The Wrap - Would you like ashes with that poor English team selection?

1. Test Cricket. Shocking COVID bad luck for Pat Cummins, but the team looked quite composed under Steve Smith. Not sure if anyone caught the Cummins special on Fox on Saturday night, Brilliant viewing. Quality bloke.

These pink tests under lights are so weighted to wickets in the evening session. It changes the whole game. So hard to get runs, but memo to the double figures man (Harris -finally!), don't run our senior players, they don't like it.

Starc has brained them again in these night tests, passing Gillispie without so much as a murmur this weekend. He is a difficult enough proposition in the blazing sunlight (despite what Shane Warne thinks), let alone at night with a pink ball. Starc's record of 262 Test wickets in 63 Tests aims up well in the top ten best ever Australian bowlers. Striking better than Craig McDermott (29 wickets away), Brett Lee (48 wickets away) and Mitchell Johnson (51 wickets away) who are all above him! (Not as good as McGrath or DK of course). He could easily end his career up in the top five best ever for Australia!

Lyon is also surging on in this series. He enjoys bowling to blokes without patience. How many wickets does he get through reckless dumb batsmen?

Joe Root spinning the ball like a top only reinforces the silly selections England have made in two Tests thus far. Incredible they could get it so wrong. Like Australia before them, so locked into rotation policies and resting people, they forget about winning. 0-2 would be a shocking, irretrievable position when you don't hold the Ashes.

2. Lewis Hamilton. A crushing loss which became farcical after a stage managed end. but Max Verstappen triumphed and probably deserved it based on the superior number of F1 wins this season.

3. Junior Paulo. A significant signing by Parramatta and a stabilising one. His majestic ball skills and toughness (rarely ever injured) would have been really missed. He is a mainstay of NSW State of Origin teams now. The back row losses and even the hooker Mahoney, were not as significant as this one. Exceptional prop forwards are hard to find, but they win matches and comps. Back rowers can be made. 

Not so sure about Haze Dumpster. I am still struggling to see his pace or size. Courage yes, but speed and projections for greatness? The big Sivo surely heads to union soon. Simonssen may be a surprise and will get more powerful. Curtis Scott...ummm.

4. Bernard Tomic. Apparently with new white hair and a few social media posts, we are going to see this 29 year old do something on the world circuit of tennis again. Teaming up with his father once again, everyone is hoping the hype transfers into hard work and less media nonsense. Lofty ambitions, talent aplenty, but attitude? Fast cars, public relationship spats, reality TV shows, publicity... reminds us all of some sad fallen sporting greats - Mark Philippoussis, Sam Burgess, Michael Slater...

5. Bailey Smith. Another young AFLgun who seems to be struggling. These young athletes who seemingly have it all, often struggle and need a lot of care... and reality. A job might help as a starter or a mandatory training course for all players?

6. Paul Gallen. He has been a warrior and a talent for many years. Is it time to give it all away and relax now? Darcy Lussick? Is this the extent of the Australian boxing scene? We need to get rid of the exhibition bouts and really look at the gun exponents. These are under card bouts really, despite the incredible fitness feats.

7. Football. The Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers A-League teams are struggling, yet here is possible silverware ahead for Ange Postocoglou this weekend with Celtic in the Scottish League Cup Final!

8. Spin Twins. Sounds like Stuart Macgill may need to turn back to spin when his kidnapping reaches court. How is Robert Allenby travelling after his kidnapping?

The Wrap - Pea Heart Career Soup

1. The Ashes. Cummins starts brilliantly as skipper and he even gets Nathan Lyon back into the winning books with a few wickets. Amazing how bowlers can ignite a team's fortunes. Sadly, Shane Warne continues to talk down Mitchell Starc no matter what he does. That first ball Ashes wicket was exceptional, setting the tone! 400 wickets to "Gary" is a special achievement. Get to 450 wickets and you are comfortably in the top ten of all time.

Head and Warner batted brilliantly, especially Travis Head. A cracking middle order achievement. When a number 5 or 6 gets a ton, you know you are on top. It has been a while! We may struggle without Warner. Hazelwood surely gives way to Neser. He has that many wickets this year and will be a handful seaming away under lights. Please do not even mention Matt Renshaw as a possible for Warner. 

Sadly as mentioned last week, Marcus Harris did not crack double figures (3 and 9 no.). Maybe one day. The Adelaide pink ball Test is a lottery. Get runs in the sunlight, because no one gets runs at night. Broad and Anderson will be near impossible to contain... so long as they are selected to play!

Sad to see Tasmania pick up a Test on a seaming deck, under lights in 'English conditions"...could be one we regret. Anderson could well pick up all 20 wickets!

2. F1. Sir Lewis Hamilton v Max Verstappen. On equal points, but Abu Dhabi is not kind to those passing, so a pole position here is invaluable. A bingle here or there may make things interesting. Hamilton has won 2017-2020 and is shooting for five in a row! He also is tied on seven world championships...so will become the greatest driver of all time with a win tonight! 

A crash and 'Mad Max' wins after securing more wins this year. Hamilton is on the charge!

Riccardo has more excuses than a kid on afterschool detention. 

3. F2 Glory. Interested to see an Aussie - Oscar Piastri - winning the F2 World Champion over the weekend. One to watch!

4. Big Bash. Matthew Wade (Hobart Hurricanes) was awesome with the bat - less awesome with the gloves and the mouth. Colin Munro (114 no off 73) - outstanding crisp hitting of the ball by the Perth Scorchers. Unbelievable striking making Siddle and Rashid Khan look sick! Alex Ross (Sydney Thunder) has what it takes too.

5. All Blacks. Jordie Barrett. Happy to have a crack at league apparently, but it is his brother Beauden we want to see!

6. EPL. Great weekend for a healthy multi collect - ManU, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea! You would not have needed the 'One Leg Fail Multi Hotline' there.

7. Tiger Woods - Comeback. Great to see Tiger and his son Charlie join in that PGA Tour PNC Championship in Florida with a family relative. Should bring it into NRL - Don/ Ray Price and Les/ Noel Cleal, the Chappell brothers, the Bracewell cricket family and the Paul brothers Henry and Robbie.

8. Bernard Tomic is turning a new leaf apparently. Lucky it is not autumn. Can he arise out of the murky career soup thus far? His talent needs to be matched by greater application. Great to hear he is keen to win again.

The Wrap - Patel Excels

1. Ashes. Has it ever started on a Wednesday before? It is becoming painful in the media. Friday starts at the Gabba is the tradition. Surely Usman needed to open for Harris. I will be stunned (happily) if Harris gets double figures. Jimmy Anderson will make mince meat of him. About time Nathan Lyon picked up wickets - and Starc (255 test wickets). However Lyon has 399 test scalps and has gotten as many 10 wickets in a match as the great Glen McGrath.

Pat Cummins (167 test wickets) too for that matter, but at 21.59, he is taking them at a rate better than McGrath! It's been a while since we saw any Australian Test Cricket. Get ready for the controversy.

2. Bathurst 1000. The crowds were not as large as back in the day, but a great event. Is the Safety Car an interest gathering device? Surely times should determine distance between the cars when they resume. Chaz Mostert the victor. Skaife was serving it up to Scott Morrison too! Plenty of cliches all day long. Liked the pits man on the coverage as well...lively and insightful!

Ian Moss struggled with the anthem. Back to the Bridge Hotel for him.

3. Brandon Smith. This merry-go-round nonsense seems largely to be a product of the bored NRL media wanting something! Scandals and drunken behaviour have not yet occurred en masse (wait till New Year's Eve at least), so this has taken pride of place. Not sure podcasts are where you want to launch your media career. Brandon is a young kid with plenty to learn there. He has been caught out a few times (post GF celebrations, F-bombs live on TV, white powder shots), but this is starting to wear thin. He needs to get this under control and excel on the field.

4. Ajaz Patel. A fantastic achievement by a New Zealander to take 10 wickets in an innings, especially v India inside India. That is an EPL contract right there! Rare gold. 14 wickets for the match is handy, but well short of the best ever efforts of Jim Laker (19 wickets for the match). 

Ajaz is following in the great tradition of Patels to play the game - Sandeep, Dipak, Jeethan, Parthiv, Axar and the famous Rashid Patel. Rashid Patel excelled at chasing down opponents with stumps while unhappy! Samit Patel also struggled in a run out decision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03QKcN4EDs 

Ravi Ashwin may rival him with 4/8 in the first innings and three already in the second innings.

Where are the NZ stars? They are a nation that struggles to keep the same players on the field for any consistent time period!

5. F1 - Max Verstappen's effort on the last lap of qualifying was woeful for a driver of his class. Gives up pole to Lewis Hamilton who is eight points behind him for the championship. A win and he is uncatchable by Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton needs to finish top six to rival him! Exciting stuff!

6. Junior Paulo. Suddenly he is going to command top bucks. He is such a talent with ball and as an enforcer. The trouble now is that he is going to blow someone's salary cap... Parramatta are trying not to make it theirs. He is largely uninjured every year and is a regular State of Origin player now. He is someone to build your club around. Gus Gould knows it.

7. EPL. Hard to see one of Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool not winning it, but West Ham are serving it up too! Always gold to see a new club beat some of the bigger ones.

8. Sydney FC. Troubling form early on in the world's longest comp... the good news? They have time to catch up...

9. Big Bash. Entertaining to a degree, but where are the stars? There are so many no names it is ridiculous. Has the concept tired already? Probably COVID impacted, but they are like ODIs. No one can remember the result two days later.

10. Boxing. Liking this George Kambosos, the new lightweight boxing star for Australia - IBF, WBO, WBA belt owner. He can put on a show and is a respectful guy. He has a future in media as well. He is looking for 80,000 to support him live in Australia. He may go close! Ex Cronulla Sharks junior out of Gymea.

The Wrap - Teflon Recruitment Text Messages

1. Parramatta Recruitment. Easy come, easy go. Mahoney built into a champion - out he goes. They have Ray Stone there to replace him anyhow. Jacob Liddle from the Tigers is not a bad option. He has talent. Papali'i on the Warriors scrapheap to a champion. Oh well. Niukore..a liability. Plenty more where they all came from apparently. 

Junior Paulo will be next. What a tremendous loss he will be. So skillful. They are so far away from winning a comp it is ridiculous. They point to a two point loss v the Panthers in the semis... forgetting they fell in a heap in the last month and a half of 2021. What a mess. At least Gutho is there to hold the trophy aloft. If they lose Dylan Brown they need to close the place down and sell the licence to the Rouse Hill Rhinos - or the Brisbane Jets.

