The Wrap - Renshaw To be Sure

1. Test Cricket. Poor Nic Maddison. He didn't select himself and he has talent, but should never have opened the batting. It was a silly move (unless the second innings proves us all wrong yet again!). That Durban deck was moving too much on Day One for a novice opener. It shows how desperate we have become for a decent opener, but loud mouth selectors do themselves no favours. Nathan McSweeney has been treated harshly and youth is seemingly banned from the team. The heat of India will test them all out. The end is nigh for most and we have no real guns replacing these ones.

The efforts of the unheralded Matt Renshaw were impressive. No one could have predicted this really and he looks sets as an Australian Test middle order batsman for a while yet, based on the efforts of our other batsmen. He really batted better than anyone could have forseen. Coming of age really.

Cameron Green is both super talented and the champion of disappointment...like Shane Watson before him. Poor form, injury, but produced the goods in crisis and recent uptick in form...then injury. 

Steve Smith's exaggerated leaves of the ball are unfortunately a sign he is not switched on. He wants us to believe it is the opposite. It is a fascade. He got worse in this innings as it went along and fell prematurely. The innings' where he is at his most exaggerated are always when he is not as successful. He over compensates for an older success routine, but he is not getting any younger. He has lost some sheen in latter times, but remains a legend of the Australian game.

Batting first on a turning deck will prove very helpful in the end. Lyon will be spinning it like a top by the end of this Test. It has certainly flattened out now. The cumulative Test attendance will be in the 100s!

Our batting is best summed up by Queensland in the Shield this weekend - all out for 60 odd! However, Ollie Davies hits 200 in Shield record time. Maybe there is hope.

2. Wallabies. Sadly again half a game of good and half a game of despair. The 2002 Bledisloe curse continues and the 1986 Eden Park hoodoo too. The false signs of a resurgence have come crashing down. Hard to believe we are so consistently bad against New Zealand. Les Kiss is going to be excellent, but he has a lot of damage to repair. Our players can't be that bad.

3. Bathurst Super Cars. A dramatic end with Dick Johnson seemingly never far from controversy when near that joint. Who will forget the mountain issue years ago. Sad for De Pasquale who didn't even finish. Brodie Kostecki chalks up his second win!

4. Perth Bears. It seems like the Bad News Bears' are in the frame again. Losing a CEO before their season begins is a really bad sign. Meaney and Russell as their centres is terrifying. Ben Gardiner will be a ripping coach if they can just shuffle Mal sideways quickly enough.

5. 1 November - NRL Market Place. Interesting that Harry Grant and Cameron Munster both want to hit the market on 1 November. The word is out with players about 'greed is good', but can you blame them? It seems that the old Melbourne Storm bonded ethos is fraying at the edges a little. The loyalty is fading with the imminent Bellamy departure. They are not alone...Matt Burton, Latrell Mitchell, Hudson Young... all seeking a better deal.

6. AFL Trade Season. The work of 'The Lizard', Nick Blakey has been something else this week just gone. Sneaky, underhand and lacking transparency so it seems, by not notifying the club of his desire to be traded. Yet he sees the club as the villain. It sounds like he is a good one to cut. His likely club, North Melbourne, will be doing it tougher than the Swans for a long time to come. Sounds like an impulsive tantrum that could go very wrong. He will never win a premiership if he is not careful, but earning over a  million a year distorts reality. Easy come, easy go... until he hits the wall.

7. EPL -Man City.  In ripping form with an undefeated start to this EPL season and suddenly under immense pressure with potential heavy fines, relegation and loss of points. There is no way around this so it seems. ManU seem to extend teams a lifeline constantly, letting 10 men team like Spurs equalise late. Never in Alex Ferguson's time!

Messi has also closed his international career with Argentina. What a super star. Rare gold.

8. MLB - Cleveland Guardians. In his debut year, Travis Bazzana's team have staged a remarkable comeback v the Chicago White Sox, trailing the series 0-2 to win it and set up a showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League Championship. The winner then goes to the World Series! What a story in your first ever year of MLB. He is on his way to become our most prolific and decorated baseballer in Australian MLB history.

