DISCORD 2012: Edition 24

by NRL

SO that was Origin II?

The thing about the series which is intriguing is that one game will be riddled with controversy and rancour and the next will be just as enthralling to watch but have fewer talking points.

That's not to say there's nothing worth talking about today.

Billy Slater's knee injury has him in doubt for Origin III and the performance of Akuila Uate under the high ball will no doubt be poured over in the weeks ahead. Should NSW change a winning team?

There were also a couple of contentious refereeing decisions. Was Johnathan Thurston's strip before Josh Morris' try legitimate? And Queensland should have certainly been the recipients of a line dropout in the second half when Michael Jennings knocked the ball out of Brent Tate's hands.

But with Petero Civoniceva making his farewell and a full house in three weeks, I still think the Blues will be right up against it in the final match of the series. Queensland by 12.

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IRELAND coach Mark Aston makes a great point about the current set-up in the Home Nations, which mirrors the southern hemisphere where NSW and Queensland are recruiting the guts out of other countries.

The advent of the England Knights cuts off Ireland, Scotland and Wales from a lot of players who might be tossing up which country to play for.

This is a legacy of the chase for Sport England funding. With the departure of Richard Lewis, it's time for a re-think regarding Great Britain and we should revisit the idea of Lions tours.

England Knights are there to make England stronger, which is in the interests of rugby league. But they also make Ireland, Scotland and Wales weaker, which is not in the interests of rugby league.

How do we find a balance.

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THANKS for all the comments last week. Many were simply well-expressed opinions and need no response this week.

Sea Eagle, the two-stadium policy is not coming in any time soon. The stadia policy we are likely to have next year is aimed at taking the games to the people by having the right events at the right venues. It's a lofty ambition. We'll all watch with interest.

Renegade says the Commission seems pretty reactive itself and I agree wholeheartedly.

To those who said Gallop never stuck up for the game, apparently he was a clear winner in a debate with Demitriou over the relative merits of the sports and said "The boss of Coke doesn't drink Pepsi. I don't watch AFL". I think we should all be proud of that statement!

Boubear is a Storm supporter who liked Gallop. Thank for speaking up! Hope your house isn't firebombed!

Your thoughts?