There is an odd peace about the final day before the season begins. Your team is undefeated, you’re buoyed by the talk of the toughest preseason ever and heartened by that young player you’ve admired for a while getting a start while the big new signing claims he is loving it and is raring to go.

On a personal note, you stand equal first in the tipping, your fantasy league team still looks like world beaters and you are yet to have a single argument around regarding your team’s playing schedule and the social engagements your partner wants to attend as a couple.

Enjoy the peace while it lasts, most clubs outside of Newcastle have enjoyed a fairly incident free off-season as clubs went on a community driven charm offensive. If you live in the same area as a rugby league team the only danger the players posed was snatching your kids for yet another photo for the club newsletter.

No wonder Tony Abbott has styled himself as a fitness fanatic, he’ll need to be to match all the NRL players shaking hands and kissing babies at shopping centres this season.

But no matter what happens this weekend, the complaints on Monday will mark the start of the season proper.

The referees will not be up to scratch, an early penalty will have turn the game before a side is belted by 30 points. Fans will demand his head.

Crowds will infuriate fans who are forced to queue with other members of public while a particularly upset Souths fan will complain that they were not able to simply stroll into the Rabbitohs game five minutes before kick off unlike the glory days of George Piggins. This is the fault of Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court.

Meanwhile, a working father will bitterly resent the cost of buying five pies for his morbidly obese 10 year old. SPOILER ALERT: Food purchased at sporting grounds tends to be more expensive than similar products sold at supermarkets, it is also unlikely to be award winning in terms of quality. Fans should also be aware that it is not compulsory to purchase said items.

Some fans may also resent the new ‘form hugging’ replica jerseys for not showing more sympathy for their sedentary lifestyle.

Constant complaining is indeed the life blood for so many fans. The routine is for the matches to provide cherished escape and enjoyment while they are on, and when they aren’t it is your duty to moan about the moronic mercenaries wearing your club’s colours and the boofheads running the game.

Listening to talkback radio, I welcome the first caller proclaiming he’ll “never attend another match” like some welcome the first day of spring.

It means the rugby league season has well and truly arrived. Bring it on.

Roaring Hot

Yesterday's most commented articles

• Who's to blame for falling Super 14 crowds? [82 comments]
• The Western Bulldogs in Wellington is a great idea [18 comments]
• Super 14 round five preview [16 comments]

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Carlos Spencer said it, and I believe it. Super 14 crowds are nothing compared to what they used to be.

Once upon a time, the Super 14 was one of the hottest tickets in town, particularly in Sydney which is its biggest Australian market. But crowds in the Super 14 are falling away, to the point where the Waratahs are expecting a paltry turnout of about 10,000 for their match against the Lions tomorrow night.

I’m sorry. 10,000? On a Friday night after work? Jeez, it’s not like you have to go to church the next day.

How unbelievable is it that in the biggest rugby market in the country, we can’t even half fill the Sydney Football Stadium for a South African touring side playing our boys from the Waratahs. It’s not like we’ve got another team to compete against, unlike the NRL who muster similar figures (give or take a few thousand) for each of four or five Sydney matches each weekend. The Waratahs only have seven home games a year, for Christ’s sake.

It’s a totally unacceptable result, and heads must roll. For too long the culprits have been allowed to hob-nob in their ivory towers – criticising players, coaches and referees and calling for law changes. They’ve embraced players one minute while their form was good, and then plunged the knife into their backs the next.

They’ve been the first to divert the attention from anything they might be able to do for the game instead preferring to place the blame at the doorstep of the mythical “Them” and “They”. Blessed with the cloak of invisibility when it comes to having to defend their views, they revel in the luxury of saying whatever they like, about whomever they like, whenever they like, knowing that they’ll rarely be called to task, and hardly ever sanctioned officially.

The unfortunate thing about this shadowy cartel is that many of them enjoyed the game in their youth. They were happy to take from rugby when it could provide them with something, but now that the time has come for them to fight for its future, they choose to do nothing.

By now you’ve worked out who I’m talking about, and it’s not the ARU, or any of the state unions, or the IRB, or the referees.

It’s the fans. Yeah, that’s right. You guys.

I can now hear the clatter of pitchforks and the whuff of torches being lit as the peasants prepare to storm The Roar castle and lynch the heretic, but I’m ready to go. If the door breaks down and I’m dragged away in the next few sentences by a rabid mob, I’ll die happy, knowing that at least I wasn’t one of you faceless couch-sitters. After all, everyone knows that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

“How dare you talk to me like that?” I hear you say, but since we’re talking (albeit while you’re sharpening that castrating knife and Googling my home address), have a think about the last time you heard anyone say anything really positive about rugby?

What about you? I bet what you actually heard or said was a critique of the rules, the play, the players and their pay, all backed up with the catch-all disengagement….”I don’t bother to go anymore”…as if to say “That’ll show ‘em”.

The problem is, you’re not showing anyone anything, except that rugby people have morphed into a sorry group of home-dwelling, flat-screen watching, IQ-button-tickling, remote critics.

What those critics mostly don’t realise is that you have to earn the right to criticise.

You can earn it in several different ways. Great ex-players earn it by spilling blood on the paddock. Writers try to earn it by building a body of insightful work and putting their head on the public chopping block once or twice a week.

Certain fans also earn the right to criticise by being there through the easy going, and the tough times at altitude. They’re the ones who stick by their team through torrential rain, and early-season heatwaves. They’re always there for the curtain raiser, and they stay for that extra drink after the game is over. They go down to the fence to clap the boys off, even when the game hasn’t been that great.

Unfortunately for most of us, we think we earned the right to criticise by paying our Foxtel subscription on time.

In case you missed it, rugby has got a war on its hands. But unlike rugby league, which is fighting for a big chunk of market share, and AFL which is fighting for new markets, we’re fighting for our very existence.

And like most wars, it comes down to money. Walk into any group of rugby people at any pub anywhere in the country and you hear the same tired old refrain “The (insert union here) should be doing more to develop the game” as though the unions are all out to lunch pissing it up, while the rest of us are running coaching clinics in the rain somewhere with two torn tacklebags and a flat ball. Yeah, right.

What the self-righteous do-nothings prefer not to get is that by opting out and waiting for rugby to somehow fix itself, they play a very active part in reducing the money that filters down to the grassroots.

To give you an idea of the numbers, in 2008, the AFL distributed $188 million to its clubs and associated entities. The NRL distributed $53.6 million. The ARU, by contrast, gave out around $8 million – just 4% of the AFL number.

If the sports were schoolkids, AFL would be arriving on the oval in a chopper, while the ARU hopped off the bus with cardboard over the holes in its shoes.

Whatever your opinion of the ARU, you certainly can’t argue that they’re rolling in dough and holding it back from the rest of us.

In the classic movie Other People’s Money, Larry The Liquidator said “We’re dead alright. We’re just not broke. And you know the surest way to go broke? Keep getting an increasing share of a shrinking market. Down the tubes. Slow but sure”.

In rugby terms, the shrinking market he’s talking about is us. The fans. We’ve stopped going to games. We’ve stopped taking part. And according to the ratings figures, many of us have stopped watching on TV too.

Which means that the three richest sources of revenue the game has, all cop a hit. Gate receipts and sponsorship head south when we don’t go to the games, and pay TV receipts too will eventually go south if we don’t watch.

“So what?” I hear you say. “Why should I waste my money on going to the game when the rugby is rubbish? Why should I support the ARU when they do nothing to get my kid interested in the game?”.

My answer? Because by going to the game, you earn the right to have a real voice. By supporting the players, you remember what is really important in rugby – and that’s hanging in through the dark days as well as the salad days when we’re on top.

By being involved you earn the right to call yourself a genuine rugby supporter, and you earn the right to pass this birthright and tradition on to your kids.

You wouldn’t wait for the police to drop around to your place to give you kids a quick lesson on law and order, or hope that the dentist shows up to teach them how to clean their teeth.

So why are you waiting for the ARU, or the NSWRU or someone else to teach your child the joys of rugby? Why are you waiting for someone else to fix rugby before you get up and go to a game?

Rugby needs us more now than ever before, so it’s hard to believe that we’re deserting it in droves. How in the world could a warrior like Phil Waugh, who has spilt more blood than an abbatoir slaughterman and taken more hits than Evel Knievel, all for our enjoyment, be looking down the barrel of a record number of appearances for the Waratahs in front of a quarter full stadium?

We should be utterly ashamed of ourselves. Not for Waugh’s sake, but because we now care so little about taking part in the important moments in rugby.

It’s about time we woke up and got off the couch and went to the game. Those crowd numbers and gate receipts will eventually trickle back down to your little area of grassroots rugby, in the form of distributions to clubs, coaching support and other development activities. And even if they don’t amount to much, who cares. You’ve reconnected and become part of the family again.

Sure the unions are dysfunctional in some ways. But if that’s your opinion, doesn’t that make it even more ridiculous to be leaving the future of the game in their hands? Get involved yourself.

What to do? Well, I can hear the baying of a torch-bearing mob on the wind as they surge up the windy mountain path to my hideout, so I won’t go through the full million or so ways that you could support rugby.

The easiest one would be to walk out of your office tomorrow evening, grab a kid and/or a few mates, and head out to the SFS to cheer on the Waratahs and their record-breaking captain. As rugby people, it’s incumbent upon us to take the future of the game in our hands, earn the right to criticise, and most important of all, pat one of our own on the back.

Keep an eye out for me and I’ll buy you a beer. I’ll be easy to spot – there’ll be a pitchfork between my shoulder-blades.

As we draw closer to the start of season 2010, we look at the big questions being asked in the AFL, including the most important of them all.

Does Geelong need to win this year’s premiership to be rated with the best sides of all time?

