Tuesday 7 March 2017

The Postman's Round 1 NRL Mailbag | 2017 Season


The Postman on Round 1
2017 National Rugby League Premiership
By W D Nicolson - March 7, 2017


The Postman is going to keep this brief but let's see if what I saw in Round 1 interests you at all... yes it's called 'Mailbag' but until you send me some mail it's just my thoughts each Monday (yes it's Tuesday but hey... it's something).

Email your thoughts/questions for The Postman's Mailbag here

Quotes of the Round:

It's a tie between Coen Hess of the Cowboys and Craig Bellamy of the Storm.

• "It wasn't pretty much at least I got off the nudie run straight away," Hess in the sheds to Cowboys TV after his try helped North Queensland start the year off with a 20-16 win over Canberra.

• "Not really... actually I was watching Cameron," Bellamy after being asked if he had an opinion on the stink between Will Chambers and Sam Kasiano... right after Cameron Smith had said he didn't see it because he was one of the few players in the Storm lineup defending rather than running to the fight.

Try of the Round:
  • Hard to go past the freakish Golden Point effort from Gavin Cooper... yes the ball had to get a lot of luck once Johnathan Thurston expertly tried to kick a field goal with a straight on drop kick but Cooper never gave up on the play (neither did JT) when Canberra fullback Zac Santo did. Stunning try - and significantly it won the game.
5 Things I Think:
  • Cowboys over Raiders...
    • Was of sensational quality for Round 1. These two teams will be there at the business end of the season and gave me no reason not to stand by my pick of them as 2017 Grand Finalists.
  • Punchy Punchy = Finey Finey...
    • The NRL was implored in the media to not suspend players for throwing a punch... so now they listen to the media (never the smartest move) and fine them instead... and in the space of a week the media starts complaining that players can punch on because they are only going to be fined not suspended (See Daily Telegraph 7/3/17). Translation - the media just wants a headline (which is their want) and don't think for a second this is more about what's 'best for the game' - topical for sure but it's only as important as it's ability to sell.
  • Penrith's No Show... 
    • Yes the Dragons played great but the Panthers were deplorable and things don't get easier this Sunday against West's Tigers at Campbelltown. Penrith couldn't have asked for a better Round 1 matchup to be fair but could now start the year 0-2 and get the Roosters in Penrith in Round 3. How things can turn with one bad performance huh?
  • Speaking of the Roosters... 
    • Were nothing short of impressive as they blew the Titans away on the Gold Coast. The Mitchell Pearce/ Luke Keary combo was constructed to mirror the Pearce / Maloney mix and the early signs are more than promising. The Titans are a good team who were run over at home within 40 minutes - wow.
  • So Long MNF...
    • I'll be honest - I didn't miss Monday Night Football. Don't get me wrong it was great to watch after work on a Monday but Thursday Night is better for the game and don't underestimate the value of ending a Round on a Sunday. For players this is a big win and the game has a natural completion on Sunday anyway. Friday 6pm isn't ideal but 7pm Monday wasn't great for the gate either.
There's my thoughts - got your own?
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