The final eight has shifted all year with no team sitting clearly above the rest but finally the ladder is set.

Five birds are perched in the top five positions.

And just beyond the Cats in 6th are the Dockers and the Kangaroos, the constant underdogs who at the very least could do some damage in their finals campaigns.

It’s a year where nearly any finalist can win.

But beyond the premiership fight, there stands the bottom 10 teams who all put on a show for 23 rounds.

St Kilda, Carlton and Essendon have all ebbed and flowed in and out of the eight in 2012 and could have found a spot in September.  Then comes the perennial underachievers Richmond, who have yet again failed in their finals campaign but have both the Coleman medallist and Brownlow contenders in a team that is sure to fire in the future.

The biggest worry for the AFL are the bottom five teams.

While the Western Bulldogs are rebuilding and the two development teams – Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney – are… well, developing, Port Adelaide and Melbourne seem to be in a rut that they just can’t break.

On top of their finals drought, Port Adelaide has well documented financial woes to deal with.

There is always light at the end of the tunnel. Port Adelaide will get yet another new coach in 2013 and Melbourne will go benefit from a second year under coach Mark Neeld and youthful co-captains Jack Trengove and Jack Grimes.

Every season will have its big losers and its blemishes but as a whole the AFL has succeeded competitively in 2012.

Not only have all 18 teams fought hard, often in the face of adversity, but the final eight are primed to put on the most tenacious fight for the flag in a long time.

Andrew Demetriou and the AFL upper echelon can put a tick against this AFL season and enjoy the spectacle that the finals are sure to be.

The trick for the AFL will be to recreate this competitiveness in years to come, proving that all the meddling they insist on will create an even competition.

::Stephen McCambridge

What do you think? Leave your comments below and join the conversation.

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There are two schools of thought on this one. First, the popular one.

He tanked. John McEnroe said it, and nearly everyone else believed it. Tomic lost to Andy Roddick in straight sets at the US Open in the kind of disinterested capitulation that’s just hard to watch. Even Roddick himself seemed annoyed that one of his final appearances on Arthur Ashe stadium was soured by his opponent’s weak effort. McEnroe intimated that, in that great Olympic badminton tradition, Bernie gave up and let it go. The last set gave credence to McEnroe’s argument – it lasted just 22 minutes, and all but 5 points were won by the former number one.

His immature antics in the post-match press conference only made it worse. He claimed to be overwhelmed by the occasion, despite making the quarter finals at Wimbledon. He claimed the crowd size put him off, despite there being just a few thousand more than on the centre court in Melbourne or Wimbledon – both courts he has played on, and well.

Tomic has divided public opinion ever since he ‘refused’ to hit up with Lleyton Hewitt in 2009. He is the anti-Hewitt. Where we used to complain about Lleyton’s incessant ‘C’mons’, we could never fault his effort. He has always given too much for himself and his country, and he still is. Just look at his injured, limping 5 set win this week over Gilles Muller, 11 long years since he won the tournament. It’s that kind of brutal against-the-odds battle that typifies Aussie sport.

What we wouldn’t give for a few fist pumps from Tomic.

But then, those leaping to his defence would have you remember he’s only 19 years old. He’s spent the last 4 years on tour and had a great rise, and he’s done that with the pressure of carrying on the proud tradition of Aussie men’s tennis in the stark absence of anyone to share it with. That kind of spotlight does two things: On the court, it piles the pressure on, and off? Well, what 19 year old wouldn’t be distracted by attention, fast cars and a house in Monaco?

Like anyone in the public eye, Bernard has ridden the wave of support and the money and adulation that comes with it. Now he is seeing the other side, and he doesn’t like it one bit. Pat Rafter – one of our most well liked sports stars, and Davis Cup captain – called Tomic’s effort against Roddick ‘disgraceful’, and it was. He played terribly, and he looked like he didn’t care. He then attacked reporters who questioned his effort. All very average from a kid who clearly has a lot to learn, and is facing the first real hurdle after a junior career that has been all too easy.

But how will he learn if Rafter then turns around and selects him in the Davis Cup team?

