NRL Finals Notebook: Friday Week One2013 NRL Premiership Finals Series
By W D Nicolson - September 13, 2013
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| NRL FINALS WEEK 1 PICKS |
Every day during the work week (so Monday to Friday in September) www.wdnicolson.com will have NRL Finals Notes for you to digest at the start or end of the day.
If you need to know something heading into the weekend Finals - you'll read about it here.
#NRLFINALS NOTEBOOKS: Monday Week 1 | Tuesday Week 1 | Wednesday Week 1 | Thursday Week 1 Preview | Friday Week 1 |
If you've got something we need to look at - comment below or grab us on @NRLTweet
Take on The Postman in NRL Dream Team Finals - League Code: 692749
Answer below.
NEWS: - In 2012 - Cooper Cronk emerged as the standout for the first ever @NRLTweet Player of the Finals Award - and it is back for the 2013 NRL Finals.
- The Voting Team that made Johnathan Thurston the 2013 Player of the Year will be hard at working breaking down each semi final in a 3 person voting team, through to the Grand Final which will see 5 voters hand out their 4-2-1s.
You can follow votes for every semi final via #NRLTweetPlayerofFinals and they will be Re-Tweeted via @NRLTweet right after each game. - COMMENT:
- With the Finals starting this weekend - we have finally had the NRL Judiciary confirm what everyone knew...
If you hurt a player with a tackle that 'goes wrong' you'll spend more time on the sidelines vs the same tackle on a player who doesn't get hurt.
Which is of course ludicrous, but in Big League this week Greg McCallum (who will step down from the Match Review committee after this season) admits that the fact Ray Thompson's face filled up with blood and his teeth were all over 1300Smiles Stadium (ironically) - Kade Snowden had the book thrown at him for his shoulder charge.
The frustrating part here is what Snowden did was careless and borderline intent to hurt (sure he didn't meant to completely mangle Thompson's jaw but he chose to lead with the shoulder to deliver the late hit on the hooker and make him feel something)... and if Thompson had got up a bit dazed and confused, the Jokediciary is saying that basically - he might've only got 1 or 2 weeks.
But that's not the worst part - now we're in the Finals - any 'foul play' will have to be so so so so so so so incredibly bad injury wise for the recipient in order for the Jokedicairy to suspend anyway... after all JWH and Gallen only got a week for their indiscretions which were hardly slaps... - Over to you NRL... will they have the stones to punish someone for a horrible spear tackle with a Preliminary Final or Grand Final on the horizon for a star player?
PODCAST: - NOT The Footy Show examines the Sticky Situation - as Ricky Stuart says bye bye to Eels, hello Raiders.
Jake Hauritz and Warrick Nicolson team up again to discuss the falling out from Stuart leaving Parramatta, how he could've made this decision 12 months ago, how he did Parra one big favour during his stay and who will the Eels consider as their new coach?
Always good to have Jakey Jake on the show - let us know if you enjoy his appearances and we'll see if we can't give you more of what you want through September.
So you get 20 minutes of NTFS goodness... we're getting the hang of this short show thing now. - LISTEN TO THE SHOW or download the mp3
- Care to predict the crowds for the Qualifying Finals?Here are the over/unders as set by www.wdnicolson.com (that is you either think the crowd will be over our figure, or under our figure).
- Friday at ANZ - Souths v Melbourne O/U 36,500
- Saturday Double Header at SFS - Cronulla v Nth Qld + Sydney v Manly O/U 37,500
- Sunday at ANZ - Canterbury v Newcastle O/U 25,500
- Let us know your predictions below or @NRLTweet
COMMENT:
- NEWS:
- Some clubs have already celebrated their End of Regular Season Awards:
Manly crowned... Anthony Watmough as their Player of the Year with the Roy Bull Best and Fairest Award.
Parramatta crowned... Darcy Lussick as their Player of the Year with the Ken Thornett Medal for NRL Players' Player.
Canberra crowned... Anthony Milford as their Player of the Year with the Mal Meninga Medal awarded to the Players' Player. - All the Finals Week 1 Teams with Injury and Selection Analysis on www.wdnicolson.com is available here.
- Late Mail for the Qualifying Finals is now available with www.wdnicolson.com's Picks for Week 1.
INJURY/JUDICIAL UPDATES:
- FINALS YouTube:
- If we find something on YouTube that screams - you gotta watch this piece of Rugby League history - then it'll go up right here:
- Melbourne v Sydney City... 1988 Finals Week 1.
- The Storm's debut season earned them a home final in Week 1 after finishing 3rd on the ladder and the new boys faced off with Brad Fittler and his 6th placed Roosters. With a Top 10 in play, this game earned the winner a matchup with the 2nd placed Newcastle Knights, while the loser would face the winner of the Canberra v Manly semi.
* Hold the phone, Parra can't even win this fight! Even after thinking to myself 'Dragons v Roosters had to be Top 4 right?' - one of the Friends' cast let me know on Twitter the Roosters were indeed 6th in 2010... So sorry Parra, 2010 Roosters is the right answer!
Rest is now superfluous!- Given how bad the last 24-48 hours or so have been for Eels' fans - here's a reminder that it was just a few short years ago that Jarryd Hayne, Feleti Mateo and a certain strong ingredient called Daniel Anderson - took an 8th placed team all the way to the Grand Final against Melbourne.
We want your feedback or suggestions for the #NRLFinals Notebook - drop us a line here, @NRLTweet or Comment below.
Listen as we crown the 2013 Winner on Monday Night September 9! #NRLTweetPOTY
