The Wrap - Clowns and Snooping Dogs

1. NRL. The Cronulla-Melbourne game became the Ashley Klein show. Blowing 18 penalties was a joke. His relevance and self importance sometimes conflict and he makes some crazy decisions sometimes. It is not the Bill Harrigan 'brave call', it is the Ashley show and sometimes he cannot resist being front and centre. Surely he cannot oversee a Grand Final. Too unpredictable and too disruptive to the game. The preliminary final was so stop-start and really, it became boring to be honest. Cronulla were especially limited in attack. Such a shame and the inconsistency of time holding down in the ruck between both teams was breathtaking.

Nonetheless, Melbourne were too good. They continue to be too good and Bellamy now enjoys a stunning record and really is the best we have seen. The big prop from Parramatta and Wests-Tigers - Stefano Utoikamanu - was absolutely what they needed. They will be hard to beat.

In the Penrith-Brisbane showdown, Nathan Cleary's defence was spectacular. He can do it all! 14-0 at half time said it all. Three goals and try assists...Tight, pressure and methodical. Nothing stunning, but rock solid. Completions and error free. 

The second half? Brisbane surged, but Talagi is a worry. Blaize is not up to it yet. Silly charge downs, drop balls, a shocking pass on the line and a critical missed tackle at the end. Under pressure errors and lots of them. 

A bad Panthers decision not to take the two points for 16-0 which could have steadied the ship. Instead a great Broncos comeback for a 16-14 win and a premiership shot v Melbourne. Michael Maguire has done a top job.

The Panthers lost two games by four points in extra time in the lead up to the semi finals - Canberra and Melbourne - and then a two point loss to the Broncos today. That is the difference to their team in 2025.

2. AFL. Snoop Dog could actually kick the football well. Some footage pre game showed he had ability! See: Bing Videos . As predicted, Brisbane were on fire. Their mid field is so strong and while it was close for half a game, the customary 'Swans GF blowout' hit and destroyed the hapless Geelong. Dangerfield was quiet, Cameron was injured and played with a broken arm... Geelong know how to fold under pressure, yet they keep buying the best players around. Charlie Cameron nailed them and Coach Fagan picked their pockets. Back to back premiers is pretty awesome. 

What is it about these back to back to back wins by the elite teams?

3. Wallabies. Speaking of which, the 28,000 year consecutive Bledisloe winning streak continues. We were brighter, but never in it really. We really struggle it must be said. The losses have started to pile up again, yet we keep making the same mistakes. Injuries hit of course, but we keep changing the team, tinkering, moving key personnel... the proof is it does not work. I wonder if Les Kiss can work this out.

4. EPL. All of Liverpool, Chelsea and Nottingham lost. A topsy turvey year already, but Man City look impressive after six rounds. Erling Haaland has already kicked 8 goals. More goals than most score in a career! Tottenham were lucky to get away with a draw v Wolves.

Memo to Ange: look at how West Ham just turfed their coach this weekend. It won't take long for Ange to bite the dust if he can't start winning. Losing to Sunderland (Till I Die) is a low ebb. Sunderland surge to third place!

5. Sydney Thunder - Ravi Ashwin. Not sure what sort of T20 Big Bash crowd puller he will be. Talented Test player, but T20? Not sure he has the personality of a franchise breaking player too. Has always seemed to be on the outer with Indian players and stormed off when they needed him most in the last Australian tour. It could all end in tears.

Meanwhile India v Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup (whatever that is). India make a habit of winning this tournament with no hand shakes, no travel to Pakistan and military tensions forever at the forefront. Politics gets in the way all the time for Pakistan, so they are hoping for some skill later tonight.

6. Ryder Cup. What spectacular crowds at Bethpage Black in Long Island NY! Rare you see crowds on both sides of the tee outside of the Masters.  A great course, but lots of fired up players with Lowry and McIlroy leading the charge. The New York crowds love it. They are irreverent, rude, offensive and fire up opponents in all sports - and golf is no different. However, the Europeans are smashing the US and are on track for their first away victory since 2012. No abuse or homophobic comments can stop them.

