The Wrap - Out Of This Town

1. NRL. Daniel Anderson. Great to read of his grit, steel and determination in today's paper. A man of distinction who has always stared down the doubters and defied the odds in all he has achieved. Incredible progress already with more to come. 

1a. NRL. Mitchell Moses. Since re-signing with the Eels, Moses has been very, very good it must be said. He won the game for the Eels on Friday night v the Cowboys with a really clever late try. When he runs the ball he is awesome. Dylan Brown was electric on Friday night too. A star when he is on.

The Raiders continue to excel. They 'win tough' often. Horsborough played really strongly in attack which was a surprise. The Broncos continue to do enough, but how many tries were disallowed and bombed for the Warriors? They had their chances.

Really impressed with the speed of the Newcastle Knights backline in their defeat of Manly. Bradman Best could be an awesome player of the future. The Manly team seem to give in a bit too easily at times. We saw the same style late in 2022. Cannot believe the Tigers are pursuing Schuster. He looks like he needs to get a whole lot fitter. He really laboured in the second half today.

2. AFL - GWS. A cracking win by GWS v Geelong who have fallen off a cliff in recent weeks. They have been very poor. Toby Greene has played 200 games and still looks like a baby. Sydney knocked over the equally hapless/ hopeless Carlton, but they have injury - and roster - issues. They are going to have to be brutal with their midfield. Freo are tough this year and winning. Collingwood surge on as well.

The Gold Coast are treading water seemingly. They cannot seem to thrive beyond mid to lower table positions. A new coach beckons there. Hawthorn's win over St Kilda casts huge doubts over their premiership stakes too. Port power on to eight straight wins! Essendon quietly step into the eight too.

3. EPL Relegation Night. Leicester, Leeds and Everton are on the brink of extinction tonight. The classic EPL final round sees all games kick off at the same time and immense excitement and disappointment across the country.

Everton play Bournemouth and are most likely to stay in the top flight. If they do, it will be two years in a row where they have escaped the guillotine in the last week! Leicester play West Ham and Leeds play Tottenham. No chance.

Conversely, the top four: Arsenal, Newcastle, ManU and Man City all will be playing in Europe in the Champions League.

Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town are being promoted! Wild scenes with promotion worth about $300 million in TV rights and other promotional pieces. Have a look at the Luton Town stadium. The magic of promotion and relegation:

What about Sam Kerr? An amazing talent. Scores twice and her Chelsea FC team win their championship for the fourth consecutive time!

4. Scottish Premier League. Winning the Scottish Premier League, the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup Final v the lowly Inverness (?). If Ange Postocoglou lands all three in a season with Celtic, he becomes one of the great managers in that country ever. The Scottish Cup Final is next week.

5. French Open Tennis. The tide is turning and Roland Garros looks like throwing up a few interesting winners with the ailing Nadal's reign coming to an end. Not since before 2005 (!) have we seen different names on the honour board - Gustavo Kuerten, Juan Carlos-Ferrera, Alberta Costa, Gaston Guadio. However, the great Novak Djokovic is sniffing around for his record equalling total Grand Slam win. Carlos Alcarez looms as the new Nadal!

6. NHL. The Florida Panthers are an extraordinary team, winning the Eastern Conference against the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0. They won every game by one point and overtime victories as well. The Las Vegas Golden Knights loom as their Stanley Cup final opponents.

7. NBA Play Offs. The Denver Nuggets obliterated the LA Lakers 4-0 in the best of seven contest and are crowned Western Conference winners. Their final NBA Championship opponent is an intriguing battle. The Miami Heat raced to a 3 games to 0 lead, but the Boston Celtic have pegged it back to 3-3 this week gone. 

Big game on Sunday morning our time saw a buzzer beater and they will look to do what no other team has ever done... come back from 0-3 in the playoffs to win. They play at home which is a little more advantage, but their three point accuracy was extremely poor. They could win the whole show if they get this right.

8. IPL Final. The Chennai Super Kings (Dohni, Jadeja, Rahane - batting coach, Michael Hussey) and the Gujarat Titans (Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Shami, Matthew Wade - no games) play the final tonight. The century by Shubman Gill v the Mumbai Indians in the lead in game was awesome. He hits the ball so beautifully. He could become one of the greats! Cameron Green has delivered on his price tag as well. Awesome century too.

Warner ended the series eighth on Most Runs stats (516 runs), Cameron Green was 11th (452 runs) and Marcus Stoinis was 14th on 408 runs. Impressive from all three.

Our highest wicket takers were Mitchell Marsh (12) and Jason Behrendorff (7). Behrendorff was born in Camden.

9. Super Rugby. An amazing win by the Reds over the Chiefs...their first victory in ten years in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago, but they lose to the Highlanders and are not semi-final bound, so it seems. The Tahs were smoked by the Crusaders who are already practising their break dance moves! They are a complete powerhouse! Interestingly 47-46 in the Drua v Pasifika. Defence not a priority!

