The Wrap - Brisvegas and Finals Beltings

1. NRL - Preliminary Final I. Panthers v Storm. A smash up 38-4. Liam Martin and Fisher-Harris are just so tough. Moses Leota is like granite. How impressive is he? Spencer Leniu's leg speed is also up there with Payne Haas. These guys have second tier forwards like Sorensen and Lindsay Smith who are amazingly athletic too. Luke Garner won't be upset he left the Wigers!

Cleary simply dominates and steers the team so well. His kicking game - goal kicking and general play - is exceptional. So is his defence. They just do it so clinically...Yeo and Luai are a little formidable combination too. The five eight is so at home with Crichton and To'o outside him. 

Their defensive patterns are incredible. Everyone is crystal clear on their role. Izack Tago is a weak link and Turuva is a little worrying at times. Kevin Walters should get Brad Arthur on the phone...but last year Penrith played the most perfect half of rugby league that has been seen in a Grand Final ever... maybe since the Knights pulverised Parramatta or Melbourne crunched Parramatta too.

The Storm were hampered by injuries all year and did well compared to their usual teams. Some cheap shots when the game was done need to be ironed out. This is a great club. They don't need to do that and it doesn't help anyone anyhow. 

2. NRL - Preliminary Final II. Broncos v Warriors. A smash up 42-12. You can't win semi-finals with poor goalkicking. Surely after three tries Shaun Johnson steps in and does it. Pompey was horrible...like the Canberra halfback who did the same. On the other hand, Reynolds and Cleary don't miss a beat. The Wahs forwards went missing off their own goal line and the old Blacktown Pats lad, Josh Curran needed to be on earlier. He is high quality and an aggressive force that gets the team moving.

Carrigan is tough. Payne Haas is a supreme athlete...how quick is he too? Reece Walsh is scintillating. The quickest player we have seen for many, many years. Faster than Slater. Maybe would have nudged Martin 'Chariots' Offiah and Lee Oudenryn in their 1992 match race.

Ezra Mann has done a top job this year. he has filled a huge hole they had in past seasons. 15 tries this season!

The home ground advantage for the Broncos all year has been staggering so let's see how they go in Sydney. The Panthers are a machine and are so slick. Their defence is stronger and this will be the difference. The Broncos have lapses. They can also become a little offload happy, even if they do unsettle the defence. Corey Oates may be needed in the team - taller and a bigger body to get them out of trouble.

• Dally M Player of the Year - Nathan Cleary.
• Premiers - Panthers

3. NRL Referee. The Grand Final referee in Brisbane v Warriors will not be Gerard Sutton. Surely he misses the big gig. Gerard has ability, but two forward passes in one try? Please. The bunker sit silent again... how hard is it? How is the technology going with the forward pass and the chip in the footy? The bunker is like the desalination plant. An expensive waste of time.

Ashley Klein had a quiet weekend out of the limelight. Hopefully Ashley learns a little humility. He will have company next week. Honestly. These blokes make errors, but too many when it counts. 

Sadly the North Sydney Bears bowed out in the semi-final of the NSW Cup today.

4. AFL - Preliminary Final. Collingwood v GWS. Tight, but GWS needed to capitalise earlier in the final quarter. Collingwood played with good intensity but were the better team. They will need to be sharper v Brisbane. They can go into lulls and certainly miss Noble at the back.

5. AFL - Preliminary Final. Carlton v Brisbane. Carlton's start was electric, but this has been their problem all season...sustained effort over four quarters. They barely scored in the second and third quarters. The Brisbane mids really moved the ball well. Lucky Charlie Cameron had a shocker. They will go close.

Amazing to see the skill set of the finest AFL players in pressure finals. Incredible.

• Brownlow Medal - Christian Petracca (Melbourne).
• Premiers - Brisbane.

A big week in Brisbane this week...two Grand Finals: AFL and NRL!

6. Australian ODI Cricket. This mob have under performed for a long time. They were very lucky the Wallabies were such a disgrace last week as losing 2-3 after being up 2-0 was appalling. They then double down against a reserve grade Indian team and lose there too. 

The great under performer is Cameron Green. More chances than a Monopoly game. Everyone tells us he is a super talent and we have seen glimpses, but he is on borrowed time. He needs to be dropped on his head and sent back to learn the craft. Unfortunately we don't have enough good players to do this at present. Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Martyn S Waugh, M Waugh...(notably, not Adam Gilchrist) were all dropped and sent packing. All came back harder and better.