7. F1. Oscar Piastri needs to lift and re-invent. Verstappen is closing fast and McLaren are faltering a little at present. Plenty more races ahead, but he needs to improve or perish.

8. MLB Playoffs. Closing fast with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox through... Dodgers, Phillies, Mariners and Guardians all through too.

9. NFL. Early days, but the usual suspects are already surging. The Philadelphia Eagles, the 49ers, the Bills, Chargers and Buccaneers.

The Wrap - Straight Sets

1. AFL Finals. A staggering comeback from Geelong to pound the Hawks. Dangerfield was awesome. Then Collingwood fell in a heap in the second half and Brisbane pounced. Collingwood had come back but two goals straight after half time was crucial. Cam Rayner is exceptional. Their momentum is unbelievable and they will win it. Too intense and skilled. Geelong have the big names, but Brisbane will be too athletic and too good. Look for a brisk start from Brisbane.

Brisbane are into their third successive Grand Final. One loss and one smashing win v Sydney last year. Geelong enter their third Grand Final in six seasons: 2020, 2022 and 2025. Two dominant teams.

Interesting that the concussion rule automatically disqualifies Tom Stewart from the GF. Ouch!

Adelaide disappeared in straight sets...and the Raiders and then the Bulldogs joined them. Most unusual.

2. Brownlow Medal. Nick Daicos surely wins one! He is the most dominant player week by week. Bailey Smith has been awesome as well. A new club, but he touches the ball so often. How the Western Bulldogs lost him is beyond belief. Dawson (Adelaide) and Anderson/ Rowell (Gold Coast) are also in with a show. 

3. NRL Finals. Canberra losing Ethan Strange pre game was a massive loss going in, but they are a tough team. They seemed unphased early. Starling was outstanding early. So quick from dummy half. Great to see a comeback of the flick pass. Nicho's try was a cracker. The costliness of a repeat set or not completing your sets is huge in sudden death rugby league. The Sharks have won two semi finals...that is incredible for them to now play Melbourne for a chance of the Grand Final.

The minor premiers, Canberra, are gone in straight sets! Losing two straight games at home too. Extraordinary. The Sharks are certainly no frills, but withstood the pressure early on. The Raiders gave up a lot of points in winning very regularly this year. Their defence was found wanting in the end.

The Panthers? We have been saying it here for a long time now... they are on and ready to pounce. Their first half v the Bulldogs was the best half of NRL Finals footy we have seen in many, many years. They will be too good for the Broncos, especially if Pat Carrigan is out. Injuries to Billy Walters, Brendan Piakura have been untimely... talk of Reynolds and Mam coming back for the game may just be that - talk. Troops are short at this time of the year and only the fittest survive. 

Unfortunately the grubby Brandon Smith - Victor Radley cocaine matter has spilled over every day this week, boring everyone to death. Smith should be banned for some time. He is a repeat offender and is a problem for club culture. Uncle Nick did not muck around with Victor. A stint on the sideline won't hurt Radley's multiple concussion recovery.

4. FI - Azerbaijan GP. Piastri is struggling a fair bit since the long break. he needs a strong showing here...they are coming to knock him over! Starting on ninth on the grid is a terrible result for McLaren. Verstappen is likely to win again and surges back into championship contention. 

5. EPL. Nottingham Forest are going so poorly. A 1-1 draw with Burnley was pretty average. Ange has about ten weeks or his career in Europe is finished. Losing to Swansea mid week in the Carabao Cup does not help. 

6. World Athletics Championships - Tokyo. Jess Hull becomes the first Australian woman to win through to the 1500m and 800m finals. A bronze medallist in the 1500m was an awesome moment. Tremendous work, especially after her fall in the heats. Gout Gout ran well, but gee we get excited in Australia about our sprinters... he finished 18th. A young man on the rise, but it is so challenging on that stage. Our discus throwers and high jumpers have not finished yet either!