The simple fact we have no one else to back has given Tomic a protective barrier which he has drawn around himself with a nonchalance that irritates the public. Even on his worst day he is still a match for anyone else in green and gold. He knows there is no one else, and, like many teenagers who have been told they are the next big thing, he believes it. Perhaps an unceremonious dumping would open his eyes to the opportunity he has.

I sat courtside at the Olympics this year as Tomic lost to Kei Nishikori in another average effort, and interviewed him afterwards. He maintained he was happy with his performance, despite dropping 3 set points. Until the world shows Bernard Tomic he is not indispensable, and Tomic decides for himself that he wants it enough to hate losing, then none of us will ever see what he is capable of.

::Will McCloy

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Given the dominance that the top teams have shown this year it’s hardly surprising that 10 out of the 13 players selected below come from teams inside the top 5, and only two come from outside of the top 8.

Here is my 2012 NRL team of the season, based on players picked in their most favourable positions.

Fullback: Ben Barba (Bulldogs)
The games most electrifying player this season and Dally M favourite, Ben Barba has had a stellar season, racking up 21 tries (equal 1^st), 22 line breaks (equal 2^nd) and the most tackle busts in the NRL. It’s unimaginable that just 12 months ago many NRL pundits were questioning his ability to play the fullback position, given his problems with balls in the air and some lacklustre one-on-one defence. In 2012 Barba has not only excelled with the ball in hand (especially returning it from kicks), but he has also been a menace in defence against would be opposition try scorers close to the line. A joy to watch.

Wingers: Ash Graham (Cowboys) and Brett Morris (Dragons)
Ash Graham is far from the hardest working winger in the NRL, but he sticks to what he is good at and that is scoring four pointers. The natural try-scorer has linked up beautifully this season with a fully fit Brent Tait and masterful Matt Bowen. With 21 tries and 17 line breaks from 22 games Graham is impossible to ignore.

He may have started the year slower than Graham, but Brett Morris has been one of the NRL’s most consistent outside backs. Beginning the season on the wing, before moving to fullback, Morris was moved back closer to the sideline following a brilliant performance in jersey number 2 for NSW in State of Origin 3. Morris got over the stripe 14 times and broke the line on 16 occasions this year, but what has been really impressive is his run metres – the highest in the league.

Centres: Jamie Lyon (Manly) and Kane Linnett (Cowboys)
Were it not for his retirement from representative football, Jamie Lyon would be the first player picked in the centres for the Blues. The fourth highest point scorer in the competition, Lyon is just about the complete player – rock solid defensively, excellent footwork and a pure football brain that allows him to make correct decisions time after time.

One of the buys of the season, Kane Linnett has been a revelation at the Cowboys. Playing outside Jonathan Thurston, the former Rooster has developed into one of the game’s premier gap runners, scoring 12 tries and breaking the line on average once per game.

Halves: Josh Reynolds (Bulldogs) and Cooper Cronk (Storm)
Playing his first full season in the top grade, five-eighth Josh Reynolds has embodied all that is good about the Bulldogs in 2012 – skilful, enthusiastic and aggressive. His ability to run hard at the opposition’s defensive line and his support play this season have been eye catching.

While this season hasn’t been Cooper Cronk’s best, it doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been a very good one for the number 7. Playing behind a Storm pack that has been far from dominant, Cronk has been consistently good and finishes the 2012 regular season with the second most try assists.

Props: James Tamou (Cowboys) and Sam Burgess (Souths)
James Tamou combines a tough running style with clever footwork, meaning that it often takes three players to take the big man down. The Kiwi/New South Welshman secured the third most run metres in the NRL.

Playing with the energy of four Burgess brothers (which there will be at Souths next season), oldest brother Sam has shrugged aside a couple of injuries to have his most productive NRL season yet. Starting 2012 in the second row, the damaging Englishman has played a great part of the season in the middle of the field where he has continued to cause havoc with his strong running and brutal defence.

Hooker: Cameron Smith (Melbourne)
The games most intelligent player, Cameron Smith is both a workhorse and a magician. Consistently racking up 40 tackles a game doesn’t stop Smith from being the games most effective dummy half, controlling the pace of the game dutifully. His kicking game is also invaluable; both from inside his own half and close to the line.

