Brian Smith Articles

On the Titans:

ON Monday night, the Knights will be chasing a win that would leave our opposition, the Gold Coast Titans, with a difficult task to make the play-offs.

But regardless of the result, it is impossible not to admire what the Titans franchise have achieved in the space of two seasons. Indeed, if NRL management ever decide to explore the possibility of taking the game back to cities like Perth and Adelaide, they could do a lot worse than use Gold Coast as a template.


It is remarkable to consider how successful the Titans have been, especially when you compare them to previous Gold Coast incarnations like the Giants, Seagulls and Chargers.


Between 1988, when they first entered the NSWRL premiership, and 1998, when they were omitted from a reduced NRL competition, the Gold Coast featured only once in the finals. For whatever reason, they struggled on and off the field.


It got to the stage where players in the prime of their careers seemed reluctant to go there, and the local inhabitants weren't interested in supporting a team who did not reflect what they were looking for in their footy club.


Not surprisingly, there were also financial dramas, and the club had several changes of ownership as they battled to stay afloat.


After spending eight years in exile, Gold Coast were given the green light to return last season and this time they had obviously learned from experience.


With smart operators like CEO Michael Searle and chairman Paul Broughton at the helm, they were determined to create a team that the community would consider worthy of supporting.


Among the many decisions they made, the best was surely to lobby the relevant authorities to ensure the construction of a quality stadium.


Everyone in footy is talking about the atmosphere at Skilled Park and we can't wait to experience it next Monday night.




Once a new home ground was secured, they set about finding a head coach. And in John Cartwright, they could not have chosen a better man. Cartwright, whose father, Merv, played a crucial role in helping Penrith during their foundation years, was the perfect fit for the new club.


He was a ready-made first-grade coach waiting for an opportunity in the NRL, having served his apprenticeship under Ricky Stuart at the Roosters.


Together with Titans management, "Carty" quietly and astutely assembled a competitive roster for the club's return last year.


One of the first major signings was Preston Campbell, who made his NRL debut with the Chargers in 1998 and is as valuable off the field as he is on it, because he is a real personality player who attracts fans.


Soon after came another smart signing, that of Wests Tigers halfback Scott Prince. Prince had proven himself as one of the NRL's marquee playmakers. The Titans' other blue-chip import was former Dragons prop Luke Bailey, who is one of the real front-row gladiators.


Throw in underrated but solid campaigners like Mat Rogers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Nathan Friend and Brett Delaney, and the Gold Coast were always going to be a formidable team.


Crucially, before these guys had even set foot on a field, the community was 100 per cent behind them. Gold Coast residents were involved in things like choosing the team's name and colours, so Titans fans existed even before the Titans did.


Last season they won a respectable 10 of 24 games to finish 12th, and this season they set the pace during the early rounds of the competition.


In recent weeks they have found life tough minus Prince and Bailey, and they are now in the same situation as the Knights, where every week seems like a make-or-break game. But irrespective of whether they win, lose or draw against us, I think the bottom line remains the same the Gold Coast Titans are here to stay, and in years to come they are going to be a real force.


What an asset they are for our code, especially as the AFL if planning on starting up a new franchise to rival them. The quality of these formative years of the Titans may prove crucial in that bigger battle down the track.


As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression and the Titans have sure done a great job of that.

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He has great praise for opposing clubs but then delivers the kill :lol:
 
Brian Smith: Kid gloves a must with young stars
BY BRIAN SMITH

IT was not hard to be impressed with the debut of 16-year-old Gold Coast schoolboy Jordan Rankin against the Knights on Monday night.

At an age when many kids are juggling homework, part-time jobs, junior sport commitments and their social lives, young Jordan was getting ready to play in the world's toughest rugby league competition.

Making a first-grade debut is often a daunting experience, even for players who have served a lengthy apprenticeship in reserve grade.

But if young Jordan was remotely nervous, he sure didn't show it.

After entering the game midway through the second half, he produced a cheeky chip-and-chase with one of his first touches, almost scored a try soon after only to spill the ball just short of the line, and then set up the last try of the match with a grubber kick that took a fortunate bounce.

All in all, it was a remarkably confident start.

Just where he goes from here, however, remains to be seen.

