Round 8: Raiders v Lions (July 30-August 9)

Chat about the tipping and other competitions

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thickos
Laurie Daley
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Round 8: Raiders v Lions (July 30-August 9)

Post by thickos »

Still a few weeks til the game even begins, but with 69 MIA I'm guessing the team may look something like this!

Raider_69
Greeneyed
thickos
IBG
Schifty or dubby

Timbo
Woodgers or dubby or Schifty

depends if you want a rest Schifty mate, but anyway declare your availabilities here!

I'm in btw
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greeneyed
Don Furner
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Post by greeneyed »

I'll play.
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Sasha
Laurie Daley
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Post by Sasha »

If Needed, IK will step up to the plate. I had my bye last round, so should be right to come up with stuff :)
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thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Plus everyone has two weeks off regardless which is good :)
IBG
Gary Belcher
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Post by IBG »

I'm in fo' sho'.
Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

with all my pc issues seem to be sorted, im there
we need to start gathering momentum, i still strongly believe that if we play our best, there is not a team in this competition who we cant beat

our goals are simple, make the top 5 ala the finals
from there, we knock them over one by one, and take the crown 8)
Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

btw on a side note, penrith lost, which mean ours winning streak of last year remains as the longest winning streak of F7's history 8)
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

:D

The lions are stone motherless last too so we better knock em off, a win here should see us in the finals 8)

With all the Schif saga playing out recently I'm sure everyone can think of a decent article or two! Mine (not about Schif) is coming on nicely
Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

timbo is in!
dubby might be in and maybe even skeepe

so im thinking the following:

thickos
greeneyed
ibg
timbo
dubby/skeepe/myself

schifty
someone
Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

Dubby is in

Team that WILL be named by myself when the thread is up:

Thickos (c)
Greeneyed
IBG
Timbo
Dubby

Schifty
Raider_69

a couple of awesome never let the team down back ups on the bench just incase, but i doubt they'll be needed :)

Hoping to get skeepe back for the finals, and maybe even against the eels, unsure yet though
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Uhhhh... articles people?

I'll have one up later today as a draft for you to all consider :D
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Articles? Anyone?
Nick
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Post by Nick »

dubby is sweet, will post his here or at LU soon
timbo im yet to hear back from

Schifty, you think you could drum something up just incase?
if not ill see what i can do

Am assuming GE, IBG and yourself will be sweet :cool:
Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

IBG and GE, can you blokes confirm you'll have something to go?
just wanting to be sure :)
IBG
Gary Belcher
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Post by IBG »

But of course capt'n.
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

My article will be up for consideration later today :D
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Sasha
Laurie Daley
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Post by Sasha »

I'll try get something done tonight, when my motivation levels are higher..
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thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Here's my first attempt...

Scapegoats

It was an uneventful evening, watching the round eighteen match between two semi-final wannabes, the Penrith Panthers and the Canberra Raiders, at Penrith Stadium. For two teams with dreams of visiting *'s fabled shores, the quality of the match was at best poor and at worst embarrassing. *'s bumbling and conservative approach meant they were never in the hunt, the home side recording a more than comfortable 24-12 victory. Yet there was a key moment and observation I took from the match beyond the disappointment of the result.

It was late in the first half, with the Raiders on the attack while trailing 6-0. Rookie half Todd Carney made a clean break and had only fullback Rhys Wesser to beat. Alan Tongue, the Raiders’ version of the “energizer bunny” with tufts of red hair protruding from his trademark headgear, loomed outside Carney in support, ready to take the pass that would lead to a certain Canberra try under the posts.

The pass was perfect, and there was not a defender in sight. Inexplicably, however, the Steeden went straight into *'s waiting arms… and back out again. Naturally the huddled posse of Raiders fans on the hill were disappointed – yet there was no vitriol or disgust directed at Tongue for an elementary error that cost his side a chance to get back into the match. I even yelled out ‘Bad luck Tonguey, next time.' But what if it was not Alan Tongue in support but, say Adrian Purtell or David Howell, and it was they who spilt the pass? Rather than forgiveness, a tirade of insults and abuse would have emanated from the hill - guaranteed. It was this hypothetical that had me fascinated – the bias of a fan towards certain members of their own team, and the need to have a scapegoat for when times get tough.