The Wrap - Tasmanian Tiger Results

1. NRL - Victor Radley. A great team mate to have a beer with and play footy with, but at the highest level he is a risk. Ill discipline. It is hard to think of someone recently more ill disciplined... beyond Felise Kafusi. He may be seen as a victim of referees, but he does himself no favours and needs to mature. He has really brought ill discipline to the pack that the Ricketson-Cordner era did not. The younger players need to learn more from the experienced players...good habits. If the Roosters can sneak into the eight, they will still be staggeringly dangerous.

2. NRL. Slashing win by Parramatta over Souths - punctuated by the excellent work of Moses and the outside backs (!). Moses has been in some sort of form in 2023 - and Dylan Brown is aiming up now too. 

As unexpected as the Roosters loss to St George. These games always bring out the best in both teams, but with sharper focus on player performance since coach Anthony Griffin pulled the pin, the uplift was welcomed. Zac Lomax has a lot of ability, but he has a fair bit of the goose to iron out in his game too. 

The Tigers were immense. 66-18 is some sort of effort, especially after a 20-0 defeat last week. Finally their attack gelled. Has Doueihi been the problem? His lack of pace and passing game is a huge problem. The team have done really well after a terrible start. The Tigers have now beaten the Panthers, Dragons and the Cowboys. They have lost by six points of less FOUR times as well this year. Maybe this better result is not such a surprise.

Let the boring preparation, speculation and innuendo commence around State of Origin. Not sure the event always lives up to the unbelievable hype. The journalists love it however.

3. IPL Finals. That man Kohli belted a neat 100 in the decisive win for Royal Challengers Bangalore this week. The semis (only four teams) are now almost decided: Gujarat Titans (Matthew Wade), Chennai Super Kings (no Aussies), Lucknow Super Giants (Stoinis, Sams) and one further team to be determined. (Mumbai Indians- Rajathstan Royals or Royal Challengers Bangalore).

Let the Test cricket re-commence. The World Test Final championship and The Ashes. The English loss of Archer and Olly Stone (we are yet to see his magnificent speed) and possibly Ollie Robinson are good for Australia, but Broad and Anderson march on together... will it ever end? It seems like they have been around for most of our lives. Anderson made his Test debut in 2003 and Broad in 2007!

The IPL is hardly the best Test cricket preparation and in the world cricket calendar, it is a generous time window really. Warner batted well last IPL too and did poorly in the English Ashes series. He hit another 86 on the weekend (total IPL season runs are 516..the sixth highest for the IPL 2023). Warner is twelve runs behind Kohli.

Is the IPL concept fading...? Before Indian cricket officials look to take over the world, they also need to spread the Indian cricket talent worldwide to harness their 'brands' internationally. Most fans would not know who plays for what franchise.... nor do they care.

4. AFL. Port Power have stamped themselves as a real premiership threat, beating the Dees in a tight one for seven straight wins. A surprise packet. The Western Bulldogs have absolutely turned things around. The Swans? Oh my...almost a loss to North Melbourne. Go quietly lads...side door. How have the West Coast become such a basket case? Thumped badly. GWS meanwhile stumble along - one win/ one loss/ one win...

5. NBA. Both the LA Lakers (0-3) and Boston Celtics (0-2) are under immense pressure in their respective Eastern and Western Conference play. Miami Heat looked particularly sharp and will be hard to beat. The Celtics have squandered big leads in both games. The unfortunately named, Denver Nuggets, surge on too v LA... some major surgery to turn these results around is now needed. The Nuggets have never been in a NBA championship decider.

6. NHL. The power of the Florida Panthers rolls on, up 2-0 v the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The Las Vegas Golden Knights lead the Dallas Stars 1-0 in the Western Conference Final. These are intense, physical and supreme athletic events. Amazing that teams from the hotter areas excel so much in a game played on ice! 

It reminds me of that Seinfeld skit that no one knows the players and the players have no loyalty to the town or the team...it is just a contest of jersey colours!

7. EPL Relegation. Two of Everton, Leeds and Leicester will join Southampton in the lower tier next season. Incredible how the mighty fall. 

8. A-League. The Central Coast Mariners are into the GF - with Melbourne City. An incredible effort from a minnow, even this mariner outfit would not look at. Speaking of 'City', Manchester City are now in the FA Cup final v ManU, the Champions League Final v Inter Milan (soon) and have just been awarded the 2022-2023 EPL Championship, after Arsenal inexplicably had yet another loss. Erling Haaland rattles along and keeps scoring goals.

8. Waratahs. A predictable win v Fiji, but still a gap to the top four. A brighter season 2023 however and semi final bound. Talk of resting players v the Crusaders is a concern. This never works out well. It would be just about now that the Crusaders are tuning up for yet another premiership victory and break dance.

Since 1996 in 25 years of competition, the Crusaders have made 15 finals and won 11 of them! (The Brumbies have made six finals and won two. The Waratahs have made three finals winning just the one in 2014 with that famous long range kick on the siren).

