The Wrap - Shields and Trophies

1. NRL. Raiders have the minor premiership - and the JJ Giltinan Shield - which is some sort of effort. Tradition and better than the Winfield Cup (who ever thought that was a good idea?). Ethan Strange continues to be a revelation, but their big outside backs are a huge plus. No nonsense forwards and a unity and self belief. It could go deep into September. Melbourne are a colossus and will take some beating. Not sure the Bulldogs or Panthers or the Broncos/ Sharks (woeful defence) have enough to stop Melbourne... despite being lapped by the Roosters on Friday night. 

• Marky Mark continues to do things other players in the game have never done. An awesome talent. Elite. A Dally M?
• Des Hasler and Adam O'Brien both gone... the coaching merry-go-round continues.
• Parramatta with their newfound fitness and speed are also sending teams ragged. Their defence needs to improve however. They do not control the ruck like Melbourne do. Melbourne would be crucified if a referee actually insisted on a speedy play the ball from both teams. Parramatta do this at their own peril and get touch football scores as a result.
• Parramatta are on the same points as the Wests Tigers and could finish as high as 10th! A stunning end to the season.
• The Gold Coast to pick up the wooden spoon after losing a lot of close games? Or Newcastle?
• Dolphins v Roosters for the final spot.

2. AFL. Can never work out why they take complete momentum out of their season by having the week off. A 'Wildcard weekend' could work better... but injuries are attended to in the week away, but I wonder how many more injuries it then brings? Brownlow Medal season is fast approaching.

Interesting to see Tom Papley shopped to rivals.

3. Tommy Fleetwood. Breaks through finally at the Tour Championship (after 164 PGA starts) with a BIG $10M purse. The US PGA completely dominates LIV and has actually rendered it irrelevant. Tradition and routine has triumphed.

4. US Open Tennis. Jelena Ostapenko is one of the most unpleasant women's tennis players we have ever seen. She has problems with her attitude and superiority complex - and her serve. Racial comments the lot. She needs to be banned from the game for a time. Conversely, the Naomi Osako story is amazing. She is doing good business once again. In the wrestle for the 'US Open Tennis Trophy' (no sponsor).

Alcarez, Sinner, Zverev, Dokovic... all warming up for the men's quarter finals which get under way this week. Alex de Minaur joins them in the final 16. He only has a top 8 game at this point, but it is still a stunning achievement on the biggest stage.

5. Rugby Union. A week off for the international play, but injuries for Australia are crushing them. Locally, Warringah 37-24 to win the Shute Shield. More famous than the Stanley Cup!

Tremendous to see young Douglas Sullivan (Eastwood) and young Henry Oxenham (Sydney Uni) in action at Leichhardt Oval in their lower grade Grand Finals. 

6. F1. Back after an AFL-like window which is absurd and lengthens the season incredibly (until 8 December!). The Dutch Grand Prix it is now this weekend and Oscar Piastri is looking to assert early dominance over Lando Norris in the home stretch. Oscar has such amazing poise.

7. Sunderland Till I Die. They are on fire. Two early wins in the EPL after being promoted. Incredible start, but a long way to go! 35 points (12 wins) just about sees you safe from relegation. Chelsea looking solid and of course they, Arsenal and Liverpool have not lost yet. Defence! 'The Premier League Trophy' is on the line!

The Wrap - Beaten at The Post

1. NRL - Wonderful Weekend. So many great games...upsets and the Tigers deflated by the never say die Cowboys! How good is Tom Dearden? Extraordinary.

Marky Mark's flick pass for the Roosters v Parramatta was super special. What an amazing athlete! A dual international pending. He is one of the best and most exciting outside backs in the NRL. He has added more than Joseph Sua'ali'i. Unfortunately the Roosters were woeful. So many handling errors which was quite staggering. The worst completion rate by any team all season.

The Eels avoid the spoon and have really added so much speed to their play under Ryles. They need a big and dynamic centre to really change the world. Their forwards have really improved under Ryles. Quick feet and soft hands. A real hunger is building. They need some dynamic big athletic finishers out wide.

Hard to remember a weekend where the ball hit the post so often from goal kicks and field goals!