You see, Alan Tongue is a fan favourite. He embodies all the qualities you would want in a footballer – enthusiasm, hard work and commitment. He is one of the dependables in the side – and despite the crucial error he made that night, his sin was forgiven for everything else that he contributes. To boo Tonguey, well, it would just not be right. Adrian Purtell and David Howell, however, cop it regularly from all quarters. Neither are terrible players, but they are easy targets for armchair critics. Despite being a team sport, when things go wrong fans want somewhere to direct their anger and disappointment. Blaming ‘the team as a whole’ for a poor performance is too vague and general – just like any good witch-hunt, someone needs to be tied to the stake.

So what have Purtell and Howell done that is so wrong? Adrian Purtell is perceived by many to be keeping a better, more deserving player in the Premier League ranks, something unforgivable in many fans’ eyes. But this is not unique to the Raiders – this happens at every club in the NRL. The ‘next best thing’ is always rotting away in the lower grades while an underperformer holds his first grade spot – clear to all bar the coach! David Howell, however, suffers a unique fate – his uncle is St George great Mick Potter, one of Raiders coach Matt *'s best friends. The cries of nepotism echo down Northbourne Avenue– ‘*'s only in the team because of a family association!' These tenuous reasons allow any mistakes he makes to be magnified in the average *'s eyes, another reason why he shouldn’t be in first grade. The fact is both of them are young, improving players – but for many it is just easier to focus on the negatives. For whatever reason, some players will always be the fan favourite in *'s eyes, while others will always cop the blame if something is to go wrong. The mindset of the average league fan beautifully exemplifies the old slogan, ‘United we stand, divided we fall.'

Howell and Purtell may shake their unwanted ‘scapegoat’ tag one day – they may become great players, or most likely someone even more objectionable to the average fan will make it into the first grade side. As for me, two weeks ago I saw the Raiders thrash premiership favourites St George-Illawarra, and I was ecstatic. Everyone was a hero that day. Then I went and watched Canberra get rolled by South Sydney with the same seventeen players…

You’ll have to excuse me, I’m off to find someone to blame.
Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

GE has pulled out but timbo is in
Schifty if you could get something going that would be great, if not ill try
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Guys we really need to get moving with this match... Nick when are you gonna change the side?

Schifty if you can get an article up some time today I'll go through it tomorrow during the day before full-time.
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Sasha
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Post by Sasha »

I'm really struggling at the moment..

Will hopefully have something by tonight/tomorrow morning.
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Sasha
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Post by Sasha »

Here is a quick draft, it is 715 words so I have room to work it.. It is pretty average.. But I tried for something Original that hopefully no one would have touched on before..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Endless Options

If you enjoy a bit of a punt, then Rugby League is certainly your sport. If you head back a few years ago, you could pretty much only bet on who is going to win and maybe the first try scorer.
These days we are blessed with many options, we having boxing style head to heads where you can have a punt on who out of Eric Grothe and Darren Albert will get the most tries, certainly makes the game more interesting until the last minute if you are a neutral fan.
We are also now blessed with half time winner, so if your team loves to get off to great starts then fade away in the second half, you can still have a punt on them and still “win”.

If you want to have a real lottery ticket you can have a bet on the exact margin, where options go from 1 to 30+ for both sides, if you really wanted to throw your money down the drain this is the option to take.
But I think there is nothing wrong with the TAB giving people more choice, in fact, I would like to see more choice give to the punters and see the TAB introduce some more innovative options that can even spice up a game between two sides fighting it out for 11th place.

With the TAB and other betting agencies always having secret meetings in penthouses to try brainstorm new ways for people to waste money, it was only a matter of time before a document became leaked to a random 20 year old that resides in the Nations Capital .

So without hesitation here an extract from the list of new betting options which found *'s way to may inbox.

Leading Tackler
A simple yet entertaining option that would have you cheering every time your backed player goes in for a tackle, while this option would be great it wouldn’t be very profitable as players like Alan Tongue and Nathan Hindmarsh would be at $1.02 in their matches.

Biggest Turn style
The exact opposite of the top tackler, however instead of using the raw figure for missed tackles in a match, this takes into account who misses the highest percentage of tackles, after all if Daniel Fitzhenry makes 5 tackles and misses 4, he should not be beaten by someone like Danny Buderus who makes 40, but misses 5. This option allows for punters to cheer their favourite mediocre defender mistackle his heart out.

Mr. Butter Fingers
With this option punters back the player they think will come up with the most handling errors in a game.
Everyone who has ever watched a game of Rugby League would have put their head in their hands when they witnessed one of their *'s players spill the ball from dummy half/ drop the simplest of passes, if you could pinpoint your sides klutz and win some cash of him it really helps calm the situation down.