9. US PGA Championship. Possibly the poorest of the four cousins in the majors, but our old mate, Brooks Koepka just seems to keep producing the goods in golf majors. What about his Majors record: out of 35 appearances in the four majors since he started in 2012, he has finished in the top ten THIRTEEN TIMES, the top twenty THREE times and won FOUR Major tournaments. TEN so-so outings on top of that lot, and he has only missed the cut FIVE times. A high strike rate.

A win here takes him to five Majors (equalling Seve, Peter Thomson and Byron Nelson). This would equal the fifteenth best ever in golf.

The Wrap - El of a Time: Finals Warnings

1. NRL. Hard to believe, but the Roosters look to be in trouble, roasted by the heat of the Riff on Friday night and beset by injuries. The Sam Walker sacking does not look to have paid any solid dividends, but they did beat the Warriors last week. Cleary and his Penrith side just continue to lift and excel. They have not been as sharp in 2023, but they are still an ominous threat. Origin time will be a test for them however when their stars are away. The Warriors continue to impress too, but will need to do it against the top teams too. Bellamy seems to achieve this more than most. A slashing win v the Broncos on Thursday night. Sharks still winning, but not at their sharpest at present.

The Eels? They are on a predictable slide with Souths next week too. Dylan Walker, Campbell Graham and Latrell Mitchell will have a carnival with Parramatta's outside backs next week. Simonsen is limited, Sivo's defence is questionable and their centres...? Meanwhile, the Raiders get the grind of the annual mid season battles. They can 'win ugly', but win nonetheless. They rattle along to sixth place. The Eels are fourteenth, equal with the Bulldogs. A disgrace and made worse with officiating excuses from the head coach.

Why is it that every club with a Centre of Excellence, goes backwards? Eels, Tigers, Bulldogs? I think the Roosters opened one this year too. The same with long term extensions on coach contracts... eg. Brad Arthur, Todd Payten, John Longmire (Swans).

St George? Surely a new coach arrives soon. Jack Bird's comments this week were bizarre. The whole place seems shambolic at present. Michael Cheika as coach seems like scuttlebutt.

Ban the bye. We missed the excitement of the Dolphins this week.

2. AFL. A cracking win by the under siege Richmond Tigers on Friday evening. Geelong had been travelling so well, but they can disappoint as well. This was the cats of old. Gold Coast building solidly and moving to 16 points. 

The Swans are in need of an overhaul. They have to orchestrate a clean out and soon. Too much finesse, too few talls and too slow. Fremantle beating you at the SCG? Please. They are mirroring Parramatta - fourteenth! Carlton have hit the wall... Port, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs look the best. Collingwood take top spot on their own with a comfortable win v GWS.

Eddie Maguire always seems to weigh into discussions re the treatment of indigenous players (Buddy Franklin). I suspect there are other better sources. Eddie Betts has great credibility. Buddy's end of career announcement cannot be too far away.

3. A- League. Following their surprise victory over the Western Wanderers last week, a draw v Melbourne City is announcing Steve Corica's team as one to watch. Corica has had a terrible time of it in 2023, but this is a strong finish, with a return leg in Melbourne potentially going to swing the dunny plate trophy their way again. The Central Coast Mariners are finally back in the wins too after the Graham Arnold years. A top win v Adelaide United, with one more ahead.

4. NBA. The Celtics were dreadful mid-week in Boston Gardens poised at 2-2 (best of seven) and the might of Philly's (named after the 1776 signing of the US Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia). Joel Embiid shone brightly. James Harden is an impressive specimen and talent - with an equally impressive black beard. However, the return bout in Philadelphia was highlighted by a devastating final quarter by Boston to snatch the sixth game and lock it up at 3-3, with a final game in Boston. Riveting stuff. That game is Sunday night US time. A blockbuster. See: 2023 Playoffs | Bracket for Hub Summary | NBA.com

The East Conference Final will be the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers/ Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. The Knicks fade away again. The West Conference Final will be the Denver Nuggets v LA Lakers. Both winners of these Conference Finals play in the final series. The Lakers look sharp. Le Bron is so good. His record is immense. Four NBA championships (the same as Shaq O'Neill), but behind the six NBA championships won by Michael Jordan, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar and Scottie Pippen.

The Boston Celtics and LA Lakers hold the most impressive all time records as winning NBA franchises (17 each).

5. Super Rugby Pacific - QLD Reds. An impressive win v the previously unbeaten Chiefs (Waikato) 25-22. Amazing defensive resolve. They will be smarting having lost to NSW recently. The Drua, Crusaders and Pasifika await the Waratahs who beat the Rebels on the weekend. If they could win all three, they will be in the semi final mix. Dream on...

6. Cricket. Michael Neser is carving them up in County cricket for Glamorgan (16 wickets) and no surprise he is now being brought into the Australian prep squad. No County games as preparation either... we are slow learners. Warner is hitting fifty again in the IPL, but is this the best prep? Mitchell Marsh is racking up the ducks - but taking wickets. Surely playing him when Cameron Green is fit, is extremely unlikely.

The BBL season is shaved down further next season, but surely it is time for some better quality players! 

