INSIDE the Wests Tigers’ team room at Concord this week there was a simple message written for players as they attempt to defy the NRL’s mathematical logic — rolling rugby league coverage.
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— Scott Bailey (@BooBaileyTele) 22 August 2018
PASSIONATE LUKE LAUDS NRL’S MAORI CONCEPT
Enjoy watching a combustible haka challenge? Mark down February 15 in your diary.
New Zealand Test pair Issac Luke and Adam Blair have delivered some of the more memorable haka on the international sporting stage and can be expected to unleash for the newly-formed New Zealand Maori Kiwis.
The veteran Warriors forwards are thrilled by the concept unveiled this week, setting up a pre-season clash in Melbourne against the Australian Indigenous All-Stars.
Luke wouldn’t bite when it was suggested the team’s creation is long overdue given the large number of quality Maori players scattered throughout the NRL.
However, the classy hooker revealed he has long wished to honour his heritage on the sports field and that Blair had made enquiries about setting up the NRL Maori concept several seasons ago.
Opportunities to play for the official New Zealand Maori team have been rare and often clashed with Kiwis duty.
“If there was one game I wanted to tick off, it was to play in the New Zealand Maori team,” Luke said on Wednesday.
“I haven’t been able to do that but this game is definitely something that I’ll be looking forward to.
“Hopefully I’m part of it. It’s pretty daunting, obviously, the names that have come up.”
State of Origin superstars Kalyn Ponga and Valentine Holmes are two players eligible for the Maori side, along with a flood of past and present Kiwis internationals.
Luke is intensely proud of his heritage.
Mt Smart was silent as he engaged in an emotional haka with friends and whanau after the recent win over Newcastle, marking his 250th NRL game.
It was the same two years ago when the Warriors took a game to his home province of Taranaki.
The Warriors are expected to supply a healthy number of players to the Maori team, although coach Stephen Kearney warned they’d only be cleared if fully fit.
Leading Warriors players Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck weren’t released for the New Zealand-England Test in Denver in June.
“It all depends where they’re at,” Kearney said of the February fixture.
“They need to be fit and ready to go but it’s a bit far away to comment on that.”
– Daniel Gilhooly
TIGERS STILL BELIEVE THEY CAN REACH TOP EIGHT
Inside the Wests Tigers’ team room at Concord this week there was a simple message written for players as they attempt to defy the NRL’s mathematical logic.
“We didn’t come this far to only come this far,” the whiteboard read.
Tigers players don’t need any added motivation, they know their season is on the line against Manly come Thursday night at Campbelltown.
And then on Friday night when the Warriors play Penrith. And again on Saturday when Brisbane clash with the Sydney Roosters.
Because not only must the early-season fairytale story win their final two games of the season against the Sea Eagles and Souths, but they need either the Warriors or Broncos to drop both of their final two-round matches. Never in the NRL era has a team come from the Tigers’ position – of two wins outside the finals – with two weeks to go and made the top eight. Put simply, the Tigers need a minor rugby league miracle.
“You get to the end of the season and you get what you deserve,” coach Ivan Cleary said.
“We get to play first so all we can do now is prepare to play our best footy tomorrow night against Manly.
“The situation is in our hands right now so that’s all we can concentrate on and see how the weekend plays out.” Even that might not be enough.
The Tigers trail the Warriors by 45 points in the for-and-against department, while they have to make up 54 points if they want to topple the Broncos.
Even more tricky considering the Tigers’ average winning margin is down to less than eight points, with six of their 11 wins coming by four points or less.
But Cleary won’t allow his players to throw caution to the wind and go out chasing points against the struggling Sea Eagles.
Because anything less than the club’s best-ever defence they’ve built their season on may mean their hopes end prematurely anyway.
“I think firstly against Manly who have some attacking weapons, our defence has been the cornerstone of our season this year,” he said on Thursday. “For us to win tomorrow night it’s going to be at the forefront of what we’re trying to do.
“If we can defend well then generally speaking the rest of the game comes off that.”
STATS THAT MATTER:
* The Tigers are on track for their best ever defensive season, but their worst ever attacking season.
* Manly have the NRL’s worst defence.
* The Tigers have lost a club record seven straight at Campbelltown.
– Scott Bailey
RAIDERS HOPEFUL THEY’VE FIXED WOES
Canberra are hoping they have found answers to their NRL woes following a heroic victory over the Sydney Roosters.
The Raiders will miss the finals for the second straight season after being plagued by close losses and second-half fade outs.
While they lead the competition for points scored, their defence has been a major issue – until Sunday’s 14-12 defeat of the Roosters.
