Dear friends,
This will be our very last post on this blog page. On behalf of Ladies who League I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone for your support and for making our community what it is. We could not have done it without you.
Our big news is that we are very proud to unveil our new website:
www.ladieswholeague.com
Please drop by and pay us a visit. All blogs on this page will be transferred there over time.
Love,
Ladies who League
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
The Face of Rugby League - and the features that fit
I have always considered Anthony Minichiello to be the 'true' face of rugby league prior to the National Rugby League making it official on 11 February 2014. Having had the pleasure of meeting Anthony in 2004 spontaneously, he's a wonderful speaker, kind, polite and genuinely happy to talk about the game - in an objective way.
Anthony is from Liverpool in Sydney's west which is right in the middle of Rugby League's heartland. Now and then if a player joins the Sydney Roosters, they are perceived to be joining the 'latte set' or silvertails. Anthony is still the same guy who ran onto the field for the Sydney Roosters in February 2000 and has only ever got into strife in 2004 after a State of Origin team bonding session gone too far - subsequently being sacked from the team. Thankfully, the NSW selectors gave him a second chance and New South Wales won the series - something that has eluded the New South Wales Blues since 2005.
In 2004 Anthony went on to win the Dally M Fullback of the year and the Harry Sunderland medal - personal awards only bestowed upon those who put the team first and shine that bit brighter...week in and week out. Anthony continued to achieve, achieve & achieve in 2005 which included his winning the Golden Boot award as the International Player of the Year.
As we all know, life is a rollercoaster and between 2006 and 2010 was one giant curveball for Anthony and the Sydney Roosters with his recurring back injury. For this Sydney Rooster supporter, patience was hard to hang on to at times in this period, but in typical Minichiello magnificence, Anthony continued to play 110% when back on the field and the Sydney Roosters played in their fourth grand final in a decade - an accomplishment only true leadership can manage. There's also 2013's sensational year for Anthony which included plenty of silverware and a baby girl to boot.
Not surprisingly, the 'poster boy curse' has been highlighted and for good reason. The experiences of wonderful players such as Benji Marshall, Brett Stewart, Todd Carney & Ben Barba after their appointment of the Face of Rugby League have been upsetting, unfortunate and incredibly frustrating for fans. I don't have a crystal ball though I have all the faith in the world that Anthony will lead the National Rugby League to its best year yet.
Facial features are unique, usually run in the family and nowadays become altered all too easily with the help of cosmetic surgery. Anthony is an enlightening choice for 2014 as his face is one of an inspirational leader who's features hold the potential to make dreams come true.
Love
Ladies who League
Anthony is from Liverpool in Sydney's west which is right in the middle of Rugby League's heartland. Now and then if a player joins the Sydney Roosters, they are perceived to be joining the 'latte set' or silvertails. Anthony is still the same guy who ran onto the field for the Sydney Roosters in February 2000 and has only ever got into strife in 2004 after a State of Origin team bonding session gone too far - subsequently being sacked from the team. Thankfully, the NSW selectors gave him a second chance and New South Wales won the series - something that has eluded the New South Wales Blues since 2005.
In 2004 Anthony went on to win the Dally M Fullback of the year and the Harry Sunderland medal - personal awards only bestowed upon those who put the team first and shine that bit brighter...week in and week out. Anthony continued to achieve, achieve & achieve in 2005 which included his winning the Golden Boot award as the International Player of the Year.
As we all know, life is a rollercoaster and between 2006 and 2010 was one giant curveball for Anthony and the Sydney Roosters with his recurring back injury. For this Sydney Rooster supporter, patience was hard to hang on to at times in this period, but in typical Minichiello magnificence, Anthony continued to play 110% when back on the field and the Sydney Roosters played in their fourth grand final in a decade - an accomplishment only true leadership can manage. There's also 2013's sensational year for Anthony which included plenty of silverware and a baby girl to boot.
Not surprisingly, the 'poster boy curse' has been highlighted and for good reason. The experiences of wonderful players such as Benji Marshall, Brett Stewart, Todd Carney & Ben Barba after their appointment of the Face of Rugby League have been upsetting, unfortunate and incredibly frustrating for fans. I don't have a crystal ball though I have all the faith in the world that Anthony will lead the National Rugby League to its best year yet.
Facial features are unique, usually run in the family and nowadays become altered all too easily with the help of cosmetic surgery. Anthony is an enlightening choice for 2014 as his face is one of an inspirational leader who's features hold the potential to make dreams come true.
