Wrap - Where The Sun Don't Shine

1. The Sharks. Hopefully they can put away the loss of Gallen, Brayley snr and Prior, but with Fifita and Woods, I am not seeing the spark. Woods is massively over rated. Perhaps the death riding of a great recent club is topical (no home ground, CEO rotation, young coach...). Matt Moylan has been very disappointing with injury after injury. Throw in the over paid Dugan (not his fault and why would he want to go anywhere at $900K a year!?) and the imminent departure of Morris... mild turmoil pre season.

I am not as convinced as some re Bronson Xerri. He would have been awesome at Little Athletics, but his hands are problematic. His passing is problematic (he doesn't do that much) and he runs, but can he play? The reaction by a few to the signing of Jesse Ramien (who also rarely passes) has been petulant and childish. I am worried for their season already. But everyone enjoys seeing the Sharks triumph.

2. Chinese Swimming. We are always quick to throw stones at other nations, but have a pretty dismal record ourselves around drugs in Olympic sports if the truth by known. Sun Yang will hopefully be rubbed out, but Mack Horton needs to win now, or look a bit foolish himself. Like India in cricket, the Chinese are feared in Olympic sports organisation because they are a financial powerhouse! Sun Yang has been kicked where the sun don't shine.

3. New Zealand Cricket. Southee and Boult always seem to produce in New Zealand tests. They play best at home. A nasty chase looms for them but Bumrah is no bum. They can bowl these Indians and will never give up. Kohli is up to some whinging as usual, but they will aim up.

Fascinating how Australian Cricket can fold on itself sometimes too. A bad ODI loss to South Africa. Smith and Labaschagne need to score tons. Too often it is left for Warner or Finch. Can we omit Mitchell Marsh please? Every time he plays he gets a slow 15 runs and we lose. Not sure Hazelwood is up to ODI cricket any more.

4. Sheffield Shield. NSW are in the final, but it will be interesting to see if Cummins, Starc, Hazelwood, Smith, Lyon, Warner all play...If they do, call the engraver.

5. Rugby. The Waratahs have finally kicked in...like the look of this Angus Bell.

6. EPL. Well the great Liverpool run of success has been halted by Watford 0-3, but the race to avoid relegation is more exciting. Watford's effort underpins the desperation. Close at the bottom this year with the Canaries from Norwich even winning.

7. Tennis. Who would have thought...? Nadal wins the Mexican Open. Djokovic wins the Dubai Open. Same old, same old. The younger players are still not a patch on them after so many years!

8. AFL. Still months away from starting seemingly, but interested to see Dusty Martin still Best On Ground in the Victorian Origin game. Toby Greene, loathed as he is for his cockiness, is still one of the best in the AFL too.

9. NFL. Will he or won't he? Tom Brady's future at the New England Patriots is a huge story. He should insist they sign some decent receivers as part of any deal.

Wrap - Something To Crow About

1. Roosters. They are a great side. Like them or not, they know how to win. The World Club Challenge is tough to win. Tedesco...Manu, Keary (what a great move to leave Souths post premiership and win two more - on the road to greatness with three premierships under his belt!), Cordner, Friend, Crichton. Their centres are cursed for injury, but they are winners through and through. They also have the great Takiaoukou kicking for goals as a forward. Rare, but poetry!

The NRL and AFL seasons can't come soon enough. The tattoo artists have no ink left.

2. T20 Cricket. Refreshing to hear Ashton Agar pay tribute to Jadeja in the Indian team as an all round star. Too often Australian cricketers do not publicly pay much respect to some of the Indian superstars. This will get him places in world cricket - especially after a hat trick (Finch took a screamer!). How good is Steve Smith? He always recognises the need to rise under adversity.

Not sure why Australia fall for the old classic T20 stuff up all the time and play five batsmen as they did overnight. Who did they bring in to fail? Mitchell Marsh of course.

