Lov_Dog
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The Bulldogs can put a lot of their success down the James Graham and his amazing surge of form
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/the-bulldogs-can-put-a-lot-of-their-success-down-the-james-graham-and-his-amazing-surge-of-form/story-fni3fh9n-1227068295268
PAUL KENT THE DAILY TELEGRAPH SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 12:00AM SHARE
THE ferocity of James Graham came in the moments after Mick Ennis dropped the ball and Cheyse Blair dived on to score.
Manly’s James Hasson patted Ennis on the head, for which most of the world celebrated apparently, and players rushed in from both sides.
Some were there to support Hasson, others to protect Ennis, some simply didn’t like being left out. Among all the square dancing Reni Maitua threw a punch and got sin-binned.
Where Graham was during all of this of no concern.
Ennis walked away thinking he had nine minutes to get it right. It was a terrible mistake.
Maitua cooled down in the dressing room.
The Sea Eagles thought they had assumed the precious swing of momentum that has dictated this entire finals series, and they went back to their marks knowing they were coming.
Then Graham took it away.
From the restart the ball was sent high and deep and, wouldn’t you know it, into the hands of Hasson.
It was like the Bulldogs had picked him specifically. It was like Hasson didn’t know that Ennis shares the car ride every day with Graham to training, and they have grown pretty fond of each other.
So Graham found Hasson, and dropped him where he met him.
Suddenly, Manly knew the game was not over yet.
James Graham has a special kind of toughness.
He doesn’t try to convince his opposition how tough he is. It’s just a natural byproduct of trying to pushing himself into areas few have the gravel in their guts to go to.
Look at what he did against Sam Burgess four weeks ago.
They are tremendous friends.
Both know there will come a day sometimes in the future when they will sit and have a beer together and, over that beer, they will look at each other and share that look.
It’s the look of shared respect, and an unspoken acknowledgment of know who got the better of who.
Burgess got the points on account of getting Souths home that night. But Graham busted him, smashing him repeatedly in defence.
Graham proves his toughness a thousand different ways every game.
He gives like no-one else does.
When Melbourne’s Mahe Fonua took a loose ball and streaked downfield in the opening semi-final Graham chased after him, somewhat hopefully it seemed.
He had every right to be discouraged, even quit on the run.
The week before Gold Coast winger Anthony Don streaked away and Graham chased him even though he never had the leg speed to catch him.
At the time, the moment was noteworthy only because of the stunned look Don gave Graham when he dived to score and he looked to see his pursuer and thought ‘a front-rower chased me all that way?’
Graham had nothing pushing him except his own desire.
So when Fonua picked up the loose ball the following week Graham had every right to quit on the run, because he didn’t have the leg speed to catch him and because so many other players do that everybody would have found it acceptable.
But he didn’t quit.
He chased, and then Josh Reynolds dived, and Reynolds could get no more than a hand to him but it was enough to ankle tap Fonua and bring him down.
Graham was the only other man around. If he hadn’t chased Fonua would have climbed to his feet and scrambled the last few metres to the tryline.
Instead Graham stopped him.
It has been there all year. He stopped Parramatta’s Manu Ma’u in round 14.
But the greatness of Graham, who might just be the best player left in this finals series, is the variation in his game.
BLOG WITH PAUL KENT BELOW
He can kill you with subtlety as much as brutality.
So much the Bulldogs have almost deferred to his brilliant ball playing, running men around him that allows Graham to become the primary playmaker.
He has an aggressive run that comes with a sidestep, so he rarely gets taken in a big shot himself.
James Graham gets treatment for a cut on his head.
James Graham gets treatment for a cut on his head.
His aggression with the ball establishes him as a running threat.
That done, he then goes to the line with a support player inside him, another outside, and a third deep.
His brilliance is he picks the correct support player to hit more often than anybody in the game today.
He put Trent Hodkinson over against the Storm two weeks ago, finding him behind the decoy runner.
He put Sam Perrett over with an inside ball last weekend, after hearing Jason King called off-side.
He can beat you with defence or attack. With aggression or subtlety.
He is mobile, agile and hostile.
KEEP PROVING ME WRONG, PANTHERS
I’M one of those critics everybody keeps mentioning, but never naming, who keep writing off Penrith.
My lack of faith in the Panthers has nothing to do with the talent they send out each weekend or their coaching or lack of big-name stars.
It is their health.
Talent is so even across the teams that my one firm rule when picking winners is to choose the healthiest squad.
For weeks now Penrith have been without Peter Wallace, Elijah Taylor, Bryce Cartwright, Adam Docker, Kevin Kingston, Isaac Johns, Tyrone Peachey and George Jennings, while Brent Kite has also suffered through injury.
Yet the Panthers keep winning. Keep defying.
So with all that said, and many of those players still out, I’m happy to tip against the Panthers again this weekend.
