If Any Other Team Won The Pre Season Challenge

[Mark from Brisbane]

“ No one likes us , we don’t care “

 

[Disco]

Up today, as I stated.

 

[Shoe1]

The ticker tape parade with golf buggies up the corso is probably on tomorrow. I’ve been there all day today waiting and no sign yet.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I like it that we played two successful clubs and beat them both. Not really fussed about offloads etc, but all you can do is win - and we did! Woohoo!

 

[Bearfax]

Astonishing latest article in SMH regarding the Sharks. The author suggested the Sharks were the best side in the pre-season and he almost suggested they were robbed based on the manner of points scoring used in the competition. This was a team that played Newcastle and Canterbury, surely almost gimmes. Manly played two of the top sides of last year, Sydney City and Souths. Talk about biased reporting. Yep Manly are the hated side yet again.

 

[Woodsie]

Hold your beers ...

NRL under fire over pre-season format after Cronulla robbed of $100,000​

The Sharks had two wins from two games and the best for-and-against, but the prize went to the Sea Eagles instead.​

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor
Mon, 20 February 2023 at 10:05 am AEDT·4-min read

Cronulla Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon has admitted he didn't even know about the scoring system in the NRL pre-season challenge until it was too late for his side to do anything about it. The Sharks proved the most dominant team in the two-week mini-tournament, beating Newcastle 28-16 and the Bulldogs 36-16 to finish with the best for-and-against.

However they finished second on the ladder behind Manly and missed out on the $100,000 prize because of their lack of offloads. Cronulla, Manly and St Helens all enjoyed two wins from two games, but it was the Sea Eagles who finished on top due to the number of bonus points they accrued through offloads.

Manly and Cronulla claimed bonus points in their victories for scoring at least five tries and breaking the line five or more times. But it was the Sea Eagles' offload count that got them the $100,000 cheque, finishing on 29 points compared to 28 for Cronulla.

Manly produced 10 offloads against South Sydney last week to earn the crucial extra bonus point. Cronulla needed to do likewise against the Bulldogs on Sunday to draw level with Manly and go top of the ladder on for-and-against, but only threw three in their big win.

Speaking after the win on Sunday, Fitzgibbon admitted he didn't initially know how crucial offloads were in the pre-season challenge. "I was only aware of it too late. I said 'go for it', but it's really hard," he said. "It can change a mentality if you go and chase it. There's a bigger picture at play here."

Fitzgibbon said he felt it was more important to get his side prepared for the regular season than chase the $100,000 on offer in the pre-season. The coach said he is fine with the concept of a pre-season tournament and wanted to make clear he was not bagging organisers, but admitted he was unsure if offload counts should equate to bonus points.

"The thought behind it is great, because you want to see footy played," he said. "But how is an offload more entertaining than a normal pass? I'm not sure.
"If you looked at a metric of winning, do offloads win games? So why are we awarding it as a win? I don't get it. It's exciting to watch, but it's not what's going to happen in the rounds. So why is that the deciding metric?"

Craig Fitzgibbon looks on before a Cronulla Sharks game in 2022. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)

NRL's pre-season challenge falls flat​

Cronulla captain Dale Finucane also admitted he wasn't aware of the scoring system, while Manly coach Anthony Seibold said he hadn't told his players to build up their offload count against the Sydney Roosters on Friday night. Had he done so, the Sea Eagles could have locked up the $100,000 before the Sharks even played.

The concept also fell flat amongst fans, with one writing on social media: "I’ve got to be honest…the $100K you tipped in did not change one thing.

"If the coaches had an eye on it and weren’t completely focused on getting their teams prepared for the season, the Sharks would’ve won it. You even had a match played under different rules. Waste of $$."

Another commented: "The scoring system here was a joke. Rewarding offloads…so teams had to make a choice. Make all these offloads for the sake of preseason points, or play their own system as they train. Ridiculous move by the NRL to even make a 2 round thing a comp."

 

[Brookie Bob]

'Right direction': Seibold's bid to restore Manly mentality

Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold has had a dream start to his tenure on the northern beaches with a Pre-season Challenge win but knows the real test starts in Round 1 against the Bulldogs.

www.nrl.com

 

[Brookie Bob]

Who cares - Manly won it, there was $100K on offer, it's now with our club.

Plus - we looked good (lots better than last year) doing it.

Plenty of upside for 2023, and that's all we can ask for at this point.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Perhaps they could include bonus points for number of players juiced up, eh Sharkies!

 

[maxta]

It's just a Mickey Mouse thing but I'm happy we beat the other NRL teams to win the thing.
What will really get the media in hate mode is if the Seaeagles can hit the ground running and win a few early games.
We will then see stories of Manly players from 1965 who went on pub crawls and created trouble instead of the good form....this my friends - is when you know "We are back"

 

[NZEaglesFan]

I a glad we beat two quality sides in winning this pre season comp and not Knights or Dragons quality teams.