I see that Roosters coach Brad Fittler, who also launched his top-grade career while still at high school, has already tipped Rankin to play for Australia at senior level.

But I am certainly a lot more cautious about burdening a kid with such expectations. It is a quantum leap from the Australian Schoolboys jersey Rankin has already earned to the green-and-gold senior version.

Certainly he has a head-start on other kids in his age group, but there is a big difference between a one-off game and a lengthy career.

I notice that Rankin has not been named in Gold Coast's top team for this weekend and wonder what the thinking was behind his selection against us.

Obviously Titans coach John Cartwright knows the kid far better than me, and he must have thought it through thoroughly.

I guess he figured Rankin would handle it which he did and that the experience would be good for him.

I hope he's right, because young Jordan has stamped himself as a rising star in the Toyota Cup (under-20) competition over the past couple of months, regularly emerging as Gold Coast's best player.

Rankin would have had a tale to tell at school on Tuesday, but the reality is that now he has to carry a reputation and expectation for the rest of his career, however long that may be.

Forever more, he will always be tagged as the third-youngest top-grade player in the game's history.

Perhaps, like Freddy Fittler, that type of label will be nothing more than the prelude to a glittering career.

But there is also a chance that Monday night's game will place pressure on him that could become a burden should his career not advance as quickly as some hope.

The long-term impact has to be considered whenever a coach is considering blooding a youngster in the NRL.

We've been through the same thing this season at the Knights with Junior Sau and Akuila Uate.

In both cases, I was confident they were ready to play first grade, having watched their progress at training and in our trial games.

It was all a question of picking the right moment to unleash them.

I had to feel sure that they were mature enough, and had suitable support networks in place, in case their debuts were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

As it turned out, both Aku and Junior have taken to first grade as though they were born to play at that level. They are still on their L-plates, but both have unlimited potential.

It was a similar story last year when we introduced Cory Paterson, James McManus and Scott Dureau into the NRL, and likewise with Jarrod Mullen a couple of seasons earlier.

They are all established players now, and that says a lot about how far rugby league has come.

Young kids can now feel safe that we have a stringent judiciary system in place and that any foul play will be dealt with accordingly.

The other fact that Jordan Rankin's selection highlighted on Monday is how our game continues to produce outstanding young talent.

There have been plenty of headlines in recent weeks about high-profile players leaving the game, for whatever reason, but the bottom line is that nobody is irreplaceable.

For every top-end, big-name player who exits the NRL, there is a future champion waiting, often impatiently, for his opportunity.

As they say, if you're good enough, you're old enough.

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I think Brian Smith likes this kid. I wonder does he realize they rapped him before he debuted.
 
A lot of people think it takes a season to win a premiership, but it takes a lot more than that. That's what Smith is doing, if all goes to plan, we should be serious contenders next season and in 2010.
 
i think our next premiership will be under smith

i think our next premiership will be in about 4 or 5 years
 
Two out of three ain't bad: Smith
KNIGHTS coach Brian Smith remains confident two wins from their remaining three regular-season games will be enough to get Newcastle into the NRL play-offs.

After their 38-18 loss to Canberra on Sunday, Newcastle slipped to 10th on the ladder, two points adrift of the eighth-placed New Zealand Warriors.

Newcastle's tightrope walk to the finals starts on Saturday night when they host last-placed North Queensland.

On Saturday week they are at home to premiers Melbourne, and their final game in the preliminary rounds is against the Broncos in Brisbane.

The Knights were $8 outsiders with TAB Sportsbet yesterday to make the final eight, but Smith believes the dog-eat-dog nature of the final few rounds will give his team a fighting chance.

"It would take a strange set of circumstances for us to win two and not make it, by my calculations," Smith said.

"It's not impossible [to miss out] but we'd have to have another big loss and two very narrow wins, and for other teams to do almost ridiculous things to get there.

"That's obviously important it's season goal-type stuff.

"But to be quite honest, the first goal is to right what was a mess last weekend for us. We were way below our best."

Newcastle have a superior for-and-against record (plus 37) to the other three teams on 24 competition points Wests Tigers (plus 10), Parramatta (minus 12) and Gold Coast (minus 72).