The Wrap - Roosters Ruling The Roost

1. NRL Grand Final. DCE was poised for a great end to his career. Nawaqanitawase, Watson, Crichton, DCE all disappear for 2027 - and maybe Sam Walker too. So much top level experience in this Roosters team: Collins, Tupou, Radley, Tedesco, Robson, Crichton, DCE v Frizzell, Gagai, Best and Ponga. Ball control and set completions were the name of the game. The Roosters excelled...DCE - 15 years after his first Grand Final. Incredible win, especially when everyone though the Panthers would win the comp by April.

So much pre-game hype and stories pre game as always. First one point Grand Final win since Cowboys v Broncos! Second back to back double: Brisbane Broncos Men and Brisbane NRLW last year and the Roosters now this year! (St George got the spoon in both in 2026).

The Roosters did too much aerial attack in the first half and needed to keep the ball in hand. Such a waste of natural talent and flair for their star studded team, but they worked it out. Nawanqanitawase is the supreme player. So tough and so clever. He wins it for them so often. He missed out to Alex Johnston and Tom Jenkins for Dally M Winger of the Year, but is the ultimate entertainment package. What a winner - he will be missed a lot!

Sam Walker's goal kicking was superb. Such an advantage when you can pot them from all points in big games. Not sure he is the $1.5M man however. No general play kick pressure on the Roosters cost the Knights. The momentum in the latter part of the first half that they enjoyed started there. 

The Knights defence was great, but "brave" and "courageous" alone sadly doesn't win comps. 

Two super joyful bounces for the Roosters...one that caused a drop out for Ponga at a critical time in the second half at 12-12...another that hit the posts for the Roosters' final try. That is footy. The bounce favoured Newcastle in the first half.

Trent Robinson joins the legend coaches with four premiership wins (joining Provan, Churchill, Sheens and Cleary). They also lost by 50 in the competition and still won the comp! First club to do so. 

Trent's focus on family and connections is again paying dividends, reshaping the team massively when Luke Keary, Jarryd Warea-Hargreaves, Joseph Su'a'lili, Joey Manu, Sandon Smith, Brandon Smith and Chad Townsend all left at the end of 2025.

Toia kept Best quiet all night. Whyte was awesome. Tedesco dominated... he will have no regrets leaving the Tigers...nor will Robson (Cowboys) or DCE (Manly). Tupou has never regretted leaving Parramatta. Radley, Tupou, Leniu, Tedesco have all got four premierships now too.

A bad year for Steggles to give up the jersey sponsorship! 

2. NRLW. Really enjoying the strengthening of the womens' game. Lots of improvement in the defence (incredible) and skill set in quick time! It is so good for the future of the game. Lots of girls are looking to play the game. Barely a high shot ever and no illegal tackles or wrestle. How footy used to be played. Olivia Kernick is a gun. SO tough and fair. Tarryn Aiken was the WOTM and takes the ball deep into the line to really confuse the opposition defence. She was the clear difference. A crushing defeat of the Broncos who are really talented too. Upton was really well contained.

3. NSW v QLD Cup. Fancy fronting up to that Dolphins team who absolutely crushed the Panthers 68-14 on Grand Final day... shows the recruitment of the Dolphins who have not paid overs for any player. They had Kafusi, Averillo, Trae Fuller and a host of other first graders. Too much for the young Panthers who had young Moi Moi and Buster Hindmarsh in their teams...Parramatta recruitment at its worst.

4. Wallabies. A great win v South Africa last Sunday night, but four sin bins in the last ten minutes? The game is a joke unfortunately and no one is queueing up for prime time viewing. A shame. Once upon a time the game was in such a better place.

5. Cricket. George Bailey's days are surely numbered as a selector and a Test career whacking by South Africa would bring a career change for him. Too high profile for a national selector. Nic Maddison is talented, but Australian player? McSweeney or Sangha would have been more deserving ...or Kurtis Patterson? Liam Scott is shortening as another national option. A wonderful journey from the Hunters Hill Pirates.

6. MLB PlayOffs. All underway after the wild card games. In the American League: White Sox v Guardians (1-0), Yankees v Rays (0-1) and the National League: Braves v Dodgers (0-1) and Brewers v Padres (1-0). All best out of five games. Travis Bazzana's Guardians will need to lift after a 0-3 loss in the first game.

