The Annual "Wrestling" Media Attack on the Storm

Discussion on anything to do with Melbourne Storm - games, players, rumours - anything!
User avatar
yourhero
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 5779
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:27 pm
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Image

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/he-si ... c4f1255c2a

‘He signed two contracts’: Why ‘the best player’ Bellamy’s seen will always be ‘polarising’

No matter how decorated his on-field career, Cameron Smith’s “lack of honesty” will forever mean he’ll have an army of haters.

Simon Brunsden - AKA, Hooper's lapdog
Fox Sports
22 October 2020

Sunday’s NRL grand final might be the last time we see Melbourne champion Cameron Smith grace a rugby league field.

The 37-year-old is yet to divulge whether he will retire from the game, or look to play on again in 2021 with the Storm or with a rival club.

And as the sporting world prepares to potentially farewell one of the greatest players the code has ever witnessed, the conversation now turns to his legacy.

Smith has won multiple NRL premierships, State of Origins with Queensland, World Cups with Australia, and collected almost every individual honour the game has to offer.

For Storm coach Craig Bellamy, there’s no doubt as to how he will remember the veteran hooker.

“For me, he’d probably go down as the best player that I’ve seen.,” Bellamy told NRL 360.

“And I go on the line of what I see is greatness, I suppose in our game and in life in general, is how good do you do what you do but how long do you do it for? You know, he’s been doing it for 19 years at this level and there hasn’t been a whole heap of drop off.

“I haven’t seen a better player play at this level, or the level that he plays at and for going that for such a long, long time.

“Certainly for me I reckon he’s the best player I’ve ever seen and I’ve been around the game a little bit. I’m 60 years old and I’ve been following this game ever since I was five or six years old.

“So that’s probably as big a wrap as I can give, but I’ve been very, very privileged to have been a small part of his career, watched most of it, and admired him for such a long time and, like I say, I can’t think of anyone that I’ve seen in my lifetime have a greater influence on the game than Cameron Smith.”

Many rugby league experts and fans are heaping praise on the Melbourne captain ahead of his possible retirement.

But there’s also a faction within rugby league that doesn’t look on Smith too kindly.

NRL 360 co-host and senior News Corp journalist Paul Kent explained why there’s lingering resentment towards the player.

It all centres on the two premierships that were stripped from Melbourne as a result of their salary cap cheating more than a decade ago.

“Cameron Smith two years ago came out and actually tried to campaign to get those premierships back, given what happened with the Parramatta salary cap scandal,” Kent said.

“The fact is Cameron signed two contracts, and has never admitted to it.

“It’s the lack of honesty there which I think has p***ed off a lot of people to be honest.”

Fox Sports’ chief NRL reporter James Hooper on Wednesday penned a column listing 25 reasons why Sydney fans don’t like the Storm.

Smith was on that list, and Hooper says while his on-field feats are great, there’s plenty of reasons why the hooker may not be liked by some.

“It’s important to point out he is an immensely polarising figure,” Hooper said.

“I can’t think of a player who has been an Australian captain and Queensland captain who when he retires he’s going to have his fans, but he’s also going to have an army of detractors.”

Fellow journalist Lara Pitt argued the case for Smith’s legacy to be roundly positive upon his retirement.

“Ultimately he’s been a huge success, and what I’ll remember about him, being a NSW fan, is the misery that he heaped on the Blues,” Pitt said.

“He was always at the forefront of that.”
User avatar
yourhero
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 5779
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:27 pm
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Image

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-pr ... 1VIbFKZXKk

NINE BALL OF THE WEEK

Chrome-Dome Hooper
Fox Sports
22 October 2020

AFTER getting chaired off Suncorp Stadium you could forgive rugby league fans for thinking Cameron Smith was finally about to fess up about his plans post the grand final.

But even the most sycophantic, pompom waving Cameron cheerleaders found it difficult to cop 17 minutes of disingenuous, zooper dooper-sucking spin from the Storm skipper.

In case you’ve missed it, the Sunshine Coast Storm are all reading off the Cameron cue cards about no one knowing anything about what the sociopathic winner is doing next season.

With a bit of luck in running and transit, we’ll get an answer on Sunday.

Then again, don’t hold your breath.
User avatar
yourhero
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 5779
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:27 pm
Location: Brisbane, QLD

How about the pure contempt in the way in which Hooper writes about Smith. It is quite pathetic. The bloke is seriously a f*cking child... :lol:
yourhero wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 12:23 pmAFTER getting chaired off Suncorp Stadium you could forgive rugby league fans for thinking Cameron Smith was finally about to fess up about his plans post the grand final.