• Incredible end to the Raiders v Panthers. Field goal hits the post and a winning try at the other end! Three successive golden point games for Penrith won't hurt them. They are back playing tough (if losing) footy and everyone in that comp knows it.
• The Roosters losing Sam Walker was bad timing, but Connor Watson needed to step up and could not. They did not seem to have a plan. Sandon Smith surely needs more game time.
• Parramatta winning consigns the Newcastle Knights and Titans to the spoon bowl. 
• Des Hasler arguing with rude and out of line journalists is something Wayne Bennett addressed some time ago. Des should know better. Pressure.
• The Broncos are marching on and can produce in big games. They have done very well in the end under Maguire.
• The Dolphins have battled injuries, but they have leaked points and leaked more...

2. ODI Cricket. We have really struggled, but the crowds have loved it. A big night out up north - esp. game three with tons to Green, Head and Marsh. Brevis is incredible and could hit 200! The top order needs to step up for an ODI victory!  A good winter concept, but a shame we play second and third stringers! ODIs have become completely irrelevant. Marnus continues to be a disappointment.

3. AFL. The end of the regular season with a widening gap between the top nine and the rest. It has moved fast. The excitement is around the top four.

• Toby Green came up with two incredible plays in the last minutes to seal a home final for GWS.
• The Swans beat the hopeless West Coast Eagles yet again. The Eagles picked up their mandatory spoon and their third ever - 2010, 2023 and now 2025.
• The Swans need to get some forwards who don't fall in an injury heap and get a few hard nose competitors to change up the culture. A little bit of experience perhaps too. Too many similar players.
• Jeremey Cameron wins the Coleman Medal but does not pick up 100 goals in a season again. 
• Essendon is still a joke. Such an under performing team.
• Adelaide are minor premiers after missing finals for seven years in a row! 
• Geelong and Collingwood are still up and at them again. Bailey Smith has been an incredible signing for Geelong - and substantial loss for the Western Bulldogs.
• Imagine winning 14 games and missing the top eight...The Western Bulldogs may achieve this for the first time ever for a team.
• The Brisbane v Hawthorn showdown is a huge one for the final order tonight.

4. PGA - Tour Championship. Once again Tommy Fleetwood leads, this time with Patrick Cantlay (-16) into the final round. Scottie Scheffler (-12) and even Rory (-6) hover of course... he hears the hooves does our Tommy. Here's hoping he can crack a PGA win sometime soon. A $40M purse is some sort of carrot. Keegan Bradley (-13) is a fine golfer too. Can anyone give us a LIV Golf update? What a schemozzle.

Scheffler has 5 wins for the season and nearly $24M. 15 top 10 finishes and not forgetting his -31 score in the Byron Nelson! Great Scott!

5. EPL. Tottenham two wins from two (a 2-0 win over Man City is always impressive) and are on top with a dominant Arsenal. The post Ange era has started brightly. Ange is being linked with Notts Forest, last year's surprise packet.

6. US Open Tennis. It all starts this week but extraordinarily, the mixed doubles have already been played. Not sure why this was required - outside of a greater cash grab - but put a couple of shekels on Sinner and Alcaraz as the men's finalists. The great Novak will be trying for yet another throne on his prized surface as well. A swansong?

7. Wallabies. Signs and glimpses of greatness, but so many injuries and not enough strength under pressure, losing 30-22. Argentina will not be easy. They beat the All Blacks 29-23! A great result!

The Wrap - Back in Your Boks

1. Wallabies. A rare headline in The Wrap, but what a brilliant win. Joe Schmidt has had a top month in the latter phases of his tenure it must be said after much disappointment. Unlucky not to beat the Lions in the series and then to win at Ellis Park in the dungeon of South Africa is exceptional. The first win since before we were all born! Pretty significant.

Joseph Sua'ali'i has added a lot, but so has the recent announcement that the Giteau rule is no longer. (Ron will be pleased). Skelton is immense and the skipper Wilson scoring two runaway tries was incredible. He almost ran over the deadball line and did a hammy to boot. Gold. The pace and toughness of Jorgensen will keep NRL recruiters interested.

2. Glenn Maxwell. He's bounced back since some of the worst idiocy in recent years in world cricket...the mysterious tennis court rumble injury and the falling off the golf cart. He is a supreme talent. Often wasted and frustrating, but still could be one of the best fieldsmen we have ever seen (with Viv, Jonty Rhodes, Mark Waugh, Ponting, Symonds, Smith...). His last gasp effort to get Australia over the line in the Darwin T20 series was incredible. Great to see him stand up and get the adulation that he deserves.