7. IPL. The four semi-finalists are nearly over the line. Ponting's Mumbai Indians have made a remarkable recovery (Cameron Green, Tim David). The Gautam Tigers, the Chennai Super Kings, the Mumbai Indians and the Lucknow Super Giants lead the way in the top four teams. Two games remain for each franchise... Kohli and Maxwell's Royal Challengers Bangalore are steaming home.

Warner and Maxwell are tied for ninth highest run scorers, having scored 384 runs each (Warner at 32 and Maxwell at34, but the fifth highest strike rate). Adam Zampa is still taking wickets for the Rajasthtan Royals.

8. EPL. Southhampton have been relegated. Everton, Leicester and Leeds hover close. Intriguing times, but the top four look safe too: Man City-Arsenal-Newcastle-ManU. A huge year by Newcastle.

9. Ange Postocoglou. Wins the Scottish Premiership again in 2023, but a crushing 0-3 loss to Rangers this week will not have been received well. They are a proud club, even if they are runaway leaders.

10. LIV Golf. Signs of growth in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bigger crowds than most events... Branden Grace hit 61, but DJ leads by two shots! The PGA Byron Nelson sees Jason Day two off the lead after three rounds too! Minjee Lee is also ahead in the LPGA event in New Jersey.

11. NHL - Stanley Cup. The all conquering Florida Panthers team won in a tight fifth game v the Toronto Maple Leafs (4-1) and are into the Eastern Conference final v the Carolina Hurricanes.

In the Western Conference final it is either the Dallas Stars or the Seattle Kraken (3-3) OR the Las Vegas Golden Knights or the Edmonton Oilers (3-2) as teams enter the decisive sixth and seventh games. See: Stanley Cup Playoffs | NHL.com

The Wrap - Erl of England

1. NRL. Not FINished yet! This Dolphins team are semi final bound (with two bye points yet to come). They just continue to show up every week and do the business. They unearth potential stars all the time and rekindle fading stars. I bet a few players who were to sign there might be regretting it (eg. Paulo, Matterson). What about the size of this Valynce Te Whare? He looks so strong and massive thighs...like Mal or the great Dean Carney. He will continue to do damage to defences.

Souths v Broncos Grand Final? Both are looking strong...and the Panthers once their star forwards return. Roosters perhaps, but far too inconsistent.

Parramatta are now in the dustbin... how bad? They leak points and it is not Waqar Blake's fault. Dylan Brown has a lot of talent. Compare their attitude to the Dolphins.

2. Alex Johnston. He gets yet another double to hit 171 tries, just five behind Brett Morris now - and nine off Menzies. he has five for the year which is a little slow for him, but another 10-15 tries in 2023 gets him to about 185 by the end of season 2023.

3. Roosters. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is well in line to be the longest serving Rooster ever (Mitch Aubusson - 306 games) with his 286th game now under his belt. He is a fearsome presence - and hopefully can iron out the rubbish niggle and ill discipline and lead the rash Radley to secure premiership glory. Surely Sam Walker needs to be sent packing, if not required... but they are nervous about Luke Keary's concussions.

4. County Cricket. Steve Smith hit 30 for Sussex on debut and Michael Neser got a hat trick. Surely he has to be brought into the team at some stage? Mitchell Marsh has talent no doubt, but 20 wickets are needed and if ever there was a bowler - like Alderman - who swings it both ways in the English conditions, it is Neser. A no-brainer!

5. IPL. This Tim David is a T20 sensation. What a talent and how regularly he wins it at the death for his Mumbai Indian team! A bit less effective when the team bats first, however. He and Cameron Green have been impressive for young men forging their way in the riches of the new world of international cricket. 

This franchise push internationally by greedy IPL owners is interesting, but will it benefit the game worldwide? They will do what Kerry Packer did to West Indian cricketers... make them rich and make them turn their back on their tight-fisted local boards and myopic local officials. Gone is the 'serving one's nation' ethos in world cricket...Test cricket or otherwise.

6. AFL. The Western Bulldogs have breathed life into their 2023 campaign with some nice recent wins. Caleb Daniel gives hope to every small kid with skills. Brilliant as always. Their mid field is surging. The reappearance of Liberatore makes a huge difference.

Geelong are absolutely powering at present knocking over the revitalised Adelaide Crows. Melbourne are always close to the top too. The Swans will now be in the premiership dustbin without a win against Collingwood, anchored on 12 points and having butchered at least 8 more points! GWS continue their yo yo year... that team needs consistency more than they need fans. 

We are still trying to find someone in Sydney who is passionate about GWS. There is very little western Sydney in that team and they should be relocated.

7. NHL. The Bruins were humbled by the Florida Panthers in an absolute boil over, who are now leading the Toronto Maple Leaf team 2-0 in their series. They look tough to beat. This is a brutal sport at high speed. Buggered if I know how the crowd sees the puck from the nose bleed stands.

8. NBA. The big dogs have come out to play in the conference semi finals and the final eight teams alive. Boston Celtics (2-1) v 76ers; Denver Nuggets (2-1) v Phoenix Suns; Miami Heat v NY Knicks (2-1) and LA Lakers v Golden State Warriors (2-1). LA looking ominous. Celtics not far away either.

