Wrap - Good Clock

1. Richmond AFL Club should hang its head. An impossible one to lose, but full credit to the Collingwood Magpies. Eddie 'Chins' Maguire stuck with coach, Nathan Buckley when he could have punted him way back. A crushing win - and the same with the West Coast Eagles who triumphed easily in the end.

 

This second week home game for a GF Qualifier has me worried. Too big an advantage for mine. Only St George v Broncos in the NRL really threatened this world order in season 2018. Maybe GWS...but is it deserved for the season's slog and grind and for coming ahead of others on the table, regardless of how many points?


People forget in this year's NRL, only two points separated the whole top eight! The Roosters (1) landed on 34 points and the Warriors (8) 32. No real dominance by any team.

 

• I would like to see it reserved for those who have at least TWO wins ahead of other teams.
• I would like to see it for every team in the same position, despite the size or nature of their home ground. eg. Sharks.
• I would like to see a best of three Grand Final series too. If it is good enough for Origin...

2. Melbourne Storm are awesome. Their record is bionic, regardless of the playing roster. No Cronk or Smith and no Slater will naturally make it different in the future, but who knows? The way they play they will probably still be there next year. Roosters clinical, but not enough attack for mine. Lots of tries off kicks. No Slater would be a huge loss.




I noticed a John Reinberger moment with the Roosters on Saturday night v the Rabbits: Paul Momirovski. A unique name to match - and a try! Love the Chris Guider type GF story!




3. GF Week. This week we go into the whole injury/ suspension media scrum for three days...Slater, Friend...Cronk... It is a tired and boring part of Grand Final Week having many glad the thing happens and is ended by Sunday! No bad weather for many years, but this game could be amazing in the wet. NRL defences that are huge and relentless.




Added to that is the awards ceremony with players who these days need to be paid for speaking, waking or farting when not on the field. It may be unfair, but a lot of these nights are becoming harder to take, including the AB Medal. Most people prefer the old version of these players - not the new. A Hall of Fame, Tem of the Century, Team of the Year are much more palatable.

4. Best sports commentator comment of the weekend. In relation to a player that seems to have a lot of time..."He's got a good clock".

5. Cricket. Great to see Warner and Smith piling on the grade runs. Both will be back and based on the sorry selection lot we have seen, we'll need them. It is a worry when there is simply no one else. Hopefully cricket umpires - especially Sydney/ Melbourne Grade umpires start to get tough on sledging and iron it out at that level. It would send a strong message.

Yet to hear of a bloke who has been "binned" in cricket, despite the rule now being over a year old. Might be like 'timed out'... a fiction, except in the backyard.

6. Ordinary Cricket Play. Has anyone noticed how poor NSW cricket is going? They need an overhaul and need to promote youth ahead of older hacks who have simply not produced. Blokes like Henriques, Hughes, Abbott, Nevill....they need to start delivering more consistently or move aside. Like a football squad who sticks with the same mix under their salary cap and turns around in surprise - too late - to suddenly realise they have not got enough in the tank.


I notice Jason Langer is doing the "crazy cricket coach thing" with putting plastic bottles on the pitch to recreate unpredictable bounce for the Aussies headed to the UAE. Honestly.

6. Boston Red Sox Baseball. This team for 2018 is about to become the 'winningest' Boston team since 1912, for most wins in a season of 162 games. Of the 162 games, they have 105 wins and need one more to do the business. I will be there on Wednesday night at Fenway Park v the Orioles to see it hopefully!

The Boston Red Sox took 86 years to get the job done with a World Series title (1918 then 2004), and have now tied a team record of over one hundred years (1912) with their 105th win for the season (2018). Quite a few games remain this season so it should fall! A 90+ winning year means you are closer to a World Series than you think.

7. Ellicazoom. Keep an eye on this horse over 1200m or less. A lightning horse with a good - sometimes too late - motor. It needs a better jockey that understands this to start cleaning up regularly.

Wrap - Stripping Brains From Statues

1. Wallabies. Seventh in the world in rugby. Now that news shows how the game is struggling in our neck of the woods. Wallabies losing to Argentina is almost unbelievable. How Folau does not pass that ball is beyond me. Such selfishness in a player is hard to bear. Equally unbelievable that the Springboks can win in Wellington v the mighty All Blacks. It has been a while that they have lost under lights in New Zealand. It won't happen for a while to come now.