3. NRL. The NRL seems to be able to find an on field controversy these days. It used to be a lot of off field ones, now if it is not a trainer, a sin binning, a bunker rule interpretation or an Ashley Klein special call, the game is constantly in the spotlight.

The Broncos, for all their class, have struggled at key times, but Maguire is making a big difference. They are semi final bound. Reece Walsh is an incredible talent.

The spoon contest is down to the Eels, the Knights and the Titans. The Rabbits and Cowboys have a bye each and are winners this weekend. The Eels are warming up for a world record.

• Scott Drinkwater is a super talented player. From the Central Coast and killing them. A broken play master who would be dangerous in Origin. Nil mistake player.
• Kodi Nikorima is one of the best number sixes in the comp. He has speed, takes on the line and a strong running game which keeps the defence guessing.
• The small double pump feigned pass running fast to the line by Isaiya Katoa or Nathan Cleary is now creating massive issues for opposing defences. A small, but newer offensive tactic.
• Hearing Nathan Cleary talk about rugby league is a whole new language. No wonder the Panthers are a premiership threat every year...even when they were in last place!
• Michael Ennis. Is he the best non-coach in the game? So insightful. He could coach Origin on his ear.
• The Roosters were really dominant and the Bulldogs are crumbling fast. Attitude.
• Trai Fuller would be a handy dummy half off the bench at another club. Great pace!
• Jye Gray. Two try scoring tackles and wins the game for the Bunnies. Then the greatest hog in the NRL, Tallis Duncan, wins the Eric Simms Medal for MOTM. Get on Tallis for an any time try scorer because he never disappoints. Alex Johnston could not touch it! The 212 record is safe with Tallis in the centres. 
• Daniel Topou is fast approaching too. He now has 182 tries in fourth place ever. (Slater has 190 in third place). We could well have two players beat the Ken Irvine record!
• Haas now playing for Samoa ... how can these flexi rules apply to Origin for some and not others. 

4. AFL 2025. The massive divide in the 2025 competition has taken a lot of energy out of the game this season. The top eight or nine are so far ahead, the bottom half of the comp has become very boring. It is costing the game revenue...TV ratings are sliding too. Most unfortunate. Having Brisbane, Adelaide, Fremantle and in the top eight must be troubling Melburnians too.

• The Connor Rozee rumours at Port Adelaide are a great example of the absolute sewer of social media. Having to publicly appear to dispel them calls for stronger police action against the perpetrators. What have we unleashed as a society?
• GWS beating Gold Coast at home is a horrific result for the Gold Coast. They are so inconsistent and need to address this to make an impression in the semi finals. 
• The Collingwood-Adelaide game in front of the biggest ever crowd was awesome! Tight and tough with high pressure. 56=53. They may both be in the GF.
• The Swans... plucked and roasted by a superior Geelong team. Their defensive line is elite. Tall, strong and plentiful.

5. EPL Underway. The shortest off season in world sport. Liverpool continue to do the business despite the tragic loss of a key player in the off season, Diogo Jota. Tottenham will be an interesting study to see if they fall in a heap or build on the successes of last season. A bright start against promoted Burnley. Sunderland ('Till I Die...) are back too, but where is Netflix? They had a tremendous opening win 3-0 v West Ham. Haaland is back scoring two goals already for Man City!

6. Austrian GP. Piastri and Norris look to have the measure of all others, but Verstappen always surprises. The summer break in the season is ridiculous. All momentum around the sport is lost. 

7. USPGA. Fresh from Justin Rose's win ($3.6M) v Scheffler and Fleetwood last week in the St Jude, Scottie Scheffler ($1.6M) is running second in the BMW Championship. MacIntyre is going to be hard to run down in Maryland. 

Scheffler's consistency is amazing. He didn't quite do the job last week. This week may well be different. He could be the most liked world number one golfer since the great Jack!

8. Bob Simpson. RIP. A legend of Australian cricket who transformed of all things, fielding. A terrific slip fielder himself. A brutal task master. In Test cricket, 62 tests (110 catches!) and 4869 runs at 46.81 with ten tons. He famously came back in WSC to lead the inexperienced (and very poor) Australian team at the time... Hibbert, Weiner, Whatmore, Moss, Toohey, Laughlin, Maclean, Gannon, Sleep, Clark, Dymock... et al.

9. US Open Tennis. The Cincinatti Open lead up event in Tennessee sees Alcarez v Sinner in the final tomorrow. Alcarez will be tough to toss at Flushing Meadows starting on 24 August. He and Sinner are a cut above. A toss of the coin.