One pleasing sign is Steve Smith leading Australia in the second ODI. He has an amazing winning record. Pat Cummins is too injured and takes too many games off to be the skipper.

7. Ange. Tottenham v Arsenal. Tottenham had not won at the Etihad for thirteen years. Ange could gather legendary status early on with a victory.

8. PM XIII. They always seem to play this game at the strangest time in the wrong time of the day and it makes it a non-event really. Surely you play it on a Sunday when there is no other footy on? No lights? No NRL future. Some of the selections in the Australian team...please. Two St George players...Sloan and Lomax? They were appalling all year. We were warned that it was never going to be easy under Albanese.

9. Wallabies. Eddie Jones is already telling the media and world that he may be sacked. 1-6 will do it for you. He has been speaking to Japan we are told too. Incredible deception if true. The media won't miss this after the way he carried on before leaving for the World Cup. Dave Rennie may be back soon. 

Eddie doesn't seem to care so much. We have all now got the view that we will be rolled by Wales over night and turfed out with one win v Georgia (congratulations). The press conference before he left was right. He is a problem and has no future now. It will be interesting to see his behaviour at that media gathering when he comes back home (if he does...)...'come here and say it'?

This is footage which reveals much: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_spRAunfwaA  

10. Oscar Piastri. A podium finish for a rookie F1 driver. Impressive stuff in the Japan GP.

The Wrap - Hippopotamus Refs and NASA Designed Batting Gloves

1. NRL. A huge statement by the Warriors who are always stronger at home than in Australia. The Knights have done really well, but couldn't produce when it mattered.

Is it just me or do the New Zealanders need a few more lights on that home ground? It looks like a Craven Mild Cup pre-season games from the mid 1970s... dark spots, shadows. Like Crestwood Oval under lights.

The Storm keep winning, even with injuries and with the weakest team they have on the park for a few years now. A shattering way for the Roosters to lose, but it is an 80 minute game and it was an almost perfect kick from Munster who might have had his tail kicked if they had not scored... no field goal. The Roosters were pretty strong...with so many outside backs missing again in 2023 (same as late in 2022).

Referee Ashley Klein surely cannot be in control of the Grand Final or next week's games. He is becoming a lottery and seems to complicate things too often. That missed knock-on was awful. Surely it could have been called back? Touch judges? I suspect the egos of the top refs prevents their colleagues from weighing in to advise. Hippopotamus referees - big mouths and small ears. He certainly didn't miss the tackles downfield that let in that soft try however.

How ordinary is it not having the rugby league wall to wall on TV? The Warriors make it even worse with a late afternoon game. No Sunday league? There has to be a PM XIII game or something surely. The scheduling is woeful. Viewers are a demanding lot these days!

The Broncos play yet another game at home... what a draw in 2023.

2. AFL. Melbourne are getting a bit of a habit of losing tough and important games. They had chances late to Gawn, Pickett and Oliver, but surrendered the lead at the end. Carlton have had a cracking year. They almost sacked Coach Voss, but he survives and with it, Carlton goes to Brisbane to try and make a Grand Final.

On the other side of the draw, the strength of GWS is rising fast. Their ball movement and speed in their mid field is awesome. Toby Green is hated, but gee he is an impressive player under pressure. The burst of goals in the second quarter v Port Adelaide was outrageous. They now play Collingwood.

The AFL Review voice is slick - and quick. Possibly one of the best review mechanisms in world sport really. Very few errors.

3. Vale AFL Legend - Ronald Dale Barassi Junior. 17 Grand Finals for 10 premierships as a player/ coach in AFL is up there with the great Norm Smith. Surely a memento needs to be struck in perpetuity for his memory. A famous moustache! A hard arse and a success. Some cracking half time sprays are emerging on video now.

4. AFL Draft. The Swans getting Brodie Grundy in the draft would be a huge positive. He has a lot of upside in the ruck situation and would transform back into one of the best in the AFL under Longmire. When will the NRL have a combine or draft? It makes the game an outstanding all year circus!

3. ODI Cricket. Adam Zampa has equalled Mighty Mick Lewis with the worst ODI figures by an Australian. 0/113! Awful for the Wisden ODI Bowler of The Year last year. South Africa have stormed back to 2-2 with the decider upcoming. We always fear the reality of Australian batting collapses. 99 to Carey was welcomed.

Two great ODI innings this week just gone: England's Ben Stokes 182 (124 balls and the highest ODI score ever by an English player) and South Africa's Heindrich Klassen 174 (83 balls)! Klaasen's bat sounded sweeter than most. You can't buy that quality at Mick Simmonds!

