The Wrap - 'Baz' Roar

1. The Ashes. Interesting how the hype of 'Baz ball' has taken hold with commentators and the media. It was 'Woz Ball' back in the day. Scoring 400 runs in a day is impressive - maybe a little less so when curators take advice from the national captain, but nonetheless... Hayden, Langer, Gilchrist and Ponting were doing it years ago - especially when they won 16 Tests straight. Not sure all English batsmen have the skill set to carry it off correctly long term... declaring Day 1 is brash and cool... but could backfire too. 'There's a time for reaping and a time for sowing...'.

Starc was omitted (loose v India), but there were 54 singles in the first session...better than 54 boundaries. This negativity may indeed be a new tactic to counter the other, but the new ball either flies backwards early or is hit down the ground by the very best.

The work of Khawaja with the bat (126no) was mighty. He passes Slater and Ian Chappell (14 Test tons) and joins KD Walters on 15 Test tons, two behind Adam Gilchrist on 17 Test tons (Taylor, Hussey on 19 Test tons). He is getting into elite status. 

If Moeen Ali is spinning the ball on that deck, a lead by Australia will bring Nathan Lyon right into this game (4 wickets in the first innings already). He has had a good fortnight over there in England. He is already sitting on 491 Test wickets (Courtney Walsh is the next in line and he has 519 Test wickets).  If he beats Walsh on this Ashes tour it would be very special. 

Lyon is one of the best to have ever played the game. We were all shocked when Michael Hussey gave him the team victory song responsibilities all those years ago, thinking he was lucky to be selected. M. Hussey is a future Australian coach... after the second greatest Test cricket bat Australia has ever produced in Adam Voges.

Broad has played 163 tests and sits on 584 Test wickets and James Anderson sits on 685 Test wickets after 180 Tests. You need to be patient if you are a pace bowler in England, looking for a chance to play. Root hits his 30th Test ton (Alistair Cook is England's best ever and sits on 33 Test tons).

Troubling to see Warner's terrible shot and Marnus too. Neither batsman showed composure or patience in key moments and both did not move their feet one centimetre. So bad.

2. Test Cricket Championship v India. Funny how the Test Championship v India unfolded on the last day. Kohli and Rahane rolled in the 40s and Jadeja and Thakur got ducks! A brilliant achievement for the team and coach - Ronnie McDonald, who is looking forward to the next team photo. Hard to believe they could do it in the end, but bravo to them all and a good decision to replace Langer so it seems.

Scott Boland was super accurate again and got two critical wickets in an over. He has been something else in fourth innings of Test matches and has the best average (14) for any bowler in the 21st Century after 30 wickets (33 in eight tests).

3. US Open Golf. Min Woo Lee is a talent. Drives the longest ever US Open golf hole at 555 yards (16th) for 407 yards. Awesome strength. Cameron Smith is so consistent sitting near the top 10. Rory seems to be the romantic story, but he seems to lack that edge in key moments sometimes. Rickie Fowler has not been atop too many leaderboards in recent times but has been pretty consistent in 2023. Is it a case of now or never for Rory McIlroy?

4. NSW State of Origin Team. No Latrell is a heavy loss again. He is such a good player. Souths can't get a win without him either. The team will need to play the full 80 minutes and not over hype themselves. The media is something else. The mystery virus story has not emerged yet for Queensland, so we will expect that. In many ways the NSW team looks stronger. Mitchell Moses has been in good form in 2023, but he will need to be electric in attack if NSW are to win. He defends well usually.

Ben Hunt will be sitting comfortably regardless, but St George-Illawarra have been a mess for a while. They are paying the price for poor coaching decisions over the past decade - Steve Price, Paul McGregor and Anthony Griffin. All sub 50% win rate.

5. NRL Finals Bound. Two or three (!) byes across the season (4 - 6 points) can be deceptive. Parramatta are suddenly in the top four when a second bye is factored in. They have had a strong week, winning Monday v Bulldogs and Saturday v Sea Eagles. They are back in the mix with four straight wins after a horrific start to the season. Their for and against is actually one of the best in the comp too (third). That helps a lot in a tight competition where this will help determine semi final rankings for those tied on the same number of points.

6. AFL Finals Bound. Amazing how well the Richmond Tigers are performing since the departure of coach Hardwick. A cracking victory v the under performing St Kilda team this weekend. They are two points adrift from the top eight now. GWS are also four points outside and seem to be able to win great contests...then lose...then win again. The consistency is the thing for all teams! 

