The two point bye, poor Panthers and more in a two-minute rant.
Say Bye to Bye Points
I say this every year so I will jump ahead of all other journalists and ask why teams still get two points for a bye?
It inflates the ladder and rewards teams for not playing.
The Raiders, Bulldogs, Knights and Rabbitohs are all undefeated with two wins but sit below the Storm who has played only once. While the Titans are 12th thanks to two free points in round 1.
I will do a ladder comparison at the six-week mark.
Poor Panthers
I get annoyed when commentators state the Panthers are not as strong this season because they have lost certain players. And then rattle off all the players that have left over the past four to five years.
The only thing that will make the Panthers weaker than last season are the players they lost this year.
And make no mistake, they are a machine in developing players, but you can’t keep them all. Success means player values increase, and they seek more money and new challenges elsewhere.
This applies to all teams except the Roosters who were, up to last season, almost all rep players. Oh, and the Broncos don’t count either adding Ben Hunt to their already star-studded roster.
Also, on the Panthers. They are playing all games at CommBank Stadium this season as Panthers Stadium is redeveloped by the State government.
The ground itself is owned by Penrith City Council and will be a jewel for the local communities to utilise for other sports and activities. Much like Henson Park and Leichhardt Oval.
It won’t be long before the Daily Telegraph’s chief league writer Phil “Buzz” Rothfield raises the question again that the State government should be pumping money into other boutique grounds. Namely, Brookvale, Kogarah and his beloved Shark Park.
All the grounds named above are owned by local councils except Shark Park (Pointsbet Stadium) that is privately owned by the Cronulla-Sutherland Rugby League Football Club.
Sorry Buzz no money should be gifted to your wealthy club.
Too Quick For Some
Finally, in round 1, Dragons’ hooker Jacob Liddle scored an opportunist 80m try from a quick tap penalty. It was a fantastic run straight through the middle with him scoring under the posts mostly untouched.
This is one of my biggest bugbears in the game. The application of this rule is too inconsistent with almost all players called back.
The NRL should either open this rule up or not allow it at all.
Good luck with your team and tipping this week.
Rob
The Creator
Image(s) courtesy of: gettys images, australiantimes.co.uk, goldcoastbulletin.com.au, nrl.com, myfox8.com
