Regular listeners on Sportal's NRL Unleashed podcast will know I have
been banging on for ages about Chris Sandow's ballooning weight and
associated form problems.
I see Parramatta club legend Peter
Sterling shares the same view, estimating the not-so-little half-back to
be five kilos over his ideal playing weight.
Sterlo may be being overly generous there.
I may not be the most svelte bloke walking around but if Sandow is anywhere near his listed weight of 80kg then I'm a bad judge.
He looks unfit to me.
How he could put his hand out for $550,000 a year while playing like he did against Newcastle on Sunday is beyond me.
When you consider how much Parramatta were paying Jeff Robson in comparison to Sandow, I ask you who deserves more?
Robbo is killing it at the Sharks on less than a quarter of what Sandow demanded from the Eels.
Just take a look at the Parramatta half's stats this year to chart the steep decline in his game.
The Eels have scored just 12 tries in six games, with Sandow setting up only two of them.
He has also missed 30 tackles, which is no great newsflash given defence has never been his strong point.
So who do you blame for the Sandow slump?
The player? The coach? The conditioning staff? The CEO who signed him?
It's probably a little bit of all four.
The bottom line is Sandow is paid - well paid - to present himself in the best possible shape each and every weekend.
At the moment he's not at peak fitness and he and the Eels are suffering as a result.
And it's hard to see a way clear for the blue and gold at the moment.
They
face the in-form Sharks at Toyota Stadium on Sunday and, unless there
is a minor miracle, that will be loss No.6 for the year.
How Stephen Kearney thinks he can juggle the Eels and the New Zealand Test job with all this drama going on is beyond me.
Anyway, that's his problem.
My
job is to try and tip you into some winners so here goes: Dragons,
Broncos, Storm, Cowboys, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Sharks, Tigers.
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