The Wrap - The Great White Goldfish

1. The pictures of Greg Norman nude. All in a week when this two time major winner was crushed in terms of relevance with the sad passing of Peter Thomson (5 time major winner). Who thought that was a good idea other than Greg himself? A deluded narcissist who needs to temper his ego and get a grip on reality. An ageing fool.

 

2. The Robbie Farah re-signing back at the Tiger may have snuck under the radar for some...For most however they see him as a past legend who is on borrowed time. He is so much slower compared to Damien Cook.

 

3. Rugby. Australia v Ireland thrashed it out nicely, but we were just not good enough in the end. Nothing like a northern hemisphere ref to ruin a decent game.

 

4. Aussie cricketers. Terrible. The standard of bowling is park standard. The Big Bash League is a long way away. How bad is D’Arcy Short’s form? 47 not out tonight is a shock. The team chosen the other night was awful. Carey...Stoinis and Agar....batting 4-5-6. Not good enough when all your hopes rest on S. Marsh!

 

Can someone please identify what Tim Paine offers? He is a hell of a guy, but his batting is abominable. His gloves are solid, but skipper...really?

 

5. Origin II. Edge defence found out a little tonight by a willing QLD team. Klemmer strong.

 

Latrell Mitchell is going to be a huge human. Damien Cook is fast and a fixture there for a long time to come. Maloney...pressure player and a fantastic competitor. A five NRL club man...North Sydney Bears (juniors), Parramatta (Wenty) plus NRL with Storm, Warriors, Roosters, Sharks and now the Panthers. Goalkicking the difference!

 

Jimmy The Jet. Banished never to play again. I’ll disciplined goose.

The Fox was strong, but also terrible in defence too. He needs to sharpen up his defensive reads.

 

6. Brad Fittler. Great time to be launching your coaching career with no Smith, Thurston or Cronk in the opposition, but good luck to him. He backed in new guys, the unproven and took a successful punt.

 

7. Tonga v Samoa. There were ballboys in those anthems who could have run on!

8. Socceroos. Suddenly some big contracts may fall the way of some of the Aussies - especially if they can beat Peru! Peru are eliminated, so hopefully they turn it up and let us dominate!

 

The Wrap - Slate of Origin

1. Wallabies. Outgunned by the Irish 26-21. Too strong and these northern hemisphere teams love a penalty. There were 26 in the game! There is a reason they are recognised champions in Europe. The decider/ showdown commences. Meanwhile the All Blacks juggernaut just steams on v France. Outside of the combined Lions Team, have they lost a home test at night in the last five years? Hard to recall.

2. World Cup Soccer. Great to watch I must confess. Intensity in all games - especially the last twenty minutes. Deliberate free kicks need harsher punishment - a sin bin in soccer? Matt Ryan and Aaron Mooy were stand outs for mine. Hard to beat the arrogance of a soccer ref. Just hope the video doesn’t let them down at the key moment. The goalline technology is a good invention. How good is Ronaldo, C.? A hatrick to save his team was stunning, regardless of what you think of him. Minnows get bad ref decisions...that is how FIFA work. Accept it.

3. Australian Cricket. Fill it with West Australians or ex WA players.... Agar, Tye, S Marsh, Short, Stoinis, Richardson (with Bancroft, Cartwright and M. Marsh to come)...and watch us struggle. The obsession with all rounders is destroying the team, esp. when they go for 80+ runs anyhow! Jack of all, master of none.

4. AFL. Swans have morphed and suddenly have more pace. Cracking win v West Coast. They will need every ounce of speed when they get to the MCG again.  They genuinely struggle to compete with the incredible width it offers. Carlton simply awful. Richmond are firm flag favourites today after their number on Geelong. Hawthorn’s footsteps are never far away.

5. State of Origin. The clean slate that Fittler has brought in is refreshing. Great timing with the retirement of so many QLD legends. Regan Campbell-Gillard reminds me of a young Mark Geyer. Mad and powerful. You get the feeling this broken jaw won’t stop him playing Origin for long. Tariq Sims would be a similar replacement! St George have been decimated and will be tested over the next month. However, St George have a winner in James Graham...he leads and has more steel than most - and the Berries are about to punt Aaron Woods!!! Terrible recruitment. Recruit Raelene Castle and Ray Dib instead.

