Round 19 2021 Row Volume 2 · Issue 20
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The FRONTROUND 19 ROW VOLUME 2 · ISSUE 20 2021 Right man, Deal or right time no deal? Why Phil Gould will bring back the Penrith do the hokey pokey glory days at Canterbury with Pangai - but Isaah Yeo's focused on the footy JUST THE THING COULD A CHANGE OF SCENERY BE EXACTLY WHAT PARRAMATTA NEEDS? INSIDE: NRL ROUND 19 PROGRAM - SQUAD LISTS, PREVIEWS & HEAD TO HEAD STATS, ROUND 18 REVIEWED LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM AUSTRALIA’S LEADING INDEPENDENT RUGBY LEAGUE WEBSITE THERE IS NO OFF-SEASON 2 | LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 20 What’s inside From the editor THE FRONT ROW - VOL 2 ISSUE 20 Tim Costello From the editor 3 Welcome to a bumper issue of The Front Row! Origin is firmly in the rear-view mirror and all the distractions of the state-v-state Feature Clint Gutherson 4-5 series are pushed aside as we focus on the business end of the 2021 season. Opinion Phil Gould 6-7 Next week we'll have a look at the run home for the teams in Feature Isaah Yeo 8 contention for the finals - but first this week we have three brilliant write-ups. QRL results, NRL POTY standings, Parramatta are embracing a change of scenery with the COVID- NRL Match Review & Judiciary - Round 18 9 19-forced relocation to South East Queensland - our writer Paul Jobber dissects what that means for the blue-and-gold with NRL Ladder, Stats Leaders 10 fullback Clint Gutherson. GAME DAY · NRL Round 19 11-27 Paul also chats to Penrith back-rower Isaah Yeo in the wake of a confusing start to the week where the club was, then wasn't - LU Team Tips 11 and then was going to sign Canterbury-bound Broncos forward THU Parramatta v Canberra 12-13 Tevita Pangai Junior for the remaining weeks of the 2021 season. FRI Sydney v Newcastle 14-15 The other key feature this week is a look at the announcement of Phil Gould as Canterbury's GM of football. Emile El-Azar shares North Queensland v Melbourne 16-17 his views on what's happened at the club lately and exactly why 'Gus' is the right man to reverse those fortunes for the Belmore SAT South Sydney v Warriors 18-19 club after his shift to the club last week. Manly v Wests Tigers 20-21 Happy reading! Penrith v Brisbane 22-23 SUN St George Illawarra v Gold Coast 24-25 Canterbury v Cronulla 26-27 The FRONT ROW ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS QRL Teamlists 28 We’d like to thank RugbyLeagueProject.org for their support and Intrust Super Cup Round 12 28 use of various statistics throughout this publication. Magazine Hastings Deering Colts Round 10 28 content originally appears on LeagueUnlimited.com © 2021 unless otherwise noted. Interested in advertising with The Front Row or UK Watch 29 LeagueUnlimited.com, or just want to provide feedback? Contact us by email [email protected] NRL Round 18 Wrap 30-33 Cover image: Clint Gutherson - supplied Eels Media / Louis Bockos 2021 NRL Draw 34-35 MANAGERS Steven Williams & Coby Delaney EDITOR Tim Costello CONTRIBUTORS Andrew Ferguson Paul Jobber Josh Robertson Robert Crosby Andrew Jackson Adam Huxtable Jason Hosken Justin Davies Emile El-Azar Lachy MacCorquodale Sam Bourke Hamish Parker LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 20 | 3 MOVING PIECES COULD GOLD COAST RELOCATION RESULT IN EELS ENDING PREMIERSHIP DROUGHT? t might be the change of location that could see “For Mitch - who has been knocking at the door for a Parramatta end a premiership drought that number of years now and finally got his crack - it didn’t go Istretches back to 1986. the way NSW planned it to go, but that’s footy and that’s the way it goes sometimes.” The blue-and-gold’s fled Parramatta in the middle of last week bound for Queensland along with 12 other NRL clubs Gutherson, Moses and front-rower Junior Paulo were at the direction of NRL powerbrokers. in Origin camp with the Blues last week when they were made aware of the competition’s relocation. Just when they again play at Bankwest Stadium remains to be seen although the chance it is While it’s not an ideal situation, the in 2021 appears unlikely as Sydney’s skipper knows players have to adapt. COVID outbreak continues. “We’d only packed for that one Suncorp Stadium has already been week and found out we had to come tossed up as a possible grand final straight up (to the Gold Coast), but venue – and that’s a place the Eels it made it easier for us because have had some success at over