They do. Three in four years will put the Cats right up there with the very best. While it is difficult to compare eras – some regard it as impossible – two premierships surely puts you in the ‘good’ category. To be ‘great’, the Cats need to climb the mountain again this year. Many of their stars show no sign of slowing down, and the club’s envious depth is no secret. A third flag will confirm their status as an all-time super team.

Will we see lower scores in 2010?

There is no definite data to suggest so, but there is no doubt coaches are more defensively minded. It’s a mantra in basketball to start from the defence to build attack. Don’t expect to see too many big bags in games involving Adelaide and Sydney. But, with the likes of Fevola, Brown, Franklin and Riewoldt running around, hopefully there are not too many low-scoring scraps this season.

Will the bench debate and player welfare resurface?

No doubt. But that doesn’t mean more numbers should be added to the bench. Four is sufficient, and it should stay that way. Coaches have often criticised the amount available on the bench after a loss – especially Mick Malthouse, who believes a team who loses a player to injury early in the match is severely disadvantaged. That may be so, but life isn’t always perfect. Back in 1993, there was just one interchange player. The game is faster today and, as a result, the numbers on the bench have been increased. But if it continues, there may as well be no selection on a Thursday night – just put the whole list out on the ground to give coaches the comfort that they have enough in reserve.

A good player versus a good clubman?

Luke Ball was, basically, made to leave to Saints after receiving limited game-time throughout the season and in the Grand Final. St.Kilda then recruited Andrew Lovett to give the side some added speed in the midfield. Lovett is now gone, pending appeal, and is facing charges and a court date while Ball, a player with no prior disciplinary issues, will be looking to help Collingwood have a successful year. Ball, in his own right, is a fine player. But the Saints thought Lovett would add more to their set-up when they recruited him from Essendon and it has backfired. Do clubs simply consider ability? Or is there more to it? How important is ‘character’ when you are aspiring to win the premiership?

Finally, and most importantly: Who will win the premiership?

No one knows the answer to this question at this stage of the season. But we all like to have a guess. St.Kilda and the Dogs have two flags between them in their respective histories, so no one, I’m sure, would begrudge success for that pairing when it arrives. But, Geelong, in my opinion, remains the best of the best. The Cats have the best player in the competition, Gary Ablett Jr, and another five who would comfortably rate in the league’s top-20 players – Paul Chapman, Matthew Scarlett, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel and Corey Enright. It is a star-studded team.

Yesterday’s news that the Western Bulldogs will be seeking two home games at Basin Reserve in the New Zealand city of Wellington, possibly as early as next year, is a positive for the game.

I touched on the topic of teams expanding beyond their existing support bases earlier in the week, and this is a great way for the Dogs to go about doing just that.

Whilst the club has already sold home games to Sydney, Darwin and Canberra (and are continuing to do so in the latter two markets this year) the fact they are willing to forgo their existing agreements to solely go after Wellington is testament to how serious they are this time around.

It doesn’t seem like some quick cash-grab, especially considering in Darwin they are now effectively supporting Port Adelaide’s push into the region and in Canberra they are supporting Sydney. With these current games, there doesn’t seem to be much in it for them other than money.

On the Wellington plan, Dogs chief Campbell Rose said, “The fundamental idea is to establish a major event of sustainable proportions that creates a sense of occasion.” In that sense, it’s a bit like the NFL’s hosting of games in cities like Toronto, London and Mexico City, on a slightly smaller scale, no doubt.

Of course, as Hawthorn have showed in Tasmania, the key to making any foray beyond traditional club markets is to look beyond the dollars.

You’ll remember that originally both Hawthorn and St Kilda played games in Tassie, but it was the ongoing commitment from the Hawks, even after their much talked-about resurrection on and off the field, that got them the extended supporter base they now have.

So long as the Bulldogs can wrap their head around that concept, the opportunities for them are huge.

New Zealand has a population well over 4 million. The Wellington region’s population is on par with Tasmania’s and the Wellington city’s population is a fair bit higher than that of Launceston.

Kiwi teams have a presence in most other Australian leagues – the Wellington Phoenix are currently storming through the A-League finals, the Warriors are a big part of the NRL, the Breakers get decent support by NBL standards, plus of course there’s the Super 14 and netball’s ANZ Championship, which have teams across both countries.

Furthermore, as Rose pointed out yesterday, New Zealand is closer to and cheaper to get to than Darwin.

So who’s to say there isn’t room there for Aussie rules, even if it is in a minor capacity?

Taking the club out of it, any push into New Zealand should be welcomed. The fact it’s a sports-mad country not all that far away makes it intriguing more hasn’t been done already.

During the off-season, it was Hawthorn leading the charge across the ditch, putting together a grassroots program with AFL NZ, signalling their intentions to use the country as a future recruiting ground. Even the national teams from the U/16 level up will now be known as the NZ Hawks.

Both clubs should be applauded for their initiative. It’s about time the sport got more serious about New Zealand.

The board of the Australian Rugby League has agreed in principle to a model proposed by its 50 per cent partner in the NRL, News Limited, for the last fragments of the Super League war of the 1990s to be buried.

The Queensland Rugby League had expressed reservations about the ARL relinquishing its 50 per cent voting rights but the board – comprising four NSW members, four from Queensland, chief executive Geoff Carr and chairman Colin Love – backed the move on Thursday.

Insisting relationships between NSW and Queensland “are fine”, Carr said the results of the vote would not be made public.

The commission, largely the brainchild of Gold Coast chief executive Michael Searle, received near unanimous support from NRL club chairmen, chief executives, coaches and players at a meeting in January.

An ARL statement on Thursday said it would be a not-for-profit entity that will include the NSW and Queensland Rugby Leagues as well as the 16 NRL clubs.

The eight commissioners will also be members of the not-for-profit entity.

The 16 NRL clubs, NSWRL and QRL will each have one vote in elections for the commissioners.

NRL chief executive David Gallop is expected to retain his position under the new structure.

“I think the point is there’s a hell of a lot of work to be done and it will be time to celebrate after all that work’s done because it’s going to be quite complex, the detail of this,” Carr said.

“But it certainly was a big step in the right direction.”

Carr said a timeframe was impossible to predict.

“There can’t be, everyone wants to get it right. No one wants to be left with a legacy of a failed structure,” he said.

“We’ve agreed in principle on a model, it’s very important that it takes us (into) the next hundred years so the detail has to be right.”

The next step, Carr said, would be a continuation of the regular meetings between News Limited and the ARL, who assumed joint control of the NRL when the divided leagues came together again in 1998.

“That’s a continuation of the current steps,” Carr said.

“We’ve committed to meet with them regularly to keep it moving.”

Love said the agreement represented a major step forward.

“The ARL believes that the in-principle agreement arrived at today will deliver a truly independent commission to run rugby league,” he said in the statement.

“There is still a huge amount of detail to be worked through but today’s agreement is a major step in the process.

“Both partners have committed to regular meetings to work through each of the points that will need to be discussed and the complex legal agreements that are involved.

“People need to understand there is still a lot of work ahead.”

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FRIDAY

PARRAMATTA v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA at Parramatta Stadium, 7.35pm

Head to head: Eels 11, Dragons 8, drawn 1

Last clash: Eels 25-12 at WIN Jubilee Stadium (Qualifying finals, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Eels $1.70, Dragons $2.10

FootyTAB: Dragons +2.5

What a cracker to kick things off in 2010. Who’ll ever forget the last time these two played in round one of the finals last year, when Jarryd Hayne danced around eight defenders to score the try of the year as the Eels upset the minor premiers? Hayne claims he will be even more dangerous this year, and with Timana Tahu and Justin Poore on board, the Eels should be too. The loss of Matt Cooper leaves the Dragons lacking strikepower out wide, but with six props in his squad, it is doubtful Wayne Bennett was planning on being too expansive anyway.

Key: Can Jarryd Hayne pick up where he left off in 2009, when he was regarded the best player in the game?

Tip: EELS

BRISBANE v NORTH QUEENSLAND at Suncorp Stadium, 8:35pm

Head to head: Broncos 21, Cowboys 4, drawn 2

Last clash: Broncos 16-10 at Dairy Farmers Stadium (Rd 25, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Broncos $1.80, Cowboys $2

FootyTAB: Cowboys +1.5

Season-openers don’t usually mean too much by the time you get to September, but this all-Queensland derby could give a fair indication of just what will be expected of these two sides in 2010. The Broncos squad – in particular the backline – lacks the talent of previous campaigns, and that’s even with Darren Lockyer, Israel Folau and Peter Wallace still on board. Nobody knows what to make of the Cowboys, with question marks still lingering over their ability to perform with Johnathan Thurston missing injured sidekick Matt Bowen. Their pack looks menacing, but can Thurston find enough help to capitalise on that platform?

Key: Any side featuring Darren Lockyer is a chance of winning, but minus the likes of Karmichael Hunt, Justin Hodges, are the Broncos putting too much pressure on their 32-year-old skipper to carry them?

Tip: COWBOYS

SATURDAY

CANTERBURY v NEWCASTLE at ANZ Stadium, 5:30pm

Head to head: Bulldogs 17, Knights 14, drawn 1

Last clash: Bulldogs 26-12 at ANZ Stadium (Qualifying final, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Bulldogs $1.22, Knights $4.10

FootyTAB: Knights +11.5

Has anyone had a worse off-season in the history of the game than the Knights? Danny Wicks – gone. Chris Houston – gone. Kurt Gidley – sidelined. No wonder they are most peoples early favourites to get the wooden spoon. Their cause isn’t helped against the Bulldogs with Isaac De Gois sidelined as well, leaving a lot on the plate of former NSW halfback Jarrod Mullen. The Bulldogs have plugged their gaps nicely over the off-season, and there seems to be no reason why they shouldn’t pick up where they left off last year, when they finished one game away from a grand final berth.

Key: Michael Ennis and Brett Kimmorley – the Knights just don’t have anyone who can match the consistency of the Bulldogs pair, who should have the visitors pinned on their own line for much of the game.

