Graham

League Weekly tells us:

30 year old Aussie Luke Walsh has announced his retirement due to long term injury problems. he tore ankle ligaments in the third game this season and just hasn't been able to get back to playing fitness. Since 2007 he has played for Newcastle Knights, Penrith (107 games), St Helens and Catalans. Best wishes to Luke

Here goes: Dragons Storm Rabbitohs Knights Panthers Titans Cowboys Tigers Points: 299 Away Wins: 2 Poll: Panthers v Bulldogs

WELCOME EVERYONE N.B. THE FIRST TWO GAMES ARE ON WEDNESDAY THIS WEEK The kick off to this round is on Wednesday 25th April. It's ANZAC Weekend *Anzac Round: Features traditional ANZAC Day clashes:St George Illawarra v Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm vs New Zealand Warriors. The games this round are on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday New entrants welcome! Entries are allowed each week up until the kick off of the first game in the round ROUND 8 QUESTIONS: 1. Poll: Which R8 game will produce the smallest total of points when both teams final scores are added together? - enter in the poll itself at the top and put your answer in your posting. 2. Match Tipping: (the main event) : Name the 8 teams you predict will win in Round 8 3. Points Total: How many points will be scored by all the teams added together in R8? This is a competition in itself and it will act as a tie breaker for the match tipping comp when needed. 4.Away Wins: How many AWAY wins will there be in NRL R8? When a game is 'on the road' the team named first in the fixture will be regarded as the home team for the purposes of this competition. Fixtures: An animated award will be produced for the winners of the competitions. Match tipping scores will be added together as the season progresses to produce a Tipsters' Ladder which is pinned to the top of the forum topic list page. The best of luck to everyone. Enjoy your Rugby League! Graham

You ask any Rugby League club anywhere in the world if they'd like Sam Burgess in their team and surely they'd almost all say yes, if they could afford him, wouldn't they? All the same Sam has only just got back on the field after one appearance before the NRL's judiciary copping a two match suspension and on his return to the field gets put on report and will miss another two games after pleading guilty this time. His suspensions in the NRL have now reached double figures. His competitiveness is not in any doubt. His discipline though certainly is as his spate of suspensions mount. (This latest charge is Burgess’ fourth from the match review committee in his past seven games and as far as I can tell the 13th in his seven or so seasons in the NRL. As a player he is fearsome and everyone else out there on the pitch is wary of him. Is Surgess the new Adrian Morely? (11 suspensions totalling 26 weeks on the sidelines). It's a shame that Sam is missing matches as the paying public enjoy him being on the pitch.

On the other hand:

So more of the detail has surfaced in the spat between Cherry-Evans and Hastings which has seen Hastings shunned by his own team mates and club. It appears it was more than just words and includes an episode in a strip club.Classy! DCE it appears will face consequences.

With reference to the post about some players backing Hastings:

I can remember just how much Roosters fans loved Mozza. Surgess generally likewise with Souths fans - Souths fans comments appreciated.

The Manly Sea Eagles have issued breach notices and fines to four players following the incident at Gladstone. The four players issued with the notices were not named by the club but each will also be fined $1500. The club had already fined captain Daly Cherry-Evans for his involvement, although there was no mention of a breach notice. Read the latest statement below: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have today completed its review of an internal matter involving four players who breached a team curfew during its recent trip to Gladstone. The players involved will each be issued with a formal breach notice and a fine of $1500. The players have accepted full responsibility for their actions and due to welfare and privacy issues, the Club will not be publicly disclosing the names of the players. The Club now considers the review of this matter complete.

Titans have dropped Kane Elgey. Apparently Bryce Cartwright will be named at five eighth - opposite former Panthers team mate Matt Moylan.

Any media rumours that Sezer and DCE would swap places Titans/Manly appear to have been quashed. Sezer has home on Gold Coast and seems settled. The criticism of Sam Thaiday at Broncos has set rumours of him parting with that QLD outfit to move to the Titans where he might be happier and give some experience to the GC side. Thaiday is out of contract at Broncos at the end of this season. Wests Tigers prop Matt Lodge has signed with the club until the end of 2017.

Well Manly have fined four more players, say they won't name the players and consider that the review of the incdent(s) is now over.

Craig Bellamy is without forward Jesse Bromwich for a few weeks thanks to a knee injury. Tim Glasby moves to prop, Kenny Bromwich starts at lock and Joe Stimson joins the bench.