3. Last Round of Sheffield Shield. Plenty of interest in whether NSW can claw back a victory to take them into the the Shield final. Hopefully a few get some runs. It has been a dry summer for most. An odd summer too. Cricket has under estimated the Australian public and chased the dollars. There are games left in Australia yet and rugby league is fast approaching... interesting times.

4. Rugby Union. Finally a win against NZ by the perennial over achievers for us, the Brumbies. The Reds cashed in and mercifully the Waratahs had a week off. Can this happen most weeks?

5. Indigenous v Maori XIII Game. Lots of passion. Surely there is room soon enough for the re-branding of State of Origin and allowing it to be more diverse. World XIII v QLD? v NSW?

6. Nines - Salary Cap. Must agree with monies being added to a team's salary cap for winning the Nines. It may get a team an extra player or top up a dynamic youngster. This will be of appeal to the clubs and see the end of silly nonsense like Andrew Ryan or ex AFL players having a run.

7. Women's Cricket World Cup. Whenever Australia start losing these games, the whole thing becomes unpopular. India too strong in the first game. They will need to bounce back or perish!

8. EPL. The teams are scratching for off cuts now. Liverpool home and Jose at Spurs may be heading home too. He has not delivered with Harry Kane on the injured list.

9. Car Racing. Holden dead and buried. Of course they are with the money wasted on touring cars over so many years. Have Kia and The Wall produced a racing car yet? No...too busy making coin.

10. Ron 'Rambo' Gibbs. Tough as teak ex Manly and Roosters, but at what cost? A sad story of decline through brain injuries. This could be the big story of rugby league in the next ten years.

Wrap - Pointless Revenge

1. The Perth NRL Nines. Two men and a dog turn up to a carnival where some treat it like life and death and others treat it like snakes and ladders. Why do we have the Nines? Nick Davis - how did he go? The eventual premiers - North QLD...let's see what this looks like in October. Always love a 'next best thing' story around the Nines (Bevan French was one such guy). No one remembers pre-season winners. Bring back the Craven-Mild Cup - or the Amco Cup mid week instead.

How about St George... they lose Sims, McInness and Dufty in one weekend? This is the injury scourge they usually get in June each year.

2. Shield - Tasmania. For a state who have talented cricketers, to be bowled out for 78 was a complete disgrace v Queensland. The pitch was challenging and the duke ball was hooping. Jordan Silk as skipper got a pair. Hard to believe. Neser looked unplayable, but talk about a team who were panicking!

3. Shield - NSW. The resting of Cummins, Hazelwood and Starc from the NSW team and T20 is hurting their Shield campaign. Lots of blokes who get 30 and 40 can work, but not often. Nic 'Ears' Maddinson seems to be the best we have in the country at present. Matt Renshaw is a good example of blokes who fall apart in the longer form of the game when runs dry up.

I noticed Kurtis Patterson is back for NSW. A long time away.

4. Australian Super Rugby. Sealing support in club rugby sounds smart, but the code is under attack. Meanwhile we go 0-6 in our combined efforts against tougher off shore opponents. The Waratahs are sitting 0-3 and more punishment lies ahead.

5. Hugh Bowman. What a cracking jockey. Rode three straight winners in the big races on Saturday - Matowi, Flit, Alizee. He knows how to win.

6. EPL - Liverpool. Liverpool are so far ahead they may break the EPL record for most points and earliest declared premiership. They are not losing from here, despite Leicester doing good business. Now Man City have been banished from UEFA's Champions League and their players will start to leave too. The juggernaut of Liverpool may well roll on under the Klopster!

7. Folau. Hopefully he shuts up and leaves social media alone and just plays league. Immense talent, but will struggle to ever be fully accepted.

8. MLB Astros. Interesting to see the player revenge angle here. Talk of pitchers deliberately pinging their opponents in the ribs as a reminder for their cheating. They will be the most hated franchise in history and a lot of the teams will not hold back. Ironically, they could get banned longer than those involved in this initial outrageous sign stealing scam!