Love
Ladies who League
Saturday, February 22, 2014
NRL Fans, this is my call to you! - By Kristine
NRL fans, the 2014 season is nearly upon us and I hope you
are all as excited as I am to have the magic return! Unfortunately, this season
I’m looking forward to watching the games in solitude, in the privacy of my own
home, rather than out with other fans. Why? Because in short, NRL fans suck.
Basically, NRL fans are temperamental and unpredictable. What I mean is that they pick and choose when to be fans and when not to be. It’s easy to be a fan when you’re winning but the true fans are those who stay when the team is in a rut; those who are there for the long haul. Now, most NRL fans will stick around when their team is losing which is great, but it’s the attitude in which they do so that bothers me. What is the point of being a fan if you are going to sit through the whole match complaining about every little referee decision because it’s arguably not in your favour and complaining about every pass, kick, tackle, decision and mistake made by your team. That’s hardly supportive. I understand that everyone has opinions on how to win but I think the best types of fans are those who take their team for what they are and love them and encourage them anyway. It honestly does the team no good when their fans sit there sulking about the poor form. You cannot always be on top of the ladder. As fans, the most we can ask for is effort and as long as the team shows that, we should be positive fans! Do you think the players don’t already know that they played poorly? They’re not stupid. The last thing they need is for their fans to add to the criticism, the pressure, the guilt and the emptiness that comes with losing. The fans are there to lift the team up after a loss, not add insult to injury and kick them when they’re down. The fans are there to show hope, faith and confidence, not bully the team into low self-esteem.
As a Dragons fan I see this a lot and it disappoints me more and more every time. The fans need to lower their expectations and set small goals for the team so that they can achieve those goals and gradually build up their skills and confidence. Instead of unrealistically expecting your team to go from last to first, how about expect them to come 10th or win half their games. This way, when the goal is achieved, the fans are positive and the team is lifted and are ready to launch into the New Year with some confidence. This comes down to having patience and unfortunately NRL fans seem to lack that. No one is willing to wait ten years for their team to build success. They want it instantly. No one is willing to wait for their under 20s teams to develop into champions, they’d rather just chase the current stars and pay millions to steal them from other teams. No one is willing to wait for a team to gel together, they just expect them to be able to play like the Harlem Globetrotters from the get go. It’s unfair on the players and although many people use “passion” as their excuse, in my eyes, it’s just adding negativity to a club that is already pretty down on itself. It’s not passion, it’s aggressive, it’s forceful and it’s bullying.
I really want to be able to enjoy NRL games whether my team wins or loses but it’s hard to have fun at a game when everybody around you is cursing at the players, the referees, the match and the coach and are being incredible pessimistic towards their team. If this is off putting for me, imagine how off putting it is for a mother or father bringing their young children? It's not the atmosphere that should exist at the footy. It’s hard to enjoy the games when hardly any fans show up just because they don’t have faith that their team might win. We have a great game but the fans are ruining it. It’s quite a shame.
So this is my call to you: change your attitude, change your
mentality, change your ways! Be supportive of your team, not critical.
Encourage them no matter how badly they are playing. Tell your players you love
them and the team after every thrashing and let them know that you will be
there through thick and thin, full of faith and confidence. They give us the
greatest game of all, they deserve better!
Love,
Ladies Who League
Love,
Ladies Who League
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Simply Obsessed - by Mary
On a day where the entire rugby league
community is talking about Sam Burgess deciding to make the switch to Rugby
Union at the end of the 2014 season, I thought I might do something different.
Now that we have reached February, NRL season is well and truly on its way back. The season is feeling just that little bit closer now with the conclusion of what I thought was an excellent Auckland Nines tournament. For more on that, check out Hayley's article here:
There are so many things I love about this ad.
Bring on Season 2014.
And if anyone can tell me where I can buy a puppy wearing JT's headgear, I would be grateful.
Love,
Now that we have reached February, NRL season is well and truly on its way back. The season is feeling just that little bit closer now with the conclusion of what I thought was an excellent Auckland Nines tournament. For more on that, check out Hayley's article here:
But last night, I saw something which made me more excited
for the upcoming season that anything else… the new Fox Sports ad.
If you haven't had the chance to watch it yet - here's the
link:There are so many things I love about this ad.
First of all - it capitalises on one of the NRL's most successful
ad campaigns of all time. Throughout my years as an NRL supporter I can
remember many ad campaigns including the years they used Tubthumping by
Chumbawumba and This Is Our House by Bon Jovi, but nothing comes close to the
year the NRL used Tina Turner's Simply the Best. Whenever I hear that song, I
associate it with NRL so I was very excited to see it being used again.
