A jellyfish or similar lower order lifeform
PNG pathways, the Flume of rugby league and the western corridor didn't quite make the news
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This idea has no downsides
From The Triple Byline Team:
It is understood the proposal includes;
• Salary cap exemption that incentivise clubs to sign PNG pathway players into a top 30 or supplementary list contract. This is to accelerate the expansion of the elite player talent pool prior to PNG’s entry in 2028.
• PNG Pathways Player would be defined as a player contracted as a PNG Hunters player (ie playing in the relevant Australian State league competitions) and/or contracted within the PNG catchment area (or a combination of both) for two or more continuous seasons prior to his first top 30 or supplementary list contract.
• To be classified as a PNG pathways player the player must be a PNG citizen or national and must not have been contracted to a club in Australia, NZ or any other country prior to their first top 30 or NRL supplementary list contract.
• Clubs may seek a salary cap exemption for up to two PNG pathways players per year.
• PNG Pathways Players are only eligible to receive the exemption from one club.
• Current NRL contracted players are ineligible.
This is not a brain genius idea for three reasons.
The first is operational. You should probably start from the assumption that this is not going to be used by clubs - what’s the difference between $0 and $100k on the cap for a replacement level player, really - but let’s be generous and imagine the NRL clubs do take the offer up. All that will do is distribute the current Hunters squad among NRL teams, where they are extremely unlikely to get game time in the NRL and may struggle to get game time in state cup at some clubs. Then the Hunters have to fill out their squad by going to the Digicel Cup. Throwing Mendi Muruks and Rabual Gurias into Queensland Cup isn’t development and may be a war crime under certain international conventions. All you’ve done is take away worthwhile minutes at the appropriate level from PNG players because PVL and co can’t leave well enough alone. This isn’t what pathways look like.
The second is cultural. Readers may be familiar with Edene Gebbie. Gebbie made his Cup debut off the bench with the Hunters in 2018 and over the course of the season, established himself as the starting fullback. Gebbie made the leap from the Hunters to Wynnum Manly for 2019 and was literally put up by the club in a house the club owned. Gebbie was made as comfortable as possible, allowing him to focus on footy and not worry so much on dealing with the outside world. While Wynnum is a suburb of Brisbane, it is removed from the CBD, has its own vibe and if you put very big blinkers on, you could imagine yourself in a country town. That suited Gebbie and he delivered an astonishingly good season for the Seagulls, making the QCup team of the year at fullback and winning the Anthony Schweitzer Memorial Trophy as the Wynnum fans people’s choice.
In 2020, he signed for South Sydney, had to move, then deal with a pandemic and, understandably, went AWOL. Wests had a stump throw on him in 2021 but the results were not any better, with just one appearance in NSW Cup. By 2022, he was in Townsville, playing A-grade, with just three appearances for the Blackhawks in Cup. Gebbie is now plying his trade for Doncaster in the second divison in England.
Covid notwithstanding, this is about the best case scenario for a player of any background thrown into the deep end. Much in the same way that you would struggle to adapt to life in Lae or Mt Hagen, you don’t realise the social network that supports your day-to-day living until it’s gone. So it is not unreasonable to expect a group of young men distrubuted randomly around the eastern seaboard might not all uniformly and seamlessly integrate into the mainstream of Australian culture with relatively high profile jobs and that might have consequences for the players and their careers. Justin Olam, just about the only player who’s successfully gone from PNG to the NRL, has a physics degree, so is not exactly typical. The Seagulls made it work but it took thought and care and resources, all of which the NRL is not good at.
The third is competitive. Are clubs going to hire a babysitter and put coaching into their pair of cap-free replacement-level players to help develop them into stars for a future rival, who is already get a tax-free treatment on the cap?
Just think for a second, guys.
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Around the grounds
Bulldogs 32 defeated Rabbitohs 0. As was pointed out to me, there was a whiff of Vlandoball about this one. It was 20-0 at half time and unsurprisingly, Souths didn't get any closer in the second half. The Bulldogs look good, if prone to running into a brick wall at some point. This was not the best attended NRL regular season game. It was the best attended NRL regular season standalone game. The double header in 1999 claimed over 100,000, a record that is unlikely to be broken, but the third qualifier is conveniently forgotten in the rush to blow Phil Gould for putting up $10 tickets.
Dolphins 42 defeated Storm 22. It just goes to show that you never can tell and yes, I should have gone to the game. The Storm looked imperious but only for 20 minutes or so and then it was all Dolphins. The Storm couldn't complete and never really had the ball. If the Dolphins keep this up, they’ll be playing a critical game against the Bulldogs at some point but seems more likely this is their 2025 signature win to go with 2024’s over the Broncos and 2023’s over the Roosters. Was Jeremy Marshall-King the problem all along? Let's hear from the fans:
Effort, attitude and intensity all went missing with things becoming “too hard.” Whether that can all be blamed on a lack of leadership seems a little bit harsh, but it did feel like no one was willing to aim up and try and set the tone to stop the momentum the Dolphins built up before half time that carried over into the second half. That’s the thing though, for as poor Melbourne were during this match, the Dolphins were excellent and deserved the win because of how they played.