Their quotient is also way better than the Warriors, who have won one more game but racked up a differential of minus 81.

The Knights are relying on other results going their way, but there is a chance that by the end of round 24 they could be back in the top eight.

The seventh-placed Dragons (26 points) host the Warriors on Sunday, and ninth-placed Penrith (25) are at home to leaders Melbourne (34) on Monday night.

If Newcastle beat the Cowboys, and the Dragons and Storm win, the Knights would find themselves back in the eight, unless the Tigers run up a cricket score against Manly.

Smith, however, said his players could not afford to be distracted by the competition ladder.

"The first thing, and the only thing, that we've got any control over is how we play this weekend," he said.

"That's certainly been our focus. We didn't even talk about the play-offs when we reviewed last weekend's game and started to get ready for the play-offs."

Smith said the return of Wes Naiqama and Adam MacDougall, from injury and suspension respectively, was a big boost for Newcastle's backline.

Other than rugged lock Zeb Taia (knee) and centre Keith Lulia (ankle), Smith effectively has a full-strength squad at his disposal.

"We should be at our physical best, in terms of experience," Smith said.
"And the boys will be keen to get back and square it up, because that was way below what we know we're capable of last weekend."
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I always go into a match 50/50 and this match for me is 50/50. I hope we dont get a slow start. i.e the first try is scored 20 minutes into the game. If we want a F/A difference we'll have to be much better
 
Brian Smith: It's all on the line in race for finals
BY BRIAN SMITH
21/08/2008

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What a finish footy fans for almost every club in the NRL are in for over the next three weekends, and none more so than our Knights.

The Cowboys arrive on Saturday night at EAS trying like mad to shake off the wooden spoon tag with their key playmaker, Johnathan Thurston, back from injury.

They will be trying to knock us out of the play-off race and we will be striving to keep our dream alive.

We will have Adam MacDougall back after missing last week's trip to Canberra, and Doogs, like Danny Buderus, may be playing for his last tilt at the NRL play-offs.

I am sure everyone in our club wants our two most senior players to achieve that goal after all they have done for our sport and club over distinguished careers.

There is sure to be some desperate football being played by both teams as well as those individuals within.

That's what we have been working hard at from those November pre-season training sessions where we all started getting to know each other.

It's been a credit to all those blokes who have performed for us in the NRL this season that we have managed to blend together so many guys from different footy backgrounds and at both ends of the experience spectrum.

Bedsy and Gids [Kurt Gidley] have led the way with outstanding seasons for the Knights and at rep level, and Simmo [Steve Simpson] and Doogs have pulled out some special games with man-of-the-match performances too.

Likewise rookies like Junior Sau and Aku Uate have made great contributions when given their chances to join in with the big boys as others like Jimmy Mac [James McManus], Pato [Cory Paterson] and Mullo [Jarrod Mullen] have continued to grow in the season '08.

But for me, the overwhelming achievement made so far this season has been the teamwork all the squad has developed.

It's what the people within the club and the many supporters I met on arrival in the Hunter nearly two years ago have consistently repeated that they wanted to happen.

"Get us working as a team. Make it hard for the opposition to come to Newcastle. Let's get that pride back in our defensive line."

I heard it everywhere I went. It's what I love to do, and there is no better feeling as a coach in team sport than to see your team working hard for each other, especially under the pump when the opposition is having a full-on crack at you, as the Cowboys will surely be doing on Saturday night.

We have made enough progression this season to be in there fighting for a place in the big end-of-season games.

Not enough to be cruising in at the top of the ladder, but I think that might have been pipe dreaming for anyone who was thinking like that.

No, we are about where we wanted to be at this stage, but a little short of completing the job. At this time of season the pressure begins to mount on almost everyone associated with a footy club. For some it becomes more difficult than for others to deal with the disappointments, hold their nerve, continue to do the things that have been successful, not worry about the outcomes but treat every day as the only opportunity to prepare for the next, so that game day arrives with a feeling that we are all ready to go.

Nothing can be left undone through lack of attention or distraction for coaches or players.

Knowing who to listen to and who to ignore can be a valuable tool also at this time of year.

Quite a number of Knights fans have become regular, valued contributors to my pool of weekly evaluation and assessment on all things footy.

