BY CURTIS WOODWARD
Penrith Panthers officials would not be out of place asking for a gentle ‘please explain’ from the NRL over some of their early season scheduling and playing second fiddle to Channel Nine’s TV darlings – the Brisbane Broncos.
“Friday night Broncos” has been a running joke for years and while they do rate incredibly well in the primetime slot – Penrith are still in their dynasty window and a very good chance of winning their fifth premiership in six years.
It doesn’t help that the Broncos won the premiership last year. Admittedly Brisbane has had some huge fixtures to start the year, including their round one loss to the Panthers and the grand final rematch against Melbourne, but the Panthers have well and truly been shunned back into the pack.
The Broncos got the Friday 8pm spot last week for the grand final rematch. Incredibly, the Roosters versus Panthers blockbuster at Allianz Stadium was tucked in as the early Friday match. This was two clubs that have shared six of the last eight premierships. The Sunday 4pm match last weekend was played between a side that hasn’t won a title in 40 years and 16 years respectively.
Penrith and bitter rivals Parramatta will play at 5.30pm on Saturday afternoon this weekend.
In round six, Canterbury and the Panthers will play at Accor Stadium on a Thursday night in a quarter-full stadium.
BRING BACK ABC SATURDAY ARVO FOOTY
Australians are currently drowning in a “cost of living” crisis and we are all battling. As rugby league fans, we are very lucky that the sport rates so well and that we have access to a few games on free-to-air every weekend. However, the television rights are just around the corner and there is a possibility that the rights could be split up to maximize the deal which could mean we see more games behind paywalls. Kayo is now charging $30 a month for their regular package, and a premium package will set you back almost $50. The taxpayer-funded ABC is on the nose with a lot of people lately for varying reasons so it might be time for them to give the taxpayer something to smile about. Bring back Saturday afternoon footy on ABC!
ROOSTERS STAT NOT WHAT IT SEEMS
The Sydney Roosters were pretty good against a very poor Manly last night at 4 Pines Park but one stat has caught the eye of many, and it paints the Roosters as the Second Coming of Christ, the 11-straight Dragons and Pittsburgh’s ‘Steel Curtain’ all rolled into one. The Roosters completed 50 of 52 sets and did not concede a penalty. Not one penalty. In 80 minutes of footy. In monsoonal conditions. There was plenty of six agains though. Remember, every six again is a completed set. It’s a slippery slope the NRL is sliding.
MACARTHUR WESTS TIGERS
Goodluck to the Macarthur Wests Tigers boys in the Laurie Daley Cup and Andrew Johns Cup grand finals tomorrow in Port Macquarie. Both sides are undefeated and favourites to win their respective competitions.
FOOTYTOWN APP IS ON GOOGLE PLAY
Don’t forget to download the FootyTown app on Google Play!
Part Two: Ten amazing locations from Curtis Woodward’s FootyTown app available now on Google Play
Part One: Ten amazing locations from Curtis Woodward’s FootyTown app available now on Google Play
