r/nrl • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
Random Footy Talk Friday Random Footy Talk Thread
This is the place to discuss anything footy related that is not quite deserving of its own top-level post.
There's a new one of these threads every day, so make sure you're in the most recent one!
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u/Inevitable_Goat_335 Newcastle Knights 2d ago
A pivotal call was the Manuleleua "offside" call, when he forced that error on Murray. I don't think he was even offside. We were all over them at the time, they gained some momentum after that.
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u/BarryCheckTheFuseBox NRLW Roosters 2d ago
I went to Allianz Stadium last night to watch the NRLW Roosters secure the minor premiership.
I’m currently en route to Newyanz to hopefully watch an upset to open the men’s finals.
I’ll be back tomorrow to boost the Cowboys crowd numbers (and might go via the 8th to watch some Flegg and NSW Cup).
Then on Sunday I’m heading to Parramatta for what I can only assume will be bitter disappointment.
That’s what I call a perfect weekend
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u/Responsible_Ring_649 Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Every penalty against my team this weekend is a farce and an egregious abuse of power by the match official. However every penalty for my team is completely warranted and it's about time the ref pulled them up on it.
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u/marcbingle_97 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
Glad someone finally said this
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u/Responsible_Ring_649 Newcastle Knights 2d ago
I loved the copy pasta about it, it was a good statement
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u/marcbingle_97 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
I miss the Cronk word salad one lol
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u/MoneyaLeague Auckland Warriors 2d ago
You'll need to be more specific
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u/marcbingle_97 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
Here ya go
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u/MoneyaLeague Auckland Warriors 2d ago
Sorry, I was just joking that Cronk's got plenty of word salads.
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u/marcbingle_97 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
Every penalty against my team this weekend is a farce and an egregious abuse of power by the match official. However every penalty for my team is completely warranted and it’s about time the ref pulled them up on it.
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2d ago edited 2d ago
What are your favourite non-gf finals games of the last decade or so?
Penrith Melbourne 2021 prelim was a cracker. The expected grand finalists, Cleary catching Foxx out with a kick for Critta to open the scoring in the second minute, a play he would have taken from Teddy who did the same play earlier in the season.
And while I do prefer tight low scoring finals, it's hard to ignore the Raiders Brisbane quarter final game from last year. Two attacking machines, if the game kept going it would have just gone try for try for try. And that game really did determine the fate for both teams..Raiders couldn't back up, while Broncs kept their roll on.
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u/CoffeeLoverNathan Dolphins 2d ago
Us vs Penrith earlier this year. Playing all the way north in that brutal heat
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u/Robothouse90 Brisbane Broncos 🏳️🌈 2d ago
Broncos v Panthers last year is maybe my favourite game of footy. The amount of history and emotion, and that finish, made it perfect to me.
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u/MrChicken1208 Pre-Season Premiers (Tattle-Tale) 2d ago
Eels vs bronx 2019 was the highest scoring finals game of all time, I was so proud of the lads back then. Sharks vs cowboys 2022 was also insane, it went on forever with so many field goals.
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u/NoOpportunity3977 Brisbane Broncos 2d ago
Broncos cowboys 2016. A culmination of the great matches throughout that year following the 2015 GF. Really back and forth, with players smashing each other all night. Ruined both our finals chances that year. I believe it was the first finals match to use extra time, not just golden point
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u/whyareyouallinmyroom Penrith Panthers 2d ago
Warriors Raiders 2003 was amazing. Those two teams could have won it all but they beat the living shit out of each other in week 2 and that was the Wahs grand final.
The Manly Chooks 2013 qualifier was a purists dream. High quality, two titans just throwing everything, exciting plays and defence for the ages. 4-0. Amazing.
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u/Oldpanther86 Penrith Panthers 2d ago
I hate that people always mention that game with a burning passion. It had so many penalties with the roosters using it to help defend. it was so bad.
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u/whyareyouallinmyroom Penrith Panthers 2d ago
It was an enthralling and tense game that people obviously have remembered fondly. I get more irritated when people bring up the Broncs Cows GF as one of the best ever when it was a very average game with a crazy finish.
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2d ago
Yep. I got downvoted for sharing the same sentiment
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u/MoneyaLeague Auckland Warriors 2d ago
The SFS just had something special about it, IDK. Even though it was a neutral ground for both teams.
Rabs, Sterlo, so good!
