Wont somebody please think of the children?

As the NRL continues to seemingly bend to the will of the PC brigade, the polarizing Gus Gould recently unleashed an opinion piece unsurprisingly coming to the great games defence which has been receiving a lot of traction. As I sit here watching a replay of Wild Turkey Bourbon Super Saturday, with an entire Sharks team running around the field with Luxbet printed on their backs, one part of Gould's column stands out in particular

Please don't compare junior league football with the win-at-all costs professional sport you see on our TV screens. If you don't like some of the stuff you see, tell your kids why it's not right for them to do the same. If they behave badly on the football field, discipline and educate them.

I love the NRL, I watch every game, every week, but lets put a few things in perspective, the NRL is an entertainment business.

The competition is built in large part on violence. I hate when people say violence makes the game because the skill of these players at times defies belief, but at its core, a large part of the entertainment of the game is watching these huge, intense men running into each other trying to smash each other. The junior game need not be as violent, because it isn't comprised of finely tuned professional athletes who are hellbent on winning. These aren't guys who play for fun, of course they enjoy the game, they grew up enjoying the game, but there comes a time in everyone's sporting life where a line is drawn between playing for fun and playing to win. In the NRL, these guys play to win and they play to live, this is their career, their livelihood, of course it is going to get intense, of course it is going to get violent.

and then, Hodges said my skills weren't up to the required standard to play in this competition

More than half the teams in the competition are sponsored by gambling companies....

Broncos - Sportingbet
Raiders - ACT TAB
Titans - BET EZY
Manly - Centrebet
Knights - Sportsbet
Roosters - Sportsbet
Sharks - Luxbet
Warriors - Skycity
Panthers - Centrebet (who play out of Centrebet stadium)

Big Dell always knows how to get a slice of the pie

Factor in the in game segments from the likes of Tom Waterhouse, the TAB and the advertising around the stadium from various betting agencies and each NRL game is a gigantic gambling advertisement. There is no way to hide from it, every time you watch the NRL you are being bombarded with gambling advertising, most people probably don't even realise, they think nothing of it, that's how it is meant to happen. You still know, there's no better bet than a sporting bet. Was it only me that found saw the irony when Ben Barba returned after his various issues, including problems with gambling, that he was at fullback hovering around posts with BET365 advertising on the padding?

"I know what punters want"

Then there's the alcohol. Attending the VB Blues vs XXXX Maroons clash last Wednesday at ANZ Stadium, I was left with no question which beer was the right choice for a "hard earned thirst" after seeing thousands of jerseys point it out to me all night and the Sharks, Dragons, Roosters, Tigers would surely all agree.

I whole heartedly endorse this event or product

But the following teams may feel a little differently...

Broncos - XXXX
Bulldogs - Tooheys
Titans - XXXX
Manly - Tooheys, Jim Beam
Cowboys - XXXX
Eels - Tooheys
Panthers - Tooheys, Jim Beam
Warriors - Lion Red

and the Raiders likely don't care, as long as you make your purchase from Local Liquor. Again, add in the sponsorship of particular nights e.g. the previously mentioned Wild Turkey Super Saturday, or the Woodstock advertising that regularly appears during broadcasts on Sky in New Zealand, the alcohol advertising around the stadium, the numerous alcohol stands around the ground. Our "great game" is used by these companies to sell you alcohol, and the NRL, in all its family friendly goodness, takes that money quite happily. Then we turn around and complain about the impact the drink is having on the game and the players and how Dugan is up on a roof drinking and Tamou is out drink driving and George Burgess is parading the streets doing Hulk impressions.

So what we have is a violent form of entertainment in a contest between men battling for money, battling for their livelihood, sponsored by gambling and alcohol companies, It's clearly incredibly popular, but the NRL is built around adult themes. If the NRL is so concerned with creating a child friendly environment, stop launching hundreds upon hundreds of examples of alcohol and gambling advertising at young children who tune in to games, who show up to games, who buy the jerseys. Oh no, we couldn't do that, too much money to lose there. The NRL is an entertainment outlet that serves as a huge advertising vehicle for adult escapades yet is watched by thousands of children. How many players have we seen undone by the rare punch up during a game? and how many have we seen undone by alcohol and gambling problems? the NRL promotes bigger threats to its players than the issue it's trying to clear up.It's the parents job to teach children about violence, just like it is to shield them from the alcohol and gambling onslaught their children are unwittingly exposed to every game.

But hey, if the kids get the right jerseys, then they too can be a walking gambling and drinking advertisement!

11 sleeps to go

Only one more League free Sunday left until the season begins, how good does that sound? if we can just make it through this coming week, we're on the home stretch! in fact with the season kicking off on a Thursday, there's only one more League free Thursday left as well until kick off! moving on now with 11 sleeps until the season begins, here's number 11 in the countdown...