The Swans have become an absolute misery and there will be a clean out of under performers and the aged and weary. The club needs to evolve - and quickly. Locating speed men is a priority. Height too! Their marking ability in contested situations is very poor...lots of small accurate kickers from the Swans Academy, but very few different body types. They have to start thinking beyond 'SCG Ball'!

Even Carlton won this weekend. The Gold Coast are perennial underperformers.

7. Tim Tsyzu. What a commanding performance. He stands to be the equal of or better than his old man Kostya. Hard as nails. He obliterated the big mouth of the Mexican Ocampo in 77 seconds. Awesome! Ocampo has had 30+ fights and only been stopped once before. The US fighter, Charlo awaits in a unified bout for all belts. 

8. NHL. Las Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers. Decisive. Las Vegas is becoming the real home to some serious US sports. This helps your tourist rotation. An emerging sporting capital with LA Raiders NFL...LA A's baseball and the Golden Knights NHL team! Of course, the NRL 2024 launch will add to this too! 

9. NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets are the new NBA champions. First ever title and some achievement. 

10. Super Rugby Semi-finals. The strength of the Crusaders is on show again. They have won 13 of the 27 Super 12/ Super 14, etc competitions since 1996. They are about to beat the Chiefs next weekend too. The Brumbies battled hard, but were no match in the end. The Crusaders break dancing will be back on show next weekend. They are the Manchester City of the southern hemisphere. Awesome team, coaches and record.

11. Ange Postocoglou. Reported that he is being paid $9 million at Tottenham. That is cheap for an EPL coach at a glamour club. He will be worth triple that with a strong start to the new season!

12. Novak Djokovic. Best ever at 23 Grand Slams now. GOAT? There is not a lot of affection for Djokovic who could well be a Hollywood movie star villain as well. Unsurprising and maybe never to be beaten ever in history. Awesome, but a lot of collateral with attitudes and anti-vax nonsense too.

The Wrap - Lame Hypocrisy ALIVe

1. Test Championship Cricket - Australia v India. The Oval always dishes up an interesting pitch. Love the iconic ugly gas / water tank in the outfield. The 444 chase suddenly does not look as daunting when it is split across two days. The nerves will be jangling and Kohli, Rahane and Jadeja are BIG, BIG game players. Incredible records for all three. Jadeja is the best all rounder in world cricket by a long way. Hopefully we will not be talking world records and 'best ever' in tomorrow's paper. This Shardul Thakur never seems to miss when he plays Australia though. His batting is amazing. He is another all rounder to watch.

Which brings us to the talented Aussie all rounder, Cameron Green. Classic catches galore, but he also disappoints in big moments with the bat and needs to prove his worth under pressure against quality bowling attacks. A definite second innings catch... funny how everything is expected to fall India's way when you are as entitled as their players and fans are. Nice to see Shastri agreeing it was a catch. Very rare from their commentators.

A great game, helped by clear skies. This is the type of weather that will help Australia on the Ashes tour...if the rain and overcast skies come our way, we will struggle with the bat. Travis Head and Steve Smith - superb both. Khawaja and Warner need to move their feet energetically or perish. They both looked very tired and lazy. Warner's terrible effort in the slips was even more worrying.

2. LIV Golf - PGA Golf Truce. So when the filthy lucre comes around to the PGA, they take it, betray their loyal players and claim that this is because of a better way forward. The hypocrisy is incredible and then they talk tough too... suspensions and fines? Please... not a chance. A nice little investment portfolio awaits the loyal players so they say, but there is a lot of credibility at stake... resignations are surely not far away. A few players might prefer the cash. Greg Norman's reputation is battered... the great white guppy.

All the while Rory McElroy ploughs on at the Canadian Open...third overnight.

3. NRL Round 15. The upsets keep flowing. Souths lose...Cronulla lose... Dolphins smashed and Tigers limp again. They even have Luke Brooks rejecting a contract renewal! No surprise, the club have sought Munster, Pearce...Moses. Brooks needs to move on, but not lots of options out there for him.

Dylan Brown has completely let his team down and a reminder has been sent to the Integrity Commission that the meagre $5K fine (with a promise to defend his privacy in court) for sex in a public toilet all those years ago has potentially spawned worse behaviour. The Eels struggle every long weekend and the Bulldogs will be tough. A win for Parramatta and an extra bye will have them firmly in the top six! They have a very favourable for and against as well to position themselves well with a few extra wins. Brad Arthur beats the Brian Smith Parramatta coaching record as well. 52% win record is still too skinny.

The Broncos have four free points from byes still owing and are favourites for the minor premiership now. A top victory v Newcastle, who have improved a lot it must be said.