The Wrap - Surreal Dwarfie Time

1. NRL. Preliminary Finals time.

(i) The Roosters are warming up nicely and have timed their season to perfection with injuries as well. Trent Robinson has a terrific coaching record. He has been there at the club since 2013, coaching 357 games for a 63% winning ratio. Three premierships: 2013, 2018, 2019. Elite.

The September temperatures are rising again and team fitness matters more than ever. The Dolphins did well (and better than Wayne Bennett's Souths team, despite the post Bennett performance hoax) but have struggled with their defence at key times this year (giving up 50 points twice). The Rabbits put 50 on the Roosters as well, so can they win the premiership at all?

The answer is "definitely". They have an incredible roster with Nawanqanitawase, the acrobat doing the most amazing things. Radley remains a send off risk, but offers so much. They are a young side. Toia is incredible and Tedesco-Cherry-Evans are a dynamic duo. Daly has made the best of choices to move clubs and it has been a wise signing. 

Ashley Klein was sacked last weekend and put in the bunker instead. Go figure. He made more mistakes in the first half than anyone on the field. Terrible and the NRL need to eliminate him from the Grand Final (Chris Butler was incredibly fair and accurate), so he doesn't continue to hog the headlines. It is not about him and he needs to understand this.

Is it time there for one captain's challenge in each half of a game?

(ii) Penrith v Newcastle. Leaving out Cleary was clearly a big worry over his foot/ ankle. Missing the early goal was a terrible start for the Panthers and cost them near the end. Exposing Cogger-Cole-Talaigi was a concern. Jack Cole is too slow. The Newcastle centres are incredible in defence with the biggest 'BIG GAME' player, Bradman Best superb. Gagai is tough too.

Blaize bounced back with a Cogger kick for a try, but the Cleary injury was awful. Phoenix Crossland is a great guy...very unfortunate. Silver lining/ You don't get the medical treatment/ rehab required in a PNG compound...he re-signs with the Panthers. Yet Newcastle were too good! An outstanding display with twelve men. First GF in 25 years! Wooden spooners to Grand Finalists! Lots of joy in the crowd for a new group of supporters. Their big new grandstands will be filled in 2027!

The Roosters become the out and out favourites now. They will probably be too strong for Newcastle, but their centres and Ponga are superior.  

Meanwhile, the Panthers have uncovered some serious flaws.. lack of pace and attack is the key problem. Losing the best player in the NRL doesn't help either.

2. NRLW. The John Strange coached Roosters team are into the Grand Final once more. They too are an awesome side. Kelleher, Fressard, Boyle (set to retire), Kernick, Jaz Strange, Sergis... lots of stars.

The crack Roosters NRLW team are looking for the their sixth Grand Final (two wins) since the comp started eight years ago. Playing the Broncos who like the Roosters have really dominated the NRLW. Put money on Tamika Upton for first try.

3. AFL. What a brilliant Grand Final - Brisbane v Fremantle. A win for Brisbane for the three peat (four GFs in a row)! Coach Fagan is a special man...much loved and a shrewd tactitian. Very gracious in saying Freo were the better team and he mentioned his team was extremely lucky. Even though Shai Bolton (ex Richmond) won the Norm Smith in a losing team, Freo will be absolutely fuming..."Wharfie time" (4 mins remaining) ignited the Brisbane team for four goals in four minutes! Too many stars there too. A thrilling end and a huge crowd. Such a magnificent spectacle with so many wonderful moments. 

Up by 17, with a then Tracey missed one ten metres out (ouch!) that could have sealed the win. Their first flag ever!  Brisbane's Sam Draper and Oscar Allen would have been pleased with their moves from Essendon and West Coast respectively...

They really show the NRL Grand Final up with their pre match entertainment and traditions. The NRL is second rate there.

The Nick Daicos Brownlow Medal earlier this week was very deserving. He is easily the best.

3. Presidents Cup Golf. Day two foursome stage at the Medinah Country Club in Chicago was a disaster for the US team with the Internationals surging to a 7-3 lead. A solid position heading into Day Three. In Day Three the advantage was retained 10.5 to 7.5, but nerves are jangling heading into the final day.

