The Wrap - Attitude Without Gratitude

1. Brumbies 'Super Rugby AU' Winners. Still a powerhouse in Australia after so many years (last won a title in 2004? Maybe that is a sign that our best provincial team still can't win overall!) in winning the Australian Championships. Do we actually need the NZ teams? I don't think so.

Some great attacking rugby at times and top intensity, but if only the players were allowed to play the game. The TMO seemingly needs to get out the Encyclopedia Brittanica to look up the rules. So slow. The errors from the Reds in the last ten minutes just cruelled them. Their attack was a shambles really. The ref was OK, but the tempo of the game was frightfully slow. It is a comedy show when the ref tries to get the scrum technique right in the 79th minute of a final! Fair dinkum they have problems in that game. It is ruined too regularly. I feel sorry for the players and fans, but those officials are pleased!

2. Australian ODI Series Win. Great innings by Carey and Maxwell to secure a series win v England in the ODIs. Pressure cricket. They still need another bat who can bowl. Stoinis could be it, but his bowling is not strong. No Ben Stokes helped Australia. All without Steve Smith was a pretty impressive effort. Carey has ability.

3. Wests Tigers. Michael Maguire has got some issues on his hands. That team cannot score points and has an attitude problem when they are required to really dig in. They should not be leaking 50 points so regularly.  That speaks to character and teamwork surely. Very disappointing. They need a complete clean out - Packer, Joey Leilua, Josh Reynolds, Lawrence, Marshall... all need to go. A clean out of large proportions is required to clean the team up. Not sure if Maguire models the right composure at times, but when Harry Grant goes... Doueihi is on the skids when the Fox arrives.

4. Manly. What a disaster they have been all year too. It has been a long time since we have seen so many poor defensive efforts in a Manly team. Contrast it to the Roosters who with SBW, look invincible for a three peat of premierships. Mitch Aubusson has done well to get to 303 First Grade games.  Nice to see his understated leadership so instrumental at the club. Rare gold these days.

5. NRL Injuries. There are so many serious injuries in the game these days. Too many. Are we getting to a point where, like the NFL, we simply have one game against each team  home and away from one year to the next? Clean, simple, rep season at the end of the year. Transfer window and loan deals of players. Relegation?

6. Touch Football. I am really worried by two plays I saw on the weekend. The Sharks and the Knights both did it. The wall of defence was so impenetrable, the players concerned (Rudolf and Saifiti) just stopped and stood still and looked for a quick play the ball. No structure, no rhythm and an old touch footy tactic. Never thought I would see the day.

7. The Knock Back. Nice to see the knock back make a comeback now we get near the finals. Not everything that hits the ground is a knock on. 

8. GWS. Leon Cameron is surely gone. This club is imploding. Incredibly poor performances in recent weeks. To miss the semis is bad with the quality of their roster. They need a new broom.

9. AFL. The might of Port, Richmond, West Coast and Brisbane has impressed all season. Richmond look like favourites. The Crows (like the Broncos) are new spoon winners. It will be good to see some serious finals footy. It may be more open this year than it looks. Geelong are so inconsistent, yet potentially awesome. Just hung on v Swans and in fact if that last second smother didn't occur, they could have been in fifth place, not fourth.

9. EPL. A quick new season, but the new signings are just catching up! Gareth Bale will be a good pick up at Spurs. Corona virus has sent a few well paid sports stars back to reality. Liking the attitude of Leeds early on, but ManU losing to Crystal Palace..please. A loss like that early on and you are almost dead in the water for the title these days.

10. US Open Golf. Patrick Reed and de Chambeau...two blokes who have hurt the game a fair bit. Both were at the top of the tree, but Reed has fallen with a 77. Good to see the 2010 British Open champion, Louis Oosthuizen in contention. 