Next, whichever way you look at it - the ad is deliciously
cheesy. The rhymes are cheesy, the lyrics are cheesy and the exaggerated facial
expressions make me giggle every time… I absolutely love the married couple in
their St George Illawarra Dragons donned room or the woman operating the crane.
What I also love about the ad is the use of past champions.
This is exactly what the NRL needs to be capitalising on - the reputations of
legends like Nathan Hindmarsh and using them to promote the game they served
for so long. I also loved seeing Nathan Hindmarsh slam his remote control in frustration
whilst watching the Eels play… a feeling I can relate to.
In an era where so many ads we see during the football
promote boofheads (I'm thinking primarily alcohol ads) I'm really pleased to
see a light hearted ad for the start of the NRL season. It includes women, it
includes fans from all walks of life and most hard core NRL supporters can
relate to it on some level. Bring on Season 2014.
And if anyone can tell me where I can buy a puppy wearing JT's headgear, I would be grateful.
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
The NRL 9's bonus 5-pointer - By Hayley
With the first NRL 9's tournament now complete, I'd like to take some time to reflect on how the weekend went.
First of all I'd like to congratulate the Cowboys, they definitely deserved the win. It's was a very gutsy defensive effort that saw them get through to the finals & in the end, win the final.
I think we could call it a success & will definitely change the way NRL is played in the future. We've seen the game of cricket evolve since the introduction of the Big Bash and I think we'll see the same for the NRL. Here's some things I took out of this weekend
1. Drop kicks for goal
This is the one thing I would like to see improved for next year. We saw way too many missed conversion attempts. I don't see the rules being changed for next year as it takes too long too set up the kicking tee up to take a goal kick so I would hope that the players will practice a lot more before the next tournament. I think this will change golden point in a regular NRL game. Players will need to be able to kick a field goal from any angle on the field for the 9's so providing they take this seriously, it will improve the quality of golden point. It won't just be a field goal shoot out from in front of the posts. We will hopefully see teams try to go around the defence if field position is not as important as they're more confident of taking field goal attempts from anywhere on the field.
2. The referees
Overall, I think the referees did a good job. They had plenty of new rules to remember & no video ref. Wouldn't it be terrible if we were all talking about the referees performance tomorrow rather than the success of the competition? In saying that, there was one thing that bugged me with the referees this weekend. The 9's is supposed to be a quick game yet some referees still wanted to blow a penalty, walk to the spot & signal what the penalty was for. This is also something that needs to be improved for the NRL season. The NRL want a quicker game and we can't have referees slowing it down. The whistle should be blown & the referees need to be ready to go whenever the attacking team are ready to go. We shouldn't be hearing the referees ask for the players to wait. The referees need to keep up with the pace of the game. Not all refs were guilty of this, some were a lot better than others.
3. Patience, patience, patience
Patience is the key in the 9's. The teams who wanted to score off every play seemed to make more errors & cheaply hand over possession. This takes me to my next point...
4. Possession
It seems so obvious but possession was definitely important in the 9's. Unlike a regular NRL game, you don't get possession after scoring a try. This saw teams being creative in the kick off which I don't think was thought of by most teams when it came to tactics. As the weekend went on we saw more & more teams using the kick off to re-gain possession after a try.
In a game where it's easier to score a try, it's important to have the ball in your hands as much as possible.
5. Wrap it up
Allowing second phase play is what seemed to undo a lot of teams this weekend. The players need to wrap up the ball in tackles & not allow offloads. If you've got more than 1 player in a tackle it's just a really easy way to create an overlap & give the quick, agile players some space.
I loved watching the 9's this weekend. I was really interested to see each teams tactics & I'm really interested to see how teams approach it next year. I'd love to see all teams take it seriously tactics wise but I like the format with the rules on the number of star players playing in the tournament. I don't think we can expect teams to play all of their star players due to the risk of injury & player burn out. I think it's great that otherwise unknown players can make a name for themselves in the 9's tournament.
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend just as much I did. We at @LadiesWhoLeague would love to know your thoughts on the tournament.
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
First of all I'd like to congratulate the Cowboys, they definitely deserved the win. It's was a very gutsy defensive effort that saw them get through to the finals & in the end, win the final.
