Shuddup, Kim.
I'd like to see what would have happened if Tim Smith had copped the same hit to the head.
Fark, we need Hornby back for next week's match against Manly. Sheppard couldn't do anything in his debut, despite being decent enough.
While I can't be stuffed going through every screw up made by Mander and his buddies, I'll give you a few of the important ones:
- Mander doesn't stop the play when the touch judge came in for the brawl. It is MANDATORY that as soon as a second official comes in, deeming the incident more important than the ball play, the game is stopped. Mander doesn't do this and lets play continue.
- Mick Stone figures that Marsh didn't hit Barrett on the point of the chin. Leads directly to a try.
- Hindmarsh knocks on when Dean Young is about to score. Knocks on twice in the act of picking it up, in fact. This is ignored, when we are five metres from the line and would have had a full set of six.
- Ben Smith knocks on when he tackles Timmins. This is ignored, and Smith runs downfield to score.
- All night, Mander gets the Dragons for not having markers straight. In the second half, Parramatta committed the same sin at LEAST five times. Not one penalty given, while the commentators hint at Mander's possible bias.
Once Smith scored the runaway, knock-on try, the match was over.
Congratulations to Parramatta, who showed in the first half that they deserve their second placing on the ladder. Despite playing shit for the first half hour, they managed to only be behind by 10, and then Dean Widders proceeded to tear us apart. He is an amazing player.
The second half, after the brawl, is really a non-event. The scoreline doesn't reflect the game at all, and the sellout crowd at Kogarah in Round 24 will be ready to give it to Riddell and the rest of the Parramatta players who decided to take the piss out of our boys when they raised their arm for Riddell's final kick.
Our forwards were dominant last night. Barrett played fantastically, but it showed how important a halfback is. When Hornby comes back, he will be invaluable. Perhaps he might even go to fullback, pushing Baz to halfback and moving Holdsworth up from PL, where he tore apart the Eels last night (who were coming first).
Oh well. Our Jersey Flegg boys recorded their 13th straight victory with a 32-30 win against the second placed Parramatta. We are now four points clear there. Premier League won 18-12 against first placed Parramatta. In first grade, we got thumped by second placed Parramatta on the scoreboard only.
Despite the fact that Hornby will return, I am still left with one sinking feeling...
No Matty Head, no premiership in 2005.
With him playing last night, Baz at five-eighth and Hornby at fullback, we would have leading by 30 after half an hour. Not 10.
EDIT: Also, it sucked not having Gaz there in attack. And it was plain stupid leaving Ben Creagh out of the side and keeping Corey Payne there.