Wrap - Bad English

1. World Cup Cricket. How good is it to see England struggling? Jason Roy was a huge loss for them, but returns v India. Bairstow is a gun and has not fired yet - until tonight. No matter how many they score, Kohli will go close.


Finch and Warner have been immense and I never thought I'd ever say it, but Shaun Marsh may be required in the team. Is Stoinis doing enough? Khawaja has done some good things at number 3, but his fielding? Starc in cracking form. Cummins has not quite had the desired impact yet, but could change a game soon. The GOAT must play. Surely as the weather dries, the off spinner becomes more important. The greatest World Cup player for Australia - Ricky Ponting - is in our corner in that dressing room. He is clever... even plotting to get Smith to bowl a leg spinner or two.. that may have put the knife into Zampa's chances.


The NZ team always seem to produce the goods. They punch well above their weight. I liked Kerry O'Keefe's line about Kane Williamson..."when he hits a hundred he looks like a bloke walking to the letterbox and waving to a neighbour". Composed.


Plenty of left handed pacemen doing some damage in all sorts of teams. Amir and Waib for Pakistan...Boult (hat trick)...Starc, Berhendorff....even the great West Indies salute man: Sheldon Cotterell.


2. NRL. Is Clint Gutherson the worst kick return fullback in the comp? Seriously, he is incredibly average and gets hammered. Better around the ruck and from dummy half,  but no incision through the line from the back. Jarrod Croker's defence continues to be shocking. Good goal kicker however. Liked the Andrew Voss description of Jack Wighton's game - "snakes and ladders"....diamonds and rocks. Impressed with Josh Hoffman's defence. Like this Shaun Lane too. Makes a lot of metres.


Would there be a worse punishment than sitting next to Ricky Stuart on a flight after a loss?


The Broncos have rarely been this poor. Too young and Boyd, Millford and some of the experienced guys have been terrible. The coach is suddenly under immense pressure...but Bennett is not going too much better after five straight losses. Reynolds will change that. Hoping to see George Burgess stamped out of the game (a Parramatta recruit? Just what you need...more ill discipline).


3. The Crusaders. They march on ruthlessly. 30-26 an a home final. Well positioned for more Irish dancing/ break dancing. Three in a row beckons loudly. The Jagures are pretty handy and did a number on the Brumbies. Set to be a cracking game.


4. Melbourne Storm. Six points clear and the minor premiership well in sight. What a powerhouse of a club. No one close now. Their Origin form has been excellent without their stars.


5. AFL. Sydney Swans suddenly just one win out of the eight. They are storming back. However Geelong, Collingwood and Port look the best. Why are video reviews so hard to get right in every code? AFL is one of the worst? Looks like they use a BETA videocam... give us a clearer picture, please...


6. Wimbledon. Upon us already from 1 July - 14 July. Had to laugh about Kygrios who said he can't wait to play Nadal and get his revenge. I suspect Nadal won't be able to (a) contain his laughter and (b) drop a set. Hopefully Barty does well too.


Federer (38 years old) heads the Grand Slam list at 20 wins, Nadal next at 18 (33 years old) and Djokovic third at 15 (32 years old) have shared the Grand Slams since August 2014. No one else but these three! Amazing.


7. MLB Baseball - New York Yankees v Red Sox in London. A crazy time in England at present... they have the cricket World Cup, the baseball, Wimbledon... Hopefully the weather stays clear. Their women's soccer team are into the semi finals of the Women's Football World Cup as well! Very soon they will have the British Open Golf and the British F1 from Silverstone!


The baseballs used in London must be lighter. They were popping them over the fence with absolute ease! Big score...big crowd. What a great spectacle with the two great rivals and the best eastern conference teams. The Red Sox pitching rotation is terrible this season.

Wrap - Lebanon Island

1. NSW Origin Win. A much better performance. Kicks that hit the green grass. Quick defensive speed and spreading the ball. Interesting that they went away from Cook running the ball too much. Maloney has the Origin mongrel and was great. Sadly Cleary was not missed and is under the microscope. Tedesco superb as usual. Cordner tough, but Finucane was a big difference. Even Saifiti went well. Ado-Carr made plenty of metres and was more aggressive too. Both Tobjevics are the best two players in the comp at present. Amazing...and another brother yet to arrive on the scene who is a gun.


The selections of Fittler last week proved to be good at this stage. Jack Wighton played pretty well but never passes the ball to unmarked players.


Interesting that one Sims brother plays for Fiji (skipper) and one plays for NSW... go figure.


