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Very good Indigenous halves combinations in NRL
by TONY CURRIE
After 5 rounds of the NRL things are going to plan for the marketing arm of our governing body. They spruiked one of the most anticipated competitions for years with all fans given great hope that their team would push for finals contention. The Salary Cap is doing its job in levelling the playing field and all the Clubs are almost as good as each other on their day. Round 5 can be considered the “round of the upset”. We saw some miraculous turnarounds from teams given no hope after their round 4 losses. It was a tipster’s nightmare starting with Parramatta producing grit and determination to account
for a Cronulla Sharks team. Coach Ricky Stuart must be extremely puzzled and confused at how his team can go from a 50-0 hiding at the hands of the Roosters to a strong victory at home against Cronulla, all in the space of 5 days. The Canberra Raiders closed out the Roosters after being down at half-time 16-0. The Sydney Roosters were chasing 4 wins in a row and I would argue that only the most loyal and staunch of supporters would have given the Raiders any hope. I talked last week about consistency and how every Coach in the NRL is seeking this eternal Holy Grail. The Parramatta Eels
result makes it obvious that the players are letting themselves down through their personal preparation. The experienced quality players know the value of this. The average lifespan of an NRL player at last reports, to my knowledge, is approximately 42 games. Now, if these figures are correct how can any young player learn about consistency of preparation on and off the field if he is only going to be around for less than 2 seasons? Added to this is the diminishing pool of experienced players who are pushed out by their clubs in order to accommodate the younger brigade. We must be very careful that we do not alter our game too
Cowboys captain and halfback Johnathan Thurston with his parents Debra and Graham Thurston, brother Shane and good family friend Gracelyn Smallwood. Image: Rhonda Hagan
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dramatically where fans will not know which team performance they will get from week to week. As I have described above, are we in the midst of a major culture change for the game? An interesting point that probably not many people have picked up on is the fact that we have some very good indigenous halves combinations running around in the NRL. Albert Kelly and Aidan Sezer are doing a tremendous job for the Gold Coast Titans in steering them around the paddock. They are both very young but their inexperience is compensated by their exuberance and enthusiasm. Albert Kelly’s outrageous try against the Broncos was pure Koori Knockout. These are the types of tries seen every year at the Knockout. They both play with no fear and I love that aspect of their games. Chris Sandow and Luke Kelly managed to turn their team’s fortunes around last week. Kelly’s early season start has been hampered by a hamstring strain but he has quickly forged a combination with Sandow. The Eels desperately need this marriage to stand the test of time. Robert Lui and Johnathan Thurston showed against Penrith that they will be a force to be reckoned with. An easy 30-0 disposal of the Panthers has still put the Cowboys in calculation to be there, come September finals. There are so many points in this duo and that must strike shockwaves through their opposition. Lui has spent almost a year out of the game and should be fresh and ready to give his best shot for the Cowboys. Let’s hope that injury does not curtail his season. I must make mention of the fabulous single halfbacks and five-eighths we have playing in the NRL. Halfback Luke Walsh has been a mainstay at the Panthers for many years. His astute kicking Page 2
Argon Warriors’ captain and halfback Chris Sandow presented with the Arthur Beetson Foundation trophy by Australia’s first Indigenous international player, Lionel Morgan at last year’s 2012 Queensland Murri Carnival. Sandow is in good form with the NRL Parramatta Eels. Image: Rhonda Hagan
game has led the Penrith team to many victories in his career. The Panthers are not travelling well at the moment but look for Walsh to be at the forefront if a resurgence is to occur. Jamie Soward has been an enigma at St. George. Sometimes he is much maligned and then feted by fickle fans who demand success every week. We all know the NRL is a competition where success every weekend is never guaranteed. Soward is just coming into his own as far as maturity goes. He has enough experience under his belt but has still got a little way to go mentally. He will get there eventually but I hope he realises that he possesses one attribute
many players lack – speed. Jamie is very quick and sometime I feel he lacks the confidence to take the opposition on with direct running. He still has many good years left in the NRL. Tyrone Roberts is similar to Albert Kelly. He has no fear also and is taking teams on in his role at the Newcastle Knights. I am sure Wayne Bennett is content with his progress and knows that Roberts is critical to his side’s success in 2013. Well, there you have it. We are so blessed to have a wonderful array of young indigenous men who will play important roles in their Club’s endeavours to improve on 2012. Good luck boys.