Even without captain Jarrod Croker, fullback Jack Wighton and halfback Aidan Sezer, the Raiders finally managed to topple a premiership contender.
Raiders halfback Sam Williams concedes it’s annoying to produce their best performance of the season when they’re out of finals contention, but it could lead to fruitful times in 2019.
Despite five-eighth Blake Austin and forwards Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd moving on, the Raiders will still have the core of the squad next year that lost a preliminary final to Cronulla by two points in 2016.
“We have the same frustrations that everyone else has and there’s been too many games this year we’ve let slip, but there’s no point looking back and dragging your lip,” Williams said.
“We need to work out why it’s happened and on the weekend we probably answered a couple of our own questions in how we go about it.
“We know what we’ve got in the side, with a few players out as well so we’ll try and take a bit of confidence out of it.”
Sezer has been named in the extended squad to face South Sydney at GIO Stadium on Saturday, but seems unlikely to return from a hamstring injury.
Forward Joseph Tapine is out for the rest of the season, but the versatile Michael Oldfield slots back into the centres after recovering from a knee injury.
– Oliver Caffrey
CRONK CONSIDERS HIS ROOSTERS’ NRL LEGACY
He’s barely spent a year out of Melbourne but Cooper Cronk has already thought about what legacy he wants to leave in Sydney.
Two weeks before his first NRL finals series with the Sydney Roosters, the veteran playmaker insists he’s as driven as he has ever been about delivering in the big games.
“There’s still the thrill, the pressure, the adrenaline of whether you can do it in this moment,” Cronk told AAP.
“That’s what I love about football in general but finals football everything’s highlighted.
“There’s more people, atmosphere, ferocious tackling, intensity. Everything just rises up.”
Those words will be music to the ears of club bosses, who were criticised by some for sacrificing favourite son Mitchell Pearce to sign the former Storm star last summer.
Make no mistake, Cronk was lured to bring the Roosters another premiership.
While the 34-year-old is intent on bringing success when it counts, he has also given ample consideration about what kind of impact his two years will have at Bondi.
“I’m here to be successful and play really well but the other thing for me about this footy club is (that) I want to leave it in better shape,” he said.
“Just in terms of, ‘Is it closer to winning the next one after I’ve gone?’ “Because I’ve invested a lot of time in educating the guys, doing different things around management.”
Having won two premierships with the Storm, the former Kangaroos and Queensland State of Origin representative takes pride in passing on his experience to his Roosters teammates.
And that also includes co-captains Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend.
“I’m not the type of the player that’s just going to come here for two years, wave, and then say, ‘See you later,’” he said.
“Even our captains, Boyd and Jake, there’s things I can help a little bit in that regard. Luke (Keary) is another key pillar of that. (James Tedesco has) come along.
“Joseph Manu, Blake Ferguson – obviously he won’t be here – but combinations with those guys on that right edge, it’s about education and experience.
“So when I do walk away, eventually, they have the know-how and skill-set to implement their own style but also take away a little bit of what hopefully I’ve helped with.”
– Matt Encarnacion
Billy Kikau touching down in NZ is a rather relieving sight for Penrith fans.
The Panthers have touched down in Auckland (and we even got to bring Kiks with us!) ✈️ 🇳🇿 #pantherpride 🐾 pic.twitter.com/aD2fUg52tZ
— Penrith Panthers (@PenrithPanthers) 22 August 2018
HIKU SET FOR SHOT AT REDEMPTION
Warriors back Peta Hiku looks set to be handed a shot at redemption against Penrith in their critical NRL clash in Auckland.
Gerard Beale hasn’t shaken off a hamstring niggle and is unlikely to be cleared for Friday’s match, leaving the door open for Hiku to make his first start in six weeks.
Experienced Kiwis centre Hiku could be excused for having nightmares about the Panthers, having endured a shocking evening on defence in round 17 as the Warriors were over-run 36-4 in Sydney.
Despite missing seven tackles, Hiku started the next match against Brisbane. An improved display couldn’t prevent a fit-again Beale claiming the right-edge centre berth.
Hiku was omitted for three straight weeks before making two brief bench appearances this month, in the win over Newcastle and last week’s loss to Canterbury.
Coach Stephen Kearney says it will be ideal to field the gifted 25-year-old heading into a probable finals campaign.
“We’d probably try to find a way to get him into the group at some stage because he’s a highly-skilled footballer,” Kearney said.
“I don’t think he likes being squeezed onto the back row, where we put him last week and the week before.
“It’s always a big a roller-coaster, an NRL season, it’s how you navigate your way through it and he’s done a pretty good job so far.”
The door has been swinging both ways at the Warriors medical ward. Five-eighth Blake Green (calf) is also missing, replaced by Mason Lino, but that is countered by the return to fitness of Green’s former Melbourne teammate Tohu Harris.
