1. How good are the Melbourne Storm? 2-0 tight under pressure..8-0 at half time. 30-0 at full time! The Broncos were smashed. It is so hard to score tries against Melbourne. They have been unbelievable over the last ten years. A golden era that may never be repeated. The Cowboys only hope? If Smith, Cronk and Slater are injured in the first ten minutes, they may have a chance. Really, put their name on the trophy mid week.
However, the Cowboys have been massive. Their forwards are immense - Bolton, Hess, Cooper, Ethan Lowe, Taumolola and even ex-Raider, Shaun Fensom. Their hooker, Jake Granville is outstanding. Another Queenslander hooker of quality. Like Jake Friend....and NSW have Peats (!). Pleeease! Michael Morgan has become a sensation. His hands and pass remind me of Lockyer. The hard, fast pass is one of the most potent weapons in the game. The Linnett try was outstanding. The Ethan Lowe goalkicking is pretty special too at present.
Again, woeful NRL crowds. Has anyone asked the AFL how they do it? Why would you bother going to the NRL live? Most blokes I know have not been to a game outside of State of Origin/ GF for years.
The Roosters/ Rorters, well...Pearce seems to get stage fright and retreat into that loser's psyche. We expect a lot from him, but maybe he is simply not that great at all. The Roosters will need to cut him soon if they are to win another comp. Like NSW, they need a change.
2. The quick tap must be allowed in the NRL. Too often refs inexplicably stop this, pause this or try and stop it. Why? This unsettles defences and we need it to sustain the entertainment value. The refs in the Roosters v Cowboys were at least able to minimise penalities and keep a cracking pace...this opens the game up too. The Cowboys need that pace. If the Cowboys can offload the footy and have extremely quick play the balls they are half a chance.
3. Adelaide awesome and will need to fight the usual umpire bias in Melbourne at the MCG against visiting teams. It is Richmond's to lose...They are the absolute favourites because of the home town crowd. A great Grand Final atmosphere ahead.
GWS are in need of greater steel when it matters. They have folded in two preliminary finals in two years. A young club of course, plenty of bright stars of the future, but these opportunities do not repeat too often in a player's career. What with the whole Riverina as their drawing area, GWS surely must get there one day. That Haynes at the back is incredible.
3. What about this Australian cricket set up? They are a joke. High Performance seems to be working really well. 12 straight ODI losses and a plummeting Test cricket ranking. Get rid of that Pat Howard. Fascination with Hilton Cartwright seems to be dominating thinking and two straight failures as opener has been bizarre. Anyone remember Sam Heazlett? They are completely out of touch.
Finch comes back in a punches out a well made hundred.
How many times can Maxwell get stumped before we call off his career? An unbelievable frequency of stumpings before he has reached 20 in total.
4. Australian XIII v Papau New Guinea. Great novelty value but talk of teams playing New Guinea as a member of the NRL are way off yet. Even if they are the only country on earth whose national sport is rugby league! I reckon a second Brisbane team surely has to be first. There always seems to be some serious injuries after playing the Kumuls. They are tough. Ask Dylan Walker who has picked up a nasty leg injury.
The PNG team - 'The Hunters' - won on full time to take out the 2017 Intrust SuperCup QLD premiership. They play Penrith (NSW winners) for the title on Grand Final day.
5. Laver Cup. Europe v Rest of the World concept seems good. The tennis Ryder Cup. Bjorn Borg coaching the Europeans and McEnroe the Rest of the World. Playing doubles against Nadal and Federer would be daunting!
6. Man City are carving up teams this season. They look the team to beat, but Chelsea and ManU are not far away. The Matildas are surely the women's football team to beat worldwide now. They are an attacking powerhouse! Hope the men can trouble Syria to qualify for the World Cup...fancy losing there (!).
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Wrap - Semi Trailer
1. Stadiums. This outrageous advantage for certain clubs with the NRL stadiums policy needs to end. Every year the Broncos, Roosters and Storm get two home finals, while the Panthers, Cronulla, Manly and Cowboys need to come to the big three. For what? To play in half filled stadiums of no atmosphere to eat an $8 pie and a $10 half beer. Live footy is not what it used to be. Get back to three games on the field (relocated if wet and grass churning) in the day and stop the nonsense. Take hold of pricing and give a stuff about the spectator. And spare us the need for finals outside of Endeavour, Brookvale, etc. They are the heartland of the game and the game does not have enough fans for other locations.