The Wrap: Or-ange

1. NRL Finals. A ripping weekend of finals. Too quick...Best of three would be amazing!

Melbourne are so professional. A lot of players out yet the Bulldogs were crushed pretty badly...and have picked up so many injuries too (Montoya, Tuala, Crichton...). They need Reed Mahoney back in with so many missed tackles. The chopping and changing by Ciraldo (Galvin in, Sexton out... Mahoney out...). All of them sudden and unexpected calls under pressure. More composure is needed by him or they will be out in straight sets next week when the Panthers get hold of them. The Panthers were so methodical in dissecting the Warriors. Without Crichton and Kikau (?) it would be really tough for the Bulldogs. Penrith will be waiting for them.

The Roosters and Sharks was an entertaining package. The Roosters need to wear their classic jersey in big games...white cannot win a comp. The dropsy again hit them (like when they played Parramatta) and should have won. Mark Nawaqanitawase was outstanding as always. Such an exciting player. 

Canberra and Brisbane really turned it on - and now Canberra will play Cronulla at home, as losing minor premiers. Such an advantage to finish in the top four. Starling has such great speed out of dummy half...like Cook in his prime. Without Ezra and Reynolds, Brisbane have done very well.

Walsh did a Cleary at the end. A try, a 40-20, set up a couple and a drop kick to equalise that took the cross bar... then a goal. Reece Walsh needs more composure in big games. A head butt to Hudson Young was ridiculous. He lacks discipline. Conversely Kaeo Weeks killed them with his pace. Walsh has so much speed and skill. He needs to mature. Those missed goal kicks were costly too.

Ashley Klein tried very hard to be the star of the show. A cracking game - and end. Referee Klein has dreamed of an ending like that! The chance for points in the extra time needed to be taken by the Broncos. Ten out, field goal chance...zip. It didn't matter. Ben Hunt put some demons to bed with a top field goal to win 29-28.

So now, Canberra v Cronulla (then v Melbourne) and Penrith v Bulldogs (then v Brisbane) are our games to then take on Melbourne and Brisbane for a chance to make the Grand Final.

2. AFL. Adelaide were belted by the Hawks to gather an unwanted record. They always seemed to be flying a bit high through the regular season, but ended well. When the whips were cracking they were found wanting. Speaking of which, the Gold Coast were whacked too. Their pink strip was very unusual for their second final when club colours and pride in their own traditional jersey.

Geelong, Collingwood and Brisbane look the goods. Brisbane looked a lot like last year when they creamed everyone at the business end. 

Into next week now and Hawthorn v Geelong and Brisbane v Collingwood are the games. Geelong will be through to the GF ...who else?

3. Horse Racing. Mr Brightside is an incredible horse. So strong and a winner. Cost $22,000 and has won over $18 million. A great investment.

4. Wallabies. Back to earth with a thud. 28-26 is a bad outcome v Argentina. The inconsistency and constant team changes cannot be good. Lots of injuries, but so much change is never helpful for the team combinations. A 43-10 loss to the Springboks is a stunning loss for the embattled All Blacks. No break dancing! They need a complete reset. Our challenge will be in a fortnight v New Zealand. Joe Schmidt has two games left and hopefully they are memorable, for the right reasons.

5. US Open Tennis. Carlos Alcaraz is an outstanding player and ambassador for the game. Yet another win to got to six Grand Slam titles (joining Edberg and Becker). Two US Open titles, two Wimbledon and two French open titles for a total of six wins. All still as a very young man. Alcaraz has not won an Australian Open as yet, so this is another frontier now for a career Grand Slam!

6. Ange Postocoglou. A new coaching gig for Nottingham Forest (men in tights) and a thumping 3-0 loss. A tough job going to Arsenal first up, but talk about a career life line. It will be interesting to see if he changes his attacking style and how focused he becomes on the EPL. His style brings injuries as he stretches the players past their limits.

7. Davis Cup Tennis. What a circus...Lleyton Hewitt fined for pushing a WADA drug inspector. Then de Minaur gets beaten by an unknown. Terrible. Rinky Hijikata was our other singles hope and he lost too. The doubles bounced back with a win and then de Minaur finally won for 2-2. The decider was unfolding as we went to print!