Talking of poor recruitment...had the Cowboys ended Thurston on top of his game, they would still have Ponga, who they treated poorly when he signed with the Henny Penny Knights. The Cowboys have been appalling this year. It's about to get worse with Michael Morgan out for the season too!

6. Parramatta. Poor, poor defence. Poor, poor attitudes. Wayne Bennett to Parramatta? Revealed here two weeks ago.

7. NRL. Lots of close games tells us the salary cap may just be working. Souths are mighty impressive. The Tigers and Raiders are entertaining sides, but lose too often. Manly horrible. Very few can win it. Broncos, Panthers, Storm, Dragons and Souths...that's it. Maybe the Roosters and Sharks too with more consistency. half way through and the sheep and the goats are well and truly separated.

8. US Open Golf at Shinnecock. Tough conditions. Scott got massacred...and was not alone. The arrogance of Mickelson is breathtaking. It was actually pretty smart as it would have cost him at least two shots had it rolled away....but nothing more in the USA for a favourite son like Phil. He should withdraw from the tournament. Disrespectful to the game. If they slow the course down as promised, Dustin Johnson should clean up and win.

Wrap - The Small Show v Rafa 's Jaffa

1. Cricket. Well they eventually got rid of James Sutherland at long last. His terrible handling of the Smith sandpaper affair was reprehensible. Allowing that media conference to progress was ridiculous. Pat Howard is surely next before the new summer commences. Ever since he arrived for 'high performance', it has gone backwards.

Replacement? Raelene Castle of course. No salary cap to worry about...no worries!

2. NRL. Cracking State of Origin crowd at the MCG last Wednesday. A superb spectacle. Funny how Melbourne always produce the goods despite the doomsdayers predicting empty seats. What a sports kicking city. I liked the look of the Blues... Cook and de Belin were superb. Not so many tatts and fools this year. It can only help.

An odd time when Parramatta win. How bad have the Cowboys being going? Paul Green must be on the move. Thurston is going in slow motion this year. An incredible decline from that side. Liking the work of Souths. Six wins in a row. Funny when you get rid of problem players, the team functions.

3. AFL - Swans. Still this team surprises. They are morphing into an excellent outfit with much better midfield speed. I still like the toughness of Geelong. Those Gold Coast Suns are a complete disgrace. They have never been worse... and that is saying something.

4. Nadal. Yet another French Open final and surely his 11th title is about to be won. This will never, ever be beaten. It is a superb record from one of the absolute greatest ever. 17th Grand Slam title? Federer has 20...and we all remember when Sampras was considered the legend of them all with 14!

5. Glenn Maxwell.  The Small Show. What a perpetual disappointment he has become. In the Most Disappointing IPL XI for this season and again is letting everyone down for Australia in England. He is loose and a waste. He needs to be dropped on his head by the selectors. Yet he will surprise occasionally. He is like Halley's Comet... a big deal every 75 years... Stoinis and Head have been the early standouts.

5A. England v Australia ODI Series. Best line of the year: "Hey Lyon is that sandpaper in your pocket?"...response? "No...just The Ashes".

6. Jeff Horn v Terence Crawford. A cracking battle, but Horn was out of his depth in so many respects. Crawford is quick on his feet!

7. Rugby v Ireland. An interesting thing is this world rugby. Both hemispheres play each other out of season and marvel at how wonderful they each are for half the year! A good win by the Wallabies knocking down the world #2. However, as always, they should win! The World Cup unites the challenge.

Ironically, amidst a forest of crap rules, one of the best rules in world sport is owned by rugby...the last play of the game when the game rolls on after the hooter. That is exciting! A shame the previous 80 minutes detract from it.

8. World Cup Soccer. This is an amazing tournament which is riveting, even if you don't love the game. The Aussies? If we win a game it would be a miracle.... here's hoping. Tough to get animated about the players in the game... all on big contracts that in the end propel them when the love of winning for one's country can fall apart. Looking forward to seeing how England might fall in a heap this time around again! Their love for their country and passion for their flag is not authentic sometimes. They need to lift.

Wrap - The Matter with Parramatta NRL

1. Parramattta. A broken bad record perhaps...but it has to be said and confronted...

Well the hits keep coming for Parramatta and Brad Arthur. Despite a grand year last year (over achievement), there is little to salvage from the 2018 trainwreck. All of the woefully ill disciplined 'dickhead' signings that Brad Arthur has overseen are starting to sizzle and burn.