Even the GWS experiment failed with 14,000 at an AFL semi final. Is Fox/ Sport TV forcing people into night time viewing - and a warm house with cheaper food is too appealing?
Just on stadiums, is there a more boring story than building another stadium at Moore Park? It is a terrible bore and started when Allan Jones did not want the railway station to come there. Poor access and not near population. Homebush, for all its faults, is the best option.
2. Swans. Absolutely smacked. 'Due for a loss' as they say, but this was a loss where once again they could not cope with the size of the MCG. We have seen it time and time again over the past few years with the Swans. They simply do not adjust when at the MCG. They do not alter their play laterally enough and their speed is woeful. The cauldron atmosphere sees them go quiet and then fold. They really need some stronger leadership. McVeigh is busted and needs to go. Gary Rohan must be the biggest 'big game' dud of all time. The fumbles and turnovers were out of control - and where were the turnovers? Straight up the guts as usual and each time Geelong had their number. Awful.
3. AFL. Geelong are firming, but Adelaide and Richmond will be ready for both of the latecomers. Hard to see Geelong (who were brilliant) winning in Adelaide. A Melbourne v out of town team will again test the umpires who love a Melbourne team on the presentation dias. Watch out GWS!
4. NRL. Similarly, the Storm will not be troubled by the Broncos - unless they can offload the footy sensibly in traffic. Offloading teams will win the comp. It disturbs the defensive line and unsettles the prescribed form of footy Melbourne do brilliantly. I don't think the Broncos have enough skilled forwards for this and Thaiday is an "error laden nightmare". How good is that Campbell-Gillard? He and Clearly are Origin bound. He is a huge hombre.
Parramatta? A great year for them with some bargain signings - Will Smith, the DV winger, Nathan Brown...no Gutherson, but they need smarter footballers in their forwards. Handling errors to nearly every Pacific islander forward killed them. Who to sign? You walk up to Simon Mannering at the Warriors and offer him a heap of the expanded salary cap. He is a leader and and 80 minute footballer of class and composure. He could lead you to a premiership.
Semi Radradra will be near impossible to replace. The Parramatta club will need to source someone who is big and fast - and quickly. His impact has been incredible.
5. Kgyrios. A sensational performance in the Davis Cup v Belgium in the first singles rubber. Lleyton Hewitt ('Rusty') has rallied the troops well. He has always been a great winner. The doubles were absolutely dominant. Here's hoping Kgyrios can beat Goffin in the reverse singles for the honour of making the Davis Cup Final. Maybe the men's national team may restore hope!
6. Wallabies. If you thought we had trouble, what about South Africa? Surely one of the lowest ebb eras but at least we could beat Argentina. The All Blacks are awesome and do the business again emphatically. 57-0.
7. Cricket v India. Even without Ashwin and Jadeja India are a handful at home. However, Coulter-Nile showed some style early to nail Kohli for a duck. But they bat deep. The skill of the Indian batsmen on their decks to dominate bowlers who do nothing with the pill (eg. Faulkner) makes them perpetually dangerous.
8. Ange Postocoglou. Is Ange the embodiment of what is wrong with football in Australia? Cranky, and defensive at present and he just can't cope with deserved criticism. I wonder how much not qualifying really matters to this current group who just head back to their rich paymasters post catastrophe (v Thailand!!!) and resume transmission. Playing Syria? They will come out all guns blazing, bombing the ball downfield, taking aim for their shots, rifling their passes cross field and dropping bombshells (of course), but they will have spirit and character...will the Socceroos under Ange?
9. Aaron Mooy. Killing it for Huddersfield. A funny Voldemort Harry Potter crowd call to Mooy! From one lookalike to another.
10. Nadal. Clearly the best - possibly the best ever. Federer is huge, but this bloke is amazing. He has more Grand Slams left in him and could power on to have the most ever.
