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How Freddy Fittler Birthed a Dynasty while Drooling in the Trenches for NSWRL

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How Freddy Fittler Birthed a Dynasty while Drooling in the Trenches for NSWRL

by The Ghost Writer Dribbler

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Freddy Fittler is an enigma of a man.  Chinese whispers report him stating to punters and dribblers in sports bars around the state about the great game of Rugby League ‘I Just Bloody Loooove it’- the piece of saliva rolling down his chin emphasises this.

In 2014 Fittler and friend, the 8th Immortal, Andrew ‘Joey’ Johns travel to Fiji for their annual Fiji Odyssey. This trip has been made a permanent fixture to spread the great game of Rugby League and unearth local talent.  It is this curiosity and constant thirst for the game of Rugby League that will hold Fittler in good stead for the important job that is waiting in the pipeline for him in the years to come.

One year later, in 2015, Fittler was announced as the man to coach NSWRL’s best u/16’s, u/18/s and u/20’s (Unders Teams). On receiving this appointment Fittler said:

“If we don’t keep trying to improve the players and improve the game, then at some stage it will plateau…. If you’re not doing that groundwork well in advance of them kids getting to that moment then at some stage it could lose its shine… When I took this job on, it was for the kids. It wasn’t to coach NSW in the future. Hopefully I do a good enough job, the kids keep coming through prepared and I stay in this job.”

It was at this moment that Fittler’s time in the NSW State of Origin trenches reaches its most pivotal stage. In this chain of events, it wasn’t only the players getting that groundwork well in advance, but it was Freddy. While others were fighting over which current crop to harvest, he was soaking the NSWRL seeds with his raw saliva from 2015 to 2018 before his eventual appointment as the head coach of the NSW State of Origin team. Fittler has gone on to win 3 of his 4 origin series as coach, losing a weird end of season covid-19 exhibition with his second string side in 2020.  

 

 

In the 2021 series Fittler named 21-year-old Wests Tigers prop, Stefano Utoikamanu in the extended squad.  A dribbler responded to this selection by posting the ‘who the fook is that guy’ Conor McGregor meme with Stefano’s face imposed on the original recipient of the quip, Jeremy Stephens. Fittler knew Stefano and his talent from his time in the trenches coaching NSW’s younger teams.  Fittler knew Stefano well having coached his brother Filia Utoikamanu in the NSW 18’s team in 2017. Sadly Filia’s League career concluded that same year when he broke his neck playing lower grades for the Parramatta Eels.  Stefano is now being likened by some to front row sensation Payne Haas, though he may be a ‘Haas-Lite’, even a ‘Lite’ version would be amongst the best FR’s in the game. 

Pan across to Fittler’s current adversary (as of July 2021), Paul Green, in the same years Fittler was salivating over NSW Junior Rugby League players Paul was coaching the Cowboys to a finish of 4th, 8th, 13th and 14th.  Full disclosure, Paul did win a Premiership as coach of the Cowboys in 2015 and unfortunately, the Cowboys players would become the talent pool that Paul looked towards in his time as QLD origin coach. See: Kyle Feldt, selected by Paul, played perhaps the worst origin centre of all time, Francis Molo earning selection from the Cowboys bench was another head-scratcher. 

Back to Fittler, the players he presided over in his time with the NSW Unders Teams included: Payne Haas, Cameron Murray, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Zac Lomax, Bradman Best, Taniela Paseka, Latrell Mitchell, Victor Radley, Brian To’o, Keaon Koloamatangi and Nick Cotric.

The QLD ‘8 in a row’ that the inbred Banana-Bender variant of the Punter and Dribbler refers to after each lost series is long gone, having finished in 2013.  Their reign was characterised by a once-in-a-generation spine of Slater, Lockyer/Cronk, Thurston and Smith.  This was then complemented by a replenishable source of foot soldiers. Matt Scott waned, Josh Papali’i emerged. Michael Crocker fell off, Sam Thaiday throbbed. Ash Harrison retired, Matt Gillett filled in. Dallas Johnson retired, Nate Myles stood up etc. 