Surely after years of sending people to the moon, we can design a batting glove that prevents a broken hand. Can the women and men at NASA help? Surely there can be improvements. Travis Head now has a broken hand and will be a huge loss.

4. Wallabies. Beating Georgia was encouraging and then hopefully a victory tonight v Fiji soon. Extraordinary that there is no absolute confidence exists that the Wallabies will win that game. James Slipper playing in his fourth World Cup - some sort of effort!

Can we have a mid-week game? Fifteen games on a weekend! Awful scheduling for us as viewers.

5. EPL - Ange Mania. Voted the EPL Manager of the Month. This reminds us all that EPL premierships are not won in September. May usually! Their game v Sheffield United is a precursor to the real deal in the coming weeks. They were lucky to escape, but good teams find a way. The next two weeks will really test them.

6. Relevance Deprivation Syndrome - Tim Paine and Willie Mason. Can someone advise the former Australian captain that his views on world cricket are not that important? He seems to get a lot of air play for someone seeking a lower profile. We have all read the book, but he seeks relevance and controversy seemingly. It used to be poor Neil Harvey - or Willie Mason. 

Poor Willie bagging out Tyson Gamble. He is on the Bulldogs coaching staff who lost 108-6 to the Knights this year in two games, including 66-0. Not sure that was a sensible opinion of Gamble, who played finals and won one too, no matter what his demeanour on field is like. Forwards coach at the Bulldogs in 2023 is not one to keep on the resume.

7. Mr Brightside. What a horse it has become. The Makybe Diva Stakes performance was awesome. A major player in the spring now. Others to impress: Amelia's Jewel, Think It Over and Private Eye. 

9. End of Season Blues. Not a lot on TV for the fans now... a bleak dearth of sport to be frank on our screens. NRLW (how bad is Parramatta - losing by the biggest NRLW margin on record?) and AFLW (improving skills and kicking) is the main fare now...or the Singapore GP. 

10. NRL - Other Grand Finals. Extraordinary result in the NSW Women's Grand Final. A 1-0 (yes) win to Mounties over the Bulldogs. In the men's NSW Cup Grand Final, the North Sydney Bears are back in a Grand Final v Souths! Some nostalgia there! Coach? Jason Taylor. He can certainly coach, but has struggled at times in the top flight. Rumours are that a few people saw him smile post game. He last smiled with Ray Price in 1986.

11. Davis Cup Tennis. A sabotaged wreck of a model these days when compared to its traditional format from earlier days, but Lleyton Hewitt is a marvel. Australia through to the final eight when misery and third tier tennis looked our only option! Not a Kgyrios or a Tomic in sight.

12. Ludvig Aberg. A name to watch in world golf. From Sweden in that Bjorn Borg likeness of mental toughness. A PGA dominator of the future.

13. Novak Dokjovic. The world's best. The best ever, but how can you still be so unpopular?

The Wrap - Wah Wah Knees

1. NRL Finals. The Broncos stunned everyone to blow the Storm off the park. No points to the Storm was incredible. Their high standard right across the park was extraordinary. Of course, their home ground advantage was immense. They have been given a complete rails run this season. Out of 24 season games, they played 12 games at Suncorp and 19 games in QLD (Gold Coast, Townsville, Sunshine Coast - one in Darwin). Only a handful out of town. This will cost them.

Is it a stretch to say that the Warriors looked like they were a bit disinterested with Shaun Johnson ruled out. They return home to host the next final. They seemed OK about that. Go "Wahs"!

Liked the look of the Roosters. How strong and tough was that game.?A silly missed conversion by Trindall early didn't help the Sharks, but how did young Brailey miss that try? Incredible Neville Glover moment. Not sure what the Sharks need to progress further. Possibly one good forward short. Injuries don't help. Defence seems to be their problem. Great backline. Not sure if Nicho is a halfback. Lindsay Collins is an Australian Kangaroo prop. Awesome!

The loss of Suaalii, Warea-Hargreaves and Manu surely puts the Storm well ahead. Although losing Papenhuyzen and possibly Coates evens things up too.

The Knights? Up by 12 and then a Canberra surge! Extra time and all at the Knights home ground but the Knights need some better legs in their forwards. Not sure the rotation of their bench worked well enough.

