Innholdsfortegnelse for 2019 - Finals Week 1 i Big League Weekly Edition

PENRITH skipper James Tamou has called on Nathan Cleary to be the next captain of the Panthers following the halfback’s star performance against Newcastle in the final round. Cleary scored four tries and kicked nine goals in a 34-point haul that broke Michael Gordon’s single game pointscoring record for Penrith of 30, set back in 2010. With veteran five-eighth James Maloney departing for France, Cleary will be responsible for taking more of a leadership role in 2020. There have been whispers the 21-year-old will be named captain of the club next season and the current skipper has no objections if that’s the direction the club takes. “Easily he should be the next captain,” Tamou told Big League. “I think he’ll flourish next year. He knows he’ll have to do his…

8. Kerrod Walters v Steve Walters Sandra and Kevin Walters Sr were tied up in knots any time their sons played each other, so it must have been torturous when Kerrod and Steve met in finals matches. Steve had a mighty game as Canberra crushed Brisbane in the 1990 preliminary final, but Kerrod had the wood on Steve in the 1993 minor semi as the Broncos thumped the Raiders 30-12. Steve starred in a tense 1995 qualifying final, however, scoring the only try of the second half in the Raiders’ 14-8 success in Brisbane. 7. Paul Harragon v Mark Carroll ‘Chief’ Harragon and ‘Spud’ Carroll clashed famously in a 1995 showdown in Newcastle. Carroll won a points decision that night when Harragon was knocked out trying to put a hit…

Kicking goals In addition to celebrating his Sharks sneaking into this year’s finals series, Paul Gallen celebrated his first career field goal at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday. It took 347 games but Gal got there! Panther pride Speaking of records, Nathan Cleary nabbed a good one in the Panthers’ last-round mauling of the Knights. The 21-year-old halfback crossed for four tries and nine conversions, taking him to 34 points in the match. This beat the previous Panthers club record for most points scored (30), held by Michael Gordon since 2010. Lyon roars again He may have retired from the NRL in 2016, but former Eels and Manly great Jamie Lyon still has plenty to offer judging by his grand final heroics on the Northern Rivers. The 37-year-old suited up for…

IT may not be a ratings winner, but the TV show This Time Next Year kind of sums up the Parramatta Eels. Having claimed the wooden spoon in 2018, few would have given them a chance of bouncing back 12 months later to play finals footy. But in the space of one season, they’ve defied the critics and will head into this weekend’s clash against the Broncos as favourites with a parochial crowd at their backs. “This time last year we probably didn’t think we’d be here,” skipper Clint Gutherson admits. “Everyone had a look at themselves. We knew the sort of team we had last year was better than what we showed.” Brad Arthur’s leadership has seen the Eels go from battlers to contenders, and the experience of proven…

PANTHERS STAR playmaker Nathan Cleary says Penrith fans can expect more attacking flair from their team next year after a disappointing 2019 campaign. The Panthers finished the regular season with the fourth-worst attacking record, scoring more points than just the Titans, Cowboys and Bulldogs. However they produced their best attacking performance in the final game of the season with a 54-10 thrashing of the Knights. “I’m confident we can turn it around,” Cleary said. “Throughout the year we haven’t had a game we’ve been totally proud of until [the final game]. We can take that into next year, but we’ll have to work hard to get there. “This year we kind of thought it was just going to happen. We’ve seen how good some of the young boys are and…

Sydney Cricket Ground Friday 7.50pm Form: Until their final round hiccup against the Rabbitohs, the Roosters were steaming towards the play-offs on the back of a seven-game winning streak. The result might not have gone their way, but the outcome was mitigated by the absence of Luke Keary, Brett Morris, Mitch Aubusson and Siosiua Taukeiaho. Trent Robinson’s line-up for Friday’s game will be close to full strength and they’ll be confident of flipping last Thursday’s result. The Rabbitohs were also missing key personnel, notably George and Tom Burgess and James Roberts however the suspension of Sam Burgess and an injury to Dane Gagai will result in a weaker combination taking the field for this opening final. History: The level of intensity displayed by both teams last Thursday said everything about…

Bankwest Stadium Sunday 4.05pm Form: The Eels’ form heading into the finals has been less than compelling following losses to the Bulldogs and Broncos, but a dominant effort against the Sea Eagles has at least set Brad Arthur’s team back on the right course. The Broncos’ performances over the past six weeks have been far from consistent (three wins and three losses) and their 30-14 loss to out-of-contention Canterbury last Saturday was a poor lead-in to their finals campaign. History: The Broncos hold a decisive lead in head-to-head battles between these clubs since 1988 but the honours have been shared in the two games played in 2019. The Eels scored a commanding 38-10 victory at Bankwest Stadium in Round 14, while the Broncos snuck home by a golden point in…

