Wrap - My Word Is Stronger Than Oak

1. Crazy Horse Stuff. Fancy having the All Blacks play the Kangaroos in a hybrid game. It sounds like a promoter with a desire for cash because there is no sense to that sort of game. A newspaper column filler. A time waster that will risk injury. Unless a desperate for cash NRL get behind it, it will fail. Coaches will run a mile.

2. The Warriors. Honestly, they are a basket case. Sure, they are away from home for a time, but the way they go on, it seems like they are in the USA or Africa. They are safe, they are professionals and they need to get on with it - not make excuses for really poor play. Some of their team are receiving big dollars and are simply not delivering.

3. Liverpool FC. Finally a premiership a mile out from the end of the season. Great news for the long suffering. It is a slashing team with a coach who looks like the professor in Money Heist. Could be as successful.

4. Rugby. Great to see the USA with a senior comp on their hands and lots of Aussies heading there for the cash. Could be a gold mine really - and a less intense standard. The USA would be a niche market if it ever got serious. They would love the heavy contact.

5. Bankwest Stadium. Hard to see the surface to blame for Radley and Verrells' injuries. Unlucky, but slippery in Winter. Amazing we don't build stadiums that have heating beneath the grass like in the EPL to keep the surface steady and firm and the grass cover immaculate.

6. Player Agents. Is anyone upset for deregistered player agents? Surely Jerry Maguire ended any sympathy in this area. Tim Mannah has not been cast well through this, but that is how it rolls. Does a player need an agent? Or a trusted friend...a bit sad really.

7. Peter Vlandys. His aim to speed up play has softened off a bit as some of the worst NRL referees - led by Ashley Clown - get in the way. Unfit and self centred, they need to keep the speed up or retire.

8. AFL. Carlton are sneaking through and Eddie Betts is delivering. The Crows are done and the Giants had a good win after some shockers. Swans still lack pace - especially in the moist/ wet conditions.

9. Cricket. The new sporting basket case in Australia. Greed and mismanagement. Bring on World Series Cricket again!

10. Curtis Scott (Raiders). Dud buy of the year. No risk.

Wrap - Coach Has Lost The Carpark

1. NRL. The death of Steve Kearney's contract spells bad things for other coaches in the NRL. It is not inconceivable that Paul Green, Dean Pay, Paul McGregor and John Morris could all join him. On top of that Bennet is out and Seibold could be soon too. Maguire at the Tigers is no lock either. A merry go round! Once gone, there is no NRL future for you as the Head Coach. You are becoming an assistant coach at best... or you are in England.

2. Home Grounds. It will be good for teams to get back to their own home grounds. Playing at distant grounds in quick succession is not real smart. Some of the grounds are limited in their versatility and surfaces. Not sure what qualifies you for a certain ground to be used in COVID-19 times and what does not.

3. Roosters. Their ability to defend their goal line has been a strong trait for many years now. They did it again to Parramatta on Saturday night. Fierce and premiership winning. Some of Parramatta's players (Mahoney and Blake in particular) need to learn more about defensive reads and Blake Ferguson has poor hands under pressure. Sivo has amazing strengthy. His contact with Tedesco would be the photo of the decade. Awesome power. Tricolours for the trifecta I think. Then mass retirements beckon... Hardgreaves, Morris brothers, Cordner, Friend...

4. AFL. Swans a great win, but Eddie Betts at Carlton has ignited them to an upset. GWS have hit the floor hard, all with a zillion first draft picks. You get the feeling there is a perfect exit clause back to Victoria or South Australia for any whinger that wants it. Nice to see the Gold Coast not consider their first win for a while as a fluke!

5. EPL. Liverpool get their chance to make their fans believe once more... surely it is a non-event, but good they can come back to claim the title.

6. Bulldogs. Are they the powerhouse they once were? Will they be forced to merge? Their recruitment needs to straighten up real quickly. No love lost in the halves there.

