The Wrap - The Culture of Success

1. The biggest question outside of how many sessions in the hyperbaric chamber Michael Ennis will fit in this week, is will George Piggins go to the GF? Or be mentioned on the (roy) dias post game! That and Isaac Luke going to the International Court of Sports Arbitration.

2. Souths look to have the edge. Powerful forwards but the Bulldogs know how to fight and win. They have a special understanding of the big occasion. Went to both games and was worried about the super seriousness of Souths pre game. Too over the top too far out from the start of the game - and they started like Parramatta in their GF v Newcastle. Bulldogs had a significant measured confidence, but were on the right level. They have Hasler's genius on their side.

Want to take you back to this from two weeks ago: The club (Parramatta) needs a new ethos and a team visit to Belmore Park to see how Des Hasler does things. You only need to walk into that joint and you can feel success.

Was that Parramatta losing the unthinkable and impossible game under pressure at the back end of a U/20's major semi? No...never. Getting close, but the difference between momentum and moment...um...um...!

3. Panthers were average (but won the NSW Cup), but part of something bigger long term. Roosters marginally better, but none as bad as the Swans! How terrible were they? They are now going to be physically harassed more and more by a lot of teams. Maybe it will toughen some of them up. An old fashioned ambush! Tippett was absolutely terrible! Longmire looks to have underestimated Hawthorn too. They did not have to scrap and fight v North and did not lift. It will haunt thenm.

4. Wallabies. Classic one win, one loss stuff. Typical rotation. No surprise. It's a rare day we win over there. There is something missing...brain power? Intensity? Maybe it is sheer talent.

5. The hardest job in the world is the radio sportscaster or journo who has done every story imaginable already. Looking forward to a week of hype and dead end stories in newspapers about things that will all be forgotten by 10.00pm next Sunday. Should be fun!

6. The motor sport rev heads are psyching up for their October fix.

The Wrap - Call A Taxi For The Refs

1. NRL. The video ref has lost the plot. This nonsense re faking high shots and trying to milk penalties is a scourge. James Graham tried. Tom Symonds tried it on. Both should then have been penalised. Simulation like soccer. Maybe we should bring back stretchers and cart them off like the Oman soccer team.

Then go to the punching rule. This is clearly worse than all the other niggle and wrestling crap. Joke.

Now we will have an outbreak of players kicking the ball at a ref on the last tackle...you watch...

2. Players yelling at refs and standing in their faces...this is OUT OF CONTROL. The 30 metre penalty will iron this out. We have given birth to a monster here. What about NFL? "Unsportsmanlike Conduct"..15 metre penalty.....we need to get a grip.

2A. Is it just me or is that black headband with the camera on the ref's head just the most ridiculous thing you have seen? A kickback from The Thunderbirds? Devo?

3. The footy however was superb. The fight and toughness was extraordinary. The patience to fight back when facing a huge deficit has never been this remarkable. Three one point semis. Outstanding. It is just from the 60 minute when the antics begin. Crowds not good enough however!

4. Minichello. Legend and retiring and I never thought I'd ever say it, but he is a liability at present under pressure. He has done some remarkably dumb things. Out of character. Think the final minute v Penrith. Think the dropped bombs. Think the terrible pass in his own in goal. Cowboys intensity was great, but a woeful start. Thurston is the best we have in the game. Class.

5. Nice to see Ennis copping some of his own medicine. Is he a good addition to a new club?

6. AFL. North were hopelessly outgunned. Sydney though will need to amp things up more. They did not need to be as aggressive or scrap. They will v Hawthorn. The Hawks were really strong. However Port were dynamic. An era of excellence awaits them.

7. This Daniel Riccardo is something else. He has been brilliant all year. No excuses or whinging either. Just excellence.

8. Liverpool seem to give others the jump every year. They then play catch up...Chelsea and Man City will fight it out.

9. Can anyone explain this NRC rugby competition with the NSW Country, Perth, Sydney Stars, Melbourne Rising...What possible use does this comp serve? It's all in the wrong order....maybe this first...Super 15 selections from this...then Wallabies? Rugby is an absolute schemozzle.

 

The Wrap - Finals Fever

1. AFL. North Melbourne have a spirit that is amazing. Always battling and never faltering. Into the Prelim Final v Swans. A huge effort for a comparative minnow. They get a week's grace, but sadly it will be no longer. The Hawks and Swans in the GF for mine.

2. Like Geelong, Manly appear to be waning. They need a clean out. I'd sooner have Matai than Watmough. Leader. However, Manly rarely lose two games in a row.

3. Souths were impressive, but turning it up at the end has shown a bit of weakness. Their 80 minute concentration has been an issue for a while. They continue to churn out big and talented outside backs who are tough - and not salary cap sponges.

