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