Greener pastures, but that's about all.

According to Rugby League Week, Warrington Wolves are going to offer Matt Orford a heap of $$$ to go play for them next year. I'm not sure what Ox will do, but I hope he stays put. Just in case he doesn't, I've done some research and found out that Warrington is a wonderful place, so I'm sure he'll be really, really happy there.

According to the Warrington council website, these are the best things to do this weekend:

I'm thinking about moving to Warrington myself, just for the poetry night. Awesome!

And people complain about Olympic Park being too narrow...


Before the game in Canberra last week, the two teams did their pre-game warm-up stuff near the main entrance to the stadium. It was a cool. Pity the only grass at OP is on the field...


The Forecast Rd 8

Nice one, Noddy! Everyone's really looking forward to seeing you again. It's always exciting to welcome back a great clubman like yourself. I even hear that Brian Waldron is thinking about naming the Eastern Grandstand toilet block after you!

ahem...

OK! When was the last time we lost two games in a row at home? It was back in 2003 against the Rooters and the Doggies, so I think we can be forgiven. To lose two in a row at home against the Eels and Sharks, though!? That would be embarrassing.

The Sharks have had one good win against the Cowboys and other than that, beaten teams that were out of form when they played them (Penrith, Bulldogs, Eels). They've lost to Manly and Brisbane, which gets you thinking that when pushed, the Sharks aren't that great.

Sound familiar? We beat the Broncos, but apart from that have not defeated anyone that weren't either struggling with form or injuries. I'm hoping we've learnt from our mistakes against the Eagles, Eels and Panthers and can handle the Sharks if they come at us.

Can't wait to see how it plays out! The Forecast is the Storm by 16+ to make up for the Parramatta debacle.

Lazy Forecast

Due to having a lot of other stuff to do, there'll be no Forecast update today. Should be back tomorrow!

Nostradaleyus


Laurie Daley's assessment of Dallas Johnson at the beginning of the match on Sunday was spot on! Check it out here. I'm sure One-Eyed Lozz didn't want Schifcofske's ribs to be rattled quite as hard as they were, though...


Numbers.

Each week in Rugby League Week (it's the magazine that sells-out in Melbourne on the day it's released, due to Melbournian's intiatable taste for League, if you didn't know) they rate each player in each game out of ten. These ratings are then totalled for the whole team. Below is a ranking based on the team rating for all games played this year. If a team had the bye, I added on their average score based on the games they had played.

1. Cowboys - 785 points
2. Manly - 777
3. Storm - 775
4. Sharks - 773
5. Brisbane - 766
6. Panthers - 760
7. Tigers - 754
8. Roosters - 744
9. Warriors - 740
10. Canberra - 734
11. Eels - 728
12. Bulldogs - 727
13. Dragons - 725
14. Souths - 715
15. Knights - 688

So, there you go. We're looking pretty good. Even though we've lost three games, we've never been smashed and when we win, we win big. Judging by the points they've got, the game against the Sharks on Saturday should be a ripper!

Little Jack, little bit strange.

On the way to the game on Sunday, I picked up the Sunday Telegraph. Their TV guide had this in it:



I found Little Jack creepy, but when I read some of the text in the ad, it got a bit ridiculous. For example:


Hey, good for you Little Jack!

Who is the market for this stuff!? I really hope they don't make a Storm one!

I wish we could play the Raiders every round...

Just got back from Canberra. The Storm played great and were matched off-field by the fantastic supporters (sitting opposite where I was), that for most of the second half had me thinking I was at Olympic Park. A dominant performance, nice work!

Bring on the Sharks!

Mixing it up

I had what I thought would be a pretty good post lined up, but then things didn't work out, so I'll have to postpone it for another day.

In it's place, here are a few tidbits:

1.

Greg Inglis busts the line in the Queensland cup. Go Greg! (from Rugby League Week)

2.
This, regretably, is the only mention of Kiddy in NZPA's report of the ANZAC test:

New Zealand-born lock Tonie Carroll capitalised when waltzing through some weak defence by David Kidwell and Pritchard to score behind the posts.

