1. Our Most Disappointing Athlete Ever?. Talk about media exposure and drama. Injuries, coaches, social media posts, controversies, the lot. Honestly, what about some tennis from Nick Kygrios? He can play. Bundled out in the first round and then an absolute fiasco with his injured partner in the doubles. Then he threatens never to return which I am sure we will all cope with if it happens. Such a shame for one so talented. He is a Round 1-2-3 man in the Australian Open. His AO record is pretty ordinary for one so loud:
Compare this to Alex de Minaur. More class and character. Plenty of grit, steel and determination. A likeable Australian tennis champion. Kane Cornes, the ex AFL player, never holds back, but this was his assessment of Kygrios:
“I just feel we talk about this guy too much, I understand why, but he’s absolutely dominated the headlines in the last two-to-three weeks in the lead-up to the Australian Open. That’s not unusual, that happens, and we’re not going to hear the last of him. And despite him being our most disappointing Australian athlete ever, he will still have a role to play because people are interested in him.”
Who have been some of our most disappointing athletes across all sports was then raised. Supremely talented but never dominated as they should have...Shane Watson, Ben Simmons, Bernard Tomic, Jarryd Hayne, Brett Papworth, Raygun...
2. Tennis - Health. Tennis used to be a sport for the battler. Now it is the preserve of rich kids who at their worse, become spoilt brats. Take Danielle Collins. Retreating to privilege and elevating herself above others in a moment of vulnerability. Then smashed in the next round when a victory would have earned much respect. Now she can have her promised holiday. Sadly there will probably be a medical issue at the end of it with a mental health social media announcement in the next year or so and a sympathy story. The behaviour and choices of tennis players needs careful management. Mental health, physical health...a dangerous sport. They are a temperamental bunch. Djokovic sets the standard.
3. The Tennis Injury Excuse. With so much money involved in the game, it is rare a player simply says that the opponent was better than them and they lost fair and square. More and more bail out before the scheduled end, disrupting all and dudding the fans in the stadium. Has anyone ever bailed out when they were leading? Rather, there are medical timeouts, medical breaks, courtside treatments and medical excuses galore. The doctors and physios are busier than the SES.
4. BBL. The revolving door of T20 players is spinning madly on the eve of finals. No loyalty and no one cares. The player caravan moves on for more cash - and to our Test commitments in Sri Lanka (scheduling?). Who cares about franchise direction and loyalty? The Hobart Hurricanes are looking for a BBL series victory (first ever) but they need to play the Sixers who are surely the favourites again. What a high quality franchise they have been.
For the Sydney Thunder to make the finals without Daniel Sams, is a minor miracle but the great Dave Warner still has it! The second top run scorer for the BBL season (346 runs) and a lot of it on that goat track at I Dream of Jeannie Stadium. He has such a stunning record in T20 worldwide. Cooper Connolly pipped him impressively for the yellow cap (351 runs).
Glenn Maxwell has been superb for the Stars who make the semis and could do anything from an 0-5 start. Big David from the Hurricanes is also said to be on the move for next season. Ah, loyalty...his team hasn't even played their semi final! So disruptive. The Sixers will crush them.
5. Womens Ashes Team Success. What a great team. Completely dominant. Reminds us of the male team of Ponting, McGrath, Warne, Waughs x 2, Hayden, Hussey, Gilchrist... A plethora of stars in Healy, Litchfield, Perry, Sutherland, Mooney, Gardner, McGrath et al. So talented.
6. Daniel Sanders - Dakar Rally. An awesome win! The second Aussie to win it since 2019. That is a super gruelling contest of skill, luck and hazards!
7. Dylan Brown. Brown is highly talented, but another of those who feels the grass is greener elsewhere. The player manager is a blessing and a curse. Interestingly, Jason Ryles has not made a song and dance about it at all. Pathetic initial contract negotiations and clauses firstly and now a player who has under performed looking elsewhere and not delivering for the club that backed him. Good luck to him but another underperforming sports star on a conveyor belt of such individuals.
8. EPL - Ange Postocoglou. The hearse has pulled up now. He needs EPL wins and fast. It starts with Everton then Leicester City next week. Patience with mid table superstar clubs is short.
Conversely, Erling Haaland has just signed a 10 year deal for $26M a year... lucrative for the very best of players to stay at Man City for life.
9. NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs power on to another AFC championship game. The Super Bowl winner surely comes out of that side of the draw - Chiefs, Bills or Ravens. The Eagles in the NFC progress to the big decider...surely!
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