Three first half blow outs for Souths, Bulldogs and Cowboys...interesting.

4. Davis Cup Tennis. Beat the Zkalathumpian team. We seem to be celebrating returning to the World Group these days (top 8 in the world), rather than winning the thing.

5. Roosters. Looked good, but met a Panthers team who were very committed. Great to see Matt Moylan doing well. He spent a lot of time working at my school two years ago and is a genuinely great lad. Down to earth, funny and sincere.

Soward was outstanding under pressure. Funny how Gus speaks of this:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/how-penrith-panthers-put-grey-days-behind-them-20140906-10dato.html

Well worth a read of this after last week's Parramatta spat.

Also, I note Hasler has extended the winning culture of the Bulldogs in finals...amazing steel at that club.

 

6. The Paul Green blue checked Cowboys shirt is very hard on the eyes. Looks like an F1 Motel curtains has been removed and put together by the seamstress who used to work at the Pizza Hut restaurants. Thurston is an immortal in waiting. He is the best we have seen since the King.

7. I noticed the commentary team very affirming of the refs this weekend. A change of tune? Tiring of the whinging across the field by all players to refs. It needs to be eliminated...and very quickly, lest the game become a farce at all levels. Yet to see a ref change his mind.

Nothing an automatic thirty metre penalty could not fix. This would sort it out real quickly.

8. Wallabies. Did it tough v Argies...However, the Link has a great record as coach. He has value added.

9. Noticed the Great White Shark has been using a chainsaw...could he have be cutting down those tall poppies of today's game...or maybe it is the Majors which always had the wood on him?

The Wrap - Parramatta Manifesto

Parramatta. The future of coach Brad Arthur needs to be looked at very closely. Sure a million players to offload, Board unrest, new this..new that. However let's look at the plain facts. The last two weeks have been appalling. A fantastic win v Manly two weeks ago and suddenly the coach, who has been lauded with much justification all season, cannot get his players excited about beating two teams lower than his on the table with a semi final place there for the taking. Abominable really.

Arthur needs to ask himself why? What has he done to bring this about - and what should he have done to have avoided it? If he can't answer these, he needs to walk away. It should be making him physically sick when he thinks about it. It speaks of rotting attitudes.

Tim Mannah is a lovely fellow, but he lacks leadership. Memo to J Hayne...talking and purpose is different too to whinging at refs. Who are the leaders in that squad? Our Pacific Island talent is magnificent, but their leadership ethic is different. It is collective and consensus driven. They need spark and inspiration from a leader...sadly Jarryd Hayne is not in the right class as a leader...and proves it most weeks. He revels in Origin where he is not that guy either. A player - magnificent...a leader, not so. Can Sandow be traded? 40-20 kicks are great things, but he leads their demise and the tension with Hayne is obvious.

The rest of us in the real world work like lackeys all week and these blokes turn up and deliver that? What do they do all week? Honestly. Spoilt brats who need to get more professional...and need to be told. The gutless nature of the sycophantic modern sport coach is a massive problem. Don't upset the senior players or you walk. Stand strong with more purpose and resolve than that...please.

Are they ever asked the hard questions: "What are you absolutely passionate about at the Parramatta Eels rugby league club?", "What difference do you see you can make?" "When you leave, what will this club and fans miss?" "When you leave, what will this club remember that you gave it?", "What will the fans say you gave them?", "What learning and ethos will you take with you from this club?". "What are our shared values, beliefs and understandings at this club? and does anyone know this?".

There is a decided lack of spirit and fight at Parramatta. No resolve. No grind. No concentration. No passion. The club needs a new ethos and a team visit to Belmore Park to see how Des Hasler does things. You only need to walk into that joint and you can feel success. Funny that. But, do we share best practice and learn...locally and not just in the expensive end of year tour to the USA?

You get the impression that we are all supposed to be doing handstands on O'Connell Street because they didn't get the spoon. Lucky the comp has ended or seemingly they could have had it soon enough.

While Brad Arthur has talent, he is inexperienced and needs more hand and more acumen with a group of lazy, underperforming blokes who should be cleansed ASAP. He also needs leaders at the club who WILL NOT TOLERATE OR ALLOW this culture to continue to be re-invented. It is entrenched. It re-invents with similar new signings...it is not going away. Why not? Who is going to reverse this? Brad Arthur? Seemingly not in the last two rounds.

The off season at Parramatta should be based on "Moneyball". A full viewing of how a club may need to strip its soul to find one.

They also need to get absolutely serious about visiting AFL clubs and finding out what it is that those clubs have that make them successful...NOT MONEY/ SPONSORS and all that crap...what is the way to the fans hearts and souls? The lazy approach they exhibit on the field? Membership numbers are a bluff...

