Round 17
Melbourne Storm 18 d. Newcastle Knights 14

2009 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

DISCORD #13: Salary Cap Rorts, Two Referees, NSW Selection Policy, Nate Myles & My Dream Team
Wed July 8, 2009
EXACTLY what is a salary cap rort and what isn't?.

As a private citizen who is in the Thoroughbreds but not a Brisbane sponsor, can Ken Talbot just hand cash to a player? Perhaps!

As someone who is a supporter but not a sponsor of Parramatta at the time, can Roy Spagnolo tell a couple of players that no matter what happens in a property deal he introduces them to, they will not lose money. That may sound like going to the casino and being told your losses will be reimbursed but in any case the answer seems to be: yes.

A manager was quoted the other day as saying his client has been offered a job when he retires during negotiations for a new contract. Again, apparently that's OK too.

All in all, it seems pretty hard to commit a genuine salary cap rort. The Dogs showed great ingenuity indeed!

Clearly, clubs would be well advised to have "phantom'' sponsors. Let them come into the rooms, let them hang out with the players, go to functions, have a few freebie tickets and take them to the odd out-of-town game.

And let them set up property deals, hand over cash and give bogus jobs to players ? because unless they have a binding agreement with the club there is nothing the NRL can do.

I hope I am proven wrong.

Clearly, we still have a culture of haves and have-nots in the NRL and the league is nowhere near the level playing field they have led us to believe.

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ARE we going to see referees try to outdo each other - while in control of the same match at the same time - during the run home to the finals as they jostle for appointments?

That was certainly a fear expressed by some following two of the games I covered at the weekend, Melbourne v Newcastle and Canberra v Gold Coast.

For the first time in our game's 114-year history, two referees who are competing for a decreasing number of games will be on the field at the same time in matches over the next two months.

Knights captain Kurt Gidley was fuming the other night when I grabbed him at fulltime for the ABC. He said Newcastle should have received a penalty at a crucial late stage when the game hung in the balance.

"Matt Cecchin's called a penalty ... I thought that pocket ref is supposed to be that other bloke's eyes but obviously his opinion doesn't count,'' Gidley said.

"Shayne Hayne awarded a scrum. Matt Cecchin was calling a penalty ... what's the point of him being there if he's not going to listen to him?"

Melbourne and NSW coach Craig Bellamy was concerned with Hayne's failure to consult video referee Paul Simpkins when he awarded a dropout against the Storm in the first half - leading directly to a try - and when Ryan Hoffman claimed a touchdown in the second.

"You don't like to complain about those things if you lose. It's a good time now,'' Bellamy said.

"At the end of the day, they were costly rulings. We'll have a look at it and hopefully, rather than complain too much, we'll put our point forward to the referees and they'll make the decisions in the future.''

Canberra coach David Furner and five-eighth Terry Campese did not dispute that youngster Chris James was harsher than the more experienced Gavin Badger. They believed their forward, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs who was booked on James' report for lifting his forearm while taking up the ball, didn't even deserve to be penalised.

"The only thing that worries me a little bit - and I have pretty good feedback from Finchy and the refs and that ? is when they ask what the penalty counts are,'' he said.

"We've given none away in the first half ... I thought Tommy's and another when we were caught laying on the man ... Have a look at the game, both teams were doing it.''

Discord chased Robert Finch about the issue and he told us from now on he would be experimenting with referees teams which could stay together for the finals.

Asked if the whistlers could end up working against each other, he said: "That won't happen.

"Sure, they are competitive people but they are charged with officiating a match. The senior referee is the one in charge. In Origin that is Tony Archer - I think you'll see that continue.''

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WELL we got the policy statement from NSW selectors that we called for last week: Coach Craig Bellamy went on the ABC at the weekend and said that, since he may not be there next year, he was playing for the here-and-now at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday.

Perhaps the Blues could adopt a revolutionary new tactic from now on when selecting teams - pick them purely on form.

Instead of pre-judging the likes of Preston Campbell, Jamie Soward and Nathan Blacklock as "not Origin-type players", give them a chance to prove they are if they are the best in their position at a given time.

If they stuff up, drop them.

Plenty of "Origin-type players" have failed for NSW this year.

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A COUPLE of weeks ago, I recounted how I found myself in a similar situation to Brad Fittler when he knocked on the wrong door it the Sugar Shaker In Townsville.