A three point lead, but the 28 years wait for an Internationals win will be no formality!

4. Socceroos v Brazil. 1-1. Brazil could probably not believe they were coming to Australia (and not vice versa). We did well, but true to football history in this country, we could not ice the game despite a wonderful penalty goal from the highly talented Irankunda. A last gasp equaliser from Brazil. We hadn't beaten them for 25 years!

5. EPL - Manchester City Scandal. Suddenly their club is in a lot of hot water after a 2008-2019 (6 years ago!!!) enquiry and the prospect of fines, penalties, compensation claims by other teams and possible automatic demotion. This is a huge breaking story for the might of world football.

6. Wallabies v Springboks. The toughest of world rugby contests tonight. A miracle if we can win...but with Newcastle winning and an unlikely victory by Brisbane in the AFL, you never know...!

7. ODI- Australian Cricket. Who would have thought our batting was ordinary and susceptible to collapse? Travis Head is awesome v Zimbabwe, but keeps repeating the same mode of dismissal. That is a huge concern. Nathan Ellis and Zampa get wickets, but no one is scoring runs. Unfortunately, we are in for a very lean time ahead.

The Wrap - The Final Countdown

1. AFL - Finals. The pick of the finals football in either code was the Hawthorn v Brisbane clash. Such a tremendous contest with scintillating play and a comeback by the Hawks that was highly entertaining. The Wizard, Nick Watson, is an incredible player. Such speed. A see sawing affair and now we have a Brisbane v Fremantle Grand Final. Fourth successive Grand Final for Brisbane! Lachie Neale has had an "annus horribilis" with the publicised split from his wife and now a suspension for a 'gut punch' and set to miss his last game for the club...the GF! It was a gutless dog punch from behind. He also carried on after a legitimate clash at the kick off too. He needs to get a grip and show greater self discipline on a number of fronts.

The 11th year of no Grand Finals descends onto Hawthorn. There are a few clubs in that box with the domination of Brisbane who look rock solid for their third straight premiership. They smashed Sydney (2024) by 60 and Geelong (2025) by 50. Freo will be nervous, with or without Neale.

2. AFL - Swans. Sadly, the Swans were terrible when it mattered. Very good early, but ran out of tickets. Fitness seemed to be an issue this year. It would be good to see the head coach looking fitter in the off season as well. You can say players were out and it was a 'courageous loss', but the facts remain. The team was up by 30 on the stroke of three quarter time and they got steamrolled. No surprise after doing this v Freo earlier in the season. 

The Swans have been telling us a lot of fibs about the 'no dickhead policy' and war wounds that have healed, about three Grand Finals they are over, etc... in the end they choked here and have a bad rep around this stuff. They need some real soul searching and they need to recruit some hard heads. A top year ending in ashes when a victory was in reach.

The tactics in the final quarter were awful. They needed the ball in hand and more kicks - and more defensive marks, not just punch outs.

3. NRL. The Roosters got out of the blocks early, but the Sharks were strong in response early, before getting smashed. No Nicho disrupted their rhythm, but the Sharks' defence was weak at times almost giving up 50 points. They never really looked like scoring tries. The Roosters made a fair few errors, but they were classy when it mattered. A Roosters v Dolphins game will be interesting. So much more testing. The Roosters have a team of class players. Robert Toia is something else. What a player!

The Sharks seem to get to the same stage every year...bridesmaids. They need to re-imagine their roster. Nawaquanitawase is a complete entertainment package. What an impact player. He brings people to the game. The big question is whether they need Sam Walker at all. The Roosters were dominant.

Looking forward to seeing the Bears in 2027. They could be worse than any other start up since the South Queensland Crushers. Sean Russell and Nick Meaney in the centres could bring opponents a lot of points.

The Knights started solidly, but the Warriors stumbled into half time after early domination in front of 50,000 fans! What a year for Newcastle. No Dylan Brown or Trey Mooney, Saifiti, et al. Justin Holbrook has been the best coach in 2026, after the wooden spoon under Adam O'Brien last year.