NSW Origin. Going to be an interesting team - and a losing team when announced this week. Hard to believe Nicho is the right man. The Storm did a number on him on Sunday which will not have helped. Matt Moylan's defence is not good either. Melbourne smashed the Sharks and underlined how hard they are to beat. 

4. AFL. The lack of urgency by the Swans at home v St Kilda was appalling when the game was on the line. They have become a bunch of complete under performers. Incredible lack of energy and drive...regardless of injuries. Mediocrity and going out backwards. Hawthorn on the other hand belted the more fancied Brisbane. Richmond also nailed Freo. Spirit. GWS hanging in there.

5. Man City. Their incredible treble is now confirmed - FA Cup, EPL Championship and the Champions League (1-0 v Inter Milan) winners. Best in quite a long time! (1998/99 ManU team was the last one). 

6. Ange Postocoglou - Tottenham Hotspurs Coach. What an outstanding achievement and just reward for his work. A big time promotion now as a coach in the top flight! he has the second best winning record as manager at Celtic ever!

7. NBA. The Denver Nuggets are on the cusp of their first NBA Championship. Up 3-1 v Miami Heat.

8. Stanley Cup. The Las Vegas Golden Knights lead the Florida Panthers 3-1 as well. The engraver is getting twitchy!

9. Novak Djokovic. He will become the highest ever Grand Slam winning player if he wins tonight v Casper Ruud. That will take him to 23 Grand Slam wins...one ahead of Nadal. It will possibly never ever be beaten. Carlos Alcarez was very disappointing in his semi final loss to Djokovic.

Iga Swiatek also won a tremendous final v Karolina Muchova.. who joins the long line of '-ovas' who have contested women's Grand Slam tennis finals.... Navratilova... Sharapova... Kuznetsova... Kitova... Sukova...Mandlikova...Cibulkova...Safarova...Pliskova...Vondrousova!

 It is Swiatek's fourth Grand Slam win (three French Opens, one US Open). She is 4/4 wins in finals!

10. Super Rugby. Hard to find this sport anywhere in the media, but the Waratahs were duly belted - and the Reds - and the Drua. The Waratahs are such an ongoing annual disappointment and no Michael Hooper next year either. However the good old Brumbies hold our fortunes as usual. The Chiefs will be tough, but if there is a team who can win, it is them!

The Wrap - Final Kings

1. State of Origin. Every year it seems that Queensland are able to exhibit so much more intensity, focus and strength in the battle than NSW. They were deserved winners and look like winners most years. NSW always look close to losing the plot. Freddie Fittler is done. Won, lose or draw it is time for the curtain to end it all. He has been out coached by a bloke who is a legend but who never coached before in Billy Slater! 

Let's consider some of the issues in State of Origin Game One:

• The Preparation. What a schemozzle. Endless reports of injuries and fitness clouds... a dud jersey... (That bloody great red Westpac symbol is a disgrace). All very boring.
• Latrell Mitchell. How do we get simple injuries on the training paddock? Inevitable or lack of proper preparation and professionalism? Club sides would lap this lot. This was a huge loss.
• The lack of leadership in clutch moments. The forwards have little there too. No voice. Murray and Cleary are now injured and are both unlikely to play in Game Two.
• Api Korisau and Liam Martin were strong. Yeo, Murray, Frizzell, To'o all solid. Yeo is not flash but needed in that middle. 
• It was interesting to note that from the World Cup winning team in 2022, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Jake Trbojevic and Jack Wighton were the only ones not playing this Origin. All NSW.
• James Tedesco has been a star for many years, but all stars fade a bit. He was great v the Bulldogs, but the Bulldogs are not Queensland. 
• For a few years now, at his worst, Teddie rarely if ever passes the ball in big games (should have passed to Addo-Carr for an early try). This makes him too easy to defend and he crabs across field too often against shrewd defences, inhibiting attacking formation (too similar to Luai's style). You can't have both of them in a team.
• Tedesco also has a terrible habit of not keeping on his feet. He slips and slides repeatedly and is of no use to his team on the ground. If you watch closely in night games especially, he does this in attack and defence. Longer studs?
• You have the best prop the game has seen in 20 years - Payne Haas - and you play him for 30 mins?
• Tevita Pangai-Junior. Freddie gets clever and tries to be unique, but he misses the obvious. An under performer with poor discipline in an underperforming team. Fittler then starts him in the team. 
• He then starts Hudson Young as well who is a known hot head. QLD could not believe their luck. They did not select Horsborough and if they did, he would not start. These blokes come off the bench as their red cordial settles.
• You need composure and purpose from the get go. Junior Paulo. Surely he starts a game.. Rock solid and experienced.
• Nicho Hynes. It was a romantic selection of a talented good guy, but really he replaces a pivot and that is it. They lacked zip around the ruck. Nicho is not that player to come on and change the game in that manner.
• Slow play the balls from lumbering forwards hurt NSW. No urgency.