Meanwhile the Roosters pick up Brandon Smith. Locked in by all reports. Amazing work.

There are not too many clubs that are waiting longer for a premiership since their last one in world sport than the Eels. It is still a longer wait than when they entered the competition. Most of us were in Year 10 or Year 11 at school! Now we have kids who are older than that!

Apparently, Brad Arthur will just create new players of excellence as half of them walk out the door. The new facilities at Memorial Avenue Kellyville will guarantee that. All a problem because they paid too much for so many blokes - Moses in particular. But they have signed Curtis Scott, Ogden and Bailey Simmonsen. That will win a comp. So there!

2. Test Captain. Thankfully Tim Paine has exited quietly. A worse decision was to keep him near the team, but big money is at stake here for him and his family let alone the mental torment. Pat Cummins... a top guy, but needs to get wickets. .. and to stay healthy. Otherwise Smith is back at first slip and will wave the arms around from there. As mentioned last week, Carey surely comes in. Or John Inglis - from WA of course? Warnie always has plenty to say, but somehow his text messages and behaviours never rate a mention. Teflon that Paine would have dearly liked to have borrowed. 

I wonder whether 'Jarvo69' will be making his way out to Australia for the Test series and a few guest appearances on the ground.

3. India v New Zealand. Ravi Jadeja is still a match winner - bat, ball and field. He gets his teams out of trouble and puts them in a winning spot. No match though for the 7 foot paceman Kyle Jamieson. 50 test wickets after 9 Tests. That is good going! Not quite as good as Vernon Philander (7 tests) and Rodney Hogg/ Terry Alderman (8 tests). but pretty slick. SCG MacGill, Colin Croft and AME Roberts got there in 9 tests as well.

This is rare footage of Colin Croft in full flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOscUoF7ytg 

The spin of Ashwin et al will be too good. NZ in strife.

4. Davis Cup. Hewitt is dead right about the soul and tradition being killed in Davis Cup. No one cares about it any more. However, the bit about how hopeless we are now was overlooked... despite a win over Hungary.

5. Josh Giddey. This Aussie NBA player is something else with his crazy passing and smarts on the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Really showing up a lot of others in the best league in the world. He is truly something else. There may be a genius there. He is well ahead of his years.

6. A League. The never ending season is underway again. It all seems to blur into one T20 haze these Australian football seasons! Meanwhile, ManU have gotten rid of Ole. RissOLEd! They could surprise now v Chelsea tonight!

7. The Big Bash. The women's comp is over (Scorchers smashed them) and everyone is questioning whether we can put up with another tired summer of nothing with the men's version. Could we have a few genuine international stars? Maybe just have day night Sheffield Shield games to ramp up the viewer numbers?

9. Glen Boss. Retires after a lifetime of winners. 90 Group One wins is pretty special. He always seemed to win big races at key times. Three consecutive Melbourne Cup wins is up there. There are only two jockeys to ever win four! Elite. Kerrin McEvoy and Damien Oliver are on three wins too!

10. Kambasos v Lopez. A slashing win for the Australian boxer today. A brutal gig, but an amazing win!

The Wrap - A Pane of Glass in the Hall of Mirrors

1. Great win in the T20 World Cup Final. Warner, Marsh the heroes...Zampa too. Yet we never see Zampa in Tests? A week later and no one quite remembers a ball bowled in anger! Langer can breathe again... sort of...

2. Tim Paine. I have always worried about Tim Paine. His batting was never as great as they said, his glovework solid (fastest ever gloveman to 150 dismissals - 33 test innings) yet his comments behind the stumps v Pant and the babysitting were a nonsense - and other sledging. You will recall he first led us to a 5-0 ODI drubbing v England in 2018, lost to Pakistan in the UAE and then there was the Ashes disaster with Ben Stokes beating us (but we retained the Ashes in England with a hollow 2-2 result) and then India trouncing us in Brisbane last summer and he dropped catches off Lyon when we seemingly could not lose! We were unstable. Perhaps Tim Paine may have been too, but to send that stuff right before his international cricket comeback seems most odd. 

A sad and very public end, but can someone explain why Paine is still with the team? So he will be keeper, but not skipper? Surely we learned something from the days with Gatting-Atherton-Stewart-Gooch that if the captain falls... get rid of them. No suspension? This will end poor old Justin Langer as well (like Darren Lehmann with Steve Smith-Dave Warner). 

Alex Carey needs to come in straight away, or the Queensland keeper bat, Jimmy Peirson. He can play too. Move on. Can you imagine the sledging when he comes out to bat? It could derail the whole summer as he drops catches and reacts to the inevitable pressure. You can't promote a new broom and keep the old one in the cupboard.

The tears from Australian captains over the years have been interesting. Graham Yallop, Kim Hughes, Steve Smith... The Border-Taylor-Waugh era set a very high standard! Maybe the need to cut a few more out of Cricket Australia management is required too as the media go after the cover up? The hall of mirrors beckons.

As nice a fellow as he is, I am not sure Pat Cummins is the man. Going back to Steve Smith may be a problem too. What of Nathan Lyon? 

Interestingly Ian Chappell captained Australia 30 times (15 wins, 5 losses and 10 draws - 50% win and 16% loss record) ...Paine captained Australia 23 times (11 wins, 8 losses, 4 draws - 47.82% win and 34.78% loss record). Paine's losing percentage is the worst since Kim Hughes and Graham Yallop. Oh and Shane Watson who has a 100% loss record after one test and one loss in India.

3. Parramatta Recruitment. Gutherson saw the writing on the wall. Sign moderately or be left out in the cold. He has lost pace and is on the decline sadly. Mahoney is worth pursuing and so is Junior Paulo. There seems to be some hard line club stances here, but still no premiership likely until they bring through a crop of youngsters together. That is the key. Build a culture and look after them as a group of talent.

Nikore is no great loss with his ill discipline and I wonder if Papali'i will produce in that notorious footballing graveyard of the Wests Tigers. A good pick up with the Tigers however, who have Luciano and Garner as well on their edges. Josh Hodgson talk has simmered since. Their problem is in their halves and centres. Getting Brooks to Newcastle could assist. The composure of Sheens and Benji will help too. No more Foxtel documentaries either...

4. Bulldogs Kennell Resort. The Bulldogs are writing their own salary cap cheques now. They have bought some players! Clearly they had a lot of overpaid blokes. The Kikau photo was ordinary. Why would you take that photo a year out? Joe the cameraman lives on.

5. Sheffield Shield - NSW. Their bowling stocks are woefully thin. Chris Tremain is past it, but getting wickets again. The batting is not so great either. Where is Moises? No shield for them this year. Kurtis Patterson can hardly hit the ball off the square at present, yet has played for Australia. That is a sad decline. Daniel Hughes remains the only bright hope. 

Is cricket in NSW declining and dying amidst changing expectations from parents, wives, partners, spouses, families? Can the time be justified as it once was in a different era?

6. F1 - Hamilton (Mercedes), Verstaffen (Red Bull). Claim and counter claim... cheating and appeals... After a while this stuff bores everyone to death. Bottom line? Hamilton needs to catch Verstaffen and is behind by 14 points with three races to go. A win is worth 25 points, but second (18), then third..15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2... Pretty hard to peg back once you are behind someone who has talent. Nothing a crash and a DNF can't fix I guess.

7. Socceroos. A draw v lowly China almost spells the end of their World Cup qualification campaign. They are in deep trouble. They have stuttered v the Saudis, Japan and now China. They need bigger guns. Maybe Tim Tszyu and his family play football too? He can beat the best of the Japanese and their iron will.

8. Chinese Tennis. Horrific story re Peng Shuai, but hardly surprising after what has been seen with their swimmer, Sun Yang, as well. Hopefully she is OK, but dodgy emails and fake announcements are hard to cop. Imagine if we had the same in our sports? So many complaints about all sorts of matters and administrators (thinking recently: hockey, football, women's rugby league, etc)...for the understandable serious matters through to the disgruntled player, we'd have nowhere to put them all. 

Peter Nevill (100+ Shield appearances for NSW) was refreshing in not blaming anyone for his axing from the Australian cricket team. Not chirpy enough? Please... maybe he was what we needed all along.

9. Racism - Yorkshire Cricket. A huge story in England at present centres on the alleged comments by cricketers like Gary Ballance, Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard...against English born Pakistani cricketer Azeem Rafiq and other Pakistani cricketers. The racist term 'Paki' is at the heart of it as are other arrogant comments. Parliamentary inquiries, sponsors leaving, denials, counter claims, etc. Vaughan is very outspoken on a number of issues and matters in cricket, but he has gone quieter too. Damage control big time here. Rafiq himself is grappling with his own anti-Semitic comments and comments to others that are surfacing now. A mess. 

Interestingly, the only shining light is Jason Gillespie who it was stated ended the racial comments and tensions in his short reign as coach at the Yorkshire Cricket Club. Bravo to him.

10. ManU. They are in disarray, losing to Watford of all teams overnight. They have to cut their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (and probably have by the time you read this), even though there are no real options out there. He has all the big names, but few big results.

11. Wallabies. A 0-3 European Tour, but to be fair they have looked better under Dave Rennie. What about the refereeing? Incredibly bad. Can anyone explain the deliberate knock down of a pass as foul play? Please. What a joke. But a loss and the pathetic nature of world rugby lives on. Hopeless referees getting in the way of great players. We put up with it annually in all tests in Australia. Interested to see Will Skelton and Slipper back. Like a scene from the Blues Brothers...Beale, Cooper has been there too... maybe there is longer term hope and a bit more spirit that it appeared.

The Wrap - NRL Signing Safaris - Scary But Nobody Cares

1. T20 World Cup Cricket. As exciting as the Auckland Nines, but a great effort to beat Pakistan and make the final. Who else to rescue us, but the most competitive two players on the team - Warner and Wade? Wade was incredible. Usually he is holing out meekly to mid on...this time he was ramping sixes everywhere. Now to play New Zealand. They are a clever team of talent. Their pace bowlers and batting delivers now more than when we tossed them in the 2015 ODI World Cup. It will be a struggle. Finch needs to do something or this is it for him. 

All the while Justin Langer is breathing again. Not a respirator in sight. Interesting his mantra has become 'back yourself' and 'be courageous'. He was always that cricketer himself. Yet he has always been a cranky man however too. 