9. Waratahs. Suddenly into sixth place after a win v the Reds on the weekend. A long way from the top five teams (10+ points away) so they will need to start rolling some of the big guns soon to make semi final headway!

10. A-League - Western Wanderers. A million seasons without semi final play and then a semi v Sydney FC...which they lose 2-1 and get booted out of the season finish. Very disappointing.

11. EPL. With Lampard's managerial career almost over, Chelsea win... Intriguing progress by Brighton this season...and a 1-0 mid week win over ManU who desperately needed those points for European football glory.

Erling Haaland (Man City) is also now the most prolific EPL goal scorer ever! Incredible. It may now become unbeatable - ever - by season's end with a few games in hand yet.

Love that final round of EPL football when all games start at the same time and the nerves and hype reaches a crescendo as the top teams fight out their positions and EPL relegation is confirmed!

12. NSW Sheffield Shield. Greg Shipperd is given the state coaching gig at the age of 66...good going. They have also signed Jackson Bird from Tasmania apparently... solid, but hardly Shield winning. 

The Wrap - Boo Who?

1. NRL - Tiger Sharks. The 2023 Sharks team has so much potential. Their backline is all signed for another three or so years and they dominate in their silky, sweeping raids across the field. The fullback, Will Kennedy, is a gun. He has really stepped it up and is part of a team playing with great spirit and skill. The winger, Ronaldo, could press the mute button more often and Jesse Ramien could become one of the most terrifying combinations with Talakai out wide in any club. 

The Tigers did the impossible, beating the Panthers, who it must be said are ridiculously priced as premiership favourites with some surprising losses in 2023. A one point loss to the Broncos and Parramatta and a one point win v Newcastle. A two point last minute loss to Souths and a four point loss to the Wigers. Losing close games is not the part of a premiership favourite. The Tigers meanwhile celebrate their unexpected success... hard earned and a long time coming. Sheens and Marshall are outstanding coaches all of a sudden.

2. NRL - Jack Wighton. Is Wighton's exit a sign that Ricky Stuart is also nearing the end? Ricky's style is intense, but possibly too intense perhaps? His emotional press conference underlined this. The club's whining over salary caps and the like does you no favours when a star leaves the ranks. No idea how Souths fit him under their sombrero either...Graham, Mitchell, Walker, Wighton, Johnston, Murray, Cook.... seems odd they there was no room for Adam Reynolds a short time back. The forecast increase in the salary cap next season is timely.

Not that Souths need any more firepower out wide after they crushed the Broncos. Latrell is an awesome player and dynamic force. He has already won two premierships at the Roosters in 2018-2019. Hopefully in the NSW Origin side soon. 

The Souths performance shines a light on the validity of a Darwin trip north by Parramatta to play the Broncos. Souths have done it at Suncorp in fine style. Parramatta were impressive v Newcastle, but how bad were they? Mitchell Moses completely dominated and is showing some excellent speed in 2023.

3. Gusball. Interesting that Phil Gould has released two players this week (as well as speculation this may well include the halfback he never wanted - Kyle Flanagan to Manly) and the injury prone Andrew Davey back to the Eels. Phil does this with a fair bit of planning... harvests a million players and then off loads the ones he does not fancy later on. This is a smart way to keep players on edge and shuffle new talent in as well. I fancy that Manly's coach Seibold is not only covering off Cherry-Evans at the Origin period, but keeping his assistant coach happy. Shane Flanagan seems to be on the move to every coaching vacancy worldwide! Great to see Geoff Toovey returning to the Manly club. Thankfully the investigation is over: Geoff Toovey unleashes on reffs - Bing video

A combination of young Johns and Kyle Flanagan is a worry - especially after the Gold Coast Titans knock you over - at fortress Brookvale too.

What about the Storm? Still coming fourth despite all injuries, controversies and nonsense. Bellamy is a legend.

The Fins are still doing the business, losing 31-30 in golden point to the Raiders, but what an effort. Round 9 now and a bye to come. In a few weeks, they could well have been leading the competition if a few pieces of luck fell their way. Lost by six to the Broncs as well. Letting teams get a huge start on you is not great, nor is their defence at times. Sharks and Storm upcoming will test them.

4. AFL. The weak administrators in this game need to take a stand and stamp out the ridiculous and exaggerated booing of players en masse. The treatment of young Port Adeliade gun, Horne-Francis is disturbing. No crowds of opponents in grounds will fix it quickly.

AFL crowds are easily the biggest and most passionate world wide in any sport, but a message needs to be sent when it is this targeted.

5. Swans. Again lose a tight one. It is becoming a real concern with their inability to ice a game. Lost by two points to the Power on the bell and one point to GWS (8 points squandered). They are in need of speed and when Buddy misses, they are considerable misses these days! His class still shines too.

Four straight goals to GWS to crush them again in the fourth quarter. This is a mental issue now and players like Parker, Lloyd, Mills and Heaney need to step up their leadership role. The leadership maturity is not there. Nor sadly is any hope of a premiership.