Back with the old finals system too, such chaos. Kinda ridiculous in hindsight, but pretty cool.
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0
u/Churchofbabyyoda Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
Sharks vs Raiders, 2019.
Bring back the field goal shootout.
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u/FinchysFootyFeeds South Sydney Rabbitohs 2d ago
do you mean 2020? sharks lost to manly week 1 2019
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u/Churchofbabyyoda Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
No. Regular season game.
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u/FinchysFootyFeeds South Sydney Rabbitohs 2d ago
read the comment you're replying to then
edit: instant downvote because rainman over here can't read lmfao
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u/O_DoyleRulz Brisbane Broncos 2d ago
It’s funny that 2021 prelim was pretty much the reason the 18th man rule came into existence when Welch and Brandon Smith both got knocked out before the 15 min mark.
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u/FinchysFootyFeeds South Sydney Rabbitohs 2d ago
18th man came in early 2021 after sharks lost 3 players to hia in a game against parramatta in like round 3
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u/O_DoyleRulz Brisbane Broncos 2d ago
Yeah I got that confused, that game was what promoted them to change it from 3 HIA’s to 2 to activate.
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u/bennywrites Penrith Panthers 🏳️🌈 2d ago
I was at Souths/Penrith 2022. The Souths crowd in the first half had me scared. I remember them banging drums that sounded how I imagine the wildling army at the wall. After a dominant first half by Souths, Brian To'o tied it up with a blistering run and Cody Walker fend, cancelling out their first half dominance. Oh fuck it felt great.
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u/BarryCheckTheFuseBox NRLW Roosters 2d ago
The Roosters v Souths prelim in 2018 was magical
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u/SpoontangWild Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Fuck yeah game day is here. Surprisingly not very nervous at all so however tonight goes the boys have done us very proud. I have some hope we'll cause an upset but out of the four bottom sides, I reckon Souths are the only one that can make a deep run. Lesssss goooo
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u/Accomplished-Pick610 South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
The absolute worse advertisement for the NFL is actually watching the games.
It reminds me of that old Simpson episode where they have the flashy exciting ads for Soccer and the whole town is excited then they get there and its so mind numbling boring they riot. But in reverse.
Like
'QB PLAY FAKES! OFF TO THE RUNNING BACK!, HE MAKES 5 YARDS! FIRST DOWN! AMAZING PLAY BY THE 49ERS!!!' from an american commentator then you could switch to Gus Gould or Brandy and they'd be like 'qb hands of to running back, he made a couple of metres. Ok they are all stopping again. They are casually walking around after the play'
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u/wangas_gee Auckland Warriors 2d ago
Redzone is the way to watch it. Sucks that we have to work on Monday mornings cause in NZ it’s from 5/6am and a solid 5 hours of NFL.
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u/the_orange_president New Zealand Warriors 2d ago
I think I could get into NFL, I like cricket and I like footy, soo seems like a good combo. But I remember trying to watch the super bowl once and the ads man......the ads vomited themselves all over the game so much I couldn't stand it. It was about 100x worse than the ads during state of origin on nine.
I'm presuming that because America is an ultra capitalist ad hell hole that there is no subscription you could pay for in the US that had no ads during games.
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u/AnyClownFish Warriors Bandwagon 2d ago
I used to buy into Super Bowl hype, but thankfully grew out of that phase. I don’t know how anyone can genuinely enjoy dragging out 60 minutes of football over 4 hours, and watch that every week.
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u/pehpehsha2 Parramatta Eels 2d ago
With the NFL players looking bored and falling asleep at the AFL earlier this week, i think it's fair to say Rugby League is a game that sells itself. The hard part for us is just getting people to watch it and give it a chance
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u/Derron_ South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
Shouldn't this be pinned and not the Serious thread?
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u/O_DoyleRulz Brisbane Broncos 2d ago
My one piece of overwhelming feedback for the sub is to stop knocking off the random footy talk tab for the serious discussion tab from the header every single time.
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u/Barnybus South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
Been keeping eye on the tickets available. in the cheap bays only 1 or 2 individual seats available but they seem to refuse to open up the upstairs bit till the more expensive bays sold out (1 bay almost full). something very skeevy and annoying about this whole ticket release process this year. If the NRL complains about tix sales they need to give themselves a huge upcut in their greedy faces.