But even the most sycophantic, pompom waving Cameron cheerleaders found it difficult to cop 17 minutes of disingenuous, zooper dooper-sucking spin from the Storm skipper.

In case you’ve missed it, the Sunshine Coast Storm are all reading off the Cameron cue cards about no one knowing anything about what the sociopathic winner is doing next season.

With a bit of luck in running and transit, we’ll get an answer on Sunday.

Then again, don’t hold your breath.
Storm Spirit
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 2308
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:49 am
Location: Under the Black Dot

I lima lima lima duck hope the Storm management and coaching staff have these disgraceful articles enlarged and plastered over the changing room walls right now and every day leading up to Sunday.

There's something seriously wrong inside Hooper's and Kent's heads.
Remember this day, men, for it will be yours for all time
User avatar
yourhero
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 5779
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:27 pm
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Gotta say, I was disappointed that Bellamy appeared on NRL360 yesterday. They should absolutely be blacklisted by the club.
User avatar
Pole
Hail Storm
Hail Storm
Posts: 458
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:37 am
Location: Melbourne

I think you're damned if you and damned if you don't, if Storm refuse to talk to these media outlets theyll go even harder.
Mattpoet
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 6574
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:29 pm

Hooper clearly doesn't understand what sociopathic means, but then again, that's not surprising, there are whole sections of the dictionary that Hooper skips over.
Mattpoet
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 6574
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:29 pm

RobbieRoss
Thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
Posts: 762
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 1:02 pm

Pole wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:45 pm I think you're damned if you and damned if you don't, if Storm refuse to talk to these media outlets theyll go even harder.
I think that is right, but I have not been watching 360 after Monday because of the sniping .

The irony is that the Storm get a really good go on AFL 360. They have had the Storm jumper on the desk during the week, and always praise Bellamy and Smith, acknowledging Craig as the best sporting coach in the country. They also recognise the Storm’s achievement of making the GF whilst living away from home in a bubble , whereas Kent and Hooper say they have had an advantage in being in a so-called luxury resort.

Another thing that really pissed me off on Monday was that Kent or Hooper were saying how hard it was for Canberra to fly up and back to Brisbane for the prelim on one day . Goodness me, the Storm has being doing that all season !


I so so so want us to win this one, to jam it up Kent and Hooper and all their narrow-minded followers.
Storm Spirit
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 2308
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:49 am
Location: Under the Black Dot

RobbieRoss wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:53 pm
Pole wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:45 pm I think you're damned if you and damned if you don't, if Storm refuse to talk to these media outlets theyll go even harder.
I so so so want us to win this one, to jam it up Kent and Hooper and all their narrow-minded followers.
x 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Remember this day, men, for it will be yours for all time
User avatar
Pole
Hail Storm
Hail Storm
Posts: 458
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:37 am
Location: Melbourne

It shows you the NSW vs Vic rivalry cuts deeper than any AFL vs NRL rivalry. I listened to the Matty Johns Podcast this week, and I have to say Kent did say some positive things about the Storm... but I always feel like he only says it to justify his outrageous criticism.

I personally don;t understand why sports fans in Australia so often get into arguments about the best sport... thats another topic for another day.
User avatar
yourhero
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 5779
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:27 pm
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Pole wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 6:48 pm It shows you the NSW vs Vic rivalry cuts deeper than any AFL vs NRL rivalry. I listened to the Matty Johns Podcast this week, and I have to say Kent did say some positive things about the Storm... but I always feel like he only says it to justify his outrageous criticism.
It’s the QLD vs NSW rivalry. Smith raping NSW for over a decade, combined with overwhelming club success, is the only reason for the immense hate. Tall poppy syndrome is rusted onto the NRL walls.

And Kent only said semi-positive things about Smith because he turns into a fan-girl b*tch whenever Matty is around.
Bullucked
Thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
Posts: 930
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:23 pm

The tall poppy syndrome. Unfortunately success brings out the insecurities and jealousy's in others. The Richmond Football Club are starting to taste the Tall Poppy Syndrome. (Not that I overly care for them - I just like Geelong less!), The Storm would be right in the firing line.
User avatar
Pole
Hail Storm
Hail Storm
Posts: 458
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:37 am
Location: Melbourne

yourhero wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 7:08 pm
Pole wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 6:48 pm
And Kent only said semi-positive things about Smith because he turns into a fan-girl b*tch whenever Matty is around.
I feel like Matty doesn't let him get away with/calls him out on his bullshit at times.
User avatar
yourhero
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Cyclone
Posts: 5779
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:27 pm
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Well this is a rarity... NSW commentators called out for their clear bias. It will go precisely nowhere, but surprising nonetheless.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/chann ... b6ec809c13

Channel 9’s staggering NRL Grand Final oversight mars epic finale

Phil Gould copped a torrent of abuse for some horribly one-sided comments, but it’s what he didn’t say that was truly disgraceful.
Jai Bednall
news.com.au
26 October 2020

COMMENT

If this young, exciting Penrith Panthers team that went so close to chasing down the Melbourne Storm in Sunday night’s NRL Grand Final are here to stay, Channel 9 has a decision to make.

