Been watching the NRL

Those who know me know that I have been a Cowboys fan for a number of years and have been watching the NRL before that. While I have to say that, unlike many of my relatives and friends, I do love the game, I do find a few things confusing.

First why is a 'try' called a 'try?' Surely if you have managed to get the football across the line without one of your players offside (or touching the sideline etc) then you have SUCCEEDED not TRIED. I would really like to know the origin of the word here because it confuses me. I try to understand.

Second - Scrums - WHY? a left over from Union? A reason to show the fans the players butts? A chance to give one side a little break for a minute? Makes little sense to me?

Next thing is in every game, every one, a running tally is kept for each player of the number of penalties, metres gained, offloads etc, etc. for every player in a match. Now my question is who is keeping these tallies? Is there one person per team or per player. Whatever the answer here it is NOT a job I would like. So boring. So tedious.

On a final note who thought of the names of the positions in this game huh? 'Utility' sounds like... well somewhere I would go to relieve myself or maybe something to do with economics and 'dummy half' uh... half a dummy? not quite much as a dummy as the receiver?

This all being said I do like my league. Just telling it like it is or how I see it.

I'll leave you with a quote from a commentator on ABC Grandstand concerning the Sharks this week. "There incompetency is worth photographing." Not at all nice but probably an accurate portrayal of an ailing Cronulla team. Poor Sharkys.