 

[globaleagle]

Hold your beers ...

NRL under fire over pre-season format after Cronulla robbed of $100,000​

The Sharks had two wins from two games and the best for-and-against, but the prize went to the Sea Eagles instead.​

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor
Mon, 20 February 2023 at 10:05 am AEDT·4-min read

Cronulla Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon has admitted he didn't even know about the scoring system in the NRL pre-season challenge until it was too late for his side to do anything about it. The Sharks proved the most dominant team in the two-week mini-tournament, beating Newcastle 28-16 and the Bulldogs 36-16 to finish with the best for-and-against.

However they finished second on the ladder behind Manly and missed out on the $100,000 prize because of their lack of offloads. Cronulla, Manly and St Helens all enjoyed two wins from two games, but it was the Sea Eagles who finished on top due to the number of bonus points they accrued through offloads.

Manly and Cronulla claimed bonus points in their victories for scoring at least five tries and breaking the line five or more times. But it was the Sea Eagles' offload count that got them the $100,000 cheque, finishing on 29 points compared to 28 for Cronulla.

Manly produced 10 offloads against South Sydney last week to earn the crucial extra bonus point. Cronulla needed to do likewise against the Bulldogs on Sunday to draw level with Manly and go top of the ladder on for-and-against, but only threw three in their big win.

Speaking after the win on Sunday, Fitzgibbon admitted he didn't initially know how crucial offloads were in the pre-season challenge. "I was only aware of it too late. I said 'go for it', but it's really hard," he said. "It can change a mentality if you go and chase it. There's a bigger picture at play here."

Fitzgibbon said he felt it was more important to get his side prepared for the regular season than chase the $100,000 on offer in the pre-season. The coach said he is fine with the concept of a pre-season tournament and wanted to make clear he was not bagging organisers, but admitted he was unsure if offload counts should equate to bonus points.

"The thought behind it is great, because you want to see footy played," he said. "But how is an offload more entertaining than a normal pass? I'm not sure.
"If you looked at a metric of winning, do offloads win games? So why are we awarding it as a win? I don't get it. It's exciting to watch, but it's not what's going to happen in the rounds. So why is that the deciding metric?"

Craig Fitzgibbon looks on before a Cronulla Sharks game in 2022. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)

NRL's pre-season challenge falls flat​

Cronulla captain Dale Finucane also admitted he wasn't aware of the scoring system, while Manly coach Anthony Seibold said he hadn't told his players to build up their offload count against the Sydney Roosters on Friday night. Had he done so, the Sea Eagles could have locked up the $100,000 before the Sharks even played.

The concept also fell flat amongst fans, with one writing on social media: "I’ve got to be honest…the $100K you tipped in did not change one thing.

"If the coaches had an eye on it and weren’t completely focused on getting their teams prepared for the season, the Sharks would’ve won it. You even had a match played under different rules. Waste of $$."

Another commented: "The scoring system here was a joke. Rewarding offloads…so teams had to make a choice. Make all these offloads for the sake of preseason points, or play their own system as they train. Ridiculous move by the NRL to even make a 2 round thing a comp."

I love it!

Shows that the sharks coach pays no attention to the rules nor the finer details needed to win a comp. goose.

Also love the tears of the 'hurt by manly' whiners. It's like fine scotch whisky only more intoxicating and deliciously satisfying.

noot noot!

turn the 100k into bank notes, put 'em in a tub and allow us to jump around in it while flipping off the nrl community.

then donate it to... er...moosesessez in need.

 

[deanm]

It's just a Mickey Mouse thing but I'm happy we beat the other NRL teams to win the thing.
What will really get the media in hate mode is if the Seaeagles can hit the ground running and win a few early games.
We will then see stories of Manly players from 1965 who went on pub crawls and created trouble instead of the good form....this my friends - is when you know "We are back"

And they will drag out Roy Masters with his Fibros vs Silvertails BS.

 

[jbb/james]

On this site we talk a lot about perspective and people seeing things differently

could this not just be a case of this journo doing the same.

i dont think so myself , its rubbish , but surely we must entertain the theory

just being cheeky, not trying to offend anyone but still my selfcontrol is NIL and its been floating about my melon for a couple of hours. It had no place up there and i knew it would be appreciated here.

hopefully i havnt misread the room

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

On this site we talk a lot about perspective and people seeing things differently

could this not just be a case of this journo doing the same.

i dont think so myself , its rubbish , but surely we must entertain the theory

just being cheeky, not trying to offend anyone but still my selfcontrol is NIL and its been floating about my melon for a couple of hours. It had no place up there and i knew it would be appreciated here.

hopefully i havnt misread the room

Honestly it’s a rubbish concept BUT I get what the NRL were trying to do , create some more interest in the pre season trials now that they were all live to view.

And yes , if you were the side running second and missed out by a couple of “ offloads “ you could feel aggrieved.