Kenny Edwards running off down a street in Merrylands. Corey Norman on the drink and missing rehab (wasn't that Kieran Foran about this time a couple of years back?) and now seeking a release. Even today Kane Evans, another ill disciplined addition to the fold is accused of a racial slur when playing for the Wenty Magpies this weekend just gone. Ill disciplined blokes make bad decisions on the field and off it...and this club does not learn...Tim Smith, Chris Sandow...on it goes. Sign a clown and be disappointed in the colour of his pants? Fair dinkum.

The net is circling around Brad Arthur. For it was he who bought Jarryd Hayne and has overseen the return of the talented M4 biffer and road rager, and part time consorter, Junior Paulo as well. You've got the domestic violence accusations, rape accused players, consorters, cocaine addicts, ex crims, the NSW Police shadowboxer, reformed crims, gambling addicts, drink drivers, racial slurs, those who doctor urine samples for ASADA, on it goes...

Wayne Bennet is in the frame, make no mistake. They need discipline and Brad Arthur has shown himself incapable of insisting upon it and embedding it. A shame, because he is no doubt a decent man. He sadly has surrounded himself with those who have not learned how to be decent to all yet in their lives.

Losing to Newcastle 30-4? They have given up. A young new halfback is needed. Gutherson ran for 0 metres in the game!!!

2. NRL. Despite the good games, how boring is the NRL at origin time? The NSW Origin team was nearly as predicted last week. Not enough hard heads in the forwards for mine. Trent Merrin was needed. Don't like James Roberts and Mitchell in defence. Two other blokes with poor discipline. They do not win you games sorry, despite their pace.

3. AFL. Melbourne have surprised this year, while GWS have bounced back with a good win. The Swans just keep continuing to do enough with a minimum of fuss. West Coast sensational. Collingwood and North Melbourne are the surprise packets. The Gold Coast are abysmal.

4. Super 15. No defensive coaches needed in a 52-41 game between the Tahs and the Reds. Good to see the Rebels win v a NZ team (Blues) as well.

Did anyone see the rugby test Wales v South Africa in Washington DC? Stunning concept and a healthy crowd of 21K (by our lowly standards).

5. Shane Watson. What a superb innings to win the IPL for the Chennai SuperKings. Watson smashed 117 off 57 balls as Chennai cruised to 2-181 in 18.3 overs. He has always been so frustrating, but what a time and place to produce the goods. He will have rivers of gold for a long time to come! What a stage to excel upon!

6. Rafael Nadal is well on track for French Open #11. Can anyone fathom how fit and how brilliant you have to be to win 10 French Opens? He has 16 Grand Slam wins (23 finals and 7 losses). His record on clay at Roland Garros: 79 wins/ 2 losses. A great.

7. World Cup Soccer. Love this tournament despite the corruption and atrocious referees. Australia will go out in straight sets more than likely but who really cares? A great spectacle.

Wrap - State of Origin Broom

1. NRL. How good were the Panthers v St George? Their defensive line speed and fitness is better than nearly everyone else at this time of the year. The hyphenated powerhouses - and Kikau off the bench - they will be hard to toss in 2018. Clearly and Maloney are a great combination (not a lot of tears for Matty Moylan at present), but Origin will wear them down big time. Saints can ill afford to drop games too because half their pack will be in the NSW colours. Impressed with Souths this year too. They have the Burgess boys firing again and they are dangerous.

2. Origin. A little worried about Fittler's big broom approach in Origin. About time, but you can do it to some extent, but need to watch experience levels. It opens the door for a QLD team without Cronk, Thurston and Smith. (Surely Slater bails out soon too).

However, getting rid of the goose element (Ferguson, Dugan, Klemmer, Bird, Fifita, Pearce) will be good for the team. They need to be more professional with fewer drama queens. Don't like this Latrell Mitchell yet. Still too raw and undisciplined. Like the Fox and Jimmy the Jet. Sheer pace and tough! Tom Trbojevic is a champion! Cook is exciting from dummy half and will do really well. But where is Gal and Robbie Farah? My smokey is Angus Crichton. What a player and can play both in the backs and forwards. Fearless.

