By Darren Walton
November 13th 2009 @ 2:52am
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Cocky Wallabies watched too many highlight reels
Straight-shooting prop Ben Alexander has revealed how over-indulging in replays of Australia’s Tri Nations triumph over the world champion Springboks sent the Wallabies crashing back to earth – but also on course for the coveted grand slam.
Alexander frankly conceded how too many viewings of the highlights reel from the 21-6 win in Brisbane led directly [...]
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![The response to my pre-season article on Wednesday said it all. AFL fans really aren’t that bothered by the NAB Cup, and it is an attitude brought on by clubs not necessarily wanting to win the cup.
The AFL’s annual trial rules certainly don’t help, but the differing attitude of clubs towards the NAB Cup (which [...] Ben Somerford: Who actually wants to win the NAB Cup?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bombers-magpies-anzac-chris-bryan-th.jpg)
![“Not again.” Two words I’ve muttered twice today thanks to a couple different articles. The first was in regards to a blog on The World Game from Jesse Fink. As well as being a fellow columnist on The Roar, Fink regularly gave me his time on my former SBS Radio program and is a writer [...] Davidde Corran: By pushing expansion, FFA have their priorities wrong](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/by-pushing-expansion-FFA-cullina-th.jpg)
![Australian boss Pim Verbeek yesterday named his squad for the ‘must-not-lose’ AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Indonesia in Brisbane on March 3, with the 25-man squad consisting of 21 local-based players along with four from abroad. So has he got it right?
The Socceroos‘ qualification for next year’s Asian Cup in Qatar hinges on a result [...] Ben Somerford: Has Verbeek got it right for Indonesia?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ogre-verbeek-th.jpg)
![To the outsider, it must often appear that rugby league is little more than a soap opera that just happens to contain some scenes in it where men in different coloured jerseys run around on a field.
Such is the apparent enthusiasm that many sectors of the media and fans have for the seemingly never [...] Gabriel Knowles: Are they soap stars or footy stars?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/michael-ennis-gets-one-hand-th.jpg)
![A bright vision for the future or a nightmare wanting to be avoided at all costs? That is the question over the “Double Try” innovation which awaits rugby league at the inaugural NRL and Indigenous All-Stars match on the Gold Coast in February.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that someone has either been watching way too [...] Steve Kaless: A double try or just double trouble?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/its-storm-eels-jeff-lima-th.jpg)
![Everyone seems to have an opinion on Peter Roebuck. Via his columns in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, he has become the highest profile cricket writer in the Antipodes. He was recently elevated into the next stratosphere, though, after the Test match in Sydney, becoming a bona fide identity in his own right.
Now, [...] David Wiseman: ‘Maybe I should have toned it down’, says Peter Roebuck](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/peter-roebuck.jpg)
![I’m no expert on rugby league commentary, so it’s only when I’m positive I have some good ideas that I would pop something in the suggestion box for the “voice of rugby league” and the “super coach.”
Now, I love a punt as much as the next man. But I’m finding it hard to define [...] Steve Kaless: Suggestions for the Channel Nine commentary team](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/early-points-soward-young-th.jpg)
![After attending the last two World Club Challenges in Leeds, and after seeing the Rhinos take their third consecutive title at Old Trafford on Saturday night, I’ve decided its time to start the campaign to take the fixture to the southern hemisphere.
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![To a mixed response, FFA Chairman Frank Lowy revealed this week he wants to introduce an A2-League in the “not too distant future” allowing for promotion and relegation in our top flight. And while the idea shows ambition, it’s totally premature in the Australian market.
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![The irony wasn’t lost on me. Less than a week after writing about some immediate points for resolution in the world of Test Cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made an announcement that will undoubtedly have a major impact on the future of … one-day cricket.
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![As witnessed by the Buddy Franklin saga, the AFL is doing its best to eradicate the bump from the game. Its justification is the protection of players from neck and head injuries. But how far will they go to do so?
As Andrew Demetriou told radio station 3AW: “The fact of the matter is that the [...] Adrian Musolino: Is mandatory helmet use inevitable in AFL?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/is-mandatory-helmet-th.jpg)
![The long wait ends this Friday night when AFL footy returns with the NAB Cup kicking off in Perth. But after a dramatic off-season the new campaign will offer plenty of subplots to keep everybody interested and the pre-season competition presents us with our first insights into it all.
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elle said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:04am | Report comment
The wallabies really don’t have the grounds to be cocky. Having said that, I still respect a lot of what Deans is doing with the younger players, and I really think it will pay off very soon.