1. State of Origin. Called out here years back. The involvement of the Pacific Islander players and International talent. I think there is an All Stars game for lots of this, but having one or two reserves max. for each Origin team would be interesting. Origin risks becoming stale. The crowds late in 2020 tell us that the product may need to be rejuvenated. That or a double header of 'North v South' in the NZ/ Pacific Islander talent group.
2. NRL Progress. Some of the results in the NRL this weekend may see some NRL coaches ended soon. Trent Barrett seems relaxed about the duck egg dogs. No points in three games is pretty terrible. Manly look awful and Cowboys will get the spoon on current efforts. The Broncos are barely much better. Kevin Walters actually looks quite pale and sick. They have a culture problem there.
Ryan Papenhuyzen was absolutely superb for the Storm. Four tries in ten minutes, but the Broncos just let them waltz on through. The attitude to defence is a true sign of fitness and attitude. Great to see players like Cook, Walker, Hughes in full flight! Even Matt Moylan looked relaxed and was enjoying running rings around the Cowboys. NRL at its best.
3. AFL. The Swans really looked slick v Richmond in front of a fullish MCG. A superb performance really against all odds. Adelaide v Suns was a cracker as well. Essendon were a surprise package but North Melbourne may need to pack up and move to Tassie soon. They were absolutely dreadful, getting thumped by the Western Bulldogs who look very sharp and September bound. Port Adelaide struggle on the road, making them difficult to back in Melbourne - or Perth. West Coast looked electric. However, St Kilda were not good v Dons... and Shane Warne was not happy either! I wonder if St Kilda FC ever sent tweets to Warnie to get his house in order as he lurched from one controversy to another back in the day?
4. Sheffield Shield. The competition is still bumbling along at very low rating suburban grounds as they take a massive back seat to the football codes. Kurtis Patterson is in shocking form when he really has an opportunity to make his mark. Sangha a first Shield ton... Doran in Tassie making a name for himself. Green no wickets as usual, but why is Mitchell Marsh playing? He is unavailable for the IPL (starting this week) because it is too hard to travel and quarantine. Does this tell you something? It certainly tells me he will be black balled from the IPL in future.
5. Ash Barty - Miami Open Tennis Final. Ash Barty is on fire and has been world number one for a fair stint now. What a top achievement! Bianca Andreescu is an exceptional talent too, but Barty has the killer instinct. Hopefully it converts to more majors soon.
She is a breath of fresh air compared to the whining from greedy tennis players against their own organisation, the ATP. Inevitable that there will be a Super League divide here soon! Sadly, often players do not know what it takes to arrange a tournament and like to whine instead. Their behaviour in Melbourne re COVID hopefully educated a few about a country that took COVID-19 seriously... but there were none of them in the final few days of the tournament...funny that!
6. Masters - Augusta, Georgia. Huge issues are now emerging over the treatment of black Americans in the state of Georgia where the Masters are held. This could impact the tournament if some sanity is not returned to the decisions around voting lines in the state. Otherwise there may be no tournament. The Major League baseball have already moved their All Stars game.
7. Tim Tsyzu. This fellow is devastating the boxing world. Awesome strength, fitness and talent. A world championship belt or two, or three, or four...seems very close.
8. Moses Mbye. He has already signalled his own exit from the Wests Tigers and wants another club. Please... good luck finding a club silly enough to pay overs on what they have seen. The reality of an average wage are tough reality checks for some NRL players. It is a revolving door down in Tiger town at present. Knowing who to keep seems to have been the biggest challenge.
9. GWS. The drums are beating for Leon Cameron, coach of the GwS. So much talent and so under cooked. Lots of players leaving... They need a change, while their roster is still well stocked. Otherwise it could be a eight-ten year problem.
10. Central Coast Mariners. A great turn around in 2021 at the club. Unbelievable really in leading the comp after many weeks into the season! The Wanderers are looking brighter in 2021, but are too inconsistent. The W-League Sydney FC team look hard to catch now.
11. EPL. There is movement below in the table, but Man City have the trophy engraved. Stunning 5-2 win by West Brom over Chelsea. The thought of relegation post Christmas gets a few trying harder!
12. German Football. A home loss to North Macedonia 1-2 was one of their worst ever mid week. Further evidence that football is played everywhere and well in most parts. If you drop your guard... ouch!
13. The Olympics. Why is it you get the feeling that the Olympic Games are unfortunately a tarnished product these days? COVID impacted of course with cancellations and no international crowds for Tokyo, little publicity...The International Court of Sport Arbitration are weaving their magic once more too and have the Chinese swimmer Sun Yang in the clear. There will be others as well. The mix of sports is comical too. Back to its roots and back to basics may need to be their new mantra soon.
14. 'B' Sample Bronson Xerri. Joining the NFL? It would help to have good hands first. For such a talent, his ball skills are in need of a big shift. He would last all of five minutes.
15. Gonzaga University Basketball. Not often I watch basketball but after a record breaking season of 30 wins - 0 losses, Gonzaga played UCLA in the NCAA Championships (final four teams) today for the right to contest the National Championship final on Monday v Baylor University.
It was 90-90 until the last second when Jalen Suggs sunk one from mid court on the buzzer to win it 93-90. An extraordinary moment as Gonzago now contest the final to become the first undefeated college basketball team since 1975/76. First draft picks are lining up in this game.
My son Liam heads there to Gonzaga this year for a baseball scholarship - but can't play basketball at all! The baseball team head their West Coast conference at present too, so things are looking up at Gonzaga.
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