The Wrap - A Big Week At The Travel Agency

1. Pat Cummins. So it is clear why Cummins has not been himself and has been yielding to the hair brained ideas of Ronnie McDonald, Tony Dodemaide and George Bailey. This combination will go down as some of our worst in time. Panicked and rushed calls and crazy tactics, including sweep mania. We could lose 4-0 in this series and miss the World Test Championship. To be honest, do we deserve inclusion? Some of the recent selection oddities:

• Pick Agar in Sydney and then don't play him in India.
• Pick Renshaw and play him in Sydney and in India. COVID fiasco.
• Go to North Sydney Oval for your prep - not to India. On the back of one of the wettest Sydney summers on record. Go figure.
• Don't pick World Test Batsman No. 4, Travis Head for the first test. Outrageous.
• Transport Kuhneman across as our 'saviour' (please). If he came on in B10 you would be happy.
• Tell us Kuhneman looked great in the nets. Who doesn't?
• Pick ill and injured blokes. Hazelwood should never have gone. Starc and Green stayed at home.
• Cummins not bowling aggressively or with short pitch stuff, yet we have blokes hit and injured (he has been shy at times, but gathers confidence with 8-9-10-11 at the crease).
• It has been busy at the travel agent - Hazelwood, Warner, Cummins, Agar, Green, Starc, Kuhneman, Morris, Swepson... all back and forth for various reasons at various times. Not great for team culture and common purpose. No such luxury with distance in the Ashes.
• Not one batsman added to a squad in all that time. Just a procession of mediocre spinners. Yet our batting has been horrible.

One shining light - Murphy, but I worry about him against England and other teams. He could go for a ride in Bazball.

The NSW Shield team is always the benchmark of Australian cricket depth. Not one of the current crop of batsmen deserves to be in the Australian team (outside squad incumbents Starc, Lyon, Hazelwood, Cummins, Warner). NSW are doing dreadfully in season 2022-2023.

2. India Aftermath. The fluffy end of the feather duster has no doubt been used on the team by McDonald and they are all none the wiser. If Australia lose 4-0 and miss the World Test Championship, there will be big changes. What a spoiled lot represent the nation. So sad to see Allan Border's reaction to it all. He was more devastated than the current players and coaches!

I must say that in the SCG Test, I could not believe how many coaches, adviser, technicians and hangers on there were around that Australian Men's Cricket Team. Incredible. Like a second XI plus. Net value?

3. Australian Womens Cricket. Amazing how these girls repeatedly dominate world cricket. Incredible really and not a peep of arrogance, hoopla... Prime TV would have a more popular series if they followed this team. Their T20 World Cup games and approach have been outstanding. A 12.00am midnight kick off is poor viewing time, but it will be an upset if they don't make it yet another title. The intriguing thing is South Africa made the final. They have never managed to achieve that in men's cricket.

4. England Cricket. Their domination continues under Stokes and Brendan McCullum. Attacking cricket at the right time. It has been a while since England carried that ethos in any of their play. This Harry Brook gets after it. He is averaging 90+ in his early days. He needs to be ruffled. He loves lunging on the front foot. Four tons in record time (3 v Pakistan, 1 v NZ). He has played South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand so far. Sterner tests await. However he does have the most runs ever by a batsman after nine test innings.

5. Arsenal v Man City. The new Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland has now scored the most goals ever for Man City in a season (27), yet the typical English nonsense abounds questioning if he has actually been a problem for Man City this season! There will be a few more managers around the place looking for that problem if he was ever cut free. Leeds have bounced back under their new manager and Everton lost dreadfully at home... Even West Ham had a win! (David Moyes is on the nose there).

The race to relegation is a lot tighter this season... week by week. Ange Postocoglou could get a coaching gig in the EPL sooner rather than later. 30 points typically sees you safe:

6. A-League. It would be great to have someone come out to play in the league that the fans could get excited about. Melbourne City are miles in front this year (37 points) and Sydney FC (24) are continuing to struggle. This is not acceptable to the bosses and Steve Corica may find this out soon... but please not Dwight Yorke. They tell me Ed Sheeran draws a big crowd and may be available.

