Scandalizers,
At half time, the Channel Nine camera panned across one of the grand stands at the Sydney Football Stadium, then focussed its gaze on a large hand-written banner being held up on two tall sticks of dowel that read THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJI MARSHALL.
"Aah", the Good Lady Wife remarked, "they'd be Balmain people. On drugs".
There's no coaching against being absolutely steamrollered, with the Bulldogs pack deciding they were too big and too strong from the outset for the Tigers forwards on the day, and to go about using that muscle to deny the opposition possession and barge and bash the holy joisus out of them as they tackle themsleves into the ground.
There was much that was honourable, won't go so far as to say heroic, in only being down 6-0 at half time -- but at what a cost?
No ground gained, with the heavy artillery gone and the light infantry ineffectual.
Excuse the Anzac Day pun.
Not even the fittest of the match-fit teams can come back from that sort of treatment
Little wonder rugby league is the shortest of all codes at just 80 minutes playing time.
The Balmain forwards were too shot, too buggered after 50, with the likes of Benji, that Try Scoring Freak Lawrence and the Paver With Legs standing around with their hands in their pockets.
The Paver was clearly out of his depth, particularly when he was turned on his heels by the Canterbury attack virtually on his try line and ended up never putting a hand on the try scorer.
Getting turned around being a cardinal sin in the rugby league.
Otherwise, he tried his best, but still has a formidable library of football books to read.
The chance of pulling off an early season "purple patch" [officially classified as a five game winning streak] was never going to be.
At a loss to think of what can be learnt from such a defeat?
Have to leave that up to SC Sheens, Roycey, Folkesy and Skando to discover, and leave the Club Secretary right out of it -- he'd be a very busy man anyway, finding out who it is exactly that's paying for the strawberries and cream.
Bit off topic here, but it was a supreme irony that news filtered through that Juan Antonio Samaranch had decided to shuffle off on the same day the Melbourne Storm got busted and rubbed out.
The long-time No.1 Chief Captain of the No.1 Gravy Train of all time certainly knew the value of a ham sandwich in a brown paper bag.
You only have to look at the Champagne and caviar bill that SOCOG coughed up for in 2000.
Little wonder Juan insisted on being called "Your Excellency".
As a mate remarked, "anyone who could sell the idea of buying hookers to the Mormons must have known a trick or two in his time".
1st class facists always travel 1st class.
Obviously, Brian "Two Books" Waldron & Co. were operating on Samaranch's lifelong principle of "it's not illegal unless you get caught".
In a double irony, who would have imagined that the Storm would have thought that they could get away with paying for the hospitality tent twice?
Good one, that.
They might as well have put that one in the books as "half-time oranges".
WESTS TIGERS 4. Tries: Tuqiri.
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS 24. Tries. Ennis (2), Patten, Kimmorley. Goals Goodwin (4).
At Sydney Football Stadium.
Crowd: 19,491.
"well, we haven't had as good a start as that in quite a few years now. Not even in the '05 Premiership season".
SC Roos, 18/4/10...
Oh dear.
Is it wise of the main man to be speaking of the Miracle Year with 18 matches left to play?
Probably only made it as an off the cuff comment at Sunday morning Smoko down by the magic waters, someone overheard it, and it ended up in the papers.
North always looked like they were going to collapse around the edges of the ruck in the Championship Quarter, and kicking five goals on them just proved the point.
Very pleasing to see the Hannebery kiddie on fire.
Stout, and doesn't mind getting involved in the occasional stacks-on-the-mill.
Would have been the best on ground by the length of the street.
And Young Jetta had a fine game, quickly finding his feet in the top grade; all the skills and a superbly placed kick across the wide open spaces to die for.
If they can both overcome the handicap of their small frames, and are given the proper compensation in match day sandwiches, you'd think they'd both be 10+ year players for Syderneee.
The Goodes Train continues on his merry way as the Bamford's pet and it wouldn't surprise if he picked up another Brownlow point.
Another nine man goal kicking list.
No one is complaining about the The Longmire Effect.
NORTH MELBOURNE: 3.4, 6.7, 8.11, 8.12 (60 ). Goals: Edwards 2, Wells 2, Hale, Thomas, Harvey, Adams
SYDNEY: 3.2, 6.6, 11.11, 14.16 (100 ). Goals: Bradshaw 4, Goodes 2, Mattner 2, O'Keefe, McGlynn, White, Kirk, Hannebery, Kennedy.
At Docklands Stadium.
Crowd: 23,646.
