Sharks, Horses, Shillo and The Don: Magic can happen in Brisvegas
And so we are to Brisbane for a weekend of horse racing, Milk talking and Shark taunting from the sold out Sea of Green that will be Raiders Bay 310 at Suncorp. And it should really, really good.
The People!
Good day and happy pregnant moments before kick-off in Magic Round to you all.
I’m up to Brisvegas on the early bird tomorrow morning for a day at Eagle Farm, dinner at the Caxton Hotel, followed by another full day talking Milk, watching Raiders-Sharks and trying maintain an intake of alcohol commensurate with middle-aged male limits.
There was a time I could guzzle for Australia but it is no longer. For now if I’m out past 9pm after a day on the sauce, it’s as a homeward-bound zombie, and no bad thing.
And here we are.
Right! The Sharks? We can beat ‘em, of course. Because we can beat everybody if we play sufficient quality minutes. There is the rub, of course, because that “Faders” thing hasn’t been culled, even with a home win over Bulldogs. And that’s why you’ll get $3.15 in a two-horse race in the slop. I believe that’s overs. And I’m on it. And this is why:
The rain will make it a close game and should help us more than the Sharkies given Sticky will be simplifying the game plan so that our Big Men can charge up guts constantly, play the ball in quick time and allow the rookie, reserve grade halves to pin the Sharks into the corners, trapped as if in shark nets.
That is the plan. It must be the way. Crash, crash, crash, quick shift, kick. Smash ‘em. Repeat. We can’t get too sexy. The odd offload, maybe. But in the wet, you want so many crash balls, you want a long and strong kicking game, and you want the fevered chase of devil dogs. And, to repeat, repeat.
And then in D, when you’re there - no bloody penalties. You get down there, you need to smash them, yes. Big packs of pile-drivers. Get ‘em back in goal for a drop-out. Rough that Nicho Hynes up. But this: stay onside! The refs ping us for this stuff every week, and it’s stinking up the joint.
Remember that half against Gold Coast Titans? That “D” was magnificent. And it was as instrumental in the 24 unanswered points as the attack.
But we did it while onside. Referees have a horn for this stuff. And once one guy does it, they’re all looking for it. It’s like when someone gets married, then all their peers decide they need to get married, too.
It is a Thing, part of our human condition. True fact.
Will we beat ‘em? I don’t know. They’re missing a couple of good ones. We’re missing a very good one in Jacki Boi Wighton and a talisman in the skipper.
Our centres are good on their feet. The back three, too. I just … I just think the game, for us in attack, anyway, rests on our edge forwards - CHN, Hudson Young, Elliott Whitehead - bloody doing something good. We lack punch there. Those guys are all capable. We need ‘em to pull off some stuff.
Then Tommy Starling can tear off the bench, Adam Elliott can go back to lock and do Adam Elliott, Ryan Sutton can crash into the Sharks with his powerful straight lines, and Xavier Savage can hunt after he and Josh Papali’i and Joe Tapine (but not you, Corey Horsburgh, sorry, Big Red, no offloads for you), scouting about for an offload.
There you go. That’s the game plan: score more points than the Sharks, a mob who have points in them, but who don’t strike me, particularly, as mud-larks ready to truck it up all day.
Could be wrong. Indeed I don’t know. I do know this: The rain should make it close. The Shoeman Matt Frawley might have a field goal in him. The rest of ‘em should concentrate on completing sets. And then hang on until the 75th minute then … I dunno. Unleash Phil McCracken.
Meanwhile, we’re having a book launch of sorts at the Paddo Tavern on the Sunday, it’s from 11am in their Trophy Room, and it’s free and all are welcome to have a listen to a Q&A I’m hosting with the great David Shillington, the great Matt Wood, and the great The Don himself Don Furner, in which we’ll talk of war stories and tour secrets and if we’ll see the last of Ricky Stuart as coach in 2029 or 2032. If you’re around, get along, and ask The Don a question.
Or just have a beer and a listen. It’s free, and you may buy a book if you’re of a mind and I will sign it, but it’s mainly just a big catchup among the lime green malaria, it’s part-hosted by the excellent Supporter Group The Greenhouse, who are good eggs and know digital marketing as good as the action Green Machine whom they follow like kids did Beatle-mania.
Something like it. I’m done. Up the Milk. And bye for now.