Bradman Best is a big game player. So balanced as a runner. Fletcher Sharpe is a future origin player. Superb footwork and tough under pressure. Sandon Smith has been immense as well.

So Knights v Panthers and Roosters v Dolphins in the Preliminary Finals. What an upset! Warriors out in straight sets!

4. Cricket. A huge series win against the might of Zimbabwe this weekend. Renshaw, Connolly and 'Chop on' Head all amongst the runs. Young Oliver Peake has done well. It is hardly mesmerising stuff, but we still gave up a lot of runs with our bowlers.  Let's see how this batting line up handles their pace. Our bowling is not up to it...Stanlake, Ellis, Bartlett, Connolly, Renshaw... South Africa may think we are bowling tennis balls. South Africa will smash us if we are not careful.

5. EPL. Already Man City's Haaland is leading the goal scorers. What a player! Arsenal look invincible, but they can find a way to lose it! Their 3-0 loss to Brighton was catastrophic really. Well done to the Seagulls who found the chips this weekend.

Tottenham. In four games they couldn't score a goal, but now they can't score a winning goal losing again 2-3 to Villa. Coventry City got their first win v Notts Forest and Tottenham are second last. They narrowly avoided relegation last year but have spent $300 million since on players. Hull went down but are mixing it well with the big boys.

6. US Open Tennis. Zverev did the business and earned his second Grand Slam title. (French and US Open wins). A phenomenal match ousted the returning Alcaraz earlier, but Zverev is too consistent these days. A healthy $5.5m winning pay day!

7. Davis Cup. Australia v Poland. De Minaur won the first tie and then James Duckworth (is he our second best mans singles player?) lost the second one for 1-1. The doubles victory positioned us well for the tie victory. De Minaur iced it with a reverse singles win. He was the star! No shouting that you beat Poland in tennis, but they are better than we all think.

8. NASCAR. Shane van Gisbergen. Two NASCAR wins this season. A remarkable story and talent. He is currently in 17th spot with the . In 2025, he came 12th with 5 wins. He is a serious chance and a formidable opponent.

9. MLB. In the American League Central, the Cleveland Guardians are ahead looking for a play off position to win their division. Travis Bazzana has hit four home runs this week and 15 in his 116 games at an average of .250. An incredible story in his rookie season.

10. NBL. The 2026 competition has started...just in case you were wondering.

The Wrap - The Pythagoras Momentum Tracker

1. NRL. The win by Newcastle was superb v the Rabbits. Kaylan Ponga is electric. A super player and an even more special part was the absence of the Dylans Lucas and Brown. Such a tough win. An incredible season by their coach Justin Holbrook. Maybe the Titans should have had a little more patience with him. Souths on the other hand were ordinary. SO many excellent players all under their sombrero of their salary cap. Yet, they can't seem to dominate. Time for roster changes. Cody Walker needs to retire.

The Dolphins were outstanding against the Warriors in their shock win. The Warriors have not been very impressive in recent weeks. Herbie Farnworth is possibly one of the most exciting players in the NRL. He is such a talent and is worth $1.2 million a season at least. He is a matchwinner. The Dolphins have done what Wayne Bennett could not do = they are into the preliminary final.

The Panthers v Roosters.. Mark Nawanqanitawase is a match winner. What a supreme talent. That intercept and so many other things he has done in the NRL has set a new standard of ball playing and ball handling excellence. Liam Martin is a niggler, but Nathan is too good...ten minute sin bin on top of everything too! To think Blaize did the last big tackle to cause the error at the end...incredible after so many defensive flaws. He may have played his best ever game for the Panthers.

The Sharks v Cowboys, while entertaining, will not provide the winner of the competition. The Sharks play the Roosters and will be steam rolled. In the other game the Warriors play Newcastle next week. The Knights could surprise.

Crowds at the NRL semi finals were pretty ordinary to be honest. They have never attracted many over the years. Greedy administrators taking over grounds for finals and milking the fans. Buy a Fox subscription.

2. NRL Requests. Two huge requests for season 2027: Is Pythagoras available?

• Get rid of the VB Hard Earned Index. What else is that than a sly advertisement? Is there any logic/ formula or understanding from anyone? Joke.
• Get rid of the Red Bull Momentum Tracker. What the hell is this? More advertising.