Tip: BULLDOGS

PENRITH v CANBERRA at CUA Stadium, 7:30pm

Head to head: Panthers 27, Raiders 27 drawn 1

Last clash: Panthers 27-14 at CUA Stadium (Rd 19, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Panthers $1.40, Raiders $2.90

FootyTAB: Raiders +7.5

Traditionally a side that gives the Panthers some trouble, Canberra need to address their road woes if they are to return to the finals in 2010. They’ve tried everything over the years – from travelling by bus to travelling on game day, nothing seems to have worked. Maybe coach David Furner should get them to walk up the Hume Highway to away games – now there’s an incentive to start winning. The loss of Joel Monaghan hurts, but there is plenty of excitement about his replacement, young gun Joel Thompson. Penrith’s pack is as good as any in the comp, while Michael Jennings out wide should ensure the points flow freely.

Key: Luke Walsh – with a powerful pack and speed to burn out wide, can the Panthers No.7 impose himself enough to give the ball to the right people at the right time?

Tip: PANTHERS

CRONULLA v MELBOURNE at Toyota Stadium, 7:30pm

Head to head: Sharks 8, Storm 12

Last clash: Storm 30-10 at Olympic Park (Rd 20, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Sharks $2.50, Storm $1.50

FootyTAB: Sharks +5.5

There’s two ways to look at a first-up match-up with the reigning premiers for Sharks fans – either it’s a nightmare way to start what could be another year to forget or a great opportunity for the club to show it has turned the corner. Not many will give the home side a chance of causing an upset, but the trip to England for the World Club Challenge and the unavailability of halfback Cooper Cronk could leave the Storm slightly vulnerable. A highlight will be the match-up between Greg Inglis and younger cousin Albert Kelly, who will make his debut off the bench for the Sharks.

Key: Greg Inglis and Billy Slater. With the Sharks lacking speed in the centres, the Storm duo could be in for a field day on the edge of the rucks up against the likes of Ben Pomeroy and Dean Collis.

Tip: STORM

SUNDAY

GOLD COAST v WARRIORS at Skilled Park, 2pm

Head to head: Titans 3, Warriors 2

Last clash: Titans 30-10 at Mt Smart Stadium (Rd 22, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Titans $1.25, Warriors $3.80

FootyTAB: Warriors +10.5

The Titans have become many pundits’ premiership fancy, thanks largely to the addition of former Test five-eighth Greg Bird to play alongside skipper Scott Prince in the halves. Throw in the likes of Preston Campbell and Mat Rogers, and the Titans suddenly have creativity across the park. If only the same could said of the Warriors, who will run out recycled playmaker Brett Seymour in the No.7. The inclusion of Lance Hohaia at fullback gives the Warriors a bit more flair, but they will sorely miss the metres and leadership of the injured Steve Price in this one.

Key: Stopping Scott Prince. The Titans halfback is at the peak of his powers, and with Greg Bird as a running mate, Prince should have even more room to operate this season.

Tip: TITANS

SOUTH SYDNEY v SYDNEY ROOSTERS at ANZ Stadium, 3pm

Head to head: Rabbitohs 105, Roosters 89, drawn 5

Last clash: Rabbitohs 40-20 at ANZ Stadium (Rd 20, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Souths $1.50, Roosters $2.50

FootyTAB: Roosters +5.5

The NRL’s two oldest combatants have both been given a facelift ahead of their now traditional season-opener, with both under the tutelage of new coaches and featuring a host of new faces. Souths have already laid claim to having the best pack in the NRL, and with Dave Taylor and Englishman Sam Burgess joining the likes of Roy Asotasi, who could argue. All eyes will be on Brian Smith’s experiment of playing Todd Carney at fullback, while Braith Anasta will also be under pressure to perform in his first game since June last year when he broke his ankle.

Key: Chris Sandow. The Souths halfback now has a monster pack to work behind, so the pressure is on the young playmaker to hold up his end of the bargain.

Tip: RABBITOHS

MONDAY

WESTS TIGERS v MANLY at Sydney Football Stadium, 7pm

Head to head: Tigers 5, Sea Eagles 8

Last clash: Tigers 19-18 at SFS (Rd 21, 2009)

TAB Sportsbet: Tigers $1.75, Sea Eagles $2.05

FootyTAB: Sea Eagles +1.5

Apparently the Tigers are going to trot out a 30-year-old winger for his first match in the NRL in more than seven years, and amazingly many Tigers fans are pinning their hopes on him helping return the club to the finals for the first time since 2005. It may seem a lot to ask, but Lote Tuqiri says he’s ready to deliver. While he’s likely to be underdone against the Sea Eagles, there’s no doubt Tuqiri gives the Tigers a more potent look. Manly will finally get a chance to embark on life without former skipper Matt Orford.

Key: Kieran Foran. The Kiwi youngster has been entrusted to replace Matt Orford in the No.7, and with minimal playmaking support from halves partner Jamie Lyon, there’s plenty of pressure to perform.

Tip: TIGERS

Some uninspiring Waratahs play prompted boos from part of the Sydney Football Stadium crowd during their Super 14 home opener against the Sharks last Saturday, but Hickey said it was good they showed “a bit of passion”.

The second season NSW coach said NSW went out with intent to play attacking rugby, but lost there way a little bit in the middle of the second half.

“If that’s how people feel at the time, then I guess that (booing) is how they express it,” Hickey told reporters.

“In someways it’s good to see some passion amongst the crowd, particularly when you come from South Africa and you see the amount of involvement the crowd has in the game and the passion for the game over there.

“Sometimes Sydney can seem a little bit quiet and subdued.”

Hickey said NSW had addressed their failings at kick-offs, which had thwarted their intention to keep the Sharks under pressure.

“We’ve addressed some of those issues during the week and will have a strong attacking approach on Friday night.”

Hickey said their was an unspoken determination among the Waratahs to put in a strong performance to honour Waugh’s record 119th appearance for NSW.

“You know that every time he takes the part your going to get 100 per cent commitment from him and as a leader he leads by example by what he does,” Hickey said.

“He’s got the respect of the whole team.”

Waugh 30, eclipse’s the state record of 118 caps set by previous captain and former team mate Chris Whitaker, who gave in a congratulatory phone call from Ireland, where he is manager of European Cup Champion Leinster

Waugh, who is contracted to NSW until the end of next year, said he hadn’t thought about whether he would follow Whitaker’s example and finish his career overseas.

“I hadn’t thought that fare ahead, I’am still a young pup,” Waugh joked.

“I still really enjoy the place, I get a real buzz out of running around with these guys.”

The Waratahs announced a third backline re-signing this week after five-eighth Daniel Halangahu inked a two-year deal on Thursday.

Other Super 14 teams, particularly new franchise Melbourne, were believed interested in Halangahu, who has joined fellow backs Berrick Barnes and Tom Carter in resigning with NSW.

He welcomed the chance to renew an old rivalry with former All Blacks five-eighth Carlos Spencer, who returns to the Lions side after recovering from a pectoral muscle injury.

He seemed sympathetic to referee Paul Marks, who was dropped from the Super panel after a game, in which he didn’t award a late potential match winning try to the Sharks after ruling NSW replacement Kurtley Beale had deliberately knocked on.

“Those guys that made the decision (to drop Marks) obviously don’t know Kurtley very well, because his motion was going up, because he’s always going to go for the intercept,” Waugh said.

FRIDAY

CHIEFS (2nd, 15) v CRUSADERS (5th, 14) at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 5.35pm

Last meeting: Crusaders 19 bt Chiefs 13 at Christchurch

The all-NZ affair looms as the match of the round, especially with the Chiefs smarting from their upset loss to Queensland last weekend when they let go a 15-0 lead. They have lock Craig Clarke back to bolster their weakened tight-five in a boost while hooker Aled de Malmanche is back in the starting side. The Crusaders, 33-20 winners over the Blues, have promoted Isaac Ross to their second row but have lost in-form halfback Andy Ellis due to a head knock. The Chiefs will have to do without star No.8 Sione Lauaki for some time after he was charged over a bar assault.

Sports Alive: Chiefs $2.27, Crusaders $1.64

Tip: Crusaders by 8

NSW WARATAHS (10th, 9) v LIONS (13th, 2) at Sydney Football Stadium at 7.40pm

Last meeting: Waratahs 38 bt Lions 33 at Johannesburg

The Waratahs should make short work of the battling, winless Lions but a mere victory won’t be enough in the fans eyes. NSW are on the nose with many of their supporters following an ugly and lucky 25-21 win over the Sharks. Skipper Phil Waugh becomes the most-capped Waratah, eclipsing Chris Whitaker, in his 119th match and coach Chris Hickey is hoping for a performance that lives up to the occasion. The Lions have former All Black Carlos Spencer back calling the shots. They were rugged in the 23-14 loss to the Brumbies but have been unable to put both attack and defence together this season.

Sports Alive: Waratahs $1.09, Lions $7.50

Tip: Waratahs by 11

SATURDAY

BRUMBIES (6th, 12pts) v SHARKS (12th, 3pts) at Canberra Stadium at 7.40pm

Last meeting: Sharks 35 bt Brumbies 14 at Durban

Three wins from four matches means the Brumbies are the clear-cut pacesetters for Australian teams. But the lack of bonus points for scoring tries has shown that they are still well off their best. Combinations are still being struck with Matt Giteau yet to fully overcome a quad injury. For the fourth straight week coach Andy Friend has named the same 22, showing fortune is on their side with a lack of injuries. Fortune is something that has by-passed the poor old Sharks who are still stewing over Kurtley Beale’s “intercept” last weekend in Sydney. The Durban franchise remain without a win but have a quality side with plenty of Springboks, especially up front.

