By Wayne Heming
November 17th 2009 @ 2:08am
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![I know, I know. In the past I have been critical of Ricky Ponting’s leadership and of the Australian selectors’ wisdom. But their performances in the series against India on foreign soil against all odds show that Australia is a champion cricket nation.
Losing nine players through injuries, besides Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist, in [...] Kersi Meher-Homji: Hats off to Ponting’s professionals](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/ponting-only-current-player-th.jpg)
![It’s a hard life being a die-hard fan. The disappointments far outweigh the triumphs, even though any fan will tell you on the day of victory that it was all worth it. Still, it all got too much for one Hawthorn fan on Saturday night.
Perhaps with the final hopes of a Hawk dynasty disappearing [...] Paddy Higgs: Despite fan’s frustration, Mitchell’s attitude refreshing](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/despite-fan-frustration-sam-mitchell-th.jpg)
![In just about any rugby conversation you come across these days, the talk turns to kicking, particularly kicking for goal. “There are too many penalties!” the naysayers argue.
Metronome-boots like Dan Carter and Morne Steyne are apparently spoiling the spectacle. After all, we opine, rugby was meant to be a running game.
This is not entirely [...] Andrew Logan: Limit kicks at goal to just one per player](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/limit-kicking-th.jpg)
![The Fox Sports effects microphone has become a fair barometer of an A-League match’s excitement level. When you can hear the players and coaches cussing, it’s a fair indicator that the crowd isn’t really into the match. Sadly, it’s a common occurrence.
Aside from the raucous at Etihad Stadium caused by Melbourne’s passionate and large supporter [...] Adrian Musolino: Lack of atmosphere stifles A-League games](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/33-or-22-rounds-a-league-ryall-th.jpg)
![Queensland rugby going broke. Melbourne struggling to find players. The ARU hemming and hawing over requests for the Force to bring in replacements for their staggering injury toll. The Waratahs losing ugly.
And all four provinces out of the five on the Super 14 table.
It seems that there’s nothing but bad news in rugby at the [...] Andrew Logan: Winning grassroots gold at Mudgee Rugby Festival](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mudgee-rugby-th.jpg)
![After two weeks of the ANZ Championship, two Australian teams – Melbourne Vixens and the Adelaide Thunderbirds, as well as the New Zealand’s Waikato Magic – remain undefeated and the competition so far has not been disappointing.
The first two rounds have given new and long time spectators a glimpse of the the skills and [...] Natalie Medhurst: Umpires are putting the biff into netball](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/catherine-cox-forget-hype-th.jpg)
![After a grueling three week tour of Perth and South Africa, the CA Brumbies are excited to return home tonight against the Lions of South Africa. Starting the season with three away games was never going to be an easy start, so to come away with two wins from three starts puts us in a [...] Ben Hand: Brumbies return energised by South African trip](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mark-gerrard-th.jpg)
![Having footy games broadcast live on TV has been a recurring topic this week. With two of this weekend’s finals – both featuring two Victorian teams – being shown on delay in Victoria, Geelong president Frank Costa kicked it off by pushing for all finals to be screened live.
The talk continued yesterday in the Herald [...] Michael DiFabrizio: The tide is turning for live football](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/tide-turning-live-tv-football-th.jpg)
![Losing may not have been an option according to the marketers, but for much of the first half last night, Omani attacking midfielder Fawzi Basheer threatened to shift Australia’s planning post-South Africa from Qatar to Brazil.
Had Hassan Rabea taken the chance that Basheer delightfully teed up for him midway through the half, and had [...] Tony Tannous: Qatar dream alive, but much to do ahead of South Africa](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/qatar-dream-alive-kewell-th.jpg)
![The cranky Brian Moore, former England hooker, now a lawyer and an excellent rabble-rousing sports columnist for The Daily Telegraph UK, has put the boot into the assistant referee Bryce Lawrence over the Schalk Burger affair. The boot has missed its proper target.
“The man that has cost the Lions dear, in not one, but both [...] Spiro Zavos: Bryce Lawrence was right on the Schalk Burger incident](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/bryce-lawrence-schalk-burger-th.jpg)
![A week or so ago India won their Test against England with the biggest second innings run chase ever on the sub-continent. Now, on Sunday, South Africa have scored 414 to win the first Test against Australia at Perth, the highest winning second innings run chase ever recorded in Australia.
Where have all the bowlers gone?
In [...] Spiro Zavos: World cricket: where have all the bowlers gone?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/pakistan-cricket-th.jpg)
![One of the more common criticisms of the state of Australian rugby is that there’s no depth, or even that there’s not enough quality to cater for four Super rugby teams, let alone one more with the arrival of the Melbourne Rebels in 2011.
These criticisms place Australian rugby in the classic catch-22; without the four [...] Brett McKay: Four of Australia’s new breed make their mark](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/dave-dennis-waratahs-th.jpg)