the we were only half an hour away,” years. Gutherson said. But with their fan base growing “Instead of going back to Sydney and increasingly impatient at the lack then coming back up… we couldn’t of premierships despite successful complain.” seasons in recent years, leaving their home surrounds could turn out to be While clubs have been relocated to a blessing in disguise. three different hubs in Queensland, Gutherson said they had not been made aware when family members would be Captain Clint Gutherson and his teammates will hope able to join them in the bubble. halfback Mitchell Moses can take his game to the next level despite a disappointing performance in his Origin debut “There are a lot of boys in this team with kids and they last Wednesday night. can’t wait to see them,” he said. “Whenever someone goes to that level you find that extra “They just need to get them in quarantine and wait two confidence in yourself to realise you are that good of a weeks, but I’m sure the NRL, the government and everyone player,” Gutherson said. involved is doing their part to get them up here because we can’t feel at home and do what we can do on the field if our family’s away for a long periods of time.” 4 | LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 20 STORY BY PAUL JOBBER IMAGES LOUIS BOCKOS LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 20 | 5 GOOD AS GOULD WHY 'GUS' IS THE MAN TO BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS AT BELMORE OPINION: EMILE EL-AZAR y Bulldogs have finally got their man. Phil Gould has to bottom, the bar has been lowered. joined Canterbury-Bankstown as General Manager Mof Football, after all hope of snaring him had seemed The very ugly and public boardroom & front office dramas lost just a few days ago. have been part and parcel of this bar-lowering. Watching a protracted battle of self-interest play out in the media, I’m here to talk about why this is exactly what the Bulldogs watching the board and front office fumble and bumble need right now. their way through everything from recruitment, salary cap, coaching, to memberships, ticketing, merchandise, I’ll be upfront. I have a love-hate relationship with Phil Gould. social media, down to the very basic of communication with He was Canterbury’s coach for my first Rugby League memory, members. Everything at the club is now at a lower standard the 1988 premiership, when I was just 5 years old. I absolutely that is was since the last time we played in the finals. believe that he has one of the finest Rugby League minds in the game. On the other hand, I can’t watch him on a game analysis But finally - maybe - now some stability. John Khoury and his on Channel 9, due to his rants, based on his current opinions board, Aaron Warburton as CEO are in, and are attempting to on the rules/club he currently works at/weather that day. steady the ship with new coach Barrett at the helm. They have Although - I do think a lot of it is theatre. a vision for the future, and are working towards that. I want them, NEED them to all succeed. But there is still one thing Let’s start with some words from the man himself, September missing. These are all really nice guys. They really are. They 6, 2020: are high quality human beings that are working tirelessly for the club, around the clock. However, they are nice guys who "I'm sure that Trent Barrett doesn't know what he's are still on their L plates at NRL level (okay - Barrett is maybe getting himself into and if I was associated with Trent on his P’s). in any way, shape or form I think I'd be advising him to reconsider his decision. The first thing Gould brings to Canterbury is a “take no shit” "I just think this is going to deteriorate into a real attitude. This club needs an absolute head-kicker who will mess in the coming weeks, and I just can't see a way bring that bar up to where it needs to be. Again, this is from out. I think it's just too much for him to take on at top to bottom. In this writer's eyes, at the moment the lunatics this time, given what happened to him at Manly, and are running the asylum. We have a playing group that have given that his next NRL appointment is very, very important. not had a football manager for nearly a year now. The recent COVID-19 breaches by a group of players, and the fact that the "He's in a really good club at the moment at the club was fined for poor player management as a result, says Panthers, he's got a great role and is doing a everything.