The Knights were anchored on their own tryline for sooooo long and leaked points! Ricky certainly has the forwards, not the backs, although the replacement winger Schiller had a top game. The Knights needed to play with width. The Canberra forwards loved it. Jack Wighton is a tremendous player.

10 straight wins for Newcastle. Referee Ashley Klein loves a tight game and the final penalty was cruel. 

Three big features of the weekend:

• Unbelievable first half errors kept flowing for the Storm, the Roosters and the Knights.
• Bad goal kicking errors hurt both Cronulla (Trindall) and Canberra. We somehow expect 100% in finals! (May need to recruit the French rugby goalkicker!).
• Charge downs from winning field goal shots abounded. Tedesco, Keary, Gamble, Frizzell... special efforts.

Some interesting footy ahead! Panthers and Broncos have the week off (How superior are both teams?). Melbourne v Roosters (in Melbourne) and Warriors v Knights (in NZ). No games in Sydney once again. 

1A. Val Holmes. Surely not. Tell me it is a small bag of stale sugar from a dodgy hotel in-room tea and coffee stand.

2. AFL Finals. Collingwood are beatable, but were too good for Max Gawn's Melbourne Demons. They have been the best all year and a week off will assist them to freshen up. 

Swans trailed by 30 points and finally lost by six points. That has been the story of their year. Close losses cannot be tolerated as they cost you badly. Draws and narrow losses reflect a mindset. They could not kick straight once again and need to protect this space...practice harder!

GWS too strong 101-77 v St Kilda. They are a club with amazing steel under their newer coach. St Kilda bow out with nothing again! Brisbane were dominant and could win the flag yet.

Collingwood - Brisbane now have the week off. Just Melbourne, Carlton, Port Adelaide and GWS left only now. Melbourne v Carlton and Port Adelaide v GWS.

3. World Cup Rugby. The All Blacks are floundering (losses pre-tournament to South Africa and now France) and regretting that the greatest coach in world sport - Scott Robertson - is not in control. They surely bounce back! The Wallabies finally won v Georgia 35-15. Step by step. At least there appears to be a new direction. What gives with the orange jersey? Maybe it's my television.

If only Georgia was always on Eddie's mind!

4. World Cup - Basketball. The demise of the USA on world basketball platforms is surprisingly common. Their loss to Germany (113-111) is a bit of comfort to our Boomers who loss to them too (85-82)! The final is Serbia v Germany! USA play Canada for bronze.

5. Cricket - ODIs. South Africa have hit the wall with their cricket. Another Warner duck in the first ODI was disturbing, but like so many times before, he bounces back with a ton in the second ODI! 

Australia has played 980 ODI games. In that time, did you know that Dave Warner has the best ODI average ever for Australia? (45.11) and the second most tons - 20? The great Ricky Ponting has 29 tons, but only averaged 41.81! So the critics may need to chew on that as well.

The 123 run win in the second ODI v South Africa was solid again. Liked seeing Nathan Ellis and Aaron Hardie playing. Sean Abbott is a remarkable wicket taker in T20 and ODI formats. It is also significant to note that Josh Inglis had the gloves and punched out a 50. He is breathing down Alex Carey's neck. Carey needs runs in any form of the game after a terrible Ashes campaign.

Marnus Labuschagne sure takes his chances. He relieved as a concussion replacement for Steve Smith years ago in the Ashes and has become our No. 3 there in Test cricket...now he does it again for Cameron Green (who is starting to become a worry) in the ODIs with two MOTM efforts back to back. He will be in the World Cup team now.

Mercifully, the ODI World Cup starts on 5 October which might fill the post AFL/ NRL GF gap when sport dies off and the Hardie Ferrodo is the only thing on TV outside of the Mercantile Mutual Cup cricket.

6. US Open Tennis. The predictability in the men's game is staggering. However, Medvedev has broken it by beating Alcarez in the semi-final. He now meets Djokovic in the final whose strike rate is about as good as the strike rate felt by Bernard Tomic when he was belted up in the wee small hours on the Gold Coast. Djokovic is on the brink of supreme greatness that will never be beaten.

In the women's, Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam. So refreshing to see so many new names winning Grand Slams. The US Open seems to be one of the most even of the Grand Slams. Anyone can win. Aryna Sabalenka is now World No.1, but stuck on one Grand Slam still.

7. EPL - Ange mania. No play this weekend with the International break. Sheffield United is an easier proposition than the following two games when he will be tested...Arsenal and then Liverpool. We'll know how he is travelling at the end of the month! They could be announced as title contenders with two wins against these heavyweights! Man City keep powering on. 