Losing to Belgium would be an all time low. Australia were semi finalists last year and with a loss, a final eight berth will have gone begging in 2025! Hopefully not.

8. F1. Next week to Azerbaijan then to Singapore. Oscar is 31 points clear of Lando Norris, but it is tight. Captivating action in 2025. Verstappen had an incredible win really last week in Monza.

9. Irish Open. A ripping win by Rory last week. He has such skill, but can become distracted sometimes. A super talent really.

The Wrap - Wooden Spoon Presentations

1. AFL Finals. They are a brutal beast! You lap other teams all year and then you have a shocker in an elimination final and you are gone only one week after everyone else. The late flight to Bali. Adelaide survive as minor premiers after Collingwood whack them. Hawthorn extinguish GWS in a fourth quarter fade but the Gold Coast Suns won a cliff hanger away from home and enter the last six teams... a great last gasp win by a point after a disallowed goal with nine seconds left.

It can be a brutal end result. Geelong looked the pick of the lot.

West Coast Eagles pick up yet another spoon, their third. A long way to reach St Kilda on 27 wooden spoons!

2. NRL Finals. The advantages the Broncos seem to get from the NRL at times, are incredible. TV appearances for the Broncos are some of the most important dollars for the NRL. A million home games last season...a few extra days to prepare for the finals clash v the Raiders. 

A top four finish by the Broncos is incredible (why does Reece Walsh do stupid things every season at the September end?... cocaine arrest at Cavill Avenue, screaming at a Blues supporter, silly social media photos in a Bali hospital with Ezra Man and then a toilet drinking prank. Grow up and don't be a goose. Can't imagine Mushashi would be pleased as a key personal sponsor). Coach Maguire (and coach Barrett) have done well.

Canberra to beat the resurgent Broncos and then the Storm (no Paps, Hughes - and the reckless Asofa Solomona) to beat the Dogs (no Xerri, Montoya). The Dogs have stalled in attack. They lack speed in the halves. Lachlan Galvin's greatest value must be yet to come. He directs play, throws a great pass, has a reasonable kicking game but has no pace and too many defensive lapses at that level. He is very young it must be remembered, but talk about pressure.

The Panthers will get over the Warriors and the Roosters over the Sharks (who were super impressive v the Dogs on the weekend). In fact it was the best we have seen from the Sharks for many years. No Nicho will kill them now.

• The Tigers have been abysmal once again. Losing to the Gold Coast underlines how terrible they have been. The press have given them a good ride in 2025, but they were dreadful. Avoiding another wooden spoon seemed like their season goal. The great 'Zorba' Peters (who turned 80 the other day) picked it at the start of the season... they will be like Samoa...flashy, feel good, but essentially losing game after game. 
• The Eels (26) ended the season on more points than the Tigers (24), four points behind Manly and Dolphins (30) - less all the media hype and drama that Benji brings.
• The Eels end in 11th position. A pretty promising start under coach Ryles who started the year terribly.
• The Dragons (15th) were horrible in the end too. Completely ill disciplined. They have not recruited well. Gutho is too slow and needs to head to England now. They lack speed and wanted to offload Sloan who has pace... They need a wide broom... Klemmer, Cook, Fataila-Mariner, Gutherson, Holmes... too many older players.
• Are Canberra cooked now they have given up 50 points (with 10 stars rested)?
• The Knights were dreadfully average all year. Ponga plays 10 games a year and good luck with Dylan Brown who has lost confidence, pace and skill - yet is one of the best outside back defenders in the game. A new coach cannot arrive soon enough. A deserved spoon winner! Des Hasler avoids another one.
• James Schiller...possibly the worst recruitment decision of the year. Left the Raiders to join the Knights this year. Oops.

The Knights earn their fifth wooden spoon to now equal the Roosters (who started in 1908). They are one behind the Dogs now and the equal eighth on the list of the most wooden spoons ever.

