The Eels can win it all: Voss
| By Andrew Voss, NRL.com @AndrewVossy |
Can Parramatta win it all, who will be the rookie of the year, what's happened to Manly, is there a better sporting competition than the NRL and have the Knights finally got a squad on the rise?
Why not Parramatta?
31 years is a long time between premierships.
Eight years between finals appearances is long enough.
Parramatta fans have every reason to be feeling excited about the prospects of their team for the next two months. And here’s why.
For starters, I’ve got them finishing top four. On the form they displayed last Friday night against the Broncos in a game that was Origin or semi-final like for intensity and quality, I can’t see them not starting favourites in all of their remaining five games.
Brad Arthur’s men tackle Canterbury, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Brisbane and Souths. All bar the Broncos match is at ANZ. Even four wins from five will get them to 36 points.
Enjoy the ride Eels fans. You have a team worth following.
How good is the NRL?
Just step back for a moment and look at the ‘big picture’ in regards our elite competition.
I reckon the Broncos/Eels match is close to the best game I have watched all season and there were plenty of statistics to back that up.
The ball was in play for seven more minutes than the average game. The average set was covering between 60 and 70 metres. There hasn’t been a game played this year where both teams have been so willing to spread the ball and use the width of the field.
And as a result, the Eels and Broncos have to be right in premiership calculations.
The stats man in me hopes one of them go all the way, because if either Brad Arthur or Wayne Bennett’s side do win the grand final, it will make for an eighth different premier in eight years.
And if Parramatta were to win it would mean in the space of 17 years, 13 different clubs would have taken out at least one title. That’s Amazing!
Surely there is not another elite football code or competition anywhere in the world that could boast such a record.
Replies
Agree brissy.
The refs are certainly under the influence of the CEO.
"And if Parramatta were to win it would mean in the space of 17 years, 13 different clubs would have taken out at least one title. That’s Amazing!".
LOL not really.
Toddy has said it's (NRL) the entertainment industry and we (the NRL) are here to entertain.
Can't believe that fans still think that the refs are all blind and that the million dollar bunker is busted?
No, the refs both on and off the field are coerced and heavily governed.
I was chatting with my brother about this yesterday. How all season we are not prospects despite being even on points with the broncos after beating them and after arguably having a more difficult draw. I was saying that I wonder what my perception of the team would be if I ignored the media completely. Truth is, based on form, results and points we are in it as much as any other team near us on the table (e.g. broncos).
It's a waste of time listening to all the speculation hype. Go with your gut feeling. My gut feeling is that the eels can make a dent on the finals but ultimately wont take the big prize. If they do, I'll be at the game screaming my lungs out. If they don't ill be dissapointed, but its just not worth speculating.
Lets fucking smash those tools from the kennel this week and keep the form going.
It's amazing how Rugby League sways in terms of commentary - both professional and supporter-based from week-to-week based on the last performance. As the article points out, the NRL is one of the most event competitions in the world - you only need to be down a modicum on you lose a game you should by rights win. It's a good reminder not to be over-react on a week-to-week basis.
The game against the Doggies on Thursday night, which will in most likelihood be played in quite heavy rain, will tell us a lot about whether we are contenders.
It doesn't matter whether we blow them out of the water or grind out a win - we just have to back up last week by finding a result this week.
Of course, if we lose tomorrow the most important thing will be how we back up the week after having been totally written off by the press :)
To have a realistic chance of winning the comp we have to finish top 4 - we have to win four of our last five.
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