Wrap - Don't The Fans Love It

1. BBL. Stunning that they played at all after so much rain. Steve Smith is a dangerous player in all forms. Josh Phillippe will give Wade and Carey a run for their money. Warnie is clearly the best commentator in the business. The Stars salary cap is something else - Stoinis, Handscomb, Maxwell, Zampa, Coulter-Nile... and the Sixers is rubbery too - Smith, Starc, Hazelwood, Henriques, Abbott, Lyon... How do they do it?

A cracking crowd catch in front of the Ladies Stand was a highlight. Great win by the Sixers. They were the best fielding team in the comp and deserved to win. Silk is very valuable in that team. If they had kept the Pommie, Tom Curran, they could have belted everyone even more. Keeper -batsmen are gold in this T20 world.

Moises Henriques is a wonderful skipper. His knowledge of the game is exceptional. Really impressive and a possible future there at the highest level in some form of the game.

2. AB Medal. Warner seems a special. Maybe Cummins or Starc? A completely flawed concept these days and the preserve only a few national players who play all forms can reach. Smith an outsider.

3. Bushfire Appeal Game. A shame Warnie wasn't playing. No one had a spare plane, but there is great danger in these for world stars (Payne Stewart, Kobe Bryant...John Denver, Richie Valens!). Love the banter he brings... and his talent is missed. Some blokes never lose it. The stars of the show? Walsh can still move it. Akram looked strong too. Hayden was looking like he's been in the cookbook too much. Ponting still has it! Lara could still play for the Windies too. He hits the ball so sweetly.

4. Australian U/19 Cricket Team. Sixth place. Can't believe how low this is really. We are not dominating as we once did. India should hold every trophy and every place on the rostrum in world cricket. Their population says this is so. Good to see Bangladesh in the final. India to win however.

5. Rugby Union. How long does Raelene Castle have left? The TV rights is potentially a complete disaster for the game all the way down to park rugby. It is not her fault alone, but they have been uninspiring with the game in their control. The product is on the nose and will return to ABC on Saturday afternoons I suspect.

6. Waratahs. The crowd on Saturday was outrageously low. Rugby is on its knees. Back to the future. 32-12 loss...spoon time!?

7. Sydney Kings. First team to lead the NBL from start to finish. Impressive season...semis will be tough however!

8. NRL Integrity Commission. Busy times in summer for the commission. Josh Reynolds' case sounds intriguing. Curtis Scott, Siva, May, de Belin...complexity and all a shocking look for the game. Yet David Fifita and big Nelson from the Storm - squeaky clean those blokes!? That is an entirely inconsistent joke.

9. Jason Day. Could finally break his two year duck in Pebble Beach...!

10.  Horse racing. Hanseatic, Colette, Microphone, Alabama Express and Sylvia's mother were stunning at Caulfield on Saturday. Really like this Master Jamie and Ambidazzle too. Mark them down.

Wrap - Cricket Chokers, Happy Klopper and a Marriage Test

1. BBL. A week in cricket is a long time. Suddenly The Chunder look like world beaters. Two great wins on the road v the Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers. Not sure if playing regularly actually maintains an advantage. They will need to aim up against Stoinis and Maxwell however. They seem to be very close to disaster with their batting line up. Not sure how Chris Green gets on the field as 12th man at key times either (?) He can field well, so why not.

2. Cricket Choke. It has been a long time since we have seen a choke on the cricket field. I am channeling Chris Matthews in a famous Test when he couldn't hit the square and Glenn Trimble who bowled mile high full tosses and half trackers in a forgettable ODI. Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgXJ-OLIt-E

Chris Tremain added to this list in the Thunder's game v the Strikers. How Doggett gets a start in any game I don't know. Jono Cook is a talent. He could play at the highest level. Hales is a gun.

The Melbourne Stars go in as favourites, but likely to fall over at a key time if their form is true. Sydney Sixers have been an awesome franchise. Talk of getting Starc back for the final would be awesome. Cricket Australia need to fix this and place primacy on our BBL - not the IPL.

