A Thread For The Ennis Articles

[Guest]

Ennis needs to show off his abilities CHRIS BARRETT, SYDNEY
April 16, 2010

FORM, as it is for almost all his Canterbury colleagues, is not presently on the side of Michael Ennis. Operating behind a pack that has been depleted by injury and within a playmaking unit that has been rusty to say the least, the Bulldogs hooker hasn't quite been himself in the first rounds.

Incumbency, though, that word that springs up again and again come representative season, is very much on Ennis' side as he approaches tonight's tete-a-tete with fellow NSW State-of-Origin contender Robbie Farah at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Ennis was a standout for NSW in game three of last year's interstate series, having replaced Farah. ''He's an Origin player,'' they said afterwards, noting the menace and mongrel that the 26-year-old has in his kit bag.

But in a year when Blues selectors have selection quandaries right across the park, the Ennis-Farah debate remains the most polarising. The pair's performances tonight could go a long way towards that.

And the Bulldogs need to play well as they are searching for only their second win in six games tonight.

Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore said: ''If we can dominate and control the ruck and do all those simple things that we all know are so important in rugby league these days, I've got no doubt that Mick, as the incumbent Origin hooker, will show exactly what he is capable of.''

Captain Andrew Ryan indicated the Bulldogs will spend plenty of energy in an effort to nullify Farah.

''He's definitely a hard guy to handle,'' he said.

 

[Guest]

Farah plays down Ennis rivalry
15/04/2010 9:07 PM
Steve Orme
Sportal

Robbie Farah doesn't need to look at the calendar to know State of Origin is around the corner.

The clever Tigers rake knows as soon as he hears the name Michael Ennis slip from a reporter's mouth that the interstate series is imminent.

"Let's get this circus started," an expectant Farah muttered to reporters before fronting the media for his weekly press conference ahead of Friday's clash against the struggling Bulldogs.

For six minutes and 48 seconds, Farah did his best to play down his rivalry with Ennis and insisted - on more than one occasion - that Origin selection is the furthest thing from his mind.

But the questions will keep coming, so close is the rivalry between the two No.9's.

Farah was handed former Blues captain Danny Buderus' jumper for the opening two games of the 2009 series, but he was promptly replaced by Ennis for Origin III.

"Origin's a long time away," the in-form Farah said.

"We're five weeks into the year and we've got four of five round games left and City-Country."

"Tomorrow's a really important game for the Tigers, we've started four-and-one which is the best start to the year we've ever had and it'd be a shame if we let our guards down tomorrow night."

"It's always a great challenge coming up against opposition hookers … but the game's not about me and Michael. I've got a lot of things on my plate to worry about other than just going out there to play against him."

"He's one player in the Bulldogs team that we're going to have to try and shut down but there's a lot of players there that we've got to watch."

While Farah is adamant he has not given Origin a second thought this season, he admits he has become consumed with his rep aspirations in the past.

"I've probably been worried about it in the past but I've probably come to the point now where I can't worry about the things I can't control," he explained.

"What the selectors want to do, how Mick's playing and all that sort of stuff is out of my control."

"All I can do is go out there and win footy games for the Tigers and play my best footy at club level."

With Ennis on a self-imposed media ban, Bulldogs skipper Andrew Ryan was left to offer a Bulldogs perspective on the matter.

"They're two fantastic players and Michael's been a great player for us," Ryan said.

"Robbie Farah's tremendous. He and Benji (Marshall) obviously control a lot of their stuff, and probably more so this week with a young guy (Blake Lazarus) coming into their line-up those two guys will be looking to do a lot of their stuff."

"So it's going to be a good match-up for those two guys."

Asked to assess Ennis' start to the season, Ryan replied: "I think Michael's going a little bit like all of us, we're trying hard and we're doing some things good but unfortunately we're not doing some other things so great."

"Defensively, that's probably the main aspect of it. We've let way too many points in and easy tries at stages too which is disappointing."

 

[Juro]

I just got this wierd sensation… An article about Farah, not Ennis

Yes, that's because it's in the SMH, not the Telegraph…

 

[hybrid_tiger]

Ennis was also behind in the statistics last year, and every other year before that.

[This word has been automatically removed] the Telegraph crawl up his backside. It's sickening

 

[southerntiger]

I love your hatred of Ennis, Hybrid.

He is the most overrated footballer of the last 5 years.

 

[NZTiger]

Get on board my Facebook Group I started last season and I have just updated this season:
**ROBBIE FOR ORIGIN 2010 - JUST SAY NO TO ENNIS**
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=78662210543" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[tigergirlz]

SMH website has a poll at the end of the Farah article. Who should be NSW hooker - Ennis or Farah. Get on and vote - 5 hours to go. Robbie currently winning 66% - 34%.

 

[southerntiger]

Get on board my Facebook Group I started last season and I have just updated this season:
**ROBBIE FOR ORIGIN 2010 - JUST SAY NO TO ENNIS**
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=78662210543" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NZ I cant access facebook. How many members do you have?

 

[softlaw]

SMH website has a poll at the end of the Farah article. Who should be NSW hooker - Ennis or Farah. Get on and vote - 5 hours to go. Robbie currently winning 66% - 34%.

even more surprising is that the idiots at the tele are running the same poll (as part of an article saying Robbies stats are better) & getting the same result.