That ridiculous local competition in Australian provincial ball continues...60-41 results don't fill you with confidence that the game is being played with strong defence needed to move up the world rankings.


2. NRL. Great finals on the weekend with two one point games. Incredible that a team kicks three field goals in the modern era to win, but it probably tells us why Souths will struggle v the Roosters. They just seem unlikely to score. Reynolds was channelling the inner Eric Simms. Inglis needs to rise up more strongly. Typical league antics happening at present. Roosters v Storm for mine in the GF. The Sharks look busted and tired. Too many injuries.


Has anyone noticed what an advantage the Storm hold for semi finals having them at their home ground? If someone like the Sharks can knock them over at home it would be huge! Cameron Smith to go around again next year...amazing that he may play 400 first grade games. Write your own post career media ticket.


Is the rugby league toss one of the most stupid things in world sport?


3. Parramatta. Did anyone notice that TRex has been done for a drug offence again? No wonder he went to Parramatta. They tolerate this loser behaviour. Yet Blake Fergu-sin will be on the straight and narrow? Hardly. That club needs to strip out every ill disciplined fool on the roster and punt them. Play with young kids and stop cultivating a culture of adapting to the goose. Brad Arthur is still on shaky ground for mine. He has endorsed this ill discipline through his recruitment policy...Hayne, Auva'a, Evans, Junior Paulo. Looking forward to seeing a copy of their 2018 internal review.


4. NRL. When did the penalty goal make such a glorious return? Its popularity is helped by the fact there is no shot clock at these times. A time waster. Great to see the seven tackle rule when you kick the ball dead has really changed the game. Four one on one strips in the Saints v Souths game. Impressive stuff. No link whatsoever to the stripping in recent weeks by boof headed players.


5. AFL. The Giants die in the early stages of the semis again. This is getting too frequent for their talent on their roster. Collingwood may surprise, but Richmond will power on. They are too quick on the big MCG ground.


Major rule change in the game needs to be when the ball is kicked out on the full, it reverts to a free kick from where it was kicked! This would make the game quicker and challenging.


6. Cricket. The new domestic ODI series is underway. The JLT Cup (aka the McDonalds, Gillette, FAI, Mercantile Mutual, ING, Ford Ranger, Ryobi, Matador BBQ Cup). This has absolutely no bearing on anything, it is at a ridiculous time of the year and amounts to very little. Why does it exist? These sponsors know it too...


7. Lleyton Hewitt. Still playing Davis Cup tennis and winning. Incredible spirit and fight in the bloke. Cut to Kgyrios et al who have nothing like it. Millman, de Minaur are credible and gutsy however.

Wrap - Tennis Elbows

1. NRL. The Storm remain stronger than many suspect. They are now one win away from yet another GF outing. They have been one of Australia's most successful sporting teams for the past decade. The Penny Panthers suddenly look like impressive contenders again. Ciraldo is doing the business for Gus. The Roosters' defence is colossal. Latrell Mitchell's trysaver on Luke Lewis was extraordinary. Hard to score tries these days. The Roosters are going to take some beating for the premiership!

How disappointing were the Warriors? If you can't win that final away from home, will you ever win one?

What a phenomenal effort by St George. A stirring victory after a few weeks of mediocrity. Bennett has until Tuesday afternoon for mine.
 
2. AFL. The Swans. Absolutely dusted by the Giants who were fitter and quicker. A familiar theme in recent years of finals. The Swans need to recruit more heavily and more quality. They simply cannot continue to carry Jack, Hannebery, McVeigh...old legs. Their scoring all year has been abysmally low. They simply cannot get goals from Ronke and Papley. The GWS team have promised a lot for many years...but delivered zip. Maybe Scully may return yet and really position them for a crack at their first GF? 

3. GWS - Toby Greene. For some reason - usually niggle, the pompous strut, the leg kicking out in a marking contest - he is probably one of the most hated players in the AFL. That said, he is also one of the best. His ability to rise up under pressure is incredible. He has the killer instinct and is a superstar of the future, if he can iron out the nonsense.

Richmond still look to be the complete picture. A crushing win v Hawthorn. Their winning record at the MCG (22?) will continue and they seem unstoppable for the 2018 flag. GWS may just topple Collingwood.

  3. Wallabies. A 23-18 win is like gold at the moment. After crushing losses to the All Blacks, they'll take this. Often is seems like it is a case of no Folau, then there is no hope. We are simply not good enough to toss the All Blacks, but the real test will be if we can win in South Africa which has proven quite elusive in recent years.