7. Raiders. They could be suffering from too much Ricky. It looks like they are following the way of many other clubs who tired of the message...Brian Smith style.

8. Messy at Cricket Australia. Never take a smaller paycut than everyone else... it looks bad. Kevin Roberts was unfortunately a short lived presence. The poor financial management of the game is staggering really in light of what they have had. Unfortunately they needed a victim and nailed him. It appears they have lost their way around strategy.

9. Mike Tyson. A bit quiet on the comeback stories of late, but ready to rumble by the look of him.

10. Spanish Dream. Great to see Tony Macrae's horse get a stunning third place at Randwick on Saturday in Race 6 - the 1200 benchmark 78 run behind Stella Sea Sun. Bravo!

Wrap - The Best Yet Is The Youngest 'C Sample' Brother

1. St George Saga. It didn't take long before the ridiculous St George recruitment started to unravel - Issac Luke's departure. Can anyone believe the Broncos took him? Paul McGregor is getting desperate and is on the ropes. Dufty has good pace. Their wingers have errors in them. Euan Aiken is the clearly the best defensive centre in the game. His attack is nowhere near it though. 'Mary' has lost the dressing room and car park, but still retains the full support of the Board, which is heartening.

2. NRL Referees. Much better footy standards with one ref. Henry Perenara has some mighty tats. Since Greg Hartley, who has played First Grade and being a centrefield ref (excluding bunker additions)? Jarred Maxwell is the great deep voice from the bunker ('I have a decision...')!

3. Matt Moylan. Matt has simply broken down. Top fellow, but he rarely plays two games in a row. Dud signing unfortunately and Bronson Xerri out too make Cronulla vulnerable. Nick Politis doesn't like blokes with too many tats and dye in the hair, pictures of them in the paper on a jetski...aaaagh nonsense.

'Charles' Bronson Xerri. Is the Xerri B sample ready yet?  Could be in by Christmas.

4. Josh Reynolds. How mischievous was the work of Buzz Rothfield last Sunday re his so called 'arrest'? Defamatory and misleading. All a false negative. Amateur hour. Don't wait for the apology.

5. NRL Manly. They are doing pretty well too. Big forwards and sharp halves. The Trobjevic brothers are sensational. There is a hint of the Chappells about this family...the youngest of the third is supposedly the best... we'll see. Trevor never got near the others. Nor did Dean or Danny Waugh!

6. Swans. A familiar song losing a close one. Getting thumped early and an eventual comeback, but falling short. Rebuilding at present, lacking punch and pace (still).

7. Premiers. Roosters could make it another premiership yet. Not sure if they have the pace however. Storm are different with the rule changes. Halfback issues. Newcastle have a great roster and came back to earth with a thud. Their forwards are playing well. Klemmer is offloading at will.

He is up there with the greatest of Newcastle forwards ever: Tony Butterfield, Matt Parsons. Paul Harragon, Josh Perry, Mark Sargent, Glenn Grief, Adam Woolnough, Kade Snowden and John Schuster (an NZ centre, but loved him nonetheless).

8. Parramatta. Really enjoying Junior Paulo's hands and skills. He has Nathan Brown running powerfully to balance against. Prone to an injury with his playing style. Five wins in a row by Parramatta and you are almost in the semis!

9. Gold Coast Suns and Titans. Two victories in two weeks (v West Coast and Tigers) by the minnows. Incredible.

10. Vale the great hard man Noel Kelly. Former Controversy Corner member with the Rex days. (Col Pearce, Rex Mossop, Ferris Ashton, all goooone...). Clarko is the only one left... can anyone recall the seating pattern on the original show?

11. Field of Dreams. Good to see Eddie Jones prepared to give up 1 million pounds a year to park out the front of Endeavour/ Ronson/ Caltex/ Toyota/ Remondis/ Southern Cross Group/ PointsBet Stadium?...please.