The repercussions from Manly’s night out in Gladstone out appears to be about to rumble on with as many as six more players expected to be fined on Tuesday. Captain Daly Cherry-Evans has already been slapped with a $10,000 penalty following the side’s shenanigans after a round-five loss to Gold Coast in the regional Queensland town. It is alleged a group of players defied orders by breaking a curfew to visit a strip club on a night that led to Cherry-Evans clashing with out-of-favour teammate Jackson Hastings. The Australian Daily Telegraph report claims club boss Lyall Gorman will deliver the punishments of up to $10,000 to a further six players in a team meeting on Tuesday. “It was unacceptable behaviour,” owner and Chairman Scott Penn said. “The players had dinner and a couple of quiet drinks and were told to be back at the hotel at a certain time, but they ignored it.” The six other players are yet to be named and shamed by the club. In the past three weeks the Sea Eagles have lost to the Gold Coast Titans, Wests Tigers and Parramatta. The Sea Eagles completed a horror week by becoming the struggling Eels’ first victims this season, just five weeks after beating them 54-0.

Casualty Ward: Round 8 Brisbane Broncos Brisbane Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough is facing six weeks on the sidelines after suffering a medial ligament injury to his elbow in Friday night's 34-20 loss to the Melbourne Storm. McCullough left the field in the 51st minute of the loss and Broncos high-performance manager Jeremy Hickmans has since confirmed the extent of the injury. "In good news, all tendons are intact and there are no fractures to his arm," Hickmans said. "While there is some muscle damage, it is secondary to the ligament damage. With an injury of this type he is expected to return to the field in four to six weeks." Andrew McCullough (elbow, round 13) Jordan Kahu (jaw, round 9-12) Andre Savelio (knee, season) Matt Gillett (neck, round 16-18) Canberra Raiders The Raiders could have rugged forward Charlie Gubb back on deck this weekend. Charlie Gubb (groin, round 9) Josh Hodgson (knee, round 18) Sam Williams (knee, round 11) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Bulldogs said they got through last Thursday's bruising loss to the Roosters without any injury concerns. Aiden Tolman (ankle, round 13-15) Cronulla Sharks Wade Graham is a strong chance to play this weekend after he was a late scratching against the Panthers on Sunday. Jayson Bukuya (groin, round Paul Gallen (knee, round 11-12) Luke Lewis (calf, TBC) Wade Graham (hamstring, round Gold Coast Titans Titans coach Garth Brennan will consider making changes after the heavy loss to the Cowboys. Dale Copley (hamstring, round 10-11) Nathan Peats (ribs, round 11-13) Manly Warringah Sea Eagles The club has confirmed Brad Parker will miss 4-6 weeks with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Curtis Sironen (knee, season) Kelepi Tanginoa (knee, season) Jorge Taufua (collarbone, round 12) Brad Parker (knee, round 12) Melbourne Storm Melbourne prop Jesse Bromwich suffered a knee injury in the win over Brisbane and he could miss as much as six weeks with his knee injury. Storm football manager Frank Ponissi told Triple M on Sunday afternoon that the club was sweating on the results of scans on the Kiwi international's grade-two medial ligament strain. Jahrome Hughes (shoulder) made his return through reserve grade on the weekend. Jesse Bromwich (knee, round 13-15) Dale Finucane (thumb, round 9) Cheyse Blair (knee, round Sandor Earl (knee, round 17) Newcastle Knights Mitchell Pearce is hopeful of returning from a pectoral injury suffered against the Wests Tigers on Saturday night earlier than expected. "Worse case is four months, so 16 weeks. I've spoken to other guys ... Boyd Cordner from the Roosters is a good mate of mine, he did a similar injury that was 10 weeks. Daniel Tupou is out for 10 weeks," Pearce told local radio station KOFM. "It just depends how you heal. I'm obviously going to think about the best case and that's 10 weeks." Mitchell Pearce (pectoral, round 18-23) Tautau Moga (knee, season) Connor Watson (shoulder, round 8-9) Nick Meaney (ankle, round 13) North Queensland Cowboys Shaun Fensom made his return from his horrific grand final night leg injury last weekend in the Intrust Super Cup, racking up 44 minutes off the bench for the Townsville Blackhawks. Kane Linnett (pectoral, round 13) Jordan McLean (foot, round 16) Josh Chudleigh (knee, season) John Asiata (pectoral, round 18) Parramatta Eels Jarryd Hayne will miss at least a month with the recurrence of his hip injury. Jarryd Hayne (hip, round 11) Nathan Brown (ankle, round Bevan French (shoulder, round Tepai Moeroa (concussion, round Penrith Panthers Penrith winger Josh Mansour could miss the remainder of the Telstra Premiership season after suffering multiple facial fractures last weekend. The Panthers are hopeful Mansour may be able to return after the Holden State of Origin series. However, the Kangaroos winger is bracing for the worst case scenario, which would put him out for the rest of 2018. Waqa Blake (ankle, round 14) Tyrone May (knee, round 9) Tyrone Phillips (pectoral, round 8-9) Nathan Cleary (knee, round 10-11) Tim Browne (bowel, indefinite) Sam McKendry (knee, season) Josh Mansour (cheekbone, indefinite) South Sydney Rabbitohs Cameron Murray was close to playing last weekend so should be right to go for round 8. Cameron Murray (hamstring, round Tyrell Fuimaono (dislocated toe, round 13) Zane Musgrove (ankle, round 13) Dean Britt (groin, indefinite) St George Illawarra Dragons Paul McGregor can't believe how well his team has performed injury-wise in 2018. No injuries Sydney Roosters Roosters hooker Jake Friend looks set to suit up for the Anzac Day clash with the Dragons, named in his customary No.9 jersey. Daniel Tupou (pectoral, round 13-15) Sio Siua Taukeiaho (knee, round 8-9) Jake Friend (concussion, monitored) Warriors Warriors coach Stephen Kearney said back-rower Tohu Harris won't play against the Storm on Anzac Day after failing to get through concussion protocol following a head knock against the Dragons on Friday. Tohu Harris (concussion, round 9) James Gavet (hamstring, round Blake Ayshford (back, indefinite) Gerard Beale (leg, round 9) Nathaniel Roache (neck, season) Leivaha Pulu (foot, TBC) Solomone Kata (ankle, round 9-10) Shaun Johnson (groin, round 9) Wests Tigers The Tigers should have a few of their regular first-graders back on deck this weekend. Russell Packer (knee, round 10) Chris Lawrence (hamstring, round Josh Reynolds (shoulder, round 11) Elijah Taylor (concussion,round Jacob Liddle (sternum, round