I’d be surprised if they do it again in 2024.

 

[Will on the hill]

On this site we talk a lot about perspective and people seeing things differently

could this not just be a case of this journo doing the same.

i dont think so myself , its rubbish , but surely we must entertain the theory

just being cheeky, not trying to offend anyone but still my selfcontrol is NIL and its been floating about my melon for a couple of hours. It had no place up there and i knew it would be appreciated here.

hopefully i havnt misread the room

You're not alone, choosing 10 offloads as a metric to decide any competition was foolish.
Offloads require introducing unnecessary risk and are not a key indicator for any team and can also be artificially increased if someone wants to game the system. I can see why they chose it, they were trying to encourage exciting play but it ended up being a non event.

 

[globaleagle]

Next year they can turn it more into this fantasy league thing y'all seem to play.

Add up all the points + scores and wins = pre season challenge cup winners!

lulz

go Manly!

+15 points if you moonwalk across the line and score

 

[jbb/james]

Honestly it’s a rubbish concept BUT I get what the NRL were trying to do , create some more interest in the pre season trials now that they were all live to view.

And yes , if you were the side running second and missed out by a couple of “ offloads “ you could feel aggrieved.

I’d be surprised if they do it again in 2024.

Its really just about extending the season to sell more kayo

offering prize money to try get better cattle on the park to make it worth it

the cricket calendar is leaving a sporting void for many

i see them extending it if it gains financial traction and it becomes something the nrl can sell to the networks but this mickey mouse format will be changed.. wayne pearce will want 15 tackles per set and to abolish play the balls so people can still have cricket scores.im surprised week 2 didnt have different rules

 

[Bradza]

Some people get upset about some stupid stuff on Silvertails,but this effort could give you the gold medal,congratulations

Sorry, podium finish only I reckon.

 

[40 nil]

Hold your beers ...

NRL under fire over pre-season format after Cronulla robbed of $100,000​

The Sharks had two wins from two games and the best for-and-against, but the prize went to the Sea Eagles instead.​

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor
Mon, 20 February 2023 at 10:05 am AEDT·4-min read

Cronulla Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon has admitted he didn't even know about the scoring system in the NRL pre-season challenge until it was too late for his side to do anything about it. The Sharks proved the most dominant team in the two-week mini-tournament, beating Newcastle 28-16 and the Bulldogs 36-16 to finish with the best for-and-against.

However they finished second on the ladder behind Manly and missed out on the $100,000 prize because of their lack of offloads. Cronulla, Manly and St Helens all enjoyed two wins from two games, but it was the Sea Eagles who finished on top due to the number of bonus points they accrued through offloads.

Manly and Cronulla claimed bonus points in their victories for scoring at least five tries and breaking the line five or more times. But it was the Sea Eagles' offload count that got them the $100,000 cheque, finishing on 29 points compared to 28 for Cronulla.

Manly produced 10 offloads against South Sydney last week to earn the crucial extra bonus point. Cronulla needed to do likewise against the Bulldogs on Sunday to draw level with Manly and go top of the ladder on for-and-against, but only threw three in their big win.

Speaking after the win on Sunday, Fitzgibbon admitted he didn't initially know how crucial offloads were in the pre-season challenge. "I was only aware of it too late. I said 'go for it', but it's really hard," he said. "It can change a mentality if you go and chase it. There's a bigger picture at play here."

Fitzgibbon said he felt it was more important to get his side prepared for the regular season than chase the $100,000 on offer in the pre-season. The coach said he is fine with the concept of a pre-season tournament and wanted to make clear he was not bagging organisers, but admitted he was unsure if offload counts should equate to bonus points.

"The thought behind it is great, because you want to see footy played," he said. "But how is an offload more entertaining than a normal pass? I'm not sure.
"If you looked at a metric of winning, do offloads win games? So why are we awarding it as a win? I don't get it. It's exciting to watch, but it's not what's going to happen in the rounds. So why is that the deciding metric?"

Craig Fitzgibbon looks on before a Cronulla Sharks game in 2022. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)

NRL's pre-season challenge falls flat​

Cronulla captain Dale Finucane also admitted he wasn't aware of the scoring system, while Manly coach Anthony Seibold said he hadn't told his players to build up their offload count against the Sydney Roosters on Friday night. Had he done so, the Sea Eagles could have locked up the $100,000 before the Sharks even played.

The concept also fell flat amongst fans, with one writing on social media: "I’ve got to be honest…the $100K you tipped in did not change one thing.

"If the coaches had an eye on it and weren’t completely focused on getting their teams prepared for the season, the Sharks would’ve won it. You even had a match played under different rules. Waste of $$."

Another commented: "The scoring system here was a joke. Rewarding offloads…so teams had to make a choice. Make all these offloads for the sake of preseason points, or play their own system as they train. Ridiculous move by the NRL to even make a 2 round thing a comp."

Sounds like sour grapes to me 🙂