Roar Guru
Joined October 2012
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Don't let yourself down, leave that to others
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With the ICC World Cup in progress and debate raging about the format of future World Cup tournaments, there are many opinions being thrown…
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan is advocating a radical change to the AFL fixture in future years. With many teams, clubs and fans unhappy with…
Watching the Tour de France on television is a great spectacle, with exciting finishes and incredible scenery. Seeing a bunched peloton or a strung-out…
The AFL's draw faces a number of challenges, we all acknowledge that. The current format of 22 rounds is set in stone and won't…
We have all watched the recent back-to back Ashes series with great interest. Before the series in the north England were supremely confident, having…
It sounds absurd to leave Australia's best bowler out of the side for the fifth Test, particularly as he has just taken career-best figures…
When people look at which horses to buy at the annual yearling sales they always use the bloodlines as a guide to likely success.…
Canadian Mike Pyke has certainly carved a niche for himself in the Sydney Swans team. Formerly an international rugby player, Pyke came to the…
The Cronulla Sharks Football Club has been under siege in recent weeks. The drugs in sport investigation has taken a heavy toll on the…
With all the power of a cyclone, the issue of performance-enhancing drugs has descended on Australia. Not just on our sporting competitions but on…
Much has been made of the performance of the national selection panel (NSP) in recent times. And rightly so. They are responsible for selecting…
While the specifics of a marquee player's role differs depending on the sport and the situation, a marquee player is always expected to deliver…
The annual BRW rich list of Australia's 50 highest paid sports stars has thrown up a number of surprises in 2012. Some sports are…
Much of the commentary, analysis and opinion about Shane Watson focuses on his batting. Where should he bat? Should he open? Where does he…
What happened to Michael Clarke in Perth? We all expected him to continue on his merry, run-gorging, bowler destroying way with at least another…
Cricket is the great international sport of the British Empire, with all of its Test playing countries being, or at one time being, British…
As we enter the second half of the international cricket summer we welcome Sri Lanka to Australian shores. What can we expect from the…
A favourite song in the South African dressing room, apart from the national anthem and their team victory song, is surely “Anything you can…
Peter Siddle bowled himself into the ground on day five of the Adelaide Test. His heroic effort will never be forgotten by those who…
Jacques Kallis is one of the greatest all-rounders in world cricket. His value to the South African team cannot be under-estimated. With the bat…
Now that GWS are winning a few games Mumford’s contribution may get noticed more. Smokey for the Brownlow?
Shane giving the Giants plenty of happy Mummy's days
I thought Goodes came on and played reasonably well. Following last week where he kicked two goals he scored one had 12 possessions and was his usual dangerous self around the throw-ins and ruck contests. With Heeney injured Goodes will probably have a few full games to show he still has something to offer. I’ll back him to perform reasonably well and give Heeney a fight to get back in the starting line-up.
[Highlights] Sydney defeat Melbourne at MCG
I agree that whilst there is no crisis at either club there is a need for urgent action to arrest the slide.
At Gold Coast that urgent action is the action that has been taken, i.e. drawing a line in the sand on the minimum standards expected. And as most teams now follow the Swans lead, these standards and associated punishments are enforced by the players with the backing of the club. It remains to be seen how the individual players respond and indeed how the team as a whole responds. I suspect that by mid season things will be looking much brighter.
At Brisbane it seems that the coach/player relationships are the issue. The playing talent, whilst being good at their best, is lacking quality forwards and defenders. This makes the coach’s job in developing a game plan more difficult and makes the players jobs more difficult when they don’t have the collective ability to enact that game plan. Development takes time and hopefully the natural development and improvement will occur, however I suspect that improvement will take all season.
Queensland's AFL teams could turn their fortunes around quickly
There was a bit of a ‘push and shove’ at one point in the game (early 2nd half if I remember correctly)and players came in to remonstrate with each other. One player came in by jumping over the top of others and could have escalated the whole incident. Who was that player you ask? That’s right, Reynolds. So he should have really been placed on report three times in the game.
Head over the heart: Josh Reynolds' passion no longer makes up for his brain snaps
I support the Sydney Swans but I have several other teams that I also barrack for. Brisbane and Gold Coast because I now live in Brisbane and want to see the local teams do well and to see the game in general do well. GWS because I want to see the game grow. Geelong because I loved their style of play in recent years.
I also strongly supported North Melbourne when they played games in Sydney in the 90’s because I thought their move to Sydney would grow the game. Most Swans fans and the Sydney Football Club were very aggressively opposed to North Melbourne coming to Sydney. Dissappointingly narrow-minded and short-sighted. I hope GWS gets better support.
There’s nothing wrong with actively supporting one team and passively supporting others.
Why can't we support more than one AFL team?
Sean,
Goodes did not throw a tantrum when he was selected as the substitute. You should show him a little more respect than to imply that he did.
By going back to the reserves to play a full game and rebuild his form and fitness he is doing exactly the ‘damn hard work’ that is required to win back his spot in the team.
Goodes has always been the ultimate professional and team player for his entire career. He will play whatever role the team needs him to play.
Goodes deserves far more respect that you have shown to him in this very poor article.
Goodes must accept his role has changed
Gold Coast had a similar start last year and were looking certainties for the finals until their most important player (Ablett) went down with injury.