The Wrap - On Your Marky Marks

1. The Panthers. As predicted many weeks back, into the top four after beating back a string of minnows and now a big test v Melbourne this Thursday night. They are getting back a bit of style. So patient. The new Stephen Crichton - young Maclean - is starting to shine.

The mathematical chance teams stack up and are all cooked really... Manly, St George, Wigers and the rest, including the Dolphins. Their defence was appalling v the Roosters. Hitting 50+ points conceded is a sure sign you cannot do much long term in the competition. Conversely, the Roosters are on the cusp of the eight now. The discipline of Leniu continues to be a problem. Such a talent but needs to mature and become a leader.

2. Ethan Strange. What a talent he is for the Raiders. Ricky calls him the next NSW five eight and he is correct. (He also said "you may think I am putting pressure on him and I am, so bad luck, get over it!").  He and Marky Mark from the Roosters are two sensational talents. Both could be in the Kangaroos at year's end. Superb talent. Strange has pace, an excellent step and strength. He is humble and hungry.

• Parramatta's Bailey Simonssen is sulking and it is this type of culture killing, self centred player who Ryles has had a gutful of...Matherson, Cartwright, Simonssen and Ofahenguae. All gone. Bailey seems to think there are a heap of clubs wanting to sign him. Not quite. It is a large never ending factory the NRL and blokes who leave are easily replaced. 
• The race for the spoon remains open still...Titans (games to come in 2025: Cronulla, Warriors, Dolphins, Tigers), Knights (Cowboys, Broncos, Cronulla, Parramatta), Souths (Parramatta, Dragons, Bye, Roosters) or the world record holders, Parramatta (Souths, Roosters, Warriors, Knights).
• Daniel Tupou now gets to 179 NRL tries, one behind fourth placed Steve Menzies (180). Slater sits on 190, Johnston 209 and Ken Irvine 212! Fifth most tries ever in the game. Incredible. Two more seasons and he will also beat Irvine's record too. Johnston just picks up another two tries for fun too (lethal when Latrell plays). He could equal it next week v Parramatta!
• St George upset the Sharks, but will DCE go there instead of the Roosters?
• Surely trainers need to be restricted. We never had that problem years ago. A significant meterage penalty against the trainer's team - or game time limited trainers - 5 mins max. That was a schemozzle in Parramatta v Cowboys as it was for the Panthers v Gold Coast last week.

3. AFL. Swans got a little nervous late with a string of late Brisbane goals before a narrow win over a well beaten Brisbane - 92-90 away in Brisbane. Some small revenge for the GF smashing last year. The Swans are a crumbling outfit at tough times. They really need a clean out of some personnel. It's a rare upset in the AFL this year.

• Meanwhile, Collingwood crumble v Hawthorn and the Gold Coast surge forward. 
• Simon Goodwin pulls the pin from coaching Melbourne, despite winning a flag a few years back too. he'd had a gutful.
• Four teams leading the comp, but the Crows and Cats are the two with the commanding points differentials.

4. Oscar Piastri. A narrow nine point lead over Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship and it is almost a two horse McLaren race now. The next GP is the Dutch on 31 August 2025...a long break. 

5. Test Cricket - India v England. A cracking series, reminding us all that Test cricket is the best form. A six run win by India to level the series 2-2. So few Tests are draws these days. The top tier team Test match concept has more merit than we all believe. Australia-India-England and Pakistan playing each other would be much more exciting than Test series v the Windies, Zimbabwe and the perennial under performers, Bangladesh and those countries that rarely go the extra mile for Test cricket...Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

6. St Jude Championship - PGA Golf. Tommy Fleetwood ahead after three rounds in Tennessee (-14), but he is a perpetual runner up or top 10/ 25 finisher. Not that there is anything wrong with that! He has never won on the USPGA tour. Maybe this weekend. Lerking close is the outstanding Scottie Scheffler who is two shots behind. Now if I was a betting man...

7. Nikita Tsyzu. Hopefully he can do better than Tim Tsyzu. Must have been some interesting sibling biff in the backyard back in the day. "Oh Nikita you will never know... anythin' about my home".

8. Giants Netball. The nicest media release in the world..the new coach, Nerida Stewart has "replaced" the former long standing coach, Julie Fitzgerald (since 2017). They have not hit the heights they should in recent years (but have been in two GFs), so change may be a good thing here.

