KEY POINTS:
League has evolved from a game of raw and robust physical confrontation into a contest of huge collisions between increasingly more intimidating physical specimens.
Big hits are the signature plays of the 13 man sport, and are undoubtedly what draw the punters.
I've coached some brutes but I'd
concur with Australian columnist Ray Masters, who in his recent book Bad Boys credited former South Sydney forward Charlie Frith with the biggest hit of all time in the NRL (then Winfield Cup).
Frith went to Sydney in the 1980s from a farm in the north of Australia, where he was adept at breaking in wild horses. Queensland coach Bob Bax had recommended him to South Sydney for the simple reason he didn't want Frith causing carnage against his own Norths outfit.
Frith was a big bloke, although not exceptionally so. What distinguished him most was his tackling style, which combined the propulsion of a guided missile with the accuracy of one of those modern-day-bombs.
Frith's biggest bomb was aimed at a guy with an unpronouncable name who was silly enough to venture off the wing and into the forwards while his North Sydney side was playing the Rabbitohs. Frith left the ground for a target somewhere between the guy's nipple-line and his nostrils.
By the time the guy hit the ground he was unconscious and, as he rolled over, a number of teeth were dislodged.
Fortunately for the health of Winfield Cup players at the time, Frith's career was mercifully brief and he went back to his farm in the north for a quiet and less uneventful retirement.
Certainly big guys can create havoc but, strangely enough, the importance of a good halfback and five-eighth has been regarded as the most important combination a team needs.
The start of the 2007 season has shown all clubs are reasonably well-equipped in these two positions, yet some teams are performing better than others.
It has little to do with the combination in the halves. That's only part of the equation.
Winning teams are finding success because they are playing as balanced units. They are reaping the benefits of teamwork - it's as simple as that.
And none is doing better in this important aspect than Ivan Cleary's Warriors. With four points safely tucked away, the next six on offer will determine what chances the Warriors have of winning the Premiership.
If that upsets the plonkers who can't put the Warriors and the Premiership in the same sentence, too bad. The New Zealand side is looking good at this early stage. Even better than good. With away games against the Storm this weekend and Manly the week after, they are about to be given another stern test.
Following those two games they have a home match against the exciting North Queensland Cowboys.
These three teams look the goods to finish in the top four - and so do the Warriors.
Melbourne are off their best at present but still good enough to win most of their games this year. Any team that has a player like Gregg Inglis in their line-up has a genuine match-winner on his own.
Manly are different. They are a well-balanced team that should have kicked on better than they did at the end of last season. Like many others, I thought Manly could win the thing last year but they fell apart when it counted.
Now, however, they don't have the inspirational Ben Kennedy at the back of their scrum. But they have already shown in their first two games, against the Raiders and Tigers, that they are a tough side.
The Warriors' third home game - against the Cowboys - should draw a full house. The Cowboys have rediscovered their form of two seasons ago and are red hot favourites already in the eyes of many.
No side will test the Warriors with a better counter attack like the blokes from North Queensland.
So the bottom line is, if the Warriors are able to win against these three very different but equally talented outfits, they will have passed the season's first searching exam and will be destined to go to the top of the class.
Arguing over the wooden spoon at the other end of the NRL table are Parramatta, the Roosters and the Raiders. Although it's only round three, these teams look clueless and one of them will run last.
The Newtown Jets, who gave the Auckland Lions a touch up in the curtain raiser at Mt Smart last Sunday, actually looked a better team than the Eels first grade side the Warriors flogged the week before.
The Wests Tigers are relying on too much structured football and it is taking away their ability to reach the levels they did two years ago. And last week's look at the Broncos convinced me they are trying to be a bit too clever. They are way off the pace at this stage and need to concentrate on their draw and pass game.
Not much more can be said of the Bulldogs than they need a rocket.
Sure, their best player Sonny Bill Williams is out suspended for one more game but that is no excuse for their performances so far.
There is an arrogance about this mob that is bringing them unstuck. I see motor mouth second rower Willie Mason is now leading the charge for a players strike at Origin time.
His club needs him to pull his head in and produce on the paddock before he even gets near an NSW Origin jersey, let alone talking about a strike.
With the NRL ladder already starting to show a gap between the teams who look to have the goods and those that don't, many fans are looking to statistics for the answers.
Stats do not always reveal the answers and coaches who rely too heavily on them come unstuck.
There are six rules a team must abide by if they are to have any chance of winning.
* Field position - you must play in the opposition half.
* Possession - ensuring you have your fair share of the pill.
* A good kicking game.
* Shape in attack.
* Strong and aware marker defence.
* Good one-on-one defence.
Then the most important stat of all regarding any individual player is can he play?
Have a look at how any of the teams in the NRL are performing and you will see just how important the above points are.
Commentators love going over all the stats at halftime but anyone with half a brain can usually work out what's going on.
A failure to perform in any of these six key areas usually means the team is in trouble. You only have look at the Raiders, Eels and Roosters.
And you could add to these the Frith factor - be aware at all times, of low flying missiles.