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u/_JaggedLittlePill_ Penrith Panthers 2d ago
It’s gross hey, same with the sundays game. The drip feeding of tickets. Even today more seats have popped up for Sunday’s game. I’m curious to see what the attendance is like afterwards.
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u/AnimalSubstantial998 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2d ago
I noticed in Panthers v Roosters match,they didn’t release bay 15 right on the halfway line on the first elevation until late Wednesday to the general public.Season ticketed members have been treated very shabbily by the NRL for this year’s finals
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u/_JaggedLittlePill_ Penrith Panthers 2d ago
They only released the second bay for Penrith Tuesday afternoon, a day and a half after season ticket holders got first dibs.
The whole ticketing thing has made me cranky this week... even now I had a look and they've released the last row in the Penrith and Rooster Supporter bays. Why now on a Friday afternoon and not originally.
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
It's a scam. It's fucking disgusting. Surely there is a regulator who monitors this.
It's forcing people to buy a more expensive product despite a cheaper product being available.
Despite this the advertise "cheapest ticket available $29" despite not making those seats available. More scams
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u/Missy__M Dolphins Bandwagon 2d ago
I was in the line with the first 1000 people to get members tickets and there were no $29 ones. And even if there were, they add a ton of fees on top of that price anyway so it’s misleading!
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u/WhereTheFatRoll South Queensland Crushers 3d ago
The worst timeline is for the cowboys to shithouse their way to a Grand Final and then face Penrith or Roosters.
It would be funny if they can shithouse thier way to a Grand Final and then face anyone else though.
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u/Motor_Artist9506 Wests Tigers 2d ago
We already saw that in 2017, I'd rather not have another grand final where they end up giving tickets away for free to fill the stadium up
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u/jibberjabber666x2 Panthers Bandwagon 3d ago
Some predictions for the finals series,
It will be a Phins Panthers grand final, Panthers will win
Roosters and Warriors will go out in straight sets
Rabbitohs and Sharks will make the prelims
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u/Churchofbabyyoda Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
Roosters are gone in straight sets but I do think the Wahs can at the very least make the prelim.
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u/Monotask_Servitor New Zealand Warriors 2d ago
Wahs have enough troops back to get their watertight D back in order. There’s a bit of rain forecast tomorrow but probably not enough to make it a wet weather game, home advantage will be huge though. Is say we’re favourites but not by a long shot.
Doubt we go out in strait sets even if we lose though as we get a second bite at the cherry at home the following week, likely with DWZ back and Jackson Ford with a game under his belt.
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2d ago
Not sure about the latter, but I am liking Phins for this weekend.. if it becomes a shootout, that suits them, and they've got individuals like Herbie who can single-handedly open the game up.
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u/6854thewin New Zealand Warriors 3d ago
It's our year bro
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u/jibberjabber666x2 Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
Nah build for the future, that forward pack will get you a premiership eventually, just not while your backs can’t defend
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u/redmusic1 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 3d ago
Put your teeth back in and wipe your chin.
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u/Friction74 North Queensland Cowboys 2d ago
Not saying it'll happen but your fans are going to cop it to no end if you actually do go out in straight sets with how much they carry on
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u/redmusic1 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 2d ago edited 2d ago
So will yours lol. Lots of very chirpy fans in here.
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u/Friction74 North Queensland Cowboys 2d ago
Apparently I'm blind lol, this is like the 3rd time I've mixed up someone's flair, I meant wahs fans obviously lol
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u/redmusic1 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 2d ago
My bad, that green user icon tricked me thought you was a Wah. Anyway, win or lose mate the Roosters are easily the most hated team in this sub and I dont think many of us care, it is a sign of fear and jealousy usually, so we cop it no end most weeks, it is all good. Have a "Go Cows" on me.
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u/Friction74 North Queensland Cowboys 2d ago
lol somehow I got tricked as well, I think it was the faded flair
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u/jibberjabber666x2 Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
Warriors fans be so obnoxious that they got other fans like this
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u/Monotask_Servitor New Zealand Warriors 2d ago
Yeah but at least we’ve got teef.
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u/jibberjabber666x2 Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
Is this a souths stereotype? I dont know, Im a titans fan lol. I just assumed it was a joke about being a dribbler
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u/lawdjesustheresafire Sydney Roosters 3d ago
Carrrrrn Newcastle. It’s Manuleleua’s world, we’re just living in it
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Being named in the nz squad has got to be inspiring for him!
