1. The Ashes. When a team starts looking at weather forecasts over their plans, they have lost before the battle has really started. Australia batted appallingly in the first innings. Starts and not much more on a decent deck where they could have pushed for victory. The second innings was not much better and an hour or two of play was all that was/ will be needed. So from 2-0 up and on the cusp of glory...back to possibly 2-2. Negative field placements, short pitched rubbish bowling.
Marnus stepped up at the right time, helped by those silly deep leg side fields that this Ashes tour has seen grow out of control for both teams. Boring cricket by many measures.
In the Third Test we lost after having them 6/171... Short pitched rubbish bowling again. Defying belief they keep it going in the fourth test. Stupidity of the highest order. The captain is rightfully needing to be questioned strongly by the media - not cream puff questions. Lucky he won the Test Championship recently. Ronald McDonald has done pretty well, but this is not clever when the Hamburgular is close by.
2. The Ashes - Player Spotlight. Cameron Green needs to lift today. D-Day. His technique is simply too lumbering at times - not good enough. It is getting to axing time for him soon if he doesn't produce, especially with Marsh arriving so powerfully. 35 innings in tests and he has been bowled or LBW in 55% of the time (Tendulkar was 39%, Smith 36%, Ponting only 32%, Steve Waugh 30%. The great LBW third umpire review man himself was Shane Watson 42% - admittedly all over many more innings).
Dave Warner also needs to hit the ball straighter down the ground. The best batsmen do this because their technique and eye sight is right. Those who just look for runs on the drive square of the wicket are doomed - especially in England. We all know how hard it is to execute a straighter drive. Warner was very silly calling out a SCG retirement. He looks set to go a long time before then. Heaven help us when Khawaja, Warner and Smith retire. Is Will Pucovski any better?
Carey's batting has been pretty ordinary as well. There have been a lot of Australian keepers with good hands and gloves...think Rixon, Zoehrer, Dyer, Emery, Woolley, Wright, Maclean, Manou, Nevill and Paine (no Test tons), but these days we need a reliable 30-50 runs each time... and tons. Gilchrist scored 17 of them. Healy, Haddin and Wade all scored four Test tons. Marsh got two and Wayne B. Phillips got two. Carey has one.
3. NRL - Wrap.
- A long time waiting for success, but Adam O'Brien keeps on defying the critics - and the journalists who battle to understand him. They are pretty slick and are using two firebrand 'rejects' - Tyson Gamble (Broncos) and Jackson Hastings (Tigers) - to really good effect. They played with great intensity against Melbourne for the victory.
- North Queensland keep steaming on. Absolutely impossible to beat them in the humidity up there. Parramatta were a mess in Darwin earlier in the season and exactly the same v North Queensland. No learning, especially with ball control.
- Great to see Waqar Blake back from his exile. His special brand of incompetence in defence has been missed. Great runner off his own try line in trouble, but sadly the other players around him have absolutely no faith in him. Haze Dumpster is no better. They need strong and fast outside backs.
- The Cowboys are in excellent defensive hands with Paul Bowman. He was a mastermind on the sand tackling sessions back in the premiership winning day. Their defence will get them into a preliminary final again. Some sort of coaching effort by Todd Payton who started terribly in 2023.
- Andrew Webster has done an outstanding job with the Warriors. Their whole crowd war cry before the game is something else!
- The Sharks...oh my goodness. A defensive mess. Suddenly they are being questioned big time. Wade Graham and Dale Finucane will sharpen them up.
- The Tigers... save us. They have now signed two unknowns. That will sell memberships and win a comp? They have at least five to eight years of misery ahead.
- Just jot this one down...Ethan Sanders, a lower grade/ junior half at Parramatta is set to join the Raiders. He could be the next great thing in NRL halves. No chance getting past Mitchell Moses who is in career best form.
4. AFL. The top four are almost sealed now: Collingwood, Port, Brisbane and Melbourne. Hard to believe that Carlton and Richmond are still in close contention for the top eight. Discussion recently of a wild card round to get into the top eight is a great fundraiser for marginal teams! Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and GWS are solidly into fifth, but no errors will be possible. A tight table, a little like the NRL.
Port v Collingwood was a tough game. Possibly the best we have seen all year. Port are really benefiting from their pacy midfield. Such a success story, but Collingwood are the comeback experts and knocked them over by a couple of points. They sneak well ahead on the table and firm for the minor premiership first place.
Swans squeak home, but are still so inconsistent, especially in the final quarter. Both the Melbourne Demons and Swans are terrible in the final quarter. The Swans are a win behind the best after a few shocking losses. The draw with Geelong and loss to Richmond a few weeks back will be regretted.
5. British Open. Always something magic about the Open Championships, and at courses like Royal Liverpool. A place where wind can be your worst enemy. It always seems to throw up a surprise performer. Brian Harman is that person in 2023. It is his to lose five shots up into the final round. Unfortunately when a little known player looks like winning, the interest fades for many fans.
Jon Rahme never seems far away either. What a talent! Viktor Hovland is often there or thereabouts too. Jason Day is doing real well too - a little unexpectedly. India even have a top ten player in Shubhankar (not to be confused with 'Shrub shankar').
Why do black Afro-American golfers seem to be in short supply on the world circuit? World golf may need to ponder that equity question, but never will.
More pleasant weather on the west coast there than at Manchester. Back to Royal Troon next year.
6. Football World Cup - The Matildas. A fabulous crowd for their first game and win v the Irish. Hopefully Sam Kerr is back soon. The fans want to see the best in the business. An exciting tournament, with the scope of the tournament on par with the men with 32 teams! The USA are the team to beat.
We should knock over Nigeria, but Canada will be tough. Not an easy group to be in as hosts! Losing host nations are rare.
7. Wimbledon. Great five set win by young Alcaraz. No 24th Grand Slam for Djokovic!
8. Wallabies v All Blacks next week. I wonder how many mug punters can name ten blokes in the 110 man Wallaby squad? Once upon a time everyone knew them all! Eddie Jones is under pressure already. Can we aim up or will it be the same old, same old? Hard to see us troubling the top nations.
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