But I’m just as happy for them to keep proving me wrong.
**
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/the-bulldogs-can-put-a-lot-of-their-success-down-the-james-graham-and-his-amazing-surge-of-form/story-fni3fh9n-1227068295268
PAUL KENT THE DAILY TELEGRAPH SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 12:00AM SHARE
THE ferocity of James Graham came in the moments after Mick Ennis dropped the ball and Cheyse Blair dived on to score.
Manly’s James Hasson patted Ennis on the head, for which most of the world celebrated apparently, and players rushed in from both sides.
Some were there to support Hasson, others to protect Ennis, some simply didn’t like being left out. Among all the square dancing Reni Maitua threw a punch and got sin-binned.
Where Graham was during all of this of no concern.
Ennis walked away thinking he had nine minutes to get it right. It was a terrible mistake.
Maitua cooled down in the dressing room.
The Sea Eagles thought they had assumed the precious swing of momentum that has dictated this entire finals series, and they went back to their marks knowing they were coming.
Then Graham took it away.
From the restart the ball was sent high and deep and, wouldn’t you know it, into the hands of Hasson.
It was like the Bulldogs had picked him specifically. It was like Hasson didn’t know that Ennis shares the car ride every day with Graham to training, and they have grown pretty fond of each other.
So Graham found Hasson, and dropped him where he met him.
Suddenly, Manly knew the game was not over yet.
James Graham has a special kind of toughness.
He doesn’t try to convince his opposition how tough he is. It’s just a natural byproduct of trying to pushing himself into areas few have the gravel in their guts to go to.
Look at what he did against Sam Burgess four weeks ago.
They are tremendous friends.
Both know there will come a day sometimes in the future when they will sit and have a beer together and, over that beer, they will look at each other and share that look.
It’s the look of shared respect, and an unspoken acknowledgment of know who got the better of who.
Burgess got the points on account of getting Souths home that night. But Graham busted him, smashing him repeatedly in defence.
Graham proves his toughness a thousand different ways every game.
He gives like no-one else does.
When Melbourne’s Mahe Fonua took a loose ball and streaked downfield in the opening semi-final Graham chased after him, somewhat hopefully it seemed.
He had every right to be discouraged, even quit on the run.
The week before Gold Coast winger Anthony Don streaked away and Graham chased him even though he never had the leg speed to catch him.
At the time, the moment was noteworthy only because of the stunned look Don gave Graham when he dived to score and he looked to see his pursuer and thought ‘a front-rower chased me all that way?’
Graham had nothing pushing him except his own desire.
So when Fonua picked up the loose ball the following week Graham had every right to quit on the run, because he didn’t have the leg speed to catch him and because so many other players do that everybody would have found it acceptable.
But he didn’t quit.
He chased, and then Josh Reynolds dived, and Reynolds could get no more than a hand to him but it was enough to ankle tap Fonua and bring him down.
Graham was the only other man around. If he hadn’t chased Fonua would have climbed to his feet and scrambled the last few metres to the tryline.
Instead Graham stopped him.
It has been there all year. He stopped Parramatta’s Manu Ma’u in round 14.
But the greatness of Graham, who might just be the best player left in this finals series, is the variation in his game.
BLOG WITH PAUL KENT BELOW
He can kill you with subtlety as much as brutality.
So much the Bulldogs have almost deferred to his brilliant ball playing, running men around him that allows Graham to become the primary playmaker.
He has an aggressive run that comes with a sidestep, so he rarely gets taken in a big shot himself.
James Graham gets treatment for a cut on his head.
James Graham gets treatment for a cut on his head.
His aggression with the ball establishes him as a running threat.
That done, he then goes to the line with a support player inside him, another outside, and a third deep.
His brilliance is he picks the correct support player to hit more often than anybody in the game today.
He put Trent Hodkinson over against the Storm two weeks ago, finding him behind the decoy runner.
He put Sam Perrett over with an inside ball last weekend, after hearing Jason King called off-side.
He can beat you with defence or attack. With aggression or subtlety.
He is mobile, agile and hostile.
KEEP PROVING ME WRONG, PANTHERS
I’M one of those critics everybody keeps mentioning, but never naming, who keep writing off Penrith.
My lack of faith in the Panthers has nothing to do with the talent they send out each weekend or their coaching or lack of big-name stars.
It is their health.
Talent is so even across the teams that my one firm rule when picking winners is to choose the healthiest squad.
For weeks now Penrith have been without Peter Wallace, Elijah Taylor, Bryce Cartwright, Adam Docker, Kevin Kingston, Isaac Johns, Tyrone Peachey and George Jennings, while Brent Kite has also suffered through injury.
Yet the Panthers keep winning. Keep defying.
So with all that said, and many of those players still out, I’m happy to tip against the Panthers again this weekend.
But I’m just as happy for them to keep proving me wrong.
**
#739
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