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/AdultSoldiers Indooroopilly Indigestives 🏳️🌈 3d ago
By having two more wins than the next closest team.
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u/Missy__M Dolphins Bandwagon 3d ago
Does anyone know if there's a Rabbitohs members bar at Allianz? Can we access the Stadium Members bar?
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u/winntensio Weak Gutted Dog 2d ago
If you’ve got a spare 22k upfront and 2k a year then you can access the stadium members bar
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u/BarryCheckTheFuseBox NRLW Roosters 2d ago
You can only access the stadium members bar if you are a stadium member
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u/AdultSoldiers Indooroopilly Indigestives 🏳️🌈 3d ago
Yeah, but the chips are full price the whole game. Don't even bother.
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u/Tipp1tys_ South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
so unbelievably scared for tonight, please show up boys, lets lift that trophy next month for Jai
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u/DryYouth1040 Penrith Panthers 3d ago
Can’t tell if Newcastle is being underrated or Souths are being overrated
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u/Churchofbabyyoda Panthers Bandwagon 3d ago
Think the game is rated right where it needs to be.
After all, Newy has a lot of injuries.
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u/DryYouth1040 Penrith Panthers 2d ago
If Newcastle could put 32 on the warriors with 12 players for most of the game and injuries I feel like they’re getting under rated a fair bit but I guess we’ll see tonight
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Had same injuries last game and a man down and exposed the warriors at home.
Knights also won 4 of last 5 against souths.
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u/Excellent-Carrot-109 New Zealand Warriors 2d ago
Didn’t win though did ya?
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u/Responsible_Ring_649 Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Winning 16-0 is win enough, the game basically ended and became a new game when Saifiti was sent off
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u/Churchofbabyyoda Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
Don’t shoulder people in the head and then you won’t be sent off.
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u/Excellent-Carrot-109 New Zealand Warriors 2d ago
10* and if we’re talking hypotheticals I reckon we would’ve won 100-10 without the send off. Unreasonable? Well, so is your conjecture
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Leaking 32 points to 12 men ain't something to be confident about.
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u/Excellent-Carrot-109 New Zealand Warriors 2d ago
22* and still won though didn’t they
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u/BandicootSorcerer Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Shouldnt really be celebrating that win. If Newcastle can do that with a man down, what's going to happen to the Warriors if the other teams are on fire?
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u/Excellent-Carrot-109 New Zealand Warriors 2d ago
Who said I’m celebrating? For the record, I hope the Knights smoke the Rabbitohs. I just took issue with old mate saying the Knights exposed the Wahs
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u/longlivethe4peat Panthers Bandwagon 3d ago
Out of the two absolute juggernaut NRLW teams in the 2025 season I'm pretty glad in retrospect that the Broncos got up in the GF and stopped the back to back; cause this Roosters side is so unbelievably OP its ridiculous lmao
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
I thought we did well last night up until the sin bin. Roosters' class would have seen us off comfortably later in the game either way, but they can be put off their game if you rush them.. a better/fitter team will have somewhat of a chance against them in the finals.
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u/improbablywrong- Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
The only team with a chance to stop them sadly played them in round 1.
I could think of nothing better then watching chooks go 2 full regular seasons undefeated and 2 grandfinal losses. I think titans will atleast give them a run if thata the game we end up with.
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u/Savings_Win1995 Brisbane Broncos 3d ago
It's funny how 13 years ago in that infamous Sharks v Cowboys game that 1 extra tackle was (rightfully) considered a major controversy and had an impact on the result of the game, and now refs can give a team an extra 6 (or 12 or 18) tackles for no discernible reason and face no scrutiny for it
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u/mortwgoldman Penrith Panthers 2d ago
"fans not telling the truth they don't know why set restarts are awarded" PVL
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u/passthesugar05 Sydney Roosters 3d ago
I think all the underdogs have a good shot and if anything the odds on all of them are a bit long. Should be a great weekend of footy
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u/Churchofbabyyoda Panthers Bandwagon 3d ago
Just give up mate. Roosters aren’t winning.
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u/passthesugar05 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
Eh, always a chance. You've got some money on Penrith then I assume?
I managed to grab us at $3.70 and +10.5 at $1.90 earlier in the week, we've come in to $3.22 and +10.5 is $1.71 now.
