Sunday, June 9, 2019

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.

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