While we don't always agree, obviously because they often have opposite thoughts to each other as well, I really appreciate the manner in which they transfer their thoughts, hopes and disappointments to me.

I know they will continue to do so as I welcome their inputs.

I have not found it hard to tell a disappointed but loyal and supportive fan from those who have little concept of the team values we are building, or the place real club supporters have in helping us achieve what we all desperately want.

A Knights win on Saturday will do for starters!

And we will know and appreciate all of those people who have assisted in making it happen.
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Herald
 
Brian Smith: Set plans good, but adaptability key to success
BY BRIAN SMITH

ROUTINE and change are two contrasting but equally important aspects of professional sport, and finding a happy medium is a challenge for any coach.

Preparing an NRL team to play each week inevitably involves a regular schedule of events that players and staff accept as standard procedure.

I have read stories about how people who live to the oldest ages in the world somewhere like the back of Tibet, Mongolia or Russia, from memory rely tremendously on routine.

They just did things over and over again, for years and decades, the same way.

And obviously there is great merit in that, judging by their longevity.

Similarly, trying to get a balance in the lives of our players is something the Knights coaching staff are always striving for.

But at the same time, you don't want anyone to become so set in their ways that they are incapable of doing things differently when the need arises.

That is where the concept of change comes into the picture.

Change is something NRL players need to be able to produce in a split-second.

Their careers rely on how well they perform in games, and often games can take dramatic turnarounds in the blink of any eye.

A dropped ball, tough refereeing decision, or a missed tackle can suddenly present players with a whole new set of circumstances and how they respond can determine whether their team wins or loses.

So while routine is an integral part of a player's preparation, he also has to be able to make change dynamic adjustments when that situation is forced upon him.

That certainly applies to the two clubs Newcastle and Brisbane who do battle at Suncorp Stadium tonight.

At the Knights, we made a host of changes last year to our playing roster and the way we prepare ourselves for games.

Those changes have since become routine and the players have not only accepted them, but embraced them.

At Brisbane, there is a huge change on the horizon, when the only coach in their history, Wayne Bennett, leaves at season's end to join St George Illawarra.

Inevitably, since it became common knowledge that they would have a new coach, big decisions would have been made by Brisbane's management without Bennett's input.

As of next season, a whole new era will start for the Broncos, and they will be searching for a whole new routine.

As for the Knights, our changes have helped us get to nearly where we want to be but not quite.

There is always room for improvement.

In saying that, what every team is hoping for at this time of season, when every match is critical, is to have a stable team and your best players available.

In that regard, we were looking pretty good until Danny Buderus suffered his untimely and unfortunate injury.

Some of our senior players Steve Simpson and Ben Cross have not played a lot of football this year because of injury, but the flip side of that is they are fit and fresh for the business end of our campaign.

They're not burnt out and are really leading by example.

Danny's absence is undeniably a blow, but part of our change process this year has involved establishing an understudy hooker so that the team still functions when Bedsy is not available.

Matt Hilder is a different type of player to Danny, but he is a quality hooker in his own right, and it was great news for everyone in the team when he was cleared at the judiciary hearing on Wednesday night.

As we showed against Melbourne last week, we were able to adjust positively to losing Bedsy.

Matty Hilder came in and played a dynamic game.

That is no doubt partly because he has trained for much of the year as hooker, and played there quite a few times. So it is part of his routine.

Fortunately we didn't lose him to suspension, which would have left us to deal with another sudden change and it is fair to say we didn't have many other hooker options available.

Had Matty been ruled out, however, I am confident we could have made a positive adjustment.

That type of dynamic change is usually the difference between winning and losing at this time of year.

The teams who adjust quickest generally finish on top and chances are that will be the name of the game tonight.

When the pressure is on and quick reactions are needed, I am confident we will act decisively.

That type of response is hopefully routine by now.

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Brian Smith: We made plenty of progress this year and signs are encouraging for a strong 2009
BY BRIAN SMITH

THE NRL finals kick off tonight, and for everyone involved with the Knights there is a feeling of disappointment that we are not involved.

But, at the same time, there is also the satisfaction of knowing that we have made great progress in 2008 and regained a heap of credibility in the process.