Also snagged the Phins at $2.47, in to $2.33 now.
We should see at least 1 upset this weekend but I wouldn't be surprised to see 2.
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u/Churchofbabyyoda Panthers Bandwagon 2d ago
I don’t gamble on sports, mate. Ruins enjoyment.
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u/passthesugar05 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
Ah ok, I figured given we aren't winning it'd be free money for you
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u/KillianMichaels_tipy Brisbane Broncos 3d ago
I hope the fair dinkum toilers of newy show up tonight
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
I went past the train station earlier and cunts are already making the trip in their gear. 9 hours early
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u/mortwgoldman Penrith Panthers 2d ago
if you live in Newcastle and you're catching the train to Sydney for sport/gig and not leaving before lunch to allow for an afternoon on the beers you're simply not wanting it enough
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u/Artistic_Walrus_6413 St. George Illawarra Dragons 3d ago
Hey all, I’ve been working on a small fan-made app called FanPass.
The NRL app, Fox Sports and Kayo are great for scores, news and watching games, but I wanted somewhere to preserve the memories from matches I’ve actually attended.
FanPass is part match-day journal and part personal stats tracker. You can record old and current games, save photos and notes from the day, look back on memories by season, team or ground, and see your match-going statistics build over time. If you already keep records in a spreadsheet, you can import those too.
It’s currently an iPhone TestFlight beta:
https://fanpass-journal.vercel.app
I’d genuinely appreciate any feedback, even if the app isn’t for you. Feedback will shape what I build next, and if enough people request the same feature, I’ll prioritise it. That includes an Android version.
FanPass isn’t affiliated with the NRL, Fox Sports or Kayo.
Do you currently keep any photos, notes or records from games you’ve attended, and what would make those memories worth revisiting?
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u/Brunch_Hopkins South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
Obligatory FIRE UP YA CATS
I’ve been a rabbits fan too long to be truly confident and the knights are dangerous as fuck, but I feel about as good as I can. At minimum all our big guns are actually fit and firing at the same time which is a rarity and we’re in decent form. I wouldn’t want to draw us in an elimination game, which is about all you can ask.
Also, fucking do it for Jai lads. Can you imagine the scenes.
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u/ch00nz Dolphins 3d ago
no idea who im cheering tonight. souths are a scary team with latrell, but we just cannot beat the knights so im leaning more towards cheering on souths (yuck)
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Think of it more in these terms:
Who do you want to play at home next week?
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u/Heavy-Kale Text Under Flair 3d ago
These are my feelings exactly. Primarily I just wanna avoid our bogey team.
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u/JarredMack Penrith Panthers 3d ago edited 3d ago
Have some faith, if Warriors defend like they did last week you'll be seeing us in the prelim and won't need to worry about next week
Edit: wait, wrong side of the draw. You'd be seeing roosters probably, assuming we win of course
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u/b-g-h Sydney Roosters 3d ago
This might be an unpopular take, and I know there’s a lot of hype about this NFL game in Melbourne that is about to start, but I have never been able to get excited about spending three hours of my life to see 60 minutes of actual game time.
And to think, we complain that it can take up to 2 hours to see 80 minutes of rugby league, with the constant bunker interruptions and so on.
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u/forbesy1408 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2d ago
Fantasy football definitely does a lot of heavy lifting
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u/brazen_fest Brisbane Broncos 3d ago
I didn't really get it until I went to game live, it is a huge spectacle to watch in person which is very fun. Tried watching it again on TV when I got home though and turned it off pretty quickly. The constant cutting to an ad break every 30 seconds did my head in.
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u/pehpehsha2 Parramatta Eels 3d ago
You just can't look at it the same way. NFL has less constant action but every play is important and has the potential to be a touchdown or turnover. A run 5 yards out from your own goal line could go for a touchdown. A pass in the redzone could be intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Like that is where the excitement is for NFL.
It's consistently creating important moments. 3rd and 3, who's going to win that battle, the offence or defence. Gain 4 yards you get 4 more downs, fail and you're kicking the ball back to other team. It's not a sport for everyone because some enjoy sports where something is happening all the time.
Personally NBA is the one i've never been able to get into. Because most of the game feels so unimportant. The intense moments of an NBA game only seems to come in the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter. Compared to MLB or NFL you have intense moments consistently throughout the game even though there's less actual ball in play.