Wynnum 38 defeated Tweed 28. I can’t believe we were denied a round 1 FLOCKBUSTER by that overblown gale. My first observation from this game was that Wynnum are defensively unsound and a step off the pace. Later, I added “(as are tweed)”. As they did last week against the Pride, the red and green Seagulls got better as the game went on and overcame a binning of Sione Hopoate (that remains a total mystery to me) to win the game. Wynnum are building nicely and Tweed are 1-3, despite being not totally shit. There was a tweet years ago about how listening to Flume is like eating cardboard - you go google eating and Flume and see why I can’t find it - and that’s Jock Madden, the Flume of halfbacks. Cam Bukowski is similarly anonymous but I think he slips through the observational gap by virtue of being smooth and not disruptive, as opposed to lacking any sense of flair or “cool”.
Cutters 26 defeated Hunters 20. PNG had this won and then blew it in the space of five minutes. Morea and Voro, probably the two most likely to be picked up NRL clubs cap-free, both made errors that led directly to the Cutters scoring, turning a hard fought 20-16 lead gained late in the game to a 20-26 bitter defeat. The Hunters had relied on power running that didn’t generate early returns but paid off as the game progressed. Voro has looked good uas starting five-eighth, until he blew the game. On the Cutters’ side, their fullback Raydan Burns is one to keep an eye on: on the small side but quick, can pass and has footwork.
Devils 26 defeated Dolphins 6. A classic Norths victory in which they look like they're getting out muscled but still win comfortably. On the whole Norths had a better ability to get down field, goal line defence and attacking flair. The Dolphins were the more aggressive but, like last year's grand final, outclassed. Norths’ secret is assembling a team of highly capable Cup players that aren’t exactly name brand but all buy in and that effort and belief goes a long way to putting together a slick product. Kieran Moseley is a big part of that from dummy half. Jordan Lipp had a length of the field intercept (how could the Blackhawks let him go etc etc). Jackson Shereb had a great tackle to save a try and scored one of his own, in only his fifth appearance in Cup. Josh James is a little, little man.
Warriors 19 defeated Broncos 18. Boy, that was a stinker from the Broncos. While I am tempted to start the ball rolling on #MaguireOut, we need to have a discussion, as a city, about Ben Hunt and the fact that's he total dog shit. That’s two really poor, Cr*ft-level games in a row. He's reminding me of late career Alfie with his constant grubbering into the opposition’s legs. I haven't watched the Dragons much over the last few years - why would I? I have a Queensland rugby league newsletter, not one about clubs that write character references for Brett Finch - but I am reliably informed this has been a problem for a while. At St George, Hunt at least had cover in poor coaching and a lack of tools at his disposal. That is not the case any more and Dozer’s reputation is rapidly being reevaluated. More to come in the next Pony Picayune.
Raiders 30 defeated Titans 20. The Titans fielded almost none of their brand name players and the result we all expected was what we got. Obviously, the path to that result wasn’t what we expected but the Raiders got there in the end. I caution anyone looking at the scoreline after 20’ and thinking the Titans played well in that period. I think they fired three basic shots and got three tries in return, when they'd normally be lucky to get one, and played at the same level through the rest of the game with commensurate results. Jaylan De Groot is a liability in the line. The Raiders back five are on pretty average form. Find me a guy who swings his arm as much as Joe Tapine after his side goes down three scores. Shout out Arama Hau sitting the Red Pig on his ass. I am undecided on Allan Fitzgibbon.
Intermission
Not the first Fun Win over the Storm - 26-0 for the Broncos and 38-36 squared for the Titans should ring bells - but still a very fun win for everyone but Melbourne fans.
This New Zealand man reflects the official attitude of The Maroon Observer, both to the NRL and the Broncos.
Mondays, am I right? It’s ok, they win anyway, even if I included this over Tweed’s sick ass second try or Ronald Philitoga’s 40m tackle busting run.
Anzac Day
If ANZAC Day is a day for reflection, then here’s mine (as it has been for the last two years).
Dad did the minimum stint in the army in the 80s to get himself sorted out, which was a relatively common career path in his side of the family, and fell in between Vietnam and Iraq, sparing himself a lifetime of post-traumatic stress. It's also where he met Mum and how he ended up in Queensland. Mum’s father did national service and his father was a civil engineer and deemed more important to home front than being sent into the meat grinder.
Dad’s paternal grandfather volunteered for the army in World War II and he was - and I quote my grandfather here - “rejected on the grounds that, being too sensitive, he could not be relied upon to kill anyone”, which is as good a reason as any I guess.
Dad’s other grandfather served in the Royal Navy on the HMS Curacoa. Let’s find out how 337 people died:
On the morning of 2 October 1942, Curacoa rendezvoused north of Ireland with the ocean liner Queen Mary, which was carrying approximately 10,000 American troops of the 29th Infantry Division. The liner was steaming an evasive "Zig-Zag Pattern No. 8" course at a speed of 28.5 knots, an overall rate of advance of 26.5 knots, to evade submarine attacks. The elderly cruiser remained on a straight course at a top speed of 25 knots and would eventually be overtaken by the liner.
