1. The 90th Masters. The names and places on that course are as famous as its playing history. Rae's Creek, Amen Corner, Magnolia Drive, Butler Cabin. The mystique is something else... the golf is extraordinary too. The ultimate test. It is never over, no matter how far in front you may be.
Rory's implosion on 11 and 12 in the third round opened the door for many others before his reset after Amen corner. What about Cameron Young's resurgence, Patrick Reed's touch, Scottie Scheffler's remarkable -7 in the third round, Jason Day's finesse and Shane Lowry's wedge work (becoming the first player to land multiple holes in one on the course!). The highlights keep flowing with many more ahead tomorrow. It was Rory's to lose coming into Saturday...and he opened the door. The largest lead ever after 36 holes and the decline... the pressure.
Tyrell Hatton and Shane Lowry are dead ringers for Teddy Swims. The look.
2. NRL. The topsy turvey season continues for some. As mentioned last week, the Panthers are not invincible as the Bulldogs showed. Rushing defence, sustained pressure, stopping To'o's surges from the back and working towards Blaize and Casey Maclean in the defence line...voila. Blaize still seems too small and while his defence has improved, he lacks impact. A worry for Penrith and he may be heading to the open market.
Canberra finally had a win and the Warriors showed steel against the Storm who seem to have lots of issues now. There is no sympathy. They have been very successful for a long time. The West Tigers look better, but semi finals is a bit of an early crow.
The teams look to be thinning out now. St George in a world of pain, but Parramatta are the team under most pressure and spoon bound.
3. Parramatta. A club that has given up so many points in six rounds, tells you defence is a joke - and the coaching is bad too. Ryles has gotten away with a lot early, but he may be another problem child. "Didn't see it coming" is weak. Maybe he should have used "that's not us". The problem is it is.
Compare that to Bellamy's honest assessment: "we should have gone to the pub and had a couple of beers".
Twice giving up 50 points (52-4 v Storm and 52-10 v Gold Coast Titans) is horrific. They also gave up 48 points v Panthers. They are a club full of excuses. Injuries are there (like a lot of other clubs), but they are loose and lack structure. Moses also lacks composure and gets so frustrated, making his captaincy a worry too.
If you give up 50 v the Gold Coast, are you the worst football club in the world? The Bears and Chiefs look more likely to win the comp. They are fully in line for yet another wooden spoon. Forget about St George, Parramatta are worse. So predictable. Jayden Su'a should get a new manager.
4. AFL. The Swans are surging and play a brighter GWS next week too. GWS look good and then can turn bad quickly. Finn Callaghan is something else. Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and Freo are all joining them at the top. Looks to be a sensational season ahead. The hawthorn one point win v Geelong on Easter Monday was exceptional action.
5. IPL. Cameron Green hit 32 for KKR and Xavier Bartlett (Punjab Kings) and Cooper Connolly (Punjab Kings) are also doing well. The Kings are on 7 points, one behind the Rajasthan Royals who lead the comp after four games. It is a spectacle, but really so few Australians playing in it now. No surprise, as predicted, the world's most injured fast bowler - Josh Hazelwood - was back bowling in the IPL after not representing Australia for nearly twelve months. Money is still a big motivator, especially as the years tick by for an ageing player. The media have let this one pass.
6. EPL. Arsenal seem to stumble more often than most and have done it again losing 2-1 to Bournemouth when well ahead on the table. They have not won it since 2004 and Man City now have two games in hand (v Crystal Palace and Chelsea tonight) with Arsenal next week. Nine points adrift, but highly challenging points to win!
At the other end, West Ham move to 32 points and out of the drop zone for the first time this season. This has upset a few with Leeds, Notts Forest, Tottenham all nervous. One of these will join Burnley and Wolves in being relegated.
A huge night tonight:
- Sunderland v Tottenham
- Aston Villa v Notts Forest
- Chelsea v Man City
- Leeds v ManU
7. Sprint Sensations. Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout. Kennedy broke 10 seconds twice in one weekend which is pretty amazing in a country where speed has not really been our thing. 9.96 is swift.
Gout Gout was something else. Sub 20 second 200m runs were once the thing of imagination only. Faster than Bolt at the same age, but he does look like he could develop a lot stronger frame.
Peyton Craig's fist pump with a competitor before the race was completed in the 800m heats was an extraordinary lapse... to then be pipped on the line... and miss the semi finals! Pay attention son.
The Cameron Myers run (breaking 3:30) in the 1500m was special and the Jessica Hull fall in the 1500 was a lowlight for the Olympic 1500m silver medallist. Ouch. She bounced back and won the 5000m courageously. She may also own the highest pitched voice in Australian sport!
We have some sensational signs on the track. It has never been better in our athletic lifetimes!
8. Super Rugby. Sadly, who watches the game these days? Nearly invisible in the media based on poor broadcasting decisions. Incredibly disappointing for the viewers and the few remaining supporters of the game.
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