The Greatest Game

The announcement from legendary Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett that he will be leaving the Broncos at the end of 2008 has sparked an interesting thread of speculation on the future of British coaches by Ian Laybourn on Sporting Life.

After Bennett dropped hints that he is eyeing up a northern hemisphere coaching position, Laybourn linked him with the soon to be vacant St Helens hot seat but, following a comment from the Saints that they had no plans to contact Bennett, the name put on the hypothetical chopping block was that of Wigan coach Brian Noble.

With the Wigan coach in the last year of his contract, a poor season could spell the end. But it would be a different folly for the new Wigan management to immediately follow the example of their predecessors and their liberal attitude to staff turnover. Coupled with the fact that they have one of the most highly rated British coaches around at the helm, it makes his exit most unlikely.

So the pressure inevitably turns up another notch on Warrington coach Paul Cullen.

The longest-serving Super League coach may be working for the most patient board in the sport, but having failed to reach the playoffs last term despite big money signings such as Adrian Morley, Paul Johnson and Vinnie Anderson, a failure to make a big impact this season would surely see his position become untenable.

After spending more money in the close season on high profile signings Matt King, Michael Monaghan, Chris Hicks and Louis Anderson, the Warrington board may start to think about spending its big money on a high profile, successful, coach and paying off the year left on Cullen’s contract.

It is undeniable that Bennett has the silverware laden history that would dazzle the big spending execs at the Wolves. In 21 years at the Broncos, Bennett has won six premierships, with the most recent in 2006, and he guided Queensland to State of Origin victories in 1987, 1988, 1998 and 2001. His only failures in State of Origin came in the drawn 2002 series and the 2-1 defeat in 2003 and the former Australia coach certainly has the winning ability Warrington’s financial power seems to crave.

The only question is whether Cullen can save himself, and failure to reach any finals this term will surely see his luck run out.

Image from www.stuff.co.nz (usage policy)

After a long, long break Super League XIII kicked off at the weekend with a fantastic game between champions Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR - the team irritatingly referred to as ‘the survivors’ by Sky’s Eddie Hemmings- and, as predicted in The Greatest Game’s betting tips last Friday, the ’survivors’ gave the champions a real run for their money, eventually succuming to a 20-12 loss.
Hull KR are unlikely to hit the top 6 this season, but the game just showed what a season we are in for. Power, pace, passion - the three ‘P’s’ that sum up our game were all on display. Throw in nail-biting late rallies, length of the field tries, slightly controversial, game-swinging refereeing decisions and a sold out crowd and the money Sky have put into the sport in the latest TV deal seems to be paying itself back already.

Highlights from the top flight on television next weekend include new boys Castleford taking on Challenge Cup finalists Catalans Dragons (Sky Sports 2/HD2 Saturday 9 Feb 6pm) and highly fancied Warrington taking on already injury-stricken Hull FC (Sky Sports 1/HD1 Friday 8 Feb 7.30pm).

For the full week’s programme, visit the RFL website.

With the season about to get underway, The Greatest Game is launching its weekly betting predictions. We are using imaginary £10 stakes and will tot up our winnings or losses across the season.

Only one game is played on the opening weekend of Super League XIII and it sees last season’s champions Leeds Rhinos taking on much strenghened Hull Kingston Rovers.

Sky Bet have offered some pretty generous odds by giving KR a 14 point start. Looking at the signings they’ve made, and the fact they’ll be out to prove last season’s survival wasn’t a flash in the pan, I’d expect KR to take the game to Leeds right from the off.

My primary concern to backing KR would be their lack of game time, especially with the number of new signings on board. Having friendlies cancelled due to poor weather has only allowed them to give new boys Castleford a beating in the off season. Leeds on the other hand have been out hammering Featherstone, Hunslet and Oldham - not the most challenging opposition but opposition nonetheless.

Leeds have also just jetted back from their match in Florida with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, whether lingering jetlag and the excitement of a World Club Challenge match-up with Melbourne Storm next week will upset the efficiency of the Rhinos is unknown, but the travelling is hardly the best preperation before going into a tough showdown with a club with big aims for the coming year. It is also yet to be seen what impact new coach Brian McClennan will have on last season’s unchanged Super League winning squad.