Each captain had different interpretations of The Rule of the Road believing his ship had the right of way. Captain John Wilfred Boutwood of Curacoa kept to the liner's mean course to maximize his ability to defend the liner from enemy aircraft, while Commodore Sir Cyril Gordon Illingworth of Queen Mary continued their zig-zag pattern expecting the escort cruiser to give way.
At 13:32, during the zig-zag, it became apparent that Queen Mary would come too close to the cruiser and the liner's officer of the watch interrupted the turn to avoid Curacoa. Upon hearing this command, Illingworth told his officer to: "Carry on with the zig-zag. These chaps are used to escorting; they will keep out of your way and won't interfere with you." At 14:04, Queen Mary started the starboard turn from a position slightly behind the cruiser and at a distance of two cables (366 m). Boutwood perceived the danger, but the distance was too close for either of the hard turns ordered for each ship to make any difference at the speeds that they were travelling. Queen Mary struck Curacoa amidships at full speed, cutting the cruiser in half…
Those who witnessed the collision were sworn to secrecy due to national security concerns. The loss was not publicly reported until after the war ended, although the Admiralty filed a writ against Queen Mary's owners, Cunard White Star Line, on 22 September 1943 in the Admiralty Court of the High Court of Justice… Mr. Justice Pilcher exonerated Queen Mary's crew and her owners from blame on 21 January 1947 and laid all fault on Curacoa's officers. The Admiralty appealed his ruling and the Court of Appeal modified the ruling, assigning two-thirds of the blame to the Admiralty and one third to Cunard White Star.
As Australia tries to work itself into a patriotic fervour as a cheap facsimile of the American religious reverence for The Troop, powered by the Department of Defence, all I can think is that if any of those men had any clarity in their final thoughts as boilers exploded and steel crushed limbs and pierced organs and water filled lungs, it probably would’ve been that this is a pretty fucking stupid way to go.
Upcoming Slate
Hunters versus Bears, Saturday 3pm, FORT MORESBY
This has been the ANZAC-ish themed game for QCup since PNG entered the comp, a little over a decade now, but it’s the first time this fixture has been played in April at the NFS. It always seems to provide a reasonable contest, with some exceptions, that seems to be increasingly spiteful over the last couple of years. The Hunters have their flaws and the Bears seem to be getting to grips with the new generation of players. At home, I would expect PNG to rise to the occassion. Tip: Hunters
Cutters versus Tweed, Saturday 3pm, QCB Stadium
Normally I woud try to avoid recommending simultaneous games and I probably wouldn’t have put forward teams with a combined two wins through eight starts but such is the quality of this week’s slate, the Cutters and Seagulls are right up there. I am also drawing attention to the fact that the QCup feature game is on Saturday at 3 and not Sunday at 2. Tip: Cutters
Raiders versus Dolphins, Sunday 2pm, Raiderdome
Here’s two teams no one expected a whole lot of this year but are looking in fine form based on the last couple of weeks and headline the weekend’s action with a full five star game. We’re not exactly sure what form of Canberra is going to turn up, which will obviously dictate proceedings. I’d be surprised if we see a repeat of Redcliffe’s heroics against the Storm here, not least because the Raiders are likely to be better prepared and more inclined to play with the kind of physicality that will put an end to the Red Fish’s advances. Tip: Raiders
(Tips 7 / 21 in 2025; 48 / 92 in 2024)
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Notes
Because the sport is covered by one collective central nervous system with a dozen or so person-looking pseudopods, like you might see in a jellyfish or similar lower order lifeform on the marches of the animal kingdom, the only story that nervous system can process right now is Lachlan Galvin. While it is clear not one of them understands what galvanisation is actually for, I wonder if anything else in the sport might be happening? Alas we will never know and so are obligated to follow the transpirings of the least interesting team in the sport.
Ben Ikin and Wayne Bennett back a fifth Queensland NRL team with the Bears branding. Finally, some real news! Ikin has something in that a western-ish SEQ team could be made ready to go if Perth falls over and could be supported by the Jets, Clydesdales and Tigers but I don’t think the AFL stuff is really getting any cut through and he doesn’t suggest in the quotes that SEQ4 actually be aligned with the Bears, just that he’d like to see the Bears back in the comp. This will get trotted out every so often for the foreseeable.
Country defeated City 32-22 in the U17 mens while City got revenge 18-8 over Country in the womens. This News Corp write-up was written by people who watched the games, treated it on its own merits and were enthusiastic about it. They’re never going to get anywhere doing that.
Back to no Queensland teams playing on Anzac Day, other than Devils and Clydesdales. Righto.
Titans: AKP has been named, Jayden Campbell is going to be a few weeks and David Fifita is fine?
Dolphins: JMK and Felise out, Max Plath fine
Nowhere is growing like this corner of Queensland. It’s changing the political game. The ‘nowhere’ is the southern Sunshine Coast and how new electorates need to be formed in both Brisbane and Sunshine Coast due to population growth and what politics those electorates will have, which I find interesting but can be related back to rugby league by applying the same themes as here.