7 sleeps to go

At the one week mark now, so at the very least if you are sick of me spamming your Twitter timeline with how close the season is and you haven't unfollowed me yet, well I'll be stopping soon. Moving on with the countdown now and what better time to bring him into the equation given the events of the last few days, the latest to seeming fall victim to the curse of being the "face of Rugby League"...

#7 Ben Barba

Well until a couple of days ago I didn't have the slightest clue that when I came to Ben Barba in the countdown I'd be talking about a guy who was being stood down. There's already enough coverage of the Barba situation, so I won't dwell on it any further, this countdown is about the best footy players, so I'll focus on why Ben deserves his spot here at number 7. Of course, anyone who pays any attention to League probably knows the case when it comes to Barba's 2012 season. The 23 year old took the world by storm, and was the clear cut most lethal weapon in the competition, putting together one of the all time great seasons. His illustrious season capped off by winning Dally M Fullback of the Year, Dally M Player of the Year, the Peter Frilingos Memorial award, the Provan Summons Medal, RLPA Player of the Year, RLW Player of the Year. After every Bulldogs game, I simply couldn't wait until the following week when I'd get to see Barba in action again, he was an excitement machine. Watching Barba was edge of your seat stuff, he was more likely than not going to deliver something jaw dropping. He did it all with a contagious smile and enthusiasm for the game, which makes the news of his personal issues so much worse to here, this guy looked happier than a kid on Christmas on the footy field. There's very few athletes who I've considered such a joy to watch as Ben Barba.

The human highlight reel

Unsurprisingly, Barba's magical 2012 season saw him amass some of the NRLs best statistics, all of which emphasise the incredible attacking threat that he is. 22 tries the most in the competition, 24 line breaks, 3009 metres, 159 tackle busts, 31 offloads, 22 try assists. While leading the competition in tries is obviously a big stand out, the real story of how lethal Barba is comes in his line breaks and tackle busts stats. He was 3rd in the NRL in line breaks and 2nd in tackle busts just 3 behind Greg Inglis. Of course we expect the hulking Inglis to bust through tackles, but Barba is one of the smaller blokes in the competition at 174cm and 90kg. The next guys on the list were Bowen and Brett Morris with 117, 42 tackle busts behind Barba. Lightning quick off the mark, Barba is one of the most fast and agile players in the competition. and this helps when it comes to breaking out of tackles. He's incredibly slippery, many of his huge runs aren't just clean runs through the gap, he's dancing around defenders, slipping out of their grasp, throwing in a fend, kicking a leg free to get away. At times he just can not be tackled, no matter how hard you try, he is too slippery, too fast, it's like trying to catch an angry cat. Once he makes the line break or slips out of a tackle, it's a scramble on defense to try to shut him down, and that's when Barba is at his best, in the loose field with people trying to chase him down and getting to unleash his steps and spins and speed to buy himself time until he finds where he wants to go, and then he's gone. His 22 assists were only 1 less than Thurston, more than the likes of Adam Reynolds, James Maloney, Todd Carney. His assists don't often come in the traditional way those halves mentioned accumulate them, instead they come from Barba making one of his many breaks, and sending whoever is fast enough to keep up with him, often Josh Morris, home with an easy try after he has drawn in the fullback. He tears opposing defenses to pieces, there is no game plan to stop him, he will get through eventually.

A valiant pursuit from Sandow

While Barba is known for his incredible attacking exploits, he's also come along way in other aspects of his game in his meteoric rise to the top. Questions earlier in his career of his ability under the high ball were silenced in 2012 as Barba managed to swallow the pill regularly when opponents would put one up to test him. A lot of that reliability under the high ball comes with confidence, and Barba oozed confidence in 2012. Barba has also developed a fantastic knack for stopping tries, or should I say "saving" tries. On multiple occasions in 2012 Barba robbed would be attackers on tries that would usually be a run of the mill finish. His pace goes a long way in this regard, he can reel in players that most in the competition can't, but once he catches you, he has an uncanny ability to get his body in the right position, and this is often happening at high speed chasing the attacker down, to either dislodge the ball or get himself underneath it. If you subscribe to the theory that saving a try is just as good as scoring one, well Barba may well be the best in the competition when it comes to not only scoring tries but stopping them also. Add on the tries he makes for other guys while you are at it and he's just an outright freak. Nicknamed "X-Factor" there couldn't be a more perfect way to describe him, he is the X-Factor, he is the difference maker, he is the game-breaker. There's something special surrounding Barba where things work out for him. He has all the skill in the world, and it all seems to be accompanied by some sort of magic touch or magic aura that Barba brings with him. Things just come off for him that others couldn't dream of trying to pull off, the ball bounces perfectly for him, kicks are always weighted perfectly for him, everything just clicks. 