Statistics paint a basic picture of what we have achieved in the past 12 months.

In 2007 we finished 15th on the NRL ladder with nine wins.

This year we climbed to ninth and had 12 wins.

Incidentally, this is the first season since 2000 when 12 wins was not enough to reach the finals. Last year, for instance, Brisbane finished eighth with 11 wins.

It has also been pointed out to me that the luck of the draw did us no favours.

Of the top six teams, we played five of them twice.

Of the bottom six teams, we played only three of them twice.

Nonetheless, I suppose the lesson is that next year we have to aim higher than 12 wins to ensure we are not in the same position.

In terms of our attack and defence, the numbers speak for themselves.

In 2007, we conceded 708 points the most in the NRL. This year we conceded 486, an improvement of 222 points.

Last year we scored 418 points the third fewest in the NRL. This year we scored 516, a 98-point improvement.

Altogether, that gave us a turnaround of 320 points in our for-and-against record, from an unacceptable minus-290 last year to plus-30 this year.

That meant, over the course of the season, we were a 13-point better side than last year.

And in a competition as closely fought as the NRL, 13 points is a huge margin in any one game.

To produce such a revival in the space of a season was remarkable.

I certainly haven't coached any teams that were able to make such statistical improvements in such a short space of time, and I can't recall any rival teams doing so either.

But I suppose the only statistics that really count are winning games. Our for-and-against record of plus-30 was way better than the Warriors' (minus-65), but they finished eighth because they won 13 games, including two against us.

Anyway, looking beyond the statistics, it was very heartening to hear respected people in the game praising the brand of football we played this season, especially when you consider the large number of new players we had signed.

I don't think there were many clubs who had as many new faces as we did, but without exception I was delighted about how smoothly they made the transition.

Our success this season is even more significant if you consider our three senior forwards Danny Buderus, Steve Simpson and Ben Cross played 15, 12 and nine games respectively.

In previous seasons, that may have been a handicap that was simply too big to overcome.

But to the credit of our young guys, they competed hard and won games without those influential leaders.

So many of our players made gains this year it is hard to single any of them out.

Obviously Kurt Gidley has established himself as one of the game's elite players, and we are very lucky to have someone so capable of leading the club after Andrew Johns and Danny.

James McManus was also Mr Consistency on the wing and just a total professional. The fact he has not missed a single minute of any game for two full seasons is a tribute to him.

I thought Cory Paterson also enhanced his reputation this season, and sometimes it is hard to believe he is only 21.

Zeb Taia was a real quiet achiever who established himself as one of the most consistent players, not only for Newcastle, but in the whole competition.

Scott Dureau surprised a lot of people this season by appearing in 18 NRL games, but he won two of them with field goals and worked up a great partnership with Jarrod Mullen.

And two of the real revelations were Junior Sau and Akuila Uate, who both have the talent and desire to be first-grade players for many years to come.

I suppose the big question next year is how we can cope with the departure of Danny Buderus, one of the all-time greats.

We have signed Isaac De Gois and Ben Rogers but will largely be relying on the same group of players.

The improvement will have to come from within, and I believe it will as our young players mature and reach their potential.

This time next year, I'm confident we won't be on holidays or ruing the games we should have won.

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No mention of Danny Wicks there brian. He must have been one of the better players this season then.
 
Brian Smith: Statistics flying out the window at play-off time
BY BRIAN SMITH

Is it just me or have a whole heap of people commenting on our game completely missed it this week? How can the rights and wrongs of the play-off system get so much airtime and column inches in a week where there has been so much going on of way more emotional value?

That match last Friday night was a ripper with so much in it. The rookie coach Freddy did a fantastic job in rejuvenating his team to a great start but the old veteran coach had built his own team up with a powerful media campaign (a weeks' worth of comments on how good a position they were in to win the comp and what a great group they were) and boy was he right. What a fightback in what I thought was a terrific game. Well he was right on Friday night but that all changed very soon. More on that later. Much more as it turned out!

Manly, the bridesmaids, beat the stats that said the Drags had their measure, as so often happens in play-offs for the punters stats, trends and hoodoos most often go out the window at play-off time, so history tells me. On the back of that victory of huge proportion and other happenings to unfold later in the weekend, the Eagles went from maybe men to bookies' favourites in the space of a night and an afternoon. How's that for flying high!