#11 Matt Bowen

To me, Matty Bowen is one of the most under-appreciated players in the competition. Sure, everyone acknowledges he's a really good player, but I see him as one of the true superstars of the game, and that's why he comes in here at number 11. It's easy to understand why Bowen at times flies under the radar, he plays in the shadow of Thurston at the Cowboys, JT is the identity of that team, and the spotlight for their attacking nous primarily shines on him. He's only had one game for Australia, and despite lodging 10 games for Queensland, he hasn't been in the team since 2007 so he isn't exactly basking in the limelight on the representative stage. At the ripe age of 30, Bowen is amongst the oldest players in my countdown, making his début all the way back in 2001. As he prepares to embark on what will be his thirteenth NRL season, all of them with his beloved Cowboys, Bowen comes off yet another fantastic season, 78 points, 13 tries, 21 line breaks, 117 tackle busts (tied for third in the competition), 189 kicks in play and 28 try assists which was second only to Benji Marshall and Cooper Cronk. These stats tell the story of one of the most exciting, creative, dangerous attacking players in the competition, as you would expect from a former Dally M Fullback of the Year and two time leading NRL try scorer. Then consider this, Bowen was second in Dally M voting for 2012, missing out to Ben Barba, and consider this also, Bowen was second in Dally M Fullback of the year voting, again missing out to Barba. If not for Barba putting on one of the greatest individual seasons we've seen, we'd quite possibly be talking about Bowen being the best player in the competition in 2012. This while playing with a banged up shoulder most of the season that required off season surgery. 

2012 was a fabulous year for the Cowboys speedster

Mellow on those stats from Bowen for a moment, they're certainly very impressive, placing him among the best players in the NRL. Then consider that he puts up those stats playing with Jonathan Thurston. Now of course, JT has a positive influence on his team-mates stats when it comes to things like line breaks and tries, it's but one of his many glorious talents the way he can put guys through the line. But consider the fact that Bowen has to share the ball around with Thurston, indeed JT is the primary playmaker on the Cowboys. Yet Bowen still had more try assists than Thurston, 28 to 23 and he still put up a whopping number of kicks despite being behind team mate Thurston. What kind of gaudy numbers could Bowen put up if he was the main conductor on the team? well we are exposed to that when Thurston leaves the scene for Origin duty and the burden falls heavier on Bowen, and Bowen delivers time after time showing himself to be more than capable of being the go to guy. As it stands however, the two of them have long been one of the most dynamic combinations in the NRL and they are both much better benefiting from each others abilities, but I find it all the more impressive that Bowen can achieve such lofty numbers while sharing the load with JT.

Bowen and Thurston share one of the best on field connections in the NRL

Two knee reconstructions and the effects of age have lead to Bowen slowing down, slightly, but if you watch him in action, you'll think the suggestion that he has slowed down must be crazy. He still has blistering pace and he's not the least bit shy about pinning his ears back and taking off. One of the greatest things about the Bowen-Thurston connection is seeing Bowen flying through a gap and into open field at full speed after JT has hit him with the perfect pass. It's this blurring speed that has seen him amass a whopping 124 career tries so far throughout his 251 NRL games. He is incredibly agile, he has all the steps, all the swerves, and he can turn on his speed very quickly, if you give him an inch he'll take a mile. But Bowen is so much more than just a speed freak, as his stats suggest. As he has gotten older, he's become progressively wiser, and he's now one of the most astute playmakers in the game. He could very easily slip into the halves if it was required, but it would be a waste of his blinding speed to have him stand around waiting at first or second receiver, though he does step into that role from time to time. He has all the tools you want in the halves, a great kicking game, a great passer, and he thinks the game at such a high level like the best halves do. You wrap all of this up and you have the freakish combination that Bowen brings to the table, the blinding speed and agility of a star wing or fullback, combined with the kicking and playmaking and creativity of a top halves player, vastly experienced, and he's a fantastic leader too. It's this sort of versatile, all around ability that saw Bowen selected primarily selected as an interchange player throughout his 10 Origin appearances.

Speedy Gonzalez or the Road Runner?

