an "attack of infected boils".

Diehards,

Into it's 8th year now in a formal format; the Winter Game wire returns to haunt you once again over the colder months.
The Mighty Wests Tigers' start to the new National Rugby League season did not begin all that auspiciously when news filtered through that the Best Leb in the Game, aka Robbie Farah, aka the Balmain Captain, Scholar & Gentleman to boot, had been hospitalised, not just confined to his bed, but hospitalised, mid week with an "attack of infected boils".
You'd think that if you picked up something like that during the week before the first match of the season, that you'd bench yourself, but no.
The mental image of great festering pustules flying hither and thither and splattering eveywhere as the big blokes crashed into each other was way beyond even thinking about.
The Good Lady Wife suggested he play under the name Captain Carbuncle for one week only, which he did, and he didn't have a bad game, but was let down by his fellow forwards, who displayed little go forward and were as soft as rice puddings in all reality.
After a promising start, running in a couple of well worked tries, the Tiges got themselves lost in what turned out to be a ridiculously high scoring game; started to dig themselves into a deeper and deeper hole letting the Dragons in to score soft tries willy-nilly, on the back of being caned mericlessly by the Bamford's 8-2 in the penalty count in the first half.
Who knows what the referee's were thinking?
The Balmain players were well within their rights to say to the authorities "what did I do wrong, Guv?"
Outrageous.
You'll struggle to see another game this year in which more than 68 points are scored.
Defence is not anyone's long suit in the first week of the season, but still.
The team is obviously 4-6 weeks away from true match fitness, which is probably more important in this caper than any other, but seasons can be won and lost in that space of time.
Balmain seems to have bought reasonably well in the off-season player meat market; but why they persist with the likes of Adam Blair [28yo] and Braith Anasta [aged 32 for gawd's sake] is beyond me.
Two players who've found a nice retirement home in Leichhardt, after stellar careers elsewhere, and the club is still hoping they might do something resembling what they did back in the glory days?
They're dreaming aren't they?
There's plenty of raw talent there, no question.
The new young half back Luke Brooks [aged 19] has been rated as the best thing since bottled scotch in some circles in the junior grades - he's very good, but first grade is a completely different bottle of mussels altogether, son - he needs to acquire a lot more footy smarts against others who have been going around in the top grade for years.
Also, take for example, "A Boy Named Sue".
His name is Sauaso Sue [aged 21], he's an enormous Māori unit, the size of a small bus, so will cause problems for any opposing pack, but he has a lot to learn, oh, yes siree, a lot to learn.
The Tedesco Kiddie [aged 21] at full back shows a lot of promise, and any side could do with having two "try-scoring freaks" in their team in the form of Chris Lawrence and Marika Koroibete.
Even though the starting 13 is sound enough, and there is genuine, although as yet unproved, quality sitting on the bench and the back bench - on paper - Coach Harry Potter has some work to do in bringing it all together to make a proper team out of them.
He's only got about half a season to do it in, at best, otherwise he'll find himself in peril of losing his job, the way it is these days.
There is no shortage of potential there, but even at this entirely early stage of the season, there are some long time club loyalists who are already starting to mumble in low tones that the road could be long, and the way could be hard, over the next 26 weeks.
Bugger that.
Get beat by 20 points and wind up second last on the ladder after Round One?
The only way for Wests to go from there is north.
No shortage of crytsal ball gazing to be had.


ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 44. Tries: Frizell (2), Beale, Creagh, Quinlan, Rein, Witt. Goals: Widdop (8).
WESTS TIGERS 24. Tries: Farah, Richards, Taupau, Tedesco. Goals: Richards (4).
At Olympic Stadium, Homebush.
Crowd: 19,860.

FYI: The new look team, as per program:
1. James Tedesco 2. Marika Koroibete 3. Keith Lulia 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Pat Richards 6. Braith Anasta 7. Luke Brooks 8. Aaron Woods 9. Robbie Farah 10. Martin Taupau 11. Liam Fulton 12. Bodene Thompson 13. Adam Blair. Reserves:
14. Cory Paterson 15. Ava Seumanufagai 16. Sauaso Sue 17. James Gavet.