Second Rowers: Frank Pritchard (Bulldogs) and Nate Myles (Titans)
Often much maligned for being a lazy edge player, Frank Pritchard has benefited most from the arrival of coach Des Hasler. This season the Kiwi international has found the mongrel that he possessed back at Penrith and has been a dominant gap runner.

One of the games most durable players, Nate Myles has played through the pain barrier for most of 2012, yet it has been one of his best seasons yet. Injury interrupted years for fellow rep players Ash Harrison, Luke Bailey and Greg Bird meant that Myles often ploughed through 80 minutes in the middle of the field. A pure workhorse.

Lock: Paul Gallen (Sharks)
No one works harder during a game than NSW captain Paul Gallen. Despite only playing 15 club games this season Gallen has achieved the 12^th highest run metres in the NRL. A threat both through the middle of the field and on the edges, this year the Sharks number 13 has also added some clever ball playing responsibilities that make him a handful in all areas of the footy field.

So what are your thoughts? Which players do you disagree with and who would you have in your own NRL team of the season?

::Andrew Tilley

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What did we learn from round 25 of the 2012 NRL Season? Here’s the five big points, starting with the in-form Green Machine.

No team wants to face the Raiders in September 
The Canberra Raiders served notice to a host of top 8 teams over the weekend, with an emphatic 34-6 thumping of Canterbury that put an end to the Dog’s 12 game winning streak, and all but guarantees the Green Machine of a spot in this seasons finals series. The Raiders leapt into outright seventh spot on Friday night at Canberra Stadium after a near perfect performance that saw them lead 24-6 at the break.

Backed by near impenetrable defence, the Raiders showed far too much grunt up front for an out of sorts and lacklustre Bulldogs outfit. Behind a huge forward pack led by captain David Shilllington, Canberra’s backline looked electric, as five of their six tries went to wingers Sandor Earl and Reece Robinson.

The Raiders are a confidence team and should they defeat the Warriors this weekend they may jump into sixth place and earn a home final. With Josh Dugan hitting top form and young halfback Sam Williams expertly pulling the strings no club will want to play the Raiders in September.

Teams on the cusp of the top 8 can’t get it done
Most of the teams walking the finals tightrope fell or at least stumbled severely over the weekend, after top 8 hopefuls the Broncos, Tigers, Titans and Knights all suffered losses.

Brisbane were easily second best at Brookvale against the reigning Premiers; a reshuffled Wests Tigers line-up missing injured hooker and leader Robbie Farah looked lost during their defeat to a rampant Roosters at Allianz Stadium; the Gold Coast went down to a rejuvenated Penrith Panthers after playing a string of must-win games over the last six weeks; while Newcastle were outclassed by the Johnathan Thurston inspired Cowboys at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

With results occurring as they did over the weekend, six teams are guaranteed a top 8 spot, which mathematically leaves up to five teams fighting it out for two spots. In reality though, wins to Canberra and Brisbane in this week’s final round will crush the hopes of the Tigers, Titans, Knights and Dragons – with many of those teams relying on hefty losses to teams above them and crushing victories for themselves.

Spineless Broncos continue to struggle
Despite a dogged defensive effort against Manly at Brookvale Oval on Friday night Brisbane continued to lack any attacking spark in their 16-6 defeat. Over the years much has been made of the disadvantage that Brisbane face in the latter part of the season as their host of Origin stars run out of playing petrol. This season the Broncos had five Origin players – Sam Thaiday, Petero Civoniceva, Ben Hannant, Matt Gillett and Justin Hodges – but what would they sacrifice for 1 or 2 more, particularly in their spine?

This season has been the first since 1995 – when Broncos players were banned from Origin because they’d signed to join the Super League – that Brisbane hasn’t provided Queensland with at least one key position player in the teams spine (fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker). Since their 26-12 round 16 victory over Souths, the Broncos have won just one game and averaged a miserable 13 points in attack. Brisbane’s young quartet of Josh Hoffman, Corey Norman, Peter Wallace and Andrew McCullough (in the main) have lacked a cutting edge. Unless they can re-ignite the form they showed early in the season, the Broncos may miss the finals for just the second time since 1991.

