Wrap - Keeping Up With The Smiths

 1. Cameron Smith. He better write his book quickly and start writing one for Harry Grant. Keith makes a good point...how do Sydney clubs keep missing out on these guys? Harry Grant changed Origin in what was a tired and lacklustre affair really. NSW simply do not have the firepower in attack (not helped by Tedesco's early exit). Fittler has become a little stubborn of late and to leave Papenhuyzen out was daft. Cody Walker unfortunately is not the answer. Jack Wighton is at five eight.

His namesake also did well at the masters and gets a return invite. Tied second on -15 and now the first EVER golfer in the history of the Masters to post four rounds in the 60s! Some sort of effort...when is his book out? 

Never like reading a sports story where the wife/ partner starts to be a dominant figure. It is about the player. Not sure that Smith needs to retire either. This seems something that the media want more than the player or his partner! The form of Munster the other night tells you that Melbourne will be a success for some time to follow... especially when Harry Grant arrives home.

2. Manny Ramirez. Has jetted into Sydney and tails off his remaining days in quarantine, before hitting the ballpark for the Sydney Bluesox baseball team. A rich pedigree. The crowd will be hoping he stays injury free and hits a few out of the park! There is some suggestion he may play a couple of park warm up games. That would be something! Drug record or not, his reputation is unbelievable.

3. ODI Cricket. The start of the cricket season is hard to warm into. The game is like an old jumper. Much loved but needs a revamp. ODI series do not take the eye too much now. Richie Benaud, Tony, Bull and the boys made cricket in this country. A new batch and new ideas need to arise. Nine is flat and so is their product.

4. Rugby - Wallabies. Some sort of fortnight for the Pumas beating the All Blacks and drawing with us (not such a great triumph really). Chieka would be enjoying this. We have learned little and the leadership around the park looks haphazard. No tries...please. What sort of spectacle is that? Great for the self centred refs and turtle-like TMO...they would love the spotlight. The fans switched off hours ago. The balance of the team looks out. Surely Vunivalu comes straight in to that team.

5. EPL. Tottenham under the Great One, "Jose I say" are striking form, but Man City are not. Liking the open competition this year, but it is a multi bet killer! Liverpool are ready to strike still, as are Leicester. The foxes are on the run!

6. Wests Tigers. What a unfortunately miserable reputation they have for keeping and recruiting talent. They have Joey Leilua, James Roberts, Douhei and Reynolds, Mbye, et al. I cannot see them beating their customary ninth position on the ladder. No Fox. No Harry Grant. No real leadership. They are losing decent forwards like McIntyre. They could have a lot of blokes mowing the grass at Leichhardt. They need young guns and stars on the up. 

7. Paul Gallen. Love the media hype with boxers. The trouble is it is so familiar and so tiring. Paul was a good footballer, but does he really need this? The silent player who does the business (eg. Sonny Bill) is far more impressive.

8. Court of Appeal. Michael 'Flash' Gordon, Jarryd Hayne and Jack de Belin are all in strife. How players can become so muddled professionally and put themselves in bad situations is one thing. Putting others in danger is another thing. The off season seems to be where most of the NRL salaries are spent - defending themselves. The Burgess case is another one. The media love an NRL court case with all the angst, powerplay, battered reputations and pain - and sadly can't wait to make it their own. Why do some clubs never face this?

Wrap - Mastering the Course

1. The Masters. This Cameron Smith is a talented bloke. 400+ games of NRL and a Green Masters jacket in sight. No wonder he doesn't want to retire. What's more, he has a book out at present that stands to do what Steve Waugh used to do...make heaps of cash out of an average book!

Odd tournament without the galleries, but great it progresses in view of the woeful USA management of the dreaded disease. Surely Dustin doesn't enter the dust bin.