It will be interesting to see if they stay composed under pressure or chase photographers and use the leather wedge... Liking the display of the Woolf at a young age. Not since the great Penrith and Parramatta centre Ken, has there been a Woolf like him. Apparently, he used to be a werewolf, but he is not anymooooorrrrreee!

11. Classique Legend. Blinding pace at Randwick on Saturday. One to watch in the Everest. Chautauqua-like!

The Wrap - You Have To Be Djoking

1. NRL. The Panthers are carving it up and will take the JJ Giltinan as minor premiers (often forgotten on Grand Final day). As Brad Arthurs says, by losing the spine, especially Cleary, they will be in bother....but what team wouldn't be? That doesn't excuse the way Moses runs across field and the lack of punch up the centre that the team has inherited. The offloads are not landing. It was a little disconcerting to see Gutherson so charged up in the panthers game. A distraction from playing better! 

The Storm keep rolling on and so do the Raiders. The Storm finish top two again - incredible! Parramatta are in a bad way. No pace and so slow - especially without the bullet passes of the young hooker, Reed Mahoney.

2. Roosters. The Roosters with injuries and issues are still a powerhouse. SBW gives them an absolute edge. Trent Robinson is an absolute gun. Always stays single minded and never distracted by nonsense. Too busy winning comps!

3. Commentator Curse. Is it just me or is Blocker getting more generalised and off the pace as an NRL commentator? His defence of Townsend last week was a worry. Maybe it is me.

4. Adam O'Brien. Starting to worry about the composure of the Newcastle NRL coach. The team are playing with the same erratic style.

5. US Open Tennis. Novak Djokovic made a goose of himself. Disqualified in the tournament for hitting a ball at a line umpire that was his on a platter. Anyhow, with next to no one there, Serena also stumbled and Naomi Osaka triumphs for her third Grand Slam. In the men's either Zverev or Thiem is set to win their first title. Zerev may care to send Kgyrios a text!

6. EPL. They have hardly had time to get to the travel agent and banana lounge and they are back! Never ending play and still the sensational quality continues. Leeds who were recently promoted have risen to the challenge, going down to Liverpool, but only just. We will know the EPL winner by November. It wouldn't be the EPL without West Ham getting poleaxed in the first round. A long season ahead.

7. GWS Giants. The coach, Leon Cameron, is under the pump. That team should be top four every year. It is time for a change there. Crows launching back, but Carlton are floundering. Nearly fell over that the AFL are thinking of having their week off before the semis again in a season where they have played every night! Old habits...

8. Wallabies. 16 uncapped players selected...maybe this is the time to rebuild, with so much dead wood over recent years, this may keep a few from signing with rugby league.

9. Daniel Riccardo. Is this guy out of excuses yet? A few W's would help him. It seems to be everyone else's fault. No 'shoeys' this season.

10. Tour de France. No coronavirus problems there...pile in together and the crowd three deep. Maybe time for a few from Victoria to get to the travel agent. 

11. Curtis Scott. The Police are kidding there, but what is wrong with a grown man on a big salary on the drink and having a sleep in the park? He was a long way from the Ivy.

12. Australian Cricket. Thumped in T20...still no secrets uncovered yet. We simply have the wrong balance in the team. The ODI team has fared better. Mitchell Marsh might just be hitting his straps. Bowling at night in England - does it get any better for a medium pacer?

Wrap - Better Crowds in COVID Than Before It

 1. NRL Fools #1. Josh Reynolds and Russell Packer. Too cold to stay at the game and you leave at half time? Both need releases from their contracts. They would not get a start at the Swans as their recruitment policy would disqualify them both (although they would be scratching their heads re Elijah Taylor). The Russell Packer effort against  Ryan Matterson earlier in the year summed him up. How do they look their team mates in the eye? They are salary cap sponges and show the divide in the camp. They need a clean out in Tiger town...both of these blokes, Macqueen, Marshall, Lawrence, etc... Ivan Cleary did the club no favours (but is going alright now at the Penny Panthers).

