Wrap - Second Stringers

1. NZ rugby league beat the Australian team and did a good job on them really. Our forwards were too small and our lack of spark around the halves was a problem. How much did we miss Thurston? In fact..no Hayne, Slater, Scott, Tamou...a whole heap of blokes. Suddenly Steve Kearney is a legend again. He should hang around the Titans as they may call him up real soon. There is no doubt about the Kiwis...they know how to butcher an event on TV...why is their production so far behind the times? It was like watching something from the 70's. No replays and no spontaneity. Surely that botched effort in the corner late deserved a super slo-mo moment!?

2. The Australian ODI batting order needs Steve Smith in it. Clarke should bring forward his ODI retirement to this week coming and just stay in tests. Not a form thing - just a body fitness thing. Stupidity to prevail - but then again..having said this, by that measure Watson would have retired ten years ago. Smith is a winner through and through.

I was going to write that Josh Hazelwood needed to perform better or he'll be a memory...I note he got five late wickets!

Has Jackson Bird defected to Russia? What about Pattinson? Where are these blokes? Maybe on John Cougar Mellancamp's ranch.

3. Rojit Sharma. 264 in a ODI is something out of this world. It may never be beaten - ever. His hitting was exceptional and all off some 180 balls only! Some of the bowling was colour comp stuff. It was quite an extraordinary display...like the Lara score - or the South African 500 they chased down v Australia all those years ago. Massive moments in world cricket.

4. Union. Beale back in a flash...funny that. Chieka actually looks like he enjoys the game and making things rugby centric...not egos and reputations. I suspect players may well want to play for him and he may actually attract players to the game. Strategically, Folau is tied up too after the Tahs Super 15 championship this year. However, lazy forwards dropping the ball is still a curse.

5. Andy Murray. How bad is he going? He was down 0-6 and 0-5, 0-30 v Federer before getting to 1-6. No one is too concerned. He may have to be satisfied with four Bentley's not five. In contrast Federer is on fire - and Djokovic. Federer's longevity is something else.

6. Love to watch that Adelaide United coach - Gombau. He coaches with spirit. Another bloke who brings fun into the game through structured freedom. I will never forget his controversial statements when he arrived at a club rife with in-fighting and back scratching. He was overheard on FOXTV saying loudly to a team official who was trying to get a family favour..."Your son...well...he is a shit goalkeeper...shit". Love the honesty. It had to be said.

7. Did anyone see that pathetic Sepp Blatter try and smother the corruption in his sport? He is abysmal. A world game with no spine and who scrape the filfth of the world and deposit it neatly in their pocket? The famed report over the Qatar fiasco will now never be released. Don't want the lid being blown on the excess and bribery. Some should retire and join the IOC instead.