Wrap - AFL Rule Change

1. NRL Tips. How hard is the NRL to pick at present? Gold Coast, Penrith, Newcastle all knock over bigger guns. The comp is ridiculously close in the middle. However Parramatta and St George are by far the two worst at present. Even the Broncos, Cowboys and Knights are surging back. Ben Hunt makes some horrible decisions sometimes for a really highly paid player. Not a patch on the mistake riddled players for Parramatta. They are an awful mess as usual. Gutho did not make Origin. Keep that clause dry in his contract.


2. Danger. Is rugby league becoming too dangerous? No doubt the contact and the group defence is taking a bigger toll than usual. Blokes with ruptured spleens, twisted necks...serious accidents await. The number of head knocks is increasing exponentially. I am waiting for the first big compensation case in either NRL or AFL to change rules massively.


3. AFL Rule Change. Cannot stress enough that the key rule change in AFL needs to be the ball is given to the opposition from where a ball is kicked out on the full. This is a game changer and would prevent further negative tactics. It would change the flow of the game when 'errors' appear intentional. GWS and Geelong look like flag favourites for mine.


4. Boston. How about the run at Eagle Farm on the weekend from The Bostonian? A sign that the Boston Bruins (the B's) are about to run riot over the Blues in the NHL this week and win the Stanley Cup perhaps.


5. North Melbourne. Coach Brad Scott. prevailed over mediocrity without a great list, but little sympathy. Time for him to disappear. Move on...to Carlton perhaps? No one is irreplaceable.


6. Cricket World Cup. Surely England lap everyone and win it. South Africa could surprise too. India have the best team if they fire but are often bad on the seaming deck. Not sure about our bowling. Smith batted well and predictable that there is booing left right and centre. It will get worse! I wonder how Monty Panasar's truth telling re mints and other bits might bounce onto the current team and loud critics like Mike Atherton, Nassar Hussein and Michael Vaughan? Interesting times of honour and truth.


7. French Open Tennis. Starts this week. I noticed Nadal knocked over Djokovic to win the Italian Open last week... he may have 12 French Opens in him yet!


8. State of Origin. The team from last week was pretty close... only missed two and Keary would have been there had he not been concussed. Blake Ferguson was horrible and cannot be trusted on the Origin stage. Rep career over.


1. James Tedesco
2. Blake Ferguson - Nick Cotric
3. Latrell Mitchell
4. Josh Morris
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. Luke Keary - Cody Walker
7. Nathan Cleary
8. David Klemmer
9. Damien Cook
10. Paul Vaughan
11. Boyd Cordner
12. Jake Trobjevic
13. Cameron Murray

14. Jack Wighton
15. Tyson Frizzell
16. Payne Haas
17. Regan Campbell-Gillard - Angus Crichton


9. Waratahs. Is this the most underperforming team of the year?