8. The Socceroos. They were well on top with ten minutes to go at 2-0, before letting in two late Mexican goals for a 2-2 draw. The Harry Souttar effort on the last goal was woeful. He did score one however.

9. Scottish Premier League. meanwhile, back at Celtic... they are on top of the table again with Motherwell. Their winning rate is staggering as a club. Better than Man City and up there with the Crusaders.

10. Ryder Cup Golf. Destined for 25 September in Rome! Adrian Meronk's shock omission at a course he has excelled at was baffling. It will be interesting to see what the Italian crowds are like! No LIV players for the Europeans certainly opens up some opportunities for a few players.

The Wrap - April Premiers and Season Reviews

1. NRL Disasters. How bad were some of these team this year?

i. The Bulldogs were horrible and then full of controversy at the end. Lots of hype and hope, but what a disaster. Ciraldo now has one of the worst defensive records in NRL history. Reed Mahoney missed more tackles than any other NRL player this year.

A season review? An over used term!

ii. The Cowboys (11th). An awful last round effort with a very talented roster... including giving up enough points to finish 11th behind Parramatta. Missed Val Holmes.

iii. The Rabbits (9th). They are a shambles. The whole Churchill media thing and leaking it to the newspaper with the exit of Sam Burgess, now places Jason Demetriou on the rack. April premiers.

iv. The Eels (10th). Full of excuses and no leadership. Ill disciplined too. They need new backs or they don't improve. Their recruitment seems totally around forwards - like Canberra.

vi. Every team who sacked their coach missed out on the semi-finals: Dragons (17th), Titans (15th) and Tigers (last) - reminding us that in-house dissent is the recipe for misery.

In addition, the generosity of the NRL is staggering. $200K for the minor premiership. Please...what is that in a massively well financed game? It seems the same nonsense with the RLPA is at work.

Coach of the Year? Ivan Cleary again...or Andrew Webster or even Adam O'Brien!

2. NRL Semi-finals. Panthers v Warriors and Broncos v Melbourne look two great games. The Storm record in Brisbane is incredible. The other elimination finals are less predictable: Newcastle v Raiders and Roosters v Cronulla. The two teams you don't want to play are the Knights and the Roosters at the moment. Especially if Ponga is ready!

And the Panthers! They have their third minor premiership in four years. Incredible as a three-peat of premierships beckons.

Canberra may not be that sad to lose today, but Sebastian Kris pile driving Ramien into the ground with 20 minutes to go - then sent off - and eight points behind was dumb play at the wrong time. He will miss a semi-final now and cost his team. Canberra are a boring team, but are in the final eight! 

3. AFL Semi-finals. Collingwood v Melbourne on Thursday night will be a cracker. Then Carlton v Swans, St Kilda v GWS and Brisbane v Port Adelaide. No Sunday games. Collingwood look favourites. Swans and GWS might just struggle, but both did well to get to the semis at all!

Great to see Errol Gulden (Swans) named in the All Australian AFL team. He has been an awesome player since U/9s (yes!) playing for Maroubra. 'Errol the ferral' was his nickname then because he was so good and niggled and scrapped. He has made the senior transition in awesome style.

Christian Pettracca surely wins the Brownlow this year.

4. EPL - Tottenham. The Ange Postocoglou roadshow has continued unabated. He really knows how to get a team to work together. Awesome spirit and results. Undefeated (with a kind draw it must be said...outside of ManU) so far.

What about Erling Haaland...another hat trick too for Man City! Here we go again.

5. The Boomers. Thrown out on their ear after surprise losses. Lots of hype and media but a resounding and crushing loss. Coach Goorjian is on thin ice. Giddey and the former Castle Hill lad, Josh Green, did some good business. Beating Georgia is hardly resume building.

6. Rugby Union World Cup. We might beat Georgia first up which will be something after 0-5 under Eddie Jones. However, hard to think we will do much more. Sad. New Zealand surely wins.

7. T20 Cricket. Mitchell Marsh winning consecutive games with the bat is unheard of in recent years, but good on him. As skipper too. Nice to see a few new faces in Australian cricket. South Africa have hit rock bottom in cricket. Some dreadful play from them too. 

It is official...the BBL auction is very unexciting.

8. US Open Tennis. Australians, Alex de Minaur and qualifier, Ricky Hijikata are into the fourth round. Incredible effort. Aussies have often performed well in the US Tennis Open (think Rafter, Hewitt, Stosur). Djokovic and Alcarez are destined for the final.