2016 NRL Match Thread Round 12

[Farmduck]

Braith Anasta telling us that Josh Reynolds (sic) should be allowed to play today then back up in Origin "if he wants to." It's an interesting new approach to selection. Just wait till the end of the round and see which players feel like it.

 

Braith, the reason we have so many different words is because they have different meanings. It's the same with names. You can't just pick random names out of the air.

 

I can just imagine Braith when he was at school, channelling Homer Simpson, "English! As if I'm ever going to England."

[Farmduck]

This game produced 75 points last year, the Dogs winning 41-34

[Farmduck]

6min: Reimis Smith scores in the corner with his first touch of the ball (I think.)

[Farmduck]

17min: Tolman scores. Holland converts. Doggies 10-0

[Farmduck]

20min: the Leilua/Rapana combo strikes again with Rapana over in the corner. He's another bad Mormon playing today. Croker misses. Dogs still lead 10-6  with temps expected to drop to 6° in the second half.

[Farmduck]

26min: Reimis Smith again in the corner. Dreadful kick by Holland, 14-4

 

I think Braith Anasta scored on debut - Dean Whare got 3 on debut and that guy at the Titans got 4 on debut and was then dropped the following week.

[Farmduck]

It was Jordan Atkins at the Titans. His total career only came to 56 games.

 

Anasta didn't score on debut but Whare did get 3. Dylan Farrell also scored 3 on debut.

[Farmduck]

38min: try to Leilua after a long run by Croker off an intercept. Tackle of the game just before that where Jack Wighton, after making some terrible errors today, totally re-mormonised Sam Perrett. Perrett was at speed and Wighton was standing still, took him front-on and knocked him off his feet. You could see the spirit of Joseph Smith leaving Perrett's body.

 

HT: Dogs 14-10

[Farmduck]

44min: Canberra start off the second half as badly as they did the first. Mbye strolls through, Holland converts, Dogs lead 20-10

 

FFS Anasta. Mbye and Mumbai are different words and they are pronounced differently.

[Farmduck]

Reimis Smith crossed again but the pass from Eastwood was about 5m forward.

[Farmduck]

57: Tapine scores for the Lime people. Raiders are unbeaten this year when they score more than 20pts. Under 20 they are winless.  Raiders coming back? 16-20

[Farmduck]

60min: Blake Austin touches down - ref says TRY - bunker says he dropped it an inch before the line - NO TRY. Looked very different on different camera angles.

 

Raiders look so much better since Baptiste came on and Hodgson moved to a "roving 7/9" role.

[Farmduck]

64min: Edrick Lee runs 50m to score but does his hammy and leaves the field. Croker can't convert.

 

20-20 with 14 minutes left

[Farmduck]

68min: Soliola scores for the Canberrans. Raiders lead 26-20

 

In the pre-game, Anasta couldn't pronounce Iosia Soliola. They played together at the Roosters for 4 years.

[Farmduck]

Tapine crosses but pass called forward - looked 50/50 to me.

[Farmduck]

Elliott Whitehead knocked out by Baptiste in a head clash but still on the paddock?!?@?# One of the most unconscious

 

78min: Tapine scores this time. Croker kicks it. Raiders 32-20 with 30 seconds left.

 

Raiders got lucky with a non-call of a knock-on at the other end of the ground, Croker gathering and running 80m but still having the sense to get tackled so the bunkerists can't go back and check.

[Farmduck]

FT: Raiders beat Dogs 32-20

[Farmduck]

And here's today's stadium history pic. 2000 and the Green Machine play the Wests Tigers in snow.

 

[Farmduck]

and this is what Canberra Stadium looked like 40 years ago:

 

[Farmduck]

Ricky Stuart finally said something intelligent:

 

But Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who only had one player out to Origin (Josh Papalii), did not understand why coaches are consistently negative about having representative players.

"The day I've got six players going to Origin you won't here me being critical," he said.

"I'll be happy for those Origin players to go because those Origin players get you into semi-finals, those Origin players win you grand finals."

 

While Hasler had the predictable whine about Josh Morris:

 

Losing coach whines about something

[Farmduck]

Dragons players Leeson Ah Mau and Jason Nightingale and North Queensland's Jack Granville have all been hit with charges from the NRL match review committee.

Ah Mau was charged with making a careless high tackle, while Nightingale was charged with tripping and Granville with making a dangerous throw. 

 

All three were handed grade one charges and can avoid suspension with early guilty pleas.

[Farmduck]

Knights v Eels

 

7pm Monday at Hunter Sports Stadium

 

Knights: 

 

Newcastle Knights

1 Jake Mamo
2 Cory Denniss
3 Sione Mata'utia
4 Nathan Ross
5 Akuila Uate
6 Jaelen Feeney
7 Trent Hodkinson
8 Sam Mataora
14 Tyler Randell
16 Joshua King
11 Tariq Sims
12 Pauli Pauli
15 Korbin Sims

9 Danny Levi
10 Daniel Saifiti
17 Mickey Paea
20 Lachlan Fitzgibbon

 
Parramatta Eels

1 Michael Gordon
2 Semi Radradra
5 Clinton Gutherson
4 Bradley Takairangi
19 Bevan French
6 Corey Norman
7 Kieran Foran
18 Daniel Alvaro
9 Isaac De Gois
10 Danny Wicks
11 Manu Ma'u
12 Beau Scott
13 Tepai Moeroa

14 Kaysa Pritchard
15 Peni Terepo
16 David Gower
17 Kenneth Edwards

[Graham]

You reckon Semi will rune them ragged here today?

 

That Knights side is starting to look better the more I look at it.

[Farmduck]

Parra got some good/bad news today. The "5" have decided not to pursue their legal action against the NRL and the day of reckoning - for Parra to respond to the proposed NRL penalties is approaching. They need 12 wins from their last 13 games, including tonight.

 

Bevan French makes his debut on the wing for the Eels tonight. French was a big star in the 20s. French is from Tingha, NSW, which also produced Nathan Blacklock and Preston Campbell. Not bad for a town of under 900 people.

 

 

The Tingha Tigers in one of their last ever games, I think. They ran out of players last year as players defected to the Inverell Hawks. You've got to wonder about any Tigers team that's not black and orange.

[Farmduck]

You reckon Semi will rune them ragged here today?

 

That Knights side is starting to look better the more I look at it.

 

I think the 2 Fijians are on the same side of the paddock. Could be a trial game for a wing spot in the Fiji team if Vunivalu holds his form.

 

A lot of the Knights were stars in a Minor Premiers 20s team in 2014. Once they get 20 games behind them and an off-season to beef up a bit, they could be the core of a strong team.