RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS:
| I've Got Wood | ||
| Written by: melon.... (Roosters) | ||
| February 21st 2010 07:06 PM | ||
“In Honours Mathematical This is the very last of all The Wooden Spoons which you see here O you who see it, shed a tear” According to Wikipedia, the ancient Greek passage that translated as the above verse by the academics at Cambridge University, was scribed on a wooden spoon and presented to the student who placed dead last in the Mathematics final exam. Cuthbert Lempriere Holthouse, an oarsman of the Lady Margaret Boat Club, was the last entity to receive it. Until yesterday that is. Well that is not entirely true – Rugby League bestowed the Spoon for decades. In 2002, there were 500 Wooden Spoons in my bag. Painted Red and Green, Round 1, and all gone before kickoff, handed out to the Souths fans with a smile. Most accepted it graciously. They didn’t care – they had just been re-instated to the NRL after a 2-year coma. The spoon was welcome, as was last place...because “We’re Back”. And from the 6th minute when Paul “Gang” Green went to ground with a busted knee, I knew 2 things. Souths would win the spoon (a given) and Easts would win the comp. Yesterday was the darkest day in my 40 years of supporting the Tricolours. After a 16-0 lead against underachieving Cowboys, the Roosters fell on their spoons in the second half and deservedly won the wooden spoon for 2009. In the wings, the Cronulla Sharks players watched on from the comfort of their amber ales and rejoiced as they lost their grip on the dreaded cutlery. Most fans know that Cronulla have not won a premiership in the 40 odd years theyve represented the Insular Peninsular in the NRL. They also have not won the spoon. The last time the Roosters won it was in 1966. Bert Holcroft was the hapless coach. Easts did not win a single game that year. At training when old Bert asked the players to assume their usual positions on the field, they would gather behind the posts. They copped some hammerings that year. However, they tried. They actually played to the best of their ability. They just were not good enough. However, the 2009 Roosters – their feat was unbelievable. A roster with big name, representative players who chose to finish dead last. The biggest disappointment was the way they won the spoon. They were heartless. They lacked passion. A trail of disgraceful off field incidents took centre stage whilst their results and form slid down a slippery slope. Discipline was non-existent. They were aggressive off the field. On it, they lay down. The biggest disappointment came as the sun set on another season. A first half full of fire had caught the travelling Cowboys off guard and Easts were 16 points up in even time. This was going to be the day, in a lousy season; the Roosters would win it for a legend. Craig Fitzgibbon deserved to go out with a victory. He bled Red White and Blue. The nail was in the form of the reversal of fortunes straight after half time. The despicable second half reduced the Churchill Medallist to just another wooden spooner. In addition, just when you thought it couldn’t get worse – the grapevine was alight with rumour and innuendo surrounding an alleged Betting Sting – had the Roosters committed the ultimate sin and bet against themselves? Did they throw the match for cheap personal gain at the expense of a once proud club and its long term Heroic Warhorse? After the seemingly endless troubles throughout the season, nothing would surprise this scribe. “O you who see it shed a tear” The tears flowed. From grown men, that gathered at battlefields such as the Sydney Sports Ground, The SCG and The SFS; who jested at the prospect of wooden cutlery all year, realised it is no laughing matter once the reality sets in. They take their wooden spoon. They leave me with a wooden heart. Today we mourn, for tomorrow a new season brings new meaning to the eternal words. Never again will “Easts to Win” have more meaning than tomorrow. Posted in the F7s Matches forum in September 2009 The F7s is an article writing competition hosted on The Front Row forums here on LeagueUnlimited.com To join a team, click on the banner below  FOR ALL F7s MATCHES, CLICK HERE |