I think we could call it a success & will definitely change the way NRL is played in the future. We've seen the game of cricket evolve since the introduction of the Big Bash and I think we'll see the same for the NRL. Here's some things I took out of this weekend
1. Drop kicks for goal
This is the one thing I would like to see improved for next year. We saw way too many missed conversion attempts. I don't see the rules being changed for next year as it takes too long too set up the kicking tee up to take a goal kick so I would hope that the players will practice a lot more before the next tournament. I think this will change golden point in a regular NRL game. Players will need to be able to kick a field goal from any angle on the field for the 9's so providing they take this seriously, it will improve the quality of golden point. It won't just be a field goal shoot out from in front of the posts. We will hopefully see teams try to go around the defence if field position is not as important as they're more confident of taking field goal attempts from anywhere on the field.
2. The referees
Overall, I think the referees did a good job. They had plenty of new rules to remember & no video ref. Wouldn't it be terrible if we were all talking about the referees performance tomorrow rather than the success of the competition? In saying that, there was one thing that bugged me with the referees this weekend. The 9's is supposed to be a quick game yet some referees still wanted to blow a penalty, walk to the spot & signal what the penalty was for. This is also something that needs to be improved for the NRL season. The NRL want a quicker game and we can't have referees slowing it down. The whistle should be blown & the referees need to be ready to go whenever the attacking team are ready to go. We shouldn't be hearing the referees ask for the players to wait. The referees need to keep up with the pace of the game. Not all refs were guilty of this, some were a lot better than others.
3. Patience, patience, patience
Patience is the key in the 9's. The teams who wanted to score off every play seemed to make more errors & cheaply hand over possession. This takes me to my next point...
4. Possession
It seems so obvious but possession was definitely important in the 9's. Unlike a regular NRL game, you don't get possession after scoring a try. This saw teams being creative in the kick off which I don't think was thought of by most teams when it came to tactics. As the weekend went on we saw more & more teams using the kick off to re-gain possession after a try.
In a game where it's easier to score a try, it's important to have the ball in your hands as much as possible.
5. Wrap it up
Allowing second phase play is what seemed to undo a lot of teams this weekend. The players need to wrap up the ball in tackles & not allow offloads. If you've got more than 1 player in a tackle it's just a really easy way to create an overlap & give the quick, agile players some space.
I loved watching the 9's this weekend. I was really interested to see each teams tactics & I'm really interested to see how teams approach it next year. I'd love to see all teams take it seriously tactics wise but I like the format with the rules on the number of star players playing in the tournament. I don't think we can expect teams to play all of their star players due to the risk of injury & player burn out. I think it's great that otherwise unknown players can make a name for themselves in the 9's tournament.
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend just as much I did. We at @LadiesWhoLeague would love to know your thoughts on the tournament.
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
Monday, February 3, 2014
Is Blake Ferguson a Victim? - By Hayley
As you all probably know, yesterday Blake Ferguson received a 2 year good behaviour bond after being charged for indecent assault last year. Now I like to think that I'm pretty fair towards the players & always try to see things from their side & put myself into their shoes, or should I say boots. However I just can't agree with the comments Ferguson & his lawyer made yesterday.
Adam Houda, who is Ferguson's lawyer, says he needs support from the NRL, not banishment. In my opinion Ferguson has had his chance to get support from the NRL, they've stood by him & he blew it. It's time he gets help from the right people. There's only so much the NRL can do.
What I can't understand is how Blake has not yet seemed to take any responsibility for the situation he's in. His lawyer blames the NRL for leaving him to "hang out out with the undesirables". Maybe if Blake didn't indecently assault a women he would still have a job; he would be earning an income.
If Ferguson truly does have the issues his lawyer says he does, then he should be seeking the appropriate help. Getting signed by a club isn't going to magically erase his childhood memories. It's terrible what he's gone through as a child but it's not something the NRL can fix.
The fact that Ferguson thinks he's being treated too harshly because he "only has two strikes against his name" just shows that the NRL need to crack down on poor behaviour. Just because players have got away with worse in the past, doesn't mean it's right. You need to take responsibility for your actions & stop feeling sorry for yourself, Blake.
What baffles me is how Blake has become the victim in all of this. It seems that Blake & his lawyer have forgotten about the woman that he indecently assaulted. Instead of coming out & apologising to the victim, he's come out & complained about how it has affected him. I know exactly what Ferguson's lawyer is trying to do, he's trying to get his client an NRL contract. I just think he should be taking accountability instead of blaming the NRL. He needs to work hard to prove he's changed. Maybe if Ferguson showed some remorse people wouldn't be "condemning" him.