9. T20 Cricket. Ho hum! Australia v South Africa with many stars in the UK at their rich "Hundred". Dave Warner was the MOTM for the London Spirit across the weekend (70 no).

The Wrap - Dry Weather Champions

1. Rugby Union - Lions v Australia. Going in, a clash in the wet suited the Lions. However, it was a remarkable win by the Wallabies 22-14. It must be said, their efforts last week in Melbourne and in Sydney rank up there as some of the finest Australian rugby in recent memory... and it may just have swayed a few doubters (and there were - and are - many) that the game was near dead and simply unwatchable. Tough, uncompromising and unexpected wins in line outs, a tough scrum, counter aggression and no backward steps (even a touch of biff!) and under the pressure of the best in Europe...triumph.

A swansong for Joe Schmidt, but where has this resolve been hiding? They had every right to be disillusioned after last week, but rose to a higher plane. This would not be lost across the world. Sua'ali'i would have no regrets as the Roosters slugged it out at Brookvale Oval, but the Jorgensen speed has been decisive at key moments. Nic White can put away the angry pills now as he retires.

Memo to new coach, Les Kiss... stop picking so many players and keep key combinations consistent. Back in the players and axe your 40 man squads. Pick and stick. (His first step will no doubt be to pick a 60 man squad for a training camp in Borneo).

Still the refereeing is far too dominant and influential. At one point the ref changed the rules on the Wallabies after his own error. Denial... cover up of course. Setting and re-setting scrums as some forlorn religious tribute to 'Buddah' Handy, bores viewers to death. Time outs for players to fix their shoes bores people to death. This is the problem. The best officials in any sport are never seen or heard!

2. The Panthers. They are an incredible team. While a 26 point surrender to the Titans after leading 24-0 would have been unimaginable, they claw back a 26-26 golden point on the back of the great Ivan Cleary. The Cleary field goal was simply outstanding. Had he doubled this up soon after for the win he could have been made an immortal this afternoon. That will come some other time. On the cusp of the top four now with the Warriors falling in a heap!

• Parramatta are stringing together "respectable losses", but they are still within spoon striking distance even though their for and against has improved. A little more promise for the future but another year ticks by with no finals or premiership... 39 years now, into 40 years next year.
• The Dolphins. Highly entertaining and really good to watch - despite their multiple injuries! A team of the future and any suggestion of Wayne Bennett leaving a club in a worse place when he leaves it, is completely wrong here. Coach Woolfe has done a top job. 
• As has Michael Maguire (and Trent Barrett!) for the Broncos. This is the time of the season when the Broncos usually crumble, but they are getting better too. Dry weather champions.
• The Bulldogs were woeful in the wet - and the Sharks (unsurprisingly) always do amazingly well in the wet weather. There could be some big upsets in the semi finals if the rain arrives!
• The Raiders are beatable! They leak too many points. The Dragons have lost a lot of close ones this year but this was a famous victory! Interesting that when the rain comes Melbourne also become extremely beatable.
• The Roosters have seemed to lose it a bit in 2025. It was always going to be tough, but there have been too many frayed edges off field too. A strong win. Sandon Smith had them going places.
• Vale Johnny Mayes. Scored the first try in the 1975 Grand Final to make it 5-0 at half time (and 38-0 at full time!). Sadly, no longer with us.
• The NRL player with the outstretched hands, pleading for a penalty. Too much of this in the game. Referees should give a twenty metre penalty for dissent and arguing incessantly.  Cured!
• Goal kicking distractions (players or trainers). Waving arms, jumping or running across the field in front...A shot from the set spot and another spot from in front. Cured!

3. England v India Test Cricket. No Stokes, no Bumrah. Injuries after five tests, but tight, testy play with lots of classic Indian cricket arguments and hard nose play. There was a hint it was a second rate/ reserve grade clash. No Pant, no Archer. However, the game goes on. Tremendous play by Jadeja and Sundar in the last test continued this test. England's bowlers really know how to do well in their conditions too (Atkinson, Woakes...). The leadership of new skipper Shubman Gill has been strong. England are dashing and chirpy too. That has never been a strong suit for English teams and it puts them off. A 2-2 final series result looms. Let's see how Bazball goes now. The record has been good since Brendan McCullum commenced in 2022 (but no Test Championship):

4. Hungarian F1 GP. Oscar Piastri is looking for another win to extend his drivers championship lead after winning China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Spain and Belgium. The Hungarian GP this week and McLaren is looking sharp. Le Clerc was quickest and starts on pole, but what a spectacle and contest. 