12. Statuesque. I am a bit worried about the Ray Price statue at Parramatta's Wankfest Stadium. 24 hour security hopefully.

Wrap - A Tough Week for the McGregors

1. NRL. Isn't it great to see a touch judge fiasco back on the table. Manly v Parramatta too. I was starting to worry that touch judges were completely irrelevant. Hard to believe the FOX commentators who instantly believe themselves to be correct, but the NRL very quickly admit errors nowadays and nothing changes. The one ref system is working well, but clearly fewer 'six again' calls are being made and they are not consistent. One game varies a lot to the next. If you are unfit as a ref, you call fewer of them.

2. Josh Reynolds. Obviously struggling the poor bloke and has been dudded a recall at Canterbury too. Not a lot of good happens after 1.00am however, so hard to believe. Police have been known to get a bit of celebrityitis on occasion. Fancy the media publishing that when they knew his test was not positive. Rothfield should hang his head and apologise.

The way the Tigers gave in to the Gold Coast may have the fans thinking they should all turn to drugs to ease their pain. Maguire is on borrowed time too. Too cranky and not a clear strategist at tough times.

3. St George-Illawarra. A few questions to ask them:

(i) Who recruited Ben Hunt?
(ii) Why play Hunt at hooker, displace your captain Cameron McIness and then bring in Isaac Luke into the team too?
(iii) Who recruited Isaac Luke? Great in his day, but fading sadly.
(iv) Who recruited Corey Norman from Parramatta when they already had Gareth Widdup?
(iv) Do they need James Graham - or Tyson Frizell (gone to the Knights) more?
(v) In a team with no pace, can Ben Dufty be left on the sidelines?
(vi) For a club who have always had great centres, is Lomax ahead of his time? Jack Bird was a junior that they never held onto too.
(vii) Will the Sims lads who left Newcastle be returning there?

It sounds like there needs to be a clean out in a few places...but this is very expensive - not just at the coaching level. The shadow of Flanagan lurks closer.

3. Connor McGregor. A tough week for the McGregors. How many retirements can someone have? Greg Inglis has made a comeback... the big boxer and sandwich maker George Foreman had a few...John Farnham has had most.

4. Erin Molan. Is Erin's bubble bursting? She has been a target to many for a while given her high profile, but disrespecting Pacific Islanders is not a good survival tactic when they dominate the NRL. The spellings and proliferation of vowels is unusual to us and difficult to pronounce.  John Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele is a tough one, but this has been around since the 12th Man made cassettes. Different era now. Hopefully a quick apology results. Can't imagine Rabs would be happy being dragged into this nonsense.

5. Newcastle Knights. A top performance v the Panthers the week previous missing injured stars Pearce and Connor Watson. Then to turn it on to the Raiders was exceptional too. Ponga is one the Cowboys should never have let escape them. He is a superstar. The new coach at the Knights has started well. Bradman Best has been a revelation too. A shame Nathan Brown didn't get to see this eventuate.

6. Super Rugby. NZ are back with crowds and all. Virus defeated. Well played! Great PM too.

7. Premier League. Back on June 17 and much anticipated to see if Liverpool win... surely, even if their women's team has been shunned and now relegated.

Wrap - Blonde Headed Return From The Dead

1. NRL Return. Great to see some NRL. Not sure how they meet any COVID-19 rules...hugs, handshakes, close talkers, dressing room huddles, etc. maybe no one cares any more. It may attract some concern from government too.

Why are the support staff all on the one side of the field? One team on one side...one on the other?

Parramatta looking good, but premiers? Let's not get too enthusiastic. St George and the Titans will definitely not win. Canberra looked sharp. Parramatta can't beat the defence of Canberra. Liked the fake crowd members and the repetitive soundtrack of the crowd... hard to recreate the viking clap however!

Hard to cop Nelson Asafa Solomona and Curtis Scott back unscathed post COVID-19. Both needed a long spell away from the game - and Mitchell, Addo-Carr.