11. Mark Leishman. A tremendous and deserved victory at the BMW golf surely. Day in great form, despite injury, too.
Even the GWS experiment failed with 14,000 at an AFL semi final. Is Fox/ Sport TV forcing people into night time viewing - and a warm house with cheaper food is too appealing?
Just on stadiums, is there a more boring story than building another stadium at Moore Park? It is a terrible bore and started when Allan Jones did not want the railway station to come there. Poor access and not near population. Homebush, for all its faults, is the best option.
2. Swans. Absolutely smacked. 'Due for a loss' as they say, but this was a loss where once again they could not cope with the size of the MCG. We have seen it time and time again over the past few years with the Swans. They simply do not adjust when at the MCG. They do not alter their play laterally enough and their speed is woeful. The cauldron atmosphere sees them go quiet and then fold. They really need some stronger leadership. McVeigh is busted and needs to go. Gary Rohan must be the biggest 'big game' dud of all time. The fumbles and turnovers were out of control - and where were the turnovers? Straight up the guts as usual and each time Geelong had their number. Awful.
3. AFL. Geelong are firming, but Adelaide and Richmond will be ready for both of the latecomers. Hard to see Geelong (who were brilliant) winning in Adelaide. A Melbourne v out of town team will again test the umpires who love a Melbourne team on the presentation dias. Watch out GWS!
4. NRL. Similarly, the Storm will not be troubled by the Broncos - unless they can offload the footy sensibly in traffic. Offloading teams will win the comp. It disturbs the defensive line and unsettles the prescribed form of footy Melbourne do brilliantly. I don't think the Broncos have enough skilled forwards for this and Thaiday is an "error laden nightmare". How good is that Campbell-Gillard? He and Clearly are Origin bound. He is a huge hombre.
Parramatta? A great year for them with some bargain signings - Will Smith, the DV winger, Nathan Brown...no Gutherson, but they need smarter footballers in their forwards. Handling errors to nearly every Pacific islander forward killed them. Who to sign? You walk up to Simon Mannering at the Warriors and offer him a heap of the expanded salary cap. He is a leader and and 80 minute footballer of class and composure. He could lead you to a premiership.
Semi Radradra will be near impossible to replace. The Parramatta club will need to source someone who is big and fast - and quickly. His impact has been incredible.
5. Kgyrios. A sensational performance in the Davis Cup v Belgium in the first singles rubber. Lleyton Hewitt ('Rusty') has rallied the troops well. He has always been a great winner. The doubles were absolutely dominant. Here's hoping Kgyrios can beat Goffin in the reverse singles for the honour of making the Davis Cup Final. Maybe the men's national team may restore hope!
6. Wallabies. If you thought we had trouble, what about South Africa? Surely one of the lowest ebb eras but at least we could beat Argentina. The All Blacks are awesome and do the business again emphatically. 57-0.
7. Cricket v India. Even without Ashwin and Jadeja India are a handful at home. However, Coulter-Nile showed some style early to nail Kohli for a duck. But they bat deep. The skill of the Indian batsmen on their decks to dominate bowlers who do nothing with the pill (eg. Faulkner) makes them perpetually dangerous.
8. Ange Postocoglou. Is Ange the embodiment of what is wrong with football in Australia? Cranky, and defensive at present and he just can't cope with deserved criticism. I wonder how much not qualifying really matters to this current group who just head back to their rich paymasters post catastrophe (v Thailand!!!) and resume transmission. Playing Syria? They will come out all guns blazing, bombing the ball downfield, taking aim for their shots, rifling their passes cross field and dropping bombshells (of course), but they will have spirit and character...will the Socceroos under Ange?
9. Aaron Mooy. Killing it for Huddersfield. A funny Voldemort Harry Potter crowd call to Mooy! From one lookalike to another.
10. Nadal. Clearly the best - possibly the best ever. Federer is huge, but this bloke is amazing. He has more Grand Slams left in him and could power on to have the most ever.
11. Mark Leishman. A tremendous and deserved victory at the BMW golf surely. Day in great form, despite injury, too.
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Wrap - Video Refs Killed The Sporting Team
1. Cameron Smith. Most NRL games ever. Amazing resilience and plenty more to come. Throw in the most ever Origin games (42) and most ever Tests (49), surely he is an immortal long before a lot of other players. Immense. A genuine quality leader who should be snapped up on $2-3 million as a coach as soon as he retires.