Conversely, India should be ashamed of their meek exit. The IPL is meant to be the world benchmark, but it has sapped energy and spirit and resulted in a tame exit against the glorious victories v Scotland, Namibia and Afghanistan. A national embarrassment in many ways for their richly talented team. India should be world champions in all formats, every year, every tournament. Shastri to retire with much achieved. Dravid was never a T20 player.

2. Socceroos. We draw with Saudi Arabia and lose to Japan... maybe we are simply not that good? It has almost become a national expectation these days, when once upon a time it was unachievable. There is hope yet, but they need to string a few wins together now. Any slip ups against the lesser teams and we are finished.

3. Celtic - Ange Postocoglou. His wily ways are seeing more victories and successive wins, keeping the ever critical media and club fans at bay. There is no one in world sport with shorter patience than a football fan. Sitting second with a goal differential of +21. Impressive thus far.

4. NRL Signing Safaris. What a wasteful joke the interstate tours by Brandon Smith, Reed Mahoney and Junior Paulo seem to be. The pandering is incredible, but the game playing is interesting too. Like the African Lion Safari at Wallacia..."it's scary, but nobody cares!".

5. Parramatta. Signing Curtis Scott... of course. More baggage than Mascot. More tats than Angry Anderson and a rap sheet the length of a Saturday morning Woolies docket. Beware the one year contract. A nonsense devised by limited thinking, uncertain club executives for a desperate player. Yet they can't land the proper fish they need. Paulo, Mahoney...these guys should be locked in long term. Gutherson should sign soon or he won't have a club. Most clubs have their rosters firmed up now.

6. Tim Tszyu. An immense boxing talent, but we will see on Wednesday night if he can outlast his Japanese opponent, Takeshi Inoue. Tszyu is relentless and fit. Surely he wins.

7. Sheffield Shield. Some great performances thus far, but our batting is pretty dreadful really. Jhye Richardson is stepping up, Head, Green and Khawaja have scored runs...but many are flat. Boland's wickets send a strong message to selectors too, but he lacks a bit against the best batsmen.

8. Wallabies v England. Very occasionally you get to see something great...and it is not the Wallabies sadly. The Irish beating the All Blacks yet again is great news. However, with the Wallabies, what is the reverse of a European Grand Slam? A dud slam? They tried hard, had fun, are enjoying their footy...but lost!

9. Josh Hodgson. Surely the Tigers would be better off with Robbie Farah? They really struggle with their recruitment. Hopefully Sheens and Benji can transform them. Benji will be the coach before too long.

10. The Unvaccinated Sports Players. Personal choice, personal views for sure. Good luck to them. What is hard to believe is that players who refuse will not get a medical contraindication to prove their medical case. I wonder if COVID had a massive physical impairment like polio caused, whether you would have any unvaccinated folk in society at all and whether we would even be talking about it. Those working closely with animals and in the meat industry have been having vaccinations for ever. 

The Wrap - T20 Attitude

1. T20 World Cup. Dave Warner has looked horrible lately, going too square and not hitting down the ground. A common fault with age! His innings v the Windies though was exceptional. Under pressure and dominant. The number of reverse sweeps he can play is amazing. He is so talented, but nearing the end of course. Who will ever forget his ton before lunch at the SCG v Pakistan in 2017? He is a man you want in your corner.

Glenn Maxwell needs to produce something soon under pressure, but it is Aaron Finch who is the concern. Australia need to set a new team in place for the future after this carnival. Finch cannot be part of it. To make the semi finals is a top result really for Australia. Adam Zampa is quite the revelation now. Like a lot of leg spinners (Jim Higgs, Peter Sleep, Bob Holland), they get better with age.

If India make the semis, they will win the whole thing. They have not fired yet, but can.

2. Wallabies v Scotland tonight. The Aussies get themselves in a groove and then multiple team changes make club needs tower over national needs. Incredible. Play club rugby in Japan before the Wallabies? Surely a contract change needs to be made here!

3. EPL. ManU are under the pump. Man City are under the pump, but pumped ManU. They were once feared, but not anymore. The coach needs to go very soon. 

4. NRL. It didn't take long with Brad Arthur sounding our Curtis Scott for an outside back role. Parramatta are club that is hard to love for fans... their recruitment work seems glacial, but a few lads are getting the dollar signs in the eyes, rather than seeing their true value. You can't blame them for that. The Dolphins have unsettled quite a few. Regan Campbell-Gillard was a critical re-signing. As is Junior Paulo. Not so sure about Gutherson and his temperament - or price. Will he win a comp for you with his pace (or lack of it)?

Meanwhile the Roosters keep building and building. Brandon Smith would be a top signing. Without some of the top brass from recent years (Morris brothers, Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend...), they have space and money. Connor Watson could well be the buy of the year.

5. Sheffield Shield. It never ceases to amaze me how ineffective Nathan Lyon can be in the second innings of some games of cricket. The curator in him comes out. Talented and the best ever (although the recent passing of Ashley Mallett brought some interesting comments forward) but highly ineffective at times too. Also striking how weak batting is generally in all states. We could be in for a lean trot as a nation soon.

I wonder whether future generations will have the patience to wait around all day watching and playing cricket. 

Victoria have completely smashed NSW in all forms of cricket in 2021.

6. Verry Ellegant. Top win in the Melbourne Cup. How about James McDonald? 10 wins in the one carnival over two weeks. He may be seen at property auctions in coming weeks. He'll be the bloke with suitcases of cash! A top effort.

7. NFL. Tampa Bay Buccaneers are motoring along nicely again. 6-2 makes them well positioned for playoffs once more. No doubting the Brady effect. How the Patriots (4-4) must rue that one!

8. Formula 1. What about the greatness of Lewis Hamilton? 100 F1 wins! Incredible. A far cry from Andrea de Cesaris in 1981 who crashed 19 times in practice or competition! He led two races and NEVER won!

The Wrap - Dolphin Plod

1. NRL Trade Deadline. Well finally 1 November is here and Parramatta are about to be exposed. $700,000 a year for Reed Mahoney...please. $750,000 a year for Gutho...please. These blokes are in dream land. They are also dreaming if the Dolphins look like doing anything stupid too soon. They will be shrewd. The greedy player managers/ players better move fast however or they will be closed down. Parramatta should secure Papali'i and big Junior Paulo instantly. Nuikore is a penalty risk and sin bin risk every game. These blokes have a limited shelf life in the modern game. 

Meanwhile the Roosters look like getting the great Kevin Naiqama this week on a one year deal apparently. Never shy of being different. Connor Watson is a great pick up. They need some speed in their centres now though...as does every club.

2. Dolphin Torch. Blokes signing one year contracts at the moment are going to the Dolphins are they not? Cody Walker is off soon!

3. Wigers. Has Tim Sheens arrived yet? The row boat should be sighted soon. There is no quarantine from tomorrow, so he should be right...shouldn't he? Michael Maguire's bank manager must be getting a nervous feeling.

4. Australian cricket. We really struggle. Fancy a Marsh being dropped under Langer's watch. Clearly that was a point of his feedback...stop picking WA players who struggle. But he put Agar into the side, so maybe not! Warner has developed a terrible dab shot which gets him out every time. Steve Smith seems to struggle more and more in this format of the game. A decent quick pitch might help of course. England look sharp...Pakistan the surprise packet so far. We face the Windies soon. They have not fired yet and could do a number against us.

5. Melbourne Cup. Surely Incentivise goes close this year. However, what won last year? Twilight Payment #1. I suspect it could be close again. Surprised to see Damian Lane on 'The Chosen One' at $51. Something is up there that is for sure. Delphio and Persan go close. JMac on Verry Ellegant is in sparkling form!

6. Jarvo The Goose. Great effort by Jarvo #69. he gets into the All Blacks team photo now. The ground security in England must be non existent. Incredible. He represented at every Test match and now the rugby. He must have some gear at home near all his fines!

7. EPL. ManU bounce back. Tottenham and Leicester are dropping off the pace now mid season. Chelsea on fire! The likes of Burnley, Leeds, Newcastle and the canaries, Norwich are doomed for the drop! (already).

The Wrap - T20 Auckland Nines

1. NRL. Mitchell Pearce has suddenly become a desired commodity on the market. A sensible halfback who knows how to play. France is a great option for the ailing body. 15 seasons of NRL is a long career on anyone's books.

2. Wigers - Has Tim Sheens arrived yet? He would have to be coming by row boat for all the time it has taken him. The 'godfather' figure arriving soon (a bit like Bronson's Xerri's B-Sample) and talk of Luke Brooks leaving... The club has a lot of issues. It seems to have lost its soul, but getting Joey Leilua on a 'earn and learn' contract was not such a bad idea. Joey will keep shuffling on. He looks to have burned a few bridges in his time.

I noticed the new Premier is a Tigers fan. I hope his career goes better than a few at that club at present.

3. T20 World Cup. Is winning the T20 World Cup like winning the Auckland Nines? Australia absolutely limped home. 18 needed off the last two overs. The decks look very slow and low. Ashton (#98 Ashes innings) Agar might play a big role yet. Maxi's hair looked like the council cut it. 

Between Finch and Warner, we will be looking for new openers soon. Carey from SA? Justin Langer may need to put the pads on himself!

4. Windies. A stacked T20 side obliterated by England. They continue to disappoint - Hetmeyer, Gayle, Bravo, Pooran, Russell, Pollard... zip. No Narine? He is an EPL star.

5. Joe Mennie. Retired this week as a member of the famous 'One Test' brigade!

6. MLB World Series. Boston Red Sox. In the hunt this time last week up 2-1 v the Astros and then promptly lose 4-2. Gave up 23 runs in the last three games, scoring only 3. Thumped really. The under performing bridesmaids, the LA Dodgers, lost again to the Atlanta Braves. So Astros v Braves? The Astros for mine...despite uncovering their horrific cheating scandal not so long ago.

7. Matildas. Crushing defeat of Brazil! Lots of controversy needs to be ironed out too.

8. International Football. Celtic - Ange Postecoglou continues to scale the dizzy heights there, despite the huge pressure. What about Norwich? 7-0 down to Chelsea and Brighton also smacked. A long way to the top of that show! Everton copped a hammering themselves too.

9. Wallabies. Unconvincing, but got there. Great Britain will be a different story I suspect.

10. Cox Plate. State of Rest gave some protest excitement with Anamoe bumped 80 metres out. Incredible finish, but Verry Ellegant was a disappointment. No Zaaki was bad too. Winning on a Melbourne track is very different to the hard Brisbane or Randwick/ Rosehill surfaces.