So both teams could be a little stiff coming into the first game of the season, but I fully expect KR to give Leeds a battle at Headingley. I don’t expect them to defeat the Rhinos but I feel Leeds won’t have enough in the tank to overcome the 14 point start. For the contingency bet, I feel that Leeds will be able to sneak past the 14 points but not much further past and cannot envisage them running away with the game. Therefore the contingency goes on Leeds winning by 21-25 points.

Bet, week 1

£10 on Hull KR (+14) to win @ 10/11
Potential return: £14.09

The Greatest Game 2008 Betting Statistics

Bets made: none
Money bet: £0
Money won: £0
Money lost: £0
Season kitty: £0

Skybet

Disclaimer: you can make bets on our predictions but we will not take any responsibility for any losses you sustain: sensible gamblers only bet what they can afford to lose.

Bradford Bulls chairman Peter Hood has claimed that Leeds are claiming for £3.2 million in compensation in the ongoing Iestyn Harris saga, announcing that such a victory for the Rhinos could bankrupt one of the most successful clubs of the Super League era.

Harris left Leeds in a deal reported to be worth between £850,000 and £2million for his switch to union in 2001. The area of dispute has been a returning clause that saw the Rhinos have first pick on the player upon any return to the game.

When Harris came back to league in 2004, he did so as a Bradford Bulls player refuting any claims of a clause. Leeds challenged the move, with Chief Executive Gary Hetherington saying he was “angry and disappointed” and that the matter was with the club’s lawyers.

Since then, league has been punished with a cat-and-mouse style of pantomine, with Leeds throwing their toys at Bradford and Bradford shelling out cash for a player who has never recaptured the form he had before his union switch. Leeds won their first round of legal disputes when a high court judge ruled that the Rhinos did have first option on Harris, if that was the weigh-in, the forthcoming high court showdown will be the big event, and nobody will win.

Leeds are evidently right to be a little aggrieved. But now this issue has gone well past contractual rights to a player who is set to retire before the case comes to court, this is now seemingly about Leeds extracting revenge, dragging the Bulls through the courts and giving them a public lashing regardless of who else gets hurt. The circus that will inevitably follow will show league up as a sport of people out for their own interests without a care for the future growth and development of the game. A group of people willing to go so far as to erase a club from existance just to claim back a percentage of a sum of money that is dwarfed in these days of big business.

Listening to Bradford though (and it is them doing any of the talking), they say they are ready to fight and have clearly won the PR exercise this news was intended for. But they are as bad as the Leeds they portray. They were the ones with a flagrant disregard for the rules and have since broken the salary cap rules on two occasions, they fought Leeds even when they knew they had broken the rules and now it seems they will pay dearly.

Some may argue they have already paid with the lacklustre form of Harris since he signed, the only true loser though will be the sport - and we will all be paying the penalty.

Harris Bradford image from www.milleniumstadium.com
Harris Leeds image from www.bbc.co.uk (usage policy)

League legend Martin Offiah has announced in an article on his top players to watch for the coming season that he believes that union flops Chev Walker and Karl Pryce will flourish upon their return to the greatest game.

In the article, which has appeared on Chris Irvine’s excellent Times RL blog, Offiah states that Walker, who was convicted and imprisoned for brawling in the streets in 2003, is looking “bigger and fitter than ever” whereas Pryce, who managed to spend the past year on loan to amateur club Moseley, will “help Wigan with his size, strength and skill.”

Despite Offiah’s support, both players, especially Pryce, are going to find themselves under a very critical microscope over the coming season. Having both failed in a sport that is physically inferior, their ability to step up to the increased speed, stamina, strength and skill levels required for a season in Super League is in serious doubt. Whichever way you look at it, both will be back in the sport on heftier pay packets than when they left, and Wigan and Hull KR will be praying that their massive gambles will pay off.

Offiah’s 13 to watch are:

Sam Burgess (Bradford)
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (Harlequins)
Luke Robinson (Huddersfield)
Chev Walker (Hull KR)
Shaun Briscoe (Hull KR)
Kevin Sinfield (Leeds)
Rob Burrow (Leeds)
Paul Sculthorpe (St Helens)
James Roby (St Helens)
Danny Brough (Wakefield)
Kevin Penny (Warrington)
Richie Mathers (Wigan)
Karl Pryce (Wigan)

Image from www.bbc.co.uk/ (usage policy)