3. Formula 1. Oscar Piastri dominated at the Dutch GP last week and now to Monza in Italy for the next. A tougher assignment from third spot on the grid. A huge story if Piastri can skip further ahead in the driver's championship. 

In terms of Australian drivers, on F1 wins he is closing in on the great Jack Brabham (14 wins/ 128 starts), Alan Jones (12/ 117), Mark Webber (9/ 217), Piastri (9/ 61), Daniel Ricciardo (8/ 258).... A great season: 7 wins, 5 poles and 34 points ahead of the other drivers in 2025. 

4. EPL. Some big steps by a resurgent and humble Liverpool team. Winning v Arsenal last week was huge. Three games and 9 points. An awesome start after a tragic off season... the international break this weekend, so no play.

5. Rugby Championships. A 28-24 win over the Pumas was a remarkable end, but does anyone know why it was played in Townsville? Once the Argies were easy beats, but not any more. An attacking winning mentality is the best thing we have seen from the Wallabies in 2025. 

A tough championship to win. Yet another All Blacks loss 18-12 to the Springboks under Scott Robertson. The knives will be sharpening and there is no break dancing practice in sight!

6. US Open Tennis. Alcaraz (5 Grand Slam wins) v Sinner (4 Grand Slam wins) in the men's final. We have heard this song before. No other player has contested a Grand Slam final in 2024 or 2025 apart from these two. One of either Sinner or Alcaraz have won nine of the last 10 Grand Slam finals. Both have one US Open win.

The great Novak Djokovic can only make semi finals these days (nothing wrong with that at 38 years of age). Alex de Minaur keeps true to form...top eight results and no more. Not that there is anything wrong with that either!

In the women's final, Aryna Sabalenka v Amanda Anisimova was an intriguing one. Anisimova beat Iva Swaitek in the quarter finals on her way through to the final. It was Swiatek who smashed her 6-0 and 6-0 in the Wimbledon final earlier this year. To bounce back from that and into a home final is pretty special. 

Unfortunately for her, Sabalenka won their final. She has an impressive record now to have two Australian Opens and two US Open Grand Slam titles (and three Grand Slam losses). Impressive. Joins the likes of Hana Mandlikova, Kim Clijsters and Arantxa Sanches-Vicario on four Grand Slam wins.

7. ODI Cricket. The Tony Greig-Richie-Bill era of TV cricket commentary was just superb. Some old footage bring back amazing memories. 'It's all happening'...'hit it like a tracer bullet'... 'a swing and a miss'...'bails off in a flash'...'hard and fooorrrst'... 'marvellous'. Australia v NZ in three T20s are about coming soon.

8. Darren Weir. The footage of the disgraced trainer administering electric shocks to horses in training under his care is an absolute disgrace to the industry. He should be banned for life, despite the passage of time. Animal cruelty at its worse.

9. The Irish Golf Open. Can Rory roar and make up the difference to win it? Poised!

The Wrap - Shields and Trophies

1. NRL. Raiders have the minor premiership - and the JJ Giltinan Shield - which is some sort of effort. Tradition and better than the Winfield Cup (who ever thought that was a good idea?). Ethan Strange continues to be a revelation, but their big outside backs are a huge plus. No nonsense forwards and a unity and self belief. It could go deep into September. Melbourne are a colossus and will take some beating. Not sure the Bulldogs or Panthers or the Broncos/ Sharks (woeful defence) have enough to stop Melbourne... despite being lapped by the Roosters on Friday night. 

• Marky Mark continues to do things other players in the game have never done. An awesome talent. Elite. A Dally M?
• Des Hasler and Adam O'Brien both gone... the coaching merry-go-round continues.
• Parramatta with their newfound fitness and speed are also sending teams ragged. Their defence needs to improve however. They do not control the ruck like Melbourne do. Melbourne would be crucified if a referee actually insisted on a speedy play the ball from both teams. Parramatta do this at their own peril and get touch football scores as a result.
• Parramatta are on the same points as the Wests Tigers and could finish as high as 10th! A stunning end to the season.
• The Gold Coast to pick up the wooden spoon after losing a lot of close games? Or Newcastle?
• Dolphins v Roosters for the final spot.