The Wrap - World Cup of Coaches

1. Great news re the Redcliffe (shhh) Dolphins joining the NRL. Is there any difference to the Manly Sea Eagles, Parramatta Eels, Canberra Raiders, etc. Huge to get Wayne Bennett whose mission will be to beat the Broncos into submission. Suddenly there is a lot more spice in the games they play up there. Four QLD teams - North QLD Cowboys, Broncos, Titans and now the Dolphins - to rival the NSW teams.

It will really shake up the player market and signings.

Regan Campbell-Gillard. Not taking up his option with Parramatta? This could be a worrying sign to come as the Eels try and pin down their off contract players. They seem keen to allow them to hit the open market on 1 November. Could be time to do a bit of signing or pay a heavy price. Will Smith is handy, but he has gone too.

2. Josh Hannay. This guy is the Mr Fix It Coach of the NRL. He was a strong first grader and went from the Cowboys top the Sharks and now to an Assistant job with the new Billy Slater led QLD Origin team. He gets plenty of opportunities, but not a lot of success. Hopefully he can do better here in this role.

3. EPL. Speaking of which, it may be time for ManU to get a new coach. 4-2 loss to Leicester. Unheard of in the past.

4. Cricket. Hard to believe Cameron Bancroft is still in the top WA team. Struggling for runs since the sandpaper incident and should not have really been there either, but for a coach who knew of his potential. Still waiting to see it realised. Khawaja a big Shield ton... always scored before the start of the season and not another one until next year.

5. World T20. Off to a flyer with Oman (host nation) v Papua New Guinea. A 'Group A' contest. Thankfully these are short games. India and England will shine here when we finally get to the main draw next week. Australia were very lucky not to be in this 'secondary' draw themselves. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are there and need to go through that avenue to progress. We could join them soon if we can't lift.

6. IPL. Big win by the Chennai Super Kings. Hazelwood did alright. Have to laugh when "wickets" are taken by bowlers when the ball is rescued from a six over the boundary. Hardly awe inspiring bowling. Probably like a top edged six, but bowlers who are the best in the T20 format are mastering yorkers. I would be looking to sign Moeen Ali in my BBL team. Dominant and humble. BBL needs a player makeover and more cash injected into it.

7. Nature Strip. What a cracking win in The Everest! Get on Masked Crusader for next year! The work of Incentivise in the Caulfield Cup was something else too. Surely the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup double lie ahead. Get on it now!

8. Boston Red Sox. Can they do the near impossible? A wild card entry to the post season and now sitting at 1-1 with the Houston Astros with two home games ahead. The best of seven will be hard fought, but they could be 2-0 up but for a Game 1 meltdown. A super unexpected end to the season.

9. Koroibete. Not going abroad... they will need some strength and speed to replace him and Vunivalu surely has to be the man to step up.

The Wrap - Sporting Bankruptcy

1. The Sport Cycle in Australia. We really hit rock bottom after our football code seasons pass. The women's cricket is alright (what about that off cutter that cleaned up Alyssa Healey? Amazing), but we turn internationally for some enjoyment! Even the EPL is on holidays with the international round... not even motor racing this weekend!

2. New NRL Expansion Team(s). Great news for the game and a chance to break the Broncos monopoly as well. Hopefully up and running very soon. They will weigh into the player transfer/ contract market real fast. I note Brad Arthur has a new deal and the Parramatta draft horses are moving to finalise the players. They are working off a sun dial so it seems. There are  some ordinary administrators in the game sadly.

3. Brandon Smith and Cameron Munster and the other bloke...cocaine sniffing fools. And getting filmed! Deservedly hit with fines, but fines put on delay are a bit soft. Fancy being those who filmed it and releasing it to the public (for cash presumably). What sort of world have we gotten ourselves? In the end, people will just keep to themselves and not even talk to others lest they get to visit the Integrity Commission. Getting rid of drugs from your game might be a start.

4. Ashes. What a pack of whingers are the England team. Nothing ever changes. Brearleyesque. All sorts of petulant demands and quarantine demands from England. Typical England. However, we cancelled tours ourselves...so have New Zealand, so it's the new power play.  No Ben Stokes or Joffra Archer coming. Joe Root will be under fire, but is in career best form. It looms as an excellent opportunity for the post COVID rebuild of Australian cricket if it ever starts.

The BBL looks to be getting more boring every year. Same faces and skill level.

5. Socceroos. Graham Arnold has done a top job there. The 3-1 win over Oman puts them within striking distance of Qatar World Cup qualification. Big game this week v Japan that could just seal the deal with a win.

6. Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder. Fury is a huge man with a special reach. Big personality (mouth) too. A knock out eventually, but the heavyweight game still attracts the big dollars and the big attention.

7. Zaaki. Shock loss in the Might and Power Stakes at Caufield on Saturday. Cox Plate favouritism has wavered - even if was at Winx odds. How good are the Melbourne Damia/ens as jockeys? Damian Lane and Damien Oliver. Dominant. 

8. IPL. Glenn Maxwell is smoking them everywhere. He is a rare talent and to think he was abandoned by the IPL franchises (a fickle lot) and has now gotten into the semis with King Kohli. Catches and wickets to boot. Nathan Coulter-Nile has been good too, but not in the Australian squad.

If Australia get pumped in T20 cricket, does it matter? maybe only to Justin Langer.

9. The AFL Draft. Limited talent there, but clubs are right to demand compensation. Jordan 'Doorknobs' Dawson was a no name for the Swans and now Adelaide want him for nothing... Cerra to Carlton is a good pick up. Lots wanting in to the new world at Carlton which is interesting.

10. NFL. Brady sneaks a narrow NFL win v New England Patriots last week, but what price a return there to new England for a final season post his contract with Tampa Bay?

The Wrap - Panther Premiership

1. NRL Grand Final. Souths v Penrith. The ability to stay calm and composed and absorb the ups and downs that inevitably await is the true Grand Final test. Cleary does this brilliantly and did it when the Johnston try was scored. Walker showed genius in the first half then panicked a little when a simple pass to Gagai could have paid dividends and an intercept resulted. Alex Johnston is a freak. Latrell Mitchell was missed, make no mistake. Reynolds missed the conversion and a 40 metre drop kick which is a freak result. Jerome Luai is also a positive influence in a game. He sparks better in his teammates - a rare quality.

Amazing to see so many 1%ers go against Souths, but none were incorrect. It was just uncanny how many there were!

The premiership window is a brutal one. It is a guillotine and lasts a short amount of time. Look at Jack Wighton. He was the Churchill Medallist this time only two years ago and he barely made State of Origin and then was dreadful later in the season by his standards. Canberra miss the eight and suddenly seem an age away from a premiership.

Love the cliches..."dream come true", "fairytale", "a win for the ages" and "a bit surreal" are up there with 'forwards pave the way' and 'take it one game at a time'. Referee Gerard Sutton had a good game too. He has now done 7 Grand Finals only behind the great Darcy Lawler (8) and Bill Harrigan (10).

Surely there is something in building a team with local players who are mates and together locally. Think of some of the great teams... Manly, St George and Parramatta...locals who have come together and share a strong sense of purpose - and most importantly, they succeed. 

2. NRL Administration. The NRL Grand Final presentation ceremony is rough. It looks unrehearsed. Two female reps were present who did nothing... silly. The player speeches need to be sharper and the microphone/ audio needs to be good. Why is the ARL always audible? The NRL one is always so rushed and while COVID makes this one different, but surely we hear from Ivan Cleary. The AFL controversy they could have capitalised on was no one heard from the winning coach... slow learners. Could a junior rep from each of the player clubs be there to present the ring to the players?

Brian To'o showed great resourcefulness using the NRL ring as his proposal ring. Great saving! Sounds like an incredible young bloke. Conversely, Cameron Munster looks like his reputation has brought his demise at the Storm.

2. NRL Drug Scourge. There is a problem with NRL and drugs - Naden, Jennings, Munster, Brandon Smith...probably a million more including the Bulldogs, Ofahiki Ogden. This sort of nonsense is everything bad about the game - overpaid, self indulged, bored blokes who think they are above the rest of society and above the law. 

3. Wallabies. A top effort to string four wins together in a row. Japan next, but can they stand up overseas. Not sure we are crisp enough. Big enough, but slick enough? We seem to lack the electrifying winger and speesters. Where is Vunivalu? He could change things even further. We almost have a Pacific Islander backline. They are so talented with ball in hand.

It is amazing how in rugby they own the best rule - play on after the final siren until the ball is done. Amazing how referees love to let the play flow when the game is over as well! It is hard to cop as a viewer.

Dave Rennie is a hard taskmaster which is a good thing!

The Springboks v All Blacks Test was special stuff. Appalling refereeing dominance of course, but the around the back pass was a special highlight! Second on the Rugby Championship table is a bit hollow, but a good effort. The All Blacks seem to struggle on the dead rubber...like Australian cricket once upon a time.

4. NFL. Tom Brady returns to new England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...without Gronkowski. Lots of stories to try and stir up media reaction with former coach Bill Belichick. Brady will not be losing this one either. 

5. Women's Day-Night Test Cricket. Such a dreadful spectacle at night in any form. Slow outfields, slippery conditions, seaming balls and no atmosphere. Get rid of it. It changes the whole game from daylight games. Not sure if it attracts bigger crowds or TV audiences. Ellyse Perry is much maligned at present, but has been superb under the pressure of night cricket. Her test record is exemplary. Another high pressure 68 not out. 30 overs to boot in the match! A brilliant cricketer who they need to back in. A sporting declaration by India and they could well win it. Get runs in the daylight or perish!

6. IPL. Nathan Coulter-Nile a duck on Saturday night for the Mumbai Indians and Smith 9, bowled by Coulter-Nile at first drop, a for the Delhi Capitals. A terrible shot. Maxwell is back however! Stringing the fifties together now. We absolutely struggle on the sub continent wickets with the bat generally. 

Hazelwood looking pretty strong however the other night, but he and Nathan Ellis went for 50 off their four overs yesterday... dreadful too. The great Moises picked up three wickets tonight! Stunning. 

India has so much depth they could field two International teams. Surely Australian cricket should be asking for one Indian star for each BBL franchise!

7. EPL. ManU seem to be getting the unbelievable stutters when it should not be the case. Resting Ronaldo is not smart either. Chelsea on top and the winner of Liverpool v Man City will be a favourite for the crown. Liverpool undefeated, but a few draws are holding them back.

The Wrap - "If You Can't Win It Now, You Never Will"

1. NRL. Souths v Manly. Souths really whacked them. Too slick and a different style to the Melbourne game, but Tom T was silenced! Dylan Walker (and Cody for that matter) was strong, but not on everyone's Christmas card list. If Latrell was there, they would have completely hosed them! Maybe Latrell needs to head overseas to do his ban (a la Steve Roach) or head to the International Court of Sport Arbitration.

