NRL 2007 Season Thread

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Source: NRL.com

Storm v Tigers
Olympic Park, Friday night 7.30pm

Tigers face a formidable task at a venue that has never been kind to them.

Form: Last year’s minor premiers Melbourne began their season with a commanding win over the Broncos (58-10) in their final trial and this year they trounced the Broncos in equally convincing fashion; 46-0. The Tigers lost trials to NRL rivals Sydney Roosters and Canberra.

History: Reads poorly for the Tigers, who have lost all seven matches against the Storm in Melbourne (including six at Olympic Park).

Danger sign: The return of Benji Marshall spells danger. His unpredictable skills will shake any complacency from the Storm, who will start short favourites. Best Bet? Melbourne scored the first try seven times in home games in 2006. Look to a Storm try as First Scoring Play.

Money-spinner: The Tigers may be worth a punt at the Handicap. The Storm might take time to find their stride, while Marshall’s presence is worth points to the Tigers.
 
Source=NRL.com

New Zealand Warriors v Parramatta Eels
Mt Smart Stadium, Saturday night 7.30pm

Form: The Warriors completed their trial program with a resounding 36-6 win over the Bulldogs. Parramatta downed Cronulla, but were beaten by Gold Coast and Sydney Roosters.

History: Parramatta have won the past five encounters between the teams and their past four games in New Zealand. The Warriors finished 2006 with five wins from their past six games on home soil.

Danger sign: New Warriors fullback Wade McKinnon represents a sizeable threat to his former club Parramatta. One of the game’s best broken-field runners, McKinnon will be acutely aware of his opponents’ weaknesses.

Best Bet? With their established line-up, the Warriors are a good bet at the $1.50 head-to-head price. Money-spinner: Jarryd Hayne was First Tryscorer when these teams met at Mt Smart in ’06 and he claimed First Tryscorer honours four times in his 16 appearances.
 
Source=NRL.com

Sharks v Panthers
Toyota Park, Saturday night 7.30pm

The Sharks landed a big fish in Test coach Ricky Stuart, but their line-up continues to lack bite.

Form: Cronulla managed a strong trial victory over South Sydney (22-4) but were toppled by Parramatta and Newcastle. The Panthers, meanwhile, lost both trials, to the Knights and Titans.

History: The Sharks are aiming to end the worst losing run in their history – they have lost 10 games straight. Penrith have won three of their past four matches at Toyota Park.

Danger sign: Penrith will start the season without a noted goalkicker. The Panthers utilised Peter Wallace, Luke Rooney and Keith Peters during the trials with only limited success.

Best Bet? The Panthers have a far more experienced team on paper and are value at $2.25 in head-to-head betting. Money-spinner: Cronulla conceded the first try in their last 12 games last season. Take a Panthers try in the First Scoring play market.
 
Source=NRL.com

Sea Eagles v Raiders
Brookvale Oval, Saturday night 7.30pm

Can lightning strike twice for the Raiders?
Form: Manly trialled impressively with wins over Melbourne and North Queensland, while Canberra recovered from an embarrassing loss to non-NRL outfit Redcliffe with a convincing win over Wests Tigers.

History: Canberra produced a huge upset to beat Manly 27-14 at Brookvale in Rd 1 last year, but the Sea Eagles have claimed the points in three of their past four clashes.

Danger sign: After losing so much experience during the off-season, the Raiders will field a team with a number of unknowns. The Sea Eagles could pay heavily if they under-estimate their visitors.

Best Bet? After last year’s upset and the wholesale dismissal of their top-eight chances by the media, the Raiders shape as a sound bet at the Handicap.

Money-spinner: With 30 tries in 29 games at Brookvale Oval, fullback Brett Stewart (pictured) is a stand-out choice for First Tryscorer.
 
Source=NRL.com

Knights v Bulldogs
EnergyAustralia Stadium, Sunday 2pm

The Newcastle faithful will no doubt pack the rafters come Sunday afternoon as rugby league returns to the Hunter for the Knights’ clash with the Bulldogs, who are still hurting from their painful semi-final loss last season.
New coach Brian Smith has already stamped his style on the Novocastrians and should his game plan be adhered to, the Knights might just be able to upset the fancied ’Dogs to kick-start his time at the club.