2. AFL. Can never work out why they take complete momentum out of their season by having the week off. A 'Wildcard weekend' could work better... but injuries are attended to in the week away, but I wonder how many more injuries it then brings? Brownlow Medal season is fast approaching.

Interesting to see Tom Papley shopped to rivals.

3. Tommy Fleetwood. Breaks through finally at the Tour Championship (after 164 PGA starts) with a BIG $10M purse. The US PGA completely dominates LIV and has actually rendered it irrelevant. Tradition and routine has triumphed.

4. US Open Tennis. Jelena Ostapenko is one of the most unpleasant women's tennis players we have ever seen. She has problems with her attitude and superiority complex - and her serve. Racial comments the lot. She needs to be banned from the game for a time. Conversely, the Naomi Osako story is amazing. She is doing good business once again. In the wrestle for the 'US Open Tennis Trophy' (no sponsor).

Alcarez, Sinner, Zverev, Dokovic... all warming up for the men's quarter finals which get under way this week. Alex de Minaur joins them in the final 16. He only has a top 8 game at this point, but it is still a stunning achievement on the biggest stage.

5. Rugby Union. A week off for the international play, but injuries for Australia are crushing them. Locally, Warringah 37-24 to win the Shute Shield. More famous than the Stanley Cup!

Tremendous to see young Douglas Sullivan (Eastwood) and young Henry Oxenham (Sydney Uni) in action at Leichhardt Oval in their lower grade Grand Finals. 

6. F1. Back after an AFL-like window which is absurd and lengthens the season incredibly (until 8 December!). The Dutch Grand Prix it is now this weekend and Oscar Piastri is looking to assert early dominance over Lando Norris in the home stretch. Oscar has such amazing poise.

7. Sunderland Till I Die. They are on fire. Two early wins in the EPL after being promoted. Incredible start, but a long way to go! 35 points (12 wins) just about sees you safe from relegation. Chelsea looking solid and of course they, Arsenal and Liverpool have not lost yet. Defence! 'The Premier League Trophy' is on the line!

The Wrap - Beaten at The Post

1. NRL - Wonderful Weekend. So many great games...upsets and the Tigers deflated by the never say die Cowboys! How good is Tom Dearden? Extraordinary.

Marky Mark's flick pass for the Roosters v Parramatta was super special. What an amazing athlete! A dual international pending. He is one of the best and most exciting outside backs in the NRL. He has added more than Joseph Sua'ali'i. Unfortunately the Roosters were woeful. So many handling errors which was quite staggering. The worst completion rate by any team all season.

The Eels avoid the spoon and have really added so much speed to their play under Ryles. They need a big and dynamic centre to really change the world. Their forwards have really improved under Ryles. Quick feet and soft hands. A real hunger is building. They need some dynamic big athletic finishers out wide.

Hard to remember a weekend where the ball hit the post so often from goal kicks and field goals!

• Incredible end to the Raiders v Panthers. Field goal hits the post and a winning try at the other end! Three successive golden point games for Penrith won't hurt them. They are back playing tough (if losing) footy and everyone in that comp knows it.
• The Roosters losing Sam Walker was bad timing, but Connor Watson needed to step up and could not. They did not seem to have a plan. Sandon Smith surely needs more game time.
• Parramatta winning consigns the Newcastle Knights and Titans to the spoon bowl. 
• Des Hasler arguing with rude and out of line journalists is something Wayne Bennett addressed some time ago. Des should know better. Pressure.
• The Broncos are marching on and can produce in big games. They have done very well in the end under Maguire.
• The Dolphins have battled injuries, but they have leaked points and leaked more...

2. ODI Cricket. We have really struggled, but the crowds have loved it. A big night out up north - esp. game three with tons to Green, Head and Marsh. Brevis is incredible and could hit 200! The top order needs to step up for an ODI victory!  A good winter concept, but a shame we play second and third stringers! ODIs have become completely irrelevant. Marnus continues to be a disappointment.