3.


Channel 10 has a new TV show that would've been great if it was about our scooter!

4.
If you haven't checked out the ABC commentator David Morrow's preview of the game tomorrow, you might want to now. It contains this nice bit:

Irrespective of the game's outcome, the two full-backs are certain to provide the spectators with some wonderful memories. Clinton Schifcofske and Billy Slater just add something special to a game of footy. I'd walk over cut glass to watch them play.

I'm not sure when The Forecast will be updated next because I'll be heading to Canberra soon and will have limited internet. I'm sure you'll survive. Thanks for reading!

The Forecast - Round 7

If we lose this one we're in big trouble. Even if they were at full strength, we should still be looking to beat the Raiders quite easily. Luckily for us, we're facing the prospect of a halves combination with a total age close to Robbie Kearns's, who haven't played first-grade this year. Coupled with the fact that the Storm are victory-starved, have good players coming back from injury and since 2003 have been the Green Machine's no.1 tormentors, all should point to a big W-I-N.

The above, though, is all kinda logical and you don't need me to tell you that the NRL comp this year has been loopy lala, so logic is somewhat pointless. Hopefully we'll hold the ball, not slip over and score lots of tries. And hopefully the Raiders will do likewise, but score less tries, because it'll be good for our confidence to win a hard game. So, the Forecast is a big storm to hit Canberra by at least 16.

And Robbo's back!!

The Age: messing wit' us again

Today's green guide is a bit nutty. On Friday's page, it's got a picture of Peter Sterling next to the AFL's details. For a brief moment, on seeing his big shnozz, I thought maybe the ANZAC test was going to screened in Melbourne on the same day it was played! Poor, naive me! At least on Fridays now the League is on straight after Nightline. Anyway, Peter Hanlon wrote this nice little preview for the game:

Fox Sports 1, 11pm
A late night looms for league lovers with delayed coverage of the ANZAC test from Suncorp Stadium. Channel Nine goes even later (starting at mignight), but no matter which suits your nocturnal program, you won't catch a single Melbourne Storm representative (except for Kiddy!!) after full-back Billy Slater was cut from the squad last weekend. Clearly it's a north-south conspiracy thing (not that we're bitter).

Turning to Sunday, the Hanlon preview reads:

Fox Sports 1, 2:30pm
Mention of Melbourne Storm and premiership favouritism in the same sentence has mysteriously ceased over the past fortnight, with the Storm comfortably brushed aside by Penrith and Parramatta. Coach Craig Bellamy will be desperate for a change of fortune here against his old team, Canberra, the early-season ladder leader. Replayed on Channel Nine at 1:40am.

'How awesome is that!? A replay in Melbourne on free-to-air of a non-channel 9 game, just like what happens in Brisbane and Newcastle!' Is what I once again foolishly thought, before realising that there was no such listing on the opposite page and Manly vs Souths will be on instead. Life goes on, I guess. Crazy old Age....

Highway to Hell part 4: the anatomy of hell

Before moving to Melbourne, I lived in and around the A.C.T. Here's some advice for anyone heading up to the game this week...

Don’t blink! Thousands of people miss Canberra altogether because they don’t realise that they’re actually in it. Many a prospective tourist will drive straight through and only realise their error when they hit Sydney. This is the fault of whoever decided to call Canberra a ‘city’; there’s no way it can live up to such a title. The golden rule is, ‘you’ll know you’re there when you see a roundabout’. At which point, slow down and try and find a building.

Most people will probably be arriving on Saturday night and therefore be looking for something to do. Again, the whole ‘city’ thing can get in the way and have you expecting more than Canberra can give. By way of comparison, Adelaide on a Monday night is pretty close to Canberra on a Saturday. Head to Civic and see what’s going on. The majority of ‘night life’ centres on the very exciting bus interchange.

If you want to eat and you’re staying around Civic, head to Garema Place for dinner, because you’ll get a bit of choice. There’s a café there called ‘Gus’s’ and it’s pretty good. Gus, who has sadly passed away, introduced outside dining to Canberra. He was also my brother’s godfather. He would give him really great Christmas presents and me nothing at all, kind of unfair, I reckon.

