Around The Grounds.

Here are a few shots I have taken from the past couple of days. Origin Wednesday was simply the greatest experience I have ever had as a Rugby League fan. I earge any sports fan to put it on your bucket list. The only disappiontment was the next morning when I discovered there was no tickets available for Game 3 in Brisbane. That will be the next thing to tick off the list.

The return to WIN Stadium on Friday night was another good experience. I got there early so i could get down to ground level and get a really good look at the new grandstand. WIN Stadium is one of the most pictureesque grounds in the NRL. It was a place growing up that I always wanted to play at. Being located right on the beach in the heart of Wollongong says it all. Would love to see the Steelers become a stand alone team once more but I won't hold my breath.

Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval. Just a fantastic place to watch the Tigers go round. Arriving early, the anticipation from the locals is unreal. They are lined up at the gates nice and early to secure the best spot on the hill. Home owners in the surrounding streets fire up the BBQ and earn some money selling a few sausage sanga's to the fans on the way to the ground. Grandstand on one side, hill on the other with a bar and food kiosk. Thats what a footy ground should be (take note teams who play at ANZ). Meeting Tigers legend Ellery Hanley was another great experience. A really nice bloke who just loves his Rugby League.

It turned into being a very emotional day. The Grand Final loss in '89 every Balmain boy cried when Canberra stole the Premiership from the Tigers. Robbie Farah's Mother Sonia passed away just hours before kick off and believe me, it rocked the team and you could see it during the moment of silence. Benji Marshall was shedding tears during the moment of silence before kick off. Beau Ryan spoke pre-game to the team about pulling together to support Farah through such a difficult time. Any rumors about a rift between the players earlier in the year is way off the mark, you only had to watch the game today and listen to the press conferences post match to realise the bond between this group of men.

I am really starting to warm to the Bulldogs as a genuine threat to win the Premiership. The style of game Des Hasler has implemented is a testament to how good he is as a football coach. With big game experience as a coach, expect Canterbury to be there at the pointy end when the whips are cracking.

Brisbane need to get past Origin and we will get an accurate gauge on their form. If they produce close to their best in September, they are a hard side to contain.

It will be interesting to see how Melbourne cope without Billy Slater. Gareth Widdop is a very good fullback in his own right but how will this effect the overall balance of the team? A big chance for chasing teams to get into minor premiership contention.

Souths are going along nicely. Will get some big games back in a month or so and they can build for September football from there. Greg Inglis will have an enormous say in how far this team goes.

Cronulla have the mental toughness that every coach wants from their side. No Gallen yesterday and they were still able to fight back against the Warriors and come away with the two points. Not 100% convinced they can genuinely challenge for their maiden premiership but they will be a really tough side to beat.