The feature match on Anzac Day is one of the most special occasions on the rugby league calendar.
The game gets it so right with the pre-match commemorations honouring the servicemen and women who have served this country with distinction.
But it’s time we made a significant change to the day and pulled St George Illawarra’s invite following their humiliating 62-16 loss to the Sydney Roosters on Saturday.
They simply don’t deserve to be there anymore.
Why should the Dragons automatically get a start given what they have dished up in recent years?
The Roosters have won six of the last seven games played on April 25 and there’s a growing feeling of predictability about the contests.
The last three have gone the Roosters’ way 60-18, 46-18 and now 62-16.
That’s a combined 168-52 – blow out after blow out after blow out.
Are you kidding me?
It’s embarrassing.
The club was coming off a challenging week in which Shane Flanagan was shown the door and club great Dean Young handed the keys on an interim basis.
If the players want Young to have the job fulltime, they have a strange way of showing it.
But even he didn’t seem as pained as I thought he might…certainly nothing like Craig Bellamy (see below) was feeing later that night.
That insipid performance is a big black mark on Young’s CV and the pressure to bring in a new name from outside the club – it’s Michael Cheika for mine – will only intensify if this crap becomes the norm.
The Chooks had no problem getting up for the occasion.
When any of their players were interviewed before the game, they all spoke about the Anzac spirit and the Kokoda trek 20 of them – including coach Trent Robinson – took at the end of last year.
They know what the day means.
I get jealous about not having played in an Anzac Day fixture and struggle to understand how the Red V produced some a flat performance.
The Dragons ran out of puff not long after the bugler lowered his instrument following the Last Post.
Blow outs of 60-plus are poison for broadcasters and I couldn’t help but think what Fox Sports and Channel 9 executives were thinking as the Roosters piled on try after try.
Fans hoping for a contest would have been reaching for their remotes well before fulltime.
I know I did.
Some supporters will come at me saying you can’t change tradition, but this particular game and rivalry has only been in existence since 2002.
It’s not like we’re ripping up half a century of history.
No club has a God-given right to participate year after year.
So if it’s not the Dragons, who should line up against the Roosters at 4pm on Anzac Day?
Seeing as though the NZ in ANZAC stands for New Zealand, would it not make more sense to have the Warriors play?
They used to take on the Storm in the Anzac night fixture in Melbourne, a match that produced some memorable moments.
That fixture was removed from the list for some reason.
I know the Warriors played the Dolphins in Auckland on Saturday but they should be on the main bill, not a support act.
There are plenty of Kiwi-mad footy fans in Sydney so you wouldn’t have to worry about filling Allianz Stadium.
It’s a surefire winner.
And in future years, maybe the PNG Chiefs should be involved given the strong wartime ties between our two nations.
I’ll leave it with you to decide, PVL, but one thing is certain – the Dragons’ time is well and truly over.
AND DON’T GET ME STARTED
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Craig Bellamy so beaten and downtrodden as he was after Storm’s embarrassing loss to South Sydney.
Even during the salary cap dramas and after grand final losses, Bellyache was defiant and upbeat about the road ahead.
Not this time.
He said he is “the most embarrassed I’ve ever been in my footy life” after Melbourne conceded almost 50 points at home to make it six losses in a row.
This great, proud and successful club currently sits 16th.
I had to look twice to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
You’d have to think a top four spot is well and truly out of reach and even making the eight is a long shot.
But my concern goes beyond this year.
Craig recently extended his stay at Melbourne until the end of 2028 but faces a major rebuild.
While Munster, Hughes and Grant remain, the players around them aren’t of the same quality and class as previous Melbourne sides.
Throw in doubts over whether big men Eli Katoa and Tui Kamikamica will play again and a return to the summit looks even harder.
Bellamy’s legacy is assured whatever happens from here, but I just hope he hasn’t bitten off more than he can chew this time.
INDI NEEDS YOUR VOTE
On a personal note, many of you may know my daughter Indianna is chasing her dream to become an NFL cheerleader.
She is a step closer after reaching the final stages of the Las Vegas Raiderettes auditions for the 2026/27 season.
A fan vote is part of the process so you can do your bit by clicking on the link here and choosing Indianna.
How good would it be to see an Aussie cheerleader doing her stuff in the most popular football league in the world!
Thanks in advance.