Wrap - Testing Times

1. Test Cricket Wickets. The wicket takers are in the news at present. How good is this Rabada from South Africa? Quickest ever to 150 Test wickets. The legend of Sri Lanka, Rangana Herath, is 40 years of age and has hit 418 Test wickets. He is an unlikely star with a record better than most Test bowlers. South Africa all out for 126 and 73! Awful.

MS Dohni is looking like the grey ghost these days. He can still keep up to the stumps like no other man however. He is the finisher!

Great to see Fakhar win the Man of the Series for Pakistan v Australia. He is from a long line of Fakhars.

2. Canberra. How cold is it playing in Canberra in anything at this time of year? It is officially the coldest place on earth. North Queensland are not well placed travelling there for NRL. You don’t need ice when there is an injury, just stand over there.

3. NRL. Cameron Smith’s playing record of games in the NRL will never be beaten. Regardless of whose wife does not like him, he is superb. Fit and resilient. Has barely shown an injury in fifteen years! How strong do Souths look? Nine in a row is impressive.

How Slater got that Man of the Series award for Origin was staggering. Why does Laurie Daley make so many poor calls - or get surrounded by poor calls? Think of his Origin selection policies last year... this one now... He complicates the uncomplicated. A woeful hometown decision. Who puts two Queenslanders on the panel? Bias is an awful flaw.

4. Wimbledon. Nadal and Djokovic staged a belting semi final at Wimbledon. The comeback from Djokovic has been incredible. His record in Grand Slams is incredible too. The fitness of he and Serena (who had a baby ten months ago) is amazing. These are some of the greatest athletes ever.

Kevin Anderson has no chance. Djokovic has 12 Grand Slams and won three in 2011 and three in 2015. He will have 13 by tomorrow for mine. He has a rich and successful pedigree. His victory v Nadal was simply outstanding. Nadal has faced some exceptional players when losing in Grand Slams. John Isner is a sleeper with a huge serve for future tournaments. He could surprise at the US Open.

What about Channel 7 and showing Alice in Wonderland rather than Nadal v Djokovic...? Hopeless inflexible programming from a network who should never be trusted. Their involvement in cricket is a worry. Their Olympics efforts have been woeful too.

5. Soccer World Cup. Croatia v France. Not the glamour countries, but who cares? The tournament has been very strong. Belgium take third spot, but England were not disgraced. They should have got the better of Croatia but couldn't do the job. Qatar getting the next one. Corruption is always hard to justify... especially if you are FIFA.

6. Waratahs. A 21-3 deficit after twenty minutes. How bad are they some weeks? A terrible start. Binning blokes for giving ‘cynical’ penalties away is yet another curious referee stance/ decision in that code.

7. AFL upsets. Brisbane have picked up in recent weeks...a victory v Hawthorn when all seemed lost is impressive. Great win by GWS v Richmond. GWS tried very hard to lose under pressure once again. They get nervous! Richmond are a mile in front on a good day.

The Swans bounced back with a great win v North Melbourne. Buddy's 900th goal was pretty special. He may just beat quite a few yet and get over 1000. Worth every cent.

Wrap - World Cup of Biff

1. Wimbledon - Nick Kgyrios. Will this guy ever win anything? He is at the back end of a golden era of greats (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Warinka, Murray) and still can’t make a ding! Poor temperament. Bad attitude and making too much money as a second rung player. Nadal is on track for a Wimbledon show down with Federer. Backing him in. Isner with the big serve is the dark horse.

2. England World Cup Soccer. Well they have certainly defied the critics (like me) to make the semis. A great effort. Sweden were a schemozzle. Croatia look strong, however France or Belgium will win it for mine.

3. Canterbury Bulldogs. They have been appalling in 2018 (but better than the Eels). Dean Pay has an ageing roster and a diminishing one, but blokes like Josh Jackson, Hopoate, Foran...terrible. James Graham is missed. Pay has made no real difference unfortunately and the lazers and tasers will be out for him soon.

4. Waratahs. They thumped the Sunbeds, to make the semis, but they leak too many points still. Beauden Barrett’s intercept and flick pass was pretty impressive. If any NRL club had brains they would throw big, big money at him!

5. AFL. Swans two losses in a row and the Brissy Lions two wins back to back! Carlton terrible, but Collingwood and Geelong are the two Victorian teams capable of winning on the MCG against the rampant Richmond Tigers. The Tigers will take it again for mine. Too quick.

6. Biff in the basketball. The Philippines were throwing more haymakers than Smartrse Puyakaroon all those years ago.


7. Origin III. Hard to believe that NSW won’t win three in a row, but playing up at Suncorp often brings out our worst. The Storm did well this Origin series. Amazing the difference Cameron Smith makes even without Cronk and even when blueing with half the world too. James Roberts is lucky to hold his spot after last game and his sin binning with ten to go. He needs to produce or perish in this game. Has done close to nothing.

8. Parramatta have signed Shaun Lane from Manly. Can’t imagine why...he has no criminal record or tattoo obsession. Blake Ferguson has arrived just in time to add to the toxic culture that Kenny Edwards et al left behind. Junior Paulo will help there too. I’m told they are in the market for Blake Austin. Please... Todd Carney? Willie Mason?

9. Cricket. Great to see the Aussies finally beat someone...just...Zimbabwe in their 20/20 series. Pakistan will be hard to toss in the final. Watch for Fakhar Zaman. Interesting name, better bat.

Wrap - Dog gawn doghouse

1. Robbie Farah. Leichhardt Oval return. Hard to believe he is back there at that club. Cleary's recruitment is bizarre...look at the Warriors five eight nowhere...Marshall, Farah? I hope Robbie didn't have to scale the scoreboard again. All that cash in his pockets can be bad for his balance.


2. QLD State of Origin team. Cherry-Evans in for Ben Hunt. Doesn't pay to leave the Broncos huh? Kevin Walters is on the skids for mine. The Smith withdrawal late in the piece didn't help, but they would not have done that to Mal.


3. Aaron Woods. Balmain - Bulldogs - Sharks. I suspect the Kieran Foran signing is at the heart of the problem. He has a 'club malcontent' sticker on him after doing a number on the Eels, Warriors and now Bulldogs. Sack him and move on. Mbye is no great loss either. An average performer really.


4. Tim Paine. Can we end this feel good captaincy reign soon please? Lovely bloke, but more suited to carrying a guitar to nursing homes than winning Tests for Australia. He could well be the luckiest Test cricket captain in Australian history. The latest 5-0 ODI fiasco is a disgrace. Some big losses in that number too.


5. Wimbledon. Hard not to like Federer again...and again on this surface. A win by Rafa would get the world excited about 'best ever' tags.


6. World Cup Soccer. Portugal and Argentina gone, but Spain are surely the favourites now. I will be interested in England and whether they can lift and win through. A fabulous tournament with some sensational goals. This sport has a stunning depth of talent world wide.


7. Australia's World Cup. Predictably pedestrian. No strike power up front. Nothing dangerous sadly. We were lucky - like Brad Fittler becoming State of Origin coach in this year - that we were not embarrassed. Great game v France.


8. Brumbies over the Hurricanes? That is something of a miracle...

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.