Alright lads, home stretch now, impressions of round 2?

Johnno – Another round of teams with leads, some giving them up and others just holding on. Great to watch, but some of the coaches will be pulling their hair out I’m sure *cough*Dessie Hasler*cough*.

Gordon – Yeah, great for the neutrals out there, it’s pretty exciting, but like Johnno said, some teams just lost the plot when they had the lead. Manly, Penrith and even the Broncos, all arguably should have come away with two points.

Okay then first team with a home final then?

Johnno – Well, firstly I must apologize. I haven’t tipped the Sharks yet. But since I don’t want to act like I forgot them, not that I did, as they play such uhh.. wonderful.. rugby league. So I’m tipping them for a top four spot. Yes, top four. I’m so screwed.

Were we go.. Can Parra produce their late form of 09?

Gordon – Unlike Johnno, I’ve always thought the Eels would finish fourth. They’ve started a little lazy in the first few rounds, but they showed promise against Manly last round. Hopefully they can get a win for brave Oscar this week, however they currently trail 8-0 to the Tigers.

Bronze medal, lads?

Johnno – I like the Tigers, and I believe that little score update justifies my statement. Tuqiri is back and he’s showing he hasn’t lost much. I’ll give you an exclusive; Big T for Origin in 2010. With Marshall and Farah holding the backbone, the Tigers’ youngsters can feed of them and will do well in 2010.

Gordon – I think the Titans. They’ve been lacking a little in the first two rounds however, I think it’s only a minor speed-bump. When you have the likes of Campbell, Prince, Rogers, Bailey, Gordon and Zillman coming off the bench most of the time, there has to be results. Combine that with the now fortress Skilled Park and I’m backing the Coast to go close this year.

Dragons.. Can they go all the way this year?

Getting close now lads, who’s the pick for runners up?

Johnno – Dragons. They’re playing wonderful football, and with a mature Jamie Soward marshalling the pack, there is plenty of talent breathing fire. The better Morris brother will be the leading try scorer come end of the season and the Dragons will run riot, but might lose the odd game they’re expected to win.

Gordon – Storm for me. The impressive thing about this side in the first two weeks has been their grittiness. They say in all sports that the sign of a good team is to be able to not play well but still win, and I think they’re doing that. They’ve had two tough away trips and have another one this week, so the draw hasn’t been kind. But I think with the talent they have, they will be right up there come finals.

Well, finally, after weeks of preparation, you’ve both had time to watch games and get a feel for the new season, decision time is here. Who will be the Premiers for 2010, lads?

Johnno – MELBOURNE STORM. Inglis, Slater, Cronk, Smith. The list goes on. With a squad so composed and with so much talent and experience, it’s hard to look past the Melbourne boys. Just wait till they get warmed up as well, cause once they do, I think we’re going to see some teams get a flogging.

High Expectations.. Will the Storm defend their title?

Gordon – ST.GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS. Last year was a learning curve for the Dragons, and one they needed to have. They dominated the competition up until finals, when some lack of experience probably cost them. But now they are wiser, more talented and have some wise heads in the balance. With a good balance of experience/young blood, I’m backing the Dragons to go all the way this year.

Well lads, firstly, an interesting round of NRL action, what did you make of it and who impressed?

On Fire... Dragons started 2010 brightly (Nathan Fien is pretty excited anyway!)

Johnno – Super stuff really, great to see some good crowds out there, just hope it stays like that and doesn’t just fade away. Quality was pretty good for first round, considering there has been a lot of error ridden round one games in the past. Most impressive was probably Todd Carney, made me eat the words a little. That flick back for the assist was Slater/Inglis/Hayne like. I also liked Jamie Lyon and Jonathan Thurston’s performances in losing sides.

Gordon – Yeah, I’d have to agree, the quality was excellent first up, and it was interesting to see how some teams handled the pressure. I was impressed by a few players, Scott Dureau being one; he was super against the Dogs. Kevin Kingston and Adrian Purtell were on fire for the Panthers who I think are they dark horse for the premiership. The Rabbitohs were very disappointing though.

Alright, so now to 10^th, and after the action, who do you like?

Johnno – Souths. I didn’t like what I saw against the Roosters on the weekend. They’re about as close to being the best pack in the league as I am to shedding the Christmas pudding off the thighs. Sandow was a bright light and whilst Burgess was promising, but as a team they were awful.