Sports Alive: Brumbies $1.25, Sharks $4

Tip: Brumbies by 5

SUNDAY

BULLS (1st, 15) v HIGHLANDERS (11th, 5) at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 2.05am

Last meeting: Highlanders 36 bt Bulls 12 at Palmerston North

The chances of the Highlanders reproducing last season’s massive upset over the Bulls look virtually non-existent. Not only are they without inspirational skipper Jimmy Cowan but the Otago-based franchise has also suspended leading lights Adam Thomson and Michael Hobbs for breaching team rules. The unbeaten Bulls will be well rested after their bye and looking to continue their ruthless form at home. They have recalled long-striding No.8 Pierre Spies from injury and also promoted blond flanker Dewald Potgieter. It looms as an opportunity for another major points haul for Morne Steyn.

Sports Alive: Bulls $1.05, Highlanders $11

Tip: Bulls by 31

STORMERS (3rd, 14) v HURRICANES (4th, 14) at Newlands, Cape Town at 4.10am

Last meeting: Hurricanes 34 bt Stormers 11 at Wellington

The Stormers pack was highly impressive in overpowering the Highlanders for a 33-0 whitewash last week. Hooker Tiaan Liebenberg still gets the chance to return from injury with Deon Fourie making way. Colin Cooper has made five changes to the Hurricanes line-up which slipped up against the Cheetahs with All Blacks centre Conrad Smith the most influential selection. Tamati Ellison, Willie Ripia, Jacob Ellison and Scott Waldrom are also back in a more experienced line-up but their defence will have to improve and play a smarter game. Being back at sea level will help the Kiwis.

Sports Alive: Stormers $1.48, Hurricanes $2.65

Tip: Stormers by 3

QUEENSLAND REDS (7th, 10) v WESTERN FORCE (14th, 0) at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 5.30pm

Last meeting: Western Force 39 bt Queensland Reds 7 at Perth

Neither team has been unveiled as yet with both Ewen McKenzie and John Mitchell keeping their cards close to their chests for the rare Sunday encounter. The resurgent Reds are likely to be bolstered by the returns of Test backs Digby Ioane and Peter Hynes while the Force will have Kiwi five-eighth David Hill calling the shots for the first time. James O’Connor will continue to kick goals but it’s unclear whether he’ll play inside centre or fullback. The Force’s bye came at the right time to give their injury-depleted squad a chance to regroup. The Reds are desperate for back-to-back victories but must end a five-match drought against rival Australian teams dating back to 2008.

Sports Alive: Reds $1.28, Force $3.70

Tip: Reds by 9

Bye: Cheetahs, Blues.

Wallabies backs Hynes, set to return to the Reds backline with Digby Ioane for Sunday’s home clash with the Western Force, and Cooper aren’t expected to be in a position to settle their futures until the end of the Super 14.

With restrictions preventing expansion franchise Melbourne Rebels signing Australian-based players to be lifted on Monday, Queensland is again the province most vulnerable to be raided with two-dozen players coming off contract.

But unlike 2005, when pillaged by the Western Force, the mood is far better at Ballymore with the Reds enjoying an uplifting start to the season with upsets of the Crusaders and Chiefs and narrow losses to NSW and the Blues.

In-form playmaker Cooper is keen to repay the faith shown by Queensland, who stuck by him over his burglary charge, but can’t officially re-sign until cleared by the Australian Rugby Union.

The ARU are also the major negotiators in three-way contract talks with both the five-eighth and Test winger Hynes, a major target of the Rebels, who is disappointed by a lack of action by the national body.

“It doesn’t make it easy but this contracting process isn’t easy,” Reds coach Ewen McKenzie said of hopes for a possible domino effect.

While the signatures of Cooper and Hynes would encourage other off-contract players to remain, Higginbotham said they see a bright future and want to stay anyway.

The in-form No.8-flanker also knows impressive young leaders Will Genia and James Horwill and strike weapon Ioane are among those locked in for 2011.

“Besides the big names there’s still a lot of up-and-coming guys like Ben Daley, Laurie Weeks and Jake Schatz who I’m sure want to stay in Queensland as much as I do so all that’s got to be taken into consideration as well,” the 23-year-old said.

“I’ve come through in leaps and bounds with Damien Marsh as our strength coach and Ewen being out head coach.

“I love playing for Queensland and would love to stay in Queensland.”

In a mild surprise, Ioane is poised to return from a knee injury in his Wallabies position at outside centre, possibly at the expense of an unlucky Morgan Turinui.

Both he and fullback Hynes (finger) have trained strongly after missing the 23-18 win over the Chiefs which has given Queensland the chance for a first back-to-back win in four years when they play the Force at Suncorp Stadium.

“We come away with a win this week and then it’s on to South Africa for three weeks and we aim to do well,” Higginbotham said.

“I have no doubt that we can push for finals this year.”

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The Bulldogs (1954) and St Kilda (1966) only have one flag apiece.

Regardless of who wins the September 25 grand final, however, the weeks immediately after the season will have a much more profound impact on the game.

The Gold Coast are coming and the arrival of the 17th team will be the start of a major two-year shift in the AFL’s philosophy and operation.

Even for a game that has relentlessly broadened its power over the last 25 years, 2011 and 2012 will feature sweeping changes.

A few days after this year’s grand final, the Gold Coast will have confirmed which uncontracted players they have lured from the other clubs.

Then comes the national draft, when they will have six of the first 10 picks, including the top three.

It will not be a good time for a current team to be rebuilding.

In 2012, the Greater Western Sydney team are also scheduled to join the league, meaning more wholesale recruiting and drafting concessions.

At the end of 2012, the AFL will introduce free agency – a radical addition to the draft and trade structure that has underpinned the league since the mid-1980s.

Also, at some point this year, the league will finalise their next broadcast rights agreement to start in 2012.

The current deal is worth $780 million and the new agreement should fetch around $1 billion.

Predictably, these coming developments are already having their effects.

Geelong fans are fretting over whether Gary Ablett or Joel Selwood will go to the Gold Coast, who could have already gained commitments from some players they will sign later this year.

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has voiced strong opposition to free agency and Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse has warned its introduction will have profound effects on the league.

In the meantime, Malthouse and his Magpies have gained some added firepower as they try to win their first premiership in two decades.

Collingwood, the Bulldogs and Brisbane – all top-six finishers last year – have recruited big names in an effort to bridge the gap to premiers Geelong and runners-up St Kilda.

Luke Ball and Darren Jolly are now at the Magpies, the Bulldogs have Barry Hall at full-forward and controversial spearhead Brendan Fevola has moved to the Lions.

The Saints had the off-season from hell, first trading for Andrew Lovett and then losing Ball through the draft.

Recruiting Lovett has become the worst trade in the game’s history – he was sacked without playing a game and is facing a rape charge.

St Kilda were due to meet with Lovett on March 12 as the player seeks compensation from the club for his dismissal.

The game’s governors have had reason to wince a few times over the summer in terms of player misbehaviour.

Lovett is among four players who have cases still before criminal courts, along with Richmond newcomer Troy Taylor (alleged assault), Essendon rising star Michael Hurley (assault) and Geelong premiership forward Mathew Stokes (alleged cocaine trafficking and possession).

In Stokes’ case, if the trafficking charge is proved he could face a lifetime AFL suspension.

Fevola continues to attract controversy, with the Coleman Medallist leaving Carlton in the wake of his drunken antics at last September’s Brownlow Medal.

Now he is accused of circulating a nude photo of his former lover Lara Bingle.

The scandal has been front-page news and has put a massive strain on Bingle’s engagement to Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke.

Fevola’s departure from Carlton has not stopped the drink-related troubles there – three players were suspended in the wake of the team’s notorious pre-Christmas “booze cruise”.

On-field, Geelong remain the team to beat despite an indifferent pre-season.

The Saints have made the NAB Cup final in an early sign the Ball-Lovett disaster will not dramatically hurt their premiership potential.

Fellow NAB Cup finalists the `Dogs have also impressed in the pre-season, with Hall prominent, and another 2009 preliminary finalist Collingwood will push again for the top four.

Hawthorn are expected to rebound strongly from last year’s disappointment, but injuries are again hurting the 2008 premiers and they might struggle in the opening month of the home-and-away season.

But for all the uncertainty of the season ahead, one thing is clear – after this year, the AFL starts transforming into a much different league.

Without a premiership in 24 years, the Eels have been installed as premiership favourites ahead of their season-opener against St George Illawarra on Friday night.

But Cayless has warned the blue and gold army not to get carried away just yet, having fallen victim to false downs before.

He saw it in 2002 when the Eels, shock losers in the 2001 grand final to an Andrew Johns-inspired Newcastle, were tipped to use the experience of defeat to go one better.

They were subsequently bundled out in the first week of the playoffs.

Then, after narrowly going down to premiers Melbourne in the 2007 finals, 2008 was again supposed to be the year of the Eel.

They would finish 11th.

Now, on the back of a splendid second half of the season in which they were again pipped at the final hurdle, the popular pick is that the Eels will go one better – particularly with new recruits Timana Tahu and Justin Poore on board.

“We’ve been through some periods where we’ve had a lot of expectation on us at the start of the season and some seasons we haven’t handled that particularly well,” Cayless admitted.

“There has been a lot of media and a lot of hype about our team.”

The Eels get their chance to show what they’ve got against the Dragons at what is sure to be a heaving Parramatta Stadium, the Dragons themselves not immune to seasons of unfulfilled potential.

Under the guidance of veteran coach Wayne Bennett, the Dragons picked up the first minor premiership in the joint-venture’s short history, but then became the first minor premiers to be bundled out in straight sets in the finals.

“They’re (the Dragons) a great team, and a bit like us, they’ve got a lot to prove as well,” star fullback Jarryd Hayne said.

“They had a disappointing end to their season, so they’re going to be just as hungry as we are.”

Unlike the Eels, the Dragons aren’t on the top line of betting when it comes to this year’s premiership, but backrower Dean Young said pre-season predictions mattered little.

