1. NRL. Relaunching in 31 days, desperate for cash and broadcasters losing cash hand over fist. The only sport channel doing well is the Saturday SKY1 horse racing! The NRL will go bust if they mess this up. A cold and wet week ahead will be of interest re the coronavirus.
Interesting how the media clamour to support the decision to re-launch so their jobs are kept safe in TV and the media. There are only so many re-runs of the 1989 Grand Final you can watch.
2. Peter V'landys has shone in terms of being tough. A dreamer one week - a genius the next. Getting rid of Todd Greenberg seems crucial. Todd needed to double down and work differently with his new boss, but he seemed incapable of doing this. Interesting and in no place to argue with the wasted cash he presided over. V'landys knows that without it, rugby league contracts and will need so much more surgery long term.
The new COVID-19 NRL rules for players are almost impossible to follow for these guys. Off field discipline works for most, but there will be the inevitable exceptions. No public interaction or personal training. No Ubers or taxis, self isolation, cleaning regimes, strict penalties and losing competition points. Washing footballs in eskies...please.
Finally deducting competition points will occur for perpetrators. You talk competition points in a reduced length of a season (esp. if you have no points so far) and the behaviour will tighten up. If you are the person to create the problem, you will never ever play NRL again. Unforgiveable.
One slip up and the comp finishes. Or do you just sack those clubs and surge on?
3. The Warriors staying at Lennox Head...surely when people can't attend a funeral, this can't progress. The lack of consistency is a huge risk. Society will simply rise up and do their own thing at their own beach...hang on...they've done that.
4. NFL. Tom Brady's move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is an exciting development, but getting the great Rob Gronkowski ('The Gronk') as well looks really exciting for the Bucs. The Patriots will be totally revamped and will need a lot of work to recreate anything in the next season or two. This will test Bellichik's coaching ability.
5. Rugby. Raelene Castle is gone, but sadly, Rugby is still a basket case. She will go down in history as a trail blazer before her time, with the former Wallaby captains signing sheets of paper reinforces the problems the game faces. Living in the past....still. Phil Kearns should be immediately ruled out. John Eales is the man.
6. Cricket. Like the NRL, what a fiasco. They are forever crying poor and no one has an ounce of sympathy for these cash wasters. The 'poor me' brigade is not relevant in these times. take the hit and wake up. He is citing projected share losses. Don't sell them...they will recover in time. Their greed lingers on. Can we have another World Series break away comp? That was a whole heap of fun.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Wrap - NRL Fantasy Island
1. COVID-19 Sport Return. The race is on to be the barricade buster! NRL is something special. Broke and desperate, they are now more important that the health of others in society. Arguing now over who keeps points and who doesn't. Conferences...no conferences. The draw...origin...Their stupidity knows no bounds.
V'landys should be knocking a few heads together and waiting for professional expert advice, not some letter not endorsed by health professionals. At least the QLD Premier - Annastacia Palaszczuk - has some commonsense there.
The NRL, without even being aware, are fuelling a sense in society that it will be all over soon. Forget the medical officers and the expert professors of pandemics...their team, under Wayne Pearce will have it all back and running next week. No problems. All cured.
The optimism is fantastic. The reality a fantasy. Anything for money. A higher price for a scarcer commodity? Nothing lost whatsoever.
Ask the Canterbury Cup players who get nothing now that their comp is shut down.
Not hearing a lot this week about their Fantasy Island concept of last week, although it was great to see a couple of the NRL hierarchy earlier in the week:
2. UFC. However one mob buying an island, training the fighters there and televising it to the world while every other sport cannot, is enterprising. Much smaller scale, but clever business...even if it too is socially irresponsible. The associated workforce are most at risk.
3. Retirements, Sackings and Contracts. Very soon sporting organisations are going to need to land an edict that says that 2020 contracts will need to be honoured in sports - where there is no play - into 2021. Mark my words...it may well be the next issue of unfair dismissal with reasons like being 'fitter than ever' with a break set to dominate. The lawyers will be licking their chops here.
4. Teams of Decades, Best Ofs, The Greatest Ever..... these could wear thin soon. It feels like the New Year hiatus. Amazing to see how small the players of the 1980s really were physically by comparison.
Geoff Toovey has announced a ridiculous best ever Manly team putting Stuart Davis (the two iron with ears) in it over Tom Trobjevic and others! There is only one clip to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSA_oQ2PSSE
5. NRL Integrity Commission. I hope this lot are practising social distancing because before too long they will be busy. It appears Tim Lafai from Saints may have been the first one to lose his balance at home under the pressure of doing not much more than weights and no league. How many more will follow? At least public displays of aggression or alcohol fuelled violence may be contained. I wonder whether social distancing for all players in the off season might be a new NRL/ AFL strategy of the future?
