M King, I Folau, A Quinn, G Inglis, C Cronk, B Cross, C Smith (c), B White, C Newton, R Hoffman, D Johnson.
Bench: Jeremy Smith, M Geyer, M Crocker, J Lima, J Aubusson, G Crossman, A Blair, S Manu.
Coach: Craig Bellamy.

#2 MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES
1-13: B Stewart, M Robertson, S Bell, S Matai, C Hicks, J Lyon, M Orford (c), J King, M Monaghan, B Kite, A Watmough, G Stewart, L Williamson.
Bench: T Burns, G Hall, M Bryant, S Menzies, M Ballin, J Afamasaga, A Cuthbertson.
Coach: Des Hasler.

NSC SAYS: STORM BY 24

Quick Spin:

As good as Manly has been this season – particularly defensively – I just can’t see them touching the Storm in this one. Melbourne dominate the ruck with whatever tactics you want to call them – but they do it so well against any team that relies on their go-forward to give their backs room to move. And if you’re thinking ‘well that’s basically every team’ then you’d be spot on – Melbourne have devised a way to nullify the game-plan of nearly every club in the competition.

That’s quite a feat Mr Bellamy… no matter how close to the borderline of assault those tactics come.

Manly’s outside men love depth and you can only get depth in attack if you have a strong presence going forward and get quick play the balls. If the Storm play as they normally do and slow the play the ball down at an increasing rate throughout the game – the Manly backs will barely see good quality ball.

Melbourne on the other hand have players in their backline that don’t need quality ball to make a break – see Greg Inglis and Billy Slater. If Cooper Cronk and the likely Clive Churchill Medallist Cameron Smith can find some rhythm in their play off the back of some solid forward drives – the Storm will cut the vaunted Manly defence to ribbons.

Predictions:

Melbourne 34 def. Manly 10

Cameron Smith: Clive Churchill Medal

Steve Turner: 1st Tryscorer.

_________________________

Warrick Nicolson
E: wdnicolson@optusnet.com.au
P: 0402851485

2nd Preliminary Final: MEL v PAR – by the clock

PRELIMINARY FINAL TWO
Sunday 4:00pm AEST, 23rd September 2007, @ Telstra Dome, Melbourne.
V
#1 MELBOURNE STORM
1-13:B Slater, S Turner, M King, I Folau, A Quinn, G Inglis, C Cronk, B Cross, C Smith (c), B White, C Newton, R Hoffman, D Johnson.
Bench:Jeremy Smith, M Geyer, M Crocker, J Lima.
Coach: Craig Bellamy.

#5 PARRAMATTA EELS
1-13:J Hayne, K Inu, D Wagon, T Tahu, E Grothe, B Finch, T Smith, N Cayless (c), M Riddell, FF MoiMoi, N Hindmarsh, I Hindmarsh, C Robinson.
Bench:PJ Marsh, J Cordoba, F Mateo, J Reddy.
Coach: Michael Hagan.

FIRST HALF

1^stMinute MEL – Brett White brings back the kick-off into the teeth of the Parramatta defence. Nathan Hindmarsh has been getting in around the head on every tackle to rough up the Melbourne runners. Cooper Cronk’s clearing kick sees Jarryd Hayne bring it back from 5m out from his line.

2nd Minute PAR – Hayne makes a half break after Mark Riddell puts him into an opening. Hayne then milks a penalty far too easily – Tony Archer duped early.

3rd Minute PAR – After building a nice set inside the Storm’s 20m zone, the Eels somehow allow FuiFui MoiMoi to go into dummy half and his pass to Tim Smith on the last tackle is knocked on by the halfback.

4th Minute MEL PENALTY – N Hindmarsh continues with his stupid ankle lifting tackles and gets pinged for one on Steve Turner but Archer says it is for MoiMoi’s arm across the ball – pity FuiFui’s arm was around the head. Melbourne out of their own half.

5th Minute MEL – Cameron Smith’s grubber from dummy half and only 2m out is snuffed out by MoiMoi and Melbourne end their first attacking set meekly.

6th Minute PAR – Hayne makes a clean break this time from halfway beating Greg Inglis, Slater stops him but Hayne finds Wagon who is wrapped up 15m out. Tim Smith is held on the last after Parra run the ball but Hayne might have aggravated his knee injury from last week.