3. Australian Open Tennis. Once again the might of Djokovic is on display. Theim is rising fast, but when it comes to domination at the Australian Open, Djokovic is like Nadal at the French Open. Another Grand Slam win takes him to 17 Grand Slams, three behind Federer who will do wel lto add to his tally. Nadal has a bit more in the tank yet at 19 Grand Slams, but Djokovic could knock them all over.

4. Sofia Kenin. A relative no name on the women's tennis circuit, but a prized Grand Slam in her keeping now. Ash Barty must be kicking herself, despite the baby and the brave face. She has sacrificed another Grand Slam there. Barty is refreshing and positive, but sometimes you wonder whether she actually really enjoys it all. She left once before to play in the women's BBL. You get the feeling she will walk away cold again one day. Number 1 in the world is an impressive memory regardless.

5. Sevens and Nines, Half Courts and Super This and That. Are people that desperate for extra manufactured sport? Or is it the broadcasters? Some of this is ridiculous. Fancy the Roosters even contemplating having a busted AFL star from yesteryear in their line up? Todd Carney was touted too? Maybe the bushfire fundraiser mentality is the new norm. Someone though could get seriously hurt.

6. A League. Sydney FC should call in the engraver.

7. Liverpool FC. Double up with this trophy at 20+ points ahead in February. Happy Klopper indeed!

8. Horse Racing. Really liked the run of Away Game, Prague and Standout on the weekend at Randwick. Ones to note.

9. Rugby Union. At the bottom of the list for a reason. The sport is taking a back seat to basketball these days. After a predictable loss to the Crusaders, here's hoping their season is not as long as the surname of the new lad, young Nawaqanitawase!

10. Sydney Grade Cricket. What about Rob Aitken for North Sydney Cricket? He has played 472 games since 1992!!! He moves past the great Ken Hall, who took the record from the great Bob Aitken from Parramatta (369 games). Grant Lambert and Rob Aitken are the only two players to ever score 11,000 first grade runs - including 8 centuries and 58 fifties - and take 600 wickets. That could test a marriage!

11. Superbowl. Kansas City Chiefs v San Francisco 49ers. A great bounce back by the 49ers after years in the wilderness. However I cannot see Patrick Mahomes losing this one. Kansas City...Witchita...Witchita..boom!

Wrap - Winning Nothing

1. BBL. The key selection in any BBL team is the keeper. Look at the best teams... they have a great wicketkeeper-batsman (Carey, Phillipe, Wade...Rahul). This allows the team to have six decent batsmen. The combination has to be 6 bats-1 allrounder- 4 bowlers. I am increasingly of the view that outside of two bowlers you could almost bowl anyone. In the end you need runs so load up the batsmen and get rid of useless keepers. Jay Lenton from the Thunder is one such keeper. Zero runs is a complete liability. Getting a batsman as keeper eg. AB de Villiers is an outstanding bonus.

Further to last week, in addition to the smoke cancellation, the Thunder have had a game cancelled be electrical failure (v Heat in 2018) when the lights went out too...a throwing cheating scandal this year with Chris Green and so many rain affected games. Shane Bond the coach loads the team up with bowlers and what do you know...they struggle. They also had the Hurricanes and Strikers score a record total between them for a BBL game and bounce the Thunder out of the 2019 finals by the looks of it too.

2. Matthew Wade. An incredible innings - 130no off 61 balls. Cricket Australia needs to get our schedule right so Aussie players can participate in the full breadth of this tournament. Can you imagine Indian players not playing in the IPL? The BBL suffers with blokes coming and going too much.

3. Olyroos. Great effort to get back into the Olympics. However, it will be a minor miracle if they can win anything there. Once that is over the Western Sydney Wanderers should sign up Graham Arnold. He is one of Australia's best ever coaches - all codes.

4. Nick Kgyrios. A great win into the fourth round, but you would have thought he had won the whole tournament the way he went on. He lacks class and listens to the wrong voices. A shame as he has talent, but he lacks grace and class. Nadal will clean him up.