6. Horse racing. No horses diagnosed with COVID-19 just yet. Enjoying the Autumn Championships at present. Great wins by Colette and Through The Cracks, Indy Car, Away Game and Splintex. Addeybb (Queen Elizabeth Stakes) and Etah James (Sydney Cup) were superb! Liked Leale, Inverloch and Super Titus as well.
7. Might and Power has carked it. Totally memorable for big wins at a distance...Melbourne Cups, Caulfield Cups, Cox Plate - the lot!
V'landys should be knocking a few heads together and waiting for professional expert advice, not some letter not endorsed by health professionals. At least the QLD Premier - Annastacia Palaszczuk - has some commonsense there.
The NRL, without even being aware, are fuelling a sense in society that it will be all over soon. Forget the medical officers and the expert professors of pandemics...their team, under Wayne Pearce will have it all back and running next week. No problems. All cured.
The optimism is fantastic. The reality a fantasy. Anything for money. A higher price for a scarcer commodity? Nothing lost whatsoever.
Ask the Canterbury Cup players who get nothing now that their comp is shut down.
Not hearing a lot this week about their Fantasy Island concept of last week, although it was great to see a couple of the NRL hierarchy earlier in the week:
2. UFC. However one mob buying an island, training the fighters there and televising it to the world while every other sport cannot, is enterprising. Much smaller scale, but clever business...even if it too is socially irresponsible. The associated workforce are most at risk.
3. Retirements, Sackings and Contracts. Very soon sporting organisations are going to need to land an edict that says that 2020 contracts will need to be honoured in sports - where there is no play - into 2021. Mark my words...it may well be the next issue of unfair dismissal with reasons like being 'fitter than ever' with a break set to dominate. The lawyers will be licking their chops here.
4. Teams of Decades, Best Ofs, The Greatest Ever..... these could wear thin soon. It feels like the New Year hiatus. Amazing to see how small the players of the 1980s really were physically by comparison.
Geoff Toovey has announced a ridiculous best ever Manly team putting Stuart Davis (the two iron with ears) in it over Tom Trobjevic and others! There is only one clip to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSA_oQ2PSSE
5. NRL Integrity Commission. I hope this lot are practising social distancing because before too long they will be busy. It appears Tim Lafai from Saints may have been the first one to lose his balance at home under the pressure of doing not much more than weights and no league. How many more will follow? At least public displays of aggression or alcohol fuelled violence may be contained. I wonder whether social distancing for all players in the off season might be a new NRL/ AFL strategy of the future?
6. Horse racing. No horses diagnosed with COVID-19 just yet. Enjoying the Autumn Championships at present. Great wins by Colette and Through The Cracks, Indy Car, Away Game and Splintex. Addeybb (Queen Elizabeth Stakes) and Etah James (Sydney Cup) were superb! Liked Leale, Inverloch and Super Titus as well.
7. Might and Power has carked it. Totally memorable for big wins at a distance...Melbourne Cups, Caulfield Cups, Cox Plate - the lot!
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Wrap - Parra Matters
1. Who Matters? I think we have all finally worked out that doctors and nurses are more important than loud mouth, whinging footballers and sports stars. There are so many who remain out of touch, dreaming for some miracle cure by June. Strap in tight...September/ October is the date, especially with the beach bound morons! The season will be cooked by then and quite frankly so long as our friends, family and mates are safe, no one really cares about the dreamers and the 50% pay cut folk... as much as we miss the sport.
Could be watching the Wuhan Tigers before too long.
2. NRL. The NRL are dreaming if they think they are back by June. There are more stupid stories than the Super League days right now. Scare mongering. Busier than a signwriter on a cruise ship company, trying to rebadge the floundering crafts...
In the end, what makes an NRL player more important than a brickie? a painter? a cleaner? Nothing. The world is doing it tough and quite honestly, why would you actually sponsor rugby league? Times are about to shift big time for rugby league.
Buy four islands in North Queensland, set up four conferences, self isolate abroad... honestly.
3. Changes. I am sure Peter V'landys is spewing that coronavirus arrived, because I am sure he was looking forward to sacking Greenberg. It may look bad now. He must have been very unhappy about Greenberg's efforts to mange the clubs and wages. Greedy clubs and players are being exposed too.
I noticed they are considering using international players in State of Origin. How many years have I been banging on about this?