Well, believe it or not I have also found myself in a very similar position to Nate Myles on occasion.

Nate has the rare distinction of committing the first atrocity in rugby league history in which the explanation is more stomach-churning than the allegation.

With that in mind, I won't detail my own misadventure, except to say that I avoided the final disaster that befell Nate.

My incident involved jetlag, alcohol, and a shared bathroom in a San Francisco guesthouse.

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At Rugby League Week we do a thing called the Dream Team. No-one wants to publish a journo's Dream Team - except Rleague.com of course. Remember, these are my favourite players - not the best I've seen. You understand that concept, right? *

1. Steve Hampson
2. Ellery Hanley
3. John Dorahy
4. Brian Hetherington
5. Jacob Steemag
6. Terry Campese
7. Andrew Johns
13. Wally Lewis
12. Bob Brehl
11. Rod Reddy
10. Greg Cook
9. Dean Schifilliti
8. Robert Stone

(*I reserve the right to make changes when I look through some old autograph books).


Storm home in a cliffhanger
Sat July 4, 2009
Source: www.melbournestorm.com.au

A cliffhanger at Olympic Park saw the Melbourne Storm beat the Newcastle Knights in the last three minutes of the game to keep them in the top four for at least another week.

In wet conditions and trailing for the majority of the game, a 77th minute try by Will Chambers and a conversion by Cam Smith gave the Storm an 18-14 win.

The game was marred by some controversial referee's decisions that will no doubt be a talking point during the week.

Melbourne got off to a good start in the seventh minute, Cooper Cronk turning a ball back on the inside to Billy Slater who made the break with Greg Inglis in support.

After a quiet game against the Raider's, Inglis would have particularly enjoyed his seventh try for the season.

Cam Smith converted the try to take an early 6-0 lead.

Newcastle then went on the attack and the Storm were determined to keep them out.

The task became even more difficult when Brett Finch left the field with a shoulder injury.

The Knights were targeting the left side defence and Steve Turner was in their sights.

Turner was more than up for the challenge, showing amazing strength to turn Junior Sau around right on the try line and also contesting a kick against Akuila Uate.

The Knights eventually broke through when Slater fumbled a grubber kick and Wes Naiqama dived over for a try.

A converted penalty to the Knights with seven seconds to play gave them an 8-6 lead going into half-time.

The Storm defended well for the half but their regular try scorers, Inglis and Joe Tomane, didn't get enough of the ball or good enough field position to threaten the line.

In the 48th minute, the Storm capitalised on their few and far between opportunities when Cronk put a kick through for Slater.

It was an Origin fullback one-on-one.

The ball bounced high and Slater, with eyes only for the ball, barged past Gidley and grounded it with one hand.

The video referee paid the try and Smith converted to put the Storm up 12-8.

The Knights were quick to reply when Uate cleanly took the second of two cross-field bombs within a last tackle play to take back their two-point lead, 14-12.

Finch returned to the ground with just under 20 minutes to play in an attempt to inspire the attack but after laying a tackle succumbed to the injury and again left the field.

Melbourne's main attacking weapon, Inglis, was playing with intensity but only in defence.

It took some controversial referee's decisions to finally fire up the Storm.

The Storm ran hard in the last five minutes. They ran hard in attack, in defence and to form scrums.

In what ended up being the Storm's last scoring opportunity for the night, they moved the ball wide to Inglis who produced a mercurial flick pass to Chambers for a try.

The Knights threw the kitchen sink at the Storm in the final minute but time got the better of them and the Storm had come away with a last gasp win.

In many respects, it was a lucky win.

The Storm had less possession, fewer completions and more than doubled the Knights' missed tackles.

There is certainly room for improvement and the Storm will have two weeks to do it with a bye next week before taking on the Eels at Parramatta in round 19.

Storm 18 (Tries: Inglis, Slater, Chambers; Goals: Smith 3) def. Knights 14 (Tries: Naiqama, Uate; Goals: Gidley 3).

NRL Stats: Storm 18 v Knights 14
NYC Stats: Storm 48 v Knights 26

Sat July 4, 2009
• RleagueBetting Preview: Storm v Knights - NRL Round 17
  
Fri July 3, 2009
• Storm Round 17 v Knights Game Notes
  
Tue June 30, 2009
• Storm name teams for Knights clash
  

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