The Wrap – 12/7/21
No-Go for Warriors homecoming
Unfortunately the Warriors long awaited return to New Zealand has been put on hold indefinitely with the current COVID situation in NSW.
The Warriors will likely play the remainder of their matches in Australia with the QLD hub expected to extend until the end of the season.
The Warriors have had to endure more than any other other club, shifting their entire team and personnel to another country to help keep the competition going, and this is another sacrifice they will make.
This is also unfortunate for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Warriors fans who won’t get a chance to farewell their captain on home soil before he shifts to Rugby Union next year.
Can he give them one more finals run before leaving???
Backwards Benji
Plenty of debate around what Sam Walker did last Saturday night, running the ball backwards on the last play of the game.
“It’s not in the spirit of the game” were the calls from one side, while the other (including coach Trent Robinson) called it “smart”.
I hear both sides but it’s way down the line on things to argue about. I would rather see that on the last play then 6 tackles of slow play the balls and players feigning cramp.
But on that play, he’s not only one to do it.
Many remember the Famous one from Tony Iro at the Adelaide Rams in 1998, but he wasn’t the only one.
In 2011 the then NZ Test captain Benji Marshall ran back 20 metres to kill the last play in a round 14 matchup against the Warriors, much to the distain of the NZ crowd.
The greats learn these smart plays early.
(skip to 4:17 in the video below)
Kurt Mann extends
Barry Toohey has reported that Kurt Mann has extended with the Knights for a further 2 years.
Since we’re talking last play options, this was brought up today around Kurt Mann by Alicia Newton on Twitter.
Trying to kill the last play by kicking it backwards, Mann didn’t quite get hold of it and the opposition picked it up to score a try and would go on to level the game up with a conversion.
Luckily Mann’s Knights went on to win the game in Golden Point otherwise it would be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Maroons call for back up
Coen Hess has been called into the QLD Maroons squad.
18th man for Game 2 but initially overlooked for selection in Game 3, Paul Green has called him in alongside Kurt Mann as 19th man for Wednesday night.
Pearce backs move
The Knights will join the Sunshine Coast hub this week, and Mitchell Pearce has backed the NRL and the plan going forward, and accepts that players will have to make some sacrifices.
“From the players’ point of view we were all aware that it [relocating] was always a possibility,” Pearce said via NRL.com
“I know a lot of the boys are talking like that this morning when coming through the doors that we’re being paid good money and we’ve got a job to do.”
“There’s a lot of gratitude for the fact we get paid to do what we love, which if you ask any player in the NRL we live a privileged life in that regard.”
Blues for 2
NSW hooker Damien Cook thinks it fair that after QLD get to host all 3 games in 2021, that NSW gets to host at least 2 next year.
“We’d probably have to even it up next year. I think it would be great to have at least two of the games in NSW, even if that means one in Newcastle,” Cook told the Daily Telegraph
“It would be nice to give them (NSW fans) a couple of games. That would be my biased opinion but then again they did have all three games in Queensland.
“A lot of NSW fans have supported us and they’ve done everything they could to get to the games. It would be a great way to say thank you to NSW fans.”
Honestly was so excited to hear that footy mad Newcastle was going to host an Origin.
I remember the scenes of the that 1997 celebrations and knew we would getting close to that for an Origin. It would have been awesome.
Hopefully the NRL at least look at it as an option for next year.
– Uncle Roasty
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