What a rubbish season of league so far

bulldogfan1

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In terms of close games and unpredictability, it has been absolutely rubbish.

4 rounds in and there has been barely 3 games that were in the balance in the last 10 minutes.

Most games have been blow outs with the favourites winning

For a league that prides on itself on evenesss and closeness, it has been rubbish.

Just teams week after week not bothering to turn to up
 

The DoggFather

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This backyard league deteriorates more and more every year.

Shit comp run by shit *****.
 

Mr. Ditkovich

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How are they thinking about expansion when there’s barely enough talent to go around.

I’m seriously baffled.
 

Cosmo24

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The current top 4 is the exact same as the final top 4 last season. Obviously early days but all points towards another boring as batshit year, regardless of the dogs situation
 
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Mr Invisible

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All the while teams are allowed to stack their sides and blow the cap it'll continue.
 
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Howard Moon

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Call the regular season off and let the Rorters, Souffs and Storm fight it out for the premiership
 

Raysie

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Season goes for a long time! This is just the beginning before injuries, Origin and form slumps and rises come in.
 

Kelpie03

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Call the regular season off and let the Rorters, Souffs and Storm fight it out for the premiership
They may as well go straight to the finals, and forget the home and away season. Our game is becoming like the EPL with only 5 teams ever been able to win.
(1) the Rotters backed by CH9 , Politis and this many millionaire friends.
(2) Melbourne hidden away down south and backed by News LTD.
(3) Souths backed by another millionaire Packer.
(4) Broncos, a one horse team and privately owned.
(5) Cowboys hidden away up in the north should do OK.
Of the rest a few teams will survive:
(1) Sharks if the can continue to cheat.
(2) Penrith because of their junior base.
(3) Manly if there privately owned.
(4) Newcastle another one horse town.
(5) Warriors will be up and down but have all of NZ for support.
Sorry to say this, but the rest including us will never again win another comp in the current situation and with the present Admin.
 

Howard Moon

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What have the Warriors and Knights won? Get what you're saying though.. the cap was intended to spread the talent across all teams but with third parties and brown paper bags it renders the cap pretty much useless
 

Wahesh

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They may as well go straight to the finals, and forget the home and away season. Our game is becoming like the EPL with only 5 teams ever been able to win.
(1) the Rotters backed by CH9 , Politis and this many millionaire friends.
(2) Melbourne hidden away down south and backed by News LTD.
(3) Souths backed by another millionaire Packer.
(4) Broncos, a one horse team and privately owned.
(5) Cowboys hidden away up in the north should do OK.
Of the rest a few teams will survive:
(1) Sharks if the can continue to cheat.
(2) Penrith because of their junior base.
(3) Manly if there privately owned.
(4) Newcastle another one horse town.
(5) Warriors will be up and down but have all of NZ for support.
Sorry to say this, but the rest including us will never again win another comp in the current situation and with the present Admin.
Actually I think we will. We should've won the comp in '06, '09 and '12, but luck wasn't on our side. We were hit by injuries in 2006 against the Broncos in the 2nd half, Parramatta kept kneeing our players in the head in 2009, and Melbourne won fairly, but we had the ability to beat them in 12... we were the best team that year.

As for the future, let's just watch what Dean Pay can do when he has a salary cap to work with.

Also Melbourne won't be a force when Smith retires, sure his ability isn't as good as it once was, but his influence on the referees will be very missed by them. I'll be that Bellamy goes with Smith retires.
 

Wahesh

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How are they thinking about expansion when there’s barely enough talent to go around.

I’m seriously baffled.
More teams means more money to go around. It means we can invest more in grassroots football. I know it sounds weird but expanding now is better for the future of the game, not the current climate.
 

Alan79

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More teams means more money to go around. It means we can invest more in grassroots football. I know it sounds weird but expanding now is better for the future of the game, not the current climate.
The NRL won't spend on grass roots football with the current list of teams. Spread their finances thinner and it's unlikely that they will increase spending on development. I guess that with the commitment the Bulldogs have recently made to the two new regions we're going to be working with, that our spending on development will outweigh the NRL's level of spending.
 

Wolfmother

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I think the teams are fed up with the reffing and the obvious rorting of the game
 

flamebouyant

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Season goes for a long time! This is just the beginning before injuries, Origin and form slumps and rises come in.
There was a hell of a lot of player movement this off season. A lot of which was also done very late in the piece. This is definitely a factor in my opinion.
Throw in all of the off field bullshit and there is no real surprise to me that things are a bit unsettled.
 

Malla

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Refs have been playing a massive role. The officialdom of the ruck is still so inconsistent... I don't know if refs are just automatically biased towards the 'better' teams, but Storm, Roosters, Souths and the likes always get preferential treatment. Noticed last night the calls Roosters were getting in the first half got them the bulk of the possession and pretty much won them the game.

Not saying this is the end all be all, but we have the shittest rule book and shittest refs in world sport. Until we acknowledge and address this, nothing will change.
 

magdog

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Season goes for a long time! This is just the beginning before injuries, Origin and form slumps and rises come in.
Every year the Premiers are favourites, generally show good form early, then half their side gets picked for origin...and then it becomes a lucky dip.
 

Malla

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too many players in the league not up to NRL standards
This is somewhat true.

Root cause for me is the coaches and their staff. I think we have too many old coaches who are still trying to play the game like its the 90s. I think its time teams give younger coaches a chance who want to play a different brand of footy. Our players skillsets have developed over time, so you would expect the games they play too should develop but it hasn't.

NRL teams need to stop re-hiring recycled washed up coaches like Bennett, Des, Cleary, Macguire, Sticky etc... they need to give young coaches a go. They are the future of our game.
 

Kelpie03

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Actually I think we will. We should've won the comp in '06, '09 and '12, but luck wasn't on our side. We were hit by injuries in 2006 against the Broncos in the 2nd half, Parramatta kept kneeing our players in the head in 2009, and Melbourne won fairly, but we had the ability to beat them in 12... we were the best team that year.

As for the future, let's just watch what Dean Pay can do when he has a salary cap to work with.

Also Melbourne won't be a force when Smith retires, sure his ability isn't as good as it once was, but his influence on the referees will be very missed by them. I'll be that Bellamy goes with Smith retires.
Politis has laid the ground work for the Rotters to have control of of the game only of the foreseeable future but for all eternity, with Ch9 and all the millionaires he has brought to his club,
I have seen many examples of how their supporters and all who are involved with the Rotters hate our club with a passion, which means that they not only want to win at all costs but also want us to lose every game we play. Its true we did OK in the past and should have won a few more comps, but I'm certain that the future will be very different to the past.
 

JackDog

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While ever money is the only tool used to spread the top talents amongst all teams, it is doomed to fail.
 
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