But the Bulldogs will be primed to silence the local fans, knowing full well the somewhat inexperienced Knights have a few chinks in their armour. Early in the season neither team is likely to play too expansively as they continue to adjust to each other and work on crucial combinations.

One thing both teams will do well is support play after spending plenty of time developing a ‘pushing up’ game during the off-season. Smith has always been a big fan of players getting into ‘genuine support’ positions and has no doubt rubbed that firmly into his new team’s minds.

The advantage of pushing up is that the attacking side can gain a quicker play-the-ball. The extra man, who is pushing up in support, sucks in defenders, resulting in less numbers in the tackle. This in turn will provide both sides with some good options on the edge of the rucks. For the Bulldogs, look for some more variety in Sonny Bill Williams’ game. Perusing his trial form, the multi million dollar talent has added some ‘pre-line’ football into his repertoire.

He was ‘tipping on’ or passing to support before hitting the line, where as in the past he’s been more of an offloader, or someone who passes after hitting the defensive line. With others pushing up in support, the gaps will surely open up.

If the Bulldogs can get this working, the Knights could struggle. Their ruck defence can leave a lot to be desired and in the trials against the Sharks they were well and truly exposed. On that occasion it was Isaac De Gois who targeted lazy markers and found defenders one on one who couldn’t win the wrestle. Against a strong ’Dogs pack the Knights can’t afford to constantly lose the wrestle, so they’ll need to muscle up, defend in tight and work for each other.

The Knights in turn can target the likes of Jarrod Hickey, who has been sloppy around the rucks in the trials. Under fatigue especially, the Knights’ forwards will look to target the youngster who can often come out of the line, plant his feet and therefore be susceptible to missed tackles. Terence Seu Seu, the Knights’ up-and-coming hooker, is very quick out of dummy half and is also a strong runner, so he’ll no doubt be the one looking to terrorise Hickey and other ’Dogs forwards.

Seu Seu was the dominant force in the Knights’ impressive Flegg side last season and if he can keep up with the pace of the NRL, he’ll be a handful.
Will Smith’s measured way of approaching early-rounds football be enough to tame the ’Dogs? Time will tell.
 
Source=NRL.com

Titans v Dragons
Suncorp Stadium, Sunday 3pm

Titans will be chasing a rare first-up NRL victory. Form: The Titans lost their first trial against Melbourne, but completed their preparation with victories over Parramatta and Penrith. St George Illawarra were beaten in their first trial by the Bulldogs and only got out of jail in the Charity Shield against Souths with a late intercept.

History: St George Illawarra have won their season-opening game only once in eight years – and not since 2001.

Danger sign: They may not have played a lot together, but Preston Campbell (pictured) and Scott Prince have the experience and the class to make life difficult for the Dragons, whose difficulties in the halves have been well noted.

Best Bet? The Dragons’ poor record in season openers and the absence of Gasnier and Head will play into the Titans’ hands. Take the Gold Coast at 1-12in Margins betting.

Money-spinner: The Dragons scored first points 16 times in 2006 and opened the scoring with a penalty goal more often than any other side. Take a St George Illawarra penalty goal as First Scoring Play.
 
Source=NRL.com

Roosters v Rabbitohs
Aussie Stadium, Monday night 7pm

While the Roosters go in search of win No. 1,000, the Rabbitohs will be chasing credibility. Form: The Roosters won both trials (against Wests Tigers and Parramatta), while Souths were beaten in both of their pre-season engagements (to Cronulla and St George Illawarra).

History: Stacked heavily in favour of the Roosters who have won 15 of the past 16 matches. Souths’ last win was in Rd 24, 2005.

Danger sign: The key positions of halfback and five-eighth were a problem area for the Roosters in 2006 and the inexperienced pairing of Mitch Aubusson and Josh Lewis will have to work hard to establish their combination.

Best Bet? The Rabbitohs have yet to prove their transformation on the field, while the Roosters at least have two trial wins to their credit. Take the Roosters at the $1.60 head-to-head price.

Money-spinner: Souths’ Nathan Merritt crossed for the last try seven times in ’06. Back him to start 2007 in the same vein.
 
season starting tonight and i cant wait!!!!. lets hope this year is great as it is shaping up to be.. GO THE ROOSTERS!!!
 