2. Justin Langer. Just when you thought we may have had traction, Justin makes a complete goose of himself in saying that Joe Burns is a better fit for the Test team than a bloke who is currently in form after two double tons. Langer is kidding surely. His loyalty (think PJ Marsh, Mrs Marsh and Graham Marsh) has been misguided before and it will bring about his undoing. I suspect that young Pucovski needs certainty and clarity in his life - not more mind games. We have a very traditional coach here who needs to modernise the thinking.

3. The Pumas. An incredible win, but the All Blacks are human. They have lost before and will again. Rarely do they lose the ones that count however.

4. State of Origin. Amazing how we get crowd concessions by the dodgy Queenslanders on the eve of Origin. This should not be forgotten. Seeing Papenhuyzen on the golf course Sunday is another poor selection by a coach who sometimes loses it as well. How Gutherson keeps a centre position ahead of others with his poor defence is staggering. Hopefully Gus can get there for the game too. We need polarising figures of derision and fun. For as useless as he was, Gomersall made Origin a contest. Lewis...Gillmeister...

Should be a NSW win ahead, but stranger things have happened in Origin...especially in the cauldron!

5. Lewis Hamilton. Basically now the best ever. What an extraordinary talent. Equals Schumacher and wins a seventh world championship to tie with the great man. He has more to come yet. His Mercedes team has dominated for too long as well. 

6. AFL Trades. Collingwood have suffered, but needed to shed players. A great lesson to others about hanging onto players too long (Swans - Jack, et al). It can stuff your club up. The best clubs recruit the best.

7. Tigers. Lose out on Addo-Carr, then can't sign anyone except Jimmy The Jet Roberts... please. They need young talent - not recycled guys who for sad reasons, would rather be elsewhere. They need an overhaul. Douhei is one who I would cut instantly...Reynolds, Mbye, Packer... All signed by the great Ivan Cleary who inherited Anthony Griffin's squad of gun juniors. Saints will be hoping for this in 2021. There is a marked difference between AFL and NRL in our Tiger cousins!

Wrap - Horse Has Bolted

1. IPL. David Warner. Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL team (Warner, Stanlake) have done the extraordinary, squeaking into the semis and then winning. A showdown with the Dehli Capitals for a place in the final v the Mumbai Indians is on the cards. Watch Warner do something special tonight v Delhi Capitals (Stoinis, Carey, Sams). The Mumbai Indians await in the final (Bumrah, James Pattinson... and Chris Lynn who has not had a hit yet!). That compettiion goes on for weeks, but it is the best of the best. India has far too many expert players. How we ever beat them in any cricket game is a miracle.

2. Will Pucovski. Has scored two double hundred Shield scores (one last week) and late in the Shield v WA he is again 173 not out. He has some skill. Hopefully he has the right composure and disposition to bring it together at the International level.

3. State of Origin I. Talk about a lack lustre game. Really, great timing that the comp goes on further and a bonus week or two of footy, but the players look busted - except Dane Gagai who seems to lift for QLD much more than Souths ever see. Dropping Keary is not the solution, however Bennet targeted him in defence in the second half. Nathan Cleary was awful. He does not take the line on sometimes and therefore it does not propel NSW forward. Not sure if any changes there are going to get NSW over the line. They simply do not want it enough. QLD want to win more than NSW. Simple.

Gutherson is simply not fast enough to be a centre and we have Lomax and Crichton on the bench. Bennet smashed him too with Capewell lining up against him. He was found out badly in an unfamiliar position too. The lack of offloads by NSW in the second half was too obvious. Brad Fittler needs to stay aggressive. He retreated when it mattered and has not taken responsibility for it.

4. Boyd Cordner. Is the modern 'tough' actually the modern 'reckless'? He needs a break. His future cannot be much fun the way he is going. It is a tough sport, but is it a reckless one too?

5. Wallabies. Awesome effort at the end by Korebetti. He would be a top league signing as well. A great result. We love winning the dead rubbers and the inconsequential games... at least it is something. Like winning the fifth Ashes test when the series is over. The horse had bolted!