Player on-field reaction upon getting into a Grand Final is huge measure of how they are mentally. Souths were very calm - as was Penrith, it must be said. This may reveal an interesting battle looms where composure will count most. It is amazing how in Grand Finals, adversity will appear in one shape or another. Accepting that there will be adversity and evening out the highs and lows within the game is how you win these things.

Jack Gibson's approach? Just before the 1981-1982-1983 Grand Finals with Parramatta when the teams were about to run out, he said the same thing every year: "if you can't win it now, you never will!".

2. NRL. Penrith v Storm. The defence of the Penrith team is immense. This really makes a huge difference. Melbourne were unlucky with Christian Welsh and Brandon Smith knocked out of action. Cameron Munster looked tired and slow. He may need to head to that new Brisbane franchise. Nicho Hynes may have just received his best ever Christmas gift from the Storm. I worry about his impact elsewhere. Dale Finucane is raved about as a professional and has played in two Grand Finals for the Bulldogs in 2021, 2014 which many forget too. He needs to iron out Toby Rudolf's behaviour off the field (he was with Reece Walsh on the Gold Coast and it is "all on" Walsh, including the pocket item?) when he arrives at the Sharks.

Souths' intensity and attack will hit the brick wall of Penrith. Whether Penrith can score enough points is the key one. They have two semi wins/ three games, scoring 28 points and giving up 28 points. Whether Souths can protect their goal line is the other one. Souths have played two semi final games in 2021 and scored 52 points, giving up 26 points.  

Ivan Cleary continues to improve his career win percentage... getting up there with some of the best NRL coaches ever. Bellamy has been bounced out in straight sets in a semi final series which is staggering given how dominant the Storm were all year. It would be interesting to hear his reflections in time. Their banana lounges may have become too comfortable.

3. A Penrith v Souths Grand Final is very unique. A Sydney based Grand Final will only be the sixth in 20 years, ironically played in QLD! (2003 - Roosters v Penrith; 2004 - Bulldogs v Roosters; 2010 - Saints v Roosters; 2013 - Roosters v Manly; 2014 - Souths v Bulldogs). 

Some of the players you might remember who have played for both clubs - Neil Baker, Paul Akkary, Mark Carroll, Peter Tunks, Ben Ross, Darren Brown, Graham Lyons, Rhys Wesser, Michael Oldfield, Garret Crossman, James Roberts, Joe Galuvao, Josh Mansour and the great Gus Gould too.

4. Parramatta Signings. Almost fell over seeing Parramatta enquiring about Nic Cotric. Unlikely to win you a comp. Zero pace and struggled this year. Next they may want Kyle Flanagan or Corey Allan. Sign who is good in the current group. Thank goodness Gus wants to keep Cotric.

5. The Broncos. Player biff, police, courts... the place has fallen apart. Despite his talent, perhaps Reece Walsh was moved on based on attitude. We know Milford needs to improve at Souths.

6. AFL Grand Final. Here's the thing about Grand Finals... do you need a team meeting an hour before the biggest game of your life? The Western Bulldogs were in the lecture theatre... the Melbourne team were laughing and passing the footy in the sheds. The management of emotion is critical pre-Grand Finals. Rest, relax, stay cool.

A crushing win by Melbourne 140-66 after a tight first half and being 19 points down early inthe third quarter was something else! A sensational first quarter by Melbourne was countered by a sensational second quarter by the Western Bulldogs. Treloar and Bontempelli stood up strongly. Amazing. 

Blown apart after half time. Christian Petracca's 40 disposals in a Grand Final (supposedly reduced to 39 post game) was the best ever, deservedly getting the Norm Smith medal and Bailey Fritsch hit 6 goals/ 2 behinds in a dominant display - the best since 1997. Ben Brown should be thrilled...axed by North Melbourne and back to win a premiership. Paul Roos did a lot of heavy lifting way back too. Melbourne seem to have recruited character as much as skill.

For Western Bulldogs, I saw some worrying signs under pressure. Perhaps fatigue, but the inability to rally under siege was interesting for a proud club. English needs to lift and become more consistent and their forwards need stickier hands and less flamboyance... Weightman and Naughton are similar types of players - a strength or a weakness?

7. Ryder Cup. USA v Europe. Rowdy crowds, but the same distraction for both teams when at home. The head to head record of USA 26 v Europe's 14 is pronounced The Whistling Straits course would make a mess of most of us, but to claw back from here would be a best ever finish by the Europeans! 

The USA have blown the European team away, but with nearly every single one of them in the top 10 of world golf, did we expect much different? (Cameron Smith is our best at #23). Bryson continues to hit big! Rory has collapsed. Beer skoals on the green by players? Niggle, no gimees and chirping on the course...sounds like a boys weekend away.

A few too many loud voices for mine. Most of them are the players on the tees and greens - the post match interviews too. Great theatre however. If only the President's Cup had the same spirit and tempo... 

8. IPL. There is a distinct lack of Aussies in this show now. It reflects two things: our poor international form in T20 games and the absence of our batting capability or versatility on decks in the sub continent. There are some dreadful team performances this week. Warner a duck and two (gone?), Smith off the bench to fill in and players like Richardson and Meredith not even brought back... We are T20 minnows these days.

At least in the Shield (early start in season 2021-2022), Cameron Green hit a ton and Travis Head. Shaun Marsh did too, so he should be back in the Australian team very soon with Langer under the pump.

9. Women's Cricket. Lucky Australian win in Game 2 and a loss after 26 straight in Game 3. There is definitely a place in world women's cricket for better fielding coaches. Clearly only the very elite practise this. In the last twenty overs of the Indian innings today, we had four missed run outs, bowlers not behind the stumps and a multitude of dropped catches...one wore a ball in the face too. Comedy capers.

10. Rugby Championships. Only rugby could schedule their big games against the most popular viewing sport in the nation - the AFL Grand Final. They win again which is pleasing, but would someone have thought a Sunday afternoon may have worked well to fill the place and maximise TV audience? Odd and typically out of touch. The Pumas are physical but not clever in their play.

11. EPL. How can ManU lose...ever? 1-0 to Aston Villa is a dreadful outcome. A big prediction...Leeds, Burnley and Norwich will all be relegated. Brentford sit on 9 points with 3 draws, but are mixing it with the best.

12. Nick Kygrios. Intimating retirement. He is the new Mark Phillipousis. A reality show contestant of the future.

The Wrap - Quaking In Their Banana Lounges

 1. NRL - Finals #1. Manly decimated the Roosters. Diced them really. The value of speed has never been articulated more clearly than the Sea Eagles in 2021. Saab, Trbojevic, Garrick, even Foran...all look sharp. Their speed will win them plenty of key moments, but finally they beat a top eight team. Manly have unearthed some great forwards and adding the likes of Luke Garner and Ethan Bullemor in season 2022 will make them near to premiership favourites. They will wrestle it out with Souths. This could be one of the better games in recent years. 

The Roosters are slowing down and need to inject speed...just like Parramatta. How Sam Walker is kept on the bench until 20-0 down is staggering. Injury perhaps - or just defensive concerns. Trent Robinson is following a few (Coach Cleary - Kikau; Coach Holbrook - Fifita; Coach Arthur - Nathan Brown) in keeping strong players on the bench too long... end of year or no end of year.

2. NRL - Finals #2. Parramatta v Penrith. Parramatta need wingers with size and steel for the future. They also need speed... especially in the centres. Penisini defends really well and has been immense with so few NRL games behind him. He may have played more final games than NRL competition games! He keeps Waqar Blake in check.

Blake and Ferguson need to move on. Gutherson has become really slow, but is always a great competitor. In order to beat Penrith, you need to offload the ball and need possession to flow - and Moses needed to run the ball more. They allowed too many Penrith players to land on their stomachs and play the ball quickly. They had too many 'dead marines' caught up in the ruck when play had moved on. Great defence by both teams. No expert dummy half was always a risk for Parramatta. Stone's knock on and muffed pass (knock back?) was pivotal at the 65th and 75th minute mark. Ashley Klein had a reasonable game, but he loves a tight finish and an even up.

Penrith's defence was excellent, but their attack is suddenly quite ordinary. They lack speed and Crichton is not making much of a difference, despite the pay check. Both teams have great defence and forwards... but they both lack speed. The Panthers whinging about referees and the stoppages (the trainer calling an injury?) all seemed to be at pivotal moments.

Parramatta now have not won a GF since 1986 - 35 year drought! Longer than it took them to win their first one from inception into the comp.

Melbourne will not be concerned. They will be quaking in their banana lounges. A Saturday afternoon game at 3.00pm is unusual for a final, but may offer Penrith some hope in the sunlight and dry conditions. Penrith will need everything they can get (as Parramatta would have too!)!

3. AFL. Talk about a break. They have a two week entry into the Grand Final. Great that the NRL has moved its game time, so we can watch both live. Brownlow favourite...Ollie Wines or Clayton Oliver. Bontempelli is there too, but like always it is harder to win when there are other stars around you. Easier if you are the only decent player raking in the weekly points yourself.

4. Wallabies. A top win by the Wallabies v South Africa. Great pass by Tupou for the matchwinner. Lots of good signs, but we are still miles behind the All Blacks unfortunately. Hopefully we can capitalise on a few wins and beat the Argentinian team... and keep improving. The injection of greater pace could help, but the dominance of the TMO is a complete blight on the game. It is out of concern. It is a total stop-start game now. Players are celebrating penalties these days because they know how often they are awarded and how much a referee dominates a game. The advantage rule is a complete joke. Too many whistles and penalties... interruptions and no momentum. Let the game flow!

5. Djokovic-Federer-Nadal - all locked on 20 Grand Slams after the shock loss by Djokovic to Medvedev in the US Open Final. Maybe none of them will never win another one. This could be a fitting end. However, I suspect Djokovic will be back. A rare loss, but so costly. A possible Grand Slam and the 'best ever' title slips by...

6. Shayna Jack. Back in the pool after the drug fiasco. Don't take tablets Shayna... even if you never thought you did! Be alert. Elite athletes get many ASADA information sessions, warnings and drug tests. Hopefully she can recover, but once again, Australia don't look like the clean skins we announce ourselves as being. She'll be back around the same time as the Chinese swim sprinter, Sun, who our media have given a hard time to as well around the Mack Horton saga.

