The Rugby League Thread 2008

What a start to the year in Rugby League.

Kemble and Lowe gone
Lets hope they don't fuck around and can secure Bennett quickly as well


The game in Jacksonville between Leeds and Souths looked good too. Sell out crowd, plus Souths sold all there merchandise, $32,000 worth.

Just over a month to go to the NRL, what are your predictions for this year???

I'd say the Storm are favourites again. They were just so much better than everyone else last season that it's hard to imagine other teams making up that much ground.

I also reckon the Broncos and the Roosters will be right up there.

Warriors to make the finals in 6th place.

Definitely something to look forward to!

Oh, and Samoa to go pretty far in the WC

Wayne Bennett hasnt heard from Haffenden in weeks, its a real worry. Its like Wayne wants the job but NZRL are such a bumbling bunch of fools they cant even get over there to get him signed up.

Storm have to be favourites again, the losses from player movement will be compensated by their great juniors. Israel to move into the centres full time, it's one hell of a backline that one.

Warriors to do quite well, Tate to take around 2 months to really start proving his worth, McKinnon to continue to be a firebrand, stunning one moment, worrying us with ref confrontations the next. Pricey, how long can his superb form continue on his aged legs? Wiki, I hope this year is not a bridge too far for him, stunning player, carries so much respect just having him on the field is a boost for the other players. Luck to continue his great form. Lauaki to really excel this year, and Mannering to shine.

I think Stacey mentoring the Halves will see a big improvement this year... one of the Warriors weaknesses last season.

Yeah Melbourne will be up there fo sure.

Nearly forgot that it's a world cup year

Semis will be Kiwis vs England, Samoa or Wales vs Australia

Bennett named coach for 3 years

Really? Is that confirmed now?

Was listening to Radio Sport earlier and they were going on about how the word was that Bennett didn't want to be the head coach.

Official

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4385761a1823.html

Haha! Well, the Radio Sport guys obviously got wind of the wrong rumour. They were ranting on about it for a while.

Well I think stuff.co.na got it wrong.

Radio Sport > stuff.co.nz

Bennette declinved the offer to be our couch

Your f*cking kidding me, how the hell did those monkeys f*ck that up?

If I was Bennet I wouldnt want to be associated with such of losers either

Stuff and the Sunday Star Times really fucked that story up.

I guess this being his last year at the Broncos he's gonna give his all to that club. Fair enough.


NZRL aka dumb fuks have to get Bluey back, with Steve Kearney as assistant.

I guess we'll know what the deal is today ...

http://news.leaguehq.com.au/bennett-announcement-from-kiwis-tipped/20080211-1rgz.html

I'm assuming by "Monday" they're referring to today and not next week

The latest is that Steve Kearney is going to get the nod. Bennett has offered technical support but doesn't want the full job.

FUCKSAKES!

So many fucken stupid reports about this Bennette thing I was just reading on the NRL site we will know today and clearly last week they were very confident that he will not be couching the kiwi's.

On Radio Sport before they were reiterating more rumours about him being the full coach.

FFS!!! Someone just come out and confirm or deny!

How could someone like Bennett be "an assistant" to a guy who hasnt even coached an NRL side

It would be "assistant" in name only, Kearny will just be running around doing everything Bennet tells him too if he has half a brain

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10491809

Well lets hope this is final.

Kearney to couch, Bennett will assist. Not sure how I feel about it, but Kearney has been under the wing of Bellamy for some time now so should be ok specially with Bennett on his side. Fun times ahead ...

Warriors Squad for 1st preseason game

Patrick Ah Van, Sonny Fai, Nathan Fien, Ian Henderson, Lance Hohaia, Aidan Kirk, Wairangi Koopu, Epalahame Lauaki, Micheal Luck, Wade McKinnon, Simon Mannering, Sam Rapira, Grant Rovelli, Ryan Shortland, Malo Solomona, Logan Swann, Evarn Tuimavave, Manu Vatuvei, Ruben Wiki (captain).

I assume we will be seeing Mannering in teh Forwards more this year??

Yeah there is no place for him in the backs this year. We need his speed up front as well.

I recon we are going to hammer the Knights this weekend. I like that team

I like the stability in carrying the same team more or less over from last year.

That Malo Solomona was pretty devestating for the Lions last year, I reckon he'll put pressure on Crockett and Vatuvei for a position...

Stacey Jones is on board as a technical advisor to the halves this year too. That should help things along a bit as well....

