Wrap - Bridesmaids and Dunny Seats

1. Jonathan Thurston is surely the best league player we have seen in our lives. Incredible vision. Tough. Resilient. Always fit.  Plays every week. A leader. Magnificent kicking game, outstanding passing game. Superb goal kicker. Smiles and has fun with grace and manners. At the 60th Minute it was North QLD on 22 points. At the end they have 34 points. They finish strong and fast. Like you.

The Kyle Feldt hang time kick off is remarkable. More remarkable that other teams don't practice it. With all those fancy support staff and high performance knobs, who's working on this? It lets the Cowboys dominate field position.

2. Hawthorn were terrible v GWS. They need a rocket. They have scraped by for weeks...and got pumped by a fitter, younger and talented team of would be stars. Have the AFL made the GWS team unbeatable? Many won't know that in NSW they have been given the Riverina area as a breeding ground....they will dominate soon enough!

The GWS crowd was terrible. That ground holds about 15K and it was two thirds full. They have not caught the imagination of western Sydney. Homebush is not really that west in Sydney. Their base at Blacktown has basically been abandoned. It is all superficial. They have a big problem with ANZ becoming a rectangular field. If they succeed as they will, Spotless will be a joke (it is even an overcrowded joke now with the Sydney Thunder!). They will need to play out of the Swans home ground - the SCG! Or develop a new stadium at Blacktown. Most of Sydney could not name three GWS players! 

Richmond and Freo are doing really bad this year. Freo's fall is really unacceptable for how well they have done the past two years. Key injuries don't help. Coach on thin ice.

3. Newcastle have hit rock bottom. Their effort is about 60 minutes worth. They need to recruit heavily. Nathan Brown will need to bring Tommy down to the sheds to help him face slap the whole team. How good was Bennett for the club? Not to mention Tinkler?

Cronulla are firming as NRL premiership champions. Not sure how you keep Bird, Ennis, Maloney, Fifita, Barba, Townsend and Graham under the salary cap....but they are...!

A big week for Jason Taylor and Andrew McFadden who clung to wins to save their careers. Good to see a hard line being taken by the Warriors. Bad attitudes have hurt them for ever. A clean out is also needed.

4. Jamie Lyon is the greatest whinger since...since Michael Ennis. Geoff Toovey taught him well. His dive to convince the stupid clowns in the bunker to deny a try was disgraceful. His retirement is overdue. Very talented but too cranky now...cranky at Parramatta...cranky not playing for Australia...cranky not being available for New South Wales in their hours of need...pure crank. Back to the ute at Wee Waa.

5. Western Sydney Wanderers. Bridesmaids again. Incredible intensity. That league is a huge success really. Incredible support and noise. Three out of four GF's and three losses won't make Popovic happy, but an Asian Champions title is pretty impressive. Rale Rasic would be proud! The fact Adelaide United lost their first eight games (yes!) and won the minor premiership and then the comp...what an effort! The fans - 50,000 - are truly mad! That dunny seat trophy needs a makeover.

6. Waratahs. Gutsy win v Stormers in South Africa and there looked like a bit of newfound spirit has emerged! Brumbies struggling big time. Australian teams are a long way behind the NZ teams as usual.

7. Leicester to beat ManU. Unlikely, but they deserve it. Paying $3.50 for a win and being underdogs is very unusual for an EPL front runner.

8. Rep round in the NRL. A perfect time for the Eels punishment announcement...and AFL ratings to soar.