Instead. what about some genuine stats that roll up on the screen? The 'VB Metre Eater' or the Red Bull 'Tackle Busts/ Post Contact Metres/ Line Breaks/ Offloads'... please...and Blocker to finally retire from commentary.

Also:

• Looks like Parramatta are half a chance to sign Joey Manu for six months which is available before he joins the PNG Chiefs!
• St George got the wooden spoon in 2026 for both the men and womens' teams. Ouch!

3. Semi Final Hot Heads. Latrell Mitchell, Dane Gagai, Reed Mahoney, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Selwyn Cobbo, Kurt Capewell, Liam Martin, Spencer Leniu... The best players don't get involved in this nonsense. They are calm and composed and do pain well!

4. AFL. The win by Fremantle over Geelong was dominant in the end. They quivered, but held it together late to win. Geelong meanwhile are over rated and are a team of stars, but not cohesive. Coach Scott better produce soon, or he will be gone with their open cheque book approach...missed out on Zac Butters and now look to sign up Toby Greene from GWS.

Terrific to see Zac Butters go to the Western Bulldogs. This will even things out further and position the Dogs for a repeat of their glory days a few years ago now.

Brisbane are off to play the Hawks after smashing Adelaide and Sydney play Fremantle in the Preliminary finals.

5. NFL. Opening weekend at the MCG - Rams v 49ers. The Rams were a rabble. Mocking a sleep gesture, they then confirmed they were not ready. In the NFL, you can ill afford to drop games. It is a bad start. Speaking of which, the Patriots were dreadful too. Jarryd Hayne getting on social media as an ex-player...um... not quite.

6. EPL. Coventry City and Fulham after three rounds already look specials to be relegated. Incredible to say that so early, but not a point for either team yet. Hull City on 8 points (third place) are motoring and held Chelsea 2-2 this weekend. The Man City v ManU contest is on tonight!

7. Pakistan Cricket. What a schemozzle. Crazy administrators, corruption, collapses like no other and dramatic personnel sackings. Seven players sacked after a crushing loss in England and what do you know...a second crushing loss as well! They lost the current Test series 3-0. With 130 to get, they had them 2-30 and bowl Joe Root (23) for a potential win...but it was a no ball! Terrible but it sums it all up. Didn't get another wicket!

Root and Cox batting together was an interesting batting combination of surnames.

8. US Open Tennis. Zverev is getting the better of everyone while injuries about. He won the French and looks a special to knock over Shelton and win the US Open. A bit of an upset in the womens final. Rybakina has won her third Grand Slam (just the French to add to a career slam) over Sabalenka.

9. Josh Addo-Carr.. Josh simply doesn't get it. He has been here before at the Bulldogs with cocaine and made a goose of himself then making up and denying stories. This time he should be sacked. He is fading fast and simply not big enough for the modern game. On the Parramatta social media accounts, he clowns around, goofs about and is quite unprofessional...and so it is played out with him in society, driving with drugs in his system. He needs to stop driving his car, but his surname demands it. Time for a new start, a new career and sadly, a new attitude.

At least Josh has made the greatest NRL novelty team of all time...Bumped into Glen Nissen in Port Stephens two weeks ago at work. He said he was disappointed he was not captain!

The Automotive and Transportation XIII

1. Paul Carige

2. Semi Radradra

3. Ross Windshuttle
4. Herbie Farnworth

5. Josh Addo-Carr

6. Rocky Laurie

7. Tim Pickup

8. Des Morris

9. David Hatch

10. Blake Lawrie

11. Paul Gallen (c)

12. Daniel Wagon

13. Jackson Ford

14. Col Bentley

15. Glenn Nissen (v/c)

16. Peter Ford 

17. Mark Laurie

10. F1 - Piastri. In seventh place now in the Drivers Championship and limping. Sadly Lando Norris is doing a lot better for McLaren piling on the pressure on Oscar's future. 150 points behind the young gun - Kimi Antonelli, who looks a clear 2026 winner.