Some teams have nothing to play for, while others find something
Thankfully there aren’t too many games at this stage of the season that don’t have any real consequence or meaning, but unfortunately Saturday night’s game between St-George Illawarra and New Zealand was one of them. In a game that lacked the typical intensity of an NRL fixture, the Dragons ran out extremely comfortable 38-6 victors and in the process provided two of the club’s favourite players – Ben Hornby and Dean Young – with a fitting farewell in front of their fans in Wollongong.

Another lifeless performance – this time under new interim coach Tony Iro – sees the Warriors continue their terrible slide down the NRL ladder. If there were three or four weeks left in the season, instead of just one, the Warriors would be a fair chance of shoving Parramatta out of the way and stealing the wooden spoon.

Inglis must continue to fire
If Souths share any aspirations of winning their first Premiership since 1971, Greg Inglis must continue where he left off in South Sydney’s 38-6 romp of Parramatta on Sunday at ANZ Stadium. The rampaging fullback scored two tries, created three others, and racked up an incredible 12 tackle breaks as he tormented the Eels and ensured that the Rabbitohs first top 4 finish in 23 years is within their grasp.

Souths have lacked a genuine game-breaker since Inglis was suspended after his round 20 hit on Dragon Dean Young, but in form Inglis offers the complete package – pace, strength, agility and mesmerisingly silky skills with the ball in hand.

Last week he blew away some cobwebs against Cronulla, but against the wooden spooners Inglis delivered a two pronged rugby league lesson – barnstorming runs and bullet passes. Souths will need five similar performances from Inglis if they are going to become Premiers.
Individual Performance of the Round: Greg Inglis (Souths)
Match of the Round: Manly v Brisbane

::Andrew Tilley

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It hasn’t been Australia’s greatest Olympics. That much is obvious. What is less obvious is who is to blame. Cause if we’re not winning gold someone is at fault. The result of this apparent lack of success has been a witch-hunt. First it was the government for not giving enough money for our elite athletes. If we spent that little bit more we’d be swimming in gold, not silver. Then we blamed ourselves, the public, and the parents of these athletes for putting too much pressure on them to succeed. But our fiercest condemnation has been against the media. Since it became obvious our swimmers weren’t going to do as well as anticipated we turned on the local media for their lack of empathy.

There has been a massive backlash against the media from athletes, officials and the public about how they have covered the Olympics. They have all condemned what they say has been ‘negative’ coverage about the Olympics. The argument goes; the Olympics is a global competition and it’s incredibly hard to win a gold win so there should be no shame in winning silver. That is a completely legitimate argument. It is hard to win any event at the Olympics, that’s why we go crazy when someone wins a medal. Remember when Michael Diamond won gold in the shooting at Atlanta? Or Cathy in Sydney? Or the men’s 4x100m relay which was meant to be ‘smashed like guitars?’ These victories remain in the nation’s psyche because they are victories on the world stage against all the odds.

However rage and argument against the media’s coverage of the games assumes that they are not celebrating silver. This is not the case. The media showed their patriotic colours when the unknown Melissa Fox won silver in the K1 canoe slalom. Fox was the front page darling because she punched above her weight and achieved something exceptional on the world stage. What the media has commented on are those people who haven’t performed to their peak. It was predicted that our swimmers would win a swag of gold but they didn’t, they underperformed. And like any sporting team or individual, there lack of success was talked about in the media.

Finally, the media have also been unjustly criticised about how the cover disappointed athletes. The most notable example of this was Emily Seebohm’s breakdown after winning silver in the 100m backstroke. Many criticised Seebohm and media for not celebrating her second place in the world. Such an argument does a disservice to Emily and the swimming team in general. Emily got to where she is because she’s a competitor. For her, like many other athletes, second is simply not good enough. She came into the final as the favourite and when she lost she was justified in being upset. It would have been like Usain Bolt coming second in the 100m final. These results are all about context. Our 400m male runner Steven Soloman deserves to be proud of his achievement for reaching the final and coming last because he performed to his best. Seebohm is allowed to be upset for coming second because she thought she had a chance at gold. She should not be condemned for wanting to be the best in the world and just missing out. If anything she should be celebrated because that’s the psyche that makes a champion. The media covered both these stories in the manner the athlete perceived the event and that’s no reason to condemn the athletes or the reporters that cover these events.

