Weathermen,
Seems like the home side were frightened by everything, especially the wet track and the driving rain in the first half.
They tried to play traditional wet weather football; pigs rooting in mud in the forwards, with an arm wrestle in the backs, but the Tigers were having none of that.
They took the Supercoach's advice early on to eschew expending energy in the bog, and just put the ball on the toe and make it a lop-sided lottery in your favour with the centre three quarters and the wingers that you've got.
Kick and chase, kick and chase, kick and chase; kick early, kick often.
And it worked a treat...
Of course, it also helps when the opposition drop the slippery pill just about every second set and give away no less than six first half penalties, mostly for offside.
Balmain just went, OK, thanks for the invitation, we'll score points early, score points often.
Game over at 0-20 for Canberra at half-time.
With things going awry, the Raiders could hardly rely on their fans for inspiration, with the supporters staying away in droves - albiet off a low base.
My spy at the ground suggested that Be My Beau Ryan's second-half try set up would be well up in there in the try of the year show reel.
Shrugged off half a dozen tackles in a bustling 60 metre gallop, did the jink and the step at the end, sold the dummy to the full back, then put it on the toe for a dribbling grubber that had that Try Scoring Freak Lawrence scooping up on the line to score as he planted the pig skin fair and square in the in-goal, right next to the corner flag.
Running rugby league at its finest; a more perfect rugby league try you couldn't buy.
Another example of the home players being frightened by everything - the radio commentator trotted out an oldie but goodie "Ryan was covered in spiders there, no one wanted to touch him".
The stats guru was quick to point out that the Raiders have only ever been held to zero twice at home in the club's history in the top flight, and this one was by far the worst.
Balmain's away record at Canberra Stadium is so good that It appears Marshall has never played in a losing side there - and he's been going 'round a while.
The Best Leb in the Game has his usual corker of the game, Benji had a hand in almost every try, while Aaron "Woodsy" Woods and that bloodnut Keith "Keefy" Galloway led the pack with strong running and ferocious tackling throughout.
Lucky one or other of them haven't been picked, as expected, as the spare prop on the bench for NSW for State of Origin II, with the selectors opting instead to pluck some complete unknown rookie from Penrith from obscurity.
Can use them both this week, with Farah in camp again with NSW.
Wandered into the Front Bar at The Local on Monday morning, and was surprised that the Brown Bros weren't in.
Someone said they were busy with some urgent council footpath repair work a couple of streets up, but would be back in time for lunch.
The Philosopher hates the cold and wet weather.
After a weekend of it, he was rugged up in his usual corner wearing a grey coloured scarf to match his mood, nursing a double Bundaberg OP, no ice of course...no sir...rather, slowly sipped as it warms in the cupped hands.
Thought nothing of it when the sage didn't say anything, but slightly puzzled when he took a Keno pencil and scribbled on the back of a used betting ticket and handed it to me.
It read "6+1=4th".
He was right.
Six wins on the trot plus the bye sees the Tigers in the top four at the exact half way point in the season.
An interesting short term draw too, with Melbourne this week without their State of Origin players [and they supply plenty, "the Big Three" for instance], followed by the hapless Roosters at Leichhardt, and then Newcastle away at Turton Road, followed by another bye.
If they play their cards right and win all of those, or even two, they'd be well and truly on the start of a magic carpet ride.
But, as SC Sheens would always advise, there's no use getting ahead of yourself, except if you are the Club Secretary hard at the office abacus trying to turn the beans into profits.
St Tim just marked that one down in the "we'll take our wins" column in the Coach's Ledger.
Certainly no crowing or fuss to be made of it.
On interview after the game he said no more than "it's not very often you hold a home side to nil, and I was just pleased that we managed to play to the game plan throughout, and we got the result"
CANBERRA RAIDERS 0.
WESTS TIGERS 40. Tries: Farah, Fulton, Lawrence, Murdoch-Masila, Ryan, Sironen, Utai. Goals: Marshall (6).
At Canberra Stadium.
Crowd: 9,210.
With the scoreboard showing at quarter time: Swans: 9 goals, Bamfords: 1 goal; got the dog to fetch my pipe and slippers, put the feet up, and had a jolly good puff.
Game over.
Goals were priceless in the conditions, but nine in the opening stanza on a bog track?
Almost unheard of in the modern era.
Still, a brilliant game plan from Coach Horse.
As the rain tumbled down he would have asked the dressing room "hey! you lot! which one of you reckons they can play wet weather football?"
A few of them would have put up their hands.
Mr Ed would then have said "OK, we'll go with those blokes with their hands up, the rest of you, just sit on the football".
Mid-field followed the plan to a tee; rely on winning the ruck, bomb it long, a bit of a short run, a stab kick into the square...and...goal!
The whole sequence takes less than a minute, but it is mighty effective, when the skies are grey.
The Bulldogs appeared to be another team frightened by everything; the constant rain, a muddy cricket pitch, the derelict de-seated stands, the size of the Sydney raindrops, playing on one of their infrequent visits to the hallowed turf, the Transit of Venus, who knows - but it left them unable to grasp what was going on, or do much more than scrabble about for an erratic ball, with no success.
The mix of yoof and experience will always win out in the end, and a good example here -- the Hannebery Kiddie and the Son of Gary, along with Old Jude and Odd Head were well up there for Best on Ground, not to mention the likes of In Like McGlynn, Rick Shaw, Teddy Richards, and the Flying Jetta all having good games too.
[It's very difficult to believe that Jetta has played 50 games already. If it's true, he's taken quite a while to get out of nappies - but the Football Dept were right to persist with him; seeing a potential superstar who'd come good in the end].
But, with that lead, who would have thought of six more goals - to one - in the Champo and a 15 goal football lesson in the denoument?
That's very good in any football language.
A bit of honesty at the turnstiles saw the lowest crowd total posted at the SCG for a Swans game in 28 years.
Just goes to show Swans supporters are supremely fickle and positively allergic to unfavourable weather of any kind.
They much prefer to have a Chardy in hand, darling, by the fireplace in their rather comfortable multi-million homes in the Eastern Suburbs, with the basket weaving equipment handy.
Still, it's hard to read much into it - cruel thrashings tend to do no one any good, as a general rule.
One of those ones where Sydney really only holds station on the table, but improves it's already healthy percentage out of sight.
SYDNEY: 9.0, 10.5, 16.9, 20.12 (132). Goals: Jetta 4, McGlynn 3, Dennis-Lane 3, Bolton 2, Jack 2, Roberts-Thomson 2, Reid 2, Kennedy, O'Keefe.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 1.1, 3.1, 4.5, 5.10 (40). Goals: Picken 2, Cordy, Wallis, Veszpremi.
At Sydney Cricket Ground.
Crowd: 13,505.