I DID ask for a little drama to kick the finals off in 2019 – but I didn’t expect that would amount to three judiciary hearings and an asbestos scare on the northern beaches. Now that all that is out of the way, we can focus on the four lots of 80 (or 90) minutes that will put teams on track for glory or spiral them into Mad Monday. I often get asked who my tip is for the premiership and as per usual, I stick strong with the favourites so can never go past the Storm. That’s yielded pretty great results over the years and I’ll do the same now. But we all know what happened the last time the Raiders visited Melbourne, so who knows? The other obvious…

IT’S the stat that has trainspotters giddy leading into the finals, but try telling Storm skipper Cameron Smith that his side is a lock to win the premiership because of past performances. Melbourne have had an uncanny knack of bouncing back from adversity and nothing proves that better than the fact they’ve always won on grand final day the year after losing a decider. They downed the Sea Eagles in 2007 after losing to Brisbane, they edged the Eels in 2009 after their blowout loss in 2008 and they trounced the Cowboys in 2017 following their 2016 heartbreak against Cronulla. It’s why statisticians are backing them to go all the way 12 months after they went down to the Roosters, and while Smith says that game is motivation for them…

You may not have scored last week but your fingerprints were all over the big plays in the second half. How did you know about that out-of-bounds rule? I think it was up to us younger guys to come out in the second half to add a bit of flair and I think we did that. Jim Dymock was getting into us during the pre-season so it was something we worked on over summer with balls close to the sideline. I always pulled it off at training and I was just waiting for an opportunity to do it in a game. The time arrived against the Tigers, I tried it and it came off. That shows what hard work does. You also came up with some huge defensive plays. Is…

WHILE it hurts to not be in the finals this year, I’ll definitely be watching the other eight teams duke it out in the business end of the season. The general consensus is the Storm and Roosters will meet again in the final, and while those teams will be hard to beat, I’m tipping the Green Machine to go all the way in 2019. It’s definitely going to be hard to beat one or both of those sides en route to the premiership, but the Raiders can do it. The way they’ve played all year has really caught my eye, and I think their defensive attitude is good enough to match it with the Storm and Roosters. It won’t be easy, but they can beat Melbourne this week. They have…

FRUSTRATED and eager – that’s how Roosters skipper Boyd Cordner has felt over the past couple of months. No player likes sitting on the sidelines at the business end of the season, especially when your side is attempting to become the first team to win back-to-back titles in 26 years. Following the highs of leading the Blues to more State of Origin glory, Cordner just wanted to be out there for his club, but he’s been forced to miss five weeks with an infuriating calf injury. He returned to the field last Thursday, but if he had his way, he would’ve made an earlier comeback. “It’s been frustrating,” Cordner says. “I really wanted to be out there at the end of the season. I was pushing the physio to try…

STEPH Mooka’s journey from the Torres Strait to the Maroons – and now the NRLW Dragons squad – is equal-parts inspiring, heartbreaking and educational. And once you read her story, you’ll appreciate the sacrifices many women endure ahead of the second season, which gets underway this weekend. THE EARLY DAYS Footy was always a big part of the Mooka household, and it comes as no surprise to learn that Steph and her team-mates went to great lengths to compete. We’ve all heard yarns about early-morning trips across town just to get to games, but not many players have had to travel four hours by dinghy to get to a local competition. As the Mabuiag Islander explains, that’s par for the course. “Torres Strait has two annual competitions,” she tells Big…

AAMI Park Saturday 5.40pm Form: The Storm’s run to the finals has featured comfortable victories over the Titans, Sea Eagles and Cowboys, while the Raiders have had a chequered run of two wins and three losses. Significantly, though, the Raiders have experienced more intensity, playing four top eight teams in their final five games. While the Storm have cruised, the Raiders have figured in five games where the final margin has been four points or less. History: The Storm have had the better of this contest since 1998, registering 31 wins to the Raiders’ 12, however recent history carries the most weight. The Raiders will be buoyed by their remarkable performance in Round 22 when they became the first team to fight their way back from an 18-0 deficit to…

WE’RE back. The second edition of the Women’s Premiership kicks off this Saturday as the Roosters take on the Warriors at AAMI Park, and there is plenty to look forward to. The Roosters were heavy favourites to win last year’s inaugural premiership before being belted by Brisbane on grand final day. They will be desperate to bounce back this season, and it all starts against the Warriors. The Tri-colours have a wealth of star power in the form of Isabelle Kelly, Ruan Sims and captain Simaima Taufa, who was crowned NSW Women’s State of Origin Player of the Year at the Brad Fittler Medal on Monday. But that will all mean nothing if they’re unable to back up with a big performance against the Warriors. After finishing third last season,…