7. Jamie Kah. Party girl jockey and rubbed out for five months. Talk about over the top - despite not telling the whole truth, this seems excessive for a COVID breach. Racfing stewards are a lot harsher at times than the laws of the country. Go figure. She had a season with over 100 winners and it looks like they are keen to shuffle her back a peg or two. 

8. Tom Brady. Still the best. Tampa are on track. His mate Gronkowski ('Gronk') is also a complete gun. Both lost from the New England Patriots and both still carving it up.

9. Daniel Riccardo - GP Win. A first win in three years in the Italian GP last week. Such a huge sport through Europe and a 'shoey' to boot. Eight career wins now, but his true talents have not yet been fully seen.

10. Jordan Mailata - NFL. This guy is a supreme talent in that offensive tackle position with the Philadeliphia Eagles. Potentially a $100 million guy. A huge man and tough, who can sing like a bird. He would have scored some NRL tries as a junior! Have a look at the bloke in action as a junior in the NRL lower grades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH233ZDm-BA  (you can see young Harry Grant drop him a couple of times!).

The Wrap - Into the Hyperbaric Chamber

1. Finals Time. Judiciaries, arrogant referees, whinging players, hyperbaric chambers and the International Court of Sport Arbitration. Which ones will we need? Melbourne in both codes have warmed as favorites and loom as winners of both codes!

2. AFL. Two blow outs in both preliminary games. Port a bad loss in front of their home crowd and Geelong just lose the impossible and are the perennial losers. How often do they fall in a heap in big games? Gary Rohan seems to be the master of them, yet he won a game after the siren earlier this year. They seem to lack steel at key moments and there are some old legs there. Tuohy, Duncan, Dangerfield, Selwood, Guthrie... great players, but they lack speed as a team and on the ground they are weaker. Max Gawn killed them with five unexpected goals. 19 disposals for the big horse.

For Melbourne, Oliver was dominant and warming up for his Brownlow. Steven May's injury is a concern, but at least he has a two week recovery time now. Viney and Petracca were awesome. Salem too. 

The Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs game. A cracking start by the Bulldogs and they broke free. Daniel, Dale, Liberatore, Smith...all tremendous. Adam Treloar bounced back in style too. Port were so disappointing. They simply ran out of ideas. Luke Beveridge is a huge success story as coach. He recruits speed, talls and mobility low to the ground and gets the blend right. Bontempelli showed no signs of injury and was a star yet again.

Melbourne v Western Bulldogs should be a great Grand Final in two weeks in a unique and somewhat crazy year. The extra week will give recovery time for key injuries, but will frustrate the fans.

Not many sports have a whole week off to celebrate a game's prime award (the Brownlow, named after a great administrator and player from down Geelong way) on its own -19 September. GF on the following week, clashing with the NRL again.

3. Melbourne Storm. A cracking team of dominance. They are not losing the Grand Final this year. They lose Brandon Smith in a head clash and no one even notices. Not a step missed. How good is Christian Welsh? He is the soul of the club. So consistent and a smart bloke too. They are so together and play so well for each other. Tommy Turbo lost five cylinders in a very quiet and ordinary game really. Another week away from yet another Grand Final for Melbourne. They have not missed Cronk, Smith and Slater. Incredible.

4. NRL. What was worse, the Ikavalu drop for the Roosters when up by six points on his own goal line? Or was it the Lumelume fumble for Melbourne that gifted the try to Saab? Terrible, but that's finals footy. Unbelievable things happen. The Titans v Roosters was tight.  

Sam Walker not playing a minute until the last ten was a mistake (unless injured). He made a match saving try, but only after his earlier miss. However, the Roosters have changed the winning formula which was silly by Robinson. Lam is not that flash. Morris is at a different level to the others. A star under pressure, even if retiring. A cracking game and finish. Patrick Herbert was re-signed recently, but he just needed to pass the ball...

Can we ban the penalty goal? A blight on the game. Souths' defence was more enthusiastic than most weeks. Wayne Bennett is a gun and he lined up Cleary in the post match interview. He always seem to lift his teams when it matters. Origin..club... a winner. A champion team. The boot of Reynolds will be highly valuable for Brisbane. 

Surprising to see Souths panicking at the end of the game. Cody Walker was the worst offender - dribble kicks to no one, penalty given away at a key time. Composure and poise are critical at this time of the year. Walker needs to focus on this. Arrow played his best game for the club too.

The Eels were fair only. Why you would bench Matterson and play the peroxided forward escapes me. Matterson would be filthy. That is a straight change. Paulo has nothing to worry about, but Niokore does. Interesting to see Moses run the ball. The Knights were as shocked as the fans. The Eels lost their shape and attack as the game went on. They looked tired and troubled - not a pass or off load in sight. Waqa Blake played better than most other weeks, but still needs a good cut out pass for the ball to reach a winger. He never passes. Haze Dunster is far too small and not that quick. Hardly a team that had rested its stars the week prior. They may have saved Brad Arthur's career however. The Panthers will be rested and trouble free.

Manly v Roosters. Panthers v Eels. Storm and Rabbits have the week off. Storm play the the winner of Panthers v Eels. Souths play the winner of Manly/ Roosters. 

Souths have a significant advantage all of a sudden.

5. NRL Ill Discipline. Amazing how a few of those players not keeping the reputation of the game clean have been cut this past week or so - Elliott, Dugan, Packer, Joey Leilua, Curtis Scott for starters. Sponsors don't like them and the game and clubs worry. A player type of the past.

6. India v England Test Cricket. No final Test due to COVID and India win the series 2-1. Incredible. We would have had the same if the series was not locked up into the final SCG Test last summer. Convenient with the IPL about to restart? Can you believe the whinging from the Poms about vaccinations and coming into Australia. Stay away, Australians are out on their cricket team. It stinks to high heaven.

7. NFL 2021. Tampa Bay Buccs and Dallas Cowboys. Tom Brady is the biggest show in town - with Gronkowski and the controversial Antonio Brown. They have a 2021-2022 Superbowl winners tag hovering over their heads again. Superb start to the season.

8. US Open Tennis. Some sort of player this Djokovic character. A sensational effort v Zverev in the semi final and another win seems inevitable for the most Grand Slams ever. We are watching greatness here. He is not losing this final either. 

In the women's draw, Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez were the first teenage finalists at the US Open since Hingis v Serena Williams in 1999! England had not won a major tennis Grand Slam event since the 1970s - but have one now! 18 years old and wonderfully talented - even allowing for the Wimbledon pressure moment. For a qualifier to win the lot is awesome. Think Boris Becker in the mid 1980s, but he was unseeded, not a qualifier!  

9. EPL. Ronaldo two more goals, as if he has never been away. This bloke could just about be the best we've ever seen. Pele, Maradona, Messi...the lot. Both goals were a little soft, but he is always there! He has lifted the ManU crowd to great heights already. Some of the Ferguson spark has returned! 

10. Wallabies v Springbox. Is Quayde Cooper the Shaun Marsh of Australian rugby? Every time I see Michael Hooper getting beaten up as skipper, I am sympathetic. There are some players there who were not the financiers, lawyers and accountants of yesteryear. A lot seem not to have the footy smarts that once existed in rugby.

11. Justin Langer. How long does this charade continue? Poor old Justin is a dead man walking... Steve Waugh or Rick Ponting just would not allow the self centred player nonsense. Every era is slacker and different to the previous, who they judge harsher than their own.

12. Adam Scott. Two off the pace in the BMW Championship, but barely a star in sight. Now or never.

13. Riccardo. How long between F1 wins? Not confident of it being broken any time soon.

The Wrap - Goodbye and Good Riddance

1. NRL. Rest all the key players? What an annoying nonsense for the fans and the TV rights owners from Souths, Melbourne and Parramatta amongst others. The Sunday games were horrific - Titans v Warriors and Bulldogs v Tigers. Both whackings to nil! Does it get any worse? The end of the season for all of these teams could not come soon enough. The Mad Monday nonsense will no doubt follow the Bulldogs again. Ban that immature, unprofessional crap. 

It is actually refreshing to see the back of a few of these teams that have been so poor this year, especially the Broncos and Bulldogs. The Tigers were horrible as usual and Madge should start getting some cardboard boxes from Miller's Self Storage. Hopefully with all the players coming back after a week on the banana lounge, things will be stronger next week.

The Gold Coast sneak in and Josh Hannay, the relieving Sharks coach, should also go overseas to coach. His record is terrible. John Morris would have had the team neatly inside the eight.

Only Manly, Panthers and Storm can win it. Latrell will give the Toby Greene apology speech, but it can't save Souths.

2. Ban the Moron. A few players need to be sacked from the NRL - Will Chambers, Kane Evans, Matt Lodge (sticking the finger up at the crowd never looks good when you have a bad history), Josh Dugan and Josh Maguire. They should all be rubbed out for a long time. Foul play, poor examples to others. Does the game need them?

I am also looking for an instant sin bin if you interfere with a player pushed over the sideline or after a try is scored. No contact, jersey pulls or head rubs. Nonsense and it should be stamped out.

Spoon winners should also have to front up on Grand Final Day to receive them on the (roy) dias.

3. AFL. Melbourne v Geelong and Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs to determine the 2021 Grand Finalists. What a cracking Saturday night game with Brisbane at home v Western Bulldogs 79-78. The performances of Jack Macrae and Marcus Bontempelli were awesome. Bailey Smith was awesome when it counts, but he really needs a haircut. Ice blocks in the veins indeed! The Western Bulldogs were hectic on ball and the ball movement from both sides was incredible. Adam Treloar however needs to smarten up big time for the Dogs to progress further. Ten touches for the game is woeful. He is a star...maybe just an off night.  

4. England v India Test Cricket. Liked the fightback in Ollie Pope and the lower order of England in their first innings. However, India just love to bat and they are very good at it. They will put the screws on England and win this test yet. England simply cannot chase and win. Pant has not delivered yet and is due. 

5. EPL. Ronaldo #7 is a huge signing stamping ManU as a European powerhouse again. They will dominate again, but still have some formidable opponents. Arsenal have a chance at redemption this week coming. The other Manu has a broken jaw c/- Latrell.

6. Tom Trbojevic. What a player and how dominant? He is an awesome talent and easily the best in the game. He should displace Tedesco in Origin as well. The Dally M is safe with him. How about Garrick getting the record number of points in a season? He should thank Tom T for all those tries under the posts!

7. Wallabies v All Blacks. Apparently there was a game on? This sport is really skilled at keeping their biggest money spinner silent. The game is almost impossible to follow. They need a complete re-think. For the record, we got smacked and simply have no leadership or character. It is a rag tag team of blokes. Stunning how the game has fallen so far.