QLD v NSW - State Of Origin: Game 2

 

NSWRL under Freddy’s lead have built the once in a generation spine they have been searching for, Tedesco, Luai, Cleary and Cook will be giving QLD the same nightmares that Blues fans had for those grim eight or more years.  The foot soldiers will now be what is important if NSW can challenge QLD’s streak. 

The fullback stocks are palpable. Tedesco has Turbo, Papenhuyzen and others waiting their turn for the custodian role down the track. The wings are locked down with Fox and To’o but Saab, Nofoaluma, A Johnston or the many freak centres could fill in. Centre stocks are at an all time high with Turbo and the ‘Taree Ferrari’ the incumbents, those waiting patiently include; Bradman Best, Lomax, Campbell Graham, Kotoni Staggs, Stephen Crichton and many more. 

The back-row stocks are similar to the centres, Rugby League’s No.1 sort Cam Murray was elite in 2021 smothering key QLD’ers and T Sims was amongst the best. Shadowing the incumbents are young guns Souths’ Koloamatangi, Manly’s Olokau’atu (cousin of Jason Tuamololo), Josh Schuster and veterans like Finucane, Frizell, Chrichton. The front row has the game’s best Payne Haas, Daniel Saifiti and Paulo as incumbents. Stefano, Manly’s Taniela Paseka and veterans like RCG are there waiting for a chance.

The NSW foot soldier cattle is there. If the spine stays healthy they will easily have the herd to challenge QLD’s streak. One thing you know for sure is Fittler will be drooling, watching and nurturing the talent of the NSW juniors for years to come. For the good of his state and because he just bloody loves it. 

 

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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Is Andrew Johns in 2005 State of Origin Game 2 the Best a Footballer has Ever Looked?

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Is Andrew Johns in 2005 State of Origin Game 2 the Best a Footballer has Ever Looked?

by Rhys Smith

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Spoiler alert: Yes.

Its easy for the young punter & dribbler to be lost in the world of the new, metrosexual, ultra-athletes we see on the footy field today. The mind wanders at the thought of the hunky Cam Murray’s of the world. Roger Tuivasa Sheck, Brian Toó and the likes. Well groomed, physical specimens that rival Calvin Klein models.

But with the greatest respect, these blokes have nothing on the eighth immortal, a man who played in a different time.  A time when haircuts were basic. Sideburns were long and facial hair was hard to come by. Man buns were years away. Jerseys were baggy, made from heavy materials and had glorious collars. A footballer was more worried about getting shit done than the way he looked.

As we all know, 2005 State of Origin game 2 was the single greatest performance by a player in our great game’s history. If you disagree, you’re either living under a rock or a dirty Queenslander (with the utmost respect) When watching this game, which I recommend going back and reviewing, The hotness radiating off Joey is noticeable from the get-go. He’s just come back after months out with injury. On the line is his own reputation as well as the pride of the state. From the kick-off he’s on a mission. He’s changing angles, inside ball after inside ball. Elusive running. Elusive kicks. QLD are in all sorts.

 

 

“How do we contain such a man?” – possible quote from 55-year-old looking Cameron Smith as Minichiello scores a beauty off a Johns kick that hits the goal post. Honestly, at points in the game even Joey’s teammates can’t keep up with what the future immortal is doing. It is a truly magical performance.

His hair is long and shaggy. His hair has no particular style, but that’s what makes him so damn Alpha. His sideburns are long. Arms & chest hairy. He looks fit. He’s wearing the best Blues jersey ever. His collar is spread far apart, in a Saturday night fever kind of way. Playstation is the sleeve sponsor, so you know it’s sick!

