A Sunday of crucial fun -the Grand Final of the National Rugby League is today, featuring the Manly Sea Eagles, and the Melbourne Storm. Neither team is particualrly loved in league circles, Manly as they are perenially accused of poaching other team’s talent rather than developing their own, and the Storm, I think partly becuase they are out-of-towners, but significantly because of the “grapple tackle” furore. They are accused of after the tackle stuff-yanking at the head, elbow, hands in the face on getting up again, all the sly stuff. They appear to do it more, and with greater method than the other teams. It has reached fever pitch with their captain and an important player-Cameron Smith serving the second of a two game ban for the Grand Final. He got caught doing an unmistakable head wrench as part of a ‘tackle” two games ago.
Anyway, Manly are favoutites in a predicted close game. I am not so sure, as they lost to the Storm when playing at home about seven weeks ago, when they had most of the game, but as one may say, they “choked”. Certainly Matt Orford “went missing” as he is accussed of doing for the big games.
It should be a cracking game, I hope so, as last year, these two contested the Grand Final, but it was a one sided let down.
It will be less fun watching as none of our main teams are in it. Sara has five “favourite” teams, North Queensland Cowboys, the Brisbane Bronocos, and the Gold Coast Titans-the Matt Rogers connnection. All are Queensland teams, as we are of course from there-well lived there when we “discovered” Aussie League. Then there arre the Warriors, the NZ team that the Aussie commentators perenially dismiss until they got to the last four, beating the Storm on the way-do not ask! I do not have the time or energy to explai the “finals” format. Suffice to say, it is not quite like the Premier League or the FA Cup. Her fifth team is the South Sydney Rabbitohs, a bit of a sad, loser outfit in recent years but they do have the Russel Crow connection.
Myself other than the Broncos, I go for the Bulldogs, through my original admiration for Terry Lamb, a previous star and tough-as-old boots veteran in 1994 when I started watching. The Bulldogs are not admired, as they seem to be the team associated with sexual scandals more than others. This year they have been poor, with the exit of quality players before the season started, and then the controversial exit of Sonny Bill Williams to French rugby union.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the game, but we are out for the afternoon to walk and play and not watch hours of build up courtesy of Channe 9. They do however have the great commentator, Ray Warren, of course referred to a ‘rabbits”.He even featured in the last 12th Man CD.
