Thoughts after round 1 of the NRL

I have to admit I am not feeling super excited about the NRL (yet). I dont know whether it is because I have my head down keeping an eye on the upcoming major league baseball action, or merely because the Panthers look pretty bad after round one.

Either way, I was not overwhelmed by enthusiasm following the weekend's games.

Roosters v Rabbits
This was not much of a game to watch. The Roosters laid an absolute dog-shot on Craig Wing in the 7th minute, taking him out of the game, and out of the next 7+ weeks. This really put the brakes on for Souths for a long time. The Roosters did not play a particularly flashy brand of footy, but they were effective at what they did. They took advantage of some inexperience in the Bunnies' backline and scored a number of tries from kicks. They also scored a couple of nice tries from blindside plays or set plays. Minichiello looked very good at the back, and Anasta also had a good game. The one worrying thing for the Roosters was that they seemed to clock off early. Im not sure if this was from a fitness issue, or a discipline issue, but Souths came back well at the end. Led by Isaac Luke, they took full advantage of some gaps that opened up around the ruck.

A scrappy game with no real brilliant play

Titans v Cowboys
After the Roosters v Souths game, this was much easier on the eye. Flashy, fast and frantic. There was some brilliant playmaking in this game, and a number of excellent tries. The Cowboys were not too bad, but it looked Thurston's timing was out a bit. That will return in time, and they will be a formidable opponent. But on Friday they missed too many tackles, and the Titans took full advantage. The Titans half, hooker, fullback (and 5/8) combo is very good, and they look promising for the year.

Bulldogs v Eels
I listened to this game, and it was the proverbial game of two halves. Parra were awful in the first half. The Dogs were awful in the second. Not really much more to say about that. Both sides have a lot of potential, but Parra seemed to be the stronger of the two, and went on to win . They exposed a potential weakness in the Doggies outside backs, in particular Matt Utai, who is getting on in years, and looked like a real liability under the high ball.

Manly v Cronulla
Nobody (except Sharks fans) could have given Cronulla much of a chance of winning this game. But they did, It was another scrappy affair, but they were the more disciplined, structured side. As much as I dont really like Ricky Stuart, he does coach a structured approach. Manly are going to miss Michael Monahan this year, and the pressure will be on Matt Orford to really step up and show his worth. The Eagles were made to look like geese in last years' grand final, and they really need to back up a good 07 with a good 08 to prove their worth. ,They are still not a proven force in my mind.

Newcastle v Canberra
Didnt hear or see much about this game. What can you say? Home field advantage was probably the key difference here.

Penrith v Brisbane
A disappointing start for the Panthers. Like 2007, there is a lot of promise about the team at this time of the year. Some key signings, and some good reports out of pre-season training made me optimistic about this game. I still tipped Brisbane though, and that was a good decision! Dont know how to excuse this one for Penny, Brisbane seemed to get on a real roll and we just couldnt stop it. I didnt realise some of the quality signings that Brisbane made. Peter Wallace is a decent signing playing alongside Lockyer. Joel Clinton is not much of a signing. But they also have Ashton Sims, and PJ Marsh, who are very effective impact players. Things look good for Brisbane at this stage, and if they can keep up these sorts of performances, they will be very hard to stop.

Wests v Saints
Didnt see or hear much of this one either. Sounds like the Dragons are up to their same old tricks. But possibly they just need a bit of time to gel. They are usually slow starters I think. Brownie will want them to pick up their act soon, or he might find his head on the chopping block. Wests were good, but injuries to Payton and Marshall will make things tough in weeks to come.

Melbourne v Warriors
Same old story for Melbourne here. They have had some interesting encounters with NZ in the past, but not last night. Too many errors cost NZ the game. They can certainly score points and have explosive impact, but fitness and handling issues (as always) seem to be concerns.

My rankings after round 1

1. Brisbane
2. Melbourne
3. Gold Coast
4. Wests
5. Easts
6. Parra
7. Newcastle
8. Cronulla
9. Cowboys
10. Souths
11. Bulldogs
12. Manly
13. Canberra
14. Warriors
15. Saints
16. Panthers

An open letter to a band

Dear The Living End

1998 was a long time ago now. I was still in school. I worked at McDonald's. I lived at home.

Now, I've finished school, moved into a much better job, moved out of home and am getting married. 1998 seems like so long ago. But, as I sat on the 5.31pm Central to Emu Plains limited stops service, something magical happened.

I used to love The Living End passionatley. I would listen to your albums over and over and over again. I would always rush out to buy the new albums as they came out, and I went to see you live more than 20 times. But, as I am sure you know yourself, things change; and my tastes in music have ebbed and flowed over the ten years (yes, it is almost ten years) since I first heard the sweet sounds of your band. Don't get me wrong, I think that all your albums have been great. I will admit that they are probably not as memorable or 'classic' as your first, but they have all had a decent flogging in my neck of the woods.

However, tonight - using the magic of the 'shuffle songs' feature - my iPod reminded me of just how fantastic you are. It took me back to a night when as a 17 year old I studiously waited until just the right moment to record Live at the Wireless. Fly Away was the song it chose. A song that was never a Living End stalwart, but the live performance on this occasion had everything that I loved about the band. The tempo was probably almost double that of the recorded version. The drumming was fast, frantic and furious. The guitar fills in between vocal lines were tight and sweet. The bass was drubbing, and the vocals were raw and to the point. All of a sudden so many memories came back to me. I remember listening to this song many times when I thought the world was against me as a 17 year old. I remember thinking 'should I stay or fly away'. I remember smiling in awe of the pure talent that the song captured.

Sitting there on the dirty, lonely train, after a tough day and week at work, this moment of solitude with a band I loved was something special. It made a shiver run down my spine. I love when that happens.

If that wasn't enough, just two songs later my wise iPod chose to play a live version of Prisoner of Society from the Channel V bus in 2005. This was a psychotic gig with thousands of people screaming along, invading the stage and just being MENTAL!!!! Again I had a shiver run down my spine.

While I might not listen to as much TLE as I used to, we had something special and always will :)

So thanks. It is amazing just how powerful an effect a piece of music can have on you.