2. Parramatta did a hell of a lot better than most thought. 16-18 loss. Semi's replacement in the new season will be hard to find. He does a lot of grunt work. In the style of David Vaeleki, Brad Takairangi should be retired quickly and gracefully...He is too slow and makes defensive errors at the worst times. A chip over the top straight to Billy Slater just about does it for me. Parramatta have a crack junior centre or two...they need to bring them through earlier. First time they have been in the semis of the NYC and the NRL! A good season by Parramatta nonetheless. The prospect of playing the Cowboys will not be easy. Their forwards are amazing - Bolton, Hess, Cooper, Lowe, Granville. Taumalolo is an awesome machine. Cronulla unfortunately met them on a day they have never had before post Thurston.
3. Manly appear to have been gipped by the video bunker, but Tony Archer could justify a murder. The likelihood of a knock on by Peachey was pretty high. The on field ref made a howler really and the bunker fell into line with that. That is the issue...how does an on field official make that call. Dylan Walker needs to grow up. He can be a team liability as well. Uate needs to go down and play cricket in the off season...hands like canoe paddles.
4. AFL. The Swans were awesome, but playing at the SCG will not happen again in 2017. Parker, Lloyd and Kennedy were incredible. Towers, Naismith and Sinclair were great too. Tippett was not missed and really should be traded ASAP (if anyone wants him). Playing at the MCG is a huge hurdle for them. Geelong won't be lying down. A cracking game ahead.
2. Parramatta did a hell of a lot better than most thought. 16-18 loss. Semi's replacement in the new season will be hard to find. He does a lot of grunt work. In the style of David Vaeleki, Brad Takairangi should be retired quickly and gracefully...He is too slow and makes defensive errors at the worst times. A chip over the top straight to Billy Slater just about does it for me. Parramatta have a crack junior centre or two...they need to bring them through earlier. First time they have been in the semis of the NYC and the NRL! A good season by Parramatta nonetheless. The prospect of playing the Cowboys will not be easy. Their forwards are amazing - Bolton, Hess, Cooper, Lowe, Granville. Taumalolo is an awesome machine. Cronulla unfortunately met them on a day they have never had before post Thurston.
3. Manly appear to have been gipped by the video bunker, but Tony Archer could justify a murder. The likelihood of a knock on by Peachey was pretty high. The on field ref made a howler really and the bunker fell into line with that. That is the issue...how does an on field official make that call. Dylan Walker needs to grow up. He can be a team liability as well. Uate needs to go down and play cricket in the off season...hands like canoe paddles.
4. AFL. The Swans were awesome, but playing at the SCG will not happen again in 2017. Parker, Lloyd and Kennedy were incredible. Towers, Naismith and Sinclair were great too. Tippett was not missed and really should be traded ASAP (if anyone wants him). Playing at the MCG is a huge hurdle for them. Geelong won't be lying down. A cracking game ahead.
The West Coast victory after the siren in extra time was massive, but the penalty that lead to it was dubious. AFL refs love these. It must be said that the finals experience of Sam Mitchell mattered. This is where Stevie Johnson not playing for GWS was an issue too. Those blokes can swing games big time. The GWS were shattered and could be on the slippery dip out of there.
There is some great culture in AFL - the banner, the team song, the on field team huddle at the end of each quarter, the applause for an opponent who achieves a great career milestone. NRL misses out on that front, but the group prayer and chest slap post game seem to be the new equivalent.
Richmond are suddenly an exciting proposition. They have energy and are making the fans believe it may just come true. Hardwick is a calm presence as coach. These composed leaders stand up and make their mark in September.
5. A good bounce back win for Aussie cricket. Lyon has stood up and made a huge difference. Warner too. Two great tons. Big question marks still hover over Maxwell and Wade. Cartwright is surely a failed experiment for the short term. He is no Ben Stokes. Smith refuses to bowl him or back him. A new keeper who scores runs is essential. The chirpy keeper has lost a Test series in India and struggled with the Bangers...hardly a reason to retain him long term.