“That’s the way we like it,” Young said of predictions the Dragons would finish in the lower half of the top eight.

“It doesn’t really matter does it. We found out the hard way last year it’s what you do in September (that counts).”

Bennett made a habit of getting things done in September in his 21 years at Brisbane, but the Broncos’ 18-year streak of finals football has never looked in more danger of ending than it does heading into Friday night’s northern derby against North Queensland.

A lot will rest on the shoulders of skipper Darren Lockyer, not only against the Cowboys but throughout the season, but the veteran five-eighth believes his baby Broncos are capable of surprising.

“I think everyone at the moment has good self believe as an individual and a team because they’ve worked so hard in the off season,” Lockyer said.

“I don’t want to predict too much but I think we’re a good chance of surprising a few people.”

Verbeek is widely expected to leave the Australian national team to take up a club role after the June-July event in South Africa.

But he refused to outline his plans on Thursday as he sat alongside Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley at a launch for the Socceroos’ May 24 friendly against New Zealand at the MCG.

“We have to make a final decision, I think we should leave it until then,” Verbeek said.

“Everything you read or hear is just speculation and the only people who know what’s going on are the two people sitting here.”

An announcement was expected soon.

“I like Ben and we like to have a cup of coffee together but to do that for the upcoming three months is a little bit overdone,” he said.

“We’re going to make a final decision sooner, as soon as possible.

“Not in the next 48 hours, like I’ve read.”

If he is leaving, the clash with fellow World Cup qualifier NZ at the MCG will be both a send-off for the Socceroos and All Whites and Verbeek’s last match in charge on Australian soil.

The Dutchman, whose two-year stint guiding the Socceroos to the World Cup and Asian Cup has earned him a reputation for producing results but not necessarily spectacles, said there would be a focus on entertaining.

With the match coming 20 days before Australia’s Cup campaign kicks off against Germany, Verbeek said it would be more about farewelling fans and auditioning fringe team members than a full dress rehearsal.

“In the end it’s a pre-match, it’s not the World Cup itself, the World Cup is most important,” he said.

“So we want to use this game to again entertain fans and try to win of course and we’re going to use it as a very good training session to prepare ourselves for the World Cup.”

It could be crucial for those trying to push into the starting side.

“I’m sure my players, our players, love to play against New Zealand and see it as a great opportunity to play themselves into the final 11 for the World Cup,” Verbeek said.

NZ coach Ricki Herbert also said the encounter would be more about providing an entertaining send-off than a World Cup dry run.

But he said any sporting contest between the two nations was something either side would hate to lose and he expected many Kiwi fans to attend.

“Australia’s ranked very highly on the FIFA charts now, so it’s certainly going to be a big challenge and a measurable one for us given the teams that we face at the World Cup as well.”

Meanwhile, Socceroos regular and Gold Coast star Jason Culina said he expected to make an announcement early next week about his club future in the lead-up to the World Cup.

While Sydney are aiming to bounce back from their narrow loss to rivals Melbourne in the two-legged major semi-final, the Phoenix go into the grand final qualifier soaring with confidence.

The New Zealand-based club is unbeaten in its past five matches and roared to a 3-1 extra-time win over Newcastle in last weekend’s elimination semi-final in Wellington.

And Lavicka confesses he’s got a job to do to make sure his troops don’t dwell too much on their 4-3 aggregate defeat to the Victory last Sunday when they host the flying Phoenix.

“Now we are a little bit mentally maybe down after the game against Melbourne, they are up, more confident than us but we’re playing a home game,” Lavicka told reporters on Thursday.

“Mentally takes a bit more time but, as I said, we had a talk yesterday and this morning with the players individually and I see in the players that they still have a clear intention and big desire to qualify for the grand final.

“We lost the chance to play the grand final at home last game against Melbourne but we’re still hoping to play the grand final.

“We know that Wellington Phoenix is playing very well this last part of the season and we expect a very tough game.”

At least Lavicka doesn’t have far to turn to look for his mental edge when it comes to Sydney playing Wellington.

The Sky Blues won all three of the teams’ clashes this season, scoring six goals to Wellington’s one across those matches.

And Sydney forward Alex Brosque, whose pace devastated the Phoenix in a 3-1 victory at the Sydney Football Stadium in November, believes for all their opponent’s bluster it is the hosts’ who hold the edge because of those results.

“We’re very confident,” Brosque said.

“We’ve had losses and bounced back in the past. You can look at a whole range of different things.

“We could be vulnerable, we could be also very confident because we’ve beaten them three times this year.

“Even though they’re saying it’s a one-off game and anything can happen – I think that’s definitely the case – but psychologically in the back of their minds they know they haven’t been able to beat us this year.

“In front of our home fans we’re very confident that we can put in a good performance like we have at home all year.”

Lavicka has just one selection concern for the match with full-back Shannon Cole likely to remain sidelined with the hamstring strain which ruled him out of the game against the Victory.

Saturday’s preliminary final kicks off at 8pm at the Sydney Football Stadium.

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The Dragons will go head to head with the team which derailed their finals campaign last year in a mouth-watering entry into the 2010 season at Parramatta Stadium, and Young says the red and whites need to turn up with a few more tricks up their sleeve.

After running in points at will at times during the regular season, St George Illawarra’s lack of attacking variety was shown up in the finals when they managed just four tries in going down to the Eels and then Brisbane.

“We can’t think we can go out and do what we did last year, that’s just not going to work,” Young said after the team’s final training run on Thursday.

“Every side’s going to be better so we’re going to have to be better.

“(Coach Wayne Bennett) said the other day we didn’t buy too many big names but he sees a lot of improvement in all the players that are here.”

Indeed Bennett had pointed to the fact skipper Ben Hornby had benefited from a full pre-season training alongside five-eighth Jamie Soward, but a lot of that work could go down the drain with Hornby in doubt to face the Eels due to an infected wisdom tooth.

Hornby was sent home from training and put on a course of antibiotics on Thursday without taking any part in the session, his potential loss compounding the late scratching of Matt Cooper, who aggravated a hamstring strain.

While Young said he was still confident of being led out by Hornby at Parramatta Stadium, he said all would not be lost if the side’s No.1 playmaker was a late withdrawal with hooker Nathan Fien slated to take over at halfback.

“He’s (Fien) the New Zealand halfback so he’s pretty comfortable in that position, and Luke Priddis is a pretty handy hooker if we’re in that spot,” Young said.

“But Ben Hornby’s a pretty tough character, I’m sure he’ll be right to go.”

Young said the side had not revisited last year’s 25-12 qualifying final loss to Parramatta, despite the fact the Dragons had been tactically brought undone by rampant Eels.

“We haven’t done any video actually – we don’t do much video,” Young said.

“We know if we execute the plays that we’ve got in place it’ll work – we’re not too worried about what Parramatta are going to do, we’re just worried about ourselves.

“That’s the way Wayne likes it.”

Versatile prop Matt Prior is expected to shift into the centres to replace Cooper with Nick Emmett to come onto the bench and Dan Hunt into the starting pack.

Judging by a sickening training collision which has teenage sensation Daniel Rich unlikely to play Hawthorn on Friday, it’s more than a mere catchphrase.

A dazed Rich required 22 stitches after clashing heads with full-back Daniel Merrett in a marking mishap at training base Coorparoo late Wednesday.

The 2009 Rising Star award-winner remains in the Lions’ 29-man squad to confront the Hawks at Southport’s Fankhauser Reserve but is expected to be among the first to be trimmed on match day.

“It was a nasty head knock they had,” midfield star Simon Black said. “Richy came off the worse for wear of the two guys. The eye has blown up today and we’re not sure if he’ll play tomorrow.”

Merrett was a little dazed but escaped with just a small cut.

While he was the unsuspecting victim after a teammate called his name to contest a ball meant for Merrett, Rich showed the raw commitment the Lions want after a pre-season which has brought six new signings, including Brendan Fevola, and plenty of expectation.

“It’s all about actions now,” Luke Power said at Thursday’s launch of the club’s new white clash strip.

“We’ve used the words and it’s about going out there and showing we’re a good side instead of saying we’re going to be a good side.

“So we’ve spoken about letting our actions speak louder than our words.”

Like fellow vice-captain Black, Power will suit up in the new jersey for his first match of the pre-season against Hawthorn after overcoming a groin problem.

Fevola and Jonathan Brown will have their second hit-out together in a virtual full-strength outfit that also includes new recruits Brent Staker, Matt Maguire, Andrew Raines and Amon Buchanan.

With the Hawks missing half a dozen of their leading players, the Lions are looking to end their trial drought following losses in the wet to the Western Bulldogs and Carlton.

“While people say (pre-season wins) are not that important, if you win you are usually executing what you have been training all season to do,” Power said.

“Round one is still the aim but it would be nice to go out there and win a game.

“The Hawks are always a quality side and are well coached and they’ve got a number of players who are match-winners so it’s going to be a great challenge.”

Lions discard Rhan Hooper is set to play against his old club and Hawks assistant coach Ross Smith said the exciting small forward was well and truly in the frame for their season-opener against Geelong.

“I am not not sure what his issues were at Brisbane, but he is doing well at the club and is enjoying his time in Melbourne,” Smith said.

“He is reaping the benefits at the moment and training well.”

Smith predicted a tough afternoon for his defenders.

“Browny is a premier player in the competition and Fev has kicked a ton of goals a couple of times so it is going to be a pretty formidable combination,” he said.

They are hopeful that both kinds will clear during Friday’s afternoon practice match against Carlton in Melbourne, as the coaching staff seek dry conditions in which to gauge their game plan for 2010.

The progression of the AFL from a rough and tumble affair on muddy suburban ovals to a precise tactical science has never been more painfully demonstrated than by the repeated complaints of Crows coach Neil Craig and his assistants that they will be unable to assess their ball movement until they get a dry day.

