Storm win caps predictable 2007
THE only thing more predictable than footballers behaving badly was that Melbourne Storm would win the 2007 National Rurgby League premiership.
In a case of a rugby league season imitating life, it started with the birth of a new team in the Gold Coast Titans, continued with almost routine player scandals before ending with a Storm title nearly everybody predicted before the season kick off.
The Storm rarely ventured from coach Craig Bellamy's well-chartered course in 2007 and after the 2006 grand final heartbreak loss at the hands of Brisbane, the club's second NRL title never appeared in doubt.
Their 34-8 grand final defeat of Manly capped a marvellous season for the Storm, Greg Inglis deservedly winning the Clive Churchill medal as six players earned Australian Test selection for the end of year 58-0 mauling of New Zealand.
"This is unbelievable, five years of hard work has finally paid off," said Storm skipper Cameron Smith.
"Disappointment last year, but we don't care about that.
"Without putting too much pressure on all our guys, I think we could go back-to-back."
Smith's year only got better too as he captained his country for the first time and won league's highest honour, the Golden Boot player of the year.
But while the Storm enjoyed smooth sailing in 2007, elsewhere scandals erupted as rugby league dealt with yet another year of unwanted headlines caused by footballers stepping out of line.
And the scandals didn't come any bigger than the fall from grace of the world's best player Andrew Johns.
The beloved Test, NSW and Newcastle captain, "Joey" played just 84 minutes of football this year but still created the most headlines for what he did off the field.
On the field he was KO'd by Sonny Bill Williams in round one and played a forgettable game against Canberra before he suddenly suffered a career-ending neck injury with an innocuous bump at training.
Forced into premature retirement in April, Johns caused a nation-wide sensation when news broke in late August of his arrest for drug possession in London.
What followed shocked not just league, but Australian sport.
On national television Johns revealed battles with depression, alcohol and illicit drugs throughout his 14-year career.
He admitted playing "russian roulette" with drug testers and that his behaviour was known by Newcastle officials who were forced to deny a cover-up as the club battled to avoid the wooden spoon.
His surprising admission even made front page news in AFL-mad Melbourne - a feat the Storm's premiership could not achieve.
But Johns wasn't league's only bad boy of the year, after all, the naughty corner isn't a lonely place in the NRL.
Proving alcohol and footballers don't mix, almost every public misdemeanour resulted from a night on the booze.
Bulldog Williams was caught on camera in a compromising position with a female in a pub toilet cubicle and on a separate occasion fined $650 by police for urinating in public.
Titans winger Chris Walker was sent to rehab for alcohol abuse after an early season nightclub incident while several high profile players fronted court for illegal behaviour.
St George Illawarra's Wes Naiqama ended up behind bars, sentenced to 12 months periodic detention for a fourth conviction of driving while disqualified.
But for every scandal came a breath of fresh air.
Just take Israel Folau and Krisnan Inu for example.
Putting wholesome fun back into rugby league, the devout Mormons and close childhood friends Folau and Inu turned the NRL into their own backyards with unbelievable rookie seasons.
Folau, 19, set a club record for most tries in a season at Melbourne, won a premiership, was named rookie of the year and earned an Australian Test debut.
Inu, the 20-year-old grinning assassin, debuted for New Zealand after just one NRL game and helped Parramatta reach the preliminary finals.
Then there's second-year star Jarryd Hayne and his unforgettable State of Origin debut for NSW.
The confident 19-year-old winger scored the try of the season by chipping around Brent Tate on the halfway line just before halftime in game one, only to throw a howler of a pass which gave Queensland victory in the second half.
The Maroons, led by Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston, claimed the series with a second Origin win and a Queensland cleansweep was on the cards.
But the Blues, with Cronulla's bash-brothers Greg Bird and Paul Gallen prominent, saved face in the dead-rubber win at Suncorp Stadium.
North Queensland skipper Thurston took over from Johns as the game's most damaging player, winning his second Dally M Medal in a tight count from Tigers hooker Robbie Farah.
The champion halfback, along with electric fullback Matt Bowen, steered the injury-depleted Cowboys one win away from a grand final and proved they'll be a force for years to come.
But in reality, the performances on the paddock were hardly surprising.
It was the drama off the field that kept everybody guessing.
And NRL powerbrokers even joined in on the act, allowing players to switch clubs and changing the controversial obstruction rules both midway through the season.
Hollywood actor Russell Crowe enjoyed a fairytale first full season as co-owner of South Sydney.
He sacked the cheergirls for drum-beaters, but the once hapless Rabbitohs made the most noise on the field as rookie coach Jason Taylor led the club to the finals to end an 18-year drought.
While Taylor excelled, the return of former Australian coach Chris Anderson to the NRL lasted just 17 rounds until he quit after the Sydney Roosters were belted 56-0 by Manly.
He was the only coach to fall in 2007, but several are on thin ice heading into 2008 including Dragons' Nathan Brown, Penrith's Matt Elliott, Bulldogs' Steve Folkes and Newcastle's Brian Smith.
Anderson's departure paved the way for club legend Brad Fittler to turn super-coach, as he almost led the Roosters into an improbable finals appearance.
Freddy's surprises didn't stop there, last month he helped secure the massive offseason coup of luring human-headline Willie Mason to the club after the Test forward fell out with Bulldogs officials.
The stunning move capped what could only be described as a bizarre year in rugby league.
While the season started and finished as expected, it was the surprises you can't predict along the way which made 2007 a memorable year.
Premiers: Melbourne Storm
Clive Churchill Medal: Greg Inglis (Storm)
Minor premiers: Melbourne
Wooden Spoon: Penrith
Golden Boot (world player of the year): Cameron Smith (Storm)
Dally M Medal: Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
Rookie of the Year: Israel Folau (Storm)
State of Origin: Queensland 2-1
Origin I: Qld 25 bt NSW 18 at Suncorp Stadium
Origin II: Qld 10 bt NSW 6 at Telstra Stadium
Origin III: NSW 18 bt Qld 4 at Suncorp Stadium
Wally Lewis Medal (Player of Series): Cameron Smith (Qld)
Tests
Australia 30 bt New Zealand 6, at Suncorp Stadium, April 20
Australia 58 bt New Zealand 0, at Westpac Stadium, October 15
