NRL Tackle 2022: Paul Crawley reveals his Likes and Dislikes from Round 25
The Tigers keep finding ways to hit a new rock bottom and how more heads haven’t rolled since Michael Maguire’s axing remains one of the game’s great mysteries.
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Paul Crawley reveals his Likes and Dislikes from the final regular season round in the NRL Tackle.
ROUND 25 DISLIKES
WHY HAVEN’T MORE HEADS ROLLED AT TIGERS?
Can you believe Wests Tigers actually got worse this year? Remember, in the last match last year the Tigers were thrashed 38-0 by the Bulldogs.
At the time that was considered their rock bottom - when the club finished 13th.
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But 12 months on they have been humiliated 56-10 by the Raiders - who led 42-0 at halftime before clocking off.
This in a season when they finish dead last to collect the joint venture’s first wooden spoon, with a record worst four wins for the season.
How more heads haven’t rolled since Michael Maguire’s axing remains one of the game’s great mysteries.
t’s extraordinary to think the board and management remain in place when a club suffers from such a diabolical yet on going disaster.
And let’s not kid ourselves that appointing Tim Sheens as head coach for next season and Benji Marshall for the years ahead is any guarantee of long term success.
Sheens was sacked by the club a decade ago and has been back as director of football now for a full season.
And things have gone backwards.
While Marshall is untested as a coach at any level, and he doesn’t take over for a couple more years.
The sounds of Tigers fans booing at halftime at Leichhardt should have rang through the entire organization.
A ROTTEN LOOK FOR THE GAME
It will be a terrible look given the spotlight on concussion injuries if South Sydney’s inspirational skipper Cameron Murray takes the field for the return grudge match against the Sydney Roosters.
The way Murray face planted into the Allianz Stadium turf after getting his head in the wrong position while attempting to tackle Kevin Naiqama was sickening.
But now we’re told Murray woke on Saturday with “full memory” and showing “zero concussion symptoms”.
It’s worth pointing out it was Murray’s fourth heavy knock in the past two months, two of those diagnosed concussions.
He also had one in last year’s grand final when he was smashed by teammate Junior Tatola in the very first tackle.
On that occasion Murray stayed on the field, even though it was blatantly obvious to all watching the TV replays that Murray was stumbling.
The fact Murray attended the post match press conference on Friday night was seen as a positive sign, although it has also raised questions if it was intentionally about setting the agenda for the week.
This is certainly not about accusing the Rabbitohs of any neglect because Murray will have to undergo an independent assessment to get the all clear.
But the fact Murray is even allowed to be under consideration surely raises some concerns about the NRL’s concussion protocols.
In boxing there is a mandatory three month stand down when a fighter goes down like Murray did.
BRONCOS WERE ALREADY BEATEN
A picture tells a thousand words, and the images of Kevvie Walters in the dressing sheds before Brisbane’s season-ending defeat to St George Illawarra should set off alarm bells among the Broncos hierarchy.
It was like Walters was on his way to a funeral, not a football match.
Even though the Broncos were playing for their season survival, surely Walters should have been up for the occasion, at least showing some outward signs of confidence in himself and his players.
But the images were the total opposite - what you would expect on a losing coach’s face after the game, not before it.
Then every time the Fox League cameras flicked to him during the match the body language was just as bad.
It stank of a man who appeared already defeated in his own mind.
So you are entitled to ask how the players could possibly have faith in themselves?
And that is exactly how they performed.
For very different reasons it brings back memories of that famous image of Wayne Bennett a couple of years ago sitting in the Queensland sheds laughing and joking after the Maroons got belted 34-10 in game two in Sydney.
Bennett told the players at the time that despite the flogging they would go on and win the series, and any player who did not believe him should leave the sheds immediately.
From there Bennett masterminded one of the greatest upsets in Origin history.
The other reason that’s worth mentioning now is because that will be the added pressure on Walters next year when Bennett is back coaching the Broncos’ newest arch rivals the Dolphins, and out for revenge against the club that sacked him.
There are understandably questions being asked about Walters’ future right now.
His best hope of surviving appears to be the fact there are no stand out candidates to take over.
We saw with the disaster of Anthony Seibold’s tenure that the pressure of coaching the Broncos is not for the faint hearted, and it would be madness to throw another rookie in.
So if there is to be change it has to be someone with runs on the board, otherwise the Broncos have to stick with Walters.
But make no mistake, he has to make some change, and it should start with a body language overhaul.
Otherwise the players will be getting the same sorry messages next year when the pressure is at its worst, and that’s when every team needs their coach to be at his best.
HOW DOES ONE DRAGON BEAT NINE BRONCOS?
They always say defence is attitude.
And if there was a single play that summed up the Broncos’ late season capitulation, Mathew Feagai’s unbelievable effort to beat nine defenders for the match clincher was it.
It was like the young Dragon had spiders on him.
And with due respect to Feagai, he’s not Greg Inglis - who once scored one of the greatest individual tries ever for South Sydney in a win over Brisbane back in 2014.
But what this did was highlight where the Broncos’ are at mentally to finish this season.
It’s hard to believe the same side was sitting top four as recently as round 19, before losing five of their last six. As much as the coach has some questions to answer, so do the players.
SEA EAGLES SHOW DES NO RESPECT
If Manly management wants to get rid of Des Hasler then they should just do it. But don’t tell a coach of Hasler’s experience who he can and can’t have on his football staff.