7. NBL Final. Sydney Kings v the NZ Breakers. A best of FIVE games series starting this week (3 March). Eeking every last cent out of the public US style. 

8. Rugby League. Let's look at the pre-season injury toll. These are just the high profile, longer term ones. Are they unlucky, under prepared or sacrificed for no net gain in meaningless competitions for $100K? Or is it just the way the sport rolls?

• Dean Ieremia
• Justin Olam
• Shaun Lane
• Josh Schuster
• Taylan May
• Tevita Pangai-Junior
• Edrick Lee
• Xavier Savage.

9. NRL - AFL. Always a great time of year when the twin footy seasons get underway. Summer ends this week, so we are warming up for the winter sport! As always the AFL dilly dally around for a few weeks, starting on 16 March. The NRL kicks off next Thursday 2 March 2023.

10. Anamoe. What a tremendous horse, ridden by JMac of course. Great turn of speed and too strong once again in the Chipping Norton Stakes on Saturday. It has now won 8 Group 1 races (only Octagonal with 10 and Lohnro with 11 have won more). He is the seventh horse in Australian turf history to win at least $11 million. He is the Godolphin stables most successful horse ever... no breeding talk yet thankfully. Really like Alligator Blood too. Crushed I Am Thunderstruck again!

The Wrap - Can't Wait for the Next Amazon Prime Series

1. Test Cricket. What a complete embarrassment. Ravi Jadeja is too good for us (7/42). He always plays well with Kohli at the helm. He gets wickets, plays tough innings to move the game - or win it. He is devastating in the field too. Our ridiculous impatience is something else. Khawaja and Handscomb gave us hope in the first innings, but we show no poise at key times. Steve Smith has been one of our worst for a player of his ability.

We look like fifty years away from ever winning in India ever again. Totally under prepared. This is without the injured keeper, Pant and Bumrah! India and their fans must just think we are a complete joke.

Carey plays silly reverse sweeps endlessly. Too predictable. Surely working on your natural sweep is a better investment of time. Carey batted like a dunce in today's fiasco it must be said. His dismissals in this test were appalling. Pathetic really. He may have a few questions being asked of him soon the way he is playing.

Tip: reverse sweeps are not for Test cricket on slow, low turning decks.

How Renshaw could ever play another test is beyond me. He is a reasonable BBL player, but he totally lacks composure....0, 2, 2 so far. No future there. Someone thought he was the cure. His record on the last tour wasn't that great either to be fair. Last tour in 2017, he averaged 29 and Handscomb averaged 24. If that is the bar...? Handscomb is at least tough and superb fielding in close too.

Whoever is selecting these teams may need to be retired. All lovely blokes who can beat minnows but not much more.  Kuhnemann is yet another Queenslander selected... Labaschagne, Khawaja...Renshaw? Neser? Swepson?... I even read that he was bowling well in the nets and deserved his selection... ummm.

Can anyone explain Pat Cummins' deep fields in defending 100 runs? He seems lost with reviews, confused in selections and is bowling pies at times himself. His batting effort in the second innings was dreadful. One classic catch. A true test of captain character on the subcontinent.

Coach Ronnie McDonald is about to put his hand on the Mchotplate. But most of the players are happy and feeling upbeat about their useless efforts. Keep the voices down and the egos happy. Honestly. The next Amazon Prime Series will keep up its 100% record of destroying coaches...Langer, Madge Maguire and a few others worldwide... Ronnie?

2. Investment in Pitches. We have a million Centres of Excellence in Australia, but not one where the low - and slow (this is the thing) - Indian pitch is set up to teach our young batsmen anything. Have we thought to bring out some Indian curators to assist? Of course not... we'll be right.

The idea to play no warm up games and then go to North Sydney Oval on a scarified pitch has helped us heaps. Sorry... how ridiculous. I'd like to see the outdoor furniture added at short leg to help us again instead. It was equally ineffective from an inter-squad game back in 2017.