5. Parramatta 2021+ Signings. What a disaster this has been so far. Oldfield, Roache and Hipgrave...No names, has beens and cut price blokes whose bad knee, recurring illness or health disaster has been ignored. They will seriously lack depth and these signings are too plentiful and too shallow. However, the annual photo on the back of the Parramatta Advertiser will look great!

They seem incapable of making the tough decision... What is that decision? Sack Blake Ferguson and Waqar Blake (England surely would love to have him). Buy Mansour. Put Mitchell Moses on notice. 

6. EPL. Southhampton seem like they are well on track in the EPL. How about the form of ManU? How the mighty have fallen, but an unexpected bounce back v Everton. It is so good to see the top teams struggling a bit.

7. Benji Marshall. Can anyone believe a club is seriously looking at him as a player for the future? Surely he retires.

8. TAB. 'Long May We Fail'. Amazing ITD failure on the weekend costing them millions. No matter, drop a dollar off every bet return and you are back. Bluey would be nervous about his job on Monday... Bivouvac caned them! 

9. Melbourne Cup - Anthony Van Dycke. What an horrific end to a horse's career. These overseas horses really struggle on our turf and in our conditions sometimes. Not sure why, but the distance travelled and recuperation must be a huge factor. Hugh Bowman did well to manage the horse in the straight. This horse could not bolt. Hauntingly empty stands too.

Wrap - The Cup Runneth Over

1. Openers. A great weekend for Australian batsmen across the country. A rare day really. The highest ever Shield partnership of 486 by Will Pucovski and Marcus Harris. An excellent performance. Pucovski has five first class tons and two double tons. Throw him in with Cameron Green and we may be moving.  This Pucovski is a rare talent. I just hope mentally he has the required steel. It can be a lonely place in cricket when it doesn't come together for you. We've all been there - even in the park!

Then we see Bancroft and Whiteman bag tons each for WA (Shaun Marsh of course scored his mandatory selector impressor ton to get the media excited about his eighteenth comeback). Travis Head also knocked off a ton too. The evergreen Trent Copeland bagged five wickets, but NSW are up against it to try and reel in the remaining 135 runs for a victory. Mitchell Swepson is killing them too! Surprised at how ineffective Nathan Lyon is in Shield cricket for the mainstay spinner in the Australian team.

2. Wallabies. The TMO is a complete joke. Fifteen replays and satellite/ terrain/ street-view vision before a decision. It is exactly like the the NFL all of a sudden with a quarter of the crowd and interest. 18 long years of no Bledisloe and after five minutes it never looked like we were a serious contender.

For any improvements in the Rennie era, I must say the total disrespect for ball control and possession is staggering. Miracle flick passes and overhead passes must be the order of the day and don't start me on the box kick. The most useless move in world sport.

The Wallabies had a chance to claw back fans and show people what it used to mean to be part of that game. Instead, we get show pony referees and TMPO officials who are that slow... Honestly the game needs a V'landys figure to cut through the rubbish.

Otherwise, bring back halftime on the field and tea towels for touch judges in tracksuits. 

The anthem singer was the highlight for Australia.

3. League and AFL. Love the signings, the player movement and the non-events. There really are not too many players out there and available. Apparently Mitchell Moses is now able to field offers from other clubs... 'hello...is anyone there...?' The Fox will stay. Smith will play on and we will resume normal transmission. Cameron Smith has done some particularly odd things... a testimonial game three years ago...being chaired off Suncorp this year... A bit of 'me, me, me' there.

Jarhome Hughes must take a big money offer. He will not see it better than now. Corey Allan on the market with James Roberts? Good luck there. Parramatta are investing heavily in Bryce Cartwright. His bad defensive reads in 2019-2020 won't be needed by many. Brad Arthur will convert him into a Shaun Lane clone. He can offload the ball too. Just get him vaccinated before the season. 

Before you head anywhere, get over to NZ and sign some pace in the outside backs. 

4. Melbourne Cup 2020. Verry Ellegant, Finche, Anthony Van Dyck and Russian Camelot will be working closely together there for a win for mine. Get on Titan Blinders the place the race before. Paying $7.00! Could be worth getting down to Electronic Sales and Rentals to get yourself a big TV this week... remember the phone number: 6-4-8-0-1-double 0!