A torrential downpour in Alice Springs against Collingwood was followed by wind and intermittent rain against Melbourne at Elizabeth Oval, meaning the club’s eyes will be on the weather forecast for Friday – so far all is set fair.

“Hopefully we’ll get some dry conditions, which would be great, we’ve lacked any dry conditions to have a look at our ball movement and the way we want to play the game of footy,” said defensive coach Ben Hart on Thursday.

“First and foremost for us (we want to see) the competitive nature, games are coming up for four points so that’s got to be high on the agenda, and then it is just working on things we’ve done over pre-season so our ball movement and what we want to do when we win the ball in certain areas.

“We need to see it because a lot of the games through the year you do get dry conditions, and we probably often have said we never get the opportunity to test ourselves in wet conditions, but we’ve had a few of those.

“Counting our round one pre-season cup (game), our attitude wasn’t right so we didn’t really see what we were after, and the next two games have been pretty wet and slippery, so now is the chance to have a look at our ball movement.

“All teams are doing it, the way they move the ball against zones, man-on-man etc. So we need to test ourselves on that as well, so dry weather will help us.”

A surfeit of injuries has left numerous holes in the Crows’ first 22 ahead of round one, but there have been good signs for midfielder Nathan van Berlo, who will play half an SANFL practice match for South Adelaide on the weekend as he fights his way back from a nagging back problem.

Bernie Vince is also regaining his touch at a decent rate, and should play an SANFL match in the gap week between the end of the pre-season cup and the first round of the home and away season.

As we battle severe bouts of post-Winter Olympics depression, one thing has become apparent: It’s time the five ring circus did away with the insulting extravagance and nationalistic bombast that is the opening ceremony.

Does the third world really need to see hour after hour of Bollywood gone bad, as the host nation squanders millions in an attempt to prove their cultural superiority?

Sure, when Moscow met Cecil B. DeMille, there was a definite ‘wow’ factor – but as per the latter Star Wars trilogy, bigger ain’t necessarily better, nor does sensory overload equate to unforgettable brilliance or poignancy. Staying awake is half the battle, try unravelling the supposedly deep and meaningful messages amid the pyrotechnics, special effects and perplexingly costumed cast of thousands. And don’t get me started on the turgid dirges that pass for the bespoke official song

Beijing’s opening ceremony was estimated at $300m, out of a total event budget of $40b. Ironically, it was a Chinese apprentice carpenter living in Australia (John Ian Wing) who suggested before the 1956 Melbourne Olympiad that as a symbol of world unity, the athletes parade together at the closing ceremony (rather than by country). Maybe it’s time for another similar gesture. A production more Clint Eastwood, less James Cameron.

We don’t need the athletes to all hold hands and sing Kumbaya, but why not strip back the Summer Games’ opening to the meaningful formalities; the lighting of the torch, raising of the Olympic flag, the obligatory national anthem and a speech or two? Then, let the Games begin with the men’s and/or the women’s marathons, and launch into the track and field program as the crowd awaits the runners big re-entry into the stadium for the finish of the Olympics’ most revered event.

It will take a brave host nation though, to cast egos aside and embrace some perspective. But unlike the modern extravaganzas of our time, it would be memorable and unique, and both the Olympics and the world all the better for it.

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Bartholomeusz suffered a neck injury on the eve of the season but returned for the Force’s loss to the Chiefs in round three.

But the 32-year-old, who notched 68 caps for the Brumbies before spending five seasons in Europe, pulled up sore from that game and failed to train on Thursday.

However, the likely loss of Bartholomeusz will be offset by the inclusion of former All Black David Hill, who was lured to the Force as a replacement for injured five-eighth Andre Pretorius.

Hill will slot into the No.10 jersey against the Reds, freeing up James O’Connor to play at either fullback or inside centre after the 19-year-old was thrust into the key playmaker’s role against the Chiefs.

Scrumhalf Brett Sheehan and flanker Matt Hodgson were others to pull up sore from the loss to the Chiefs but both returned to full training on Thursday and are almost certain starters against the Reds.

Queensland pair Digby Ioane (knee) and Peter Hynes (finger) are expected to return to a Reds line-up buoyed by last week’s 23-18 come-from-behind win over the Chiefs in Hamilton.

The victory lifted Queensland to seventh on the table, while the Force remain dead last with not a single point to show from three games, two of which have been at home.

“There are a few teams that will be suited to the new interpretations and I think certainly the Queensland Reds have adapted really well to them,” Force captain Nathan Sharpe said.

“It suits the style of game they play. They’ve been doing a good job of playing attractive rugby.”

Sharpe said Hill, who came off the bench against Ireland in 2006 to notch his only Test cap, had slotted in well to the Force’s set-up.

“It’s hard to understand him, he’s got the thick accent but he’s going really well,” Sharpe said.

“He got here the day before the Chiefs game so the guys have had plenty of time to get to know him.

“You can see the professionalism which he goes about his job.

“He’s slotted straight into the team and understands the way we want to go about playing the game.

“I played against him quite a bit in the Super 12 before he went overseas.

“He’s a big, solid guy and very good in defence.

“He likes to take the ball to the line. He’s got a very good kicking game as well.”

Sharpe said the team was desperate to notch their first win of the season after losses to the Brumbies, Hurricanes and Chiefs.

“No one wants to be 0-3 … so it’s a very important game for us,” he said.

“But aside from where we are on the points table it’s about us getting results for the hard work we’ve put in.”

Bird’s renowned aggression and intimidation combined with his ability to take on the line with his added size from five-eighth have some pundits predicting the Titans will go all the way in 2010.

“I’ve played outside him in a couple of trials and he’s brutal on the field,” said Rogers on Thursday.

“He’s pretty vicious, he gets right in, it certainly lifts me standing next to him and the players around him.”

Prince, who playfully suggested he would still call the shots, said he and Bird still had a lot of improvement to make before they got it right.

But he said the addition of the controversial former Cronulla utility and Test player provided the team with a number of different points of attack this season.

“We’ve gone OK in a couple of trials so we’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

“He’s a big bugger and it takes a few blokes to pull him down.

“Hopefully that can open up a bit of space for guys like Presto (Preston Campbell) and Nathan Friend.

“It’s going to take him a little time to get used to the structure but I’m quite confident he can get the job done.

“The more we play together the better we’re going to be.”

Coach John Cartwright, forced to rule out prop Michael Henderson, has handed new recruits Bird, Joseph Tomane and Riley Brown their debuts against the Warriors.

Cartwright described Prince and Bird, who have had one and a half trial games together, as a “work in progress”.

“They’re both naturally gifted footballers who can play to a structure or play what they see,” said Cartwright.

“It’s just going to take time.

“They’re going to get better and better the more they play.

“He (Bird) is a good guy, he’s very popular with his teammates.

“He’s been nothing but positive for us.”

The loss of Karmichael Hunt to AFL was a shock and Hunt will be missed dearly by all, including Peter Wallace and Darren Lockyear.

Hunt offered an extra option and was a quick young talent well deserved of the title “youngest player in history to have played 100 first grade games.”

As well as Hunt the Broncos have also had to cope with the unexpected exit of their talented centre and fullback Justin Hodges.

Hodges was expected to help fill the gap of Hunt but after an unfortunate pre-season he ruptured his achilles heel, it could be months before he takes the field again.

With both of these players out, coach Ivan Henjak assures fans and NRL critics that the Brisbane Broncos will not display the effects of their loss come this Friday night. Henjak’s young pack have alot to prove but could prove to be a force to be reconciled with.

If Henjak’s faith in debutant Corey Norman is anything to go by, the Brisbane Broncos can be confident at gaining a place in the top eight and a well deserved chance at the premiership in 2010.

The return of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher has the Formula One world hoping for great racing between he and the three other world champions in the field: Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

With the 2010 season finally here, it’s time to take a look at what will really be firing up the fans.

Races

The Formula 1 circus travels to 19 races far and wide this year for just the second time. The season kicks off in Bahrain instead of Australia this year, whilst tracks returning to the series include Montreal, which will delight the hundred or so F1 fans in North America, and Hockenheim in Germany comes back while the fabulous Nurburgring has the year off.

The Korean GP is a brand new Grand Prix circuit coming on board, but looks to be another ‘Tilkedrome’ with a counter clockwise circuit in two halves – one straights, one vaguely inspiring corners with a few hairpins that offer some chance of overtaking. It should be no surprise that the track is on a marina too, like Monaco, and now Valencia, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and the Korean ‘Yeongam’ circuit.

Circuits hanging in there include Malaysia, which last year was a complete disaster with monsoon rains, and Istanbul, which attracts little interest from the Turkish public and must be making a huge loss.

Drivers

The biggest story amongst the drivers in 2010 is the return of the Schu. The prodigal son Michael Schumacher returns, although perhaps as more of a grandfather than a son. Statistically the greatest driver in Formula 1 history is back on a three-year contract as a 41 year-old who hasn’t raced since 2006. Importantly, he is racing for the new Mercedes team rather than his old team of Ferrari. It will be fascinating to see just how well he will go. Mark Webber summed up most peoples thoughts this week: “It will be a bloody hard season for Schumacher.”

Elsewhere, the two most recent world champion drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are in the McLaren team, giving the Brits plenty to cheer for. The other big move of note is Fernando Alonso’s move to Ferrari from Renault to join Felipe Massa who is delighted to be back from the serious spring-to-the-head-at-180kms injury at last year’s Hungarian GP.

A host of new drivers also line up for new teams, including exciting talents Kamui Kobayashi and Nick Hulkenberg. Australian Mark Webber continues for Red Bull alongside his talented teammate Sebastian Vettel, looking to keep him very honest. In another boon for the Aussie’s, West Australian Daniel Ricciardo lines up as the reserve driver for Red Bull Racing following his impressive performance in F1 testing, and his performance in Formula Three in ‘09. Ricciardo may well find himself starting on the grid mid-year should the young line up in the sister Red Bull team Toro Rosso fail to impress.