9th Minute PAR – Timana Tahu steps around Israel Folau and makes a half break from a scrum. Turner is penalised for not being square at marker. Eels turn down a shot at penalty goal.

11th Minute EELS TRY- Eric Grothe goes over untouched in the right corner after a lovely Tim Smith cut out pass that sucks Anthony Quinn in off his wing to tackle Daniel Wagon on suspicion. Great pass. Krisnan Inu to try and make it 6-0 from the right touchline.

EELS TRY – E Grothe (1); T Smith 1A Cut Out Pass to – E Grothe to score.
K Inu M/CONV from right touchline to the left.

4-0 EELS after 13 Minutes.

Preliminary Finals Video Preview

4 Weeks in September has produced the following Video Previews for the two Preliminary Finals to be played this weekend. 

PRELIMINARY FINAL ONE
Saturday 7:45pm AEST, 22nd September 2007, @ Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney.
V
#2 MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES
1-13: B Stewart, M Robertson, S Bell, S Matai, C Hicks, J Lyon, M Orford (c), J King, M Monaghan, B Kite, A Watmough, G Stewart, L Williamson.
Bench: T Burns, G Hall, M Bryant, S Menzies, M Ballin, J Afamasaga, A Cuthbertson.
Coach: Des Hasler.

#3 NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
1-13: M Bowen, T Williams, A Graham, P Bowman, B Farrar, Justin Smith, J Thurston (c), M Scott, A Payne, C Webb, S Faust, M Bartlett, M Henry.
Bench: D Faiumu, Jason Smith, J Lillyman, R Cashmere, B Vaeau, N Sweeney.
Coach: Graham Murray.

NSC SAYS: SEA EAGLES BY 7

PRELIMINARY FINAL TWO
Sunday 4:00pm AEST, 23rd September 2007, @ Telstra Dome, Melbourne.
V
#1 MELBOURNE STORM
1-13: B Slater, S Turner, M King, I Folau, A Quinn, G Inglis, C Cronk, B Cross, C Smith (c), B White, C Newton, R Hoffman, D Johnson.
Bench: Jeremy Smith, M Geyer, M Crocker, J Lima, J Aubusson, G Crossman.
Coach: Craig Bellamy.

#5 PARRAMATTA EELS
1-13: J Hayne, K Inu, J Reddy, T Tahu, E Grothe, B Finch, T Smith, N Cayless (c), M Riddell, FF MoiMoi, N Hindmarsh, I Hindmarsh, F Mateo.
Bench: PJ Marsh, J Cordoba, C Robinson, D Wagon.
Coach: Michael Hagan.

NSC SAYS: STORM BY 14

The winners of both Preliminary Finals will face off in the 2007 NRL Grand Final to be played Sunday 30th September. 

Enjoy the Finals action.

_________________________

Warrick Nicolson
E: wdnicolson@optusnet.com.au
P: 0402851485

Two Things I Think… Sept 20th

1. Johnathan Thurston not suspended – what a shock!

 The world credibility is defined in the online dictionary (www.dictionary.com) as: “the quality of being believable or trustworthy.” Sadly the NRL Judiciary proved yet again this is not a term that can be applied to their role in the game. We certainly can’t believe they let Thurston off and they can’t be trusted to treat each case on its merits.

So let me get this straight – because Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurtson is injured he is allowed to illegally tackle any player and avoid any penalty as a result. I get the feeling that had Thurston tried to take a bloke’s head off with a swinging arm a case would’ve been made that because of his shoulder injuries there was simply no way Thurston could hit the victim in the head with enough force to warrant a suspension.

What an absolute disgrace. Quite honestly if they had come out and said ‘Thurston will put butts on seats this Saturday night and let’s face it – we’re all about making money as an organisation, we’ve let him off with a warning.” – I’d have swallowed that a heck of a lot easier than this ‘injured shoulder can’t let me lift illegally’ tripe they are selling.

And when you consider Thurston uttered this beauty of a line when he faced the media after the hearing, “I’m very relieved,” said Thurston. “It’s a big weight off my shoulders.” – it sounds an awful lot like Thurston himself can’t believe the NRL bought his medical defence.

Good luck to Thurston – he was basically allowed to rort a pathetic system and he did it effectively. But you’ve got to feel for the next poor chap who isn’t a two-time Dally M Award winner who gets rubbed out for a week/s for the exact same tackle but because it’ll be the start of the season – you can bet your bottom dollar the ‘injured shoulders’ defence won’t stand up because player x should be fully fit after the pre-season.