On game-day it's a good idea to park on Dryandra St in O’Connor and then walk through the bush to get to Canberra Stadium. It’s pretty fun. After rocking up to Dryandra and finding a park (for free!), just follow the Raiders’ fans.

Canberra Stadium is nice. There are drink holders and they sell noodles. I think it ran way over-budget, and if any of my friends from Canberra actually read this blog, feel free to correct me on the following, but I'm pretty sure it led to the demise of the Liberal government in the A.C.T.

Well, that's about it. In all seriousness though, don't stay any longer than you have to!!

The Age: Sicko Heaven

I'm sure that they've done a whole heap of 'focus groups' and come to the conclusion that their readers don't really give a stuff about the Storm. That's fine, I'll survive, it's their loss. But why does the 'League' section of their website have to contain these - and only these - video clips?

1. Silent footage in slow-motion of Joey Johns getting his jaw broken.
2. Footage of the Knights press conference regarding the Bathurst 'incident'.
3. Footage of a brawl in Kings Cross featuring David Peachey and his family.

It's just plain rude!

Anyway, if you head over there now, there's a good article on Robbo by Mark Fuller. Also, if you watch the Joey chin clip, Kirk's also in it, and if you look really closely you can see him mouth the words, 'I left the Storm for this!?'

Highway to Hell Part 3: a brand new bench


Well, business has picked up! If Chan and Kiddy get through the Test on Friday OK, then there's a very real possibility that our bench will consist of Feeney, Scott, Robinson and White (or Cronk...), which would have to be one of the strongest line-ups in the comp. As illustrated above; it's established, solid and looks good. The Raiders' one, consisting of Tyran Smith, Ian Hindmarsh, Marshall Chalk, Alan Tongue, Michael Hodgson and Josh Miller is small, week and green in comparison. Enough said.

The teams.

---------------------------

Also, there's a new Scooter's Scoop up on the Storm website.

This is the best bit:
Our disappointment with our on field performance as a team will drive us to taste the winner’s circle again. A champion team is never beaten. Champion teams need champion supporters, something I know this side has in abundance. Storm fans, we need you more than ever.

Together with the fans, we will destroy the hurdle that has recently had us at a stand still.

As the mighty Melbourne Storm we need to park our egos at the door and hunt like a pack, for together we stand, and together we fall.

Goosebumps!

Marketing Assistance


I'm really liking the new Storm print ads. I think last week it was 'Let's Smoke the Eels' or something like that. This week's one (on the left) is good, too. I came up with my own (on the right) which I think might get a few more bums on seats, though...


Highway to Hell Part 2: the morning after the morning after


All signs pointed to 'commitment' this morning (whatever that means), with the Storm out training before 10am. Good stuff, men!



The Hoff in Print

The latest Rugby League Week has got a small article on Ryan Hoffman, focusing on him and his dad. From it we learn that Hoff is a league history buff and likes watching old games on video and we also get this priceless qoute:

"Dad took me to the 1989 grand final when Canberra played Balmain - it was a classic, he recalls. "I was just five and sat on his knee in the grandstand but remember the day pretty well. When John Ferguson scored to level the scores in the last couple of minutes of regulation time, dad got so excited he threw me into the air - and I landed head-first about three rows down."

Funny stuff!

Highway to Hell (well, a boring town...)

Any Melbourne Storm player who wants to play against the Raiders next week in Canberra will have to walk there. That’s the stupid and bold plan that I suggest Craig Bellamy take up when picking the squad.

If they start walking now, then they’ll get to the A.C.T by Sunday with time to spare. But more importantly, they’ll obtain a steely resolve, improve their fitness and have seen a bit of the country, too. As an added bonus, it’ll save the club money on airfares and probably get a heap of publicity.

Ball-work sessions can be conducted concurrently with the walk and Storm fans should be encouraged to join all or part of the exercise to help motivate the players. This is especially important between Albury and Gundagai, where things can get a bit bleak.