Earlier the honeymooners in the play-off series bit the dust on Saturday arvo when the grafting and grinding Sharks, who were bottom of the try-scoring league (when was the last time that happened equal minor premiers scored less tries than every other team including the wooden spooners remember stats out the window at play-off time) score a wad of tries and smash the try-scoring, entertaining Canberra team who hardly troubled the scorers or disturbed the seagulls at their opponents' end of the field. This play-off series is becoming weird but at least the Raiders have done well by finishing sixth, so they are safe for next weekend. More on that later too.

So safe are the Raiders and so doomed are the Warriors as they prepare themselves for an honourable exit as all other eighth-placed teams have duly done in that horrid McIntyre system. The Storm's record at the Graveyard, as they love to refer to their home ground, simply reinforces the inevitable outcome. Stats don't lie right. Except at play-off time!

Now that was just the three days it took the first round of play-offs to turn the footy world on its head. The events of Saturday night in Brisbane, which for the rest of us were kept a secret until the next week of preparation began, were big enough to halt all betting. Whatever possessed those Broncos players to put themselves, their teammates and all associated with their club at risk was surely one powerful force. How far the Broncos have been thrown by the aftermath of the lack of personal discipline of a few we may find tonight at Suncorp. After last weekend's roller-coaster results, who would hazard a guess, but surely it can't have assisted their preparation.

More highs, more lows, four teams on death row looking for a reprieve, and one of them, unbelievably, the long-time premiership favourites and likely team of the decade. Meanwhile, the Sharks and Eagles lay safely in wait for the next round of ambushes.

And all the while we have been sorting out our review of '08 and preparations for '09 at Knight's headquarters this week, a little sad at missing out, a little mad when we saw the Warriors do what we might have done from eighth position and a little glad to see the Sharks go from our position of narrow losses in this competition to the final four in just one season. The sun began to shine a little brighter this week on EAS. Who knows where it will be shining next week, but I suggest there may be a very dark cloud in some parts north of the border if the Storm bursts on Brisbane's victory parade tonight.

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Battered Storm, Sharks will take fight to new level
BY BRIAN SMITH
25/09/2008

TONIGHT'S game may well be the most intense match of what has been the most intense play-off series for quite a while.

The Sharks have rebuilt this season on the back of a ferocious defence and a relentless attack based on powerful carries and Brett Kimmorley kicking on the run to keep constant pressure on every opponent.


Who would have thought that we could be talking about a team taking on and beating the Storm for intensity.


Without Cameron Smith the defending champs lose not only their captain but also their rhythm and control of the most fundamental area of attack the dummy half.


I don't care who plays dummy half for them, it will disrupt the most important aspect of the Storm's armoury their confidence in their remarkably successful combinations.


Slater, if used there, will add some zip in running from dummy half, but I am not sure that he has a motor like our Kurt Gidley and it may well sentence him to a fatigue state and kill off his kick-return ability.


Using Matt Geyer there will leave Slater free to continue doing his wild thing, but how do they hide MG in defence? And then they need to find a left centre too.


These are not decisions you want to be making at this time of year. Melbourne still have wonderful individuals, but they have shown signs of being rattled a little in recent weeks.


Getting over the loss of their captain as well as Ryan Hoffman and Jeremy Smith will be some feat.


Handling the big occasion is part of the problem for the Sharks and so might a half-fit Paul Gallen and the loss of Greg Bird and Brett Seymour.


It might be a case of who is left standing at the end of this likely war.


Look out for a couple of special big plays from the Sharks. Ricky Stuart has had an extra week to get his blokes primed for that, and I reckon this is an absolute certainty to go down to the last few minutes in a cliffhanger.


Tomorrow night Manly's methodical season of consistency takes on the momentum team, the Warriors, in what could be a dogfight over possession and very few errors.


While the Eagles have plenty of strike they tend to want to work their opponents over before venturing into passing forays.


The Warriors are playing like metronomes, and are unlikely to change having gotten this far.


The only thing unpredictable about them is whether they will arrive with more facial hair.


