The Wrap - Beaten at The Post

1. NRL - Wonderful Weekend. So many great games...upsets and the Tigers deflated by the never say die Cowboys! How good is Tom Dearden? Extraordinary.

Marky Mark's flick pass for the Roosters v Parramatta was super special. What an amazing athlete! A dual international pending. He is one of the best and most exciting outside backs in the NRL. He has added more than Joseph Sua'ali'i. Unfortunately the Roosters were woeful. So many handling errors which was quite staggering. The worst completion rate by any team all season.

The Eels avoid the spoon and have really added so much speed to their play under Ryles. They need a big and dynamic centre to really change the world. Their forwards have really improved under Ryles. Quick feet and soft hands. A real hunger is building. They need some dynamic big athletic finishers out wide.

Hard to remember a weekend where the ball hit the post so often from goal kicks and field goals!

• Incredible end to the Raiders v Panthers. Field goal hits the post and a winning try at the other end! Three successive golden point games for Penrith won't hurt them. They are back playing tough (if losing) footy and everyone in that comp knows it.
• The Roosters losing Sam Walker was bad timing, but Connor Watson needed to step up and could not. They did not seem to have a plan. Sandon Smith surely needs more game time.
• Parramatta winning consigns the Newcastle Knights and Titans to the spoon bowl. 
• Des Hasler arguing with rude and out of line journalists is something Wayne Bennett addressed some time ago. Des should know better. Pressure.
• The Broncos are marching on and can produce in big games. They have done very well in the end under Maguire.
• The Dolphins have battled injuries, but they have leaked points and leaked more...

2. ODI Cricket. We have really struggled, but the crowds have loved it. A big night out up north - esp. game three with tons to Green, Head and Marsh. Brevis is incredible and could hit 200! The top order needs to step up for an ODI victory!  A good winter concept, but a shame we play second and third stringers! ODIs have become completely irrelevant. Marnus continues to be a disappointment.

3. AFL. The end of the regular season with a widening gap between the top nine and the rest. It has moved fast. The excitement is around the top four.

• Toby Green came up with two incredible plays in the last minutes to seal a home final for GWS.
• The Swans beat the hopeless West Coast Eagles yet again. The Eagles picked up their mandatory spoon and their third ever - 2010, 2023 and now 2025.
• The Swans need to get some forwards who don't fall in an injury heap and get a few hard nose competitors to change up the culture. A little bit of experience perhaps too. Too many similar players.
• Jeremey Cameron wins the Coleman Medal but does not pick up 100 goals in a season again. 
• Essendon is still a joke. Such an under performing team.
• Adelaide are minor premiers after missing finals for seven years in a row! 
• Geelong and Collingwood are still up and at them again. Bailey Smith has been an incredible signing for Geelong - and substantial loss for the Western Bulldogs.
• Imagine winning 14 games and missing the top eight...The Western Bulldogs may achieve this for the first time ever for a team.
• The Brisbane v Hawthorn showdown is a huge one for the final order tonight.

4. PGA - Tour Championship. Once again Tommy Fleetwood leads, this time with Patrick Cantlay (-16) into the final round. Scottie Scheffler (-12) and even Rory (-6) hover of course... he hears the hooves does our Tommy. Here's hoping he can crack a PGA win sometime soon. A $40M purse is some sort of carrot. Keegan Bradley (-13) is a fine golfer too. Can anyone give us a LIV Golf update? What a schemozzle.

Scheffler has 5 wins for the season and nearly $24M. 15 top 10 finishes and not forgetting his -31 score in the Byron Nelson! Great Scott!

5. EPL. Tottenham two wins from two (a 2-0 win over Man City is always impressive) and are on top with a dominant Arsenal. The post Ange era has started brightly. Ange is being linked with Notts Forest, last year's surprise packet.

6. US Open Tennis. It all starts this week but extraordinarily, the mixed doubles have already been played. Not sure why this was required - outside of a greater cash grab - but put a couple of shekels on Sinner and Alcaraz as the men's finalists. The great Novak will be trying for yet another throne on his prized surface as well. A swansong?

7. Wallabies. Signs and glimpses of greatness, but so many injuries and not enough strength under pressure, losing 30-22. Argentina will not be easy. They beat the All Blacks 29-23! A great result!