It’s not uncommon to see fans rip commentators in any footy code in Australia, but the vitriol directed at Phil Gould during the Storm’s 26-20 win was at another level and almost overshadowed a ripping finale to the season.

There are a couple of qualifications that need to be made. There’s always going to be noise on social media when you have a lot of people from Victoria tuning into a game once a season that aren’t used to the NSW-centric make-up of the Nine commentary box.

Gould and his cohorts Ray Warren, Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler fall into the habit of speaking with a Sydney slant because that’s the vast majority of their audience most of the time. It makes sense to keep a blue tint to proceedings more often than not.

It’s also worth mentioning people like Gould are great for the game. He’s almost like the Eddie McGuire of the NRL – a hugely recognisable figure who sometimes wears his heart on his sleeve to the chagrin of rival supporters and lives with a giant target on his back.

We’re lucky to have both of them – and the incredibly thick skin they have.

But the performance by Gould – and the whole Nine broadcast team – can’t be excused this time because of a staggering oversight.

There was nothing wrong with Gould giving his view on the penalty try that opened the game if that was how he saw it – even if continuing to complain about it more than an hour later was kind of lame.

It was also fine to point out how the scoreboard perhaps wasn’t reflecting the action in the first half, if that’s how he saw it. And you could argue he was proved correct by the way the Panthers fought back into the game in the second half.

But what wasn’t excusable, and to a lesser degree this also includes Johns and Fittler, was the failure to celebrate anything the Storm did in a manner befitting of a grand final.

It’s OK to highlight, and perhaps even lament, where luck or Penrith’s defence broke down each time Melbourne scored.

But it needed to be balanced out with analysis of what the Storm had done well – and this was rarely heard in the two-hour broadcast.

The only time Gould really spoke positively about Melbourne was when Clive Churchill Medalist Ryan Papenhuyzen was involved – and you don’t have to be overly cynical to wonder if this was because he’s a NSW player.

Suliasi Vunivalu incredible intercept and length of the field try was followed by frustration from the commentary box about how the Panthers had shot themselves in the foot. There wasn’t any celebration of the daring and top-level athleticism the winger showed once play-by-play caller Warren handed over the mic.

Instead, with the Storm up 16-0, we got Gould’s most memorable line of the night: “I honestly feel like the Panthers are on top.”

It was the same story after Cameron Smith’s score 10 minutes later. It was another moment of quick-thinking perfectly executed by the Storm skipper but all viewers heard was more discussion about how unlucky Penrith had been.

Papenhuyzen said after the game his team’s defence while building a 22-0 halftime lead was the best it had been all season but it was barely spoken about in the broadcast.

Watching at home Josh Dugan wondered: “Is Gus watching it or is his heart talking? Melbourne are well and truly on top. Their defence is on song.”

Johns did occasionally credit the Storm, including for their ability to turn players like Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes into stars after the departures of Cooper Cronk and Billy Storm, but it didn’t go far enough.

There were also far too much overlooking going on when the over-exuberant Panthers, to put it simply, stuffed up.

Gould spoke as if the result came down to bad luck and bad refereeing when the reality was Penrith made way too many mistakes.

They were on the wrong side of an 18-12 error count, only completed 33/48 sets and continually knocked the ball on and gifted it back to the opposition.

Gould hasn’t commentated Penrith games because of the conflict of interest with his role in building the current Panthers team while serving as the club’s general manager until last year.

Sitting one of your best and highest-paid talents on the sidelines for the biggest game of the season isn’t a palatable situation for a big network, but unless Gould can provide better balance he might have to watch the Panthers’ win the competition one day from the grandstand.

Because even with the time to reflect after the final siren he still tweeted: “Congratulations to Storm. 2020 Premiers. However, GF could easily have gone to Panther. Half-time score did not reflect 1st half action. Panther 20-4 second half, showed possibilities. Panther ran out of time. Cameron Smith said ‘If it goes another 2 mins, I just don’t know’.”

Melbourne deserved better.
Post Reply