5. Australian Open Tennis #1. It is possible to win a tournament like this for any of the top twenty men world wide, however if you play five setters along the way your chances diminish massively. Federer will now struggle. Djokovic looks sharpest.

6. Australian Open Tennis #2. Is anyone sick of whinging, whining tennis players? So many spoilt brats. Arguments, complaining and tournament supervisors... the worst side of the sport. The press conference and the try hard Kgyrios v Nadal conflict nonsense is part of it. Refreshing to see Ash Barty win and not carry on like a pork chop.

7. A League - Brisbane Roar. Starting to move with a string of wins, but Sydney FC have it all in the bag.

8. Manchester United. The coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is getting desperate. Signing Carlos Tevez at 35 years of age...ummm. The great club is in strife.

Wrap - Cheating Scandals

1. Sydney Thunder. This BBL franchise is under a hex. If there is a controversy or a way the game can turn on its head, the Chunder will find it. They locate controversy and seem to attract it endlessly. Smoke cancellation... super over losses, rain shortened games... Their season is on the line again and the chances are they will miss out. There is a massive problem with the condition of their home deck (every season!) and they take games to Canberra which is not a lot better. They are the Adaams family franchise...the bad weather follows them.

2. Australia v India. We are still lacking the hammer blow player and are too slow at key times. We rely heavily on our bowlers and with the post 'sandpaper gate' disappearance of reverse swing, it is staggering. We are lacking the killer blow. The Gilchrist Factor. We have come up short with Ashton Agar and Ashton Turner. Neither have the flair or experience on the sub continent. Turner actually had one of the worst IPL seasons on record so it is tough to know why he was chosen for India - and played. Darcy Short was surely a better option. Maxwell, Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh... this slot of accelerating the run rate has been our disappointment for a long time now. Kohli is awesome - averages 96 on the chase!

3. MLB Baseball Controversy. This week saw the demise of the Boston Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, with a dark cloud now hanging over their 2018 World Series win. The LA Dodgers are whining loudly of course too. So you know, a catcher signals  what sort of pitch to throw - disguised from between his legs - taking instruction from his own dugout coaches. They feign and fake signals and secure a clear understanding in the end. The pitcher usually delivers what they are told. Unsighted by the opposition - except if you have a video camera pointed on the opposition catcher. You can get the sequencing and signs and predict what will be thrown.

Electronic messaging of opposition signals to batters - or banging a drum in a certain sequence - allowed them to know what sort of pitch they were about to receive from the opposition pitcher. Cheating by violating the code of baseball and its integrity rankles the US sports fan. The Houston Astros have been punished for their role. The Astros must forfeit their regular first and second-round selections in 2020 and 2021 drafts as well as paying a $5 million fine. However, there is much more to come here I suspect.

Players will spill their knowledge in time...retirees especially. Many players are affected as they were dropped/ traded, etc when the opposition actually was cheating with video footage of their signs. Some others profited.

Going into the changeroom to decode opposition signals is not acceptable either. This is bigger than the steroids revelations of the 1990s - Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, et al. It is like a poker player having knowledge of what is on an opponent's cards!

4. Western Sydney Wanderers. Has there been a team that has fallen in a bigger heap than this lot? Their big crowds and chanting mob have evaporated and their bright start to the season has died. Their coach 'Babbel' has had enough and the crowd have had enough of losing under his lead. Farewell. They need a new ethos. More locals and more talent.

5. More Cheating - English Rugby. What about Saracens? They won four league titles in the last five years and have been doing a Melbourne Storm all along! They should have records adjusted and stripped off them. Saracens will drop into the Championship following their salary cap breaches, but there should be more consequences. We are still waiting for NRL player managers to fall some five years later.

6. NFL. Green Bay v 49ers... Titans v Kansas City... winners to the Superbowl. The Titans have stunned the USA with their two away wins v the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL is huge business in the US.

7. UFC. Violent, violent stuff. Conor McGregor is back. Is that a good thing? If only this lot listened to Justin Langer's recommendation for sportstars to 'abandon social media'. Muhammed Ali on Twitter would have been interesting!