All out for 91 in the First Test and now all out for 113... please.

These scars will run deep when we head to England. Warner may bail out now with this injury. Could be time anyhow.

3. England v New Zealand Cricket. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad are legendary. Their efforts in New Zealand were superb. Their combination will be missed when they finally split. No signs yet at age 40 for JA. Incredible. 682 Test wickets (178 Tests) and closing in on Shane Warne's magical 708 wickets (145 Tests).

4. Scottish Premier League. Celtic... nine points lead still and another premiership in sight!

5. Arsenal and Manchester City. Close now, but both seem to be giving ground to each other in turn. Everton climbing off the canvas with their new coach, but need a string of wins to stay in the top flight. Man United not far away, regardless of who owns them or who doesn't. West Ham and Leeds are struggling.

6. Pre-season NRL Trials. How many injuries now... Manu, Sualli, Olam, Lane... they need to can this nonsense and get ready behind closed doors. Surely the game is professional enough now. Hard to believe Penrith lost to St Helens too. That was a super effort from them away from home. Bravo!

7. Womens Cricket. Not huge WIPL contracts, but strong for most. Their form at the T20 World Cup in South Africa has been superb. Different with Meg Lanning back and firing in that team. Ash Gardner et al and then Ellise Perry. Amazing strength. (Is there a World Cup every second week?).

8. Tiger. Looked amazing in the first round at the Genesis Invitational. He is T26 after three rounds, but he looked sharp at key times. His presence certainly brings out the fans and media! His shank reminded everyone of the beauty of the game.

9. NBL. The Sydney Kings are into the Grand Final again. Impressive in making their third final in four years.

10. Coolangatta. It was an impressive winner in the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington on Saturday. Extreme pace. Nature Strip seems to have now edged into retirement. September Run looked impressive too.

The Wrap - NagPOOR Dropped on Its Head

1. Test Cricket. How embarrassing- but not unexpected - to lose to India. You can only imagine the number of gant charts, Excel spreadsheets and video analysis that went into that pathetic team selection. Over thinking.

Murphy got wickets (Jack Leach like), but Cummins thought dropping Head was a good idea…like commenting on world peace and the environment. Stick to taking wickets…and not making panicked decisions about the World Number 4 batsman, Travis Head. 

The obsession with Ronnie McDonald's 'nice way' will bring him down eventually. The team will be stuffing their pockets full of frozen cheese sandwiches and singing Kumbaya together as you read this. No raised voices or anything to damage delicate player egos…you all tried hard, a trophy for everyone.

The ACB need to get some strength back and stop yielding to player whims. A bad culture is forming. It is a losing culture too, sadly.

Kuhnemann has been called into the squad. Honestly. Doorknobs only. Swepson goes home for the birth of his child and surrenders his likely spot in the next Test.

2. Irony. Is there any irony to the fact that India refused to play at the Gabba first last time they were in Australia - but we yield to all they request. Mark Waugh even had the temerity to criticise Kohli’s fielding in the slips (three dropped catches). They are precious and at their worst, the media dreadfully sycophantic and fearful of losing their jobs - and a big oversized cheque.

3. Rohit Sharma. It was interesting listening to him about using the feet and playing with soft hands. He batted majestically.  The ball did not turn sharply...slow and gentle spin really. Renshaw was undone with slow straight breakers. The slowness of the ball is the thing. Lyon tried to bowl too quickly. He was again disappointing, as was Dave Warner. Renshaw should be sent home. He got 0 and 2 and was injured all Test. Thanks for coming. 

4. Pat Cummins. A modern Mr Nice Guy, but there are more and more questions. Champion bowler, but even that was rusty this Test. His IPL form with the ball remember was woeful... $5 million later. He has done some curious things. Prime video are loving him as he prioritises player cash there over the sanctity of the dressing room. His evasive undermining of Langer in the media set it in train. The comments on world energy and the environment...

