RUGBY league an atrocity? You've got to be kidding. Yesterday, motoring writer Paul Pottinger stirred up a hornet's nest with his column bagging the greatest game of all. Today NICK WALSHAW fires back with 50 reasons to love rugby league 50 GUS Gould. Yes,yes, yes, yes, yes. 49 DALEY Cherry-Evans . . . the most entertaining hyphen since Sir Mix-A-Lot. 48 BIG Marn, Daryl Brohman. Funny to everyone but Les Boyd. 47 GREG Inglis. Should become the greatest tryscorer in Origin history this year. Sits equal first with Dale Shearer on 12. 46 PHANTOM Siren. Because that stuff never gets old. 45 GOLDEN point. 44 ISSAC Luke . . . the kinda bloke you’d have play for your life. 43 SATURDAYS at junior footy. Now if only we could get rid of those idiot parents on the sideline. 42 SOUTH Sydney. Because this is gunna be their year. No really, it is. 41 BENJI Marshall passing to Chris Lawrence . . . officially league’s most lethal linebreak 40 WAYNE Bennett press conferences. For letting us know how Moses must’ve felt receiving those two tablets from atop the mount. 39 A REFEREEING crisis. We give it 15 minutes into the season opener. 38 PETERO Civoniceva needs just 11 games to join the 300 club. Legend. 37 KB cans at Henson Park. Bad ground. Worse beer. Gold. 36 BRONCO Corey Parker, who 18 times last year made more than 100m and 30 tackles in the same game. Led the league. 35 BOYCOTTING Manly v Wests Tigers in Gosford, Round 2. Anyone . . . anyone . . . 34 TODD Carney redemption stories. 33 CARNEY apology stories. 32 ANOTHER Jacob Lillyman offload. Warriors prop managed only one in 280 hit ups last winter. 31 SUPER Saturday sessions on the sauce. 30 AN Independent Commission, even though it’s proving harder to establish than a Charles Manson alibi. 29 SIDELINE conversions. 28 NEW York Knights footy team, who shouted me a night out in the Big Apple before Chrissy to make this list. 27 CANTERBURY livewire Ben Barba inside his own half. Makes more linebreaks than any other player from there. 26 MAD Monday. Like Christmas, but with more beer. 25 DES ‘The Mercenary’ Hasler versus Manly in Round 8. 24 ANTHONY Xuereb. Still the only man to own an entire section of the Rugby League Players Encyclopaedia. 23 BEER in plastic cups. C’mon, at least you won’t be glassed by Parramatta Jesus. 22 CRAIG Bellamy shouting, spitting and generally doing his nut in the coach’s box. 21 IMMORTALITY. . . surely Rugby League Week are due to give us another, ay? 20 RAIDER Shaun Fensom. Boasts the best tackle outside a BCF store. 19 AKU Uate . . .undoubtedly the greatest Fijian since Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka. 18 MEN of League. Proof angels do take all forms. 17 BENJI Marshall, because anyone who boasts an autobiography at 26 must go OK. 16 ELECTRICAL tape around the head. Somebody, please. 15 RAY ‘Rabbits’ Warren. Love him. 14 MARIO Fenech. See above. 13 CHEERGIRLS. . .long may they be free to shake their assets. 12 MC Hammerhead. Honestly, is there a harder gig in Australian sport than exciting Sharkies fans? 11 CHRIS Sandow...needs only one decent game for that ‘Next Sterlo Tag’. 10 MORMONS . . . who, should they come a knockin’, can now be subjected to hours of debate about Will Hopoate and all things NRL. 09 GAMES for Nathan Hindmarsh to move into league’s top 10. He will pass both Paul Langmack and Luke Priddis. 08 BILLY Slater. Nuf said. 07 BRAWLS, stinks, barneys, stoushes, scuffles, rumbles, wrangles, tussles, blues, battles and, yes, even the occasional fracas. 06 INTERNATIONAL footy. Because this ain’t cricket, so against New Zealand we’re a chance. 05 BRYCE Gibbs breaking a try drought that now stretches six years and 114 games. 04 GRAND Final Day barbies. Meat, yes. Meatloaf, no. 03 FEUDS. Like Carney v Roosters, Dragons v Bennett, Ennis v Farah, Gould v Gallop, Fitzy v Pricey and the Manly board v the Manly board. 02 STATE of Origin. . . moves up four places now serial heartbreaker Darren Lockyer has gone. 01 HOPE. And right now everyone still has plenty of it. Do you love Rugby League? Tell us why below.
Yep I'll be at the game mentioned in no.35. We owe the Tigers a hiding after the last time we played them at Bluetongue.