2. Canberra are fraying. Absolutely smashed by injuries and have done well to recruit all sorts of other players, but now Josh Papaali wants to go home. Ricky has an expiry date with some players (Bateman is another). They did well to hang in there, but Rapana and Simonsen/ his replacement are not giving much value to them out wide this year.

3. Manly. It has been a long time since Manly have been this bad. Des Hasler is not getting them on song. Their depth is getting there with lots of . The St George misery in 2020 continues. Zac Lomax is having a brilliant year. Awesome.

4. Humidor. That horse still has it after a blinding win at 20-1 on Saturday at Moonee Valley. Superb training effort from Chris Waller.

5. Australian T20 in England. Not that any one gives a tinker's cuss about it, but is there any logic that we send cricketers abroad to play in front of no one? Staggering. Interested to hear how Cricket Australia have now given up everything and traded off the farm and are one of the international paupers of the game. Incredible how useless the administration has been of late. The way they started looks like a clean series whitewash is on the cards.

Can we have day cricket at some stage? Night cricket is wearing thin too.

5. Waratahs. Another year of misery is undone in the usual way. Under performance, no stickability and lack of desperation. Awful to say, but a terrible year really. They are a franchise on the nose and would be one of the few franchises with the same crowds before, during and dare I say after COVID-19.

6. AFL. A sorry state of affairs with the Richmond Footy club just tripping over itself endlessly. They need to toughen up. The COVID-19 bubble certainly tests player sensibilities and stickability... and coaches and clubs. The ability to last and endure seems to be the same off the field as on the field for some.

7. SBW. For all the criticism, he is always the statesman and so talented. He takes a hit and always looks to progress the footy. What a superstar to get on the way to the GF. Awesome. Not sure how the salary cap allows it, but no one understands that bloody thing. If it was a public document, everyone would understand.

8. US Open Tennis. Djokovic is warming into the easiest Grand Slam win of his life. He has the rat cunning and skill to land this one again. Serena looks sharp but the US Open has been home to some of her worst losses in finals, including against Sam Stosur. Top effort from Hills kid, Jordan Thompson...into the forth round and possibly quarter finals of the show against a tired Coric!

 

Wrap - The Bling Thing

1. Cricket. Jimmy Anderson picks up Test wicket number 600. An awesome achievement as the first fast bowler to hit that mark. Unbelievable talent and longevity. Broad has just brought up his 500th wicket too. Two legends and two of the best ever in the same team. Like Warne and McGrath. England will stammer when they are both gone, but not yet. Two series wins back to back for them and they are rocketing up the world ranking charts! They are stirring for one more crack at us on their seaming decks. We are in for some trouble unless we can unearth some decent batting prospects.

2. NRL. St George were woeful, but the Titans and Warriors are fighting back. Nice to see their changes and the demise of the Broncos. Too many whingers and complainers and they need a shake up.

3. Panthers. They were amazing for their eleventh win in a row. Liam Martin is a future Origin player.  Tough. They were so aggressive in defence attacking the Wigers’ runners. They look like they are GF bound. They have pace and passion. Ready to pounce. Joey Leilua once again makes a dunce of himself. Unlike Parramatta who were exposed expertly by Bennett's masterplan. A comprehensive thumping that underlines their greatest flaw...lack of pace and size in their five eight/ centre position. Compare that to Penrith. No contest.

4. Loss of Seibold. Not a pleasant club with stupid ‘cancer’ comments by an owner. Anthony seems to be chasing social media like his next win and spending a lot of his money in so doing. He needs to move on. Bennett will be back there soon, but surely they also need to uncover fresh territory in the coaching ranks.

5. Lionel Messi. What a great signing he would be for the EPL. 2 million a week is great COVID-19 coin! Manchester City will be winning the EPL if that happens.

6. Arsenal. They keep winning all silverware except the one that matters. The Community Shield is theirs again. An amazing club, but under performance personified.