The Wrap - Swan Songs

1. AFL. Sydney were immense against Brisbane. Freed of the burden of egos seemingly, a number of players have rallied and been unshackled. As predicted, it is the making of the team who now look at a week off (could be helpful for the injured Callum Mills) and a Preliminary Final at home. Their record at the SCG in 2026 of 11 wins from 12 games is incredible.

Papley, Curnow, Campbell, Gulden and McDonald were immense. Chris Fagan the Brisbane Lions coach said it best: never under estimate the human spirit! He was gracious and insightful. No wonder he has won so many competitions!

The resetting of the Swans without egos is made the difference.

The minor premiers, Fremantle were terrible... at home and lost soundly to the methodical Hawthorn team. Hawthorn could go deep this year, but Freo will have memories of Adelaide's losses last year as minor premiers and going out in straight sets. The rain didn't help, but it was there for both teams to enjoy!

Geelong belted Carlton, ending their dream run. A shame, but Geelong recruit every decent player and should have won more comps in recent seasons.

2. NRL. Ronaldo Mulitalo is a liability for the Sharks. Argumentative and ill disciplined and needs to be cut. Spencer Leniu is similar, but worse. So destructive, but so loose. The Sharks look cooked, especially with no local home ground final.

Interesting to see the Roosters and Cowboys lose by 50 on the weekend. That makes a few clubs in the 2026 semi finals who have given up 50 points in 2026. Roosters (1), Cowboys (2) and Dolphins (2). Can any of them win the comp? History says you cannot.

• The Fins looked great this week when they are full strength.
• 100 games for Jai Arrow and young Tyran Wishart, who is off to the Perth Bears. The win by Melbourne in the last seconds was outstanding!
• The Warriors have been sliding each week and sneaking through for victories. Good on them, but hardly compelling form for the semi finals. The Fins are a big chance.
• Parramatta could only lose, like they do... Up by 12 and a loss! Typical and end in 13th place. St George are filled with promise, but will need to savour the off season from a wooden spoon.
• Penrith were deserved minor premiers (fourth in seven years and sixth Grand Final in seven years looms. They have two minor premierships and two competition wins - and two competition wins when they were not minor premiers). They look on song. Yeo is incredible. What a comeback! Brian To'o demonstrated great pace and strength showing he is back to his best. When you look at Casey McLean they are potent! The Tigers and their womens' team were both thumped.
• The JJ Giltinan Shield, the Shute Shield and the Sheffield Shield are all of that old 'shield' era and all three have lost their gloss.

3. PGA Golf - Tour Players Championship. Scottie Scheffler is incredible. Wins easily in the end last week and takes $10M prizemoney to now become the highest ever winner of golf monies in history!

4. US Open Tennis. Alex di Minaur was unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament on his ear. He has struggled to crack the quarter finals, but even the great Novak lost under pressure in the first round.

The mouthy Nick Kygrios has also been banned and exonerated all at once. Cocaine consumption that sadly no one was really surprised about. 

In Sinner's absence, Alcaraz looks a really strong chance to win the US Open. Zverev survives and Medvedev won't be far away. Early days still as the Round of 16 nears.

Alcaraz stands to hit eight Grand Slam wins with a victory. He will join Lendl, Rosewall, Connors and Agassi with a win. One of the greats already and has only just turned twenty three.

5. Wallabies v Argentina. A tame draw splits the series, but a huge test awaits. The brilliant Springboks v New Zealand All Blacks series was locked at 1-1 and it was the Boks who triumphed, with a game to follow. High quality and so far ahead of us it is unbelievable. We are in for a shock.

6. EPL. Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all undefeated and leading the pack. The excitement of the EPL is incredible win, lose or draw. Arsenal v Chelsea tonight will be pivotal to the season's final standings. Hull have two wins and a draw and are on 7 points. 35 points keeps you safe from relegation most seasons.

7. Cricket - Australia in South Africa. Starts on 24 September, but the Australian A team to travel to India has been announced. Interesting to see the selectors' thinking for the future. Still massive concerns over our batting when Kurtis Patterson is thought of as Marnus' replacement. He does not have the footwork on those fast decks (not being in either squad tells you he is front of the Test selectors' minds):

8. F1 - Piastri. A grid penalty and with it goes all hope sadly. He sits in seventh spot in the entire championship and needs some sort of luck again in the Italian Grand Prix.