His rugged appearance mixed with the signature cheeky smile combined to produce some of the most beautifully mesmerizing footy ever to be played, all with the soul of a true blue Rugby League footballer. I will forever argue this is the BEST a footballer has ever looked. Not an athlete. Not an NRL star. A FOOTBALLER.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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The State of Origin Purity Pyramid

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The State of Origin Purity Pyramid

by Joey Dribbler

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State of Origin. an exhibition of the greatest talent in rugby league. Each game in the series attracts some of the biggest TV audiences in the country. Why is this the case? Why do blokes ripping and tearing intrigue the average punter more than fake marriages, or weird home-reno shows?

The answer is simple: Origin is hard, fast and full of yarn. 

This year’s origin has been riddled with storylines that have caused fans and journos alike to foam at the mouth. Think about it: what director could ever imagine a bloke with an IQ matching his jersey number cheating on his Miss Australia girlfriend with a ‘dancer’ in Origin camp.  

Yet, perhaps the most devastating narrative arc of the 2021 series has been the eligibility scandal of Ronaldo Mulitalo. After representing the Maroons in a plethora of junior sides, the ARL barred the young Shark just hours before he was set to debut for the Queensland senior side. Such a turn of events had me thinking, ‘is origin eligibility really a hard-and-fast science?

No, it’s fluid – like unset jelly. 

I have devised the following pyramid to help unpack the intricacies of Origin eligibility, ranked in order of purity.

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The ‘Born and Bred Turncoat’ tier

The bottom tier of the pyramid. A kinder person would describe this as the entry point of eligibility, but players in this bracket are traitors.  They are like toddlers, deeply dissatisfied with their toys – snapping their Michano when they discover something better to play with. 

The ‘turncoat’ accusation is one which is serious, and cannot be used lightly – but there’s no word more apt to describe the exploits of players like Greg Inglis. On his day, GI played the game as if it were under 10s junior footy, and he was the only player with chest hair. Yet the bloke was born in the Blue-town of Kempsey, played all of his Junior Footy in NSW, and moved to Queensland when he was 17. If that doesn’t scream turn-coat, I’m not here. 

The ‘wouldn’t bleed for the state’ tier 

Although this tier is not technically the bottom of the pyramid, it entices the most cringe in the hard-core footy fan. The players who sit in this echelon are few and far between. In fact, I can only think of one player who fulfills this niche criteria.

As if playing for a NSW club as a Queenslander wasn’t enough, Kaylyn Ponga has publicly stated his desire to play for the All Blacks. That’s right. He doesn’t want to even play the code, let alone play for his country. Ponga is like the guy who arrives at a party, only to tell the guests that he’s about to duck off to another event. 

Contrast this disinterest with the passion of Ronaldo Mulitalo. The bloke has barely been in Queensland for five-minutes and he’s turned his back on the Kiwis. Is that disloyalty? Maybe – but it’s disloyalty in the right direction.

The ‘Are we sure he’s even a leaguie’ tier?

Much has already been said about the code-wars of the early 2000s. As Rugby League continues to grow in audience size and revenue and Rugby Union swiftly moves its product behind a pay-wall, the spoils of the battle must create the most unwelcome heartache for the few remaining fans of the 15-a-side game. 

Players like Cam Murray and Angus Crighton, emerging superstars of the game, were aficionados of the line-out and the 22-meter line well before they embraced the Steeden. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with being a refugee of the code-war, but let’s be honest: private school haircuts and articulate post-match interviews are not synonymous with the leaguie. 

Are we glad to have the likes of Sam Walker and Joseph Suaali in rugby league? Sure – but let’s not kid ourselves. These cattle aren’t pure. 

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The ‘Dual-international’ Tier

Jarome Luai really scratched the inside of our skulls when he made public his desire to represent both NSW and Samoa. Die-hard Blatchy Blues felt like Jonah Hill’s character in Wolf of Wall Street when Leo reveals that he’s wearing a wire. 

But the high-IQ fan knows that our precious code’s international game is like a dog on pet-rescue: a mix-breed hodgepodge with little regard for purity. James Tedesco played six times for Italy before donning the Kangaroos jersey. Jarryd Hayne represented Fiji both before and after playing for Australia. The list goes on. 