2. Lebanon in the Pacific. Does anyone remember when Lebanon moved into the Pacific? They were small and unfortunately a bit dreadful. One good winger only. The great Tim Mannah even offloaded more for Lebanon and played pretty well. Admittedly they were missing a fair few of their best players. Robbie Farah's kicking game back at Leichhardt almost had him heading to the scoreboard ledge for a fire side retirement chat. He tried hard, but was found out. Liked the young centre. Incredible talent.


The pacific teams have talent...Tonga, Samoa, NZ, PNG... great contests, even if the crowds were a little thin.




3. Barty. Destined to be world number one after the Birmingham Classic on grass against Goerges. A tremendous effort and it shows what determination can bring. A loss brings her two points short of being world number one. Hopefully not.


4. AFL. Port Adelaide trounced Geelong really and are on track for the semis. Good win by Sydney again and they are not far away. A few tight losses will prove costly. West Coast and the mighty Brisbane looking better.


5. Super Rugby. Apart from the Crusaders, the Brumbies have the next best and quite an amazing record. What a franchise record they hold? Again winning a final and progressing. Their steel under pressure has been immense for a long time. Mercifully, the end of Daryl Gibson came after our mention last week. The Waratahs need surgery. Combinations and youth might be a great start.


6. World Cup Cricket. A big week ahead for Australia v NZ and England. How good would it be to knock England out? They have been disappointing, but we have beaten those we needed to beat. India still look too good for mine. Great matches this weekend with the Afghans and the power of Carlos Brathwaite. NZ are also tough in ODI cricket. They have more all rounders than most.


7. Israel Folau. It is starting to become a circus now... Clyde Rathbone has had a complete shocker however with his comments. Silliness seems to be repeatedly duplicated in this sorry mess.

Wrap - Sold, Sold, Sold Coast

1. Brad Fittler. Brad may have his job on the line, but he has panicked. Just when we thought he had brought a change of culture to the NSW jersey...no. Sadly he has done what all of the failed NSW Origin coaches in recent years have done - not backed their players. He now only has 8 players in the same positions as they started with: Tedesco, Addo Carr, Cleary, Jake Trobjevic, Cook, Vaughan, Cordner, Frizell. Ridiculous.


To drop Latrell Mitchell is weak. He played poorly in Game One, but was Nathan Cleary any better? Mitchell is a match winner. We will be in a world of pain with Jack Wighton in the centres. He does not play there each week and Will Chambers will cut him apart. Fittler listens to Ricky Stuart too much. Cotric was a disaster last match. Ferguson has not been in good enough form either...another risk with bad hands and someone who will be anthem obsessed. Dale Finucane on the bench is a good selection. Wade Graham adds strength and toughness. They will miss Klemmer. What did Morris do wrong? Old legs, but I thought he was one of our better backs in Game One. Walker and Crichton did not aim up and needed to go. I like James Maloney. He wins a lot. Select winners - they do the job for you!


2. Strange. Is there a reason we sing the national anthem before a State of Origin game? Strange. Is there a reason outside of government cash, why we need to play Origin 2 in Perth? Stranger.


3. The Melbourne Storm continue to be the most consistent NRL team over the last 15 years... no matter who is in the team. An amazing record. Everyone thinks when Cameron Smith retires it will be different, but that is unlikely too. The comment from the Newcastle coach, Nathan Brown, was gold - "we have had a good last six weeks, they have had a good last 15 years!".
The coaching future of Anthony Seibold looks shaky at the Broncos. They are simply not turning up. Millford is very disappointing. Parramatta played well (frame this sentence), but now must back up next week and play well. Must say that the Rabbits are also looking lost without Reynolds too, racking up a number of losses.


Can we agree on one thing in sport...ban the bye! Lazy administrators love it. No one else.


4. Gold Coast. Not sure how long the NRL can continue to support the Gold Coast as a team... Poor performances, small crowds and terrible to watch on TV. The same with the AFL (Gold Coast Suns).What is wrong with that joint? A history of failure in all codes, including the famous NRL journey of Gold Coast Giants, Gold Coast Seagulls, Gold Coast Gladiators, Gold Coast Chargers not to mention  Clive Palmer's soccer team, Gold Coast United? John Cartwright and Scott Prince were iconic in their day, but the best team there is Team Jupiter who rakes in their cash.


5. Waratahs. What a pitiful season. Who will they blame next year when Folau is not there? That team looks flat and ordinary really. Daryl Gibson has recently had his coaching contract extended! They won't need the new stadium in Sydney when it is built. They will only have enough supporters for North Sydney Oval or Rat Park. A complete disappointment at a time when they need success for the code in the state of NSW. Would you not venture over to NZ with a chequebook...maybe around Christchurch way?