8. US Open Tennis. Naomi Osaka is a troubled soul at present, but she is not a gracious loser either. A great tournament in New York as always. Most of the biggest names are still alive into the second week of the tournament, but a few rising stars emerging. The cookie cutter tennis player is at home on hardcourts.

How would you feel if you were Kai Nishikori? He lost again to Djokovic and has not beaten him in seven years. Seven! That is some time without success. Djokovic picks up the most Grand Slam titles and a Grand Slam (four in the year) with victory here at Flushing Meadow too. Djokovic has won six of the past eleven Grand Slam events (Wimbledon cancelled last year). Dominant, whatever you think of him!

9. Ash Barty. A shock loss. Inexcusable as World Number 1 in some respects, but these things can happen. Hardcourts have not been kind to her.

10.  Dylan Alcott. Paralympics tennis player. This bloke is highly successful. Olympic Gold medallist and 14 time Grand Slam winner. He has won 7 straight Australian Open titles.

11. Anthony Seibold to English Rugby. This is a great signing. Seibiold knows the game and the patterns required for domination. Eddie Jones is very astute. A shame Australian rugby is not similar.

The Wrap - The Sin Bin

1. NRL. The Roosters are hanging on by a thread. So many injuries have killed them, but new guys are stepping up. Joey Manu did well in calling out Latrell. He was quite classy in calling him out for that terrible shot. There should be more of that as it hurts the brand of the offender more than you can imagine. People remember it and the player is put on notice. Latrell needs to sharpen up his game in this area. So talented, but not helping his team getting a six - nine week suspension. Yet another suspension. He is a lot better than that.

He needs to apologise publicly to Manu, but seems unable to do this.

What a misery the Dragons have been all year. Seven straight losses. They were crushed and have not won a thing since the BBQ. Lucky they had a few more points or the spoon would be theirs.

The Bulldogs need a complete broom. Trent Barrett - like Anthony 'Hook' Griffin - are on notice. They need to lift their club and their players. Selling stuff on eBay as a joke and restaurant bathrooms are not a great look - nor is putting Jack de Belin as your skipper. Note to self. Elliott needs to go, but will be re-signed by a club somewhere. He has tremendous ability, but is he good for your club culture?

2. Parramatta. A much better performance and famous win for them. The new centre Penisini was excellent. When a player has good defence it is a magnificent sign - especially against Jacob Olam. He needs to be a little speedier, but promising. Dylan Brown needs a big contract. His defence was awesome, saving at least two tries. He makes a huge difference when he has space to play. 

Fascinating to watch Melbourne under pressure and how they respond. Almost like the game they needed to lose before the semi finals. Lots of lying down and feigning injury looking for penalties and confusion. They seemed to put a lot of pressure on themselves at key times. Losing the fox was huge for them. This is what semi final pressure is all about - twists and turns and staring down adversity. Equally fascinating was Gutherson going off injured. Moses actually started taking on the line and using his pace. It also freed up Dylan Brown to play footy with flair and style. 

Poor Waqar Blake. He seems like a really nice guy. He'd be a great neighbour who you'd trust to take the bin out and bring the mail in, but not as your prime defensive first grade centre. When he plays wing he is a lot better. Niukore is a much better defensive option out wide. Much more trust.

Souths, Manly and Penrith suddenly have a spring in their step!

3. England v India Test Cricket. Jimmy Anderson is extraordinary. His command as a swing bowler has not been seen for many, many years. I am thinking maybe Hadlee was the last like him. A green pitch on an overcast day makes him impossible to play. This Ollie Robinson is accurate and talented too. Kohli v Anderson has been great. Kohli called him an 'old man' the other night. How old does that make us feel? Joe Root hits another first innings ton to equal Kevin Pietersen on 23 Test tons. The great Sir Alistair Cook has 33 test tons. He just might have a government ambassadorial job in Australia soon as well.

A great series unfolding with a crushing innings and 76 runs. 1-1 after three tests. Two tests to follow. A gripping series. However, India are still favourites to win 3-1 for mine.

If you bat under overcast skies in England you are playing a completely different game to batting under sunshine. Incredible differences. Like a 'day-night' test match to be honest. India look a bit short on batting. Pant at six looks a bit early. No Ashwin? He is the second best in the world who rips through left handers. England have a heap of lefties. 

Funny thing Ian Chappell said to Botham after a bar stoush (something like)... 'If you fight, only two things can happen - you go to hospital or jail. I don't fancy either of them..for you or me'.

4. AFL Semi Finals. Great intensity. Geelong got whacked on Friday night against Port Adelaide. They really know how to blow a game and lose. Yet they have a flag winning roster. They could fall over yet again, but surely they shine when it counts? They may need to trade a few of their older players or perish in future years.

Swans v GWS was a cracking game, but the Swans were exposed on two key fronts. One was their woeful accuracy on goal (three hit the post in the last quarter) and the other was pace. They have the skill and combinations (they can ill afford not to re-sign Parker just quietly), but the poise under pressure was lacking. Toby Greene needs to go to the hall of mirrors. So much talent but not a lot of thinking. He is a repeat offender sadly. GWS could still get through to play Port Adelaide with a win v Geelong.

The Melbourne juggernaut was extraordinary. They just steamrolled Brisbane and regathered their momentum when it looked shaky. Dominant. Max Gawn was again a star. Petracca was dominant too. Clayton Oliver has to be the Brownlow winner. He is everywhere. Brisbane seem to go to sleep at key times...like Geelong. Leadership issues on the field perhaps?

The Western Bulldogs had the tougher assignment when the heavens opened. They crushed the Essendon team and the stars gathered as one. They would have been devastated with an exit after a top four finish was let slip last week. They will atone v Brisbane who were flat and face Melbourne for a spot in the GF.

5. EPL. Ronaldo back at ManU. Amazing signing and huge for the club. They have surged in popularity again. He will continue to dominant. Could you imagine if he went to the arch rivals Man City? Arsenal's loss 5-0 was catastrophic. They are falling apart quickly. Artera may be in strife.

6. Socceroos - Graham Arnold. He is looking old but determined. One of our best ever coaches underway again for World Cup qualification.

7. Super Netball. Swifts beat Giants in a tight GF. A popular game in Australia, but television don't seem to be able to see the appeal.

8. Daniel Riccardo. Lots of great photos, great promises, smiles...but not many wins still. He has done better so far in the Belgium GP, but there is only one currency... podium finishes!

8. Paralympics. There are so many stories of inspiration and sadness. A great celebration.

9. Ash Barty. A winner again. mentally tough. Now just hoping she can stay fit on those hot hardcourts at Flushing Meadow in September! Back Djokovic for the win instantly now. He stands to become the greatest of all time with Federer and Nadal resting. 21 Grand Slam victories...ahead of the current 20 Grand Slam triple lock! An awesome feat that may never ever be beaten, even by Nadal and Federer.

The Wrap - By Buy Bye

1. NRL. The Knights are locked in to the semi finals which is a good recovery from earlier in the season. Pearce is still a clever player. The Tigers are just an embarrassment. They need a new mini-series with a better storyline. Coach Maguire has simply not got the cattle and they are not able to hear the message between the swear words. His efforts in 'Tiger Town' tell us why he has not clicked. You need to watch these stories from the inside...the casualties seem to mount up!

The Cowboys have been awful too. Todd Payten has been a huge disappointment after a bright start. St George looked good in patches but they were awful in the end. Surely de Belin was not put forward as skipper? The Roosters with all their injuries, still keep winning. Amazing really. Surely a few blokes might be ready to return for them soon.

Great work from the NRL and AFL television sound team. Amazing how the game can still sound exciting when no one is in the stadium!

2. The Coach's Sons. Jacob Arthur-Brad Arthur, Billy Walters-Kevin Walters and Kyle Flanagan and Shane Flanagan. You have to admire their passion for the game, but as soon as the son goes to the club. Watch out, bad things can happen. Not all are like Ivan and Nathan or John and Martin Lang.

3. Dud Buy of The Year? Chad Townsend to the Cowboys? Kyle Flanagan? Nick Cotric? Corey Allan? James Tamou? A cruel tag, but it does happen.

4. Best Future Buy? Ethan Bullemor is a ripping signature by Manly, once confirmed. You heard it here. This bloke could be like Menzies and will play State of Origin - no risk. Top talent spotting. An awesome signing.

5. Moses Mbye. Have I missed something about how he was so hotly in demand? St George have picked him up for 2022, but I hope they got a bargain. Has he done anything? Great person I am sure, but he must share the smartest manager in the NRL - Chad Townsend's manager.

6. AFL. A cracking final round. Very exciting. Port Adelaide crushed the hopes of Western Bulldogs in a tight win. Wines will go close to the Brownlow award this year.  Clayton Oliver should win it for mine however - so consistent. Bontempelli was very disappointing when he needed to excel. Brisbane then jam them out of the top four in an exciting chase to get their for and against right. . A costly loss by the Western Bulldogs who slipped to fifth. They have won it before from the impossible position, but this was a bad one. 

West Coast have been a misery it must be said in 2021, particularly lately. Interesting to see Buddy enter the nervous 990s for goals scored. A legend of the game with eight more goals till the 1,000th is reached!

A draw by the Hawks and Tigers too... a great send off for Alistair Clarkson. The great Bachour Houli retires too.

The Melbourne v Geelong game was simply outstanding. Geelong know how to lose after an unbeatable lead. How does that happen? The Melbourne comeback was stunning....and there they were...two points in it with a few seconds remaining... the great skipper himself Max Gawn marks on the siren and converts soon after! For the win... the minor premiership and the home final. Oliver awesome.

Eddie Betts has had a distinguished career too. Amazing efforts right to the end by Eddie for Carlton. Their coach, David Teague was funny... "I'll be sacked this week". Something to look forward to. Surely Ross Lyons is not the best option to replace him.

How much longer can the AFL persist with the Gold Coast Suns disaster? They are terrible...every year. Stuart Dew should resign and leave before he never ever gets another coaching job.

7. Justin Langer. As mentioned some weeks back, Langer is clinging on as Australian coach. Ponting is next choice surely. A winner in every way - or Steve Waugh. Langer has too many spoiled brats in the team and in the end, the coach is easier to shift than the coach. Too many squads, too many captains and when they falter, they whinge loudly. Some of these blokes would complain if a pot of gold fell from the sky at their feet while at training.."How do you expect me to get that to the car? Where's the trolley?"

