NRL game of the week: Warriors v Titans

Tony Williams of the Sea Eagles makes a break during the round three NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Manly Sea Eagles at Toyota Stadium. Photo / Getty

1. Game of the week
Warriors v Titans
Strictly speaking the GOW should be the Rabbitohs v Broncos match that will be beaming in from Perth tonight, but that will be well after Horlicks time for many of us, so we'll stick to the dance of the desperates that is the 1-2 Warriors v the 1-2 Titans. Having dropped two home games already, the slow-starting Warriors can ill-afford another slip up.

The Titans, meanwhile, attracted rave reviews for a 6-30 defeat by the Storm - a match they wouldn't have lost by as much had it ended at halftime or Billy Slater not been very good. They were also much better than the week before, when they lost 12-24 at home to the, ahem, Raiders.

The Warriors don't believe Jamal Idris won't play, but the club is less certain about the prospects of Sam Rapira (shoulder), James Maloney (head, leg) and Konrad Hurrell (head, arm). After a run of five straight defeats, the Warriors have won the last two against the Titans.

2. Musical chairs
A big week on the player movement front, with the Coal Train, Dave Taylor, heading to the Gold Coast amid a mixture of fanfare and recrimination. How a Titans club that regularly hits David Gallop up for cash advances can justify throwing their (borrowed) loot around in such flagrant fashion is a hot topic across the Ditch.

Given the Titans also won last year's Jamal Idris sweep and are in for the A$2.6 million rated Cooper Cronk, it's no surprise a club frequently pleading poverty gets a few goats. Meanwhile, Gareth Ellis is heading back to Super League next season with Hull FC and Gerard Beale is to quit the Broncos for St George Illawarra. Persistent rumours the Warriors have been chasing a former All Black also came to fruition, with two-cap flanker Angus Macdonald signing a two-year deal. Thankfully the Warriors club in question turned out to be Glasgow. Whew.

3. Big Willie watch
Going nowhere it turns out is everyone's favourite bopper Willie Mason. Earlier this week our friends at Sydney's Daily Telegraph loudly trumpeted that Mason had agreed terms with Wests Tigers. The paper tracked down one of the greatest 'fros ever to grace the game at a private conditioning session in preparation for his return to the big time.

"It's not like I'm 36 and washed up," 115kg Big Willie Style said. "I've still got three years left in me. Pricey [Steve Price] was still running around when he was 35 and he'd have gone another year if not for injury. And then you look at Petero [Civoniceva]. He's still going great at almost 36 as well. If I thought I was no good I could just retire and sink into some media work."

Sadly by yesterday the story had changed. 'Wests Tigers end talks with Willie Mason,' revealed the Tele. Could be time to join the ranks of the washed up and sink into that media work after all.

4. Hang'em high
No mercy from the judiciary this week, with the T-Rex banned for the approximate length of the Jurassic period (seven weeks) for treating Sharks hooker Isaac De Gois like a teeny peace-loving herbivore. While that penalty might seem harsh, it was nowhere near as draconian as the five-week ban slapped on Queensland Reds star Digby Ioane for gently placing a bloke on the ground on his shoulder. Had Tony Williams been playing rugby he surely would have faced extinction. Nothing like a few paleontology gags to spice up the footy section.

What do you get when you cross a dinosaur with fireworks? Dinomite. Boom. Get it? Pure gold. Oh. Robbie Farah is also out for two weeks for a spear tackle.

5. They said it
"He was trying to kick into the sides of me," Taleah Rae Backo told a court during sentencing submissions about then boyfriend Robert Lui's return from the Tigers' mad Monday celebrations. "I was trying to cover myself. That's when he kicked me in the head. I was curled up trying to cover myself."

"Every case needs to be taken on its merits but a conviction involving violence against women is an issue that we take extremely seriously."

David Gallop stands down Lui indefinitely.

6. The art of the apology
"Everyone at Melbourne Storm is well educated and fully aware of our requirements when it comes to respectful relationships and the decisions we make. If I had my time again, I would have made a better choice to ignore the situation.

I have been fully co-operative with everyone involved and I have accepted the outcomes," Storm centre Maurice Blair said in a carefully crafted statement following a big night out on the Gold Coast that ended with accusations he assaulted a woman in a bar. "I would like to apologise to my family, friends, fans and all the stakeholders of Melbourne Storm for my involvement in the incident." Umm, anyone else while you're at it? Nice work from the Storm PR department.