Obviously, if we win, they'll get some Qantas tickets as a reward. And if we lose? Well, that’s unlikely, but if it does happen, punishment will be having to stay in Canberra until Wednesday. Haha.

Good Times

Today I edited together some old video of the Storm beating-up the Eels in 2003 (I think). Er...It's a good reminder of how good we can be when we're good! Check it out here. It's a .mov file, so you'll need quicktime, I guess.

rEely bad

Well, it sucked. The less blabbed the better.

Here are some positives:

1. Scooter said he might be back next week.

2. Inglis scored on debut.

3. After playing two teams in a row that were desperate for a win, now we are.

4. It didn't look like anyone got injured.

5. Nathan Hindmarsh, the dirty tool, got dakked.

Squadz

OK, so we were treated poorly in the representative selection crap (err..process) this week. Here's some figures for you from the combined squads; The Warriors had the highest number of selections with 10, followed by Penrith and the Bulldogs (6 each), the Roosters and Brisbane (4 each), the Storm and Tigers (3 each) and then the Cowboys got 2, so did the Sharks and Manly got 1.

What can we garner from this? Not much, other than New Zealand selectors like to pick players from the Warriors and Australian ones like to pick players that have had some involvement in recent grand finals or are coached in the NRL by the same dude who also coaches the Kangaroos.

If the Storm want more players in either squad, I suggest we change our name to the Warriors, make it into this year's Grand Final and get Bellamy to become the Australian coach. Easy.

The Forecast

Here's an analysis of the players we will be lining up against tomorrow.

Luke Burt - Dud
Matthew Petersen - Dud with dumb hair
Ashley Graham - Dud with a girl's name
Timana Tahu - Dud who used to be good, but is now a dud
Eric Grothe - Alright
John Morris - Dud
Tim Smith - Unfunny comedian
Nathan Cayless - Big-headed dud
Mark Riddell - Piggy
Paul Stringer - Dud
Nathan Hindmarsh - Dud with dumber hair than Peterson
Glenn Morrison - Left a good team to play with duds
Daniel Wagon - Big-arsed dud

Interchange
Peter-John Marsh - Alright
Chad Robinson - Who?
Adam Peek - Dud
Aaron Cannings - Looks like a cool dude.
Henry Perenara - Dud that no-one wants

So, as you can see, we should have no problem getting over the Eels. Melbourne by 30+.

Also, here's hoping Bellamy adds Robinson and Inglis before kick-off...

Go Storm!

Stormsite

In honour of the Melbourne Storm Rugby League football club getting a new website, I've decided to update my own. 'Wow!', I know, I'm pretty excited myself.

The new Storm website is good. I like it. It makes us look good. The best thing about it is Scooter's Scoops; I hope he keeps writing them when his knee gets better. I also hope that one day Cronk will get a similar column called 'Cooper's Craps'. An analysis of the stools of professional atheletes is something that needs to get more time on the internet...

It's good to be back!

The Forecast

Not so much a preview, more like a bunch of words...

This week the men will need to be aware of Bott's bot. Because it is a fast one. It's bad that we don't have a big bastard that can go after Bott, smash him early and put him off his fast-running ways. Seeing as how we don't, it should have been mandatory this week for every Stormer to read the Bott profile in last week's Rugby League Week and then tease him about crying all the time. Yes, he likes to cry.

Sounds like a good kid, though!

Last week we were put off a bit by the hot weather. Tomorrow isn't going to be any cooler, so at least the team will know what to expect. I guess with The Graveyard being a smaller ground, there'll be less running to do, which is also a plus.

The stand-naming business is a good idea. I wish there was a way of getting Tawera Nikau on the books full-time for the Storm. His presence at games is always really good for the fans, so I'm guessing it must be even better for the players.

Will Storm-Man get his thuderbolt back and ditch the crappy whip? Hope so.

Will everyone that didn't play so good last week, play good this week? Hope so.

Will we win? Don't know, but it should be a great game!

Go Storm!