13/03/08 - Shooting birds
A colleague of mine from a very different social background was telling me recently about the composure required when out shooting birds. Now some might say that I fail completely to understand country life, but I can’t help but find the thought of shooting birds somewhat repulsive (although if I can stretch the boundaries of taste momentarily, I can say quite the opposite about the thought of shooting… well, you can guess the rest).
Anyway, the point is that if the pursuit of a bird with a gun requires composure, then it very definitely does have something in common with the sport of rugby league. The best players, and indeed teams, are usually those capable of keeping their heads under the pressure of a frantic finish. And it’s a surprisingly rare quality.
On Sunday Wakefield, with a slender two point lead to protect, showed how not to do it in an awful last fifteen minutes, thrice coughing up possession in their own half early in the tackle count and thrice failing to get an effective kick off on the last. To continue the theme, it was headless chicken stuff, and would’ve been funny had I not backed the Cats off scratch.
A combination of desperate defence and ordinary offence thankfully ensured that Wakey got away with their profligacy, but don’t expect them to make it two from two against Hull sides at the KC on Friday.