SOUTH Sydney enforcer Sam Burgess has backed his brother George to make a noticeable impact if he returns from suspension on Friday against the Roosters. George (pictured) hasn’t played since copping a nine-week ban for an eye gouge on Robbie Farah, but has been named in the extended line-up and should play this week. Although Sam will miss the qualifying final due to his own suspension for pulling the hair of Roosters rookie Billy Smith, he thinks the Rabbitohs will lift with George back in the team. “He’s been great and when you have an end in sight it’s easy to work back,” Burgess said. “George has been doing that and he’s been enjoying every minute. He’s doing everything he needs to. He’s been running well in the second team,…

UNDERDOGS is a tag captain Darius Boyd said the Broncos will embrace when they face Parramatta in an elimination final at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday. The Broncos may have scraped into the top eight with more losses than wins and were smashed by the Bulldogs last Saturday, however Boyd is confident his side can still give the competition a shake. “It’s backs-against-the-wall going against Parra this weekend and no one gives us a chance of winning – but that’s when we seem to play our best,” Boyd said. “We’ve got nothing to lose and we’ll be going there to have a red-hot crack. “With the start we had, no one gave us a chance of making the finals. Internally, with the players and coaching staff, I think we’ve done a…

HETHER you love them or not, it’s hard to deny the Storm have been the best team this year and deserved minor premiers. The fact they’ve seen Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater go and still maintained high standards is a testament to Craig Bellamy. Their season was capped off with their 20th win for the year on Saturday, a record that only one team has matched in over a decade – the 2017 Storm side, who went on to win the grand final. W @NRL…

THE Holden Women’s Premiership kicks off on Saturday afternoon with the Sydney Roosters and Warriors clashing at AAMI Park, before defending premiers Brisbane take on St George Illawarra at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday. A player turnover of more than 40 per cent in the competition means there are plenty of fresh players set to make their debuts worth keeping an eye on. Kiana Takairangi (Roosters) The sister of Parramatta Eels utility Brad, Takairangi has enjoyed a breakout year that’s included a Test debut for the Kiwi Ferns in June. A speedy finisher who is getting better with every game she plays. Maddison Weatherall (Dragons) A rising forward for the Dragons, Auckland-born Weatherall turned 18 this week, allowing her to take part in the campaign. Highly rated. Madison Bartlett (Warriors) The…

Lottoland Saturday 7.50pm Form: The Sea Eagles have experienced a wretched lead-in to the finals with injuries cutting a swathe through their line-up. A hard-fought win over the Raiders at GIO Stadium in Round 23 had the Sea Eagles poised for a top four finish, but the loss of second-rower Joel Thompson with a broken arm set off a shocking succession of casualties. Tom Trbojevic tore his pectoral muscle a week later and Morgan Boyle (arm), Curtis Sironen (foot) and Taniela Paseka (knee) were all added to the casualty list. Any injury problems that the Sharks experienced in the second half of the season have eased and their line-up for Saturday is the strongest coach John Morris can name. The Sharks go into this game with three wins from their…

IN an epic grudge match, five members of Brisbane’s premiership-winning squad come face-to-face with their former team-mates. Brisbane were undefeated premiers of last year’s competition, but enter 2019 with an overhauled roster after five players jumped ship to join the Dragons. Reigning Dally M Medalist Brittany Breayley was joined by Kiwi Ferns Kimiora Nati, Maitua Feterika, Teuila Fotu-Moala and Ngatokotoru Arakua in making the move to Wollongong, and they will all be eager to make a statement against their former club. They have also signed Jillaroos halfback Maddie Studdon. The Broncos will be equally determined to punish the Dragons for poaching their premiership-winning stars and kick off their title defence with a win. As well as Jillaroos Annette Brander and Tazmin Gray, Brisbane have made some big-name acquisitions to their…

The Sydney Roosters will play their 300th game at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Parramatta winger Maika Sivo has scored 11 tries in 10 games at Bankwest Stadium. The Sharks have won only six games at Lottoland in the past 52 seasons. The Storm have won their past six finals games at AAMI Park. The Storm haven’t been beaten twice in a season by the same team at home since 2014 (v Bulldogs). Manly have lost their past four finals. The Eels have won every daytime game at Bankwest Stadium. Matt Gillett will play his 200th NRL game. Canberra have won their past five away games.…