How good has it been having the NRL premiers staying on the Coast?
It was probably always going to be the Storm or Panthers, so to have them both here was awesome.
I am slightly biased and would have loved to see Melbourne win, but it wasn’t to be with them colliding with the eventual champs, the Panthers, a week early.
I then jumped on the Bunnies, probably for Benji’s sake, but it also wasn’t to be.
There were two good things to come out of a Panthers’ result though. I didn’t have to see coach Wayne smirk his way around the field, but more so, Penrith being on the Sunshine Coast with the trophy was good PR for the region.
The media have been all over it.
Take Monday for example. I had to go to Mudjimba so I thought I would drive past Twin Waters to see if Ivan was wandering around with the trophy tucked under his arm at North Shore. I missed him, but as I drove past the Twin Waters’ gate I spied a Fox Newscaster, Josh Bristow, setting up.
Talk about budget cuts. He was in a sports coat and board shorts, no cameraman, just him looking down the barrel of a camera, obviously reporting back to the studio.
Good advertising for Twin Waters as long as there were no nude-run footy players around?
I had to get a photo and he was a good sport when I asked him.
He said: “Dressed for business up the top and party down below and do you want my serious face.”
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Where’s the consistency?
Once again, last Sunday’s grand final was played on pre-Magic Round rules.
Remember the non-magic round, when the judiciary was busier than Daniel Andrews’ press conferences.
Post-Magic Round resembled Oz Tag on some weekends, with a big focus on high shots and holding down in the tackle, with the referees resembling a one-armed puppet show, incredibly active, but not that funny.
We then swing into the finals series and a gradual decline in penalties over the last few weeks, culminating in the last two weekends resembling State of Origin rules which were nothing like an enduring public had to put up with post-Magic Round.
Now, I can understand the crackdown. I don’t have to like it but understand it, but be consistent is my view.
They have fallen into the Gus Gould trap of: “That’s not a penalty, this is Origin/grand final,” which is totally ridiculous, as was his commentary, but I guess at least Gus is consistent, bad, one-eyed but consistent.
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Promise from Falcons Colts
The Sunshine Coast Falcons Colts ran into a red-hot Townsville Backhawks outfit last Saturday and got bundled out of the opportunity to defend the 2019 title, but such is life.
They had an awesome season and I believe a number of those young men will get an opportunity in the NRL in the coming years, which is what the Falcons pathway is about.
It is never easy getting beaten in big games but I have to say they took it like men, there was no laying on the ground after the game like we see plenty of in the NRL.
Life is tough, and sometime not fair. It’s the ones that just get on with it no matter the result who are the ones that will get on in life, so the Falcons class of ’21 should be okay.
Ashley Robinson is a columnist for Sunshine Coast News and My Weekly Preview. His views are his own.