8. Rugby Union. The amateur status is alive and well when the opponent (All Blacks) cancels out on the game without telling anyone. Essentially a forfeit! We'll take that outcome anyhow. A win for the Wallabies. The series sits at 2-1! That is as good as a series win. We're back!

9. Scottish Premier League. Well done to the prickly Ange Postocoglou, who it must be said is pretty successful as a football manager. His Celtic team are on top of the comp now. He may need to coach Justin Langer in media relations too! 

10. EPL. Everyone loves a sporting fairytale, but Brentford are newly promoted and unbeaten to start the season on 4 points. They need to get to 35 points to be safe from relegation, but these early points are gold! Ridiculously early days, but I fear for Norwich. They have already let in 8 goals in two matches!

11. Cameron Smith. A course record 60 at the Northern Trust PGA event. Still he is only the joint leader with Jon Rahme (a walking COVID success story). They are shooting the lights out of Liberty National in New York. Tomorrow will be different, Hurricane Henri is bearing down on the area and I'd be surprised if they get started at all - even for a couple of days.

12. Tennis. Ash Barty is killing them in Cincinnati ahead of the US Open. Hoping she doesn't go too hard ahead of the US Open like she did with the French (and had to withdraw injured). Into the final.

The Wrap - Trade Door and Mathematical Impossibilities

1. NRL. At the risk of sounding negative, I will plough on regardless. The Eels have hit rock bottom. Terrible in all respects.They were smacked and will do well to get a win v the Cowboys and any more wins in 2021. A shame there is a trade window - we need a trade door (double door!).

Brad Arthur is on shaky ground because there is something chronically wrong. He looks like he has lost the carpark and the dressing room. It all seemed to start around the time Gutherson started his on field blow ups with team mates, Ferguson was sacked, the Jacob Arthur selection and the contract fiascos. The wheels can't fall off that quickly in a stable team. The ill discipline is rampant... inside the team and clearly on the training paddock and leagues club. The basket case continues. 

At the press conference, Arthur says he is not sure what to do now. Can we assist Brad?

(a) Sack Waqar Blake instantly. 

(b) Put Nuikore in the centres. Remember how well he did and how you won when he was there?

(c) Allow players to offload the ball and play footy. You have shackled that and Junior Paulo has been stifled.

(d) Omit your son from the squad and look beyond.

(e) Get the defence right out wide as other coaches are making you look stupid. Stop leaking tries on the fringes and see (a) and remove Blake from the team.

(f) Get rid of the hopeless inside ball from a lacklustre half back edging across the field. Watch Jarome Hughes at the Storm and compare notes.

(g) Recruit speed in your outside backs.

(h) Hire Dylan Brown in a five year deal - no less.

(h) Sack Haze Dumpster and let him play for the Rouse Hill Rhinos. Send Oldfield there too.

(i) Trade out the whole backline. Start again and recruit talent that works toegther.

(j) Sack Gutherson if he can't agree to terms quickly. 

2. Mathematical Disaster Cases. When teams talk about "mathematically" making semi finals you know they have had a pathetic year. The Tigers fit this. I still think Newcastle will make it based on their draw.

3. Manly. Manly have built a tremendous team and if Tommy Turbo stays fit, they could go close. His injury could derail the current run. Hasler has been the coach of the year... just after Craig Bellamy.

How many times can we hear that a player has "wound back the clock"? Kieran Foran is Mr Daylight Saving.

4.  NRL Millionaires. The millionaires are rare NRL players. Gutherson and Kikau are not in this class.

5. Wallabies. A loss 57-22...can it get any worse? We are clueless and the game is so troubled. Such a shame. Pop quiz: name five Wallabies!

6. EPL - Brentford. Promoted to the EPL and they beat Arsenal. A great story. First victory over them since 1947! The canaries of Norwich are back again and they already look like relegation chances.

7. AFL. Awful loss by the Western Bulldogs. Melbourne back in the winners list and the Swans too good. Get rid of the bye round before the finals! A blight on the game.

Apparently the Delta virus is refusing to go to WA! Their stadiums are full.

8. Test Cricket. Jimmy Anderson continues to be the best seamer in the world... still. Another five wickets v India. Joe Root is in special form. Five tons for this year and a 180no. He is fast becoming one of the all time greats for England.

He is two tons short of being the second best ever! Lots of 50s and a better conversion rate now.

9. Kevin Costner Field of Dreams. What a cracking concept! White Sox v Yankees! Superb and the cane fields still in tack too. Loved it!

10. Nick Kygrios' sister, Halimah. She is a better singer than Nick. Even Shazam recognised her song. Talent.

The Wrap - Gold Medal COVID Lockdown

 1. Olympics. Some great Aussie moments, including Rohan Browning and Peter Bol. The Decathalete looks the goods and our distance runners seem to have lifted dramatically. Rare we are there. Starc looked good in the high jump (jumping higher than his brother's bouncers), so did our discus throwers, but we are fourth and fifth so much...not terrible, but no medals there. Most have been to US Colleges to strengthen their understanding, training and ability. The Nicola McDermott high jump silver medal was a great effort. How that bar dropped off on the last jump I will never know.

Really enjoyed the track and field coverage - Bruce is gold and Dave Colburt was also very funny and knowledgeable. One of his lines in the high jump..."A close shave for the Brazilian".

How Emma McKeon doesn't carry the flag at the closing ceremony is beyond me. Seven medals? Sounds like a classic Olympic administration decision. Had anyone thought to put her in the penthouse of the Toyko Hyatt or similar and keep her there for a week to deservedly lead the nation into the stadium? Don't give the COVID excuse...

What about our Australian hurdler that knocked down every hurdle? That is the stuff of the Year 9 heats at a school athletics carnival. Drunkeness on the plane going home...sneaking out to get a few beers... Very Aussie!

Interested to see how the US track team has lost some of their mojo - but not in the 4 x 400m relays! The absence of drugs generally is noticeable with the times and size of athletes. Hopefully the 100 metre champion Italian, Jacobs doesn't fall for the old post Olympics steroid trick. The same for the 4 x 100m. Can't cop the ROC being involved. How does that work after a ban?

Loving that new track and field entry point and introduction start - and the tense music pre-race. One for Spotify. Good innovations!

2. NRL. Manly v Storm was their first real test in seventeen weeks! Manly did really well, but were still not good enough to beat them. The Storm are so far in front it is ridiculous. Christian Welsh is outstanding. He is also very smart. So is Jarome Hughes and Brandon Smith, let alone their superstars. Brilliant team and coaching. Their discipline is amazing...not a silly boring inside ball in sight! No charge downs, no loose play and rarely is there poor discipline. Conversely, is there a reason Will Chambers was not wanted back?

The Panthers miss Cleary, but they also need more speed in their team too. Quick and quality outside backs are hard to find. Manly have made some sort of comeback. Tommy Turbo is the Dally M winner clearly and it is amazing to see how good Foran is playing at present too. A different player to his efforts at the Bulldogs. The Dogs will be happy to get Burton however. A gun.

3. AFL. How bad were the Swans when a top four spot was on the line? The pressure and intensity of the St Kilda team really exposed the Swans. Buddy was barely seen. Very disappointing. Geelong were even worse v GWS with such a star studded roster. At least Port held on. The Western Bulldogs collapsed too. The desperation of teams to make the finals is a powerful motivator.

Extremely disappointing re racist comments by players and fans to other humans. Tex has had a great year on the field. A sad disgrace. Allir Allir has made a massive difference at Port Adelaide this year and was the MOTM on Saturday night...he too cops it.

4. Australian Cricket. Out and out dud performances, but a consolation final win. We truly are flat track bullies and the Bangers smashed us. Our arrogance is unbelievable in cricket. It is a team that the nation barely cares much for these days. Our T20 team could well be the worst in the world. 

Great series of India v England at present. Jimmy Anderson still has the goods and on English decks he could rip through Australia for years to come! Our batting is just awful and the nation needs some serious work here or we will be whipping boys for years to come. You see it in England too. All flashy T20 bats and money vacuums.. no hard grinding bats.

5. Rugby. All Blacks v Wallabies. We are just an automatic loss to be frank. Our late tries flattered us, but we simply do not compete at the key times. You do wonder if there is a plan at all. Rennie says we are getting closer. Closer to what? Closer to respectable losses perhaps? We look so out of our depth.

6. Parramatta and Brad Arthur. Brad has the full support of the Board. Watch out! Not sure how Jake Arthur figures here, but this may be the undoing of Brad Arthur. The slide has coincided with this meteoric rise to first grade. A good young talent, but maybe a good leg up or two at times too. Brad may not be splitting that fine line between family and business well enough. With Manly, Storm and Panthers to come, they will be out in the first week of the semis if they get there. 

The downhill slide has also coincided with the lack of adventure in their play. Offloads need to happen! Simple. They have dried up and Paulo needs to be able to play footy. The forwards are certainly good enough, but their backs.. get rid of the lot of them. Campbell-Gillard is a real loss when he is injured. 

Haze Dumpster is not first grade material. Opacic, Ferguson, Blake... trade the lot. If they were footy cards, you'd leave them on the bus. They are not good enough and certainly not fast enough. The club lacks speed - simple. Speed wins, especially with the current rules adjustments. There are no speedsters in the club. Poor recruitment.

While Gutherson is a talent, I would also give the captaincy to someone else. Lack of composure. I am not convinced Moses is your only option as well, but a top half back is hard to find. Gutho has suddenly lost all speed too. This nullifies his abilities. Re-sign him? I'd be in New Zealand looking at young rugby talent, with Dylan Brown before he walks out the door. Dylan Brown is a premiership winner. He just needs backs who are too. He played at his best without Moses. I would put him at half back and buy a five eight.

7. Oh Brother. Has anyone in NRL or Parramatta approached Beauden Barrett? He and his brothers (Jordie and Scott) would be better than the other famous NZ brothers: the Crowe brothers (Jeff and Martin RIP), the Bracewell brothers (John and Brendan), the Marshall brothers (Hamish and James), the McCullum brothers (Nathan and Brendan) and the Paul brothers (Henry and Robbie) - or the Gear brothers (Hosea and Rico) or the Brooke brothers (Robin and Zinzan). 

8. Skateboarding/ BMX. If nothing else is ever gained from lock down, we may have produced a generation of future gold medallists in these two sports! 

9. Lionel Messi. Gone from Barcelona? It's like Cameron Smith leaving the Storm and playing for another club! PSG may pick him up. Great if an EPL team did. Noticed Leicester won the Community Shield game v Man City on the weekend. What a great success they have been in the past few seasons.