5. James Hooper - Driving Drunk (Allegedly). Always presented as an interesting fellow on Fox NRL360. Five times over the limit? Humility is a harsh lesson served in big doses sometimes.

We will hear mental demons are at play, but how does that convert to driving your car after a skin full? No regard for the safety of others, yet was it him giving it to Ezra Man for his drunk driving incident? What is going on at Fox? Are there others who are doing worse than eating a Big Mac on an advertisement? Reality needs to descend on a few egos perhaps.

Reach out to others if you are struggling. Don't run the risk of killing others.

6. AFL. The Giants were pumped by the Western Bulldogs and the top eight really hots up now. The Swans limped past Essendon. These non-event games are hard to get excited about. A highly unusual competition this year with so many dead rubbers and few upsets. 

• Brisbane are still alive and kicking and Collingwood do have a surprising wobbly side at times.
• Tom Papley. Is there too much rubbish in his game for a Swans player? Has their recruitment policy changed at all from their famous stated line under Roos and Longmire?
• The Bulldogs are four points outside the eight behind the Giants, Hawthorn and Fremantle and have too much talent to miss out on finals.
• The Gold Coast continue to shine...they are reaching new levels and really stamping their class to go deep into the finals. 

7. Netball Final - Melbourne Vixens v West Coast Fever. Having it in Melbourne was a massive advantage, but the pre GF favourites, the Fever were held in an arm wrestle throughout. The Vixens winning was a massive upset, but that game should be dominating the Australian sports market and profiting.

The Vixens made it by one point v Swifts and won the lot by one point. Small margins...the 1%ers truly matter!

One too many white tracksuited types perhaps and an absence of really promoting its stars. The game should be immensely wealthy for players and emerging players - and juniors at netball courts each Saturday morning. Why is it not?

8. Ange Postocoglou. No new coaching gig announced as yet? Time is tight. It appears they have killed the main actor for Series 2 and 3.

The Wrap - Hellish Mathematical Chance

1. British Lions v Wallabies. A tremendous game. Not often you say that about rugby. For all its ridiculous over-officiating, the final decision was made very quickly. Usually there is a committee meeting, the ground microphone man and four Royal Commissions with ICAC involved too. Typical northern hemisphere influence and domination of the game. The ref seemed OK, but was he too pliable when it mattered? 

Michael Hooper's comment that 'this would have been different if it occurred at any other minute in the game!' is hard to ignore.

Nonetheless, to see a 20+ half of rugby from an Australian team is incredible. Rare gold. Strong close losses are hard to accept - and tolerate. Yet another Wallabies loss in the end. Gallant, but a loss. Really like Jorgensen, McDermott, Gleeson...lots of promise... and NRL clubs will be swarming. Wilson as skipper?...ummm not so sure.

That advantage rule is the greatest blight on the game. Box kicks (?) and the TMO who could have explained the final rule which mattered. We should have put the game to bed, but couldn't!

2. Joe Root. What an incredible year and career. Better now than when he was younger. Like Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakarra. The second most Test runs ever, 38 Test tons and the king of England. Prolific run scorer in England and against India. Awesome record. 

England are shaping into a formidable team, but Crawley (31), Duckett (42), Pope (35) and Stokes (35) all average in the high thirties/ early forties still. Not dominant, despite the hype. However, they will be extremely hard to beat in the Ashes in Australia because they string scores together. Their efforts against India have been uncompromising...sending the opposition in and then beating them. They have dominated them with the bat making Bumrah look second rate - on featherbed decks it must be said. Jofra Archer back and fit will be a tough assignment, especially if Mark Wood aims up too. Stokes is immense. Bothamesque with 16 wickets so far and the leading wicket taker in the series.

A fascination in this India-England series is the leading run scorers (all on seven innings each, with Gill and Rahul now into their eighth innings) are mainly Indians. Gill (697), Rahul (508), Pant (479), Jadeja (347). Then comes Jamie Smith, the new England wicketkeeper (424), Root (403), Duckett (365), Brook (317) and Stokes 304) are not far away. Yashasvi Jaiswal needs to check his temperament. He is getting found out too many times too early.