Gordon: Tougher now after the weekend, but I’ll go with the Tigers. Yes, they beat the Sea Eagles and came back well, but I’m not 100% convinced. Down 20-4 they were getting romped. I like Gareth Ellis and a few of the forwards, I don’t think Lote will ever get back to his best, and the back line really isn’t that fear-striking.

What about the last team that won’t make finals then?

Wasted Potential... the Rabbit's didn't deliver.

Johnno – Definitely Manly. A good team with plenty of strike force, and really should of beat the Tigers. But I think especially after, what looks like, a serious injury to Brett Stuart, they could struggle. A lot is now riding on the shoulders of Jamie Lyon and Anthony Watmough, and I think they might buckle under the pressure, as we saw on Monday.

Gordon – Going with Souths. They were terrible on the weekend, but to prove it’s not always about first round, we see that a team like the Dragons who have lost so many first round games recently but still challenge for the title. They’ve got a solid pack, Sandow commanding the troops and the likes of Merrit on the wing, so the talent is there, but I don’t know if they’ll fulfil all the hype.

So now we’re into the finals spots, and who scrapes in?

Johnno – I’m sticking with Penrith. They’ve recruited well and obviously have something growing in the water down at CUA. Great talent in the squad and I think they will make finals after a long while out. However, I still think they might not be able to consistently compete with the ‘big boys’.

Gordon – Broncos. They copped a lot of stick pre-season, but for me, they are always an over-achieving side. No matter who they play they always seem to deliver to a certain point. They won’t be as strong as previous seasons, but they’ll have enough to make the cut.

Three more to go now, who’s in at 7^th?

Johnno – I’d have to go with the Bulldogs. I like the system and I think they can bounce back from round one, but not consistently enough. Can’t really see them putting long winning-streaks together and I think that will ultimately be the factor that sees them only finishing at 7^th. The difference this season being, people expect them to win.

Gordon – Bulldogs. They looked very lethargic on the weekend against a depleted Newcastle line up, and they showed some disappointing signs early on. Michael Ennis is no Hazem in the goal kicking service, so they might have to work harder for points. It could be touch and go for them really, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up missing finals.

Pressure... Are the Knight's in for it in 2010?

Well we’re days away from the start of the National Rugby League calendar for 2010, and as we count down until Friday night, we here at Injury Time are predicting how we think the ladder might look come September.  I caught up with those Aussie hooligans Johnno and Gordon to find out their thoughts on the upcoming season.

So who’s getting the spoon lads?

Johnno – I’m going for a shock here, Newcastle Knights. They have the squad to suggest a much higher finish, however after such a pre-season, if you can call it that, I think it will affect the team as a whole. A lot of pressure is on captain reliable in Kurt Gidley and if continues to pick up injuries it could be a disaster.

Gordon – I like the Sharks for the spoon in 2010. They were horrendous last year, and I can’t see it getting much better. Barrett is past his prime and Gallen is getting on too. They also seemed to lose more ‘bigger’ names than they brought in so I think this might be the last time we see Ricky Stuart coaching in the NRL.

What about second from bottom?

Johnno – Canberra Raiders have this one in the bag. If they played all their games at home, they might actually go close to winning the thing. But the fact is, they hardly even turn up away from home, so it’ll be another wasted season for the men from the capital.

Gordon – Going for the Warriors here. They’ve lost the inspirational Stacy Jones and Denan Kemp is heading home. They have brought in Bret Seymour, but I doubt he will have much impact. They’ll have a strong forward pack as usual and cause the odd upset, but their creative in and around the halves might cost them.

Okay, next is 14^th and I believe you have gone for a big shock here, Johnno?

Johnno – Not much of a shock to me mate! You can whinge all you want Brisbane-ites, but you simply no longer have a team that is enviable. Some grunt lost through David Taylor and Tonnie Carroll, meanwhile Karmichael’s trade to shorter shorts means they have no genuinely feared full back. Sorry lads, Lockyer will have as big an impact as Ivan Henjak’s hair loss treatment and you’re going to need some rebuilding.

Travel Sickness... Raiders need to perform away from home.

Gordon – I’m going to go for the Raiders. They are the Central Coast Mariners of the NRL. Continually written off, but surprise the pundits each year. But after a terrible recruitment in the pre-season, I can’t see them competing away from home consistently. However, they have some good young players so keep an eye out for the likes of Dugan and Waddell.

13^th then?