Troubled by the amount of silverware in rugby contests. Every game they play seems to have a new trophy/ plate/ mug/ urn. Can they just play a Test and win without appearing to have taken home the America's Cup?

 4. England v India Test Series. A stunning series win by England. Remember it because we will be feeling that too next Ashes. Kohli cannot do everything. There is no shorter patience than Indian selectors and officials. Alistair Cook with 12,000 runs has had a highly successful career. Another 70 in the first innings of the current test, but retirement there will leave a hole.

5. Nadal. US Open Tennis. Another Grand Slam and another crushing injury brings him to retire early. Seems to be going the way of Tiger and majors. Lots of talent, but lots of injuries. Meanwhile Djokovic powers on. His record is phenomenal too. 13 Grand Slams with a 14th imminent. Federer (20) and Nadal (17) lead him.

6. Serena Williams. US Open Tennis. 23 Grand Slams and 8 Runners Up titles. She is awesome. However they are catching her. Osaka from Japan did very well. The strength of these women is something to behold. Amazing talent. The beauty of sport is too often spoiled by umpires/ referees who want to take their own slice of glory. Some look for issues - and what do you know, they find them! Love a resistant official who does not want to back down. Poor brinkmanship and pathetic officiating. Serena gets unusually emotional at her home final and will be kicking herself. Even Sammy Stosur beat her once when she had a meltdown. Needs more ice cool in her kit and less reaction. Surprising granted her record, but very hurt by the cheating allegation. Illie Natase would have come down from the stands to sort that out if he was the coach!

Wrap - Mad Monday Warehouse Clothes - Initialled

1. JT - Jonathan Thurston. A legend who will leave a big hole. Michael Morgan will need to step up post injury. Like this AJ Brimson who can run and play. Really love an initial based player...often encouraged by their parents.... AB Devilliers...PJ Marsh... JP Duminy...DK Lillee... others? KD Lang. OJ Simpson. WG Grace. Is it a sign of greatness or notoriety to only be known by initials? OJ, MJ, LBJ...

 

2. The Eels. Pathetic. 14 wooden spoons. No fight. No appeal to the fans. The place needs yet another clean out of the bad attitudes. Mitchell Moses is unfortunately quite horrible. His kicking game is not NRL standard. How they can all be so bad and spineless is beyond me. Brad Arthur needs to go before he dies of embarrassment. They were more interested in Mad Monday and have little respect for the remaining fans. By now Parra players would have an absolute warehouse full of clothes and dress ups. One plus is they can save on hire fees after all their success in recent years.

Lattrell Mitchell is awesome. He will be huge in years ahead. He will dominate Origin. His power close to the line is awesome.

Parra could do worse than sign young Blake Lawrie from Saints. A forward of the future who McGregor ignores.

3. Losers. Is there a more losing player than Tim Mannah? He has lost so often it is worth asking if he knows how to lead a team to victory. Lovely bloke and all that, but he lacks inspiration. Too many poor trainers and ill disciplined fools at Parramatta

 

I must say, the player manager for Michael Jennings is a genius...a five year deal. He has two years left on his contract!!! And Corey Norman on $950,000 a year... amazing negotiation skill.

 

4. AFL. A nuisance having a week off, but it recharges the crowd. Really looking forward to the Hawthorn Hawks v Richmond Tigers clash. West Coast, Swans and Geelong look the goods. This game is going gangbusters. The crowd brings a crowd. It is amazing how the buy in to the game encompasses so many more women. Crowds would be close to 50-50 male-female. NRL has a huge issue in that space and it is getting worse.

 

4. US Open Tennis. John Millburn into the fourth round playing Federer. Kgyrios. Can you believe how delighted the composed Federer must be seeing that match up in his draw? Federer has made the fourth round 17 times at the US Open. Kgyrios and all his nonsense is so boring. Conversely a stirring effort by Alex De Minaur who lost in five sets in the early hours of the morning to Marin Cilic (seventh seed). Great effort and all things we admire in our sports stars.