3. T20 Cricket - Tim David. 102no off 37 balls with 11 sixes. Incredible hitting. As Bill Lawry would say..."a crisp hitter of the ball". Our Australian international T20 record is getting stronger. Our bowling is weak, but is that the way of the future...any old hack bowls and you hunt it down with great hitting?

A series win already... 4-0 out of five games. The fielding of the West Indians is SO bad. Watched the fourth T20 for half an hour and saw four dropped catches including a sharp caught and bowled where the bowler moved the mits away because it may have hurt!

4. Belgium F1 Grand Prix. A fantastic looking track at the legendary 'Spa' course and Oscar Piastri was running hot in the early phases of the weekend. Lando Norris (with Belgian heritage) forms a formidable 1-2 on poll for McLaren. Piastri is clinging to the drivers championship lead, but there are a lot of races remaining. Should be excellent as always. Such exciting and fast action. Love the way Piastri dissects and owns his mistakes. An elite high performer!

5. NRL. Some upsets this weekend with the Eels beating the Broncos. Possibly a casualty as top teams rest and reset for the semi final load ahead. However the speed of the Parramatta team is much improved. So much better. Even Sean Russell is chipping and chasing for tries. The axe must have swung close there. Pace wins. Moses adds massively to that and is one of the absolute elite NRL players now.

The Dragons lose another tight one and some teams are now completely out of action for the semi-finals. The Roosters have also lost too many close ones this season. Losses by 8, 6, 4, 2, 2, 4 points this year so far. They can kill your season. 

Interesting to see if the Broncos players remain loyal to Australia with news that Kevin Walters will be the new coach. Seems an unlikely appointment. Surely we have others too but the candidates seemed to be limited to Kevin. The good news? He will be out of the commentary box!

The Panthers are steaming ahead... six rounds left: Titans, Knights, Storm, Raiders, Bulldogs and Dragons to come and they are on the cusp of the top four! Incredible. The Titans helped them a lot by beating the fading Warriors in their own paddock.

Canberra keep winning. Second half demolitions are their specialty. Will be interesting to see how they go against more top teams. They have not really been tested too often. Their defence still needs to smarten up. They leak too many points.

Bulldogs v Sea Eagles. Tough defence and patience. A la Penrith. The Bulldogs are the only club who can fill the Allianz Stadium. A professional, really well supported club. Xerri superb.

6. AFL. The efforts of the Swans was so predictable. Big game? Big fold... they have done it yet again after having a 40 point lead. It was very predictable and has been seen before with the same roster. They have a massive problem. Missing the finals is a crime with the Swans. Coach Dean Cox is under pressure. Not a mathematical chance in hell!

Contrastingly, the Adelaide Crows look sharp. Gold Coast crushed the Brisbane Lions/ Bears which was a firm statement. Damien Hardwick can really coach a team. Alistair Clarkson may need a new gig soon because North Melbourne are getting worse! John Longmire surely needs to coach somewhere soon.

7. Golf. Scottie Scheffler seems to be the absolute top bloke who is also supremely talented. Humble, hungry and smart. Perfect golf to win The Open. He is in a rich vein of form. Long may it last. Getting to seven or eight majors puts him in golf royalty. He now only needs the US Open for the Majors Slam too. (Only!).

Conversely, Cameron Smith was the only golfer to miss the cut at all four Majors this year. Ouch.

8. Vale the great Hulk Hogan. Having caught up with 'Jake the Snake' and Jimmy 'Hacksaw' Duggan overseas in Charlotte, North Carolina recently, they were supreme entertainers for many, but at great expense to their own health and wellbeing. Slow drawl and struggling. Jimmy much better than the snake. He was chirpy and upbeat and recalled Australia well and 'misbehaving'!

9. Netball - Sydney Swifts. Sydney Swifts were up by 10 goals and got run down - and out of the comp - by the Melbourne Vixens. The Vixens go on to play the West Coast Fever who will be paying $1.01 as red hot favourites! Funny things can really happen in Grand Finals however.

The Wrap - Cut Above

1. Rugby Union. Lions v Wallabies. Talk about ridiculous domination in the crowd by the Lions fans. We had this in 2001 as well! Our 'half price' tickets when exchange rates are considered for them makes it so.

Some better refereeing to allow the game to flow, but bring back the half time breaks on the field. Much more authentic. The advantage rule is a joke...too long! The Lions would want to win having the best of Europe's players in the team. An arrogance envelopes them it must be said, but they are too good! We have only ever won series in 1930 and 2001, so the odds are stacked against us! Young Jorgensen, Lynagh and even the magic of Harry Potter with his wings was not enough!