What's Jerome Ropati's factor?

Big fan of him at 6.....

he is injured, will be playing centres though I reckon, like end of last year

oh, lol, Tonie Carroll wants to play for the Kiwis again.


http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/carroll-wants-to-play-for-kiwis/2008/02/14/1202760459753.html

FUCK THAT CUNT! He turned his back on us ages ago and if he is to play for the kiwi's I will not support them.

There's a trial game vs Newcastle this Friday @ Albany. I'm pretty sure it's free entry. 8pm kick off.

I still don't understand why Bennett would want to coach the Kiwis.

He doesn't lol

Hopefully Fai and Solomona gets a run this year, Packer getting some time off the bench would not be a bad thing considering the loss of Wiki, and probably Price at the end of this year.

Mannering in the forwards, Ropati at centre.

I'm gutted I can't attend the game tonight, first pre-season clash at Albany I'll have missed in 5 years. Stupid Friday night scheduling instead of the regular Sunday.

Team up above ^^^^

I think he's far better at centre. His strength is his running game and that is better utilised at centre than at 5/8. He needs more skills to be a 5/8 in the NRL unfortunately.

Were you not saying that you prefered him at 6 last year

I like him better at centre too, a thinking centre puts ya wings in for trys

Actaully i take that back, think it may of been someone else :p

Glad you did cos I've been quite vocal that I like him at centre for a long time.

Fact: He got far more tries and set up more tries at centre than he did at 5/8 last season. Pity he's a bit fragile...

^ true. he had a good combo with his winger on that righthand flank. his injury was a huge blow to the warriors attack last year leading into the finals.

I heard the warriors went down??

22-14 or somthing.

As I understand it, the Warriors had it all over the Knights for 70 mins and it was only while the Warriors had a very 2nd-rate team on the field that the Knights ran in a few tries

Stacey finally back as kicking coach



About a month to go... can't wait

Everyone keen for Tipping again??

might try Fantasy League too

Warriors up 14-0 at half time after 3 tries.

Then in the second half they pulled off nearly all of their first-graders.

That's how I understand it went down.

I'm keen for tipping again. Really stoked Stacey is back in the Warriors fold, been on the cards for a month now, glad to see it made official.

McKinnon out for the whole season. Fucknuts

Oh shit!!!!

Anterior cruciate ligament damage in his right knee

FUCKSAKES!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4408451a1823.html



Ropati to fullback??

Mannering back in centres??

Soooooooooooooooooo guttERed

fuck the warriors anyway

Spot the hick.



Fuck thats fucking gutting. McKinnon was one of the reasons why we got into the top 4 last year...

Should have held onto Webb

Argggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuckballs!!!!

This hurts us badly! I was so looking forward to seeing Wade running off our big forwards with Brent Tate in support!!

Damn it!

This team bring out the English football supporter in me (funnily enough I don't follow football), I so gutted right now.

Spot the hick.


why does me not liking the warriors make me a hick

You hang out with *Reaction* too much

LIVID

Webb would have played the season with one leg!

Stating "Fuck the Warriors" amongst a bunch of their fans is retarded. Hicks are retarded. I can see the parallel.

owned!

Top call Dr. J

Warriors have no class.

why is that retarded? because i dont support the warriors and i voice that opinion in a public forumn i am somehow retarded? Yup makes alot of sense alright. but you can call me all the names you want..

Im glad mckinnon is injured. good job and you lot whinging about makes me laugh even more cause your team sucks anyway

Ok. So you are trolling. Oh well, I guess we can all ignore you in League threads then.

why does that make me a troll? i was simply giving my opinion. if it says somewhere im not allowed to do this then please point it out..

Im telling you right now you are not. Not in here anyway, go to the lounge. Your next posts will disappear!

you might ask why .... cause we can

luckily, this is a public forum. i dont have to listen to you sometimes i do wonder about you guys though, you all seem very quick to try and put peoples posts down, simply for giving their opinion. are you guys that simple minded you cant handle what other people have to say?

Yes. <--- see simple ppl

Ease up buddy

Next step after posts disappearing is family members disappearing


Rugby league: serious business.

yeah fair enough. im not very light hearted at the moment haha.. hard night last night... my apologies

haha. this i know. very serious business. even had a crack at it when i lived in aussie. i love the game. just not the warriors... well actually, i think i would support them once wairangi koopu leaves... long story ahaha

Any NZ native who supports an Aussie team over the Warriors can fuck off and die.

oh yup thats a real mature comment...

il commend you on your patriotism... but thats all

I commend you on nothing.











