Rugby League
2018 NRL songs
After seven rounds of competition, who would have thought that the Dragons would be undefeated and that the Warriors, Tigers and Panthers would be in the top four to start the year?
2018 NRL songs
After seven rounds of competition, who would have thought that the Dragons would be undefeated and that the Warriors, Tigers and Panthers would be in the top four to start the year? Who would have picked last year’s finalists – the Cowboys and the Sharks to not be in the top of the table. This year has been interesting so far. Here at 51 Thoughts, we felt that it would be a good idea to match songs to your team.
- Melbourne Storm – “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”
The defending champions have had a non-Melbourne-like start to the year. They have lost both their games to the West Tigers, but they’re also taking time to get used to not having the match-winning halfback Cooper Cronk, who went to the Roosters. The Storm don’t seem as clinical as they once were. You can never count out a Craig Bellamy-coached side, as he knows how to get his team up for big matches. You can still expect them to be in the finals this year but where will they finish?
- North Queensland Cowboys – “Let the Good Times Roll”
The Cowboys have had a less-than-great start to the year. Jonathon Thurston hasn’t been at his best; in his final year, he is certainly facing pressure from League legends like Greg Alexander saying that he has been around for too long. The same can be said for Jason Taumololo and Michael Morgan, who look very flat so far this year. In addition, the team lost star Jordan Mclean to a broken leg, which has him out for three months. The Cowboys play an exciting brand of football and soon they will be back in the eight.
- Sydney Roosters – “Living on the Edge”
The Roosters were the favourites to win the competition this year, but they have had a very slow start. One week they’ll click and win; the next week they’ll start slow or make simple errors that hurt them. Star recruits James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk haven’t gelled as much as they and the fans would like, with Cronk struggling to adapt to the different struggles that the Roosters play compared to the Storm. Now the key to their team is Luke Keary. He has been in good form and is being talked up for State of Origin. The big loss is losing Aidan Guerra to the Knights; he gives 110% and makes more tackles and metres. The Roosters need consistency in their performance; otherwise, they will struggle to even make the eight.
- Brisbane Broncos – “Changes”
Brisbane has been a club of superstars for years. It’s a team that sides have feared playing, especially when it has had guys like Gordon Tallis, Wendall Sailor, Wally Lewis, Allan Langer, Shane Webcke and Darren Lockyer. This year, however, they seem to have deviated from their winning formula. They lack a good halfback, as Ben Hunt has moved to the Dragons, and they lack quality forwards. Don’t forget the super coach Wayne Bennett, who has guided the team into six grand finals, which they have won every time. Wayne always has “words of wisdom” to bring the team together; however, this year he seems to have lost his touch somewhat; he chooses the wrong players or can’t get his players up for the game.
- Parramatta Eels – “Who Are You”
Sorry, Parramatta fans, but why do you sign Jarryd “You Do What I Want Because I’m Better Than You” Hayne? It’s the dumbest signing of the year and it lacks common sense. Jarryd Hayne is known to destroy clubs; look at what happened to the Titans. If you move away from Haynes’ arrival at the club, the team looks flat, the halves look aimless, and Mitchell Moses and Corey Norman have lost the edge that got them to the finals last year. The team looks unfit and has lost the mental edge of not dropping the ball and giving away soft penalties. Time will tell whether Brad Arthur has lost the dressing room and whether he will get the sack.
- Penrith Panthers – “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started”
Penrith was once the easy beat in the competition. However, the club has been rebuilding and returning to its glory days. This year, Penrith’s key has been the halves. Nathan Clearly has done his knee and will be out for a few more weeks, while star recruit James Maloney has shown why he has played for New South Wales and Australia. He’s a thinking footballer and plays what’s in front of him. He isn’t afraid to run and take the line on and also be a calming influence on the young players in the side. Coach Anthony Griffin has the team back to where it was in the early 90s, after the huge rebuild that started with former coach Ivan Cleary. Only time will tell when they will make the final; they are certainly of a side that cannot be counted out of playoff contention.
- Manly Sea Eagles – “Here I Go Again On My Own”
Manly is a glamour club of the NRL. It has always been a successful club that has won many NRL Premierships. It’s a team that can’t be written out of playoff contention. Manly has always had good, strong halves, ranging from Cliff Lyons and Geoff Toovey to Daly Cherry Evans and Blake Green. However, this year, Manly let Blake Green go to the Warriors, as it was chasing former Sydney City Rooster Mitchell Pearce (who signed with the Newcastle Knights). To replace Green, Manly signed former Canberra Raiders under-20 player Lachlan Croker, but that seems to be hurting them, as Manly needs a six to take the pressure off Cherry Evans. Manly is very hot and cold at the moment; it its forwards, like Martin Taupau, don’t go forward and gain good metres, they struggle. They also seem flat on defense. Last week, the Tigers showed that Manly has problems, as the Tigers made metres and broke their line with ease.
- Cronulla Sharks – “Cat People Putting Out Fire With Gasoline”
Just like Souths, Cronulla has gone backwards, and in a hurry. Two years ago, Cronulla won its first title in five years. The following year (after origin), it lost its way and missed the playoffs. The key departure was Michael Ennis. He wasn’t necessarily a superstar but he was a tough, determined hooker – the glue in the spine that kept them focused. He could change a game by running out of dummy half. Now Cronulla has a young hooker who looks like he will be a better player in years to come. James Maloney went to Penrith after a fallout with the coach and that has hurt them hugely, as he was a controlling influence on the team. He did that with ease and was able to dig the team out of trouble. Matt Moylan has shown that he’s a good player at fullback, as he’s a line breaker, not a kicking six. Add Cronulla’s signing of Josh Dugan and the side is messy.