Video Ref Referrals Over/Under

With the new technology now in place, crowds are now used to seeing the refs go upstairs for the sake of it. While the endless viewing of seeing Graham West replay a try frame by frame 16 times becomes annoying, people can take comfort in the fact that this referral could help them claim a nice dividend. An over/Under will generally be set at 5.5.

Lead Changes
With so many pointless options already available surely one more won’t hurt. This option allows punters to predict how many lead changes there will be in one match . Now this option can either be really interesting, or be all over in the 16th minute when the Storm take a 38-0 lead over their hapless rivals, the one good thing about this option is that it doesn’t discriminate, if you choose “1” as your option, and a team wins 10-0, you win regardless.

There you have it people, more and more options for you to think about, and this is only for one sport… At this rate the tab will have to introduce a 6th line of numbers to fill out in the betting card as 99,999 will be nowhere near enough options to cover every sing market in a weekend of sport.
Last edited by Sasha on August 8, 2006, 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

Timbo and Dubby are going to be in, ill sub out GE for schifty soon
if anything goes wrong, pm me and from the moment i get back from work tomz, ill try and see what happens
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Schifty mate I've got my teaching commitments this afternoon, but I will do my best to give your article the once-over in the next hour or so, and possibly after 5pm. Sorry for any potential delays dude :)
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Schifty, edited by Stu wrote: Endless Options

I love a punt, and rugby league certainly is a sport that can satisfy my needs for a flutter. Only a few years ago, you could pretty much only bet on who is going to win and perhaps the first try scorer. Nowadays we are blessed with many options, such as boxing-style head-to-heads where you can have a punt on who will score the most tries, and it certainly makes the game more interesting until the last minute for the neutral fan. Betting on the half-time result is now also possible, so if your team loves to get off to great starts then fade away in the second half you won't necessarily do your cash while betting on them.

The real lottery ticket is betting on the exact margin, with options from 1 to 30+ for both sides; this however is akin to throwing your money down the toilet. Yet while I think the new choices available for rugby league betting are fantastic, there would be nothing wrong with even more choice. I'd like to see some incredible, innovative options that could even spice up watching the Canberra Raiders play.

With the TAB and other betting agencies always having secret meetings in penthouses to try brainstorm new ways to take people's money, it was only a matter of time before a document became leaked to a random 20 year old that resides in the national capital. So for you the reader, here is an extract from the list of new betting options which found its way to my inbox.

Leading Tackler
A simple yet entertaining option that would have you cheering every time your backed player goes in for a tackle. While this option would be great fun and have everyone keeping their eye on the stats, it wouldn’t be very profitable - players such as Alan Tongue and Nathan Hindmarsh would be unbackable favourites in every match they play.

Biggest Turnstyle
The exact opposite of the top tackler, however instead of using the raw figure for missed tackles per match punters would be betting on the lowest percentage of effective tackles. After all, if Daniel Fitzhenry makes 5 tackles and misses 4, he should not be beaten by someone like Danny Buderus who makes 40, but misses 5. This option allows for punters to cheer their favourite mediocre defender mistackle their heart out, and would certainly make Darren Lockyer the betting man's favourite player.

Mr. Butter Fingers
With this option punters back the player they think will come up with the most handling errors in a game. Knock-ons certainly raise the blood-pressure of the fans in the crowd, especially when the pass is a sitter - but this option would certainly soften the blow with the possibility of making money because of the team klutz. I've already got a betting stub with Kris Kahler's name on it - it's just a shame Tyran Smith has retired.

Video Referee Referrals Over/Under
These days sadly the man in the middle often goes upstairs for a decision merely for the sake of it. While the endless repeats of Graham West replaying a try frame by frame can become annoying, people can take comfort in the fact that this referral could help them claim a nice dividend. An over/under will generally be set at 5.5.

Lead Changes
With so many pointless options already available surely one more won’t hurt. This option allows punters to predict how many lead changes there will be in one match . Now this option can either be really interesting, or be all over in the 16th minute when the Storm take a 38-0 lead over their hapless rivals. One benefit of this option is that it doesn’t discriminate - if you choose “1” as your option, and a team wins 10-0, you win regardless.

There you have it people, more and more options for you to think about, and this is only for the great game of rugby league. At this rate betting agencies will have to introduce a 6th line of numbers to fill out in the betting card as 99,999 will be nowhere near enough options to cover every single market across a weekend of sport.
thickos
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Post by thickos »

By the way mate I have no idea how long that is, but it was an enjoyable article and I think it'll do well. I'll leave it in your hands...
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Sasha
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Post by Sasha »

702 words.