7. A League. Sydney FC surely win the silver dunny seat. Dominant all year but a bad run in to the finals. An incredibly successful club. The end of the world’s longest competition!

8. AFL. Port, Geelong and Brisbane are all in the frame for the flag. GWS also showed flair at long last. Richmond are never far away either. Toby Greene has talent, but needs more smarts. Forever caught up in dramas. I suspect he needs to be told to grow up and pull his head in. Not sure if the current coach, Leon Cameron, strikes me as the man to do that.

9. Melbourne Cup. Former Melbourne Cup winning horse, Subzero, goooone! A great horse. Not many grey horses win the thing.

10. Baseball. Sydney Bluesox baseball sign the great Manny Ramirez (ex- Red Sox in his mid 40s!). Hard to know what role he’ll play, but I know my son will be trying to learn everything from him! There may be a dispute for work at first base, but that will last all of about one second. He is a baseball legend! An amazing signing for little old Australia. We'll wait to see what entourage and bling arrives. It could be a publicity myth yet.

11. Tim Tszyu. Too quick and powerful. Horn was caught counting cash too early. Under done. He is finished, but has been a great statesman for the sport. When Bob Arum calls you great, he too is counting wads of it. An interesting game the fight game. Where is Don King these days? 89 years young they tell me.

Wrap - Losers Have Meetings

1. NRL. Five more rounds to go and some teams are dusted already. The Tigers and Manly have almost given it all away now. Crushing losses both and really bad defence. The Panthers (almost perfectly injury free) are striding ahead but are 15 points ahead of the Tigers, Manly and St George! The Tigers need a complete clean out - Mbye, Marshall, Lawrence, Packer... get rid of the whinging goose element too. 

Warriors are doing well in tough circumstances. Coach Todd Payten ticking boxes everywhere.

2. English Test Cricket. Great batting from Jos Buttler and 22 year old (!) Zak Crawley (267) for England v Pakistan. Pakistan can fall in a heap like very few other teams...such talent unrealised. The wretched English weather has played havoc. Growing up, the first time I can remember seeing sunlight over there in England was on the Mark Taylor Ashes massacre all those years ago. If you bat in the overcast conditions, you pay a heavy price.

Look for a Stuart Broad-James Anderson special end to the series in the Third Test. Jimmy Anderson was in unplayable fine form. Could be over very soon.

3. Australian Cricket. There is something remarkably boring about an Australian ODI Team going in a chartered jet to England to play. Please. Who cares? The only reason they are playing is that the Cricket Australia people have ruined the game and its resource base. Not sure that cricketers are the top of any one's care list. Meaningless tournaments overseas by overpaid whingers appeals to very few. Amazing how sportstars get the green light to travel overseas when Joe Average needs to stay at home.

4. Cameron Smith. Plenty want to tell him what to do. I think Cameron can decide that... even if he needs to do it soon. Fair enough that those other players want to move on too, if he stays. Both Brandon Smith and Harry Grant are exemplary players. The Brandon Smith jaw break is bad.

5. Losing Coaches. Interesting how losing coaches whinge and whine about dives/ mock crusher tackles, etc. Winning coaches never seem to see this stuff. 'Losers have meetings and winners have parties!'.

6. NRL - Manly. Talk about imbalance in their salary cap. DCE, 2 x Trobejvics, Dylan Walker, Tapou...cap gone. A few injuries and so is their season. Their defence has rarely been so bad. Souths were slick.

7. Swans. Their current style of footy is so bad (lucky crowds are not required at present or they would truly have COVID crowds!). I am sure Buddy Franklin (remember him?) will never want to come back. They are appalling. As soon as the weather arrives, it goes down three levels again. Rebuilding phases of club need to be pretty quick these days, otherwise the end of player and coach contracts are quicker.

