Wrap - Fun and Common Games

1. The Masters. How amazing is this tournament every year? It is truly the spectacular highlight of the golfing calendar, if not the world sporting calendar. Reed has excelled but may fold late. However, two eagles today speaks volumes of his character and skill. McIroy looks the stronger as he seeks the rare career Grand Slam of golf. Leishman played brilliantly early, but everyone will be looking for Reed to fall over and storm home late. It has play off written all over it. Ricky Fowler looks sharp too.

2. Michael Clarke just does not get it.  He presents himself as the rescue man and then backs away from it all as the public backlash gathers momentum. Incredibly disrespectful to Tim Paine. Times might just be getting tougher for him as the aftershave range slows down, the hair gel dries up, people struggle to remember his deeds, the memoirs book returns to stopping the average family caravan from sliding into the side fence and his signature becomes one wanted more by the tax office than the general public.

A saviour of cricket? Certainly, even without much practice, he would be a better bat still than Handscomb, S. Marsh (duck or a hundred) or Khawaja, but he is part of the poisonous culture that emerged...so are ex-captains Steve Waugh...Ricky Ponting.

Michael loves a front page spread of a Sunday paper - a publicity hound - and if it does not work for his lovely wife, step in, amp it up and appear to be the saviour. No thanks. The new Bob Simpson? Hardly, although both played for Western Suburbs cricket club.

3. The Commonwealth Games. A stunning glittery celebration of what? Being part of the Queen's lands? Hard to see their relevance any more, but it does give our athletes an opportunity to be part of history.  I am thrilled we are beating Papau New Guinea, South Africa (track work starts soon to address this) and India (why do they not swim?), but, while prestigious, is a Commonwealth Gold medal too easy to achieve in certain events? Maybe blue ribbons like those at a primary school athletics carnival may not be too far away.

England in particular look like they have forgotten how to compete after their Olympic glory in recent years.

World records are incredible at any time, but you just sense that every medal comes with a free tattoo on the Gold Coast. I am still liking that new Jim's franchise on the Gold Coast - "Jim's Tattoo Removal"...vans that tour around spraying off the local artwork and correcting spelling errors on body parts.

4. NRL Tips. Who picks the Tigers to beat Storm (twice in a month) and Warriors to crush the Cowboys? Knights to stave off the more fancied Broncos? Gold Coast over Manly? An incredibly tough gig is this NRL tipping business in 2018. Very unsettled and probably a great thing to see in the game. The Cowboys, Broncos and Storm are all struggling. Maybe a changing of the guard.

5. The Eels. The Eels sit anchored to the bottom of the table. And why would that be? Easily the most disappointing club team in all Australian sport. I have had to break my own ban or I will never be able to mention them again. 0-5 is awful from a team who are now revealed as unfit, lazy and spineless. Self indulgent. No strong forwards making yards. Ill discipline. A rabble really. So many of them make bad decisions. Zero accountability. Brad Arthur may be on the skids very soon.

That new home ground of theirs may never be filled by them. They last won a comp 32 years ago. It could well be another 32 years. No Parramatta fans have ever confidently entered a weekend of NRL over the last 30 years believing victory was imminent.

6. AFL. Buddy Franklin is phenomenal. He has developed into a much stronger team member with greater versatility, but his boot remains lazer like. A tremendous Swans win over GWS. Melbourne looking stronger finally. Brisbane a touch unlucky. Carlton awful.

7. Happy Clapper. This horse continues to amaze. A great name and a greater stride. Dominates on the Sydney stage. Impressed with the strength of Luvaluva in the last race at Randwick as well. Run of the day was Trapeze Artist which beat Redzel. Redzel may just be fading a little from where it was last year, but it is still quick. Still waiting for Merchant Navy to return to the fray. A more sensational turn of speed from a horse you have never seen.

8. EPL. ManuU showed some steel to knock over Man City over the weekend 3-2. The relegation race is narrowing too. West Brom, Stoke and Southampton look ready for the League below, but there is always a surprise or two.

9. IPL. Good to see the IPL get back underway. I could not believe how slow Shane Watson looked in the field, but he got two wickets (2/29 off four). However, some of those local Indian players grow wings and strength in this tournament. Look for the names Hardik and Krunal Pandya. Awesome.

A real shame Indian cricketers are not involved in the Big Bash. Cricket Australia should be encouraging it big time. The standard of Big Bash cricket is flagging without them.

10. Mick Fanning. A final curtain falls on his fine career at Bells. One of his greatest legacies? The bottle top opener in the underside of thongs range. An Australian must.

11. Super 15 Rugby. Who will stop the NZ team dominance? The Tahs are looking a bit sharper (but it was the Sunwolves) while the Reds fell in a heap to the under performing Brumbies. Even so, they don't seem to be missing Uncle Quayde.

12. Connor McGregor. Goose. Galoot. His attack on that UFC bus defies belief. A disgrace.