Brisbane v Collingwood Grand Final looms at this early stage.

6. Arsenal. How they have crumbled... Man City continue to power through the table and swept them brilliantly mid-week: 4-1. Erling Haaland continues to surge. He is on 33 goals, one behind Andy Cole and Alan Shearer who, it must be said, achieved their marks in a much longer season. He will smash it injury free.

Man United and Man City now face off in the FA Cup final. Man City play Real Madrid for a chance to play Inter Milan or Milan in the final of the Champions League and an EPL Premiership awaits Man City too. It is some sort of time to be a Man City supporter.

Leeds, Nottingham, Everton, Leicester and Southampton look to be now the only ones who can be relegated. Burnley and Sheffield United are definitely coming up so far from the English second tier competition. Yo yo teams.

Chelsea, for all their expenditure, are in a miserable spot. Losses don't pay the transfer bills.

7. Scottish Premier League. Celtic's 1-1 draw against Motherwell last week was cancelled out by a shock 2-0 defeat by Rangers to Aberdeen. The 13 point lead is preserved by Postocoglou's Celtic team.

8. IPL and Cricket Internationals. Ireland scored over 400 v Sri Lanka and then lost. Some sort of record there no doubt. Sri Lanka racked up four top order tons, including two double tons as they pile don 700 runs plus! There is a long gap between Sri Lanka and other nations in tests - let alone Ireland. Always interesting to see a young Jayasuriya taking lots of test wickets in the early phase of his career. Young Tendulkar is bowling well in the IPL too.

Speaking of which, the IPL is throwing up a few better Australian performances. Maxwell is a regular high class performer and is not disappointing. Warner is slow and steady still with four fifties and Jason Behrendorf has one of the better strike rates in the competition. Zampa spun the Rajasthan Royals to victory with three wickets v the Chennai SuperKings and Stoinis belted 72 off 40 and took the prized wicket of Shikhar Dhawan to get the Lucknow Super Giants back on top of the table. 

Steve Smith is about to get underway at Sussex in the County Championships pre Ashes. A number of players are already there... Labuschagne, Handscomb, Neser... I wonder if Australian states would be as generous pre Ashes?

Mitchell Marsh comes back into the team again and Neser, who is ideally suited to swing bowling in England, makes way...ummmm. Marsh has just come off 4 wickets and a blistering 70 in the IPL, but Tests? Quite a few blokes enter their last overseas Ashes series...Khawaja, Warner, Hazelwood, Boland, Lyon (?)... Smith (?).

I noticed that Fakhar Zaman for Pakistan hit another 180no in the current ODI series v New Zealand. He is prolific, with the same number of ODI tons now as Matt Hayden. Interesting the highest averages in ODI of 100+ ODIs played ever: Babar Azam (59.36), Kohli (57.32), Michael Bevan (53.58), AB deVilliers (53.50), Dohni (50.57) and Fakhar (49.70).

9. Waratahs. A top tight win v the Highlanders. Into sixth place now, but still only on half the points that the Brumbies (second place) have at the same time.

10. NHL. The semis are almost locked in, but the Boston Bruins are doing it tough v the Florida Panthers. With the best ever season proper winning record in the NHL, it is now down to the wire 3-3 in a best of seven game series. You do not want to lose ice hockey to one of the hottest areas in the States in Florida!

11. NBA Semi Finals. The shock result was Miami turfing out the top hope, Milwaukee. Awesome work. Just eight teams left now:

• Eastern Conference Semi finals: Boston Celtics v Miami Heat; Philadelphia 76ers v New York Knicks.
• Western Conference Semi finals: Phoenix Suns v Denver Nuggets; Sacramento Kings/ Golden State Warriors (3-3) v LA Lakers.

12. Courage. If ever there was a courageous sport, it is horse racing. The death of jockeys like Dean Holland this past week, who are tiny human beings on the most awesome of animals, reminds us of this. RIP.

13. NFL Draft. A huge event in the US this week. Such a brilliant array of fine NFL talent... such an opportunity missed by the NRL. Publicity, character assessments, injury histories, playing skills and weaknesses analysed, attitudes and work ethics, family values, great stories and insights (like Miss World competitions sometimes). 

One player, Will Levis (Kentucky) has learned a hard lesson by explaining pre draft that he puts mayonnaise in his coffee and eats bananas with the skin on them. An attempt at humour perhaps, but it may have cost him a first round pick and probably $5 million as clubs wavered.. not to mention an historical toe injury!

14. LIV Golf v PGA Golf. Young Talor Gooch (Graham) has won again in Singapore. If nothing else, he has emerged as a world force. The familiar name of Jon Rahme hovers close to the lead after three rounds in the Mexican Open and Vidante. BIG Tony Finau (from Scottsdale, Arizona) makes another appearance on the leaderboard too.

The Wrap - aLIVe!