The Prime viewers will love seeing the Australian dominance over West Indies and South Africa, but as soon as the temperature is turned up, we falter. Our worst fear that we simply have no younger batsmen to lead us into the future is now closer than ever. Pucovski? Turner? Hardie? Harvey? Sangha? There seems to be no future planning.

I am increasingly staggered how often Cummins bowls himself at the tail enders. Some may say it is impatience - others cheap wicket harvesting. It could all come crashing down with losses in India and England…but think of the cash and social media interest…and Prime video! 

5. Superbowl. Philadelphia Eagles (I love, love, love…yes I do!) to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 in Arizona tomorrow. Jordan Mailata will aim up well. He is a behemoth and aggressive.  A few Souths fans will be shaking their heads hearing Michael Maguire cut him free. Typical. Mahones will take it to the Eagles however. He is a gun!

6. NRL. $100,000 NRL pre-season prize money? The generosity of the NRL knows no bounds. Until that increases to a million, we will keep seeing reserve graders and up and comers. Injuries from NRL trials? Justin Olam broken wrist...

Ban the trial...and the bye while you're at it.

7. Womens Cricket. IPL cheques will be flying this week in the auction. Elyse Perry has bounced back and is ready for a well-deserved pay day. She has changed the game and paved the way for so many. Alyssa Healey, Meg Lanning too.

8. EPL. Arsenal are doing their best to gift Man City another title. Drawing with the Brentford Bees is not a crowning moment! Leicester are marching back up the table with Harry Souttar doing some positive things.

9. Celtic. Ange on fire. Still 9 points ahead. Spinnaker up!

10. Anamoe. The best horse in Australia. Electrifying pace! With James McDonald in the saddle, victories continue to flow.

The Wrap - Heat: Scorched and Hosed

1. BBL. The Scorchers win a tight one in a cracking BBL final. A huge crowd of 53,000 and yet another BBL victory for WA! Adam Voges (second best average for Australia of all time) has the magic touch. That team could almost represent Australia. Ashton Turner and Aaron Hardie have been superb. Lehmann almost pulled off the greatest of victories. He can coach. No big name expensive overseas players and lots of no names converted to success. An amazing effort against fancied rivals and really they should have won from the position they were in late in the game. 

The ‘death’ bowling from The Heat was really disappointing. Neser especially. The surfie dude, Cooper Connolly (ex-Australian U/19s captain), just planted his front foot and hit it a mile. Smarter bowling required.

2. NRL. Latrell and Wighton scuffling in the street. How the Police love a high profile arrest, but what were the players thinking? Typical arrogance and self-centred behaviour. Latrell should know better especially with his profile in the community. This makes them both look low grade. The Integrity Commission will be sharpening the fluffy end of the feather duster.

3. NBA. Incredibly, Lebron James is about to become the highest ever NBA point scorer this week. An amazing feat over 20 seasons. Grandfather time. It will take some catching,

We have seen some of the extraordinary sporting greats in our time - Kelly Slater, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Roger-Rafa-Novak, Tiger Woods, Cameron Smith (NRL), Tom Brady, Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar...

4. NFL. The Super Bowl is coming soon next week…Philadelphia Eagles (I love, love, love... yes I do!) v the Kansas City Chiefs. Jordan Mailata is a gun and deservedly well paid. What a strong, mountainous fellow! His quarterback would feel pretty safe. This will be tight, but the Eagles may just get there.

5. International Cricket. India v Australia is set to be a cracking series later this week. How often do we go 1-0 up against India and then fold? This Shubman Gill is extraordinary. Highest T20 score (126) by an Indian in a T20 game! Watch his work. 

I am still worried going in with Renshaw, despite how well he batted in the BBL. Green sounds like he may be back. Starc’s injury…as bad as four weeks out of the game? Hazelwood is out again with an injury. The drums are starting to sound around Josh H now. Too many injuries…

6. EPL. Everton are off the canvas after Lampard was axed, beating Arsenal 1-0. Manchester City won’t be far away! Old mate Harry Souttar at Leicester arrives on the pitch with an own goal, but $20M+ is solid pain relief.