Rugby league is rampant with dual-international opportunists. They aren’t pure-bred, but they are perhaps victims of their own leagueness: a characteristic that Paul Vaughan demonstrated to the wider public earlier this month. 

The ‘plays for his state, but not in his state’ Tier

Is there any greater wig-out then seeing a Bronco lace up for the Blues? 

Maybe they’re victims of circumstance – they’ve had to move interstate to get a contract at a club? Maybe they’ve chased a larger contract? Maybe they wanted the Wayne Bennett experience? 

But let’s be honest, there’s always something off about players migrating across the borders. Like, there should be a policy that players who play for their state, but not in their state need to apologise before they enter Origin camp.

This tier is widespread: Payne Haas, James Roberts, even Queensland skipper Daley Cherry-Evans. However, none of these players surpass the impurity of Fatty Vautin, who represented both Queensland and NSW City. Bit weird. Super impure. 

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The Pure Tier

Mitch Pearce, Paul Gallen, Andrew Johns: not names you would normally associate with purity. But, Punters and Dribblers, these men are what Origin is all about. 

Pearcy: Left his elite private school when he was 16 so that he could play rugby league.

Gallen: Is there anything more leaguie then retiring only to pick up the only sport more inducive of CTE? 

Joey: Do I even need to explain?  

These men are gladiators for the game. They play for clubs in their state, they play for their state of origin, and they all provoke some level of disgust in the general public.  

Sure, molesting a dog, peptides and a bender in broad daylight aren’t going to earn you any brownie points with the Salvation Army. But having a touch of grub is essential to rugby league purity. 

The Gutho Tier 

Here’s some trivia for you: the highest piece of the Egyptian pyramids was the pyramidion – a piece of black granite, covered in gold, and transcribed with hieroglyphics. Is this useful information? No – because the top of this pyramid is no piece of stone: this pyramidon is Clint Gutherson. 

I know what you’re thinking, ‘how could a player with one series to his name, where he played out of position and lost be the peak of origin purity?’

Believe me when I tell you this, Gutho bleeds blue.   

Name a single player in the NRL who, with a hundred-odd games to his name,  would make a Instagram post slobbering over the rep-side which he wasn’t selected for. Who would think, ‘yes ‘#QueenslandersAreLemons is a great caption?’ Not Gutho – because he doesn’t think. He simply #bleedsblue.

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Hell, Freddy even called Gutho into the squad for game three of this year’s dead rubber series. Will he get any minutes? Not a chance. He’s the fourth-best fullback in the side. 

So, what’s the point?  Freddy knows that Gutho is as pure as you get. In a game filled with non-leaguies and red-heads that barely want to play for the country, in a sport littered with turn-coats, this Blue’s side needs a thoroughbred New South Welshmen. 

I have no doubt that Gutho is going to bed tonight, wrapped in his NSW duvet cover, dreaming of the shield, and I have no doubt that the great man will post once more about a series he had little involvement with.

 

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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Cam Munster Needs to go on a Huge Bender if QLD Want to Avoid a Sweep

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Cam Munster Needs to go on a Huge Bender if QLD Want to Avoid a Sweep

DYOR Dave

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It was only 8 months ago that Queensland shocked the nation by producing an upset victory over NSW despite being labeled “the worst origin team in history.”

Yet here we are today and the Maroons are staring down the barrel of an historic origin series defeat, having been embarrassed by the Blues in the first two games, with little hope for a consolation victory in game 3.

Some may say that the inclusion of Trbojevic and the maturing of Cleary have helped NSW improve, while a few injuries have left Queensland worse off, but the key difference clearly lies in the strategy and preparation of Queensland’s main playmaker.

Cameron Munster produced one of the great origin performances in game 3 of 2020 to win his side the shield, and himself the Wally Lewis Medal, but the most heroically impressive aspect of this achievement is that he did it all while nursing the mother of all hangovers.