9. Diamond League - Mens. Cameron Myers had a slashing victory in the Mens 1500m final in Brussels this weekend against some Olympic standards opponents. He broke the national record in June and looms as a sensation in Australian athletics, if not already there!

The Wrap - Wildcard Wonder

1. AFL. The Wildcard Weekend has been a huge success. Massive crowds and it has breathed life into the usual boring bottom team semi finals and the silly AFL week off. It is one the NRL should have moved more quickly on. Both wildcards had one of Carlton and Collingwood who are huge draw cards! 

Western Bulldogs squeaked past Collingwood who know how to lose a close one. This time it was 96-93.

Carlton (10th place) scored a cracking win v Melbourne (12 wins in their last 14 games!). They move to a semi final game v Geelong and could seriously beat them too.

2. NRL. Some much greater intensity on this weekend just gone by. Penrith really knuckled down for the win v Bulldogs. Liam Martin really steps up in these moments. For all Tom Jenkins' tries, Alex Johnston sits on top with 29 tries. Incredible. He now has 239 tries (Ken Irvine has 212)!

The Dolphins may have actually stamped themselves as the real deal (despite losing by 50 points this year already)- and have put the silly Wayne Bennett curse story to rest as well. A terrific win and an unexpected one v the Roosters. The Cowboys had it all on the line, but could not do it at home and all. The Broncos have become a complete misery too.

The Roosters Hugo Savala looks likely to return to half back to replace the injured Sam Walker. The Roosters seem to get a lot of injuries at semi final time...or maybe every good team gets injuries near semi finals. It doesn't matter for the poor teams.

The work of Parramatta v Cronulla was surprising. Parramatta tried hard to lose it. They can only play for 60 minutes with a complete lack of fitness and concentration. Apa Twidle is a great signing for the Bears, but a young guy who needs patience - and who needs to stop falling to the ground when catching bombs. Penisini has improved his intent and Ronald Volkman is taking on the line with speed and a handy step (although he misses too many tackles - he is tenth worst in the NRL which also has da Silva fourth worst in 2026...but Tallyn can score tries!). Losing five games by less than 10 points this season would have had them up there with a few of them turning their way.

How big is Ryda Talagi? He certainly ate more than Blaize at dinner time, but is equally as lazy in defence.

3. Jye Arrow. How wonderful to see him chalk up the 99th and 100th this week. What a hideous disease and rapid deterioration. A great gesture, showing there is some compassion in the game. It seemed to help Cody Walker relax and not play too intensely.

4. PGA Tournament Championship in Atlanta. Min Woo was on fire early and then turned to ash in the second round. Bounced back on moving day, but has it ahead of him. All the stars are out.in force with a $10M winning purse keeping everyone interested. Viktor Hovland (-15) has it to lose with so much low scoring on this course. 

Scottie Scheffler sits at 12 under on the run home... ominous with his form this season.  Along side of him on -12 is Adam Scott who won the tournament 20 years ago! Staggering longevity.

5. Cricket. Pakistan are struggling on the seaming English pitches like Lords, being rolled quickly by the English bowlers. Robinson, Archer, Tongue have seized the chance to impress. Luckily rain delayed the miserable end. Pakistan are hard to watch.

6. EPL. Haaland has continued his incredible goal scoring feats, hitting a brace v Crystal Palace. The demise of Tottenham continues, despite the large purchases. They are already getting desperate. They and Notts Forrest need to go. Hull City start with two wins and 6 points. They need 35 points to avoid relegation. 

7. Wallabies v Argentina. The Les Kiss Rhyming Slang era continues unabated. The first time we have won four Tests in a row since 2021! He has had the best starting draw, but they look like they are more settled, playing better more consistent patterns. The Springboks and All Blacks will test that. What a sensational series there! 

8. US Open Tennis. No Sinner, but Alcaraz returns when things kick off this week. Lots of player whinging re fitness and injuries on the ATP circuit, but no complaints about the prize money! Djokovic could just be a sneaky chance!