7. Ange Latest. Celtic…marching on at 11.00pm tonight! Two horse race with Rangers.

8. NRL injuries. The number of pre-season injuries has been incredible. Waqar Blake (broken arm) and Bryce Cartwright (broken jaw) lead the way, but young Dykes too. Has the game reached a professional level where trial games and other derivatives are entirely unnecessary? Surely. If I am an NRL coach I don't need this headache. Get ready for the main fare and forget the rest!

9. Djokovic. Incredible to hit 22 Grand Slams. They need to work on his persona for the world however. He is unpopular and up to too many silly tricks... hitting wild tempered balls in the past... mystery drinks, coaching from the stalls (what possible good can that do after 22 Grand Slam wins?)... crowd attitude... umpires... mystery hamstring issues, vaccinations, etc. He seems like a decent fellow, but is not always helped by those near to him. 10 Australian Open wins will take some beating!

10. IPL - Women. Some lives will change this week. Elise Perry, Alyssa Healey and the like will become millionaires another time over! A big statement in world sport. 

The Wrap - IPL Money Bags LVII

1. BBL. So the Scorchers are into yet another final. After the Eliminator/ Challenger, etc...the Sixers will join them. However, an away game final is tough. An impressive knock from Ashton Turner. Sadly for Ashton he never showed this in the IPL and holds a dubious record there. He played four games for the Rajasthan Royals and scored three successive ducks. Short IPL career. 

Plenty of talent nonetheless. He and Josh Inglis have been excellent. Even 'Singlet Sam', Cameron Bancroft has been an impressive anchor too. All this with no Mitchell Marsh. It almost seems like WA is so far away no one can be bothered moving and playing for other BBL teams.

Lehmann got The Heat to the finals. A master coach still. He could do an Eddie Jones one day and return for mine.

2. Chunder Tears. Losing in the Duckworth-Lewis method is never fun. Getting rolled for 15 tells me you should take your medicine and be thankful you made a semi-final. They need to recruit batsmen. Once again a home game ruined by rain in Sydney and that hopeless Showground pitch has excelled as always. Too slow, too much uneven bounce and a total farce. Dave Warner struggled in his return it must be said, especially compared to Smith (who was unbelievable) and Usman and Marnus who sealed the game for the Heat v Thunder.

Did you know Duckworth-Lewis have retired now and Stern now looks after the maths of it all... The renamed Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system nowadays (since 2014).

I hope everyone is well across their Paul Kelly Usman song for the finals v Renegades. It seems it may have been a quiet day in front of the cricket that day for Paul, but a cracking chorus...KAWAAAAAAAAAAAJA...

Paul Kelly's Usman Khawaja Song | Full Version - YouTube 

3. Mitchell Moses. True to form for club and player, the selfishness of a player refusing to make decisions in an off season is incredible, coupled with a club allowing it to play out ad nauseum. Team mates could hardly be thrilled. It would be best if Mitchell moved on after season 2023. His future is limited, but $1.5million? Hardly worth that. That is IPL and Super League money in one.

The absence of an expert goal kicker is the biggest issue for Parramatta. I understand Ross Conlon is unavailable.

4. Bulldogs. How are they fitting all their players under the cap? Reed Mahoney, Hayze Perham, Matt Burton, the Fox, Ryan Sutton, Vilame Kikau, Braiden Burns ... throw in Steve Crichton and Bronson Xerri (drugs) from 2024, the disgruntled Broncos junior, Karl Oloapu, for $500K (and talk of Dom Young (Knights winger)... How? There are also a lot of 2023 (only) signed players (eg. Flanagan, Thompson) who will need to produce or perish. Junior players are clearly being crafted for their next phase to fill gaps around their spine.

Gus is such a masterful promoter and recruiter (but remember he caused some issues at the Panthers too...Waqar is still being paid by them). The Bulldogs members will be red hot for an instant return to success, but may have to wait a few years yet. Moses will still be in their sights for the future. They need a playmaker. Maybe he goes to the Tigers, but what about Brooks?

