The Prism - Round 11 2015

Hot topic

Hoodoos, are they real or are they self-perpetuating? Does the mere mention of a hoodoo get into the mindset of a team? Does the hoodoo create its own additional hurdle which can sway the balance towards the winning streak?

Some of the most notable winning streaks include Queensland's dominance of almost a decade, the Dragons failure to win in the capital over a 14 year period and the Bunnies inability to win in Melbourne.

Other teams that have had the wood over their opponents include the Storm over the Broncos, the Tigers over the Raiders, the Broncos over the Titans, and the Dragons over the Warriors.

The Rabbitohs losing streak in Melbourne can possibly be explained by the relative strengths of the squads over the history of this rivalry. However, all the talk leading into last week's game was about the inability of Souths to get a victory down south. This cannot have helped the team's psyche.

Some hoodoos are broken and then forgotten when the team's roster is turned over. Others linger in the woodwork and define a club. They make for good conversation but can quickly be erased when the duck is broken.

The ultimate hoodoo relates to premiership droughts. The Cowboys and Warriors (joined 1992) and Titans (2005) are waiting for their first win. The Eels (last won in 1986) and Raiders (1994) have not won since the inception of the NRL. However, the Sharks have a huge monkey on their back as they have failed to win a premiership since their inception in 1966. A drought of 47 years and counting…

Predictions

Last week I picked 5/8. The Eels and Titans lost in golden point and the Sea Eagles lost to a last ditch field goal. Here are my picks for this week. Note that the teams are impacted by State of Origin duty.

Rabbitohs vs. Eels @ ANZ Stadium
After just missing out in golden point, the Eels will face a depleted Rabitohs. Eels by 4

Tigers vs. Cowboys @ Campbelltown Stadium
The Cowboys will miss their chief schemer and dominant go forward. Tigers by 6

Raiders vs. Bulldogs @ GIO Stadium
The Raiders have shown great form of late, whereas the Bulldogs are still out of sorts. Raiders by 8

Knights vs. Broncos @ Hunter Stadium
The baby Broncos will again be on show. Knights by 6

Byes: Dragons, Panthers, Roosters, Sea Eagles, Sharks, Storm, Titans, Warriors

Form Guide

The form guide is based on a predictive model that gives more weight to recent performances. There is no adjustment for personal bias, injury, rep duty or their position on the table.

1. Cowboys (-) : remain on top with their 7th win in a row over their arch rival
2. Storm (+2) : continued their domination over the Bunnies
3. Dragons (+2) : back in the winner's circle
4. Broncos (-2) : lost against the pace setters
5. Warriors (+4) : two wins on the trot
6. Roosters (+4) : back to back wins to recover from their quartet of losses
7. Raiders (+2) : the Dragons snapped their three game winning streak
8. Panthers (+3) : last ditch win away from home
9. Sharks (+4) : got home in overtime
10. Titans (-4) : close loss in golden point
11. Knights (+5) : finally won after five losses
12. Rabbitohs (-5) : four losses in the last five rounds
13. Sea Eagles (-5) : pipped at the post to keep then at the bottom of the table
14. Tigers (-2) : only 2 wins in the last 8 rounds
15. Bulldogs (-1) : 1 win in the last 6 rounds
16. Eels (-1) : 1 win over the last 6 rounds

Composite Team

Last week's composite team was made up 100+ try scorers; hence the lack of forwards. Blake and McCarthy had to play out of position. Can you work out the theme for the team below?

1. Russell Fairfax
2. Nick Youngquest
3. Andrew Ettingshausen
4. Matt Cooper
5. Jack Elsegood
6. Craig Wing
7. Matthew Rodwell
8. Jason Stevens
9. Des Hasler
10. Joel Clinton
11. Ben Te'o
12. Matt Adamson
13. Luke Ricketson
14. Matt Ballin
15. David Shillington
16. Braith Anasta
17. Anthony Minichiello
18. Ryan Girdler

This team has a slick backline, handy halves and a busy pack. The bench has a lot of experience. Predicted placing in 2015 table: 11th

Flash Back

This week's Flash Back is a super sub who made his mark in arguably the best grand final ever. Steve Jackson was a journeyman who made it into the Queensland State of Origin team in the early 1990's.

Jackson hailed from Mackay and played for the local team before being graded by the Raiders in 1987. In his first 3 seasons he only managed to play 16 games, mostly off the bench. He only scored 4 tries over the three years, but the most important came in the 1989 Grand Final against the Balmain Tigers. He scored the match winning try in overtime with a number of Tigers draped over him.

After playing in the 1989 World Club Challenge against Widnes, Jackson leveraged off his new found fame to sign with Western Suburbs for the 1990 and 1991 seasons. He was joined by teammate Ivan Henjack and established himself in the starting team.

Jackson was selected on the bench for the Queensland State of Origin team for the third game of the 1990 series. He went on to make a total of 9 appearances over the next few years as a front rower.

Jackson joined the Gold Coast Chargers in 1992, but was forced to retire in 1993 due to a back injury. He has since returned to Mackay and has coached a number of teams.

Jackson will be remembered for his match winning try in the 1989 Grand Final. His tenacity that day has kept him in highlight films to this day.