After he led the Storm to the 2020 premiership, Munster embarked on a bender so glorious that it lasted over a week and earned him the nickname “The Pres” (President). While the party kicked on for the Storm, Munster was forced to turn his attention to the origin arena merely days after the grand final.

After being denied a request to spend an extra day partying and miss the start of Origin camp, Munster set out to train for game 1, an astonishing feat in itself considering he was likely the most bounced-out person on the planet at that point.

Many Blues fans would have been watching scenes from Munster’s celebration and thinking that the after-effects of such an intense bender would disadvantage Queensland in the upcoming series, but they couldn’t have been more wrong.

Analysts at the time had never witnessed a phenomena like this, however hindsight provides conclusive evidence that Munster’s epic bender actually added to his already tremendous Rugby League ability.

The vibes given off at the Sunshine Coast resort where the Storm were celebrating had been absorbed into Munster’s psyche, while supporting players like Brandon Smith, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and even the great Cam Smith were unwittingly being harvested for their footy talents.

After playing all 3 games and helping his side to victory, Munster picked up his drinks and carried on partying, effectively rendering the origin series a short break in the middle of a long bender. What for many is a hallowed tradition and a tremendous honour was for Munster merely an inconvenience that had to be overcome in order to resume yipping and yahooing

So, as Paul Green aims to end his origin coaching career on a high, he needs to throw out the playbook, throw the tackle bags away and put his star playmaker on a strict diet of rack and red. It’s the only way to bring dignity back to the once great state.

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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The Dialectics of Origin: Why NSW’s Dominance was Inevitable

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The Dialectics of Origin: Why NSW’s Dominance was Inevitable

DYOR Dave

Gould and Hegel - long lost brothers?
Gould and Hegel – long lost brothers?

As QLD pick up the pieces of their shattered origin dreams, and NSW continue their celebrations, many NRL fans look back and wonder how the tides turned so sharply in such a short amount of time.

Some may say the development of players like Cleary, Mitchell, Trbojevic and Luai have manufactured NSW’s turnaround, while others will claim the retirements of Smith, Slater, Cronk and Thurston are to blame for the downfall of Queensland, but the truth of the matter is that this was all inevitable, and it only takes a quick peek into 19th-century philosophy to see why.

The idea of Dialectics was theorised by German thinker Georg Hegel in order to understand history not as a linear trajectory of gradually progressive movements, but as a wildly alternating pattern of extremes.

For example, In 1919 Germany ousted their Prussian monarchy in favour of the Weimar Republic, and what was once a strictly conservative society made way for the liberal freedoms of the 1920s. Unfortunately for the Germans, these freedoms didn’t last too long, and along came a failed art student with a beta moustache to send the country further back into a fascist dictatorship.

Since then, Germany has flourished into a progressive nation that is welcoming to immigrants, Queers, artists and a lot of people with spacer earrings. These radical shifts in ideology and authority are typical of Hegel’s theories, but also seem awfully familiar to those who have seen the rise and fall of NSW and Queensland in the Origin arena.

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Since the first origin series was played in 1982, there have been four distinct periods of dominance where one state has emphatically reigned supreme.

From 1982 until 1991 Queensland won 7 series to NSW’s 3, thanks to players such as Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis and Allan Langer. Following that, NSW won the next 9 out of 14 series, with Queensland winning only 3 and two series drawn from 1992 to 2005.

After the retirement of Andrew Johns, the Queensland dynasty was born through 8 straight series wins and only one loss in 12 years thanks to a Cooper Cronk injury and a subpar performance from Daly Cherry-Evans. And so we come to the present day, where NSW have won the last 3 series out of 4, and look to be building a dynasty of their own on the back of a host of young throbbers.

Once again, Hegel’s theories have prophesized the unfolding of history, and while many NSW fans may think this is the ‘end of competitive origin’ and they will never lose another series, it’s just another chapter in the saga of Origin.

Unfortunately for Queensland, Hegel doesn’t predict how long each phase will last, so while we may seem destined for a decade of sorrow and misery, it’s good to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it is far away.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site