:: Ewen Hollingsworth

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What did we learn from round 22 of the 2012 NRL Season? Here’s the five big points, starting with the Storm who seem to be a revitalised Premiership threat.

The storm are still are a Premiership threat
The Melbourne Storm returned to form in devastating style, smashing the Panthers 44-6 at AAMI Park during a rare Saturday afternoon game. The win snaps a five game losing streak, which was putting them at risk of dropping out of the top 4, and reignited their credentials as premiership contenders.

More importantly for the Storm, the win allowed them to blow out some cobwebs in attack and defence, and provide them with some much needed confidence with the finals just a month away. Their start was extremely impressive, and their intensity was back up to where it’s been in the past. They got out of the blocks quicker than Usain Bolt to score in the first minute of the game and the remainder of their first half performance followed suit. The Storm’s defence was also much better than in previous games, where it has looked very brittle.

Ominous warning signs for the other teams who will still be around in September.

Newcastle is still a fair way off the benchmark
The Knights played against the competitions benchmark and they were spanked. On the cusp of the top 8 and playing some solid football under the tutelage of master coach Wayne Bennett over the past month or so, the Knights were expected to provide a stern test for a firing Bulldogs team in front of 30,000 supporters at Hunter Stadium on Saturday night.

Instead, they were blown off the park by Canterbury in an incredible opening 20 minutes that saw them fall behind 24-0. The slick Bulldogs came out all guns blazing and stunned the Knights, who just couldn’t stay with them.

While the Bulldogs were unstoppable early, the Knights didn’t help themselves – serving up some feeble defence early on. It was an improved Knights performance in the second half, but by that stage the bulldogs had put the cue in the rack and were playing within themselves. It ended 26-10. The Bulldogs chalked up their 10^th consecutive win, while the Knights were left licking their wounds.

Souths look less comfortable against a forward pack as aggressive as theirs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs should be commended for a gutsy win against the Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park on Sunday, running out victors 22-18. The result keeps the Rabbits in second position on the ladder. However, Souths were certainly matched – if not outplayed – in the forwards by a Titans outfit possessing representative players Luke Bailey, Ashley Harrison and Nate Myles – all of whom had fantastic games.

It’s the first time in a long time this season that Souths were unable to roll forward in attack like they‘re normally able to do soo effectively. This nullified the effectiveness of halves John Sutton, and in particular Adam Reynolds. Souths spent very little time in the Titans 20 (it took them 60 minutes before a Souths player was tackled in this area of the field) because the Titans won the forward battle and they played much of the game in South Sydney’s half.

Despite holding on for their sixth consecutive victory – their best winning streak since 1994 – other teams in the competition will have noted how close the Titans came to upsetting the inform Rabbits.

Manly are great in the clutch
Manly are making a habit of winning close games. They did it against the Warriors two weeks ago, and on Saturday night they held off another top 8 contender, this time defeating the North Queensland Cowboys 8-6 in Townsville.

It was an extremely gritty performance from the defending premiers, who led 6-0 at halftime. Despite being outscored 6-2 in the second half, the Sea Eagles withstood a Cowboys team who threw everything they could at them late in the game. The Sea Eagles hung on by defending their line stoutly. It was Premiership style defence.

Footballers are strange creatures
Facing a do or die clash against the Brisbane Broncos at home on Sunday, the most unpredictable team in the NRL (on the field) continued that theme off the field. Despite playing a home game in Canberra, the Raiders travelled into NSW on Saturday for a team bonding night and then travelled back into Canberra the day of the game.

Coach David Furner made the unorthodox decision to stay outside of Canberra the night before the game in order to replicate the preparation used for an away game, because the Raiders away performances have been far better than the form they have shown at home this season.

The move well and truly worked. The Raiders were extremely impressive in disposing of the Broncos 28-12.

Individual Performance of the Round: Luke Bailey (Titans)
Match of the Round: Titans v Rabbitohs

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What did we learn from round 21 of the 2012 NRL Season? Here’s the five big points, starting with an attacking suggestion for the Dragons.