Harder to understand than the blonde hairdo paint that greeted the viewers this week.

2. NRL Rules Changes. Much better to see more ruck speed. The six to go call is excellent. It is funny how boring the game had gotten really. As mentioned for years by me, one ref is so much better. Fewer penalties. Don't burn your challenges too early - you'll need them later in a tough game.

Even Cameron Smith has a beard to try and disguise his tactics in the ruck.

The bigger players are going to be a complete liability with the speed of the game.

Great to see the comeback of the dodgy touch judge decision too.

A few more rules to consider to keep the speed of the game up:

• Throw the ball away from your opponent when required to surrender it following the end of a set, error or penalty?  (like in AFL) 30 metre penalty and automatic restart at pace
• Throttle a player under a high ball after they catch it? 5 metre rule after they catch it. Play on if the possession is seriously contested in the air. Too dangerous. 
• Try scored = time off. No time on for goal kicks, but keep the shot clock. If it goes off/ no kick.
• Approach the ref after a penalty/ try/ video request? Possible 8 point try.
• Deliberate slow pay the ball? - surrender the ball to the opposition.

Brutal, but it will keep the pace up and the audience interest high.

3.  Bronson Xerri Drug Fiasco. A complete dill. I wonder who told ASADA...not someone seeking that same position in the centres? The impact on the Sharks is incredibly bad. They have been dudded by one of their own. ASADA should have told him earlier, but it is a lame bleating excuse. He has taken drugs that are 'old fashioned' and easily detected. Dumb. 

4. Goggle Box Craig Bellamy. There's a reality TV show!

5. AFL Return. The AFL should be back playing already. They have missed an opportunity here.

6. Buddy Franklin. Still injured...the end may be nigh. Recurring hamstring injuries are an old man's disease (as we all know).

6. A-League. Still asleep... they are in a constant state of slumber at the A-League. Has anyone missed this season? It is unfortunate, but that competition has faded like a Mike Eden conversion.

7. The NRL GF - On The Move? Surely this threat and the thought of a second Brisbane team are two of the NRL's great mythological stories... and a mid year draft window. Time for action I would have thought.

Wrap - Nay Sayers Say Hey!

1. The NRL Return. It is upon us despite the 'nay sayers' (like me). Outrageous steps to make it happen, but you are never real confident with the NRL. The ref debacle was well done. I like how Peter V'landys is trying to make the game more entertaining. It has become stale with some coaches whose tactics and wrestling obsession will remain as a blight on the game. One ref stands to make the footy more controversial and more entertaining. The game lasted for over 100 years with one ref and can do the same. Refs need to get fit! The lazy ones will be found out.

Waiting for V'landys' plan around half time entertainment at the NRL Grand Final.

2. Salary Cap Fiasco. Stunned that V'landy's is not adjusting the salary cap and creating savings. I thought he would have taken the chance while it was there. Then we have John Bateman carrying on like a goose reinforcing all the poor judgement of player manager-NRL relations. Everyone loves a bloke whinging on $800,000 a year when worldwide unemployment is upon us. These blokes and their agents should go and play another sport. The silly clubs are like moths to a light in these moments and deserve pain through stupid management decisions. I do fancy fewer teams, playing each other home and away. Huge possibilities. Axe the Warriors and Gold Coast for starters and we are nearly there.

3. COVID-19 Data. Have we seen any COVID-19 data on the NRL players being tested? Are they all perfect? Sounds like it. Maybe the missing North Korean leader is running the program out of Driver Avenue at the moment.

4. Other Sports. Lots sitting on their hands. The NRL has led the way here by necessity. Still struggling to see how golf with no crowds and no carts could not continue...struggling to see how singles tennis with no crowds, linespeople and ball collectors could not continue... The ruling bodies must have plenty of cash. Simple.

5. Cricket. Why does cricket seem to be run by amateurs? Their negotiations and player payments and shortening the women's game/ the Sheffield Shield... they seem like ad hoc solutions. Is there a broader and deeper plan? Kevin Roberts needs to step up.