5. GWS. It looks like coach Leon Cameron has well and truly lost the car park. Surely you sacrifice Leon before Jeremy. Classic club where there is a lack of senior players with cool heads and stability. Do they have a true supporter base? They started with western Sydney and now have moved east. A flag could be a long way off.

6. IPL. This is becoming interesting. Close till the end. Lots of Australians benched... Maxwell, Watson, et al. However, it still has the best of the best. Why Cricket Australia don't have a similar concept in place I would never know. Two or three Indian players per team, especially the second tier ones who are better than most Shield players regardless. 

7. EPL. Liverpool back on top with a few less likely teams - Everton, Wolves, Leeds, Leicester! Far more entertaining this year with the big spenders not profiting!

8. NFL. The greatest hoopla on earth really! Chiefs, Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all doing good business. Tom Brady is still in the top ten QBs on may stat points thus far. An old timer who still has the magic!

9. F1. Dry shoe Riccardo is wheeling it out again. More wins and less chat might help. He's had one more 'shooey' than Jeremy Schloss this season.

10. The Morphettville Doctor. Watch out for DR Jolly, the successful South Australian trainer who is killing it over there at present. Two huge wins: Biarchi and Thompson's Reward and then Bajan went well too for a close tussle. Could want for another furlong. get on it!

Wrap - Grand Finale

1. NRL Grand Final. The rain makes it tough - and a long day before a 7.50pm kick off! (too late). The last wet GF was when Penrith won in 2003! However the weather was OK through the game...terrible on the way back to the car! Too many errors by the Panthers who did well to get so close. Quicker play the balls v the Storm are critical. Playing wide works, but turning the inside ball does not deceive anyone. The Panthers were overawed and panicked when they did not need to. The panic gets a lot of teams in trouble.

2. Clive Churchill Medal. Ryan Papenhuyzen has been incredible in 2020. Great pace and tough. How good are the Storm at recruiting...lose Smith pick up Harry Grant...lose Slater, pick up Paps...lose Cronk, pick up Jerome Hughes. The play to bat the ball back in from over the sideline was incredible by Papenhuyzen in the second half. Watch how George Jennings goes there and becomes a huge success next year.

3. Aftermath. Kikau is devastating, but he made too many errors. He and a few others at Penrith panicked. Their discipline was found wanting. Cleary scored a great solo try, perhaps one of the best in GF history, but too late. Top class. The pace of Melbourne wins however... the Fox, Vunivalu, Paps... it wins. Crichton was great in the closing stages. He has a great step, speed and size. He could be amazing in a few years time.

4. AFL Grand Final. Pretty good for not being at the MCG, despite the rain. Pitch invaders - idiot Queenslanders! Did I miss the 'Up There Cazaly' version this year or was it a victim of COVID? The AFL do a lot of clever things in their GF that the NRL miss out on. The half time at the NRL is a joke... egg and spoon races, potato sack races. Bring back the League Olympics with specific events that entertain!!! They don't have to cost a lot of dollars. Loved Sheppard. Great band choice which set a top standard. A great way to reinforce your talents to an absolutely massive audience as a band!

Is it time our advertisers in Australia started getting serious about Grand Final advertisements - like the Superbowl?

Not sure what to make of the shorter quarters in 2020. Not certain it makes the game better.

When will the rule change to take the ball back to the spot where a ball is kicked out on the full? That will make the game more exciting....no negative tactics.

5. Dustin Martin. What a champion! Had to laugh when Bruce said that "it was the first time he has ever failed on the football field" following a missed banana kick. Martin's upper body strength and mobility is pretty special. The start after half time was immense and Martin's four goal effort was incredible. The three time winner of the Norm Smith! 

81-50 was a smashing in the end really. To be able to win 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships after the 11th, 13th and 15th placings of the early 2010s has been a remarkable transformation. That song 'Tiger Town' was on high rotation at the after match!

