Wrap - Reverse Swing Retires

1. Wallabies. Beauden Barrett. He still can write his own cheque to move to NRL. What a star he is. Kerevi strong. Nic White very sharp. O'Connor looks bigger and humbler. I liked To'omua at the end, but the game was done by then. The All Blacks were ordinary it must be said. Not having won a series since 2002, the Bledisloe decider at Eden Park will be great watching. 47-26 is a good result for Cheika. Can we have a daytime test v New Zealand? That is our best chance? Bring back old afternoon time rugby. Hooper is an amazing player. NZ cop a red card for a shoulder charge and Ponga almost puts Gutherson in the grandstand and cops nothing...


Can we get a ref who has some fitness? That ref from France had a gut. The northern hemisphere stooges love to try and sink our showpiece games.


2. NRL. Upsets. Warriors over Manly and Bulldogs over Tigers. Paul Momorovski had a shocker at the end with a goalkick you would have been embarrassed with down the park. Parramatta are winning and you can't argue with that, but they will need to work hard to beat the loss of Ma'u and Moreoa next year as well. Signing David Fifita would be huge. Alvaro and Gower will not win you a comp. Amazing when a half back takes the line on, how the team wins. Look at Croft at the Storm, understated, but the best in the business. The half back who stands and passes all game is not threatening the opposition and not driving the team forward. Look at Keary, Cronk, Munster..to the line and a really late pass. The cut out pass to the winger is the key play these days! Rushing up and in defence by wingers is extinguished with that tactic.


3. AFL Upsets Weekend. How awful were Essendon? 21 goals in a row for the Dogs at one point. 137 v 30 odd (and Essendon kick the game's first goal - their next one was with 4 minutes to go). Just tipped out the Gold Coast Suns who should be shipped out and closed down.  Rodney Eade was laughed out of town way back, but he did best there. Geelong beat North 69-14 to confine them to their lowest score ever (one goal only). Hawthorn crushed GWS who are easily the most inconsistent team in the comp. Teams did not cope with the cold at all - or the snow. Geelong, Brisbane, Richmond and West Coast continue to dominate.


4. Ashes. Can Bancroft stay in the team? He should be banned for another year the way he batted in the first Test. He can't get a run and needs to lift big time. Bancroft is under a lot of pressure and should be punted if he can't produce. Harris is easily our best bat over the past twelve months and is very unlucky. Wouldn't be that Bancroft is a West Australian would it?


Great win by the Australians. Lyon three wickets shy of the great DK Lillee and only 31 years old. He could hit 500 wickets by the time he is done. Smith a superstar and captain in waiting. Smith has 25 Test tons (same as Kohli) and Ponting ended on 41. Smith has played 65 Tests, Ponting 168 Tests. Tim Paine is a great guy and gloveman, but we have never chosen fieldsmen as skippers. Score more runs!


5. Retired. The great Hashim Amla has retired. South Africa have a lot of rebuilding to do now. Faf du Plessis is 35 years old and AB de Villiers is gone. (I notice he still kills them in the County Cricket T20 blast.. and Darcy Short too).


6. Reverse Swing. Has anyone noticed that since the sandpaper scandal, there has hardly been a ball that has reversed in world cricket? I wonder what has happened... maybe those new Kookaburra and Duke balls... or would it be that illegal tactics have been stopped? I still think Starc and Hazelwood knew a lot more than they have ever revealed. Ironic that both were left out of the first Test? I wonder how the Pommy lolly supply is going?


7. The Quick NRL Tap. Is there anything other than poor fitness from referees that stops the quick tap? Or the right spot of paspalem to take it from? Open up the game please... This would smarten up the game, but instead they are not using the correct mark (please...). Refs need to speed up at the breakdowns and shut down arguments and captains questioning decisions. Yet to see a decision reversed this season! "Sure, you're right...let's reverse that penalty or overturn the bunker's hopeless work"...never happens - move on!


8. EPL. Back on as the world's longest and possibly most entertaining comp. Liverpool come colliding back into form and the top five clubs will thrash it our as usual - Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, ManU and Arsenal, perhaps Tottenham. The English crowds are awesome as usual. Very amusing seeing the second tier debutants go around. They need to learn quickly how the game is played at the highest level.


9. Who is the bigger galoot at present - Josh Maguire or Nick Kygrios? One grabs your eyes with his hands, the other makes you put your hands over your eyes and wonder what could have been.