COWBOYS WIN!!!!!!!! What a game. The Broncos looked to be winning it at all odds when they evened it up from 16-6 in the space of 5 minutes, but Matty F'ing Bowen steals the game with THAT try! 60 metres, untouched. Shame that will probably be the last try he scores for a few months because this is the time that he usually slumps in. But these two are Grand Finalists, and I am saying that right now in all seriousness. The game was intense, it was electric, it was exciting and it was...brilliant. Yes they had a lot of errors but that is to be expected from the first NRL game of the year, and like the commentators said, if we get 30 weeks of this kind of stuff, it will be unreal. Sure, the NSW teams will probably stink up the weeks like they do, but if the Queensland teams can play like this, we are in for a ripper season.

Thurston, Bowen, Payne (who was a little quiet), Tronc, O'Donnell and Graham had awesome games for the Cowboys, and Lockyer, Hodges, Hunt, Civo and Moon played great games for the Broncos, and both teams can hold their heads high, but the Cowboys can hold theirs higher, because that is the third game in a row that they have won over their 'Big Brother' the Broncos. These sides are going a long way this season, and this game proves it. This should be how Friday Night games should be each week and I hope these two get another go this year, hopefully in the Grand Final. With the ground record of 50000 reached tonight (with my dad in attendance) that is sure to send a message to the NRL that Queensland shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to Grand Finals, especially if these two go as far as I think they will.

What a game......And the Storm won as well, but this game overshadows their 18-16 win over the Tigers, but still, what a insane start to the season. Move over the AFL, because if they keep up what tonight was, which is edge-of-your-seat, nonstop action, the viewers will be tuning in to the NRL.
 
Manly def Raiders 32-6
Warriors def Eels 34-18
Sharks def Panthers 18-0

Those were Saturday Night's results, and they were a bit of a letdown for me, because it was stark contrast between these games and the ones on Friday. Just shows how much NSW, ACT and NZ teams suck. I hope we don't get this from these teams, because apparently, these teams are far better than any Queensland team. The quality of the games say otherwise, and these teams are going to remain in the bottom 8 if they can't play a decent game.
 
its just the start of the season of course most teams are still rusty and most teams still have to get used to new players, new combinations etc. im just happy the season has started and all the games have been great expect the sharks v panthers and manly v raiders. i do have slim hopes for raiders cause they simple have no one!! panthers same they just don't look like a team that can win. sharks looked alright, while manly destroyed the raiders. i expect to see manly in the eight but not panthers, sharks or raiders. the Friday games were defiantly better than the Saturday games but each team is going to get better. i just cant wait till roosters play GO THE ROOSTERS!!!!
 
The Knights def Bulldogs 25-24.

That was a very interesting match and I laughed my ass off when that guy dropped the ball when it was passed to him when he was 20m out and would have gone in untouched when they were behind with 2 minutes to go. They blew it, but it was a very good, exciting game. The Bulldogs looked to have it won easily when they were winning by 16 early in the second half but they got tired very quickly, and the Knights won the game without Joey Johns, who apparently went off in 3 minutes. That will be an interesting topic to hear about in the next 5 months. How riveting to hear how serious Joey's injury is and what it means and how sad it is and how he will make his triumphant return in the State of Origin finals when the odds are stacked against him and how painful it is and how unfortunate it is that he will be out for 2 games and we will hear a tirade of Joey sympathisers going on about how good he is when they should just take Joey's Knights jersey, dust it off, tear it into pieces, shove them all in a bucket, fill that bucket with Monkey Piss, turn it sideways, and stick it straight up ALL their candy asses!

Seriously, the Knights should have their usual slump now that Joey is out, and this must be a record for the guy. He is injured 3 minutes into the season. Could be a recurring trend if he keeps playing.
 
Eels game is tomorow,

GO THE EELS

Damn eels lost and Hindmarsh cant play next week either although Grothe returns
 
Dragons def Titans 20-18

Very entertaining match and proved that the Titans will be a force to be reckoned with this year. The Dragons are always a tough challenge and the Titans held their own and were unlucky not to get that winning try because they had their chances but again, it was a great game. The Dragons looked to have their number easily in the start of the second half when they broke the game open but like the other weekend's games, there was a comeback, but it fell a little short. Yeah it's disappointing for the Titans, but I know many other teams that have debuted worse and they can hold their heads high because it wasn't the disaster that I thought it would be. Dragons look strong again and should do well this season.
 