Ian Henderson offers a little variety out of dummy half and has been in career-best form, while Manu Vatuvei will surely test his opponent David Williams with some powerful carries.


Perhaps if Steve Price rattles Matt Orford's kicking game with those intimidating kick pressures they could upset the Eagles rhythm, but I reckon Manly have had the deluxe preparation in recent weeks and the spell will have done them good.


Play-offs are not about consistency.


The teams with the best A-game win.


That's if they can produce it under the pressure of sudden-death footy and jump the hurdles that have presented themselves this week.


A repeat of last season's grand final is most likely in my book.
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Herald
 
Write off Melbourne at your own peril
2/10/2008 10:55:00 PM

WHAT a difference a year makes.

On first impression the answer seems to be "not much" when we see that the same teams face each other in back-to-back seasons.


It's the first time that has happened since my own St George met Brisbane in 1992 and 1993, so it is a pretty unusual occurrence in footy terms.


I would suggest there are similarities, too, for those who can remember back to those days where the Broncos were full of Australian and Origin stars, much like Melbourne, and the Dragons players were better known for their team achievements. That sounds a bit like Manly in the present era. The Eagles of 2008 are entering as beaten grand finalists but also with a very good run of form throughout the season and particularly in the play-off series.


Similarly, in 1993 the Dragons had beaten both Brisbane and Bulldogs (minor premiers) in the final rounds of the competition and then the superstar-studded Raiders and Dogs again in the play-offs to enter the grand final in red-hot form against a weary and seemingly broken Broncos team who had battled through from the bottom of the old five-team play-off system. It all sounds very familiar. Many people wrote Brisbane off I wasn't one of them!


Don't write the Storm off just yet either. Teams that have been to grand finals and won have some advantage on teams who have been there and lost.


The Storm are in the unusual position of having done both lose and win so that seems to me a significant potential difference in their mental make-up. This defending premiership team has great fighting qualities and is almost certain to display them again on Sunday.


They will muster every ounce of themselves to keep that trophy and have had plenty of practice at meeting such physical and emotional challenges.


Manly will be feeling much better prepared for 2008, and so they should.


Their form and preparation seems just about ideal. But the circumstances of the game itself can reverse the wonderful feel that well-prepared teams in good form take into a grand final. In Saints' case, our terrific young front-rower Jason Stevens wanted so badly to meet and beat front-rower Glen Lazarus, that his preparation was faultless. He knew if he stopped Lazo our chances were strong. Sadly for Stevo and the Saints he suffered multiple fractures and a dislocation of his thumb in the first tackle of the game as Lazarus returned the kick-off!


He played no part in a game where try as we might we just could not get settled after that horrible start to the game. Who knows what might arise for Manly to deal with this time round?


They do seem to be a more well-rounded and competent team in 2008 but they were rattled in their last clash, a narrow loss to the Storm at Brookvale Oval. More to the point it was Matt Orford who could not come to terms with the pressure Melbourne's defenders were able to put on him in the "good ball end". The Eagles have worked on that as a team, evidenced by Jamie Lyon's excellent performance in last week's mauling of the Warriors.


It was not only the number of kicks Lyon took to take the focus off Orford, but the quality and precision of those kicks that destroyed the opponents.


Can he do it again? Knowing Jamie as I do, I can assure you he won't lack confidence in going for it again.


I would be more worried about Orford's ability to deal with the undoubted pressure he will encounter in every aspect, because no one will know his strengths and weaknesses tactically and mentally better than his ex-teammates from Melbourne.


I enjoy a bit of fun having a tip like every other footy fan, but I just don't know how anyone can be confident in predicting this one. I doubt we would be much wiser even if we were inside the camps of both clubs and knew just how fatigued or otherwise the Storm were after the tough games and cards they had been dealt or how confident and composed the Eagles were or whether it's just pre-game bravado.


In a season where refereeing interpretations have never been more influential I truly hope that doesn't become a factor on grand final day.


If it does you can be sure we will hear about it as these two coaches have shown a consistently high capacity to let NRL officials know when they have been "wronged".


Please let's not have those headlines post our code's centenary season.


Forced to make a tip I will go for Melbourne in a very tight game.
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Herald
 
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