I wanna know who is responsible

Well seven weeks into the league season and it seems that the first six positions in the top 8 have already been decided. Clearly the Dragons and the Storm are the teams to beat this year, with the other top 8 certainties being Brisbane, Bulldogs and Manly. So why is it that this year that the top 8 is so cut and dried so far out.

Well its the scheduling.

Last year (and in fact the 100 or so years before that) the stronger teams played each other twice while the weaker teams only played them once. This year for some absolutely unfathomable reason the teams that have won grand finals in the last decade (which are co-incidentally this years likely top 8 as well) only play each other once. The Dragons and the Storm for instance play once all year and that is about a week out from the finals by which time their respective final places will have been decided so both teams will probably rest all their first grade squads.

What idiot scheduled that? How hard can it possibly be to schedule the 8 teams to play each other once in the first 7 weeks of the comp, then schedule them to play the dud teams during the eight weeks of State of Origin.

Instead this year we have a series of match ups where some dud teams have already managed to play each other twice. Its often said if you put 1000 monkeys in a room with 1000 typewriters one of them will eventually type the complete works of Shakespeare, despite having no understanding of what they are actually doing. Well clearly the NRL have commissioned one of these monkey's to produce the 2011 draw.

How hard can it be to schedule a couple of landmark games like; heritage games, local derbies and grudge matched. Come test time give the storm and the warriors a bye for the ANZAC day test, and then program the other top eight teams for a bye or two during the origin series. Instead of that the NRL has given bye to all the teams not likely to supply rep players to the ANZAC day test.

Its not just the piss poor range of match ups, its the fact that they don't publish them more than a few weeks out from the actual games. If your trying to work out when you can take a young child to one of the few remaining afternoon games being played in Sydney you have no chance of planning around it as the NRL only put out the schedule a few weeks prior to the round.

In Other News
Every channel on TV is falling over itself to pander to the royal family. In typical channel 9 fashion you can expect them to pull the plug on the league on their main free to air channel 20 minutes in to the game while continuing to run repeats of Murder She Wrote on their high definition channel. Why when League is the highest rating program on TV is it not allocated total priority by the channel 9 programers. And why do the NRL not insist on the winner bidder putting the coverage on live HD in every state like the AFL do (Even if it is out rated in NSW by Graingers World on Community Access TV).

Its time for the government to take back channel 9's high def channel as they have abused the privilege. Instead of showing all sport in its entirety they cut out the final and most exciting last 5 overs of the cricket to run a current affair. Whats so important about dodgy builders and fictitious arthritis remedies made from Paw Paw that they have to miss the first 5 overs of one day finals. And even if they have managed to scoop the current affairs slot by naming every dole bludger in Penrith why can't they swap the first five overs on their high definition channel. Can't someone just walk over to the GEM control pannel and press pause on the tape of Antiques Roadshow repeats.

But I'm not bitter about Channel 9 or their likely royal wedding coverage despite the bloody royals denying me of 3 hours of comedy gold (they forced ABC to cancel their royal wedding chaser special) - in fact I am calling on all league fans to help me contribute toward a gift for the married couple. I know that with 800 guests they must have just about everything they will ever need from the Harrods bridal registry, but I am suggesting something more unique that will show how we really appreciate them. So I am putting together a Parisian style motor pass complete with replica steel columns to be constructed between now and Friday night so they can use it on the way to the cathedral. I'm even prepared to go up to the fence on the parade route and wear my Osama Beard, Pakistani one day shirt and fitness first backpack in case they feel compelled to go slow at any stage. Bon Voyage Will and Kate