WELCOME The kick off to this round is THURSDAY 19th April. Entries are allowed each week up until the kick off of the first game in the round QUESTONS: 1. Poll Competition: Which R7 game will produce the biggest total of points when both teams final scores are added together? - enter in the poll itself at the top and put your answer in your posting. Now the main event of the week: 2. Match tipping Competition: Name the 8 (that's EIGHT) winning teams in NRL Round 7 3. Points Competition How many points will be scored by all the teams added together in R7? This is a competition in itself and will act as a tie breaker for the match tipping comp if necessary. This is used as the decider when necessary so do give it a go. 4. HOME Win Competition: How many HOME wins will there be in NRL R7? In rounds where the game is on the road and played at a neutral venue, the team named first in the fixture will be regarded as the home team for the purposes of this competition. Fixtures: An Animated award will be produced for the winners. Match tipping scores will be added together as the season progresses to produce a Tipsters' Ladder which is pinned to the top of the forum topic list page The best of luck to everyone. Enjoy your Rugby League!

Here's the detail of each of our H2H matches for Round 7: Three of those matches were between teams where both scored over 1,000 points. Our highest risers (up four places) are Neil (St Domingos) and Dennis (Dragoons). Funnily enough it was possible to lose the match and still rise up the table, though not for me! Here's how those result have affected our league ladder: Well good luck in Round 8. N.B. Round 8 gets underway on Wednesday this week. Cheers, Graham

Well another up and down SC week. I feel I may have gone in the right direction with my team. How about you? It was another week where a few popular SC players were injured and could be out some time. hard luck if you've got them, especially if you only brought them in Round 6 or 7. Here then is the Total Points Ladder after SC Round 7 It's the first time I've topped the 1,000 point total together with nine more teams. So that's 10 teams with 1,000 points or more. Things are looking up (for now at least). There are other teams n the 900s too.Well done to all our achievers and improvers. Amazingly, David (Les Rhinos) and Julian (Taco De La Muerte) are exactly equal on points and are listed alphabetically by team name at the top. (Note to self, next season create a team name starting with the letter A) Well done both. Top scorer this week with 1080 was David (Les Rhinos) just pipping Tom and his Apex Predators. Trust me to come up against Tom in our head to head comp in R7! Speaking of which...

Hello SS13 Thanks for your reply. I have managed to get an Aussie number that does the job.

Unfortunately not as She/He is on a world cruise and won't be back for many months. Corrected. One of my assistants is being given a written warning at this very minute.

NRL Tipping Competition Ladder 2018 After Round 1 Total Number of Correct Tips 1 Farmduck 6 2 Barney 5 3= Graham 4 3= RL Winger 4 3= Rugby Female 4 3= Southstander13 4 3= Vichyssoise 4 8 Irish Saint 2 9 StormGirl 1 The earliest of early days. Join in the fun everyone asap.

A BIG MESSAGE: Please note, our Round 8 Tipping Competition gets underway with the first two games being played on WEDNESDAY 25th April