3. AFL. The end of the regular season with a widening gap between the top nine and the rest. It has moved fast. The excitement is around the top four.

• Toby Green came up with two incredible plays in the last minutes to seal a home final for GWS.
• The Swans beat the hopeless West Coast Eagles yet again. The Eagles picked up their mandatory spoon and their third ever - 2010, 2023 and now 2025.
• The Swans need to get some forwards who don't fall in an injury heap and get a few hard nose competitors to change up the culture. A little bit of experience perhaps too. Too many similar players.
• Jeremey Cameron wins the Coleman Medal but does not pick up 100 goals in a season again. 
• Essendon is still a joke. Such an under performing team.
• Adelaide are minor premiers after missing finals for seven years in a row! 
• Geelong and Collingwood are still up and at them again. Bailey Smith has been an incredible signing for Geelong - and substantial loss for the Western Bulldogs.
• Imagine winning 14 games and missing the top eight...The Western Bulldogs may achieve this for the first time ever for a team.
• The Brisbane v Hawthorn showdown is a huge one for the final order tonight.

4. PGA - Tour Championship. Once again Tommy Fleetwood leads, this time with Patrick Cantlay (-16) into the final round. Scottie Scheffler (-12) and even Rory (-6) hover of course... he hears the hooves does our Tommy. Here's hoping he can crack a PGA win sometime soon. A $40M purse is some sort of carrot. Keegan Bradley (-13) is a fine golfer too. Can anyone give us a LIV Golf update? What a schemozzle.

Scheffler has 5 wins for the season and nearly $24M. 15 top 10 finishes and not forgetting his -31 score in the Byron Nelson! Great Scott!

5. EPL. Tottenham two wins from two (a 2-0 win over Man City is always impressive) and are on top with a dominant Arsenal. The post Ange era has started brightly. Ange is being linked with Notts Forest, last year's surprise packet.

6. US Open Tennis. It all starts this week but extraordinarily, the mixed doubles have already been played. Not sure why this was required - outside of a greater cash grab - but put a couple of shekels on Sinner and Alcaraz as the men's finalists. The great Novak will be trying for yet another throne on his prized surface as well. A swansong?

7. Wallabies. Signs and glimpses of greatness, but so many injuries and not enough strength under pressure, losing 30-22. Argentina will not be easy. They beat the All Blacks 29-23! A great result!

The Wrap - Back in Your Boks

1. Wallabies. A rare headline in The Wrap, but what a brilliant win. Joe Schmidt has had a top month in the latter phases of his tenure it must be said after much disappointment. Unlucky not to beat the Lions in the series and then to win at Ellis Park in the dungeon of South Africa is exceptional. The first win since before we were all born! Pretty significant.

Joseph Sua'ali'i has added a lot, but so has the recent announcement that the Giteau rule is no longer. (Ron will be pleased). Skelton is immense and the skipper Wilson scoring two runaway tries was incredible. He almost ran over the deadball line and did a hammy to boot. Gold. The pace and toughness of Jorgensen will keep NRL recruiters interested.

2. Glenn Maxwell. He's bounced back since some of the worst idiocy in recent years in world cricket...the mysterious tennis court rumble injury and the falling off the golf cart. He is a supreme talent. Often wasted and frustrating, but still could be one of the best fieldsmen we have ever seen (with Viv, Jonty Rhodes, Mark Waugh, Ponting, Symonds, Smith...). His last gasp effort to get Australia over the line in the Darwin T20 series was incredible. Great to see him stand up and get the adulation that he deserves.

3. NRL. The NRL seems to be able to find an on field controversy these days. It used to be a lot of off field ones, now if it is not a trainer, a sin binning, a bunker rule interpretation or an Ashley Klein special call, the game is constantly in the spotlight.

The Broncos, for all their class, have struggled at key times, but Maguire is making a big difference. They are semi final bound. Reece Walsh is an incredible talent.

The spoon contest is down to the Eels, the Knights and the Titans. The Rabbits and Cowboys have a bye each and are winners this weekend. The Eels are warming up for a world record.