Barba says no

Barba has so far torched the NRL for 62 tries in his 80 games, a strike rate of 77%. He's already reached the highest of highs as far as individual NRL performances go, few players in the history of the game have or will replicate the type of year he had in 2012. The questions of Ben Barba now, when he is ready to return to the game, will be based around firstly if he can find his game again after his time away. People already questioned whether Barba could replicate his 2012 form in 2013, a fair question as maintaining such a high level of play would be incredibly difficult, Barba went out and delivered an ominous response in the 2013 All Star game by scoring a hat trick. But now with the extended stint away from the field, time will tell if and when Barba can get back to his magical best. Once he gets back to the top of his game, the questions will revolve around Barba as a possible representative player. Despite a season for the ages, Barba could not earn selection in the Queensland State of Origin side and has yet to turn out for the Maroons or Australia. This isn't a negative reflection of Barba's ability at all, but the reality of being from the same state and country as a player many regard as the best fullback in history in Billy Slater. Spots do not tend to open up on the Queensland team unless injuries or retirement dictate it, and no matter how well Barba may play, the likelihood of anyone taking Slater's number 1 jersey is very slim indeed. Like so many young Queensland players over the years, he will have to continue to bide his time and remain patient until somehow he slips into the team either as a spark plug off the bench or getting an opportunity through injuries. This is what for now separates Barba from the players to follow in the countdown, he was the best player in the NRL in 2012 without a doubt, but the players to follow have a longer list of credentials, NRL Premiership wins and stacks of representative appearances. But Barba is only 23, and he has a long time left to start stamping his mark in the representative arenas, to begin making his argument for being not only one of the best players in the NRL, but one of the best to ever play Rugby League.

Barba fired his warning shots for 2013 in great fashion

The loss of Barba, even if only temporary, is a big loss for all Rugby League fans, the NRL is a much more exciting competition with him on the scene. I eagerly await Barba's return, but hope he takes the time to resolve the issues that he has, there are more important things in life than League. Until he returns, he's already left us with more highlights over a few seasons than most have in their entire careers. Waking up tomorrow we'll be looking at only 6 sleeps remaining, less than a week. Thursday next week, if you're like me, you'll be enjoying some Thursday Nighty Footy! as always, feel free to contact me on Twitter if you have any comments or suggestions @WellsNorthShore

24 sleeps to go

Well I still haven't come up with a more imaginative title for my posts, but  here we are with 24 sleeps to go until NRL 2013 and moving on to number 24 in my countdown. To add to your excitement, it's only 10 more sleeps until the Charity Shield on the 22nd and the World Club Challenge, so the sun is really starting to break through the clouds now. On with the countdown...

#24 Josh Morris

SPOILER ALERT: Josh Morris is the only Morris brother in my top 30. There will be no cliché grouping the twins right next to each other in the rankings type business here. No slight to Brett Morris who is a fantastic player in his own right and had a very strong 2012 season looking dangerous when moved into the number 1 jumper, but to me the performance of Josh in 2012 has, for now moved him slightly ahead of his brother.

Brother Brett's exclusion will no doubt be a heart breaker.

The 2012 year was a phenomenal one for the 26 year old centre, as was the case for many of his Dogs team mates.  A Grand Final appearance, playing in all three Origins for New South Wales, tied for 4th in the NRL in tries, tied for 6th in line breaks, 11th in tackle busts, wrapping it up with winning the Dally M Centre of the Year award for the second time. The 184 cm, 94 kg speedster has now amassed 81 tries in his 133 NRL appearances, 3 tries in his 2 appearances for Australia, and 3 tries in his 5 appearances for New South Wales. He has graduated into being one of the clear cut elite centres in the game.

Sorry Lote mate, maybe ten years ago.

The try Morris scores in this video is a perfect example of the incredible threat that he is on attack. His great strength and ability to bust through the line on display as he completely steam rolls the poor bloke who was unfortunate enough to get in his way, then once he makes it over the speed bump, he's off. It seems Josh is often overlooked when it comes to discussions of the fastest guys in the game, but he's certainly up there, his legs are almost a blur as he chews down the metres of the field. He's not the least bit shy in exploiting his speed either, so often the ball is spread out to his side, and then it's go time. He'll put on a little move, a slight hesitation to get his defender questioning him, you have to be prepared for the chance he might come straight at you, but then he takes you outside and he's off up the sideline and you're turning around trying to give chase while his winger has cut back inside waiting for Josh to draw in the fullback. Or maybe he just busts straight through the line, hitting the ball at pace from an offload of one of the many hulking Bulldogs forwards, he pierces the line with such speed and strength and once he gets through, you aren't running him down.

