sidelined

With one round to go, lets have a look at the various permutations in regards to where everyone will finish. Consider it a preview of my tips for round 26.

Manly Sea Eagles - Current position: 1st Predicted finish: 1st

Manly will play the Panthers. They should win this game. They have an 8 point break on the Storm and will want to put a big score on the Panthers.

Melbourne Storm - Current Position: 2nd. Predicted finish: 2nd

A Manly loss will see the Storm with the minor premiership (provided the Storm don’t lose). I think Souths will keep the Storm honest. The Storm will win but it won’t be a flogging.

Cronulla Sharks - Current Position: 3rd. Predicted finish: 3rd

The only way the Sharks can win the minor premiership is for both the Storm and Manly to lose. That is unlikely. Even if the Sharks lose they will still be in 3rd spot.

Sydney Roosters - Current Position: 4th. Predicted finish: 6th

The Roosters will be the big losers this weekend. A loss to the Dragons and a Broncos win will see them slide to 6th.

Brisbane Broncos - Current Position: 5th. Predicted finish: 4th.

The Broncos to grab a home final on the back of a Dragons win over the Roosters.

St George/Illawarra Dragons - Current position: 6th. Predicted finish: 5th

Provided the Dragons beat they Roosters, they could finish in fourth spot if the Broncos lose. However I see fifth spot as the more likely position. They could fall as low as seventh if results do not favour them.

Canberra Raiders - Current position: 7th. Predicted finish: 7th

If the Dragons lose and the Raiders do a number on the Bulldogs, they could jump up to 6th spot. Given I reckon the Dragons will win then the Raiders will remain in 7th.

Newcastle Knights - Current position: 8th. Predicted finish: 9th

I may change my mind about this but the Knights are in danger. If the Warriors win and the Knights lose, the Warriors make the eight.

New Zealand Warriors - Current position: 9th. Predicted finish: 8th

If the Eels couldn’t turn up for the Dragons then they will be easy pickings for the Warriors. It does depend on what happens Friday night. If the Knights lose then the Warriors will be up for the game.

The Eels, Panthers, Tigers, Titans, Rabbitohs, Cowboys, Bulldogs - Current position: no hope at all. Predicted finish: First in line for Mad Monday

The penultimate round! It doesn’t seem that long ago I was preparing my tips for round 1. The season review can wait though. While a few teams are gearing up for Mad Monday, there is still plenty of interesting match ups and the final three final spots up for grabs.

Obviously not a great week for the NRL but as always, redemption will be on the field. This weeks tips via rhapsodomancy, the art if divination by lines of poetry.

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I’m loving the footy at the moment. The season is winding up nicely. The only sure thing is the Storm to be minor premiers. The top four is still up in the air as is the final eight. Let’s get straight into it. This weeks tips being decided by using the Bible code.

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There is only one word by which we can described Australia’s overall performance so far in the Bejing Olympics. Disgraceful. Bloody disgraceful.

Not only are we slipping backwards since Athens, we have been overtaken by the bloody poms. People from a country where sporting success is a common as a cold beer. Already, the Brits have started to bag us about London 2012 when, based on current form, they may finally feel a sense of national sporting pride. Worse they will be able to gloat over us Aussie. An unforgivable situation.

But it is not that Australians have been silent. Great men, men of action, men who should be our leaders have made the call. Like Alan Thompson. Like Alan Coates.

Coates is right that athletes need to be paid generous salaries. I’d say start with $600,000 per year with third party options. That may mitigate against our best soccer and hockey players being poached by French rugby union.

But even that measure doesn’t go far enough. To be competitive once more here is a plan, that while some may say is radical, actually addresses the urgency of the situation.

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Winter is having one last go but it can’t hide the fact spring and the the NRL finals are only a few weeks to play. Last week confirmed that, as expected, the Storm are the team to beat. Not that Manly were that bad. They still have a shot. And don’t forget that Sharks.

Below them it is a real dogfight for the final 5 spots. Some teams seem to be falling of the pace and others turning on the form at the right time. Another very interesting round. I’ve looked to the stars this week for the winners. All is revealed over the fold.

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Craig Emerson is the federal Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy, and the Minister Assisting on Deregulation. He has some opinions on rugby league post the SBW saga as outlined in The Australian.

I have no idea how is performing as a minister, but as a league pundit he needs some work. Taking the chicken little approach Emerson cries:

The Red Sea has parted and the exodus from league is on for young and old. Four members of the present Wallabies team are league converts: Lote Tuqiri, Berrick Barnes, Ryan Cross and Timana Tahu

Of those four players, Tuqiri would be the only one who could get a spot in the current Kangaroo squad. Tahu and outside chance. Barnes and Cross never played for Australian in their league days and never were likely to. The fact that they have made the Wallabies is an indictment on the depth of rugby talent in Australia than anything else.
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You can smell the finals in the air. 5 rounds to go and some very intriguing games. Mathematically, 13 clubs are still in the race. Realistically, I’d say 10 clubs have a chance. But you never know. 4-5 wins on the trot will change a loss. 4-5 losses will do the same. I’ve consulted the I Ching and the results are over the fold.

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Guest Post: Fabian Dal Santo kindly set the following post in regarding what seems a brutal cycling event. But the Aussies toughed it out and did very well. Follow the links to get an idea of the event. I’m sure not going to be complaining about my 45 minute RPM class tomorrow.

Thanks Fabian.

The World 24hr Solo Mountain Bike Championships were held the other weekend in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. An extremely strong Australian contingent went over, including last year’s overall third place getter Jeff Toohey and the current Australian 24hr champion Jason English. Others going over included Mark Fenner, John Claxton and Troy Bailey. Overall the Australians completely dominated the race, taking out first place in 4 divisions including the first 4 places in the Male Elite.

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One positive aspect of the Sonny Bill imbroglio is that attention has been turned to what the NRL needs to do to strengthen the game. Some pundits (Andrew Johns for example) have argued that Perth and Adelaide need to included in the competition. However, this would be a huge mistake for the NRL. Now before Adelaideans and Pethites feel I’m selling them short let me explain.

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Defecting to the game that supported the Vichy government has a nice touch of irony don’t you think? As agents of those cheese eating surrender monkeys circle player-manager, rugby league marches on. And this week round 21 looms, the finals almost within reach. The question is what is more cruel to fans? Having your finals hopes extinguished once and for all or having your team continue winning keeping whatever faint hopes alive?

This round may reveal the answer to that question. During the week I visited all the clubs, picked a few players and did some phrenological investigations to determine this week’s likely winner. The results are over the fold.

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