Every pre-game address for teams playing the Dolphins throughout June:

So we move on to Round 18, and while Ben Hunt gets reminded the story out of the weekend was Reece Walsh, after getting sent off for headbutting in Game II, was suspended for 3 matches for having a potty mouth in front of the referee, in a judiciary hearing that lasted 4 hours, and I imagine he only got 1 game for swearing, then he got an extra 2 for being a little prick.

So if I read that epic story correctly on Tuesday night, he pleaded not guilty, which led to the process taking 4 hours, Walsh lied to the judiciary, his teammates lied for him (Although David Fifita screwed up), and the judiciary subsequently tortured him by making him sit in that room for 4 hours, which led to the Broncos party missing their flight home, and at the end of it all he got 3 games and will subsequently miss out on the $30,000 bonus for playing Origin III.

There’s room for learning in all of this, and I imagine someone will get in his ear (Hopefully Kevvie) and tell him to calm the **** down in the future.

In the meantime, the NRL will probably make some crap statement about players respecting referees, while they decided to gut funding to referees as a cost-cutting measure 3 years ago, because who needs competent officiating when there’s money to be made from gambling.

As an odd contrast to all of this, Dylan Brown pleaded guilty to sexual touching, admitted he’d cocked up badly thanks to alcohol, got given an 18-month corrections order, and spent a grand total of 2 hours in court.

Now, looking at the upcoming events for this weekend, as the Eels enjoy the cheap 2 points from the bye:

– Tonight sees the Southern Derby between Cronulla and St George-Illawarra at Shark Park, and random fact, if you include the combined histories of St Merge & St George, the all-time head to head between the Dragons and Sharks is 54 wins apiece and 3 draws from 111 games – The original Dragons had 4 more wins over the Sharks, while the Sharks have 4 more wins over the joint venture.

– The early Friday game sees the Warriors host the free-falling Rabbitohs at Mt Smart, and if last weekend was any guide, with Souths still rudderless without the likes of Latrell Mitchell, they’re in the shit against Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

– The feature Friday night game on Channel 9 will see the Melbourne Storm host Penrith at Marvel Stadium, owing to the fact that AAMI Park is unavailable due to the Women’s World Cup, which will also mark the Storm’s first game at Docklands since 2010, when they played the Warriors on ANZAC Day, which was only a few days after being by the atomic bomb that was the salary cap cheating, which was itself a fortnight before they played their first game at AAMI Park.

– If the season were to be abruptly ended and the finals began next week, the Canberra Raiders would be hosting a home final, despite some utterly putrid performances this season, but they keep on winning, and they’ll have a great chance against the Titans in the frozen capital on Saturday afternoon.

– The Cowboys have finally started playing consistently good football in 2023, and they take on the Tigers in a rematch of that massacre in Round 12, as the lowly Wests pumped a club record 66 points on the pitiful Cowboys at Leichhardt, and we should remember that last year the Tigers very nearly defeated the Cowboys in Townsville, only for the Bunker to make one of the worst calls ever seen, gifting the Cowboys a phantom penalty from a kickoff for some apparent obstruction, and the Cowboys made full use of the gift by winning 27-26 after the siren.

– Saturday night sees the second edition of the Brisbane Derby between the Brisbane Broncos and the Redcliffe Dolphins, and it’s a piece of history as the game won’t be played at Lang Park due to the Women’s World Cup, but rather the Lion’s Den of The Gabba, which will host its first recorded rugby league match in some 55 years, the last match being a tour match between Queensland and Great Britain on the 1968 Lions World Cup tour.

Prior to that, the last First Grade match at the Gabba?

The 1957 BRL Grand Final between Fortitude Valley and Past Brothers… the Diehards from Fortitude Valley won 18-17.

– The Sunday slate starts with Canterbury hosting Newcastle at the Olympic Stadium, the Berries having enjoyed a week off, while the Knights were brutally sledged by Melbourne Storm captain Christian Welch in a post-game press conference, as he was caught mentioning “How did the Knights lose… the Panthers didn’t have anyone.”

Because they’re the Knights, Christian, they haven’t done a damn thing since the Eighth Immortal bowed out.

– And lucky last, Channel 9 have done their part for charity by broadcasting the Brookvale cripple fight between Manly and Easts, as Manly have to struggle without Tom Trbojevic for the remainder of 2023… and the Roosters have to play with James Tedesco.

So anyway, here we go for Round 18 of the Succinct NRL Tips, as I prepare to spin the random tip generator, HERE WE GO…..

Round 17 score = 4/7, Progress Score = 77/128 (60.15%)

Round 18 =

Sometimes I like to quote Annie Lennox and ask myself…

Round 18 Lock of the Week

Because when you’re right 52% of the time, you’re wrong 48% of the time!

Although in my case, it’s being right 48% of the time.

Anyway, the Broncos wet the bed last week against a Titans team that didn’t even have a coach, but this ineffective trick for a Lock it worked a few months back, so here we go again…

NEWS HEADLINE FRIDAY MORNING:

SHARK ATTACK IN THE SHIRE!