6. Norm Smith Medal. Thank goodness a typical NRL or Cricket Australia stuff up (submitting votes before half time, miscounts, loss votes, missing drunk judges, leaked outcomes) with MOTM votes did not occur and Dustin Martin received it. Leigh Matthews seemed to be struggling to do it right, but they got their man in the end. 

7. The Gabba. The field there in Brisbane is amazing. How dry was it after a million inches of rain? Not sold on the night Grand Final  however. Peter V'landys missed an opportunity this year to go back to the daytime in a special rescheduled year. I must say though, he did a good job this year. A few key changes. He needs to look at the NRL pre-game approach though. Reserve Grade games before the main game need to return and the players need to warm up somewhere else. They are a boring part of the modern game.

It reminds me of Tommy Raudonikis who said that you never see Winx stretching the leg on the rail of the racecourse before running. Let's move beyond this amateurism! Next thing we'll have half time on the field and ABC doing the coverage (oops...that is rugby).

8. Sir Dragonet. Glen Boss has an uncanny ability to deliver on whatever horse they give him. He is an old wily hoop! That Mooney Valley track gets them every year - no real straight and sloppy jockeys... How ordinary was Kolding in Melbourne after nailing them in Sydney for weeks?

9. IPL. Marcus Stoinis is certainly making a name for himself in the T20 game. The Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals look the two best teams. Pat Cummins finally got some wickets. Finch has struggled. Warner solid, but not spectacular. Watson playing his last season. Ponting continues to be the star coach.

10. EPL. Manchester United are a schemmozzle once again. Man City are not much better and suddenly the competition is wide open. Leeds are carving it up! That makes for such better viewing!

11. MLB World Series. Locked at 2-2, the LA Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays. Some sort of ending to Game 4. Errors and panic and a loss to the Dodgers. They seem like they are destined to lose!

The Wrap - Grand Final Glory

 1. NRL Finals. Well then there were two left... Storm v Penrith ('The Rith' for anyone who is an outsider!) and the Tigers v Geelong. Cannot get past the whining from Ricky re the QLD government may have unsettled the team. It was a joke, but they did not turn up in the first twenty minutes. Even though he got two tries, Nick Cotric had a shocker...and was placed into the Origin team! Surely not. They looked weather beaten. The cold of Canberra v the heat of QLD! 

The bye for the AFL teams (Port Adelaide and Brisbane) counted for zip, but the NRL teams who had the week off both won. How fortunate were the Panthers when Reynolds kicked what everyone thought was a 40/20. Still waiting to see a 20/40 kicked...maybe in the GF!

Hard to see Melbourne being beaten. Their forwards are immense. Munster's recovery from his knee injury is quite amazing too. The whole Cameron Smith retirement thing is very bizarre. Chaired off, but no media announcement. Odd.

Brisbane squandered a GF birth in front of their home crowd. A shame there is no MCG this year as Richmond v Geelong would have packed the stadium. I will be interested to see Gary Rohan's form in the GF. He has struggled with the Swans in a GF.

2. Origin Squad. Do we really need 27 blokes in a State of Origin squad? Honestly. Ridiculous.

3. Everest v Caulfield Cup. Classique Legend in the Everest. Remarkable speed. So dominant and yet every other horse would lick most opponents in their own right too. Great wins by Graff in the earlier run and Verry Elegant in the Caulfield Cup. The Everest has certainly taken the sheen off the Caulfield Cup north of the COVID infestation.

4. Brownlow Medal. A complete dud of what is usually a cracking evening. Different timing and all over the shop. Selfie photos, etc. Picnic tables. A dominant winner in Lachie Neale. 

5. Wallabies. How many missed tackles? 40 plus! Really ineffective to be honest. Then there is this impulsive silly movement of the ball at time too. Great passing sometimes, but really low percentages. Admittedly two tries disallowed too. Great to see a day time test again. When will Australia ever consider this? A big crowd will flock! Viewers make the adjustment. Totally walloped really. Some really bad defensive reads out wide too. Not sure we have the pace. Vunivalu will walk into that team next year.