 

[wtffl2005]

man ennis is a chump

my brother thinks he is better than Farah

he supports titans so i guess he dosent deserve an opinion

 

[NZTiger]

Get on board my Facebook Group I started last season and I have just updated this season:
**ROBBIE FOR ORIGIN 2010 - JUST SAY NO TO ENNIS**
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=78662210543" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NZ I cant access facebook. How many members do you have?

up past 200… Love to get more!!

 

[alexaki]

Robbies biggest issue is not Ennisas he is playing crap and should not be picked anyway…it's Daley he loves Ennis and will no doubt pick him over Farrah!..Plus Bellache loves Ennis too!

 

[innsaneink]

Robbies biggest issue is not Ennisas he is playing crap and should not be picked anyway…it's Daley he loves Ennis and will no doubt pick him over Farrah!..Plus Bellache loves Ennis too!

But didnt they pick Robbie twice last year?
Wasnt an issue then.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

TBH I think Bellamy prefers Farah as he is more similar in style to Cam Smith. The brain dead selectors (Daley and Fulton in particular) prefer Ennis.

I think Farah summed it up perfectly in the SMH article quoted in this thread. I also can't believe Ennis is considered by many a better defender than Robbie, it's just not true. He misses way more tackles, but this is overlooked because of his niggle, which they think is "toughness" and "built for Origin."

 

[innsaneink]

LOL

Karmas a [This word has been automatically removed].

Probably be quite a few more Ennis articles tomorrow.

 

[Vicious]

Ennis is a great competitor make no mistake about that, he`s a very good footballer. I personally think Robbie is a better footballer, even better than Cameron Smith in my opinion, at the end of the day they are three champion hookers all in the one era.

 

[tiger_tigers]

Ennis is a great competitor make no mistake about that, he`s a very good footballer. I personally think Robbie is a better footballer, even better than Cameron Smith in my opinion, at the end of the day they are three champion hookers all in the one era.

sorry but neither hooker is any where near cam smiths level …..

 

[Vicious]

Ennis is a great competitor make no mistake about that, he`s a very good footballer. I personally think Robbie is a better footballer, even better than Cameron Smith in my opinion, at the end of the day they are three champion hookers all in the one era.

sorry but neither hooker is any where near cam smiths level …..

Your opinion, no way in the world i`d swap Robbie for Cameron Smith.

 

[benjibrotown]

I had no real feelings towards this guy but after tonight I just absolutly hate him. He has gotten so much praise from the match.. IMO he was very poor all match besides the last 10 minutes when we had nothing left and he began to lift. Dont rate him at all and hop next time we verse Dogs we get him back.

 

[Jazza]

Definitely a rivalry going on between the newspapers over the on field rivalry between Ennis and Farah:

___________________________________________

Loser Farah a winner over Ennis for State of Origin
BRAD WALTER
April 17, 2010

Wests Tigers may not have won last night, but this may have been the game in which they proved themselves the real deal - and hooker Robbie Farah, too. In the battle of the NSW hooking rivals - Farah and Canterbury's Michael Ennis - the Tigers captain scored an impressive points win. That his team failed to get the points shouldn't worry Blues selectors - or Tigers coach Tim Sheens.

The Tigers were without their first-choice halfback Robert Lui, his replacement Tim Moltzen, and props Keith Galloway, Todd Payten and Jason Cayless, the match was a test of their premiership credentials.

As they lost rookie front-rower Alan Schirnack before kick off, forcing Sheens to call up Willie Mataka.

Add a 60 per cent possession flow to the Bulldogs and some tough calls from referees Jared Maxwell and Bernard Sutton, and the Tigers weren't entitled to be in the contest until six minutes from full-time.

Perhaps it is an indication of how poorly Canterbury are travelling at the moment that they struggled to put away a team who had tackled themselves to a standstill.

Late tries by Ennis and Brett Kimmorley against a tired defence inflated the scoreline in the dying minutes but until the 75th minute the Bulldogs led just 12-4.

Ennis finished with two tries, but Farah was the pick of the rakes and every time he ran the ball from dummy-half he lifted the tempo of the Tigers attack.

He also came up with a stunning 40/20 kick from dummy-half and was the creative force behind most of his side's attack.

On the first occasion the Tigers got down the Bulldogs end, Farah stood out of a scrum and after picking up the ball at halfback he toed through a long grubber for star five-eighth Benji Marshall to run onto.

Marshall overran the kick but appeared to be tackled without the ball by Canterbury winger Steve Turner. There was no penalty but Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten knocked on to give the Tigers a rare first-half attacking opportunity near the Canterbury try line.

It was just one of four tackles the Tigers had in their opponents' 20 metres area in the first half.

In comparison, the Bulldogs had 27 tackles inside the Tigers' 20 metres during the same period but, despite boasting 60 per cent of possession, their only first half try came in the 35th minute when Ennis scored from a Ben Roberts kick.

Ennis crossed again in the 74th minute off another kick, this time from Kimmorley.

The pair then reversed roles for Kimmorley to score three minutes from full-time to secure just the Bulldogs' second win of the season.

Asked afterwards about his rivalry with Farah, Ennis said: ''It's going to go on for the next 10 years. I can't control that but I certainly enjoyed tonight.''

However, it was clear how much it felt to him when he and Farah came together in back-play midway through the second half.

After engaging in a bit of push and shove, they exchanged words before play moved on and Lote Tuqiri ran 60 metres to score the Tigers' lone try, in the 59th minute.

As Marshall was lining up the conversion attempt, Maxwell called out Kimmorley and Ennis and said: ''He [Ennis] has been good all game. Don't let it get away from him now.''