3. My NSW State of Origin team:

1. James Tedesco
2. James Roberts or Nick Cotric
3. Tom Trbojevic
4. Euan Aitken
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. James Maloney
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Trent Merrin
9. Damien Cook
10. Paul Vaughan
11. Boyd Cordner
12. Tyson Frizell
13. Jake Trbojevic
14. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
15. Angus Crichton
16. Jack de Belin

17. Dave Klemmer or Tariq Sims

3. Football. That Gareth Bale scizzor kick for Real Madrid in the Champions League Final to win 3-1 was outrageous. Play of the year. In the moment!

4. Test Cricket. Mohammad Amir (He's here Ritchie!) has bounced back at Lord's in the first Test v England. Four second innings wickets has them poised for victory, needing 63 to win. Will be interesting to see if they can grind across the series. Micky Arthur has done well with this lot!

5. IPL. Glenn Maxwell was a complete disappointment this IPL...as were most Aussies. Tye and Chris Lynn are about the only ones who can hold their heads up. Darcy Short was terrible. Laughlin OK, Stanlake erratic, most were relegated to the bench and never saw the field. Embarrassing really.

The final after 60 games (!)..the Chennai SuperKings v Sunrisers Hyderabad. I would love to see the Indians join our Big Bash League - Darwan, Kholi, Rohit, Pandey, Dhoni...they would electrify it and take it to another level.

The biggest fish in the sea at present will be AB DeVilliers. Interesting to see who might snap him up in the BBL. Tipping the Sydney Chunder. Andre Russell has absolutely killed them in the IPL. He would be a sensation again too.

6. AFL. Suddenly Melbourne look OK. Geelong bounced back and Sydney continue to win ugly. West Coast will be favourites this year for mine. The Western Bulldogs have fallen in an awful heap. GWS have a lot of injuries - and a lot of excuses. No sympathy there. Adelaide appalling. North stronger than many thought.

7. Moatless Castle. What about Aaron Woods being shopped around already? I suspect Foran will not be too far behind. A mess and Raelene Castle has done well to deflect it!

8. NBA. Cleveland Cavs v Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets...down to the wire. Something great exists in the best of seven series for the NBA finals. A wicked money spinner!

9. F1 - Daniel Riccardo. Hopefully he can crack it and not melt with his engine in tatters again.

Wrap - Married to the Swans' Trombones and Tubas

1. AFL - The Swans. Getting better speed on the break as the year unfolds. They have smalls doing some fabulous on-ball work. By rotating these guys, the slower experienced blokes are being faded out. McVeigh is still the most composed player in the AFL. Unbelievable vision and control.

What is happening at GWS? They have all the best players and are languishing in 11th! Injuries sure, but there is something wrong there... Geelong have also been incredibly disappointing too sitting in 8th position. Awesome roster and terribly inconsistent performances.

West Coast look the goods, beating Richmond comfortably. The form of the Hawks losing to the Brisbane Bears is terrible.

2. NRL. The Rabbits have bounced back in 2018. They keep winning when no one expected them to do it. George Burgess is in fantastic form. Saints keep charging on and Cronulla win ugly more often than not.

Cameron Smith. How good is this bloke? Cooling the heels at present, but retired from State of Origin with a cracking record. However, it was a bit of a surprise.

I need to ask the question about Kevin Walters. Is he as good as they say? I suspect this may have swayed Cameron Smith. He has fallen out with Bennet, overlooked Slater last year, fell out with Bennet again...left the Broncos. I suspect there may be a few who are over him.

3. Biff. The effort of Manly in Melbourne was impressive. The Storm have more errors in them in 2018 than ever before. The biff from Curtis Scott was ridiculous behaviour. Sucked in a beauty by Dylan Walker who is famous for his niggle. Two sin binned for Manly was a silly get square. The Storm go on like they have lost the comp when they lose a game. Maybe that is what makes them do good.

I must say, a bit of biff is good for the game in a weird sort of a way too!

4. NRL Joke. The stupidity of the NRL is amazing. How can the sin bin not be timed officially? Hello, maybe the bunker has a job there...? Absurd. Amateur hour.

5. Waratahs. The Tahs seemed incapable of concentrating for extended periods. They led and surrendered it badly last week v Crusaders. However, 15-0 up at half time v Highlanders ended in a great win. First Aussie Team to beat an NZ team in two seasons!