6. Nadal. Wins his 18th Grand Slam and holds the greatest wining percentage now. Intriguing to note:


Federer - Grand Slam wins:    20         Grand Slam Final losses: 10 (30)  66% winning percentage
Nadal - Grand Slam wins:       18         Grand Slam Final losses: 8 (26)   69% winning percentage
Djokovic - Grand Slam wins:  15      Grand Slam Final losses: 9 (24)      63% winning percentage


7. World Cup Cricket. Have we beaten anyone of note yet? England? India? South Africa? Crushing loss to India. Starc bowling well. A bit of a scare re the Sri Lankans, who can bat. Cummins causing headaches too with sheer pace. Not sure why Jason Behrendorf is playing and not a spinner. He has struggled. Nathan Lyon has not been treated very well here. Kane Richardson has been a surprise packet. A shame we couldn't have unleashed Jhye Richardson too. He is genuinely sharp.


8. US Open Golf. Brooks Koepka. This guy knows how to win big. An amazing talent and a back to back Majors talent too. GaryWoodland looks like a minder who hits straight. Dustin Johnson has not fired as expected. A tricky course Pebble Beach. Woodland is solid, but vulnerable. Justin Rose well placed. Had to laugh when Jason Day's new caddie (Steve Williams) told him that he would sack him if he didn't work hard enough. Caddie harassment!


9. Sam Kerr- Matildas. Awesome work to beat Brazil. They need to knock over Jamaica and possibly rack up a score so they top their group. Bad loss to Italy last week.

Wrap - No Joke

1. Ash Barty is a huge success story. Brilliant junior who gave the game away to play WBBL. What an effort to get to the French Open final firstly. Greater effort to win it. She demolished young Vondrousova. Two quick sets. 6-1 and 6-3. World number two now and on top of the world. Not a bad effort from an unlikely space. Sam Stosur always did well on the clay, but a long time between winners for Australia at Roland Garros. A great tournament even if rain puts off the locals and the seats are bare. Great auditorium, but it needs a lid!


2. State of Origin. When the nonsense stops and the anthem stops playing, rugby league at the highest level requires a few key things:


i. a kicking game where the ball hits the grass and an exceptional chase follows every time
ii. width in attack on both sides of the field (one out runs in your own red zone do not work - dummy half runs are more effective coming out from your own line)
iii. fast play the balls
iv. halves that take the line on in attack (when was the last time the inside ball to a runner created a try?)
v. aggressive defence that bends the attacker backwards
vi. cool heads and smart thinkers under pressure - no penalties/ no sin bins
vii. offloads and second phase ball
viii. speed and scramble
ix. good interchange rotations at key times (NSW were woeful here and pre game they had gloated they did it on a serviette...and it looked like it)
x. the 60th minute is the turning point...whoever wins at the 60th, wins the game. QLD are the experts here. Grit, steel and determination matter.


NSW had none of this. QLD smashed them.


2. French Open. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. How amazing are these blokes? They front up each Grand Slam and make the semis regularly. Federer is 37 and better than nearly everyone still. Djokovic has made the quarter finals in the last 10 successive Grand Slams! Nadal is looking for his 12th French Open win. Awesome!


But last year’s finalist, Dominic Theim showed amazing strength and fitness to defeat Djokovic. No joke this year. However, even when up 4-1 in the fifth, he looked like he might let it slip. A timely rain delay helped the joker but to no avail. Thiem’s ability to hit the crazy wild unforced error or double fault will never beat the precision of Nadal for mine.


3. Parramatta. When does the Parramatta NRL club get to a point that they will not tolerate the soft defence, poor decision making and horrible error laden work? Losing by 50 and 40 is not good enough. Poor attitudes. They splash money out on some players who regularly don’t produce. Arthur is sadly part of this picture. Moses’ contract is dubious. Dylan Brown’s health...extraordinary with their bad luck (think Adam Ritson too).


Their forwards are ordinary. Moeroa is the pick of them and rarely gets game time. They need to build some 80 minute forwards to compete. Had to laugh that they want to sign the single most ill disciplined forward in the comp - George Burgess. Just what they need, more penalties against them. They need a kicking game too. Moses has terrible inadequacies here. Their recruitment is highly questionable. Their local retention is worse. A club like this needs a complete clean out and a remarkable coach. Shane Flanagan was at the club once. So was Gallen. There's a long term combination.