The Dragons attack looks better without Jamie Soward
The Dragons attack has been a spluttering mess for most of 2012. They are the only team to average less than 16 points per game. But on Friday night the Dragons appeared to have found the key to unlocking their attacking shackles – play Nathan Fein at five-eight instead of Jamie Soward, who is currently injured.

The Dragons shocked an out of form Melbourne Storm outfit 26-18 at WIN Stadium on Friday night with hooker Nathan Fien, playing his 250^th first grade game, combining a brilliant kicking game with an all-round solid performance with the ball in hand. He also linked far more effectively with his seemingly rejuvenated halfback Ben Hornby. With Soward more than likely available for this week’s game against the inconsistent Sydney Roosters, coach Steve Price has an important decision to make. Maybe the Dragons are better off without an out of form Soward?

The Bulldogs are a well oiled machine
Despite missing two of their best performers – Sam Kasiano and Kris Keating – the Canterbury Bulldogs still had too much in attack as they defeated the North Queensland Cowboys 32-18 at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night. Martin Taupau and Joel Romelo are far from household names, but both players stepped up into starting positions with apparent ease because every player in the team seems to understand their job on the field perfectly.

The Cowboys did well to stay with the Bulldogs for as long as they did (it was 18-18 after a Thurston try with 17 mins left), but the Dogs were too strong in the final period of the game.

Des Hasler is doing a great job talking down his team’s chances, but the Bulldogs are certainly premiership favourites and probable minor premiers with five rounds to go.

The amazing comebacks keep on coming
The 2012 NRL season will long be remembered as a season full of late and dramatic come from behind victories. It didn’t seem possible that any late comeback could trump the finish of the season – Rabbitohs v Roosters game two weeks ago – but two games on Saturday night have clouded those conclusions.

Over in Perth of all places, defending premiers Manly looked all but gone, as they trailed the Warriors 22-6 with 25 minutes left on the clock. Enter halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, who set up a try and scored two others (the last in the 78^th minute) as Manly scored four late tries to sink the Warriors.

Two hours later Penrith looked to have squandered their chance of victory at Toyota Stadium. After falling behind to the Sharks with two minutes left, then scoring a try to even the contest up in the final minute through Michael Jennings, Luke Walsh missed the game winning conversion.  Luckily for Walsh he didn’t have to wait too long for redemption as he calmly converted the Panthers first field goal attempt in golden point to steal an unlikely victory.

Robbie Farah is a waste at number 7
After sustaining a plague of injuries to his teams backline over the last few weeks, playing the NRL’s second best hooker at halfback was a last ditch option for Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens on Sunday afternoon. But he did it and the move failed spectacularly. The Tigers were routed 32-6 by a rampaging South Sydney outfit at ANZ Stadium and they were lucky that the scoreline wasn’t worse.

Following a season ending shoulder injury to Curtis Sironen last week against the Cowboys, Sheens decided to move his captain to halfback and include Masada Iosefa at hooker. All he ended up doing was weakening one area by trying to strengthen another, as Farah and Benji Marshall had shocking games at 7 and 6.

When Farah was finally moved to hooker late in the game (and Humble came on in the halves) he set up the Tigers only try of the game, scored by Marshall, following a deft grubber from dummy half.

Having now lost five of their last six games, the Tigers are languishing in 10th place, and they don’t stand a chance of making the finals unless Farah is moved back to hooker. Even then they may still struggle.

Bennett has the Knights clicking
After a terrible start to the season, which included bombed tries and plenty of tears (mainly from fullback Darius Boyd) the Newcastle Knights finally look like they have turned the corner. Following a 32-6 thrashing of Canberra in the nation’s capital on Sunday – their fifth win in their last six starts – the Knights have stormed into ninth position on the NRL table (just outside the top 8 on for and against).

The Wayne Bennett coached Knights have really gelled in attack on the back of an improved forward pack and a very confident backline. Jarrod Mullen and James Roberts are working beautifully together, Akuila Uate is back to scoring tries for fun, and even Boyd scored his first try of the season over the weekend. Things are looking very positive for the much improved Novocastrians.