Teams

New teams looking for glory, old teams hoping for a return to glory and the midfield hoping to win enough races to pay the bills. There is a likely top four teams, and a likely bottom three teams.

The factory Mercedes team returns, scrubbing the Brawn name from the team that won the Constructor’s championship in 2009. With more money to spend on development, Ross Brawn at the helm, and Schumacher driving, the team will have a big chance of success.

Ferrari will be hoping for a better season with a rare fall from grace last year.

McLaren have the two most recent championship winning drivers plus a controversial trick rear-wing that gives them a speed boost. If the stewards deem it legal, it will be copied by the other teams in record time but McLaren may have an edge at least at the start of the season.

Red Bull is the other real chance, with the aero-whiz Adrian Newey designed car from last year being copied by all and sundry. Red Bull will be hoping he has a new bag of tricks in store for this year. These four teams are the likely front-runners, with midfielders Renault, Williams, Toro Rosso and Force India chasing for an upset podium or two.

Newcomers include a return to F1 for the green and yellow livery of historic Lotus, and Sauber who are the old BMW team. Richard Branson’s Virgin GP are also on board and look to be the most likely to move upwards during the season. USF1 fell in a heap and won’t make it, whilst Hispania Racing have made it to the grid, but in a car that hasn’t yet seen the track. A brave move. The learning curve is likely to be vertical for the newcomers.

Whilst Sauber is powered by a Ferrari engine, the new teams are powered by Cosworth engines which make a return to F1 and are an unknown quantity at this stage.

Rules

The biggest rule change this year is the ban on refuelling, meaning no pitstops for fuel. The field will revert to traditional Grand Prix racing with cars starting around 160kg heavier than they will be at the end once the fuel burns off. Whilst the refuelling ban has its critics, I’m all in favour of better qualifying, better racing, better comparisons between drivers, and real overtaking on the track.

Pit stops will now be for tyres only, and pit crews are expected to be able to change the tyres in three seconds or less. There are also less tyre sets available over a GP weekend, meaning we will see teams try to conserve tyres.
The points system has been changed too, with more points on offer for the winner of a Grand Prix in an effort to encourage drivers to go for the win rather than settling for a points paying result. There are more generous points on offer lower down the order too to encourage the midfield teams.

The other major change is that the kinetic recovery system or KERS will not be used by teams this year, meaning no more speed boosts for teams who have it on board.

It’s set to be a big year. The cars will hit the track for the first Grand Prix practice session at 6pm AEST time with the race run 11pm AEST Sunday night.

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Wellington Phoenix’s 3-1 extra time win over the Newcastle Jets puts them into the A-League preliminary final against Sydney FC this Saturday night. The winner of that game then plays Melbourne Victory the following weekend for the A-League championship.

Wellington’s amazing and very popular run into the business end of the A-League finals also creates yet another controversy for the FFA and the AFC’s Champions League, if that winning run continues.

The FFA’s A-League ‘Golden Toilet Seat’ and associated prize money is not the only thing on offer if Wellington makes it to the Grand Final. There’s also the matter of the second Australian spot in the ACL.

Sydney FC secured one of Australia’s two ACL positions when it took out the premiership plate at the end of the regular season.

But is Wellington Phoenix an Australian football club?

Geoff Lord and the Melbourne Victory management think that they’ve sown up another ACL spot already, irrespective of the result of the grand final.

According to them, Wellington is not an Australian team – even though it plays in an Australian league.
The Asian Football Confederation does not even want Wellington to play in the A-League, let alone the Asian Champions League.

However, given the politics of world football and positioning for the World Cup bid and the continued growth of football in Asia, the FFA and the AFC seem to be softening their position somewhat lately.

The AFC’s latest public statement had not expelled Wellington from the ACL, but was “reviewing their participation”.

Wellington argues it should be allowed an ACL spot and opposes any AFC opposition to its A-League status by saying it is registered as an Australian club with an Australian address, choosing to play its “home” games in New Zealand.

Of course if Wellington don’t win on Saturday night or even the A-League’s toilet seat, then the controversy will be a non-issue, but are the Victory premature in their celebrations of another lucrative ACL campaign next season?

Flores held centre stage during much of the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Shandong Luneng in China on Wednesday night, producing the kind of defence-splitting passes no-one at Adelaide has been consistently capable of providing since the Brazilian Diego was released to Wellington Phoenix in 2009.

It as one such threaded delivery that opened things up for Lucas Pantelis to provide the cross that resulted in the vital opening goal, and several others kept Shandong’s defence on a wary footing.

Having watched Flores offer a few similarly inspired touches during the team’s opening 1-0 victory over the Pohang Steelers at home, United coach Aurelio Vidmar agreed the 24-year-old had added an element pivotal to Asian success.

“He’s very good, we saw that in the first half – he’s played two or three decent balls into the front third which were quite clinical,” Vidmar said.

“He probably gave a bit too much time on the ball, but he’s that type of player who can see a lot of different pictures and if you’ve got the right players making the right runs, then we’re always going to be dangerous.

“So we’ve been pretty pleased with him, and he’ll get better.”

Flores remains some way short of full match fitness, leaving the tantalising prospect of better to come.

“He’s probably not as match-hardened as he should be, but with a few more games he should be fine,” said Vidmar.

“Probably after another two or three weeks he should be able to finish off 90 minutes.

“He was a little bit closer against Shandong, but it was a really quick tempo, so he was always going to struggle a little bit physically towards the end of the game, but we understand that and he’ll get better.”

There was no better indicator of how carefully United had prepared for the ACL than the Scott Jamieson corner that set-up the second goal.

Aware of Shandong’s tendency to man-mark at corners, the Reds created space at the back post, allowing Matthew Leckie to use his pace and power for a surging run to nod in the flat delivery of Jamieson’s left boot.

“We’ve been working on it for a long time, and we said that we’d had a good look at what (Shandong) did against corners,” Vidmar said.

“We knew they were man-marking quite a bit so we really focused on making sure the execution of the pass was good and also our movement was good and that certainly paid dividends with the second goal.”

Adelaide now sit three points clear atop their ACL group, and next face the Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home on March 24.

We had Parramatta try and move their game to ANZ, which could have attracted upwards of 40,000. But sadly this was denied.

We saw in the preliminary final last year that Sydney folk will turn out for a big match, and there is no doubt in my mind if we have Sunday footy at ANZ involving Souths versus Roosters followed by Parramatta versus the Saints, we could have seen another 75,000 to 80,000 fans out west. What a way to start the year that could have been!

As I say, the first round of the premiership will be big, but it’s a shame it wasnt given the opportunity to be bigger.

Beckham, who was given a standing ovation when he came on as a substitute in AC Milan’s 4-0 defeat, made a point of picking up one of the green and gold scarves worn by supporters of the anti-Glazer movement and wrapping it round his neck before heading up the tunnel at the end of the game.

Green and gold were the colours of Newton Heath, the club which preceded Manchester United, and have been adopted by fans as a symbol of the club’s history and traditions, which many of them feel are under threat from the high levels of debt which the Glazers have brought to the club.

Beckham had appeared to be close to tears as every section of the crowd chanted his name following his entry with 25 minutes left, but he admitted it had not been quite the homecoming he had hoped for.

“It was a disappointing night because we lost the game but, of course, returning here was special,” he said.

“I have to say thank you (to the United fans), it was really incredible. It was nice to be back.”

Beckham almost marked his return with a spectacular goal, his sweetly-struck volley forcing Edwin van der Sar into a smart save.

“I caught it too well almost,” Beckham added. “But by that stage the game was over. Once they’d scored the first goal and then the second. They’re a good team.”

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to the phenomenal contribution of Wayne Rooney, whose two goals took his tally to four for the tie and 30 for the season.

“I think the early goal in the second half finished them off. When we play at that tempo we are very hard to beat.”

Ferguson said he could now see Rooney going on to surpass the 42 goals that Cristiano Ronaldo scored for United in the 2007-08 campaign.

“It is a challenge. I was happy to see him get to the 30 mark, but he keeps getting better.”

Ferguson also praised the contribution of Park Ji-Sung, who once again restricted the influence of Milan’s playmaker, Andrea Pirlo, as well as claiming United’s third goal with a fine finish.

“He showed sacrifice, intelligence and discipline and we needed that against Pirlo who is a very good player for them,” Ferguson said.

Milan coach Leonardo admitted United had been simply too powerful for his injury-depleted squad.

“I guess we can analyse the game in many ways, but the one thing we cannot deny is the performance of United,” the Brazilian said. “They played a truly great game.

“Conceding a goal so early made a comeback even more complicated for us.

“In the first leg we played an equal match. We lost but we dominated for some periods. Today was different. We have some problems but United is a very strong team, they can use your mistakes in the best way. They are very clinical and that is what you have to be in this competition.”

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The hurried testing of a pink ball by Cricket Australia, with a view towards scheduling floodlit Tests in coming seasons, has been described as revolutionary.

Some 32 years ago the world’s finest cricketers were employed to do much the same thing, representing Australia, the West Indies and the World in five day-night “Super Tests” under the umbrella of Kerry Packer’s establishment-busting World Series Cricket.

These matches in the 1978-79 season were played over four days with a white ball and coloured clothing, starting at 1.30pm and going on until 10.30pm.

They were played at the SCG and at Melbourne’s Waverley Park, creating unique night-time drama for spectators but throwing up a number of problematic questions that the game’s administrators remain unable to answer more than three decades later.

Tony Greig, Packer’s chief playing lieutenant and captain of the World XI, argues that lessons learned then, and revisited in sporadic experiments since, make the administrative infatuation with night Test matches a mystery.

“To be perfectly honest I don’t know what is driving it (the desire for night Test cricket),” Greig told AAP.