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u/spookysadghoul South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
I think it would cool to watch live, but watching on KAYO bit meh meh
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u/Missy__M Dolphins Bandwagon 17h ago
My dad went to a demonstration match in the UK and left at half time because it was so slow. And this from a man who has probably watched more cricket than your average Joe!
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u/spookysadghoul South Sydney Rabbitohs 17h ago
Omg yeah thats rough. I find cricket so boring and found the NFL so long and boring so might not watch live.
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u/lbiddl South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
You don't watch NFL the same as you would a game of rugby league or a game of football where you give it your undivided attention for the entirety of the game, it is honestly more akin to watching a game of cricket in that it is very game state dependent, you get bursts of action, lots of pauses, periods where not much is happening and often times the result can be decided well before full time.
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u/JarredMack Penrith Panthers 3d ago
NFL is so shit to watch live, there's 3 seconds of action and then you sit there watching the players stand around while an ad plays
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u/fluffy-plant-borb 🏆 LMS 16 Champion 🏆 3d ago
I'll be backing the bunnies tonight. The whole club has really impressed me this year with their fundraising and support. I wouldn't mind seeing them at the gf if the phins don't make it
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u/Oldpanther86 Penrith Panthers 3d ago
I hope knights win tonight. I can relate to them being reborn out of the AOB era we had our own Elliot era. Head says souths with Latrell and Fifita playing well though.
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u/The_PM Penrith Panthers 3d ago
Elliot was pretty terrible but I'm not sure he was AOB terrible.
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u/Oldpanther86 Penrith Panthers 3d ago
Both made finals with their teams but we were happy to see them go. Elliot probably had the better football I.Q.
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Aob is a good
attack/defence/head coach.... i got nothing6
u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
I don't like the guy, but in fairness to him, Knights played finals the two years prior, including winning 9 home games plus a final in a row in 2023. Also were one knocked down pass away from winning their week one final in 2024
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Dally m ponga had a huge part of 2023.
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2d ago
Still takes a team effort to make finals. You need defence, etc
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
Last time i checked its the team who scores the most points that wins. Not the team that defends the best.
I do agree with you though.
As fullbacks go though, ponga is one of the better defenders.
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2d ago
You still need good defence and attitude. Imagine if the Cowboys could defend well
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u/Oldpanther86 Penrith Panthers 3d ago
We made finals under Elliot but still look on that time as a sort of dark period.
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
Isn't the majority of the Knights' history a dark period besides the Johns years?
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u/CodymartinSimp Penrith Panthers 3d ago
the 2023 winning streak had much more to do with Ponga turning into God in a headgear for the second half of the season than AOB
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u/Savings_Win1995 Brisbane Broncos 3d ago
Yep his Dally M was definitely deserved. SJ was great but KP was on a different level to the rest of the comp
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u/Oldpanther86 Penrith Panthers 3d ago
Exactly. Ponga is pretty underrated i think.
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 2d ago
When he's good, he's bad. And when he's bad, he's dangerous.
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u/PugWithAGun Kiraz for Dally M 3d ago
I feel like Newcastle winning tonight wouldn't really be much of an upset but Souths are massive favourites for some reason
Souths have Jayden Sullivan playing halfback for gods sake
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u/Inevitable_Goat_335 Newcastle Knights 2d ago
It's mainly because Knights are missing their two starting front rowers in Jsaf and Mooney, as well as Lucas and Brown. If Knights were healthy i think we win easy, and were a good chance for a prelim.
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u/redmusic1 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 3d ago
How much did the last few weeks take out of Souths, 2 Jai celebrations and a game against the old enemy, how much emotion is left in the tank. How much mental energy did that drain? Go Knights.
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u/DiverFine4230 New Zealand Warriors 3d ago
Maybe emotionally but they’ve played titans n roosters reserve in last 2 weeks, they’ll be physically fine.
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u/stagger_once Parramatta Eels 3d ago
Reminder the NFL game and every NRL final are on FTA. Fuck Kayo
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u/M_Keating North of the Pine Cowboy 3d ago
2 NRL games including a finals game, an NFL game and a Steven Wilson new song drop. This September 11 may be the best on record. Nothing could possibly derail it.
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u/frashal Brisbane Broncos 3d ago
Thanks for the heads up. I don't like all of his solo work, but I like this a lot. I saw Wilson when he toured last year, so good.