5. Rugby. A quiet confidence has descended. Eddie will be hard at work. Enjoyed his comments re rescuing rugby talent from league! (Sualili, Penesini, Cameron Murray, Angus Crichton...).

6. Novak Djokovic. Novak sits on 21 Grand Slam titles and has a chance to join Rafa on 22 Grand Slams as the equal winningest champion ever. If he wins, he will also join Nadal as the second player ever to have won double figures titles at a single Grand Slam event. Nadal has 14 French Open wins (count them: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022) and Novak will have ten Australian Open titles (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021...2023?).

Tsitsipas is a character, but not a chance. Too inconsistent. Novak will wear him down. As mentioned, the hamstring injury didn't last long. Nadal's end is nigh with injuries galore, but Novak is a machine and the least liked of the three legends.

7. Women's AO Final. Aryna Sabalenko won a great women's singles match (has suffered the 'serving yips' in the past...). High quality and part of the excitement of women's tennis is not having the same name on the trophy each Grand Slam.

8. Doubles Final. Hijikata and Kubler in the doubles were amazing. Wild cards into the tournament itself, but Jason Kubler was a world number one in a past life, so has plenty of ability. He has suffered repeated knee injuries in the past that have hurt him.

Most won't remember that Kubler also made the Mixed Doubles final at the AO in 2022 (losing).

8. Golf. Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed will reflect in years ahead about how stupid their combined behaviours have been around LIV and the USPGA. Embarrassing.

9. NFL Conference Championship Games. Bengals v Chiefs will depend on the fitness and durability of Mahomes who is under a leg injury cloud. 49ers v Philadelphia Eagles ("yes I do...!) will see Australian behemoth Jordan Mailata crunch a few and get many plaudits. It is a big assignment for him this weekend (Monday morning our time). The 49ers punter Mitch Wishnowsky is a gun. Two cracking games ahead with the winners playing the SuperBowl on 12 February (the tradition is the Sunday, based on the number of games in the season) in Glendale, Arizona. It is Superbowl LVII.

10. Football Pain and Triumph. The Lampard prediction from last week came true... gone from Everton, but they are in crisis. Ange has ten-twelve games left and is nine points clear in the Scottish premier League with Celtic. His to lose.

Does anyone know anything about the A league any more...apart from Dwight Yorke's dummy spit and walk out as manager of Macarthur last week. His comment re them being a 'pub team' was harsh, but some feel the A league needs sharpening up for it to survive.

The Wrap - Magenta Magic

1. BBL. The BBL is becoming a familiar two horse race again. It has a fascinating history where since 2011-2012 (eleven seasons), the Sydney Sixers have won it THREE times (and THREE as Runners Up) and the Perth Scorchers have won it FOUR times (and THREE as Runners Up). They have played each other in a final FIVE times in that period.

There have only been three years out of eleven where neither the Sixers nor the Scorchers have been involved in the final. Nothing looks like changing this year. Both are by far the most superior teams. 

Darren Lehmann is a winner however and has done well to reinvent the Brisbane Heat who loom as the only credible threat. Hobart have been a disappointment all season too. The Thunder - chunder.

Look for Olly Davies to join the Sixers next year.

2. Steve Smith. Steve Smith is a phenomenon. He hits back to back BBL centuries (the second on the dodgiest of pitches) and completely dominates. He is a special gift to the viewers like us. The fans will wait years for someone as good to ever appear again. There is a reason he averages 60 in Test cricket, second to Bradman (and the great Adam Voges of course).

3. Sydney Pitches. The pitches ditched up to the players, public and TV viewers are appalling for T20 cricket. Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane - even Melbourne, kill it. The lack of true bounce means it is always a scramble. The Thunder continue to fall in a heap every time and are hard for their fans to follow. Time for drop in pitches.

4. NFL. Philadelphia Eagles crushed the New York Giants and The Kansas City Chiefs exited the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 49ers v Cowboys and Bengals v Bills games tomorrow loom as the more impressive match ups. Conference finals next week.