Being signed by a club & having something to work for everyday is supposedly going to be good for Blake; it's what he needs at the moment. Well how come it didn't work in the past? If it's all he needs then he wouldn't be in this mess.
Blake needs to take responsibility for his actions. I don't think he believes he's done anything wrong. He's just full of excuses. He needs to stop playing the victim & move on with his life. He can't blame the NRL for not having an income. It's his actions that have got him in this situation & it's only his own actions that are going to get him out of it.
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
Adam Houda, who is Ferguson's lawyer, says he needs support from the NRL, not banishment. In my opinion Ferguson has had his chance to get support from the NRL, they've stood by him & he blew it. It's time he gets help from the right people. There's only so much the NRL can do.
What I can't understand is how Blake has not yet seemed to take any responsibility for the situation he's in. His lawyer blames the NRL for leaving him to "hang out out with the undesirables". Maybe if Blake didn't indecently assault a women he would still have a job; he would be earning an income.
If Ferguson truly does have the issues his lawyer says he does, then he should be seeking the appropriate help. Getting signed by a club isn't going to magically erase his childhood memories. It's terrible what he's gone through as a child but it's not something the NRL can fix.
The fact that Ferguson thinks he's being treated too harshly because he "only has two strikes against his name" just shows that the NRL need to crack down on poor behaviour. Just because players have got away with worse in the past, doesn't mean it's right. You need to take responsibility for your actions & stop feeling sorry for yourself, Blake.
What baffles me is how Blake has become the victim in all of this. It seems that Blake & his lawyer have forgotten about the woman that he indecently assaulted. Instead of coming out & apologising to the victim, he's come out & complained about how it has affected him. I know exactly what Ferguson's lawyer is trying to do, he's trying to get his client an NRL contract. I just think he should be taking accountability instead of blaming the NRL. He needs to work hard to prove he's changed. Maybe if Ferguson showed some remorse people wouldn't be "condemning" him.
Being signed by a club & having something to work for everyday is supposedly going to be good for Blake; it's what he needs at the moment. Well how come it didn't work in the past? If it's all he needs then he wouldn't be in this mess.
Blake needs to take responsibility for his actions. I don't think he believes he's done anything wrong. He's just full of excuses. He needs to stop playing the victim & move on with his life. He can't blame the NRL for not having an income. It's his actions that have got him in this situation & it's only his own actions that are going to get him out of it.
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Is 2 better than 1? - By Mary
NRL season is
well and truly on its way.
@LadiesWhoLeague
Last week, new
Parramatta Eels coach Brad Arthurs announced the captains for the Parramatta
Eels for the 2014 season.
As expected,
Jarryd Hayne and Tim Mannah will continue as co-captains for the Eels in season
2014.
The way I look
at it, Arthurs only had two options - either appointing one of these men as
captain or going down the path he has chosen, being to select co-captains.
When you look
at each individual it is clear as to why they have been selected.
Tim Mannah is
one of Parramatta's favourite sons. He is a sensational role model and his
community involvement is something which the Parramatta Eels truly celebrate.
Tim was recognised for his work in the community late last year, being awarded the
Parramatta 'Citizen of the Year'. It seems as though Tim Mannah will follow in
the footsteps of club legends Luke Burt, Nathan Cayless and Nathan Hindmarsh
and be a one club man. As a footballer he is respected not only by the other
members of the team, but anyone with involvement in the Parramatta Eels club as
a whole.
Jarryd Hayne
is an extremely talented footballer - the best on the field for the Parramatta
Eels last year. He is a man who can change the outcome of a game on his own and
when he is on, he is on. Parramatta are a better football team when Jarryd
plays and his contribution to our team is invaluable.
However, I
always have misapprehensions about the concept of a dual-captaincy. For me,
this appointment suggests that there was not a clear choice of captain.
In order for
the dual-captaincy to be a success very clear boundaries need to be set. The
concept of a captain is that there is one individual which players look to in
order to make decisions, to inspire and to lead. If each captain does not have
clear boundaries and truly understand their role, then there may be conflict
and mixed messages on the field.
Parramatta have
lacked direction over the past few seasons in all aspects of their game. We
need a strong leader to take control.
If Parramatta
are to succeed, both players are crucial. They need to understand their roles
on the field and work together to ensure that the players are moving in the
same direction.
This
arrangement has the potential to be very successful. I look forward to seeing
how it plays out on the field - particularly since some other teams already
seem to have the dual-captaincy formula down pat.
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
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