6. Cricket. The new Foxtel Cricket Commentary Team of Adam Gilchrist, Mark Waugh, Allan Border, Brendon Julian, Mike Hussey, Mel Jones, Isa Guha and Michael Vaughan could be a refreshing change. Timely to see Slats, Chappelli, Healy, Taylor, Clarke in the commentary dustbin. Sad, but true. Once Richie and Tony went, the writing was on the wall. 

I still think Kerry O'Keefe and Damien Fleming are two commentators you need on your team to make it more human.

7. A Goose On the Loose. Is anyone upset that Kenny Edwards has been sacked? Finally one less clown at Parramatta. Ten to go. The NSW Police transcript of the latest incident:

“Gees, check that licence plate...that car might have a banned driver... yep, suspended licence” 

“Yep (sirens)”

(Cut to...person running away from said car).

“What about that? That’s Kenny Edwards. I can tell from the man bun and the wooden spoon in his back pocket. Who would have thought?”... 

8. FA Cup Final was always an iconic game for us growing up. Often it was the only soccer we ever saw on TV. Chelsea v Man United. A battle for the ages. Typical shocking decision which sways big games. I wonder what would happen if the rule was you have to win by two goals to take the bickies?

Wrap - Air Swings of Life

1. Australian Cricket. Justin Langer appointed coach.  One of the great sledgers and competitors. Maybe he will bring a new attitude that won't involve and dodgy tricks or ploys. I recall a trick Justin played in a test with knocking off bails in Sri Lanka that raised a few eyebrows. Hard to see our intensity lessening under Langer, but standby for the selection of Hilton Cartwright and a few others from WA....Shaun Marsh, our perennial under performing batsman will be delighted too. Both have not done a lot in England county cricket this summer either.

2. NRL. The strength of the Storm and the Roosters is starting to rise. What a pathetic effort from the Warriors who at home lost 32-0. They started well this year but it may have been a mirage. The Roosters’ forwards were strong. Big hits! The strength of Souths under their new coach is starting to bite. A great win v St George.

Cameron Smith is a legend, but there is a grubby underside to his play sometimes, including his work on destroying Kevin Proctor’s groin this weekend. He needs to be rubbed out for a few weeks to galvanise his respect for the game. Disappointing and unnecessary.

Clint Gutherson was meant to save Parramatta. His air swing to cost his team a win sums up their season. They have nothing as a team. Ageing players and no hard nose leadership. Recruitment of players who make poor decisions on and off the field never helps. Spiralling. Now Kenny Edwards is involved in yet another incident of ill discipline fleeing police on a suspended licence. The ill discipline just rolls on. Who do you recruit then? Paulo who has a chequered past too.

3. AFL. The Adelaide showdown. Both Adelaide AFL teams look red hot this year. The West Coast will be hard to toss and both Swans and Hawthorn look to be declining at the same rate. GWS need a rocket with their mediocre efforts proving very troubling. At least Carlton broke their duck.

Such is the strength of the AFL, every game is so intense and the crowds so big that each takes on a finals feel, no matter what position they are on the table.

4. Super Rugby. The Reds pathetic. Fancy letting the Japanese team put 50 on you. Rebels and Brumbies played in front of three dogs. The Tahs blew a 29-0 lead and lose 32-29. How can you do that? Foley’s boot didn’t help. Our losing streak v NZ teams just keeps growing. We are sliding away ever so slowly. They booted the Penrith Emus...who's next? The Waratahs?

5. F1. Riccardo in Spain is again too far back on the grid. He does this too often in qualifying. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton surges on, pressing to be the best ever!

6. Tennis - Clay Season. Dominic Thiem from Austria looks sharp on clay, beating Nadal in a shock loss. No matter, Nadal will be hard to beat at Roland Garros.

7. New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. They are enjoying the greatest of seasons at present. Both have had record streaks and the intense rivalry is captivating! The best in the business right there.

8. EPL Relegation Race. The drop has almost been finalised - Stoke, a fast finishing West Brom and  Swansea (unless an unlikley ten goal disaster strikes). All others breathe a sigh of relief and start recruiting. The financial loss by being 'dropped' is immense. Very few recover within ten years!

9. Tiger Woods. Streaming up the leaderboard in the Players Championship at Sawgrass (love that name)...can he do it? It would have happened ten years back, but now (?). Playing with Speith will lift him on the homeward turn.