1. Panthers. What a game! 81,000 in the house. How good are the big boppas for Penrith...Fisher-Harris, Leota and Leniu? Big hombres. Fisher-Harris said he has a serious "resting face". Leota looks like someone who has not had his garbage bin collected by the council. Carrigan, Haas and Flegler matched them early. Early mistakes - Farnworth, Reynolds, Cobbo, Arthurs, Staggs/ Walsh in the first fifteen minutes.. the Broncos did well to stay in the game and were right back in it at half time.
Flegler and Farnsworth will be brilliant signings for the Dolphins. Both played huge first half footy, especially in defence. Crichton will be a big loss for the Panthers. He is a huge frame and so talented.
Ezra Mam ('The Man') has been a revelation for the Broncos. He has filled a serious hole in their line up. Bonus. Three tries in a Grand Final is sensational. Michael Robertson (Manly winger) was the last to do it in 2011 v the Storm. Hard to get a talented five eight these days. I hope Dylan Brown was watching.
With twenty minutes to go...step up Nathan Cleary! The 60th minute of big games really defines a player and a team. QLD have done it for years in Origin. Cleary began running... set up the Moses Leota try, he kicked goals from the sideline, kicks a 40/20, he took that drop out ball out on the full stepping over the sideline...then he scores the winning try and kicks the goal. Kicked three goals in the last surge and one from the sideline. Phenomenal. The third two time Churchill medallist. (Billy Slater and Brad Clyde are the other two). He is elite.
Reece Walsh is only 21 but might need to learn more quickly and not be a big head. Sport is a great humbling force. He kicked balls dead, fumbled, got stuck in goals a couple of times and threw the ball away at the end. He has already left a club with an odd release (one club destination), been arrested by police for cocaine use, sworn and cursed directly at the ref and was suspended and reacted publicly and impulsively to an idiotic comment by a fan a day or two before a Grand Final. Silliness. Park the sunglasses and pink boots. Lots of talent and speed nonetheless, but needs to grow up. Hopefully great talent realised - not wasted.
There are not many players to have won three premierships in the NRL. Cooper Cronk, Norm Provan and Brian Clay played in 10 Grand Finals (asterix two for Cronk).
Penrith (5) have now won more competitions than Melbourne (4), who have the same number as Parramatta (4). Mick Fanning was outstanding.
2. Collingwood - Premiers. Coach Craig McRae has done a top job. 16 flags for Collingwood now, equal with Essendon and Carlton as the most ever. I like the cut of this coach's gib. He famously hit a topic I cannot stand when a team loses in semi finals/ Grand Finals:
He famously said last year after a loss in the 2022 Prelim Final: “We want to act like winners. The siren goes and there’s half a dozen guys laying on the ground. For me that’s not a winner. That’s acting like a loser. We lost a game, we’re not losers. We’re here to win this thing". And so he did a year later... steel is a rare quality in life attitudes these days. Harder to teach in others.
3. Ange Postocoglou - Tottenham. ''Big Ange'...'Ange ball'. Tottenham Hotspurs are re-invented under Ange and are winning. The testing games have come and gone this month. A win v ManuU, a win v Liverpool and a draw v Arsenal. They are now second placed and playing a great brand of football.
A shock win by Wolves over Man City 2-1 this week. A top win against an awesome opponent. Rare gold. Reminds me of the Doug Mulray joke..."I used to be a Wolves supporter, but I am not any moooorrrreeee (dog howl!)!'. Even Luton Town won! (Everton surely get relegated this year).
4. Australian Cricket. A mess in so many ways at present. We struggled against the Netherlands in the lead up game and won the dead rubber (1-2) v India (nothing like a Mitch Marsh innings when there is no pressure!). We are in for a rough time, like the Wallabies, soon.
Blokes likely to retire soon in the next few years: Warner (36), Khawaja (36), Smith (34), Starc (33), Carey (32), Hazelwood (31) and Mitch Marsh (31). Plus Maxwell (34), Stoinis (34), Zampa (31), Abbott (31) and Inglis (32) too. Only Marnus (29), Head (29), Cummins (30), Green (24) have a longer extended run left - and three of them, not so long!
Nice to see new blood in the ODI scene (David, Hardie, Ellis), but we return to the experienced players in the World Cup. One thing Eddie Jones did not do.
Starc is in ominous form...a hat trick v the Netherlands. Is that like a backyard hat trick?
We will do well to beat India in their own backyard next Sunday.
5. Eddie Jones. Dreadful leadership and still denying he spoke to Japan about a coaching job on the eve of the World Cup. Any way you look at it, he has to go, but Australian Rugby is in disarray. I heard on the weekend that George Gregan was approached to be backs coach a couple of years back and before deciding he wanted to speak to some of the players. What he discovered was a complete lack of game sense and intuition about the game. He politely declined. The game has massive issues.
An unfair rumour circulated this week saying Suaalli had signed with the Wests Tigers. Apparently he decided that he could play for a useless, embarrassing team who wear orange without having to travel overseas. Boom!
6. World Cup Rugby. The All Blacks remain a huge threat despite their early shock losses (96-17 v Italy). Fiji only just got there v Georgia (17-12).
7. Ryder Cup Landslide. The Europeans have jumped to a sizeable 10.5 to 5.5 in pursuit of the magic 14.5 win in 2023. Rory has led the way well, despite the carpark blow up!
Since 1985 there have been 18 contests. Europe have won 11 of these (USA 6, one tie) but still trail 27-14 (and two ties - 43 completed) to the USA since it started in 1927. Interestingly, from 1927 to 1985, USA led 21-3.
A changing trend in world sport - like tennis. European strength.
8. Brad Fittler. Not a real respectful NSW coaching arrangement proposed, but Freddie has lost three of the last four series, including the debacle at the end of year COVID series when NSW should have won. He was on his last legs and changing his coaching staff so much, he knew it. Time to move on. Surely they can't go back to Laurie Daley. Other possibles: Jason Ryles? Michael Ennis? Andrew Johns? Tim Brasher? ET? NSW is not blessed with lots of options.
9. Jai Opetaia. The Sydney born IBF Cruiserweight champion once more. With a 23-0 record, he is a sleeper world champion when Tzyzus typically dominate the media.
10. Next? Bring on the Marsh Cup and the motor sport... and the club signings, rumours, poor player bahaviour... The Integrity Commission? The 'No Dickheads' commission may be needed soon.
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