2026 Season

[Billy]

About 25 years ago I had to do a lot of research into cigarette consumption.
I was basically asked to look into the issues around introducing a smoking ban in a mental health facility.
I found studies that showed 1 in 3 people who smoked at that time had a mental health diagnosis, but the studies also showed that people with a mental health diagnosis were much more likely to be heavy smokers, so over 50% of cigarettes were consumed by someone with a mental illness.

I also had to look into so-called Nicotine Replacement Therapy - which at that time was basically limited to chewing gum and nicotine patches, and there were strict protocols for those products that limited there use to only for aids to quit smoking, so they could only be used for limited periods of time.

I also looked into studies that showed the cancer risk of products like chewing tobacco and snuff was a fraction of the risk of smoking. Apparently there were places in America where chewing tobacco was still very common and places in Europe where snuff (powdered tobacco that you sniff up your nose) was still used - and those products caused a slight increase in mouth and throat cancer, but no risk of the more deadly lung cancer.

Anyway, vaping wasn't a thing then, but it doesn't surprise me that the UK experience is that getting people off cigarettes and onto Vaps instead has greatly improved overall health outcomes.

I'd imagine the majority of smokers now have a mental health diagnosis.

 

[Seano]

Souths are playing Latrell off the bench. Guessing he moves into centre and Tallis Duncan moves to the back row at some stage. Interesting considering we may be playing the Rabbits in round 1.

 

[usa3617]

Yeah Fish/Barnett/Clark isn't as good as Fish/Leota/Yeo (but it's closer than any other starting middle trio I've seen this decade besides Haas/Flegler/Carrigan maybe).

But then when we get to finals their bench rotation will probably be Ford/Stowers-Smith/one out of Vaimauga & Ieremia-Toeava... yuck. All four of those guys would start for us over Crokes

Probably the best bench since the 2020 Melbourne Storm?

not to mention their bench hooker Healey who would probably start at 9 at most Sydney teams. They have the best 8-17 in the comp by a country mile. Sure their 1-7 leaves a lot to be desired but I've wondered if having genuine marquee outside backs is as important as it once was in the modern game. Whilst we've invested our cap in the spine, they've clearly gone the opposite route and put all their chips in a monstrous pack that will just overpower you. That power game alone, with all the ball playing they do between their forwards, makes them the no 1 attack in the league this year. For all our superior class in the OBs, they've scored 50 pts than us and played one less game.

 

[HarVeeGee13]

If they paid current market rate for all those forwards they'd have a distorted salary cap, but getting two guys in their mid 20's who no one thought of as anything more than meh - that hooker/lock at the Titans that never seems to impact games, and a second rower at the Dragons who can't get a consistent run in the first grade team - and then having both of them turn into two of the best middles in the NRL, well, you're very fortunate if that happens even once. And then the other bench guys are local juniors still on their first top 30 deals.

Fish, Barnett and Halasima would likely be on big bickies, but a lot of the others they'd have pretty cheap for what they're contributing.

 

[frankLauda]

Fair point. I wouldn’t say they are monstrous. They are the same size as most fowards. Fisher Harris prime example. What gives them the edge though is there athletic ability and strength and now starting to throw some skill in. And DWZ has had a great year finishing off tries.

I guess the only thing they are missing is they don’t have that marque player like a Cleary, Walsh, Teddy, Ponga. Image Cleary in that team. The pac champs is also a prime example look how good Dyl and Foran was behind the Kiwi pack

They will be hard to beat this year and could be a stable top 4 side with a great coach. Maybe slight bias but Knights will be a consistent top 4 side the coming years.

Perhaps a changing of the guard the next 5years+. Sides might look at forwards you can pass short and long. We have that in Manu.

I think everyone one here like most of the NRL are on the Wahs bandwagon. Behind there team they would be everyone’s second team. It’s good for the NRL a New Zealand team doing well.