Green=Correct Tip
Red=Incorrect Tip


Downward Spiral - Cowboys, Storm, Warriors, Manly, Penrith, Bulldogs, Dragons, Roosters

Fazza - Cowboys, Tigers, Eels, Manly, Cronulla, Newcastle, Dragons, Roosters

AussieHobo - Cowboys, Storm, Warriors, Raiders, Panthers, Bulldogs, Titans, Rabbits??

Marcello - Broncos, Storm, Warriors, Manly, Sharks, Knights, Titans, Roosters

Link 73 - Broncos, Tigers, Eels, Manly, Panthers, Bulldogs, Dragons, Roosters

Thompson - Broncos, Storm, Eels, Manly, Penrith, Dogs, Titans, Rabbits

Wet23q - Broncos, Tigers, Eels, Manly, Penrith, Bulldogs, Dragons, Rabbits

Exiled - Brisbane - Melbourne - Eels - Manly - Sharks - Bulldogs - Dragons- Roosters

Snyper - Brisbane, Melbourne, Eels, Manly, Penrith, Bulldogs, Titans, Rabbitohs

Spiral = 5/8
Fazza = 5/8
Marcello = 5/8
Exiled = 4/8
AussieHobo = 4/8
Thompson = 3/8
Wet23q = 3/8
Snyper = 3/8
Link73 = 2/8

Looks like there is some clearcut leaders, but there is still a game to go in this round, and a whole season to go. The 3 leaders all tipped on the Roosters so no one will change at the top.
 
Actually, you are too far behind to beat me, not to mention you would be riding your hopes on the Rabbitohs, but this is the bad thing about tipping competitions with the Monday Night games, because we have to wait till Monday Night to know how we did completely.
 
What. The. Hell? The Rabbitohs win against the Roosters 18-6? Wow, last year it took them over half the season to win a game and they win the first one. Although I suppose the Roosters aren't that good a team anymore, and that means easy meat for the Cowboys next week :). The Rabbitohs defence was said to be outstanding, and that is a great sign but they will need to remain consistent throughout the season if they want to stay in the top eight. Their forward pack is a good one with the likes of Kidwell and Asotasi in it, so they shouldn't be underestimated too much after this game. The Roosters just aren't playing good football and they haven't been doing it for a long time. This will be a morale killer but they should really aim on improving their attack because it is weak at the moment.
 
Just posting this again so that everyone can see who is winning. The current leaderboard is:

1st Place:
Downward Spiral - 5/8
Fazza - 5/8
Marcello - 5/8

2nd Place:
AussieHobo - 4/8
Exiled - 4/8

3rd Place:
Thompson - 3/8
Wet23q - 3/8
Snyper - 3/8

Last Place:
Link73 - 2/8
 
YEAH BOY!!! not last getting to a good start

didnt i say that Rabbitohs were going to win i was so certain about it and won lol

dont say that they have a chance
*cries in corner
 
Rabbitohs have a great defence and ave excellent try scorers in Hegetty and Vagana, this should be a VERY intresting year for the SR.... Cowboys, what can I say, playe excellent.. Brisbane has no chance.

lmfao..... they could fight back mid seaon.. who knows but with Lockyer out for the next couple of seasons, that other dude.. the kicker out, it doesn't look good, we shall see how the new guys do.... imo never count them out.. look at the Dragons for god sakes lol.
 
Okay guys, let's get those tips in. Here are the games for this weekend, and as always, you must have them in before 7:00PM Friday, Australian EST. Here are this weeks games:

Dragons VS. Knights: Oki Jubilee Stadium, Friday, 7:30PM

Penrith VS. Bulldogs: CUA Stadium Penrith, Friday, 7:30PM

Tigers VS. Eagles: Leichhardt Oval, Saturday, 5:30PM

Canberra VS. Storm: Canberra Stadium, Saturday, 7:30PM

Cowboys VS. Roosters Dairy Farmers Stadium, Saturday, 8:30PM

South Sydney VS. Eels: Telstra Stadium, Sunday, 3:00PM

Warriors VS. Broncos: Mt Smart Stadium, 25.03.07, 4:00PM

Gold Coast VS. Sharks: Carrara Stadium, Gold Coast, 7:00PM
 
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