8. Tim Tszyu v Jeff Horn bout. A cracking one ahead. Tszyu talks a big game. Noticed the big Russian boxer has a nice uppercut. Jeff Horn can do damage if you are slow.

9. Seibold Forensics. Not sure who goes to jail first? It seems like it might be busy at the courts around this one. He is under a lot of pressure and this is cruel. Society has had enough of this nonsense (a bit like the road rage phase).

10. Bronson Xerri. That B sample should be arriving any day now...

Wrap - Going Bunkers

 1. NRL Coaches. Souths are really struggling (yet keep winning) and Bennett seems as though he should join the coach exodus - Dean Pay, Paul McGregor, Steve Kearney and Paul Green. Interesting to see Michael Morgan return when the coach was sent packing. A tough gig. The Seibold nonsense stories don't make it any easier (Who thinks this ridiculous stuff up to attack a coach? Very sad), but it is a winning game the coaching game. Very few coaches have won greater than 50% of their games! 

Hard to know why Kevin Walters has not been ushered into a coaching role. He must have out priced himself or he is on the nose with management.

2. Bites. The dumbest thing about the Kevin Proctor biting matter was that he was not wearing a mouthguard. He may be found to be 'reckless' by the judiciary on this count alone! Must know a good dentist.

3. NRL - Parramatta. Shocking loss v St George. Their forward strength has improved, but they still lack strike power in the backline. The team needs to be more astute at the pressure moments. They lack brilliance. Israel Folau may be an option? The lack of sheer pace in some teams holds them back. 

Manly have become soft too which is staggering really after years of being the toughest of all. I suspect salary cap imbalance (Trobjevics x 2, DCE) has a price. Newcastle keep rising, without impressing.

4. England - Cricket. Stuart Broad is already at 510 Test wickets and surging forward. A great chase by the Poms in the First Test v Pakistan. There is no team like Pakistan to let you off the hook. When they ever return to the top of the tree it will be when they can get a few mentally tough players again.

A day or two of no cricket in the latest Test will get the illegal bookies anxious. Collapse?

5. NRL Team Songs. Noticing a lot of dressing room fist pumping/ group dancing in the NRL post game in victories. Surely that is not to the traditional team song. 'Glory , glory to South Sydney...' and 'Click go the shears...' or 'The red white and bloosters..' should become legend like the AFL do so well (less the sexual touching nonsense - juvenile fools all).

6. NRL State of Origin. The selected NSW and Queensland teams may be like the Prime Minister's XIII team they send to Papau New Guinea, by the time the season ends. The injury toll keeps mounting and it will be a test of roster depth. The form of Wighton and Cook is most alarming. There is no one troubling Melbourne on current form. Melbourne will do a number on Parramatta next week too.

7. NRL Rules. Scrums are a farce... knock backs are a thing of the past and one challenge is needed in each half. A review is needed.

8. NRL Bunker - Jarrod Maxwell. What a cracking bunker voice he has! Big brother! This bunker voice is more popular than Tevita Pangai-Junior.

9. AFL. The effort of GWS is appalling. So inconsistent and lazy. To lose to the Swans this year is awful. Geelong are storming back into contention for the flag. Port have been great but are struggling a bit more now. It is a long season! Brisbane were fortunate, but they have won! St Kilds may finally be turning a corner too.

10. US PGA Golf. Collin Morikawa's win was pretty special last weekend. Jason Day did well but not enough. A future star perhaps...but how hard is it to string together greatness in golf? Sergio...Rose.. Retief ...Rory...Speith...all have had the tag of the next great thing in golf. They certainly have had their moments, but to win over a long period of time is tough. IBF, John Daly, David Duval and Vijay have all had the wheels fall off at different times... Nick Faldo (6) is the most major winners in our lifetimes outside of Tiger Woods (15). A tough craft. Koepka blew it and needs to watch his mouth is respectful.

