“Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships”. An exciting offense may indeed sell tickets (as the 2016 Raiders did, attracting their highest crowd average since 1995), but does defense really win championships? Some hacks put it forward as assumed fact without question (as we ourselves did in our 2016 Finals Preview). Others claim it’s a self-perpetuating myth. So, which is it? Do elite defensive teams really outperform elite offensive teams? And if so, why? Let’s take a look at the Melbourne Storm to find out.
The Greatest Game of All: Eels defeat Sea Eagles
After Parramatta all but ended Manly’s finals hopes, The Obstruction Rule takes a look at how it happened, digressing into Dylan Walker’s struggles at five-eighth and the excitement machine that is Bevan French.
Related NRL News & Posts:
The Hayne Plane: Are the Titans about to take flight?
The prodigal son has returned… but not to Parramatta. No, Parramatta’s favourite son, Jarryd Hayne, has traded in the blue and gold of the Eels for the slightly lighter shade of blue and gold of the Titans. In doing so, he’s not only offended everyone within a 10 kilometre radius of Westmead, but also dramatically changed the dynamics of the race to the Telstra Premiership finals. To add a player of Hayne’s quality to a potential Top 8 team so late in the contest, is to not only throw a cat amongst the pigeons, but to trap the pigeons in a cardboard box and arm the cat with a blowtorch.
Related NRL News & Posts:
The Greatest Game of All: Storm defeat Cowboys
Without a major upset in Round 21, The Obstruction Rule turns its eye to the battle of the premiership heavyweights – the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys, in this edition of The Greatest Game of All. [Read more…]
Related NRL News & Posts:
The Greatest Game Of All: Panthers defeat Broncos
The Obstruction Rule takes a look at the biggest upset of the round – the Penrith Panthers defeating the Brisbane Broncos, and asks how it happened and whether we could have seen it coming? [Read more…]