- St George Dragons – “Turn the Page”
St George is a club steeped in history. It has always been a proud club. After winning the competition in 2010, it starts well but falls asleep at the end of the year. This year the club seems to have gotten rid of the deadwood and troublemakers like Josh Dugan, who didn’t fit what coach Paul McGregor wanted. The club has recruited smartly by getting a good halfback in Ben Hunt. He will work well with Gareth Widdop, as Hunt will take pressure off Widdop and let him play his natural game. The signing of James Graham will make the forward pack stronger. The fact that he isn’t captain will allow him to focus on playing football. Sure, the Dragons lost to the Warriors on the weekend, but they’re playing effective, free-flowing, attacking football that has been good to watch and they’ve been able to adapt their game to the conditions. If they can continue playing like this, they will be real contenders at the end of the year.
- Canberra Raiders – “Learning to Fly”
Well, well, well … what can you say about the Canberra Raiders? They’re in Canberra and it can be very hot or very cold down there. That sums up the Raiders; they’re a side that you can watch and enjoy because of their coach, Ricky Stuart, blowing up deluxe at either a referee or a player who made a mistake. This year the Raiders have lost three games in the last two minutes by less than two points; they were thrashed in two and won convincingly in the other two (against the Eels and Bulldogs). The Raiders look unfit, as generally, after the 60th minute, they switch off; this allows the opposition to come back in. The attack looks flat at times and the defense is even flatter. The Raiders made the preliminary final two years ago but since then they have lost their edge.
- Canterbury Bulldogs – “No Lies”
No lies, no lies, do it again I say? Sack club great. No lies, no lies, do it again I say sack the coach, do it again. That’s the problem with this song and the club. Why get rid of the key guys in your club and sign players who aren’t as good? The Bulldogs are in huge trouble. They look aimless in attack with halves who struggle to execute the game plan. The forwards look like they try to go forward but there’s no real wow factor with them. The real problem is ball handing and fifth tackle opinions that just don’t work.
- South Sydney Rabbitohs – “Highway to Hell”
Glory, glory to South Sydney, we won the title in 2014 and we will defend it, we are unbeatable. Over three years, though, they went backwards quickly. Roll into 2018 and the club is slowly making changes. Having Greg Inglis come back from his season-ending injury has helped, while the signing of Dane Gagai has improved the backline. Last year, the Rabbitohs signed the poisonous Robbie Farah from the Tigers. He looked like he was just playing for himself and not for the team, but, in fact, he hasn’t played a game so far. That’s a good thing, as Damien Cook has proven to be devasting out of dummy half this year and is becoming a game breaker. Meanwhile, the Burgess brothers are slowly returning to the form they were in a couple of years ago.
- New Zealand Warriors – “Road to Nowhere”
The Warriors have been a real surprise packet of 2018. Normally, you could say the Warriors were on the road to nowhere, as they would be talked up for either a premiership or a top-four or top-eight appearance, and then fail. This year the Warriors have improved remarkably. They look strong in attack and focused in defence. They want to play 80 minutes of football. The Warriors look fitter and that’s because they signed former Melbourne and Brisbane trainer Alex Kumos. He feels the Warriors are still a work in progress. So far, the Warriors have won six games and lost one. This shows that they want to prove the fans wrong; they want to make the top eight. The question is, will the Warriors keep up this form or will they be back on the road to nowhere and miss the top eight again?
- West Tigers – “I’m Still Standing”
Tigers fans have been through a lot in the last few years. Many fans have begged the club to rebuild and asked for managers and staff to go. They’ve gotten their wish. The former Penrith Panthers coach came to the Tigers halfway through last year and got rid of players like Aaron Woods, Mitchell Moses and James Tedesco. Then he brought in new players like Josh Reynolds, Ben Matulino and Russell Packer, and brought back Benji Marshall. This year the Tigers are a force to be reckoned with. They have won five and lost two games but in both losses against the Broncos and Knights, they were in the game till the very end. That’s the big difference in the Tigers this year. They know when and how to shut out oppositions, which they showed in their games against the Storm and the Roosters. If they continue to play like this, no doubt they will be around at the end of the year.
- Gold Coast Titans – “Ring of Fire”
For the last few years, the Titans have had a good side on paper. In turn, many expected them to make the top eight or go even further. This year may be different, as new coach Gareth Brennan is changing the way they attack. They seem more organised and stronger with Ash Taylor in good form again. In terms of defense, they seem better. Where the season could go down in a ring of fire is with injuries; year in and year out, injuries hurt the Titans. The team still needs to sign three players to make a full 30-man squad, but who will go up there?
- Newcastle Knights – “We Built This City”
Ten years ago, the Knights were a proud club with some of the game’s superstars. They were a side that was a constant pick for the top eight. Years later, the Knights lost their way and became the easy beats. However, the experienced Nathan Brown has come in and rebuilt the club, trying to reinstall the edge that the Knights once had. This year, with the signing of guys like Kalyn Ponga, Aiden Guerra, Jacob Lillyman and Mitchell Pearce, the Knights look like a different side. They look stronger in attack and break the line more. The defense looks stronger compared to what it once was. The key transformation is that they don’t give up; they were behind against Manly and the Tigers, then came back and won. If they keep up this style, they can make the eight.