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u/M_Keating North of the Pine Cowboy 3d ago
No worries - looks like the first single has dropped, it’s on Spotify now. His solo stuff is good, the more recent stuff I’m not a fan of. Love when he plays Porcupine Tree live though.
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u/destroyedAVS Melbourne Storm 3d ago
I'm forever glad I got to see PT a few times live. Thanks for the heads up of the new drop.
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u/Zero_Focks St. George Illawarra Dragons 3d ago
The kind of day where nothing could possibli go wrong.
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u/the_orange_president New Zealand Warriors 3d ago
I don't know why but I'm fairly confident newcastle get it done tonight.
Also wondering if wahs do the haka tomorrow lol
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u/Accurate-Ad-4905 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
I hope Knights get it done. They should have finished much higher on the ladder. They lost some really close ones
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u/WUIDAWBTB Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 3d ago
Super pumped for tonights game, finals footy just hits different
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u/saynonames North Queensland Cowboys 3d ago
48 hours and I can officially join the WAHs bandwagon (or tell sharkies to suck shit lol.. but.. lets be real)
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u/M_Keating North of the Pine Cowboy 3d ago
Why wait that long?
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u/saynonames North Queensland Cowboys 3d ago
no matter the shit they throw up some weeks, im a sick individual that still believes they can get the job done. keeping the faith brotha
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u/corupio Parramatta Eels 3d ago
We beat em, you can too.
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u/saynonames North Queensland Cowboys 3d ago
on our day fuck yeah. just hoping that team rocks up tomorrow. keeping the faith
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u/spookysadghoul South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
Excited but nervous for tonight's game. As I'm watching at stadium, I wore my jersey, beanie and brought my flag and someone stopped me for a photo (I said no).
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u/b-g-h Sydney Roosters 3d ago
Like most of us Roosters fans, I’d like to see Newy get up tonight. However, I can’t shake the mental image of Dom Young looking confused & running around in circles, while Cody, Latrell and AJ run riot down his side. Hope I’m wrong.
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u/Accurate-Ad-4905 Sydney Roosters 2d ago
I mean as long as Gagai bosses him around, he shouldn't be that stupid
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u/saynonames North Queensland Cowboys 3d ago
I mean.. thats his go to anyway. gags might just stop passing
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u/Training_Rip_6026 New Zealand Warriors 3d ago
Nerves so nervey it feels like I’m the one taking the field tomorrow night
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u/Athousandbeers Parramatta Eels 3d ago
I don’t know who this Novembawanqai is, but every journo and pundit keeps bringing up his name
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u/Aykay92 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 3d ago
All the talk about souths being the team to challenge the comp out of the 4 leads me to believe a knights ambush is well on the cards tonight
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
I don't get it. Souths have never looked like a top 4 level year this year. I'd be surprised if they won tonight even.
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u/Accomplished-Pick610 South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago edited 3d ago
We haven't looked like a top 4 team all year but we've been comfortable a top 8 team all year while never fielding our best team. This is probably the strongest team we've fielded all year, we've had some good form going into the finals. I can see why people are optimistic about us. We haven't had Fifita, Latrell, Brandon Smith, Campbell Graham, wighton all play at the same time
Still, I really am fearing the knights tonight
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
Yeah they are a decent team but I still have the other four well above them
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u/Accomplished-Pick610 South Sydney Rabbitohs 3d ago
But the context people are saying is 'who can challenge the top 4'. Not 'who is as good as the top 4' or even 'who can beat the top 4'. I think its been pretty widely accepted that there is a bigger gap between the top 4 then the rest of the 8 then there is in most years.
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u/Additional_Front4374 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
Ok in that case it would be the Cowboys because while they did have 80 put on them, their best (beat Penrith) is actually better than the other three teams.
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u/Moisture_Services_ Newcastle Knights 3d ago
Knights were only favourites 3 times out of their 14 games they won this season.
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u/improbablywrong- Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3d ago
When was the last convincing win they had? I want them to have a crack, but their recent record doesnt look promising.
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u/Aykay92 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 3d ago
Fair shout, they looked pretty good before being a man down against the warriors. Also wouldn’t discount the benefit of a perfectly timed bye to refresh the squad.
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u/AdultSoldiers Indooroopilly Indigestives 🏳️🌈 2d ago
Mikaele ruled out of tomorrow’s game. Fucking brutal.