• Scott Drinkwater is a super talented player. From the Central Coast and killing them. A broken play master who would be dangerous in Origin. Nil mistake player.
• Kodi Nikorima is one of the best number sixes in the comp. He has speed, takes on the line and a strong running game which keeps the defence guessing.
• The small double pump feigned pass running fast to the line by Isaiya Katoa or Nathan Cleary is now creating massive issues for opposing defences. A small, but newer offensive tactic.
• Hearing Nathan Cleary talk about rugby league is a whole new language. No wonder the Panthers are a premiership threat every year...even when they were in last place!
• Michael Ennis. Is he the best non-coach in the game? So insightful. He could coach Origin on his ear.
• The Roosters were really dominant and the Bulldogs are crumbling fast. Attitude.
• Trai Fuller would be a handy dummy half off the bench at another club. Great pace!
• Jye Gray. Two try scoring tackles and wins the game for the Bunnies. Then the greatest hog in the NRL, Tallis Duncan, wins the Eric Simms Medal for MOTM. Get on Tallis for an any time try scorer because he never disappoints. Alex Johnston could not touch it! The 212 record is safe with Tallis in the centres. 
• Daniel Topou is fast approaching too. He now has 182 tries in fourth place ever. (Slater has 190 in third place). We could well have two players beat the Ken Irvine record!
• Haas now playing for Samoa ... how can these flexi rules apply to Origin for some and not others. 

4. AFL 2025. The massive divide in the 2025 competition has taken a lot of energy out of the game this season. The top eight or nine are so far ahead, the bottom half of the comp has become very boring. It is costing the game revenue...TV ratings are sliding too. Most unfortunate. Having Brisbane, Adelaide, Fremantle and in the top eight must be troubling Melburnians too.

• The Connor Rozee rumours at Port Adelaide are a great example of the absolute sewer of social media. Having to publicly appear to dispel them calls for stronger police action against the perpetrators. What have we unleashed as a society?
• GWS beating Gold Coast at home is a horrific result for the Gold Coast. They are so inconsistent and need to address this to make an impression in the semi finals. 
• The Collingwood-Adelaide game in front of the biggest ever crowd was awesome! Tight and tough with high pressure. 56=53. They may both be in the GF.
• The Swans... plucked and roasted by a superior Geelong team. Their defensive line is elite. Tall, strong and plentiful.

5. EPL Underway. The shortest off season in world sport. Liverpool continue to do the business despite the tragic loss of a key player in the off season, Diogo Jota. Tottenham will be an interesting study to see if they fall in a heap or build on the successes of last season. A bright start against promoted Burnley. Sunderland ('Till I Die...) are back too, but where is Netflix? They had a tremendous opening win 3-0 v West Ham. Haaland is back scoring two goals already for Man City!

6. Austrian GP. Piastri and Norris look to have the measure of all others, but Verstappen always surprises. The summer break in the season is ridiculous. All momentum around the sport is lost. 

7. USPGA. Fresh from Justin Rose's win ($3.6M) v Scheffler and Fleetwood last week in the St Jude, Scottie Scheffler ($1.6M) is running second in the BMW Championship. MacIntyre is going to be hard to run down in Maryland. 

Scheffler's consistency is amazing. He didn't quite do the job last week. This week may well be different. He could be the most liked world number one golfer since the great Jack!

8. Bob Simpson. RIP. A legend of Australian cricket who transformed of all things, fielding. A terrific slip fielder himself. A brutal task master. In Test cricket, 62 tests (110 catches!) and 4869 runs at 46.81 with ten tons. He famously came back in WSC to lead the inexperienced (and very poor) Australian team at the time... Hibbert, Weiner, Whatmore, Moss, Toohey, Laughlin, Maclean, Gannon, Sleep, Clark, Dymock... et al.

9. US Open Tennis. The Cincinatti Open lead up event in Tennessee sees Alcarez v Sinner in the final tomorrow. Alcarez will be tough to toss at Flushing Meadows starting on 24 August. He and Sinner are a cut above. A toss of the coin.