The Rovere Report

SHARKS IN STICKY SITUATION

You need a thick hide to be a Sharks fan. The club is suffering enormously from what's turned out to be a "bone-head " decision to swap Corey Hughes and Trent Barrett for Isaac De Gois and Brett Kimmorley. De Gois is in rare form. His coach says he's Origin material. I agree. Kimmorley has followed up a stellar season in 2008 with more of the same for the Bulldogs. It's no secret that coach Ricky Stuart and Kimmorley had a strained relationship. The man we all know as "Sticky" trumpets that "the number seven owns the result". Well who at the Sharks is willing to take ownership of recruitment and retention for season 2009? The proposed playing of several home games on the Central Coast is further evidence the Shire-based club is struggling at the administrative level.

ADDRESSED TO THE NINES

Queensland may be the new powerbase of rugby league but not when it comes to the hooker position. In Robbie Farah, Michael Ennis and Isaac De Gois, New South Wales has three wonderful number nines, all of whom are in better form than Australian hooker Cameron Smith. Who the selectors eventually address the letter to informing that player of his selection for Game One, I haven't a clue? Farah seems to have the edge over Ennis with De Gois third in the pecking order. If it were up to me, it would be Ennis - the player that I declared a month before the start of season would prove to be the buy-of-the-year. After eight rounds and with a brace of man-of-the-match awards under his belt, Ennis is making good my prediction.