Johnno – Cocka Doodle Do Son! That’s what I’ll be saying when Braith Anasta and the Roosters gets pumped every game this season. I’ll back Toddy Carney making a strong return, Perrett and Kenny-Dowall to be consistent. But that’s it. Nate Myles is overrated for me. Big time. They’ll be better than last year by a whisker.

Gordon – An upset of my own here, I’ll go for the Cowboys. The men from the north really have the potential to do better, but way to much is on JT’s back. Bowen and co. are dangerous when they have confidence, but I can’t see many of their influential players being on the field for long stints. Willie Mason, well, I don’t rate him in honesty. His time was up last season.

We’ve reached a quarter from last, who’s the pick for 12^th?

Johnno – The Warriors will take twelfth this year. They have a strong pack and they’ll be the backbone of the squad as usual. Steve Price to provide some inspiration in what I think might be his last year in the league. They’ll lose more than they’ll win, and it’ll be the same old, same old, across the ditch.

Inspiration.. Preston Cambell celebrates with the fans. Photo: Paul Harris.

It was meant to be a friendly hit out between the stars of the NRL and the stars of Indigenous heritage, a game which simply recognised the contribution of the aforementioned Indigenous players and representatives to the game of Rugby League.

Yet, it was that and more. And more. And more.

Not only did it provide an extraordinary clash between two great sides, but it offered the perfect start to the upcoming National Rugby League season for 2010. If ever Rugby League needed a boost, especially after the competition of the AFL now rife in the heartland of League, it got it, and a boost that would never have been expected in the first place.

The traditional Aboriginal dance, celebrated with the help of some Indigenous brothers, emphasized the pride and honour each one of the Indigenous players took in wearing the jersey. They knew where they came from and were ready to fight for it.

In saying that though, the NRL All-Stars didn’t look a team who were going to stand by and let the occasion get to them. How could when you boast the likes of Benji Marshall, Darren Lockyer, Jarryd Hayne and Michael Jennings.

Impressively, even after the Indigenous All-Stars skipped out to a ten-point advantage the, the NRL All-Stars fought back with two four-pointers through Josh Morris and Benji Marshall, before Michael Jennings gave them the lead for the first time from a Brett Finch grubber.

The much-anticipated Sam Burgess stepped up to the plate as well, the big Englishmen clearly not reading the script with a huge hit on inspirational Indigenous skipper, Preston Campbell.

But the hard work was undone by a super one-handed Jonathan Thurston pass to Jamie Soward, allowing the Dragon to sprint away to the line and clinch the victory.

Arguably the biggest highlight of the match came when the always boisterous, Wendell Sailor, crossed over for the first points of the game. The big man then ran over to the corner post and mimicked the playing of the didgeridoo as his teammates danced around him.

It was something special, in the only scenario it might ever happen.

Although, Sailor revealed that the celebration wasn’t actually his idea.

“Actually about fifteen minutes before the game, Jonathan Thurston came up to me and said ‘if you get a chance how ‘bout picking up the corner post and playing it like a didgeridoo?’”

Sailor did take his chance as he comfortably handled Scott Prince’s grubber and scored the first ever points in the spectacle that is sure to continue for years to come. However, Sailor wasn’t the composed of all players when he saw the ball coming his way.

“I just thought, please do not drop this ball!” the former Dragon said.

The game also allowed the return for new Gold Coast ‘recruit’, Greg Bird, to Rugby League and Sailor had nothing but praise for the effort shown by the former Shark.

“He’s a winner,”

“He spent a lot of time with the kids during the week, and everyone deserves a second chance”

Sailor himself would know after ‘that’ drug controversy a few years back, but now we can see how second chances can be taken and put to good effect. After all Rugby League is the “most forgiving game” according to Sailor.

Another testimony to the game was the week-long lead up by both teams done in and around local communities.

“It’s different to (State of) Origin,” Sailor said.

“You got all the commercial advertising (during Origin lead up), but this week we just spent time in the community and training,”

A bumper crowd in the mid 20,000’s were at Skilled Stadium to watch the one-off clash, a good result after the national voting of the teams by the fans of the game.

The game was also the first to trial the new ‘8-point try’ system.

Similar to that in American Football, after scoring a try, team’s could opt to either take the regular two point conversion, or, attempt to score another try with only one tackle to do so. Unfortunately neither team could score the inaugural ‘8-point try’ but there is definitely merit to the system so we’ll be keeping an interested eye on the proceedings concerning it.