Die.

hahaha. well im not going to just yet but thanks for the well wishes

Tucks. You lived in Aussie for a bit and you love league yeah?


Ever go into a pub in Sydney and yell out: "Fuck the Blues" come State of Origin time? Or the reverse in Brisbane?

I bet I don't have to spell out what would happen if you did. No different here where you've wondered in amongst a whole bunch of diehard Warriors supporters and exclaimed: "Fuck the Warriors." That isn't opinion, that's being an asshole.

Auckland rugby team would beat the Warriors AT LEAGUE.

Imagine Isa Nacewa running tings with David Smith off him. DNT!

Wiki would snap Nacewa in half and Vatuvei would make Smith cry like a little girl.


DNT y'self!!!

well i guess it could come off that way. but it wasnt intended to be that way. didnt know the comment would ruffle so many feathers. I apologise. and just for the record, i have walked into a blues pub and abused them.. for a bet. they just abused back.... No death threats!! haha. Sorry to upset all you warrior fans!!

good luck for the season....

There's talk of several clubs being interested in sacked Western Force halfback Henjak...

At a time when the sport is just starting to restore it's off field credibility as far providing role model for kids, the last think it needs is another fantasy world loser who doesn't think normal rules/laws apply to him.

really? that guy is one fuct up cookie. honestly i saw him when i was in aus last time, he runs round with no shirt on wnating to arm wrestle people. league should stay away!!!

LOL@ all the SA teams coming crashing back to reality.

Last year didn't count boys

Oops, wromng thread

Jarryd Hayne and Mark Gasnier were shot at this morning



http://www.stuff.co.nz/4423923a1823.html

Kick off this Friday

Monday week is warriors and storm

GO THE FUCKIN WARRIORS

Cant wait for this season.

I think this Warriors playing roster has the most depth I've ever seen at the club. We have got class players that cant even make the 17.

Agreed.

In a way I would have preferred to see Koopu in with Mannering instead of Swann, but hey, bring on Monday!

I'd say Koopu is next cab off the rank.

On a sidenote, has anyone seen the amount of polynesian players coming through the Australian junior sides, Its unreal, I would say half the players in the NRL will be polynesian in 2-3 years time.

Yeah this was really noticeable watching the U19, U21 and reserve grade finals last year...

What an absolute ripper between the Eels and the Dogs

Had everything that makes league great

Yep!
Lotta niggle in Eagle vs. Shark. Going to boil over at some point.

Tonight

Should be a cracker

Oh Benji...

Knee this time eh? A LOT of injuries happened in this round, you have to woinder about the reconditioning of the players over the pre-season...

that fulla spends more time on the sideline than a touchjudge.

as for the dragons...

Not that many really, but Benji is a fucken mess is there anyone softer than him in the NRL? poof!

If by cacker you mean the Warriors being destroyed then YES it sure as hell will be

Benji - out for the season
Joel Clinton - month - knee tear
Craig Wing - 6 weeks - dislocated shoulder
Chris Walker - likely season - ripped achilles tendon
Sonny Bill Williams - month - knee tear
Krisnan Inu - unsure - ankle injury
Steve Simpson - several months - medial ligament strain



Thats a lot for one round dude!

Have only seen the 2nd half, and it's not over yet, but fuck the Warriors have been awful!

Manu's hands =

3 kick restarts over the dead ball line =

What a mess of a first game. I know they are playing the defending champions at home, but do they have to make it so hard for themselves?

Multitude of drop ball, penalties given away. The three kick offs over the dead ball line!!!

I suppose the only positives were that a couple of times they looked threatening on attack. A couple of good attacks down Luaki/Ropati/Vatuvei's side.

Ah-Van does virtually nothing. Can we have Crockett back please? And I don't think Kirk did anything too bad to warrant being replaced by that waste of space Hohaia.

Well if anything we lost the game for ourselves more than anything. I have hope for the rest of the season.

Pity Tate didn't get too involved.

3 fluffed re-starts was insane, were they playing at altitude???



Stalling tactics were interesting........

Since it was the Warriors kick off in the second half and the Storm weren't out on the field at the right time, after two minutes they should have just blown time on, kicked the ball 10 meters and run in a try.

Failing that, they should have at least insisted they go through their warm-up routine again when the Storm finally ran out.