Influential second-rower Harris has been named on the interchange bench after shaking off damage to both his knees which had sidelined him for nearly two months.
He could yet start, adding some much-needed stability to the eighth-placed Warriors in what is a high-stakes game.
Victory over the fifth-placed Panthers would guarantee a first play-off appearance for seven years for the Auckland outfit while a loss could leave their fate resting on the result of a final-round showdown with Canberra. However, the good news could come 24 hours earlier.
If the ninth-placed Wests Tigers lose to Manly on Thursday, it will hand the Kiwi club a ticket to the post-season.
– Daniel Gilhooly
ROBERTS READY TO TAKE ON TRELL
Brisbane have made no secret of their plans to feed strike weapon James Roberts more ball as he prepares to re-engage with Sydney Roosters star Latrell Mitchell on Saturday.
Roberts prevailed when the pair waged one of the NRL season’s most exhilarating one-on-one battles earlier this year but has struggled to make an impact in recent weeks.
Both Broncos captain Darius Boyd and halfback Kodi Nikorima have committed to addressing that though, as the side looks to improve their premiership credentials against the highly-fancied Roosters.
Nikorima said he erred in involving Roberts late in their sets last Thursday against South Sydney in a move that restricted their last-tackle options. “I was trying to hit Jimmy on the fourth tackle and that puts pressure on us,” he said.
“I won’t be doing that this week … it’ll be the second or third tackle this week I’d imagine.” Boyd’s return to fullback has also coincided with the reappearance of his menacing passing game, having set up the first of Corey Oates’ three tries against the Rabbitohs.
The captain is conscious of how that, and his ability to float either side of the field in a roaming three-man partnership with Nikorima and Anthony Milford, can help Roberts.
“We need to get Jimmy some quality ball, not just give it to him for the sake of it,” he said.
“He’s a strike weapon and would be good to see him get one over Latrell for sure.” Mitchell outplayed Roberts when the sides met at Suncorp Stadium in round 11, before James rallied with a second-half performance that included one of the tries of the season down the right wing.
“It was probably a draw,” Boyd said of the NSW Origin pair’s duel. “Those guys put bums on seats; that’s what this time of year’s all about … finals is coming, the sun’s coming out.” Brisbane’s defeat of the Rabbitohs all-but secured their finals berth and according to Boyd handed them a realistic shot at a title.
“It’s possible; you look at the Cowboys last year (who came from eighth to make the grand final),” he said.
“I don’t think anyone’s put their hand up to be honest to lead the pack, lead the way.
“Whoever hits the most momentum in the next couple of weeks leading into finals … it’s a new ball game, lot of pressure, the big-game players come out to play.”
-AAP
THURSTON: THE MENTAL BATTLE OF MY LAST YEAR
His body may be holding up well but Johnathan Thurston has revealed his final NRL season has been very challenging mentally.
Ahead of his final home game for North Queensland, Thurston said physically he had no complaints after a remarkable recovery from shoulder surgery that sabotaged his 2017 season.
However, the 35-year-old is at peace with his decision to retire at season’s end after a mentally draining year with the misfiring Cowboys.
Rock-bottom North Queensland are desperate to avoid the wooden spoon and provide Thurston a fitting home farewell when they host Parramatta in Townsville on Friday night.
Thurston said his recovery from last June’s shoulder surgery had surprised even his specialist after playing every minute of North Queensland’s season to date. “Coming back from shoulder reco the surgeon has been very happy,” the Cowboys co-captain said.
“He said I was probably better than he thought I would be considering the amount of damage it had.
“Physically I have been OK. Mentally it has been very challenging.” The veteran playmaker admitted he had found it hard to cope with the Cowboys’ frustrating results this year.
Seven of North Queensland’s losses this year have been by seven points or less. “Being so close and not getting the result…there have been a lot of games where we have come home with a wet sail but haven’t been able to convert it into points,” Thurston said.
“That’s been the most challenging and frustrating part about it. There have been times when we have needed a rocket or two as well.” Thurston hoped it proved a valuable learning curve for the Cowboys before he draws the curtain on his glittering 17-season career.
“A lot of boys here that have come through this team, they haven’t had a year like this,” he said.
“It reminds me when we made the 2007 preliminary final and finished 15th (second last) in 2008; they are very similar.” Thurston has tried to keep his emotions in check before running out for the final time in Townsville and said he has no retirement regrets. “I am just enjoying what is left,” he said.
“I have been content with my decision for some time.”
-AAP
Broncos-Roosters this weekend or, as some are calling it, Trell vs The Jet II.