Individual Performance of the Round: Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly)
Match of the Round: Canterbury v Penrith

:: Andrew Tilley

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On a cold Friday night in Wollongong with superstar fullback Billy Slater returning from injury, the Storm were hot favourites to pick up the win and arrest their losing streak. The bit three were back together. Surely, they would get the result.

But they didn’t. The Dragons were bigger, stronger, faster and yes, while they did score two intercept tries against the run of play, they managed to hold the Storm out long enough to claim a gutsy victory. This was anything but business as usual for a team that has gone from minor premiership certainties to the second worst losing streak in their 14 year history, in the space of a couple of months. So, where’s it all going wrong?

Well, despite Slater’s return, the Storm are still missing troops. You wouldn’t exactly put Matt Duffie, Justin O’Neill or Gareth Whiddop in the same class as someone like Cam Smith, but they are all solid first graders, essential cogs in the Melbourne lineup.

And you have to look at the teams that have put the Storm to the sword during the winless streak. Bulldogs are top of the ladder, Raiders are a bogey team, Cowboys are no easy-beats, Eels were looking to send Stephen Kearney out a winner and the Dragons were playing for their season. In a sense, it’s a tough draw as much as anything else which is causing the Storm trouble.

But the worrying thing is their defence. A lot of tries seem to be scored against the Storm these days that you wouldn’t have imagined being scored half a season ago. In catering for the Big Three, Storm inevitably have a little less cash to spend on their forward pack, and this dearth of class can be telling in games where a little extra defensive steel is needed to hold the opposition out.

It’s interesting that it should happen against the Dragons, because they of all teams should know exactly what it feels like. After storming out of the gates in 2011, the then Wayne Bennett-led side suffered a serious post-origin hangover, dropping from first to fifth to scrape into the semi finals with no momentum. If Melbourne can’t find the answers they run a very real risk of doing the same.

The Storm are due to play Penrith in the next round which should be a totally winnable game by their standards. It’s just a matter of getting the result. It would be foolish to write off a team so good, so early in the year. But recent results have been anything but encouraging.

:: Ben Squires

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In the movie Bridesmaid there’s one great scene (aside from the infamous food poisoning scene) that I love.  It’s where the main character goes back to her mum’s house after trashing her best friend’s bridal shower and announces she’s hit rock bottom. After yesterday’s announcement by Michael Foley that he was leaving Sydney to take up a three year deal with the Force the Waratahs have also hit rock bottom.

The descent to these dark depths has been a long time coming. The disappointment of not having won a Super rugby title cannot be over emphasised. Having had one of the strongest squads in recent years, particularly under Ewen McKenzie and Chris Hickey, NSW expected to take home the trophy on numerous occasions but always just missed out. Not only did this create a sense of entitlement within the squad but it also created anxiety and frustration amongst the fans and administration. This frustration resulted in constant personnel changes, designed to help the Tahs finally claim that elusive trophy.

After several changes last year, most notably appointing Michael Foley as coach, many assumed this would be year the Tahs would turn it around. Unfortunately their collapse only accelerated.  Winning only four games and losing their last eight made the season one everyone wanted to forget. Rumours of infighting and contracts not being renewed created a toxic environment. An environment that eventually resulted in the worst losing record in the club’s Super rugby history and the resignation of the Waratah’s manager, chairman and, as of yesterday morning, the coach.

What made yesterday’s announcement the final nail in the coffin was that only a couple of months ago Foley was dragged before the Board to explain the disastrous campaign. Instead of forcing Foley out the Waratahs begged him to stay only for him to leave for the Force. When the coach that took you to your worst losing record walks out, despite your willingness for him to stay, you know you’re at a low point.

If there’s any silver lining to this year it’s the fact the Waratahs have hit rock bottom. Now, the only way they can go is up. With wholesale changes success can come for this once proud club and there are plenty of examples of this, even within Australia. The Reds and Brumbies have scoured these depths to then come back and make their fans proud. With the wholesale changes that now have to happen at the Waratahs, the boys in blue may look back on the 2013 season as one of their best. But for now, the rebuilding starts.

:: Ewen Hollingsworth

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