11. Waratahs. What? Two wins in a row. Another win in the next fortnight and they make finals... hard to believe but the loss v Rebels will be costly. Bonus points will be critical.

12. US Open Tennis. Starts 31 August. Of course Novak Djokovic (17 Grand Slams) is attending and should pick up a cheap major here in the absence of Rafa (19 Grand Slams/ carry over champion). No Wawrinka (3 Grand Slams) or Federer (20 Grand Slams) either. 

13. Football. Barca thrashed 8-2 by Bayern Munich. Incredible. Messi may be on the move to the EPL. That would make it the star league in Europe for sure. In our parts, Sydney FC may deserve the 'dunny seat' trophy the way they have been playing the past couple of weeks!

Wrap - Fools Paradise

1. NRL Fools. Occassionally we hear the statement that "he doesn't tolerate fools". I am still waiting to find someone who does tolerate fools. Peter V'landys needs to come down hard on these fools.

Alan Langer (trainer no brainer), Pangai-Junior (bikie club links), Paul Vaughan (dumb prop), Wayne Bennett (King Lear clone)... are all fools. No one is under any illusions in "the bubble" re behaviour for all NRL players and officials. They all know what is expected. Talk about selfishness and self centredness. The game will fall in a heap if these idiots are let loose. It didn't take that long. Bennett should retire and disappear so he can go to a cafe every day he wants then. Then there was also a junior match stabbing or two today. Great look for the game this weekend!

2. Ivan Cleary. He has done some stupid things in recent times ... breaking the salary at Tigers, blowing kisses, now comments re refs that Canberra were being "managed back into the game". Is this why Gus sent him packing? Panthers are killing it without any help from the refs. He needs to get on with winning. 

The Eels had a tight win, but hardly impressive. The hands of Ferguson are a worry. Under pressure he struggles. Blake in the centres is a nightmare too. They need a better centre who is devastating. They are harder to find than an ASADA B-Sample.

3. Tigers. Woeful. Hopeless. Adam Doueihi can cry for Lebanon, but his form has still been woeful. Thumped again. Bottom line is they are dreadful - especially Benji's defence sadly. They are flat and Michael Maguire is on thin ice. They need an absolute clean out at that place, starting with Benji and Chris Lawrence... old world and time to move on.

4. AFL Injuries. Fancy hitting an opponent's injury on the field. Fancy putting strapping around the injury - without the usual decoy strapping on the same limb in a 'healthy' part of the body? The grubbiness of the AFL is being exposed badly in the COVID-19 times. Their image is suffering. Not sure if playing every night of the week helps either.

5. AFL Groping each other in the dressing room. Are they for real? Richmond AFL Club grabbing crotches, poking butts... honestly. Save the nonsense and play better. What an embarrassment. Especially when a younger and newer African player is targeted. Fines? Sackings? Or just counselling? Amazing how apologies only arise when the media get hold of it all.

6. Nathan Brown to Warriors. Not sure of this one, but good luck to him and them. Gus Gould will help, until they get sick of each other. The signings they have earmarked are not great...Adam Elliot, Euan Aiken, Jack de Belin and some English player...That is not going to win a comp for you. Roger Tuivasa-Shek has been limited this year, but he and Ken Mamalo and Tohu Harris are very good. They need leadership.

7. USA PGA Gold Championships. Brooks Koepka looks poised to strike. Bryson DeChambeau hits it off the tee that hard, the club head drops off...never had that issue. Dustin Johnson will go close too.

8. Waratahs beating the Reds. Surely not...their biggest win ever? I hope the ASADA people were there. Remarkable, but how the Reds have folded. Brad Thorn has simply not gotten this team right.

9. Horse racing. Some new exciting types are coming back from the paddock for the spring. From last week, Brooklyn Hustle is a sensational horse!

10. England Cricket v Pakistan. A fourth innings chase for victory is very difficult and extremely rare. The Poms, thanks to Buttler and Woakes got there... not without panic! A great effort.