2010 NRL Season Preview - North Queensland Cowboys

They have missed the finals the last two seasons and it's hard to predict otherwise for 2010.

Aaron Payne's injury last year was a disaster for the 2009 Cowboys and 2010 will be a lot similar unless they take the pressure off Jonathan Thurston. Matthew Bowen is already missing the first part of the season and as we know, it takes footballers at least 18 months to properly recover from knee surgery. E.g. Willie Tonga and Willie Mason.

How do they become more than a one man team? Here are a few things that might help....

Inspiration. The Cowboys need to be correctly motivated.

Support. Cowboys fans are a rare breed (as you can see) and need to get right behind their club.

Aside from the above suggestions, what they may already have on their side this year is the retirement of Shannon Hegarty. If you have a mate who is a Souths fan, ask him/her what they think of 'Hegs'. Souths supporters have never hated anyone more than they hated S. Hegarty from 2005 to 2008. So much so that they were resigned to losing if he was named in the starting line up.

Why?

From what I heard, it was something about his defence. He allegedly cost the bunnies a few games during his tenure at Redfern. One of the positives to come out of this insanity was when Hegarty signed with the Cowboys for 2009. The tipping competition I was in (traditionally a very spirited affair) suddenly had a few Souths fans at the top of the table. Reason? They were tipping against the Cowboys everytime Hegarty started and subsequently predicted the horror season that ensued in Townsville. Was he really that bad?

I say no - and Shannon, we bid you a fond farewell and hearty thanks for your years of service to the Greatest Game of All. Except the years you played for Souths and your appearances for QLD.

Moving on, the questions must be asked:
What will Shannon Hegarty do in retirement? The mind boggles.
Will Shannon Hegarty turn up coaching juniors in the near future? Stop talking about him!
Has Shannon Hegarty fever made me start yelling at myself on this blog? Make it stop!
Do Fox Sports executives think Shannon Hegarty is a future league analyst and if so, is he up to the standards set by Laurie Daley, Simon Woolford and the ever informative Gary Freeman? Maybe... but more importantly where is the sarcasm button on this damn keyboard?

Tip - The Cowboys find Shannon Hegarty irreplaceable and just miss the semi finals.
X Factor – Aaron Payne. Very simple - if he goes well, they win.
Premiership odds - $26.00. In all seriousness, if Carl Webb moves to the bench and the rest of their pack really aim up, they can give it a shake.
Breakout season - Ray Thompson. Played one game of 1st grade last year and could be the answer to their problems at five-eighth. Keep an eye out for him.

2010 NRL Season Preview - Sydney Roosters

The 2009 Sydney Roosters resembled a group of high school graduates on a 'gap year'. A bunch of backpackers rather than a 1st grade football team.

Craig Fitzgibbon couldn't quite get the boys motivated for last year. Here's why...

 The Roosters adopted the following backpackers travel itinerary, which replaced their fixture card for season 2009:

1. Land at Heathrow
2. Drinks every night to settle in. (read 'pre-season training')
3. Jump on a train to Prague for more drinks. (read 'away game at Brisbane')
4. Head back to our pad in London for a party. (Read 'Coogee Bay Hotel')
5. Over to Amsterdam for the long weekend. (read 'Central Coast Hotel which apparently had no ensuites')
6. Back to London to work in a pub. (read 'Bondi Hotel during the bye weekend')
7. Over to the Greek Islands. (read 'away game against Melbourne')
8. Visit Rome and Paris for a taste of European culture. (read 'Canberra and the Gold Coast')
9. E-mail Mum and Dad asking for more money. (literal)

The Roosters 'gap year'? Photo from SMH website and I couldn't resist using it. So apt.

Mitchell Pearce asking father Wayne for some holiday spending money.

