Team Tuesday

Finally it's back! Boy, what a long summer.

Traditionally, every Tuesday each team in the NRL releases a list of it's players expected to make up the team for the upcoming round. Hence -- 'Team Tuesday'. I can't remember when Emma and I first started calling it that but it was quite some years ago. Today was the first 'Team Tuesday' for the 2006 and I couldn't believe how excited I was. There's something about checking the internet every 5 minutes to see if your team has been announced that I find most agreeable. For me 'Team Tuesday' signifies the start of the new round and the point from which anticipation for the weekend's game genuinely starts to build. Today it also marked the start of the new season! Whoo Hoo... RUGBY LEAGUE is BACK!!!

The Melbourne Storm team to play against the New Zealand Warriors in Round 1 is as follows:

1. Billy Slater
2. Matt Geyer
3. Matt King
4. Greg Inglis
5. Jake Webster
6. Scott Hill
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Garret Crossman
9. Cameron Smith
10. Antonio Kaufusi
11. David Kidwell (c)
12. Michael Crocker
13. Dallas Johnson

Interchange:
14. Brett White
15. Ryan Hoffman
16. Ian Donnelly
17. Steve Turner
18. Jamie Feeney
(one to be omitted)

Nice looking team. It'll be great to see Steve Turner back after that nasty foot injury kept him out for most of last year. I can't wait to see how Cooper goes at halfback. Hopefully, he and Scotty Hill can build up a strong partnership. If those two click, we could be in for a great year. Our forwards seem strong enough and there a few new faces that will need to be at their best week after week to push the line. There's been a bit of talk about Garret Crossman and seeing him in the starting lineup makes me think it's not just 'talk'.

The team kind of reminds me of '98-'99. A few old faces and plenty of young and new ones out to prove they have what it takes to make the grade. There doesn't seem to be a heap of pressure on us either. Very few expect big things from us this year --- No Sydney sports journo has seen fit to predict us finishing in the Top 10 let alone anywhere near the Top 8. We'll show 'em though!

Storm Premiers 2006 - THAT'S MY DREAM!

Besides, with Captain Kiddo leading the team this week -- Round 1 is gonna be great!

Having said all that, I still can't help but think there is something missing or more specifically 'someone' :( ... It's not going to be the same without Belly.
Guess I will just have to make sure I watch the Manly v Raiders game on Saturday night:
(Manly Team: Brett Stewart, Paul Stephenson, Steve Bell, Steve Matai, Chris Hicks, Michael Monaghan, Matt Orford, Jason King, Shayne Dunley, Brent Kite, Steve Menzies, Anthony Watmough, Ben Kennedy© Interchange: Travis Burns, Luke Williamson, Kylie Leuluai, Mark Bryant)