4. Parramatta of course have been announced as Premiers leading the comp (+46 point differential) which has delighted the crowds, having won the first and last game of the season. That is rightful compensation for the cheating scandal of Melbourne Storm in the early 2000s.
5. Hugh Bowman. Mr Randwick. Literally finds a way to win on that track. If he doesn't win, he is close to second... back him.
6. Racing - Eric The Eel. Thankfully horse racing continues - why? Not 15 mins face to face for anyone. Social distancing can occur with no crowds. The Queensland horse, Eric The Eel ran a great race for the Australian Derby at Randwick in the first day of the Championships. He paid well for the third place and at one stage looked like winning the thing. Get on him!
If you want to win in the next couple of weeks, get on these horses and be humble enough to back them for the place:
5. NFL. Noticed that the New England Patriots have put the Boston-New York rivalry aside and delivered masks and gowns to assist their southern friends. A nice touch by Robert Kraft, the owner.
7. Daniel Hughes won the NSW Cricket - 'Best Player' award. A thin field after the Test players basically set up the year. Steve O'Keefe has announced his retirement after not getting another contract for NSW - 300 First class wickets and 9 Tests...retiring content.
8. PayTV. How many nostalgia games can there be replayed - how many replays or interviews with drug taking AFL players and disgraced league players. Lots of talk, but no action makes them pretty boring.
9. Golf. Had to laugh when I saw the social isolation rules had been reversed. It is true, outside of the PGA not many blokes hit the ball too close to each other in the weekend club rounds. Plenty of separation - esp. if on the bag around the 18 holes!
Could be watching the Wuhan Tigers before too long.
2. NRL. The NRL are dreaming if they think they are back by June. There are more stupid stories than the Super League days right now. Scare mongering. Busier than a signwriter on a cruise ship company, trying to rebadge the floundering crafts...
In the end, what makes an NRL player more important than a brickie? a painter? a cleaner? Nothing. The world is doing it tough and quite honestly, why would you actually sponsor rugby league? Times are about to shift big time for rugby league.
Buy four islands in North Queensland, set up four conferences, self isolate abroad... honestly.
3. Changes. I am sure Peter V'landys is spewing that coronavirus arrived, because I am sure he was looking forward to sacking Greenberg. It may look bad now. He must have been very unhappy about Greenberg's efforts to mange the clubs and wages. Greedy clubs and players are being exposed too.
I noticed they are considering using international players in State of Origin. How many years have I been banging on about this?
4. Parramatta of course have been announced as Premiers leading the comp (+46 point differential) which has delighted the crowds, having won the first and last game of the season. That is rightful compensation for the cheating scandal of Melbourne Storm in the early 2000s.
5. Hugh Bowman. Mr Randwick. Literally finds a way to win on that track. If he doesn't win, he is close to second... back him.
6. Racing - Eric The Eel. Thankfully horse racing continues - why? Not 15 mins face to face for anyone. Social distancing can occur with no crowds. The Queensland horse, Eric The Eel ran a great race for the Australian Derby at Randwick in the first day of the Championships. He paid well for the third place and at one stage looked like winning the thing. Get on him!
If you want to win in the next couple of weeks, get on these horses and be humble enough to back them for the place:
- Plonka (Randwick runners and those listed below)
- Colette
- Raheen House
- Eric The Eel
- Rubisaki
- Forever Free (Caulfield)
- Buffalo River
- Diamond Effort
- Salsamor
- Watch The Cat (Doomben)
- Okeechobee
- Get Stuck In
- Sizzlefly (Morphetville)
- Shamino
- Ecumenical
- Cliffs of Comfort (Ascot)
- Media Baron
- Red Can Man
- Golden Dice (Alice Springs) - 8 wins in a row!
5. NFL. Noticed that the New England Patriots have put the Boston-New York rivalry aside and delivered masks and gowns to assist their southern friends. A nice touch by Robert Kraft, the owner.
7. Daniel Hughes won the NSW Cricket - 'Best Player' award. A thin field after the Test players basically set up the year. Steve O'Keefe has announced his retirement after not getting another contract for NSW - 300 First class wickets and 9 Tests...retiring content.
8. PayTV. How many nostalgia games can there be replayed - how many replays or interviews with drug taking AFL players and disgraced league players. Lots of talk, but no action makes them pretty boring.
9. Golf. Had to laugh when I saw the social isolation rules had been reversed. It is true, outside of the PGA not many blokes hit the ball too close to each other in the weekend club rounds. Plenty of separation - esp. if on the bag around the 18 holes!
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