The best clubs understand the fans. Not the crazy loons...how many games did you see at Parra Stadium this year? No seriously? They do not connect with the fan...they do not understand what a fan wants...and they are unprofessional, turning up awful work...tantamount on Saturday night to jamming their fingers in the photocopier or getting the tie caught in the shredder.

Upon retirement, a few of them may realise what terrible inconsistency and appalling work brings to one's personal life. There are very few $300,000 contracts in real life.

What about this? Two poor lower grade players attend the Parramatta Schools KO presentation AGAIN in 2014. Awful. Awful. Awful. The cream of the District's future and that is what they serve up? Gone ASAP. No leadership. The head coach...could he spare a moment or are we so obsessed by strategy, we forget what really draws kids to a club...a real club. What about one of the so called superstars? Couldn't care? Couldn't make it? No clause in the contract for that crap no doubt.

They repeatedly avoid the opportunity to inspire the next generation of stars..they DO NOT captivate or enthral, because they do not care. The ethos stinks and is at the core of so much more. Lazy. lazy. lazy...off the field and on it.

They have even stopped giving the kids party pies at this night in the past two years. This has coincided with the wooden spoon performances. A sympton of the disease that is rife in the joint. "Bloody nuisance those kids...they get in the way of our wodges of old failed contracts chokking up the caravan of mediocrity we wheel out every second week". The saved funds are no doubt in the bank account of a high profile player who has no soul or spirit of love of the club...

So where does it end? Contentment at ninth or tenth place I guess. "The self satisfied go no further".

If Brad Arthur does not want to turn into Micky Arthur, he needs to be brutally frank with the fans - and his players. He needs to state it as it is...a debacle of a conclusion to a season which had some promise. Who are the leaders? Who are local products in that team of imports and retreads? Where are the Parramatta champions...the local kids...all at Manly yet? In every year of junior footy, there is lucky to be ONE kid in the ranks...they need to look at that. Are they building champions...why not?

Have they set up a junior Academy for U/12's upwards (NOT 15's...they are playing AFL by then) ...what are they building...what is the vision for the place football wise...? When has that EVER been articulated by anyone at the place? Where are the FREE targeted Parramatta excellence camps that build future Parramatta champions (not open days for 500 silly kids)...not rep teams and all the hangers ons in crossed out old Pirtek jackets.

What will change at that place? Is there anyone there who is capable of transforming it?

AFL is coming to get league sadly...it will happen.

They need to work their players through leadership courses and truly understand what leadership really is.

In the mean time, set yourself for some more mad Monday misbehaviour...a DUI or two...an assault...an incident with a dog... filfth to a female journalist...groping someone in the local niteclub...

Gotta go and get some RIDICULOUS suit or dress up onesy for Mad Monday...for God's sake, give us a break. Des Hasler goes to work instead.

Parramatta can be a consistently great club...we all want to be part of something great...but does it have the greatness within it to make it so?

The Wrap - A Dank Rank Prank

1. Hard to believe that Manly got out of jail v Penrith today. There is spirit in that lot which will be hard to replace once retirement and other salary cap nonsense takes hold at Brookvale. Conversely everyone wants to tell you how brave Parramatta has been this year. Let's be clear here...they needed to be. The appalling waste of money at that club through reckless salaries is a disgrace...especially when the value is indexed against poor performance. It really is hard to believe that if there is a full week's preparation for a side, they thay cannot do well every week...injuries...refs...yadayada...We need players to become more professional. Simple.

2. Referee review? First rule to change is time off as soon as a try is awarded. When the try is awarded, the clock stops - every time. Secondly, if a player approaches a ref...captain or no captain...thirty metre penalty with a penalty at the end...like the AFL. If there is petulance, argument or dissent...this will make it evaporate. Nothing like free metres to make a dent in a whinger like Ennis, Hayne, Lyon, Smith....

3. Nick Kyrgios. Pretty awesome, but so raw and wasteful too. He could be good, but needs to keep a check on his ego. Good signs and bad there too. Hard to escape the spoilt rich kid syndrome around tennis players...even if Australian.

4. Will Power (good name) wins Indy Car championship. Great effort. Hard to believe that Daniel Riccardo is doing so well. After years of Webber excuses, there seems to be silence...the only noise really is champagne corks from him.

5. AFL. A loss by Sydney won't hurt them (stuff the punters though who had no idea that Franklin was not playing), but Freo will be hard to toss. Default minor premiers really. Richmond showed some great spirit and played better than they have in years. There is hope for a club that was close to being shipped to Tasmania.