1. LIV Golf. The scenes in Adelaide would seem to be those wanted worldwide by the Greg Norman brigade when the whole complex concept started. Unbridled crowd and player enthusiasm, irreverence (shoey?) and highly talented golfers playing to packed and vocal fairways and greens. 

Cameron Smith has rockstar status there in Adelaide, but young Talor Gooch (Graham's son) really turned up with back to back rounds of 62-62 and the win. Forget about the dirty Saudi money and the absurd financials players get for playing with little regard for grassroots golf and programs for the future... LIV has arrived. It may be hard for some to accept, but the scenes in Adelaide will be played out in other Australian states too. Imagine the crowds in QLD on a hot day! Not sure about the team names, but again, a different format and style.

At the same time, Lucas Herbert wins a thrilling play off in Japan too.

2. NRL. Some familiar stories are unfolding. Newcastle lose another tight one (they have played the Cowboys and the Warriors twice already). The Dolphins win a tight one (fins out!) - and the Gold Coast lose the impossible. The Broncos surge on and in style in the hot Darwin conditions. They are super fit and playing strongly. Not sure that they have been tested with injuries yet, but they are powerful.

The Roosters sack Sam Walker and need to be careful. Keary is getting on in age and Walker would be signed up by others quickly. Gus Gould is desperate for a No. 7. Kyle Flanagan is finished. Fancy playing Burton as half back...strange. Ciraldo is learning a fair bit about top flight coaching.

The Eels again keep to form. They are a 50-50 team with a coach who has a 50% record. One week win, one week lose. Knights-Titans-Raiders-Rabbits-Cowboys lie ahead. The best they can do is scrape into the top eight. A complete disappointment, but they have struggled to secure an outside back or two for three seasons now. No surprise they struggle. Dylan Brown is just mediocre this year sadly.

Are teams more petrified of being the first to lose to the Tigers than beating them? The Tigers looked much stronger v Manly. Still no points. Brooks dropped a sitter pass in space that could have won it for them. 

3. NRL - Bennett. There is a reason he is the premier coach. Bennett advises refs to call 'held' earlier and avoid hip drop situations. Logical. A boring distraction...at least there are no chicken wing tackles now. He also stays composed when all else is lost and masterminds a massive comeback - the biggest ever in the NRL's history we hear to beat the Titans today.

4. Rugby. Did we read correctly that International Rugby are trying to change national jersey colours because of colour blind viewers?  That seems odd. It is typically the contrast between colours - not the actual colours. I wonder if colour blind viewers care or have been asked? The game needs to concentrate on the rules and stupid over-officiating in the game first. Talk about a red (or green) herring.

I noticed that Brad Thorn intends to step down as coach of the Reds. He looks like he may move somewhere else, but is quite the legend of the game. The Western Farce step up and beat the Highlanders, but the Tahs can lose anywhere - and did to the rampaging Blues, who put 50 points on them. What a disappointment they have become. The Tahs coach Coleman even said post game that this loss won't derail their season. Is he living in a parallel universe? Honestly. 

No matter, sign another league player for multiple millions... that is a ridiculous plan. In fact Eddie Jones tried this last time he was in charge (Rogers, Sailor, Folau) and fell in a heap... hopefully he has learned something. Payne Haas, Penissini? Murray? Crichton? Already Suaalii has cost a bomb when other players are struggling in a sport which struggles big time. Salary cap exemptions for rugby players might just rock rugby too. Imagine if NRL clubs could each get one rugby player on decent coin that did not count against their salary cap? There's a cross code fight which V'landys is up for!

5. AFL - Swans. They have massive problems now. No speed across the park to counter attack with venom, too many small players who are very similar in style, too much finessing of the ball with clever little kicks and handballs overplayed, a complete lack of height, the absence of targets up front... They really need to get busy on recruitment and real quick. 

Geelong massacred them again. The scars of the Grand Final still run deep. This is yet another capitulation under pressure for them. They lost v Port Adelaide in a tight game and similarly, Geelong's onslaught was unable to be stopped. They are the real deal after a slow start to the year. Memo to the Swans: Buddy Franklin will no longer win you a flag. Move on.

Speaking of which, Port Adelaide, Adelaide and St Kilda continue to build strongly. It is hard to believe how poor Hawthorn have become at key times. West Coast too.

6. EPL. Leicester (3) and Everton (1) eek out points to get to 28 points, but not out of relegation danger. Man City just keep winning everything... EPL games, FA Cup fixture v Sheffield 3-0 (and now into the final), Champions League (playing Real Madrid on 10 May now in the first leg of the semi finals). They are five points behind Arsenal with two games in hand. They also play Arsenal on 27 April... it could be all over very soon for Arsenal if they are not careful and sadly, they will only have themselves to blame.

7. NHL. The Boston Bruins. A 'best ever', most "winningest" ice hockey season ever... and their play off series remains on track for the coveted Stanley Cup. Every Eastern and Western Conference series (8 in total) are locked at 2-1 at the moment. The First Round... (best of seven), Conference semi finals (top four in each conference), Conference final (top two in each conference)...then the final series. The US sure know how to milk the semi final series for their sports. Huge crowds of course too.