6. Tennis Slam. Nadal equals the best ever on 20 titles. Awesome power and poise.

7. MLB. Baseball's World Series is coming to an end. The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Astros who are shrouded in controversy after their cheating...and The LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves are locked 3-3 with one to play!

8. The Wash Up. Looking at a Melbourne - Richmond double for mine this week. Enjoy the carnival atmosphere and the media hype!

9. Recruitment. Love the ins and outs in the post season...Can anyone think of a reason why you would chase Bevan French and not Josh Addo-Carr? Apart from cash and costs. He has supreme pace. Put Ferguson into the back row. Clubs are desperate for centres. St George are happy to take Jack Bird back at top dollar. Just can't see the value there... even though the talent is there.

10. Bathurst. Suffered for atmosphere this year, but Shane van Gisbergen joins the ranks of the greats! Lots of excitement on the Great Western Highway tonight I am sure and some fools getting booked by the Police endlessly.

The Wrap - The Winning Post(s)

1. NRL. Ricky Stuart and Wayne Bennett saved some cracking coaching tactics and plans for this weekend. Both crushed their rivals. I liked Bennett's reflections on the COVID period where over working the team backfired and how pacing the team for the full semi final run was wisest. That was a Broncos special for 2020. Roosters and Eels...out in straight sets!

Parramatta's attack was too limited at key times and was more vulnerable as the game went on. The ball hitting the posts off the Moses kick was dreadful and the lack of desperation afterwards (esp. Takarangi) - bring back Pricey! 

I think it is also a significant worry when teams like Parramatta are super hyped up when they run onto the field. Every point was roared for by the players...too over the top. The composure required was not there. The wasted energy and emotion - especially for some early points - really costs the team late in the game. How many times have we seen this with Origin teams in the past? Inexperienced finals exponents.... It is a long journey. 

When Taka starts on your centre/ wing position you have troubles. Too slow and Souths were probably not too severe on it. The Parramatta roster needed some rejuvenation and more depth with outside backs. It could be time to farewell Fergo too. Gutherson can't do it all alone. He needs speed and size from a few friends... they need flair and speed. More speed for Sivo - less weights. Is Semi Radrardra sick of union yet? Moses needs more work too. He will struggle to lead a team to a GF victory on current form. Unfortunately, he goes quiet when it matters most and forgets the basics.

The character of South Sydney to score 30-6 in the second half was outstanding. The mistakes as Parramatta started to panic under pressure with 15 minutes to go was staggering. They lack leadership (Moses?) and Dylan Brown has hopefully woken up to himself with newfound humility...All Blacks? Million dollar contracts? He made three horrific errors in the last ten minutes. 

I think it is time for a 30 second  'time out' to be given to both teams at the 65th minute of finals. 

The skills of the modern backrower as ball playing forwards are amazing. It started with the James Graham/ Jake Trobjevic examples, but Junior Paulo has changed the game again. A super talent. His offloads, his hit and spins and his grunt work... so many hit ups from the scrum as well. So tough. His step is like David Solomona who killed teams out wide for a long time. A deserved NSW Origin jersey for Paulo. He brings to the game what great ball players like Arthur Beetson brought... excitement and anticipation when he touches the ball.

2. Jennings - Drug Drama. Fancy Michael Jennings letting down his team in such a serious and stupid manner. He vows to clear his name...a bad kebab, toothpaste, a rogue tablet in the bottom of the sportsbag, a cocaine fuelled flatmate, a bad piece of meat.... Surely taking such 'dirty' basic drugs is either an incredible mistake or one of the dumbest errors in NRL history. Interesting that there are other athletes in this same drug category (the swimmer, Shayna Jack). 

His brother George plays better these days. Michael has been on borrowed time for mine. Hopefully he is not another desperate league player, intent on extending a flagging career. It may be gilt edged with more speed coming into the team as a result. However Michael Jennings has the best manager in the game. He has just negotiated a two year contract extension...! The Sailor lad has a highly serious time ahead too.

