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Personal note, I've given up on News Ltd (long ago) and recently Fairfax with their 'it is Fairfax Media's opinion that...' despite their 'Independent. Always.' slogan.
THE GUARDIAN has provided a bit of a write-up on the footy this week.
Any other good news/footy sources? I just get sick of News Ltd/Fairfax treating readers like muppets and blurting out agenda-driven rubbish.
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http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blo...d-this-weekend
The Roosters weren't caught napping
It can't have hurt the Roosters to see Souths crash out of the finals on Friday night. It was a reminder, if they needed one, that progress to the grand final would have to be earned solely during the 80 minutes against Newcastle and not through any accumulation of cheers, backslaps and high-fives built up through a stellar season. And the result never really looked in doubt. While it took them until the 31st minute to score (through flamingo Daniel Tupou's graceful mark above Akuila Uate) they threatened from the outset. Newcastle were like the boy at the dyke having such a desperate time trying to hold back the floodwaters with his fingers that he not only had to take off his shoes and socks but unbuckle his belt too.
It was on the fringes of the ruck that the Roosters opened up the game by punching holes in the Knights' defence (though a blatant forward pass by Sonny Bill Williams sparked the second try). And that allowed for some broken field play that suited James Maloney, Mitchell Pearce and Michael Jennings, who's reveled since his move from the mountains to the sea. Hooker Jake Friend was also an instrumental figure, as were Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, whose channeled aggression tested Newcastle (and, accidentally it appeared, Danny Buderus's cranium), and Aidan Guerra, who doesn't make headlines but instead made four line breaks, 12 tackle breaks, 32 tackles and ran a phenomenal 218m. The Roosters look ready to give the grand final a good shake.
No one has a divine right to a premiership
South Sydney's resurgence over the past few years has appealed to rugby league romantics and the media's preference for classic fairytales. Here were Souths, one-time rugby league royalty, back on their feet and seemingly destined to rule again after decades in the wilderness; decades spent sleeping in dank caves, stealing clothes from people's backyards under the cover of darkness, and eating rats over open fires. Then along comes king-maker Russell Crowe, a hot bath, a close shave, and a glamorous coterie of *cough, cough* supporters like Tom Cruise and the Dalai Lama, and it seemed it was Souths' destiny to reclaim the throne. The problem is, after the way their season petered out against Manly, you can't help wonder if they believed it themselves – and in doing so were short of the necessary fire to compete for 80 minutes against the magnificent Sea Eagles. "This wasn't in the script," said the face of Crowe in the crowd, while Sam Burgess seemed on the verge of tears when interviewed on the field after the match. "It's not what we deserved," he said, doing nothing to dispel the sense that Souths had a sense of expectation. Now they'll be watching the grand final from home. If they can bring themselves to turn on the TV.
THE GUARDIAN has provided a bit of a write-up on the footy this week.
Any other good news/footy sources? I just get sick of News Ltd/Fairfax treating readers like muppets and blurting out agenda-driven rubbish.
---
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blo...d-this-weekend
The Roosters weren't caught napping
It can't have hurt the Roosters to see Souths crash out of the finals on Friday night. It was a reminder, if they needed one, that progress to the grand final would have to be earned solely during the 80 minutes against Newcastle and not through any accumulation of cheers, backslaps and high-fives built up through a stellar season. And the result never really looked in doubt. While it took them until the 31st minute to score (through flamingo Daniel Tupou's graceful mark above Akuila Uate) they threatened from the outset. Newcastle were like the boy at the dyke having such a desperate time trying to hold back the floodwaters with his fingers that he not only had to take off his shoes and socks but unbuckle his belt too.
It was on the fringes of the ruck that the Roosters opened up the game by punching holes in the Knights' defence (though a blatant forward pass by Sonny Bill Williams sparked the second try). And that allowed for some broken field play that suited James Maloney, Mitchell Pearce and Michael Jennings, who's reveled since his move from the mountains to the sea. Hooker Jake Friend was also an instrumental figure, as were Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, whose channeled aggression tested Newcastle (and, accidentally it appeared, Danny Buderus's cranium), and Aidan Guerra, who doesn't make headlines but instead made four line breaks, 12 tackle breaks, 32 tackles and ran a phenomenal 218m. The Roosters look ready to give the grand final a good shake.
No one has a divine right to a premiership
South Sydney's resurgence over the past few years has appealed to rugby league romantics and the media's preference for classic fairytales. Here were Souths, one-time rugby league royalty, back on their feet and seemingly destined to rule again after decades in the wilderness; decades spent sleeping in dank caves, stealing clothes from people's backyards under the cover of darkness, and eating rats over open fires. Then along comes king-maker Russell Crowe, a hot bath, a close shave, and a glamorous coterie of *cough, cough* supporters like Tom Cruise and the Dalai Lama, and it seemed it was Souths' destiny to reclaim the throne. The problem is, after the way their season petered out against Manly, you can't help wonder if they believed it themselves – and in doing so were short of the necessary fire to compete for 80 minutes against the magnificent Sea Eagles. "This wasn't in the script," said the face of Crowe in the crowd, while Sam Burgess seemed on the verge of tears when interviewed on the field after the match. "It's not what we deserved," he said, doing nothing to dispel the sense that Souths had a sense of expectation. Now they'll be watching the grand final from home. If they can bring themselves to turn on the TV.
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