I posted the videos above for two reasons. The most obvious being to show off the amazing speed that he possesses by running down some of the other "speedsters in the competition, but also to illustrate what Bowen brings to the table defensively. Bowen's claim to fame no doubt is his attacking wizardry, but he's also very reliable on the defensive side also. His blazing speed allows him to chase down guys on the break that very few others in the competition would be able to reel in. The play on Locke is particularly impressive, the way he reads what Locke is doing, lures Locke in to taking him on outside, and then reigning him in. Very, very few people in the NRL would be able to run down Kevin Locke, Bowen is one of them. This type of thing isn't what most people traditionally think of when they think about defense, they think about the tackle machine forwards up front, but having a guy who can cut down those open field breaks is a wonderful asset to a defense. Bowen's also very courageous under the high ball and he brings them in reliably, there's no weakness to target here, Bowen stands up to be counted defensively. He's one of the smaller guys in the competition at 175cm and 85kg, but he's actually got some real strength to him, and while he won't be allowed to do it in 2013, he's laid out a few guys with the shoulder during his years. He plays the game like he's 7 foot tall and he's got as much heart and toughness as anyone in the competition.

A familiar sight

Check back in tomorrow for the final instalment before we move into single digit territory. Any comments, suggestions, criticisms, give me a tweet @WellsNorthShore 

13 sleeps to go

After a highly entertaining Charity Shield to once again give us a tease that NRL is just around the corner, we now have just 13 more sleeps until March 7th, and just one more sleep until the World Club Challenge, Warriors vs Broncos and Foundation Cup tomorrow night. The Rabbitohs certainly looked the part in their Charity Shield outing, Luke, Reynolds, Sutton, Inglis leading the charge as you would expect. They appear ready to pick up where they left off the 2013 year, amongst the top teams in the competition. The Dragons really let themselves down by coughing up the pill far too often, you simply aren't going to take down a team with the size and skill of the Bunnies by making simple errors like that. Now let's move on to number 13 in the countdown with another of the reformed bad boys of Rugby League...

#13 Nate Myles

The 27 year old Myles has been one of the best forwards in the competition for a long time now, but 2012 saw Myles put together what would be his most impressive yet, culminating in being named the 2012 Wally Lewis Medal winner, Dally M Representative Player of the Year and the Dally M Second Rower of the Year. He's certainly came a long way from the young bloke who was done for drink driving back in 2006 and suspended 6 games by the NRL after a drunken tirade in 2010 which involved defecating in a hotel lobby and being found naked on the fire escape. Much like his Titans team mate Greg Bird, he appears to have put his alcohol issues behind him and he is now really maximizing his potential on the field, leading to him being named a co captain at the Titans after just one season at the club.

You won't like me when I'm drunk

At 187cm and 105kg, Myles is built like a brick you know what, he's a very solid  human being. Again like Bird, he's very old school in his approach to the game. Capable of playing in the front row, second row, or lock as required, Myles isn't one of the new breed of flashier, ball playing second rowers. Myles game is based around the fundamentals of what a big tough forward is meant to do. He carries the ball and he carries if often with 339 carries in 2012, and he racks up tackles with 781. He can produce the occasional offload, but he's by no means prolific, he isn't the type of guy to make linebreaks or bust tackles or offer much in the playmaking department. He keeps it simple, he's a big strong guy, and he puts that to use by imposing himself physically around the field by running at guys and tackling guys all night. It takes strength, it takes toughness, it takes an enjoyment of smashing bodies around, and Myles has all of these traits.

Myles and Bird are enough to drive the most sane player up the wall

While Myles doesn't have the flash or flare, he brings another element to his game to support his strong ball running and tackling, and once again it's something he shares in common with Greg Bird. Myles is one of the most niggly characters around. As I've confessed in the past, I'm not saying this is a bad thing, there's room in Rugby League for this sort of behaviour to be effective, there's referees on the field to punish Myles as they see fit but admittedly he is very crafty at walking the line. It's all part of the old school approach that Myles brings, he keeps it basic, he keeps it rough, he keeps it nasty. He knows every trick in the book in the tackle and in the ruck, and it's not just simple things like slowing up the play the ball or slipping the ball out, Myles tricks are often more sinister in nature, about how he can inflict pain on his opponents while they are vulnerable. But testament to Myles, he dishes it out, but he doesn't go into hiding if someone comes knocking for him, while so many may refer to him as a "grub" today, I suspect there's many old timers about who idolized blokes who played like this back in their day.

Nate Myles 101: Head-butts and other antics

2012 may have been the year that Myles play was finally recognized formally through medals and awards, but he has been part of the outstanding Queensland Origin team since 2006. During that time, Myles has logged a whopping 20 Origins, meaning Myles has played in all 3 games for Queensland every year but one since his first selection, that being 2009 where he only made 2 appearances. While he's only been selected 3 times for Australia, making his début in 2010, it says a lot about Myles that he can be one of the players who has earned his way into a Queensland outfit that is widely regarded as the greatest Origin team of all time, and lay claim to a position, refusing to budge despite some very talented challengers to his spot. At 27, Myles, health permitting, should still have a few years of Origin left in him, and with 20 games already Myles is on track to wind up his career with one of the more impressive Origin careers to have been put together. He certainly doesn't appear to be showing any signs of slowing down, considering he was selected as Queensland's best player throughout the 2012 campaign. Myles is the third Titans forward I have named in the countdown, and Queensland Origin regular Ashley Harrison was certainly pushing for a spot also. Surrounded by such talent, 2013 stands to be a big year for Myles after the heights he reached last season. He's tasted so much success in the Maroon jersey, but he's never won a Premiership. With the responsibility of being a co captain, no doubt a lot of pressure will be on Myles broad shoulders to rectify that and translate some of his Queensland success to a struggling Gold Coast outfit. As part of possibly the best forward pack in the NRL, Myles stats may take a blow, but the follow up act to 2012 should be a blinder.