3. Passing Fad. The passing game of Cook and Mahoney is something else. Both are supreme talents from dummy half. Not since Darren Lockyer have we seen the quality of passing as this year. Throw in Cameron Smith and Munster's skill here...it is critical in the modern game. Canberra struggle in this area from dummy half with the injured Pommy hooker, Hodgson out. The Panthers have it from Cleary outwards. 

4. AFL. The halftime of 60-6 from Geelong v Collingwood was embarrassing (100-32 final score). Richmond still look very good. Their game v Port will be a cracking showdown. Not so sure about Geelong v Brisbane. I think Brisbane have too much pace and talent...but Geelong have the experience. The Melbourne teams are getting a good taste of what it is like for a team outside Melbourne to win the flag. Geelong are up and down. Next week they could get lapped! 

5. Bledisloe Cup. Just when you thought we were no where near the standard.... we bounce back and have everything go against us really. The new NZ - AUS coach, Dave Rennie is to be congratulated! The power of youth and opportunity. The refereeing oversights however were staggering. That last one in front of the posts...incredibly bad. His brother must be the trophy engraver. The touch judging from an Aussie was equally terrible. The VMO checks things fifty times, and is the world's slowest, but still an error. How can a NZ ref go to training with the All Blacks and then do the game? COVID-19 seems to be the excuse that carries most weight in society at present. Maybe Michael Jennings needs to think about this one in his defence! 

Anyhow 16-16 it is and it is not changing. Fancy the ball hitting the goalpost again and causing such turmoil! Two pivotal moments in crucial games in two different codes in two days!

6. Sheffield Shield. This Michael Neser (5/32) seems to get more wickets than most, but the invisible ceiling on 140kmph bowlers making the Australian team is alive and well. Interesting to see Siddle playing at Tassie (1/50 expert off 25 overs). Surely a younger bowler would be a better investment? Lloyd Pope got 5/164 as well... back the brilliant red! The absence of dominant batsmen domestically is a real weakness of Australian cricket. Hopefully the new season unearths some talent. Labuschagne hit a dominant 160+ but other than that.... Liking the look of the WA middle order player - Cameron Green. Seems an incredible talent. 

7. NBA. LA Lakers v Miami Heat. Hotting up, but surely Le Bron wins on the back of his skill. Time will tell.

8. Great French Open Finals. To have the 19 year old Iga Swiatek (Poland) win the women's final v Kenin, really shows how the axis of the world tennis game has shifted to the European strength. She has been phenomenal. She gave up 28 games in ten sets of tennis ie 84 v 28...dominant and did not drop a set all tournament. 

Nadal has given up 46 games and won 110, without dropping a set so far. The final is tonight.

Nadal v Djokovic in the final was almost inevitable too. This will be Nadal's 29th Grand Slam Final and Djokovic's 28th Grand Slam Final. If Nadal wins, he equals the great Roger Federer with 20 wins and makes it 13 French Open wins - surely this will never be beaten! Djokovic zooms in closer to it too and would land on 18 Grand Slam wins!

All-time Rank Player Total Years Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open 1  Roger Federer 20 2003–2018 6 1 8 5 2  Rafael Nadal 19 2005–2019 1 12 2 4 3  Novak Djokovic 17 2008–2020 8 1 5 3

 9. MLB. Tampa Bay Rays, LA Dodgers, Houston Astros (post suspensions for cheating!) and Atlanta all through. The next phase sees Rays v Astros and Dodgers v Braves for positions in the World Series. A truncated season, but the world is getting there still! The terrible COVID-19 situation in Florida has elevated the Rays' success to great heights!

Get ready for the Astros games to really hot up with their cheating proven over recent seasons. Emotions will be red hot!

10. Ole Kirk. How good was he in the Caulfield Guineas? Looks like now it will never be seen past the doors of the breeding barn, given its bloodline connections to Black Caviar. Sounds like a popular career move.