I hope GWS has better luck but if there is one player they cannot afford to lose it is Mumford. If he goes down then I fear GWS would go down too.
GWS are making Giant strides
Me too. The headline doesn’t do justice to the man.
A history of violence: The legend of Jonathan Brown
This article is nothing more than an anti AFL, pro NRL person attempting to give the moral high ground to the NRL.
Alastair Clarkson would be a dead man walking in the NRL
Purely a marketing ploy by the Stars. They might get one or two games from him at most. They know this. Clarke knows it too so I don’t think he is worried about the playing workload
Michael Clarke in the Big Bash just doesn't add up
I’m sure Lance Frankland is thrilled to know that his ‘supermodel’ fiancee Jessica (also know as Jesinta) Campbell is so well known.
The Buddy blindside: AFL's biggest signing in detail
Unfortunately a bad start to the season robs the players of confidence and the fans of hope. The same happened in 2014 and in a fickle market like Brisbane a slow start is unaffordable. The Lions must address this and build a culture where everyone is switched on from the word go.
Whilst their results have been bad so far this year they are missing Pearce Hanley, so there is some hope for when he returns.
Brisbane Lions need to get used to the drought
Fawad Ahmed may not et a game in the West Indies.
I think both Watson and M, Marsh will be selected and expect to see a showdown between the two to decide who will be the preferred All-Rounder for the ashes series. If those two are selected then I would think the other bowling spots would go to Johnson, Starc and Lyon. Ahmed may have to wait until the ashes series before he gets any opportunity at all.
Will Australia play two spinners in The Ashes?
Mr. Williamson will have plenty to say about it too, and soon.
As Australia took the Mickey, so too could England spill Moores' blood
Ryan I have three questions and one comment.
Firstly I like your statistical analysis but this article is longer than ‘War and Peace’ and hence very hard to read and digest.
Q1. Your portrait pic at the top of the article differs greatly from your portrait pic in the comments section. Which one is the real you?
Q2. Have you put your $5 Pick the AFL Ladder bet on with Tom Waterh…….. er I mean William Hill betting agency.
Q3. Following on from Q2 what are the actual odds of winning this bet? I’m thinking about 100 Trillion to 1.
Just how far can the Western Bulldogs rise?
I Think you’re being very harsh on Ryan Griffen. Avg. 19 possessions means he is playing well, not spectacularly but definitely not under-performing.
AFL stock watch Round 2
Johnson and Starc will rarely play together in tests. Starc is in a similar position to Stuart MacGill.
Your team only has two pace bowlers with only the injury prone Watson as back-up. This would place too big a workload on Watson.
Even if the West Indian batsmen are suspect against spin the pitches in the Caribbean do not justify playing two spinners. Hazlewood should be in the team ahead of Ahmed.
My team to face the Windies
Seems to me that Dank has an agenda of his own.
He is building a list of people/organisations whom he intends to take legal action against for defamation. The longer this whole process takes the longer that list becomes. Perhaps Dank sees a financial benefit to himself of having this drag on.
Essendon did not take banned substances: Dank
Exactly right Gecko, the players must have had some suspicions or at least concerns. The players are well educated about what they can and cannot take and to check their medications first if they are in any doubt. Case in point Ryan Crowley.
The senior players showed very poor leadership in not asking more questions about the program. Perhaps their penalties (if any are handed down) should be heavier than the younger players.
McLachlan: Dons' ignorance isn't a defence against doping
Keagan,
All your selections are fine with each player performing well and deserving their place in their role as a batsman, bowler or wicket-keeper.
As a team however a fifth, sixth and even seventh bowling option is needed. Who amongst the batsman you have selected would fill those roles?
The World Cup Associate XI
‘Crowley’s actions border on straight-out stupidity given the amount of education that elite athletes have regarding performance enhancing substances.’
I’m assuming that Essendon players were given the same amount of education regarding performance enhancing substances. Will they be held personally accountable in the same way as Crowley will be?
Two major sporting codes and two major stuff-ups
Sri Lanka vs South Africa will be the best/closest game of the four quarter finals.I can’t separate them.
I think NZ, India and AUS should all win comfortably but equally their opponents are good enough to spring a surprise or two.
Whichever of Sri Lanka or South Africa wins I think will push the other three very hard in the semis and the final.
I can’t confidently pick a tournament winner out of those five teams.
It's Australia-Pakistan in a set of mouth-watering quarter finals
I think the length of the tournament is ridiculous. It’s way too long and frankly the group stages don’t mean too much. Whilst I acknowledge and support the need for the minnows to play more international cricket to improve, this needs to happen largely outside the world cup. Read my article http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/03/05/cricketing-future-associate-nations/
There’s been some close exciting games but 7 of the 8 teams expected to make it through have done so, and pretty easily too. Now that we have reached the serious part of the tournament I think the media coverage will ramp up.
As for the team colours, all teams have changed their uniforms for money making purposes. Fans will spend money to buy the latest shirt. All teams do it, especially football teams where merchandise can be a good source of revenue.
How the Cricket World Cup could have been better organised
Another of the clubs’ bi concerns about the 17-5 system was the need to arrange travel and accommodation on short notice, in particular with only a few days notice for round 18.
The AFL's 17-5 model will create, not cut, blockbusters