5. EPL - Everton. Grim times there. Relegation looms and Frank Lampard needs to be sacked quickly. The tears from the Toffee supporters will drop like acid.

6. Australian Open Tennis. Injury seems to have ruined a lot of this year's tournament and crashining out of seeds like Medvedev and Swaitek has hurt too. Djokovic seems to be hanging in there with a hamstring complaint (beware the injured player), but surely a new name or two will be required on the honour board in 2023!

7. Parramatta Luck. Missing out on signing Marty Tapau could be a slice of gold. A tough hombre and great at his peak, but well passed it. Of course the mandatory pre-season injuries have arrived of course too. The great Waqar Blake (in his last contracted season) has broken his arm. It was apparently a freak training injury, not another botched effort to catch a high bomb hitting the forearms.

8. Michael Clarke. The less said the better, but what a disgrace having such a public spat...the lot of them. Spoiled brats who have little regard for others. Like a scene out of The Great Gatsby. 

F Scott Fitzgerald's words in 1920 seem so relevant 100 years later. "They were careless people... they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made".

9. Eddie Jones. He returns with a new harder attitude and instantly the fans will be more interested as Eddie brings his brand of toughness and character to the side. The players will know they need to aim up more as well. The party is over. Rennie it must be said, may have been unlucky, but sadly (despite a string of extremely narrow losses and draws), he was also ultimately unsuccessful.

The Wrap - Covers and Sightscreens

1. The BBL. The same faces are dominating and our national team needs to have a huge overhaul... despite the one hand off the roof rule.

A gun BBL Australian team based on this year's BBL performances: Ben McDermott, Matthew Short, Josh Inglis, Oliver Davies, Jordan Silk, Tim David, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, AJ Tye, Jhye Richardson, Pat Dooley. 12th: Spencer Johnson. 13th: Chris Lynn. 

Some argy bargy by Warner and Wade in the BBL. Two blokes who know how to chirp and carry on. It should never come to that. How bad are the Thunder/ Chunder. They recovered and have been anchored on ten points forever. Dreadful. 

2. Australia v India Cricket Series. Pant and Bumrah out of the series, but they will have ten more blokes to step in! We have Starc out for the first test too. We will have our work cut out for us with their spinners. Jadeja returns. Pujara returns. No Ajinka Rahane who captained brilliantly in Kohli's absence at that time last time India toured here.

3. Sightscreens. When did white sightscreens take over five bays of seats for precious players? Honestly. What a sad indictment on the modern player. I can recall hanging off the side of one at the SCG as a young lad while Greg Chappell hit a ton!

4. NRMA. Leaky SCG covers that don't cover the whole pitch and run ups is bad advertising. It started out well before the leaks set in. Back to the marketing team for some feedback and planning. If you need rain, put the cricket on at the SCG. At least the old covers could be used on the sightscreen seating.

5. Celtic. Ange Postocoglou has stepped up again. Into the Scottish Cup Final. More silverware beckoning.

6. EPL. ManU beating Man City early on Sunday morning is incredible at a number of levels. ManU have been dreadful for a few years now, but signs of a resurgence now! Everton are in a world of pain now. Frank Lampard will be chopped this week I suspect. Arsenal have a major opportunity now with Liverpool falling in a heap too.

7. Australian Open. Starting this week. Suddenly everyone needs to be quiet and accept Novak. Craig Tiley has always been a player's favourite... no wonder. The game is in strife. Lots of whining, half-baked aspiring players who as Rafa has said, will never reach the heights of the Big Three. 

8. NFL. San Francisco on fire v the Seattle Seahawks. The comeback of the Jacksonville Jaguars against the LA Chargers was amazing. Third best ever. Will be interesting to see how Tom Brady holds up on Tuesday morning.

9. NRL. No signing news of consequence just yet, but I would let Mitchell Moses go to the Tigers. He would be mad not to take the cash. Save the cash, sign up Pennissini long term and invest in two gun Australian Schoolboy half backs. Move on. You could do worse than get Brooks into your team.