This Roosters team started their 'end of season trip' in about April, 2009 and in charge of festivities was a more than capable Brad Fittler. Now they are back from holidays and about to start Uni with a new professor: Brian Smith.
The party is over for these blokes - imagine the difference between Smith and Fittler? If you'll permit another vague analogy, this must be like when your regular teacher comes back from a sick day. The substitute teacher was just killing time and you took full advantage. The 2009 Roosters team did just that.

So many questions about this fantasy classroom:
Were Nate Myles and Jake Friend the two class clowns? One got suspended, the other expelled.

Brisbane players begging Nate Myles to hold it in.

Was Braith Anasta the class nerd? I can picture him drinking breezers and heading home early.
Was Willie Mason the serial truant? Absolutely, and when not recovering from knee surgery last year, Willie's ADHD must have been a great source of entertainment during bonding sessions.
Moving on to this year:
Is new signing Jason Ryles the missing link for 2010? In more ways than one.
Will Todd Carney be banned from another city apart from Goulburn? He can’t possibly get into any trouble living in the Eastern Suburbs!!!
One final question...

Will Roosters fans once again turn out in record numbers for 2010?

Tip - The Roosters begin their re-education this year and will be better for it. They finish outside the 8 but fans will find out which players are fairdinkum.
X Factor – Mitchell Pearce is a star who will be better off listening to Brian Smith's advice as opposed to a slurring Freddy Fittler.
Premiership odds - $26.00. This year is not about premierships for the Bondi club.
Breakout season - Ciriaco Mescia. He is our tip to be a truly inspiring figure as High Performance Manager for the Roosters this year. For those of you who remember ‘Cherry’… you’ll know he was always about 'High Performance' as shown in these career statistics.

2010 NRL Season Preview - Brisbane Broncos

The 2010 Brisbane Broncos season preview in pictures.

Joel Clinton was fined $50,000 last year for inviting a woman to his hotel room. I wonder what the above type of liaison will cost. Two things of note in this picture:

1.  notice the fans having a giggle?  and doing just what this blog hopes to do... put the fun back into Rugby League.

2. that touch judge wants in. He's obviously got nothing better to do.

Brisbane supporters know how to enjoy their footy. This bloke was in a shout with Tim Smith during the pre-season.

Ladies and Gentleman - your 2010 Brisbane Broncos Synchronised Swimming Team.

Question: How many opposition players will Justin Hodges annoy this year? Answer: 245.

ABC's 'Four Corners' may want to investigate the group sex culture in Brisbane.

Ultimately, more questions must be asked.

Is Peter Wallace home sick? Rumour has it that he is and Tim Smith will be halfback before round 10.

If the above weidler-esque rubbish is true - where will Wallace end up? Mail says the Dragons.

Speaking of Danny Weidler and comical Rugby League journalism - check out this link to a forum for unhappy punters. Quality.

Can the "Black Prince" alone carry the hopes of an entire state, as well as the Broncos for another year? How dare we doubt this champion, this future immortal and our country's captain?!? Of course he can.

Why is Darren Lockyer the "Black Prince"? My mate 'Box' came up with this one. D. Lockyer is one of the best footballers our generation has seen, but he is a Queenslander. This veil of darkness hangs over all of his magnificence.

Will Ashton, Tariq and Korbin Sims be the next Walters trio? Only time will tell. They look like triplets and here's to you Mrs Sims for your quality genes.

Will the turnstile defence of centre Steve Michaels improve this year? And if not, can I bet on this? I'll open a book and start with tries scored against him.... over/under 22 at 1.90.

Tip - Still good enough despite some experts predicting they miss the eight. I disagree. They finish 6th.

X Factor – Darren Lockyer. This soldier must not have any cartilage left in either knee. A true Rugby League star and if healthy, will carry them to the semi finals.
Premiership odds - $21.00. Probably a fair assessment but they still have a quality outfit and this might be worth a bet.
Breakout season - Corey Norman. By all reports has been impressive in trials and will get his shot in 1st grade soon. Great footwork.