 

5. Test Cricket - England v India. Fourth Test. England up by 250 runs and Moeen Ali back taking five wickets. I must say ‘the Bum’... Bumrah is a very handy Indian bowler and tough on a seaming deck. This Sam Curran (brother to Tom who played in the recent Ashes) is handy with the bat...and offers them left arm bowling. The match is poised for a Kohli ton to level the series up at 2-2. It has been an enthralling series. The weather plays such a role in this part of the world with cricket. James Anderson has been nullified here in the dust at Southhampton. Big crowds. The bowlers have dominated the series however.

 

6. EPL. Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City still powering on. What about Wolves? A battling team of character - one win and two draws and mid table. ManU may have a new coach after tomorrow. Jose could be passe. How they lose anything is beyond me. Ryan Giggs needs to coach them for mine. Someone from the Fergie era.

7. Horse Racing. Keep an eye on two horses this spring. One is Ellicazoom. Its pace over 1200m - 1500m is awesome. Mind blowing. The other is Youngstar (and Outback Barbie). Boom prospects! Impressed by Unforgotten and Redzel's strength in the last 100m is not to be trifled with in the upcoming Everest. Get on Theanswermyfriend too over anything near 1500m as well. It leads from the front and wins! There is a Melbourne horse...Bryan...that wins all the time too. Blackbook the lot!

Wrap - A Tale of Two Barretts

1. NRL. The crazy end of season form of a few top clubs continues to perplex the fans. Souths had the minor premiership in their sights and have gone to the dogs when it mattered. Then so did the Roosters, while the St George team has just capitulated. Saints look horrible. The Panthers have also just thrown it all away. It will be interesting to see if the Warriors can surprise a few in their first semi final appearance for a while. Somehow the Storm and Sharks just seem to be the most stable in big games. The Roosters have been shocking the last two weeks. The comp is anyone's guess.


2. Spoon-a clock. One thing needing no guessing is the wooden spoon winner. Their 14th such honour - is going to the Parramatta Club, replacing the triple crown winners and ending an era of supreme domination of the Henny Penny Newcastle Knights 2015-2017. Parramatta have now easily secured more spoons than the North Sydney Bears (9) and the Newtown Jets (8). Only Manly remain spoonless.


On Manly, I must say that Trent Barrett is beginning to look quite silly with some of the comments he is coming out with now. His inability to manage his players and win is the issue. Inexperienced and promoted before his time really. That club is on a knife edge. If the Penn family walk away, where will they be?


3. Wallabies. I thought the under fire Michael Cheika managed himself quite well in the press conference after yet another loss. He remained strong and clear but managed his agitation well. The bottom line is that we simply cannot compete with the All Blacks. Our Queensland rugby juggernaut is spluttering and with it our national team brings very little. Beauden Barrett is easily the best oval shaped footballer in the world. He is an awesome competitor and a machine in attack. A complete superstar.


4. BBL Cricket. I noticed the Thunder have signed both Joe Root and Jos Butler. Handy additions. I would also be signing JP Duminy or AB Devilliers. Those two are unbelievable. Andre Russell is another bloke the franchises should be queueing up to secure. A hat trick and a ton in his last game.


5. Virat Kohli. India look like they are hunting down England in their Test Series. Down 1-2 with two tests to play... and Kohli is by far the best in the world. It could be very interesting.


5. AFL. The Hawks may have what it takes to knock over Richmond in the first qualifying final. They are awesome for a team which was written off. They are so resilient and absorb pressure better than most. GWS seem to be falling apart when it matters and Sydney will take them on at home which makes it more difficult yet again for them. The Melbourne Demons are confident, but Geelong could spring a big surprise for mine. They have the best in the business in their squad and they will be itching to dominate in the finals. West Coast and Collingwood... it will depend on venue.


6. EPL. I am liking the look of the Bournemouth operation at present in the EPL soccer. The year looks a lot closer already which is a great thing. Even Manchester City are dropping points to Wolves! Plenty happening and such tremendous atmosphere at all games.

Wrap - Bledisloe Bleeding

1. Wallabies. It’s not often you go to the Wallabies v All Blacks at Stadium Australia and come away with a win. In fact since games were played there, the record is better than many venues, but not great....17 games played there. 7 wins and a draw only...mainly in the Eales/ Gregan era. Up 6-5 at half time then a complete capitulation. Found out badly on our left edge - especially when Folau exited. The laziness of the forwards is staggering. hard to ignore that when Queensland rugby is weak, our whole show is weak.