“Normally boards are quite conservative about things like this and it seems they’ve gone the other way.

“Normally they actually get their ducks in a row quite well and it just seems like they’re trying to rush this one and it does worry me.

“They’re holding back Twenty20 cricket and they’re trying to rush Test cricket into the night.”

Chief among the problems confronted during WSC was the ball, which would not retain its whiteness for the length of time required by the Super Tests, causing manufacturers to coat it with enough lacquer to keep it swinging and seaming almost constantly.

“We had the same problems then that we have now – we just could not keep the thing white,” said Greig. “So you ended up playing with a ball that was harder and harder and a seam that was harder and harder as well, so the thing moved around all over the place, swung all over the place.

“That ball created monstrous problems for us, and those problems, to my way of thinking, still exist.”

CA’s recent experiments have led to the apparent conclusion that pink is not the colour to be used either, leaving orange – already tried in the Sheffield Shield during the 1990s – as a further option.

Ball politics was not the only obstacle to night cricket over consecutive days.

The players’ body clocks began to react negatively to the strains of successive nocturnal exertions.

As the World team’s fastidious wicketkeeper Alan Knott wrote in his biography: “It was an odd feeling to finish play for the day at 10.30pm. I would normally have a meal round midnight, unwind by watching a late-night movie and get to bed about 2am.”

Greig recalls being unable to sleep properly for much of the summer.

“By the time you got back to the hotel at the end of the day’s play, you still feel pretty highly strung and it really takes a bit of time to wind down,” he said. “We found certainly that we weren’t sleeping very well.

“The other thing is you used to have a very late meal and then try to sleep in a bit of the morning. So it was very different and it certainly takes a toll.”

On the field, the batsmen found the going tough – only four out of 16 completed innings tallied more than 300 runs – and as Greg Chappell said, they had never felt more vulnerable.

“I felt that if ever I was going to get cleaned up, it was going to be under lights,” Chappell told Gideon Haigh in The Cricket War.

“It was that much harder to see the ball, your reaction time was that much slower.

“The ball coming toward you, being rimmed by shadow, actually seemed smaller than a normal one.”

The players’ difficulties then, as now, ran headlong into the commercial imperatives of the day.

Following the first season of the WSC venture, several tweaks were made by Packer’s marketing men to make the series more distinctively different from the officially sanctioned Ashes Tests that were to be played that summer.

One of these was to take the night formula, which had been far more successful than the day matches in season one, and spread it to the longer form of the game.

This was done in part because television executives felt Test cricket’s deliberately paced rhythms were becoming out of step with public interest, a view now seemingly shared by CA chief executive James Sutherland.

His comments about how the majority of a Test takes place outside the hours that a regular working family can happily commit to it were uttered, if a little more militantly, by Nine executive Lynton Taylor at the height of the WSC split.

“I do not know that Test cricket can be saved. I hope so but I am not convinced,” Taylor said in 1978.

“People will no longer sit through five days of a match. Those days are long gone. People don’t go to watch beautiful defensive shots or the battle of tactics anymore.”

With that attitude in mind, night Super Tests were scheduled, and Greig said the players rode the bumps in the spirit of revolution.

“In WSC we were going down a very innovative line, and initially there were very few people watching and obviously Kerry was quite keen to make sure he delivered this cricket that he had into prime time,” he said.

“During WSC, everything was a bit of an experiment.

“By comparison with where we are now, I happen to think it is totally different.

“We’ve got an established night game, or two established night games, and I think the right place for Test matches, certainly until we can perfect the ball, is during the day.”

Greig’s reticence about night Test cricket is informative, given that he is known as much if not more today as a businessman and commentator than for his allround cricketing exploits of the 1970s.

“We’ve got two limited overs forms and obviously the two limited overs forms are the ones that must be played at night, because they lend themselves to that sort of thing,” he said.

“The Test match being a five-day match, particularly during the Christmas holidays, I am comfortable and I think Australians are comfortable having the traditional game played in a fashion where you have traditional values.

“I think there’s a place for that game in cricket, because we happen to have three different formats.

“The other aspect is we’re just not ready for it, we haven’t got a ball. “Whatever they say, there is no ball.”

With St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs set to face off in the NAB Cup grand final this weekend, now is as good a time as ever to look back on their epic preliminary final contest last year.

The match to decide who went through to the grand final had everything.

When Brian Lake lined up on Nick Riewoldt, arguably the game’s best key defender lined up on the game’s best key forward.

In the end, the match-up lived up to the hype, with a controversial free kick against Lake to Riewoldt setting the scene for a massive second half, the culmination of which came in those frantic final minutes, where Riewoldt was again in the thick of it.

For those who’ve forgotten, or simply missed it, here is that heart-breaking (for Bulldog fans, at least) climax once more.

Feel free to add your own AFL-related YouTube clips in the comments.

Maxwell was initially suspended but controversially later cleared on appeal, while McGinnity was consigned to a lengthy stint on the sidelines nursing the injury.

McGinnity’s 2010 pre-season has had a much happier storyline, the nuggety utility starring in West Coast’s 39-point practice match win over Carlton last Saturday.

The 21-year-old, who made his debut in round 15 last year and went on to play seven games, more than held his own in a run-with role against Chris Judd and also provided a tough physical presence around the clinches.

Eagles coach John Worsfold said he had been impressed by McGinnity’s progress over the summer and hinted the youngster was on track to squeeze into the club’s midfield brigade for the season ahead.

“Last year we didn’t really know what he was going to be able to offer and he showed a fair bit to us,” Worsfold said.

“You would expect that another pre-season under his belt he’s developed a fair bit.

“(Midfield coach) Scott Burns has been really impressed with what he’s been doing and it’s given us some good things to look at in terms of our best midfield going forward.

“(As well as a run-with role) he’s also shown he can really work hard and find the ball.

“He’s shown us he’s going to keep developing into a good player.”

McGinnity said he had moulded his game on team-mate and fellow hard nut Beau Waters.

“Growing up I was always a massive fan of Beau and now that I’m starting to play a few games with him it’s awesome and I definitely look at his game and try to mould my own on his,” McGinnity said.

“If I’ve got to go in (hard at the ball) I’ve got to go in.

“I’m working pretty hard.

“I’m trying to take my game to the next level, I’ll see what comes.”

McGinnity said he treated the tagging role against Judd as a learning experience.

“It was a big challenge, I’m just happy the coaches had the trust in me to give me a role like that,” he said.

“I pretty much spent the game just learning from him because he’s the best in the business.

“I had fun and learnt a lot, just in terms of how hard he runs and what you have to do to be an elite midfielder of the AFL.”

The Eagles round out their pre-season with a match against Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday.

AS used the word as an accusatory single-word headline after French side Lyon dumped the big-spenders out of the tournament 2-1 on aggregate.

“A desolate reality, an unmitigated disaster, a continuing nightmare,” fulminated AS.

The pressure is now mounting amid a search for scapegoats.

“Out!”, said another sports daily, Marca, referring not so much to the club’s elimination as to what it expected to happen to coach Manuel Pellegrini, which the paper found to be primarily at fault for what it termed the biggest blow the club had suffered for 15 years.

“The Chilean (Pellegrini) once again failed on a decisive evening. He was badly wrong at Lyon (where Real lost 1-0 in the first leg) and it didn’t get better in the return. He is condemned,” said Marca.

ABC newspaper was also blunt.

“Pellegrini is on the ropes – more than 250 million euros ($A373 million) thrown in the dustbin,” said the paper, referring to the club’s summer outlay on the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka.

The club hierarchy has long thrown money at star names in the belief that ultimately such ‘galactico’ marquee names will bring success to the nine-times European champions.

But El Pais daily observed that the strategy has proved itself flawed.

“You don’t buy titles, you win them,” the paper said.

With Real ostensibly entering another vicious cycle of spend and hire, spend and fire, Pellegrini is now widely thought to be living on borrowed time, having only arrived last summer from Villarreal.

When Real last won the Champions League, in 2002, they promptly fired current Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, since then a dozen successors have tried and failed to emulate the man who won the title twice, aided by the original galactic incarnation underpinned by Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane.

What all those coaches have not been given is time.

The media pinpointed poor showings by Brazilian Kaka and Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, who hit the post when faced with an open goal.

Kaka gave way to veteran striker Raul in the closing stages and the Brazilian’s spokesman Diogo Kotscho slammed Pellegrini as a “coward” for withdrawing his man.

“A coach always designates a player to try to deflect attention from his own incompetence,” Kotscho said on Twitter.

Kaka said after the match: “I was not angry at the substitution but because of the (match) situation and because I knew I could not do anything more.”

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However, from day one of the 1st Test in Melbourne, things went downhill, and stayed that way throughout the tour.

Pakistan lost the Test series 3-0, the second with victory in sight only to be ruined by bad catching and some bizarre field placings on the final day.

Even more so was the catching poor on the New Zealand leg of their tour, where Pakistan dropped an extraordinary six catches during one of the matches.

Then Pakistan lost the two Twenty20 games, and the Commonwealth Bank one-day series 5-0, to cap off one of the worst tours in Pakistan’s long history.

But no-one could have predicted the savage backlash that greeted the team on their return to Pakistan.

The Pakistan Cricket Board appointed a board of inquiry into the dismal performance of the Pakistan team on their tour of Australia/NZ, and the results of their findings were:

- Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan were banned. Yousuf was also stripped of the captaincy.

- Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved ul-Hasan suspended for one year.

- The Akmal brothers (who were involved in a major disagreement with Pakistan team management over team selections – at one stage threatening to return to Pakistan on the first flight after the Sydney debacle) and Shadid Afridi were put on probation for six months and were also fined by the PCB.

With overseas teams refusing to tour Pakistan because of security concerns and the Pakistan team imploding both on and off the field, the International Cricket Council must be concerned about the state of cricket in Pakistan.

Pakistan is in big trouble again.