Roman's imprisonment cleared the way for Nate to make a move on Nicole

Check back in tomorrow for number 12 in the countdown. I hope everyone enjoyed the Charity Shield, I sure did, even without shoulder charges! and looking forward to three games to sink my teeth into tomorrow. Any comments, suggestions, complaints, or general chin wag, you can reach me on Twitter @WellsNorthShore

16 sleeps to go

Today marks 16 more sleeps until NRL 2013 and I'm a little taken back at how quickly it is going by. I started writing these out of boredom, fun and primarily to help me count down until the season begins, after finishing this number 16, that will have been 15 of these articles I have written, 15 nights checked off the calendar, the halfway point! so let's get on with number 16 in the countdown

#16 Matthew Scott

2012 was just another year for the 27 year old Cowboys front rower, and I mean that in only the most complimentary fashion. Backing up from his 2011 Dally M and RLIF Prop of the Year awards, Scott once again displayed the leadership and consistency that has seen him become widely regarded as the top prop in the game. At 185 cm and 106kg, the Cowboys co captain has been the model of consistency and reliability for some years now. Entering his 10th season, Scott has ascended to the level where he is often taken for granted, he puts in a workhorse effort week in week out, you always know what you are going to get from him, leading from the front. He's reached the top of the mountain and now as he embarks on his prime years, he stands to be the alpha prop in the competition for several years to come. The Cowboys had a fantastic 2012 season, and most of the attention is given to the electrifying back line with the likes of Thurston, Bowen, Graham, Linnett, Tate, but the scintillating form of those backs was made possible from the likes of Scott powering one hell of an engine room.

While the spotlight shines on Thurston, Scott carries a lot of the load

While over the next few years I believe some props may rise above Scott in terms of performance, even if only temporarily, what makes Scott deserving of being ranked so highly is his status as the spearhead of not only the Cowboys forward pack, but the Queensland and Australian forward packs also. He's the alpha prop in Rugby League now. While some young pups may come along who can put out a better showing, Scott is now the guy that has been there, done that, especially with the retirement of Civoniceva. While other props may have surpassed Petro later in his career, he still maintained the status of being the old hand in the front row, now that torch has to be passed on and to me Scott is the guy that is picking it up. Entering 2013, Scott has logged 141 games for the Cowboys, 8 tests for Australia, and 11 Origins for Queensland, he's been starting at prop in the last 9 straight Origins. There may be a couple of guys further down my list who I would suggest had better 2012 seasons than Scott, but his overall package of leadership, experience, proven track record at the highest levels, separate Scott from the pack. There may be no more reliable player in the NRL than this guy. 

No matter the stage, the performances remain the same

2012 didn't see Scott dominate the competitions statistical categories. You won't find around the top of the metres or hit up lists, but as always he was putting in the heavy work. The scouting report on Matt Scott is really pretty simple. Think of everything you want in your prop, you want a big motor, you want legs that don't stop pumping, you want courage, you want a guy who leads from the front, everything you want from a prop, Matt Scott has it. There's nothing fancy about him, he can make a nice offload, but what defines Matt Scott  is just simply being a fantastic, genuine prop. a big strong bloke with a tireless work ethic. I almost feel like I'm not doing him justice, that I'm making it sound easy, but if it was that easy, a whole lot of us would be doing it. Think about some of the big units floating around the NRL, putting big shots on the ball carrier, Scott is the guy who runs at these big opposing forwards over and over again. The grand stage of Origin, big hits galore, and Scott is the guy who is leading from the front, ball in hand, running into those big shots time and time again. It all starts up front, and it really says it all that the Queensland Origin team have turned to Scott to lead the way in their last 9 games. His performance in 2011 Origin I remains one of the most impressive front row performances in recent times, eclipsed perhaps only by the herculean effort from Paul Gallen in the following contest.

This is really more of a JT video, but Scott videos were lacking and this one never bores me

Check back in tomorrow for 15, can't believe that we've almost hit the two weeks to go mark! as always if you have any feedback, positive and negative, but preferably constructive, then give me a tweet on @WellsNorthShore