2. The Spoon. The Eels have just about sealed the wooden spoon for 2018 (after the Dogs won v the pathetic Warriors) and what a mighty effort it has been. Another appalling waste of money and with a spectacular new stadium, the thought of it being half empty is firming. They lack discipline in all facets of the game. Maybe this may attract someone who knows the game and can direct the club into the future...but not through the Saturday paper advertisement. Perhaps they have to get a bit corporate and be more sophisticated in their approach...more modern and more contemporary... maybe use the internet?


The only thing missing in this advertisement is the lacquer administration skill set for the fine collection of teak, pine, oak, ash, blackbutt, maple and mahogany wooden spoons.

The Sharks are warming up. The Storm too. Rabbits have squandered the minor premiership, but the Roosters were disappointing. How they ever lose with their roster is beyond me.


The Panthers, Warriors and are wasteful. They will need to lift.

3. Swans. What a mighty effort in recent weeks: Collingwood, Melbourne and GWS all knocked over against the odds. 15 semi finals in 16 years us awesome. I think Ricky Stuart has two in twelve years.

The big test is Hawthorn next week at home. No team wins tougher than them. Melbourne into the finals for the first time in 12 years is striking. Richmond is streets ahead of all of them.





4. Adil Rashid. Not often in Test cricket does a player not get a bat, not get a bowl, not take a catch and contribute nothing across four days. But so it was in the second test between India and England. Jimmy Anderson’s match figures 9/49. Much better than Adil. Adil, thanks for coming!




It was Chris Woakes who killed them with the bat and then with the ball in the second test. He has doubled up again in the third test which is on now to take more wickets. Handy player.





5. Tiger Woods. Tiger’s surge home in the USPGA was awesome. Spirits in the crowd were lively. This Brooks Koepka is something else. Composure and poise! More majors (3) than the nudist now and all in two years. A brilliant player from down Florida way.





6. Winx. A brilliant effort. Surging down the Randwick straight at supreme speed. What a record. Special to watch live. We may never see the likes of this again. Certainly not in our life times.




7. Usain Bolt. A joke or not, he can run but he can't play. The Mariners will have Manfred Moore there very soon.

Wrap - My Word Is Stronger Than OAK

1. Jimmy Anderson. In England and especially at Lords, Jimmy Anderson wreaks havoc. His swing bowling is easily the best in the world and he can rip through an attack like India with ease. He is almost unplayable after rain. Night Test cricket would make him also unplayable. 550+ Test wickets says he is a legend of the game. India's top order are on notice...nervous and unable to make a difference on foreign soil.



2. US PGA Golf. Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland are on fire at what appears to be an interesting PGA course. Adam Scott is also well placed. Such days in majors are rare in a professional golfer's life. You have to rise up and seize the chance.



3. AFL - Hawthorn. This footy club has spirit and tenacity. Amazing strength and will to win. There are never any easy victories against this mob. Geelong are disappointing under pressure and all that with a roster that screams premiership. No one beats Richmond this year on what we have seen so far.



A gutsy win by the Swans and all of that away from home at the MCG where they are typically barbecued! GWS on a mission and on a roll now. They have more speed that most other teams and it could just make the key difference.



4. Memo Anthony Griffin and Phil Gould. There is no use crying over spilt (OAK) milk. Reminds me of the Jerry Maguire movie..."my word is stronger than OAK"


See Gus and Anthony Griffin in their negotiation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1exKGizfJ0s




5. Clearyesque. This dad and son combo is fascinating. Obviously Ivan will walk away after his Tigers contract is up. He hasn't been a real successful coach when it is all said and done. He's won 137/288 (148 losses and three draws), a tick over 50%. Not good enough really. Would you want him?



6. NRL. The Roosters look good things this year. They'll have Sonny Bill next year to replace Blake Ferguson as well. Angus Crichton will be a star there too. Storm will need to lift now that Slater is fading out. It will be intriguing to see how long Cameron Smith continues, but he never gets injured. He is made of steel. The Storm are looking like becoming like everyone else again. A few losses back to back and they have to play Parramatta next week. That should fix it.

Souths and the Roosters will challenge the Storm this year. The others don't seem to have it. Penrith are loose. Saints are falling hard. Sharks may have some bite left, but are way too inconsistent.


7. EPL. Back underway with the shortest off season in world history. These guys are machines. Entertainment machines...and fit! The usual suspects are in line to win it, but the minnows still love it and those small English grounds make for outstanding atmosphere.


8. Bledisloe... can we come within 20 points of the All Blacks?