This Sporting Life

[Ken Gargett]

 

This was supposed to be a regular update for the forum on the progress of the NRL after 8 rounds, but it has all become a bit messy. Some ups and downs.

Big weekend of sport all round. All the footy around Australia, the NFL draft, the Gunners to take on Manspew – as that is away from home then we can rule it out already as a very bad joke.

This afternoon, went to the Reds for the Super Rugby game v the Lions. Given that we have been warm and cold at best this year, and playing the side who came into the weekend top of the table, and last week flogged the NSW mob to nil (loved that), don’t hold your breath. It could get ugly.

Also, the Reds have managed a woeful 15 tries in 8 games.

By half time, it is 24-0 and we have run in four tries and looking brilliant. Who can tell? As Rob was at the ballet (don’t laugh), I'm texting scores. The biggest down of the weekend and one monumental kickarse, cringeworthy stuff-up, for the half time report I texted without looking and sent the report to a girl with whom I have just broken up, a week or so ago. Oh crap! And after I may have mentioned that I would be extremely busy for the next month with work, no time to even talk to anyone, and that I had cancelled everything for work commitments. And she gets a Reds half time report. She must have wondered what the hell I was on about, sending her a text about our dimwitted centre, kicking when we had a four on one overlap. The phone was put away. That is a call I am now dreading.

Mind you, the texting had got a good workout on Friday evening with Rob at the Singapore airport coming home and keen for updates on the Broncos v Souths (perhaps I should check all went to their intended audience). I was doing voice to text and firing it off. So, when the moronic ref made some horror decisions, poor Rob gets a long tirade of expletives.

The Draft? Always fun. I think that the Giants have probably been best so far. And not happy about that. We desperately needed help on the DL and that meant Vea or Payne. All of the mocks that had one of those two coming to us seemed split. Vea the bigger and harder to move. Payne, younger, more agile, more upside but perhaps not quite as useful against the pass at the moment. I wanted Payne and miraculously we took him – Bucs took Vea the pick before. Be interested to watch how they both go.

We had a 2^nd (pick 44) but no 3^rd, as we traded for our new QB, Smith. All the mocks that did not have DL to us had RB Guice. At 13^th. So there seemed no way we could get them both. And we desperately need a quality RB (happy for any fans who disagree with any of this to chime in). Guice was regularly listed as the 2^nd best RB in the draft and a very likely first round pick. Then came late characters issues. He seems to have a mouth. And no idea of how not to say stupid things, but he is hardly alone in the NFL or sport with that. There were rumours that when he visited the Eagles pre-draft, that he got into a fight with the RB coach (not the best way to get drafted or start a career) but he denied all this. So, he falls to us at 44 with something like 7 RBs going before him. Whacko! How lucky.

But wait…

So, the FO decide to trade back and really didn’t get that great a deal. We drop 15 places and lose later picks but get a 3^rd. Not happy. Seriously not happy. I mean, seriously annoyed. Really pissed. Lord, I detest Bruce Allen.

But then, unbelievably, all the sides between us at 44 and 59 have RBs or decide to avoid the character question. He is still there. The bloke many thought we’d take at 13! Still there at 59. Fortunately, we take him this time. So, NFC East now has Elliott, Barkley, Ajayi and Guice. Wow! This may turn out to be the greatest collection of RBs in any division ever. Thankfully we went DL first up!

3^rd round, a bit of a bolter. Christian, a possible tackle. No one seems to know too much about him but some suggestions that he does have lots of potential. We really needed a LG, but he may fit. A good one for the future (should you use a 3^rd round pick on the future?). Love Trent W. Best LT in the game. But he does have dodgy knees. One of those gems who will play through the sort of pain that puts others out for weeks. But even he has a ‘use by’ date. This guy has time to learn.

Well, so much for the NRL. And the scumbags sitting in the bunker. They are on my ‘to do’ list. I'll get there very soon.