The West Indies were unfortunately thumped by 9 wickets. This Shai Hope is something special. The problem of course in English cricket is that if the sun comes out, the conditions change dramatically. Very seldom do lots of wickets fall in the sunshine. If you are lucky enough to bat with sun, you can win. Tests change with weather of course, but over there they change total complexion with their weather. Jimmy Anderson shuffles along to 505 Test wickets. An incredible achievement.
6. Wallabies - 23-23 draw v South Africa. Their defence is still poor. and the lineout/ scrum...we say they "need work", but how many camps and sessions will it take? Are we simply not good enough? What will it take?
7. US Open Tennis. Surely Nadal will take his Grand Slam total to 16 wins v Kevin Anderson? Astonishing dominance in this era of tennis with Federer 19 wins and Djokovic 12 wins. We once thought Sampras at 14 wins would never be beaten! Sloane Stephens too had a cracking win. A great character and a spirited, quality person. Well deserved after fighting back from injuries. US women dominated this year as all semi finalists in the women's draw.
8. EPL. Man City pump Liverpool 5-0 and Arsenal win 3-0. ManU held to 2-2 by Stoke on the weekend which was unexpected. Stoke are one of those great tribal teams that have energy and spirit. With a vertical striped jersey, they need something. Not many vertical striped kits left in world team sport!
9. Nadal. He is the man. 16 Grand Slams and more in the vault than most of his rivals. An absolute champion!
There is some great culture in AFL - the banner, the team song, the on field team huddle at the end of each quarter, the applause for an opponent who achieves a great career milestone. NRL misses out on that front, but the group prayer and chest slap post game seem to be the new equivalent.
Richmond are suddenly an exciting proposition. They have energy and are making the fans believe it may just come true. Hardwick is a calm presence as coach. These composed leaders stand up and make their mark in September.
5. A good bounce back win for Aussie cricket. Lyon has stood up and made a huge difference. Warner too. Two great tons. Big question marks still hover over Maxwell and Wade. Cartwright is surely a failed experiment for the short term. He is no Ben Stokes. Smith refuses to bowl him or back him. A new keeper who scores runs is essential. The chirpy keeper has lost a Test series in India and struggled with the Bangers...hardly a reason to retain him long term.
The West Indies were unfortunately thumped by 9 wickets. This Shai Hope is something special. The problem of course in English cricket is that if the sun comes out, the conditions change dramatically. Very seldom do lots of wickets fall in the sunshine. If you are lucky enough to bat with sun, you can win. Tests change with weather of course, but over there they change total complexion with their weather. Jimmy Anderson shuffles along to 505 Test wickets. An incredible achievement.
6. Wallabies - 23-23 draw v South Africa. Their defence is still poor. and the lineout/ scrum...we say they "need work", but how many camps and sessions will it take? Are we simply not good enough? What will it take?
7. US Open Tennis. Surely Nadal will take his Grand Slam total to 16 wins v Kevin Anderson? Astonishing dominance in this era of tennis with Federer 19 wins and Djokovic 12 wins. We once thought Sampras at 14 wins would never be beaten! Sloane Stephens too had a cracking win. A great character and a spirited, quality person. Well deserved after fighting back from injuries. US women dominated this year as all semi finalists in the women's draw.
8. EPL. Man City pump Liverpool 5-0 and Arsenal win 3-0. ManU held to 2-2 by Stoke on the weekend which was unexpected. Stoke are one of those great tribal teams that have energy and spirit. With a vertical striped jersey, they need something. Not many vertical striped kits left in world team sport!
9. Nadal. He is the man. 16 Grand Slams and more in the vault than most of his rivals. An absolute champion!
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Wrap - Out of Love
1. Men's Australian Sporting Teams. It may be just me, but the arrogance and self absorbed nature of a number of our men's Australian sporting teams seems to be getting out of hand - and with it the results are going south with the general public's view of them. Think the Australian Swimmers (drama, drama, drama), the Australian Wallabies and their attitude, the Australian Cricket team and their money obsession, the Australian Rugby league side and their threats of a strike, the Australian Socceroos and their availability/ injuries/ softness under pressure... pay disputes, money, endorsements, partners...$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Are we as a nation falling out of love with our national teams and their attitudes - and more in love with the local scene?