It's funny how Sydney give up a major advantage at the SCG to play semis at Stadium Australia.

6. Cricket. We really struggle on flat slow tracks...even v Zimbabwe. We just do not have the bats with correct technique for that sort of play. It's about time James Faulkner did something. He is overdue big time and is VERY lucky to be even walking onto the field at present. Clarke's 68 not out off 102 deliveries needs to be questioned. He changes the tempo of the ODI side when he is in there. It regresses. He should not be playing ODI's or 20/20 games. Test captain only.

7. Let me end by saying that Stephen Dank is innocent and should be canonised; The Gazelle is misunderstood and should be in Hollywood films and Danny Wiedler should be chased by both of them with big needles and jars of crappy looking pills and made to ingest the lot. Paul Gallen can then deny he saw anything and tell everyone how he was ripped off. Good night.

Wrap - Ad Lib Softness

1. Wallabies. Can anyone explain what our team are in tracksuits until kick off - and the All Blacks are ready to play? Any team whose haka is better than our set plays will always win! The haka was better than our lineout and our scrum was appalling. The ref was the exact opposite to most Bledisloe Cups..he actually let the game flow. How disappointing are the Wallabies? They show signs of hope...then fade...then fail...

2. AFL. Geelong and the Hawks turned it on during their clash on Saturday night. An open race at this point, but Port, Freo and the Swans will be there at the end. Some critical battles to come yet. Finally Richmond are looking the goods.

3. Souths and Manly rolled over in embarrassing fashion. Still like the Roosters. They crushed the Warriors. Don't write off the Storm either. Parramatta played well and have started to throw the ball around and utilise second phase play like they did in 2009. Teams who play ad lib football will perplex the robot coaches and telegraphed plays. Defences cannot predict that style of play.

How good have St George gone since getting rid of Steve Price? Amazing!

4. Outside of Shane Watson, Michael Clarke always seems to be injured around this time of year. There is never sympathy when cricketers get injured...how would they cope in the NRL or AFL? Softness is the immediate reaction.

5. Pan Pac Games. A decidedly better quality of contest than the Commonwealth Games. Michael Phelps is phenomenal. Been back five seconds and wins gold. His records will never be beaten - especially at the Olympics.

6. The Sharks. How does a struggling club think that a herbal crapologist could lift them out of the mire into glory? Flanagan must have been asleep at the wheel. The whole ASADA mess is boring, but now we have admitted drug cheats, it gains a sinister edge. The Sharks players have all this sympathy, but who stood up to them at the time? No one. Suffer collectively and feel the pain.

Wrap - Rooted To The Bottom of The Table

1. It didn't take long...the world's most injured bloke - Shane Watson - has done it again and is out of a useless tournament in the back of Zimbabwe. Hard to believe I know. Phil 'The Plodder' Hughes comes back in and again produces an uncanny knack of being a duck or a double hundred specialist. 243 not out is good going - even if it is v South Africa A. When are Bangladesh A touring?

2. Joe Root is becoming quite the batsman v India. India though are keen to disintegrate. They have developed a great ability to lose and give up when touring abroad. Equally, the Pakistanis know how to throw away a test match. Herath for Sri Lanka is killing them. A nine for is rare gold.

3. Wallabies. Rugby lets itself down time and time again. The typical debacle of a stupid imported ref - who thinks he's bigger than the game - after butchering the game, inexplicably told the players he would not blow a penalty in the final minutes. If there is no direct impact on the momentum of the game, it should be play on...not advantage...play on!

Empty seats is hard to fathom. More at the Waratahs Super 15 final than on Saturday night. Must say that McKenzie is starting to get some outstanding results strung together. He may have beaten Eddie Jones' record already!

4. Put a line through Parramatta, Tigers, Titans and Broncos and put an asterix next to Warriors who had a dreadful loss for a top four candidate. It would be remiss of me not to point out that the Raiders and Sharks will now battle for the spoon. ASADA have been slower than John Cougar Mellancamp to put things down on record. This may save the Raiders.

Cherry Evans is fast becoming the game's most valuable player.

5. Swans. Book your Grand Final tickets immediately. They put away St Kilda in a canter but have so much depth. Their rejuvenation as a squad - big names aside - is the most impressive part of Longmire's reign. Continuous improvement. Collingwood have imploded losing to the Brissy Bears. Fair dinkum. Paul Roos is staring at a spoon too and may have to borrow the Geoff Toovey hymn book..."there has to be an investigation into this...somebody has to be accountable for this".

Liked the steel in Freo v Hawthorn. Maybe a GF win is not far away.

6. ManU are in everyone's sights now - even the unimaginable teams like Swansea. Some magic performances there again in the EPL. What a competition!