8. NBA Finals. The NBA has a very similar structure. The 76ers are through already... others to follow in their best of seven series. After 76 NBA Finals Series, the East champions have won 40 and the West champions have won NBA 36 titles.

The Wrap - Ban The Bye

1. NRL. Hard to tip! The lack of domination by the Panthers and Storm in 2023 has turned tipping into a disaster. Instead, the Warriors are carving it up, placed second with a bye in hand. The Warriors have played the Knights and Cowboys TWICE already. Ridiculous.

The Sea Eagles, Titans and Knights are all a lot stronger in season 2023 and are doing really well early - and the Dolphins of course. The Bulldogs, for all their pre-season hype, are struggling, especially with a string of injuries. Mahoney was not at his best today and young Flanagan better get his passport ready. He is not winning you a comp any time soon.

Not to forget the Broncos who play at home every week and have had an incredible 2023 NRL leg up. They are on top with a bye to come as well! Reece Walsh and Selwyn Cobbo are absolute guns. Look out State of Origin. So fast.

The signing of Adam Reynolds has been highly successful. Nathan Cleary continues to show the world why he is one of the best in the game... yet another field goal to win in golden point. The Panthers need to tidy up their sloppy work at present as well, but are still running second!

2. NRL - Duds. The Cowboys are doing their best to miss the eight which is a little unforgivable, granted their high quality roster. Interesting that the Dragons are the only clubs speaking of coach changes. They are flat and have some weak defence. Jack Bird needs to stop spraying his teammates. That is no way to lasting success.

Parramatta were a lot better v Bulldogs. As soon as they off load and progress to second phase play, they are dangerous. Against the Tigers, they were obsessed about playing one out football which is simply not good enough for the NRL. In fact it is spoon challenging play. Junior Paulo brings so much more energy and ball playing to the game. Campbell-Gillard was strong and Penisini played his best game.

Unfortunately, they lack the size and speed in their outside backs (signing the very small, but talented Jayden Preston will not solve this!). Smaller players, like Hayze Dumpster, will not cut it anymore in NRL. Hayze is brave, but has limited on-field communication and misses too many tackles. Sean Russell is raw but needs to get a lot better. The coach is there for another ten years, so hopefully it doesn't end in tears for him. Trent Barrett in the coaches box can make fans nervous. Has he attracted any players to the club? Brendan Hands and J'maine Hopgood (ex-Penrith) perhaps. Hands is a gun with a wide passing game that assists attacking football. They did not miss the much slower and less intuitive Josh Hodgson.

3. NRL - Bye Bye. The Tigers have beaten the bye. Officially on two points. Is there a reason anyone gets any points for a bye? Should it just be no points?

On a commercial note, the bye represents lost TV, crowd and merchandising revenue. Simple. Ban the bye and bring another successful franchise in.

4. IPL. Dave Warner has already hit over 200 runs (three fifties and second most runs, best average), but he has taken an age to score them and is under an interesting kind of pressure. Too slow. As a result, the Delhi Capitals are sitting at the bottom of the table, winless after five games. Mitchell Marsh has chalked up two ducks already for them. What is it about Western Australian batsmen and slower, turning wickets? They simply cannot play them...think Josh Inglis Ashton Turner... No exposure.

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting is learning a few things as well. Stoinis for the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) is our most consistent (brief 10+ run cameos, a couple of wickets and a catch is standard fare), but Matthew Short, the Adelaide Strikes BBL star is already making his mark with the Punjab Kings. A couple of quick and powerful 30+ scores and some handy bowling at the top of the order. Such form can be life changing come auction time.

5. EPL. Erling Haaland has scored two more goals on the weekend v the hapless Leicester and now sits on 32 goals and equal with Liverpool's Mohammad Saleh. He is two behind Alan Shearer's all time record and looks set to smash it apart with 8 games remaining. He is only part of a 38 game season too!

In the relegation battle, Southhampton look gone, Leicester will need a miracle and Leeds, Everton and Notts Forrest will also struggle. Intriguing times. Vincent Company's Burnley are already promoted.

The performances since another legend (with a Greg Chappell coaching record), Frank Lampard returned to Chelsea, have been miserable. Frank's managerial career is on the line, if it wasn't already.

6. AFL Window Shutting. The demise of Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn and even Richmond (with their premiership windows closing like shutters) is something else. Brisbane look strong at present - and Port Adelaide too. GWS were lucky, but have no fans. This was always the risk and a relocation could be on the cards.

The Swans bounced back, but they seem very close to capitulation in the third quarter each week.

Horne-Francis being booed en masse by the crowd is a bit sad. Like the Collingwood star - Jack Ginnivan, who then got himself into drug and media troubles. 

Horne-Francis is 19 and was a little mouthy at North, but honestly. Anything learned from the Goodes treatment? The head of the AFL only needs to say one thing: if it or any ridiculous 'pile on' targeting by crowds of specific players, playing games in empty stadiums will occur. This might send a message to AFL fans and clubs. They would all be petrified of the financial impact.