The TMO is a curse...too much chat and too many interruptions. Ridiculous. Out of control. They need to look at the NFL and see how it is done properly.

A good end, but at critical moments, not strong enough. 27-19 is a solid loss. We have too many of these. The best part of rugby is playing beyond the final siren till the ball is dead! Lots of excitement.

The coach Joe Schmidt has been a massive disappointment it must be said. Great guy by all reports, but not enough wins. Better than the latest version of Eddie 'Come Here and Say It', of course, but not much! 15 games with 7 wins. Less than 50% with a few more tests to come in 2025, before the rhyming slang takes over the national coaching role. 

Of his seven wins, three were against a questionable Wales team, one was recently against Fiji (just), one was against the resurgent Argentina and one against the powerhouse rugby nation of Georgia! It has been a disaster really. One really solid win v England at Twickenham only and even they were probably not the strongest England team at the time.

2. NRL. St George lost at the death once again due to the skill of Lachlan Galvin. He will need to get a little more size and speed, but he can play. The media campaigns against him are not good. Let him be. The Tigers are better off - as are Parramatta. St George have lost EIGHT narrow games this season by 8, 1, 1, 6, 1, 4, 7, 2 points. Three games lost by 1 point hurts.

The Warriors won a beauty v Newcastle. Halasima is some sort of talent. Their narrow wins in 2025 have been huge for them. Unlike the Dragons, they have won games this season by 8, 2, 2, 4, 1, 4, 6, 5. This can make a massive difference to your season!

3. NRL Points. Fifth best defence this season? Newcastle! Fourth best defence? Manly. Hard to believe. Manly had a handy win v Melbourne on the weekend in Melbourne. Unheard of really. The Raiders are on top, but their defence is a massive problem which they need to fix to win the competition.

Asofa Solomona is a massive liability for the Melbourne Storm. His foul play and ill discipline costs Melbourne all the time... including being ruled out of last year's Grand Final. He looks like being banned for a long time after yet another errant elbow.

The spoon bowl looks alive and well.. Titans, Tigers, Eels, Knights, Rabbits! Wayne Bennett has never had a worse finish to an NRL season as coach. The Wests Tigers are barely better than in 2024, despite their win v Titans. The Eels are still favourites for the spoon.

4. AFL. The Swans beat North Melbourne, but are still a mile away on 36 points. Barring a few upsets by the bottom half of the table, there will be no semi final football for them. The Giants next week will sort them out. The Giants could win the thing if they can concentrate long enough. However, their record is abysmal v Sydney... even in trial games!

The bottom half of the table this season are abysmal. They find it hard to beat each other.

5. The Open Championships. Scottie Scheffler is a cut above (2 x Masters, 1 x USPGA Major wins). His second round efforts (64) then a 67 in the third round were incredible. Marc Leishman was the only Aussie to beat the Club President's razor blade! The conditions at the Open are never easy.

What about Scheffler's golf major record and number of top ten finishes?

Rory is hovering, but Scheffler is not giving up this lead. Four Golf Major wins looms...

Ray Floyd and Ernie Els won four majors, Brooks Koepka and Rory sit on five wins. Mickelson and Faldo have won six. Seven majors plus is the elite of the elite.

6. EPL. Now able to be viewed on Stan. Suspect this will bring more viewers than Optus. It may also see people use Stan for more than just Kevin Costner's Yellowstone.

7. Tim Tszyu. He was hammered last time he fought Sebastian 'The Towering Inferno' Fundora. Going to Vegas was brave (and necessary), but Tszyu's career was on the line and lost! Fundora attends Harvard and is a very polite fellow. He's breaking all the boxing cliches and has a 23-1-1 record. Imposing! 

A tough way to make money, but rewarding if you can do it. A better standard than the Gallen v SBW fight. Surely there will be a rematch there too!

8. NRLW. Enjoy the fresh approach and lack of egos. Top of the table clash between Broncos v Roosters today. Tamika Upton (ex Knights, currently Broncos) continues to carve up the opposition, scoring tries. Olivia Kernick is a gun for the Roosters. Inexplicably omitted from the Australian team (until they gave the coach the bullet) last year after winning the 2024 Dally M! She should be first picked. Tough, skilful, humble and polite.