Apart from that, NSW did well. Queensland too sharp and desperate.

How bad were the Storm? It has not been this bad for a long time. They need some serious decisions to be made, including around the unfortunate Ryan Papenhuyzen. Canberra just keep winning too.

2. NRL - Alex Johnston. He rattled past Brett Morris on the most NRL tries ever on Saturday night. He is now two behind Steve Menzies and 12 behind Billy Slater. 

You sometimes get the feeling sometimes that Alex Johnston could score enough tries in a game to beat Ken Irvine this year. What a talent in such quick time.

3. Ange Postocoglou. Celtic FC win the Scottish FA Cup Final and celebrate winning the three main trophies in 2023 ... Scottish League Cup, the Scottish Premier League Championship and the Scottish FA Cup (3-1). He has now got the second highest winning percentage as a manager in the illustrious history of Celtic FC. That is a pretty amazing achievement.

4. Man City. Meanwhile, this 2022-2023 Man City season is one to savour. Premier League Champions, English FA Cup Champions (2-1). They are in the final of the UEFA Champions League v Inter Milan too and could scoop the pool of everything! Harland has been kept quiet recently in front of goals, but it has opened up opportunities for his teammates!

The Pep Talk promo here shows why they win (five EPL Championships in six years!): Watch here.

5. Central Coast Mariners - A-League Champions. An extraordinary contrast is what Melbourne City did on the weekend. Runaway stars all year (minor premier by 11 points), they were crushed 6-1 in the Grand Final. The lack of spirit from City was very surprising. After all the protests, the Grand Final venue decision looked a good one... and it gives a great excuse to some teams too.

The CC Mariners (2 titles - 2013 and 2023) now go to fourth highest ever Champions of the A-League behind Sydney FC, (5), Melbourne Victory (4) and Brisbane Roar (3). They have more wooden spoons.

6. The NSW Waratahs. Into the Super Rugby quarter finals after losing to the Pasifika team who had not won a game all year. There is a lot to dislike about rugby and this caps it off. Resting players...Michael Hooper's last game and all... no effort or pride in their performance seemingly and lose the impossible. Sure, not important for the semis, etc, etc, but really? The Queensland Reds were no better, losing to the Drua who secured a top eight spot.

There will be plenty of excuses, but this is precisely the lack of dedication and concentration that sees Australian rugby lose, lose, lose...despite the media talk and wasted money on Suaalii or Haas - or Crichton or Murray... The public affection has evaporated. They will be hosting test matches at Brookvale Oval at this rate.

The only Australian franchise worth anything are the Brumbies. They just win regularly without hoopla. For the others, they will all be bundled up and spat out in the first week of the semis. The gap between the top Super Rugby franchises and the rest has never been bigger.

7. NBA Final. The Boston Celtics comeback from 0-3 to 3-3 was crushed by the Miami Heat and their Butler who was immense! The Denver Nuggets however are already 2-0 up against The Heat in the final! They sure know how to milk their fans of cash with these best of seven series.

8 NHL. The Florida Panthers are against the Las Vegas Golden Knights who now lead 1-0. What an awesome pair of team. A massive sport or physicality, skill and endurance. Incredible.

9. AFL. The impact on AFL players' bodies at this time of the season is telling. There are a few teams in remote control at present, but the Western Bulldogs curse v Geelong continues. They have not beaten them for a million years. Collingwood keep wining and Port Adelaide are enjoying the most remarkable of runs - nine straight now! Richmond had a nice win, but GWS still have the worst crowds in the AFL. They have no identity and should be relocated. North Melbourne almost did the unthinkable, but good on them.

10. Dave Warner. Dave Warner has given much joy, but no one likes seeing players tell the world when and at what venue they might retire. Dave may want to go out in the New Year's Test in Sydney 2024 (think McGrath, Warne, Langer, Chappell...), but he has a bit to do before then. It starts this week in the Test Championship game v India. 

A little worried seeing how dry it is there at present. India will revel in that. We need a juicy, seaming wicket to win. That man Ravi Jadeja, who single handedly won the IPL last week for the Chennai Super Kings, will be especially hard to contain.

11. French Open Tennis. There is a predictability about this tournament in the Mens most years. Djokovic will be hard to beat. Alcaraz maybe. The Womens play is far more interesting and enterprising.

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.