When Nick subs Stelios is I'll post it up.
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Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

**** stelios **** :lol:
bring back schifty
IBG
Gary Belcher
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Post by IBG »

Just to let you know, I am working on an article, as usual on the final day. I've been so flat out at work it's not even funny, hence me not posting much lately. I've got an idea but it's more of an essay type post which for me usually don't score the best but we'll see how I go.
IBG
Gary Belcher
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Post by IBG »

Experience Schmerience.


They say that experience is invaluable.

They say that you can't win without it.

I say they're lying.

Many naysayers in the media, as well as some passionate Canberra Raiders supporters themselves, are already predicting a few lean years ahead for the Green Machine, mainly due to the loss of captain Clinton Schifcofske, Simon Woolford, Jason Smith, Adam Mogg, Michael Hodgson and perhaps without the legend himself, Jason Croker. Between them, that is a staggering amount of 1161 games of first grade football in the NRL, so there's no denying that the club will be losing a lot of experience, but the argument that it means the Raiders will not be competitive from next year is hardly fact.

Allow me to make a comparison.

One of my other favourite sports is actually Baseball. Many consider it to be a boring game, but if you watch it closely, it's also one of the most strategic and athletic games you'll ever see. But I'm not here to argue the intricacies of the sport and what makes it enjoyable to follow. No, the comparison I'm making between the situation of the Canberra Raiders is to, coincidentally enough, my favorite team in the U.S, the Florida Marlins. In 2003, the Marlins won the World Series, which is equivalent of the Telstra Premiership. They had some of the best players in the game on their team, and they had achieved it all. Unfortunately, in 2004 and 2005, the Marlins were not as successful, and due to dwindling crowd figures and a lack of support, the owners of the Florida Marlins were losing quite a bit of money.

So it was time for a change.

At the end of last year, the owner of the Marlins decided to participate in a 'market correction', where he basically traded away all of his older and high profile players, in order to not only reduce payroll, but to receive some prospects back. Prospects, as they call them in the U.S, are talented youngsters in the minor leagues who have big futures ahead of them, but yet perhaps aren't ready for the major leagues just yet, similarly to many PL players right now. Many media outlets rubbished the Marlins, saying they had just given up on the next few years, and that they would be the worst team in the history of Major League Baseball. When the year started, the Marlins fielded a team that had a payroll of $15 million. Now while that may seem like a lot, it was the lowest payroll in the league by $30 million, and compare that to the New York Yankees - who in comparison are the Sydney Roosters of the baseball world - who have a payroll of $200 million.

You can now see why no one gave them a chance.

Yet here we are, in mid-August as the playoffs approach, and the Florida Marlins are right in the playoff hunt. The media is raving about this young, talented team who no one gave a chance to at the start of the year, and they are going out there playing hard and competing in every single game they play.

While it's obvious that baseball and rugby league are two separate games, many of the philosophies are the same. In order to win, you must play hard, you must be committed, and you must do the little things right like catching a flyball or making that crucial tackle. Sure, a team of rookies is bound to make rookie mistakes, but they'll learn from them quickly, and the best thing about it is the team will learn from them together.

Next year, the Canberra Raiders will be the youngest and most inexperienced team in the NRL. There will be a few 'experienced' stars such as Lincoln Withers, Alan Tongue and Troy Thompson to lead the way, but you will also have the young brigade, the Michael Weyman's, the William Zillman's and the Todd Carney's, who along with many other talented juniors that the Raiders have, will all taste the highs and lows of professional football, and will grow together as a team.

In years gone by, teams like South Sydney have had a philosophy where you need to buy experience to be competitive, such as stopgaps like 'over-the-hill' Terry Hill, but those purchases prove to be nothing more than short-sighted decisions that serve no purpose, and it shows that it's better to build from the bottom up.

It's more fun that way.

------

750 words incl. title.

Is it OK?
thickos
Laurie Daley
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Post by thickos »

Outstanding!!!
Nick
Mal Meninga
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Post by Nick »

haha, not that good
IBG you card!
IBG
Gary Belcher
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Post by IBG »

*insert old laughing emoticon here as I refuse to use the new one* Well I didn't know if that subject would be good in this contest, even though it's something I'm passionate about.

It's posted anyway.

Good luck boys.
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Sasha
Laurie Daley
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Post by Sasha »

I agree with IBG, his article looks like a Monkey on opium wrote it :o
Last edited by Sasha on August 9, 2006, 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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thickos
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Post by thickos »

Hahah monkeys, all I can see is "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times" from the Simpsons :lol:

All 5 articles in, well done team :-)
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