The Norths v Rats rugby Grand Final at North Sydney last weekend may be one of the most significant indicators of a change in Australian sentiment yet. Crowds are swelling for the localised FFA Cup, as the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australian soccer. Brisbane v North QLD in the NRL was a sell out last week. The Western Force by all reports are not going away any time soon either. BBL rates more highly than Test matches.
Are we over the national drama queens?
2. Cricket v Bangladesh. The efforts of our team were appalling. Firstly, I am absolutely gobsmacked that the outdoor furniture chair was not used in the lead- up preparations. I am laying all the blame on that. Warner was brilliant in the second innings and has now hit 19 Test tons whether traditionalists want to admit it or not. The thought of dropping Warner I am sure passed through the minds of the same galloots who picked Maxwell and Wade.
How does O'Keefe being selected work? They have Agar, Lyon, Swepson, Maxwell all there and now they want O'Keefe? Odd.
I have to say that the Victorian batsmen obsession is terrible at the moment. They have all failed to be consistent enough...Handscombe (20-30 run max.) has been very disappointing of late...Maxwell erratic (who would have guessed?) and Wade (hopeless). Wade surely cannot continue. He has never scored runs in the past three seasons. As a young keeper-bat in Australia, surely your career is mapped out for you if you can hit a few pre-season. Maybe the Ian Healey approach is needed...choose a really young bloke of strong character and pedigree.
Khawaja is by far the most disturbing. What was he doing in the first innings run out? His second innings sweep shot was not much better.
Surprisingly, I am also troubled by Renshaw. He is too slow and limited and puts a lot of pressure on the batsman at the other end. He has to play more shots.
3. NRL. The Storm are minor premiers (The $100K cheque might be left in the club ashtray...) and will be crowned premiers too. They will probably beat Parramatta by 40 points. They are all that is QLD. Speedy play the balls when they are in possession...brilliant defensive line speed...never are they seen lying in the ruck ('dead marines')...great lines run by their left and right edge forwards (eg. Harris and Browmich) which often results in points. Speed on the outside and they have possibly the best outside back in the game for mine - Will Chambers. Impossible to beat - especially at home.
Cameron Smith is the most resilient league player ever to have played the game. He is about to beat and then put a heap on the existing NRL 'games played' record of 355 first grade games. Incredible, but it shows you that running the football into the line repeatedly is far more damaging on the body than defending. Either way, he is a legend and yet another immortal. (It's getting crowded in that box - Thurston too).
Who will the Storm play in the GF? I thought Brisbane...but it can only be the Roosters on current form - and even that is patchy. A cakewalk this year. Maybe Cronulla can fire up, but how quiet have some of their stars been - Fifita, Maloney, Bird...? The loss of Ennis has been a major loss. Why can players leave the Storm and it not affect morale and yet every other team whines about it all? Bellamy is a genius.
St George - embarrassing! But how good will the Roosters be with Tedesco? He has premiership winning talent.
4. AFL. Essendon will trouble Sydney this week. A finals surge for a few will start in earnest. There is great anticipation there, but how can the AFL start later than the NRL, then have a week off before the semis? This gap weekend before the semis is a joke. Surely the fans deserve more. The momentum of the season is jolted and then it resumes...I think it advantages the lower rung teams. GWS could surprise with their pace. Hopefully they learned a thing or two from last year as well.
5. Socceroos. The desire and strength for the national jersey is under real pressure. Surely we beat Thailand, but there will be no guarantees with that lot. If japan lose on the road we are cooked. The arrogance and self centredness of the average soccer star is only matched by their coach...Ange has to go. We need the genius of an international figure in that role who has the international respect.
6. Conor McGregor has apparently just finished counting his cash and is absolutely exhausted.
7. How about Lewis Hamilton and his record breaking number of pole positions. Impressive stuff.
8. Winx. 19 wins and counting. Great confidence in the other owners who all participated in the race, knowing two place spots were up for grabs. Keep an eye out for a horse - Merchant Navy - who won on the weekend in Caulfield. A brilliant horse. I also liked the run of Vega Magic. Two to watch!
