Andrew Voss looks at the chances of the Sharks and Raiders, gives his views on the headbutt, and asks what happened to Dave Taylor in this week's Six Again.
Can Cronulla win the Telstra Premiership?
Why not?
Put it this way, I can't come up with an argument strong enough to dismiss their prospects as being much less than some of the sides above them.
And suddenly after completing a winning season double over the Cowboys as they had earlier done to the Roosters, the name of former Prime Minister Harold Holt started appearing in hashtags!
As Jack Gibson once offered, "Waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership is like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt".
But around the Shire last Saturday night as I made my way home after calling the game at Remondis Stadium, I noticed more people than usual seemed to have the lights on, on their verandahs!
Cronulla's form is good. Very good. For a side that lost its opening four matches of the season, they have certainly learnt how to win.
They face another big challenge at home on Monday night against Melbourne. I hope they pack the joint! And don't be surprised if a few more front lights are then still glowing late into the night.
So again, I make the point. Someone has to win the thing, why not the Sharks?
(By the way if Harold Holt does suddenly appear on anyone's front porch, he might need a rest. He would have turned 107 last week.)
Are Canberra's finals hopes gone?
No, but they have to treat Sunday's match against Manly at GIO Stadium as a grand final.
If the Raiders can get past the in-form Sea Eagles, they have matches to follow against the Titans, Panthers and Eels.
Wins in all four would obviously boost their points differential, and 28 competition points might just be good enough to make the playoffs as it was last year.
However without knowing their destiny for the next month, can I at least say this about the Raiders from the view of being both a commentator and a fan: I have really enjoyed watching their style of play in 2015.
There haven't been too many dull games where Canberra have been involved.
And while I know to their fans the record of just two victories at home would be a disappointment, I'm fairly sure they didn't leave the stadium too many times through the year without feeling entertained. Plenty of close games as was the case last Monday night against Wests Tigers.
Can't wait for 2pm Sunday for Canberra v Manly, and you can catch it live on Fox Sports.
Should the headbutt still be a send-off offence?
Yes, however it has to be a real headbutt. For the more common nudge or lunge forward that is used on most occasions these days, surely a stint in the sin bin to cool down would suffice.
Canberra's Dave Shillington lost the plot in the final minute against Wests Tigers but when I watched the replay of the incident, I didn't see him make contact with the second attempted headbutt on Aaron Woods, yet still he was marched for good.
As you are all aware the send off rule is rarely applied these days. If the Shillington blow-up happened in the final minute of the first half and the same action was taken, I believe it would have made an even greater mockery of what is a flawed system and approach to the dismissal of players for good.
Right now this is how it stands. If Shillington had have reacted in the scrum and put a punch right on the chin of Woods, he would have been automatically sin-binned and faced at least a one game suspension.
As it was, he attempted two timid headbutts, that barely struck an opponent, got sent off, was charged, but doesn't miss a game.
Does that make any sense to you?
Have you changed your mind on rookie of the year?
Yes I have. And for mine, Melbourne's Cameron Munster has hit the front in what is one very talented race in 2015.
The Rockhampton junior played only one NRL game last year, but has now put together another 13 appearances in the absence of Billy Slater.
The biggest praise I can give the 20 year-old last Sunday against the Gold Coast is that I doubt Billy could have done any better.
Munster played the role of Slater to a tee in all of the Storm's attacking raids. His reward was a hat-trick in a man of the match performance.
My co-commentator last Sunday, Mark Gasnier, believes Munster has the makings of a very good left centre if the Storm are searching for a spot for him in 2016 on Slater's return.
Cameron himself revealed that most of his junior football was played at five eighth and hooker, which further strengthens his credentials for rookie of the year given that he is starring in a position he is also a relative 'rookie' in.
Where is Dave Taylor's career headed?
It is a rugby league mystery.
We know that he has only a few weeks left in the NRL after securing a two year deal to play with Catalans in the UK Super League, and there has been some suggestion that he would like to still have another crack out here.
But sadly any signing of Taylor would be on faith.
And can I state at his best, there may have never been a player like him before.
This giant rightly represented Queensland in some of its best recent years. He had the one Test appearance for Australia. A tally of well over 150 NRL games is not to be dismissed lightly as a significant achievement.
At 27, his best should probably be right now and the next few years.
However again last Sunday I saw a player seemingly lost. Nine hit ups. 69 metres. Nine tackles.
He may absolutely kill it in the Super League and I sincerely hope he does.
But whatever the trigger is to seeing the bloke play at his devastating best in the NRL, it has been lost.
And that must be a frustration to many. What could he have been?
How about two more reasons this week to love rugby league?
Easy! The Melbourne Storm giant banner for the run on, and the Sharks theme song.
I'm probably revealing a bit of long held envy for the AFL. I have always liked the way the AFL clubs have the tradition of banners, that the Storm latched on to from day one.
And well done to the Purple Pride volunteers that make the banners for every home game. I am sure it is very much appreciated by the players.
I don't understand why all the NRL clubs don't do it.
And you just can't beat those old fashioned team songs on full-time after a victory.
I hope the Sharks song never changes. The piano… the bass. The barbershop quartet singing.
Up Up Cronulla!
I'm off to Campbelltown on Saturday for the Wests Tigers v Knights battle and then to Canberra for the big one on Sunday.
Giddy Up!
Twitter: @AndrewVossy