4. Jake Trobjevic. Seems like a champion bloke and a really tough old fashioned player. Plays the tough stuff really well. Yet never dirty or argumentative with refs. A winner through and through who will never let the club down. That's the style of bloke you need leading your club.

5. GWS on the road. When the whips crack, their form cracks. They seem to fall in a heap when the away crowd gets going. They have to get through this to win a comp. The panic got to them again. Otherwise bridesmaids forever. Eddie Betts’ late goal at the end under pressure was phenomenal fro ma skinny angle. Get a look at it.

6. World Cup Cricket. Great to see the pace and aggression of the Windies bowlers return to world cricket. They just need one more superstar quick. Hard to convince the kids how awesome the Windies once were. When good, they do it in style. Good win by the Aussies there, but India will be tougher. The seaming English wickets could do anything if the skies close in. A different game there when the sun is out.

7. Parramatta Waratahs. The Super 15 Parramatta. No attitude or killer. On the other hand the Crusaders win 66-0! The coach should get to those dancing lessons already.

8. Bruins. Let an early series lead slip and down 2-3 in the best of seven series. Another slip up and they are done.

9. NBA. The Raptors similarly look like smashing Golden State. Is the NBA season, the longest season in any sport, even eclipsing the A League?

10. Matildas. How much better is women's soccer to watch than the men's soccer? Heaps. Hopefully they can do well. It's a great feeling when playing Italy and Brazil doesn't automatically mean we will get lapped - like the men's team.

Wrap - Double Storey Haas

1. State of Origin. Surely the firepower of NSW gets them over the line. Cody Walker will come under immense pressure. Looking forward to seeing Cameron Murray play. He is an awesome player. The quick hooker from NSW, Cook, will have a lot of fun. Being in QLD, Payne Haas is one to look out for. His brother Tommy Haas was a handy tennis player.


2. AFL. Swans competing, but not in the race in 2019. Needed to recruit more brutally a few seasons back - like Hawthorn did. Instead they lost star players! They need more size as well... every bloke looks like a cardboard cut out... too many academies can do this to you. Uncanny how many games are neck and neck in the AFL over such a long playing time stretch. Brisbane are coming back as an entity with lots of pace. GWS awesome and won at the MCG last week. They are not as polished as Geelong however who just have class right across the park - 10 straight and eight points ahead on the table! Freo and West Coast travelling well out west too. Freo can surprise!


3. Jarrod Croker. A million tries and goals, but his defence is horrible. His reads in the line are often badly misjudged. One on one not so bad. If he was ever going to play Origin it would have been this year. A shame. Like the look of this John Bateman. I was interested to see Ricky Stuart's recruitment targets - they must be someone used to winning! I agree... winners often win.


4. Windies. They could surprise at the World Cup. Unfortunately Pakistan look like they bet on themselves more than ever detected. So talented, but so inconsistent and unreliable. The line up with Gayle and Andre Russell could be too awesome for most teams.
Aussies. Shaun Marsh missing out doesn't hurt. Good to see some competition for spots in the top six. Too many all rounders is a risk for mine. Warner has steel. Love that Pommy booing. They will regret it. Smith and Warner actually look pretty clear headed.


5. Roger Federer. The oldest player at the French Open in the last 47 years to make the Round of 16. On a collision course with Nadal. Djokovic will stroll into the final on the other side of the draw and look to get his third straight Grand Slam.


6. Jarryd Hayne. The newspapers are cheap. He plays soccer with some mates and gets blasted for yet another code. The guy has ability and faults. He may need to brush up on a range of sports if found guilty.


7. NHL Ice Hockey - Stanley Cup. Boston Bruins surge ahead at 2-1 in the final series v St Louis Blues. Great intensity in this code. Brutal.


8. Waratahs. Hanging by a thread and score a decent win. All those wasteful games and narrow losses will probably hurt them by season's end. Must say that the QLD Reds are appalling. Time is up for Brad Thorne for mine. No fitness and no steel. In the end, if you can't figure in the top teams of the Australian zone, you are hopeless.


9. Brooks Koepka. New world number 1! US Open coming up soon. Get a few sheckles on him.


10. Champions League. Tottenham v Liverpool. One for the ages. Liverpool finally win something. Surprised Klopp didn't do the Crusaders coach trick and do some breakdancing!


11. NBA Finals. Best of seven finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors really should be the victors having been the '15, '17 and '18 winners (2016 runners up). Raptors are 1-0 up in a fanatical Canada!


12. Heavyweight Boxing. How big is the new heavyweight champ, Mr Ruiz (Mr to you and I!)? Not athletic, but a power punch. The new Buster Douglas! He can retire right now in Mexico.