9. US Open. Surely without Murray, Djokovic and Wawrinka, Federer and Nadal will fight it out. The thought of Federer winning another Grand Slam in a year when he has won two already at his ripe old age, is tantalising! Keep an eye on this name for the future: Denis Shapovalov. Talent!
Are we as a nation falling out of love with our national teams and their attitudes - and more in love with the local scene?
The Norths v Rats rugby Grand Final at North Sydney last weekend may be one of the most significant indicators of a change in Australian sentiment yet. Crowds are swelling for the localised FFA Cup, as the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australian soccer. Brisbane v North QLD in the NRL was a sell out last week. The Western Force by all reports are not going away any time soon either. BBL rates more highly than Test matches.
Are we over the national drama queens?
2. Cricket v Bangladesh. The efforts of our team were appalling. Firstly, I am absolutely gobsmacked that the outdoor furniture chair was not used in the lead- up preparations. I am laying all the blame on that. Warner was brilliant in the second innings and has now hit 19 Test tons whether traditionalists want to admit it or not. The thought of dropping Warner I am sure passed through the minds of the same galloots who picked Maxwell and Wade.
How does O'Keefe being selected work? They have Agar, Lyon, Swepson, Maxwell all there and now they want O'Keefe? Odd.
Khawaja is by far the most disturbing. What was he doing in the first innings run out? His second innings sweep shot was not much better.
Surprisingly, I am also troubled by Renshaw. He is too slow and limited and puts a lot of pressure on the batsman at the other end. He has to play more shots.
3. NRL. The Storm are minor premiers (The $100K cheque might be left in the club ashtray...) and will be crowned premiers too. They will probably beat Parramatta by 40 points. They are all that is QLD. Speedy play the balls when they are in possession...brilliant defensive line speed...never are they seen lying in the ruck ('dead marines')...great lines run by their left and right edge forwards (eg. Harris and Browmich) which often results in points. Speed on the outside and they have possibly the best outside back in the game for mine - Will Chambers. Impossible to beat - especially at home.
Cameron Smith is the most resilient league player ever to have played the game. He is about to beat and then put a heap on the existing NRL 'games played' record of 355 first grade games. Incredible, but it shows you that running the football into the line repeatedly is far more damaging on the body than defending. Either way, he is a legend and yet another immortal. (It's getting crowded in that box - Thurston too).
Who will the Storm play in the GF? I thought Brisbane...but it can only be the Roosters on current form - and even that is patchy. A cakewalk this year. Maybe Cronulla can fire up, but how quiet have some of their stars been - Fifita, Maloney, Bird...? The loss of Ennis has been a major loss. Why can players leave the Storm and it not affect morale and yet every other team whines about it all? Bellamy is a genius.
St George - embarrassing! But how good will the Roosters be with Tedesco? He has premiership winning talent.
4. AFL. Essendon will trouble Sydney this week. A finals surge for a few will start in earnest. There is great anticipation there, but how can the AFL start later than the NRL, then have a week off before the semis? This gap weekend before the semis is a joke. Surely the fans deserve more. The momentum of the season is jolted and then it resumes...I think it advantages the lower rung teams. GWS could surprise with their pace. Hopefully they learned a thing or two from last year as well.
5. Socceroos. The desire and strength for the national jersey is under real pressure. Surely we beat Thailand, but there will be no guarantees with that lot. If japan lose on the road we are cooked. The arrogance and self centredness of the average soccer star is only matched by their coach...Ange has to go. We need the genius of an international figure in that role who has the international respect.
6. Conor McGregor has apparently just finished counting his cash and is absolutely exhausted.
7. How about Lewis Hamilton and his record breaking number of pole positions. Impressive stuff.
8. Winx. 19 wins and counting. Great confidence in the other owners who all participated in the race, knowing two place spots were up for grabs. Keep an eye out for a horse - Merchant Navy - who won on the weekend in Caulfield. A brilliant horse. I also liked the run of Vega Magic. Two to watch!
9. US Open. Surely without Murray, Djokovic and Wawrinka, Federer and Nadal will fight it out. The thought of Federer winning another Grand Slam in a year when he has won two already at his ripe old age, is tantalising! Keep an eye on this name for the future: Denis Shapovalov. Talent!
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