Imagine if Melbourne tried that with Craig Bellamy, or the Roosters with Trent Robinson, Penrith Ivan Cleary or Canberra Ricky Stuart.
There is no way any coach with Hasler’s resume should have to cop this.
You get the feeling this is all about Manly making Hasler feel as uncomfortable as they possibly can to try and force him to walk.
But if that is the case it’s just an insight into their own leadership.
They are apparently still upset with the way Hasler handled the Pride jersey fiasco where he put the blowtorch on management at that media conference.
But if they want to blame Des for that, maybe they should also ask themselves why a senior official wasn’t sitting beside him?
Let’s also point out that the club was well aware of what they were getting when they brought Hasler back for his second stint.
But the reason they ignored some of Hasler’s shortcomings was because of his outstanding coaching record.
And you’d stack it up against Manly’s management history every day of the week.
WARRIORS ‘DUMB’ END DOESN’T SURPRISE
Just when you thought the Warriors would finally give their fans a reason to walk away from another forgettable season on a high, the NRL’s great under-achievers didn’t disappoint.
And we say that for all the wrong reasons.
Interim coach Stacey Jones was spot on labelling it “dumb” how the Warriors blew a 26-12 lead in the final 10 minutes to go crashing out.
Good on the Titans for not giving up.
But you had to feel for the Warriors’ legend Jones who said the finish was “right up there” with the toughest moments of the season.
ROUND 25 LIKES
NRL SPEED BUMP BECOMES HIT MAN?
Mitchell Moses has been called many thing over the years, but never a hit man.
But how good was it seeing a player who for years was regarded as a bit of speed bump in defence come up with a cracking shot on Melbourne backrower Kenny Bromwich in Parramatta’s bruising win?
It was a shot Jake Trbojevic would have been proud of.
What made it even more impressive is that it came after Moses had copped some pretty fair shots himself, including one absolute bell ringer off Justin Olam.
On top of that you could see the obvious pain Moses had to contend with relating to his broken finger.
But he didn’t let it put him off and he just played so tough.
Throw in another terrific performance from halves partner Dylan Brown, as well as the overall performance of the entire Parramatta team led up front by Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard (who ran for 181m and 172m respectively), and you can understand exactly why the Eels will be giving themselves every hope of bringing down the Panthers in this week’s finals blockbuster.
While most see the Eels as underdogs, you could seriously argue the most pressure is actually on the defending premiers given Parramatta has won both games between the clubs this season.
DID ROOSTERS COST THEMSELVES A TOP FOUR FINISH?
With Luke Keary and Sam Walker in the form they’re in, you write off the Roosters at your own peril.
But the experiment earlier this year to play Keary at halfback and Walker at five-eighth for so long has ultimately cost the Roosters a top four spot.
It’s so obvious Walker belongs playing on the right side wearing the No.7 jumper, and Keary is equally at home on the left in the No.6.
If that had been the case from the start maybe things would have clicked before they did.
FLYING COWBOY TURNS BACK THE CLOCK
When Val Holmes returned from his crack at NFL we all wondered for a long time if he would ever get back to being the player he was during his time at Cronulla.
But he’s certainly answered that question this year by turning back the clock.
And his dazzling hat-trick in the big win over the Panthers was his first since joining the Cowboys.
With Tom Trbojevic out of the World Cup, Holmes has to be the favourite to be a starting Kangaroo in the centres with Latrell Mitchell.
GIANT PANTHER RUNS DOWN DRINKWATER
Put this up with the great defensive efforts of the season.
We all know what a flyer North Queensland fullback Scott Drinkwater is.
But it had to be seen to be believed watching Drinkwater chased down by giant young Panther Eddie Blacker.
It was an incredible effort from the towering forward, who stands at 195cm and weighs 116kg, to hunt down one of the game’s genuine speedsters.
With the final score 38-8, there was little to gain by what Blacker did.
But what it did was highlight the tremendous culture that the Panthers have built their success on - that Blacker would put in such an effort in the final 30 seconds of a match where Ivan Cleary had rested 12 top line players.
SHAME MORE DRAGONS DIDN’T FOLLOW HUNT’S LEAD
If Ben Hunt doesn’t win the Dally M Medal it won’t be through any lack of trying.
The Dragons captain capped off a tremendous season with another five-star performance that put the Broncos’ season to bed.
Landing another critical 40/20 kick while coming up with two more tries assists to take his season tally to 21, Hunt was just outstanding.
On The Daily Telegraph’s composite Dally M leaderboard we’ve got him beating Nicho Hynes by four points.
But while he can be proud of his efforts all season, overall the Dragons should look back on this year as one of missed opportunity.
Dan Ginnane said in Fox commentary that a lot of people had the Dragons up with the wooden spoon favourites this year.
I actually had them in my eight - and that performance showed why that should have been the case.
POTTER GIVE DOGS FANS A REASON TO HOPE
Matt Burton has proven why he is the future of the Bulldogs with another match winning performance over the Sea Eagles.
But one man who can also walk away with his head held high is interim coach Mick Potter.
When Trent Barrett was sent packing, there were plenty who thought Phil Gould made a mistake putting Potter in charge, mainly because Potter didn’t come with an existing fan club of people pushing him to be a head coach.
But Potter certainly did a bloody good job to put himself back on the head coaching radar, while giving the Bulldogs players a belief and confidence that was severely lacking before he arrived.
If it wasn’t for Potter, the season would have not been nearly as enjoyable for Dogs fans.
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