2. Most under-rated players of the Preliminary Finals who will have a big impact.

Steven Bell, Sea Eagles.
Yes he’s an Origin player but the way Bell will cut the Cowboys fringe defenders to ribbons on Saturday night will have people calling him the third best centre in the game behind Gasnier and Hodges. At the very least Ben Ikin will prattle on about his size, speed, strength and experience for half an hour and bore the living daylights out of all of us.

Matt Scott, Cowboys.
After starting 2006 incredibly well and thoroughly deserving a State of Origin debut in Game One that season, Scott battled injury and burnout for the next 12 months. But his form this past month has been inspiring for a team that is missing their top forwards – forwards that will not be back this season. Against the Warriors on Sunday afternoon Scott pounded the ball relentlessly into the teeth of the defence and despite the heat – kept coming. If Scott can stand up again and give the Cowboys some metres early – Thurston and Matt Bowen might be able to put North Queensland in the lead – and with the lead the Cowboys are always a chance, no matter the opposition.

Steve Turner, Storm.
If you saw the clinic he put on Brisbane winger Steve Michaels in the Qualifying Final – you know this kid has a lot of ability. Forget potential – Turner is a quality winger now and in all honesty should be heavily considered for the Kangaroos Test in October. Everything this kid does is measured – he knows his role and plays to his strengths. And if he produces any more of the footwork that made Michaels look like the rookie he is – Krisnan Inu has a tough day ahead of him.

Chad Robinson, Eels.
Of the four players named here - Robinson will get the least press no matter how well he plays on Sunday. He is a glue guy – the kind of player that fills gaps in the defensive line at a pinch, takes the hitup nobody else wants to and most importantly – makes the tackles his props normally do. By that I mean when Robinson comes onto the field he defends next to a prop who may have already played 15-20 minutes and needs a break defensively. So Michael Hagan throws Robinson into a cover role that racks up Robinson’s tackles and reduces the amount of tired work his starting props have to do. If you get a chance on Sunday look at how much defence Robinson does in the initial stages of his spell on the field and how that allows his big men – Cayless and MoiMoi to save their energy for carrying the ball.

_________________________

Warrick Nicolson
E: wdnicolson@optusnet.com.au
P: 0402851485

Video Reactions – Elimination Finals

The Elimination Semi Finals have seen the Eels and Cowboys score commanding victories, handing the Bulldogs and Warriors also-ran status for season 2007.

4 Weeks in September breaks down some of the key developments from both games in the following Video Reactions.

ELIMINATION FINAL ONE
Saturday 7:45pm AEST, 15th September 2007, @ Telstra Stadium, Homebush.

PARRAMATTA EELS 25
TRIES
M Riddell (19th), E Grothe (35th), T Tahu (74th), J Hayne (80th).
GOALS
K Inu 4 from 4.
B Finch 1 Field Goal (51st).

Defeated

BULLDOGS 6
TRIES
M Utai (5th).
GOALS
H El Masri 1 from 1.

League Player Ratings: Player of the Finals 3-2-1
3 – B Finch, Eels, 9/10.
2 – N Hindmarsh, Eels, 8/10.
1 – M Riddell, Eels, 8/10.

Referee: Shayne Hayne 5/10.

ELIMINATION FINAL TWO
Sunday 4:00pm AEST, 16th September 2007, @ Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville.

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 49
TRIES
B Farrar 2 (21st, 74th), M Henry (13th), T Williams (38th), A Graham (49th), M Bowen (62nd), Jason Smith (69th), R Cashmere (77th).
GOALS
J Thurston 7 from 7, P Bowman 1 from 1.
M Bowen 1 Field Goal (60th).

Defeated

WARRIORS 12
TRIES
M Crockett (6th), T Martin (16th).
GOALS
M Witt 2 from 2.

League Player Ratings: Player of the Finals 3-2-1
3 – J Thurston, Cowboys, 9/10.
2 – R Cashmere, Cowboys, 8/10.
1 – A Payne, Cowboys, 8/10.

Referee: Tony Archer 6/10.

_________________________

Warrick Nicolson
E: wdnicolson@optusnet.com.au
P: 0402851485