6. Mat Moylan. There is a rumour even he might play a game this week. He has the new perpetually injured title I suspect. Can't be much fun.

7. Warnie v Waugh. This is a topic where Shane Warne looks really bad. He keeps recycling old views and is becoming a little boring unfortunately. He needs to reignite his life on the strength of other things. Tiring of rolling out old Michael Jordan, Shane Warne and Lance Armstrong tales...yaaawn.

8. Greg Norman. Who would have thought? A bloke who doesn't consult, thinks he knows best and runs into perpetual conflict with others. Not Greg. He just wants his own arrogant way at The Medalist golf club. Hard to feel any empathy for the guy, no matter what he did for the game. Why do we rarely hear from the true legends of sports. eg. Pete Sampras? Too busy being professional.

9. Mike Tyson. Looking forward to having him back in the ring. His strength, speed and guile will take some beating!

10. Eddie Maguire. Shortening the AFL quarters by five minutes (20% reduction)....try shortening the outrageous long half time break first. Then look at the most obvious rule change of all. Turnover for a kick out of bounds on the full at the place it was kicked. Surely that is common sense and will stop negative tactics.

Wrap - Bengal Lancers Reborn

1. Referees. The propensity to be a whinger is made much more likely by social isolation and COVID-19. If you are a referee who has had this ridiculous two referee nonsense propping you up for years...it's worse. Off to the International Court of Sport Arbitration. Honestly. Fewer officials and don't for a minute think they are irreplaceable. Ashley Clown is on notice. Plough on and bring these blokes under control.

The touch judge has just made a comeback! When will they run onto the field to report blokes. Zorba and Hollywood used to love the 'Bengal Lancers'. There are third referees and touch judges and replacement bunker blokes... out of control. Good news for the game.

2. NRL Nerves. A nervous week ahead. The whole show could come tumbling down...videos and extortion...dobbers and curfew breakers. Who will be next? Hopefully radio silence.

3. Bryce Cartwright. Interesting comment made that he has not made a proper tackle for two years, so maybe this has been catching through the Titans team set up! A vaccination may help him. The bench can cure that one too.

4. Idiotville. Nick Kygrios on the drink. It is hard enough for Nicholas not to make silly comments and do dumb things when sober. On the drink? We're all in trouble! I think he needs a WTA ban to make him think clearly about his privilege and get serious. Sadly, he never will.

5. Rugby. Looks like they may have some stability...so long as they have success. There are still significant issues at provincial level. Cut South Africa free...not crowd favourites and no one watches their games after midnight anyhow. Do we just connect with New Zealand teams and axe the Argies, the Sunwolves and the Springbox? I suspect so...

6. Horse racing. Really liked the run of Oceanex over 2800m and it goes through to the Melbourne Cup. The strength of Super Titus over 2000m was impressive too.

Bowman was back at it with Perfect Pitch, but Macroura, Dawn Passage, Fituese, Irethea, Dirty Work and Ranier were the most impressive.

Oasis Girl over 2300m was another long race star, while Chapel City at 101:1 was nice! Trekking did well, but Lyre is a wonderful swooper if ridden properly. Gets too far back.

Look for Kissonallforcheeks in WA, Bruce Almighty and Speeding Comet. Laverrod is near invincible there over 1400m.

7. 3pm Sunday Grand Finals. Nostalgia yes, but have we all moved on? Daytime rugby league is a better product. I'm looking forward to the half time entertainment on a shoe string. Junior footy relays, kick for goal competitions?

8. V'landys Touch. Loving the anti-coach sentiment with rules, interchange and wrestling... speeding up the product and making it more entertaining is critical. The game has become too programmed under Bellamy and his cronies. V'landys may just be making the biggest difference the game has seen for years...all in the name of TV rights! No wonder The Everest was born on the Opera House!