This seems as good a point as any to put this photo in

As dangerous as Josh can be taking on the line with the ball in hand, perhaps his greatest trait is his play in support. While some guys have a "nose for the line" Josh seems to have a "nose for the play that will lead to a try". Of course, on the Bulldogs plenty of these opportunities develop, but Morris is an absolute master of being in the right place at the right time, keeping up with the ball, keeping up with the play. That isn't to say that he simply roams the field leeching tries, he keeps with the play when few others can, he's the guy that can catch up and support a team mate who has made a surprise break, he's the guy who will chase down the kick you've stabbed through. Doing a good job in support may sound simple, but it's easier said than done, you need the smarts to understand when and how plays are going to develop, as well as the physical ability to be able to get up with the play on the fly, especially if you are playing with this guy...

OK Josh, I guess you can have this one

You can see Morris in this video as soon as he sees Barba take off, he turns on the jets to get up with him, waiting, trying to maintain his pace but not overrunning the potential pass, waiting until boom, Barba gives him the ball and he's away to the races. So much of the spotlight shone on Ben Barba for all of the Bulldogs amazing exploits in 2012, and rightfully so, but for so many of Barba's breaks, Josh Morris was there in support to finish them off. Despite being recognized as the centre of the year, it felt like Morris's performances flew under the radar because Barba was busy wowing us every week. Make no mistake about it however, Morris was an extremely important part of what made the Bulldogs the offensive dynamos that they were. 

Just know that I will be leading the comp in tries

Fortunately, video highlight supplies of Josh Morris were much more bountiful than Aaron Woods. Check back in tomorrow as we march on to 23 more sleeps to NRL 2013 and single digit sleeps until the Charity Shield! RT's, comments, criticisms, general jibber jabber, feel free to hit up the comment sections or get at me on Twitter @WellsNorthShore

Barba magic at Brookvale

In case we needed another reminder of just how amazing the game of Rugby League can be, the NRL served up fans a mouthwatering clash on Friday night between the Sea Eagles at favoured stomping ground Brookvale Oval and the red hot Bulldogs lead by try scoring freaks Josh Morris and Ben Barba. With enough story lines to write a best seller coming into the contest, the performances on the field gave us a game that looked more like an Origin or Grand Final contest with the Bulldogs once again making a huge statement  walking out of Brookie with a 20-12 victory and for now sitting alone atop the NRL ladder.

The return of Des Hasler to Brookvale to take on the team he spent over 450 games with as a player and coach was always going to deliver fireworks, Manly made their intentions clear early, venomous tackles galore from all over the park at the Dogs ball carriers, enough to send the gargantuan "Dogzilla" Sam Kasiano off the field in the 10th minute with a suspected fractured cheekbone. The Dogs however absorbed everything Manly was able to throw at them early and the likes of James Graham and Aiden Tolman continued to soldier up field. In a clash of two forward packs loaded with massive men, perhaps none stood taller than the brutal Frank Pritchard. Despite the thunderous hits Manly were attempting to throw, Frank the Tank ran hard and tall all night, always looking dangerous, always freeing up his arms and looking to offload.

Anyone who knows anything about League knows full well that there's no more exciting name in the game right now than Ben Barba and once again he stamped his mark on this one. The enigmatic fullback kicked off the scoring with the first of two tries that really summarise the type of magical, everything goes his way form he is in right now. Stabbing through a grubber that was scooped up by his opposing fullback Dean Whare, he was soon the recipient of an inexplicable offload from Whare as he was being ushered towards the sideline. A slight hesitation step from Barba was all that was required to see him cruising in for yet another try.

It was not all glory for the X Factor though as he watched Manly co captain Jamie Lyon get his teams account under way. Barba was shadowing a Cherry Evans kick over the deal ball line, unaware of the lurking Lyon who pounced on the momentary lapse of the man who seemingly could do no wrong until that point. Manly valiantly fought their back into the game, persisting with their physical play trying to beat the Bulldogs into submission but the magician from Darwin was not done for the evening. With the Dogs barely holding on to a 2 point lead, Barba ripped away any hope from the Brookvale faithful in another stroke of brilliance, putting a kick through that proceeded to bounce off the padding of the goal post and perfectly into his hands to see him cross over for his second and the trade mark smile on display once again. His work under the high ball was also fantastic with a couple of body on the line Billy Slater like takes, and his defense saw him make a pair of critical try saving tackles.

The Bulldogs also saw halfback Kris Keating out of the game with the hamstring injury in the 21st minute, but  once again five-eight Josh Reynolds showed why he may just be wearing a different shade of Blue in his future. His performance was once again tenacious and aggressive. At one point he was seemingly knocked out trying to tackle the hulking Tony Williams, but only minutes later he was out for revenge, rushing up out of the line to put a hit on the T-Rex, and then proceeding to get up and make a tackle around the ankles of the next ball carrier. His style of play is going to be a real joy to watch come playoff time and it was none too surprising to see him and his opposite number Kieran Foran start to go at it, two guys who approach the game very similarly. Reynolds just seems up for anything, whatever you throw at him he'll soak it up and then go looking for more.