Roar Pro
Joined March 2016
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I am a Rugby League tragic who is a passionate Newcastle Knights supporter.
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While I don't believe Test cricket is dying, it is struggling to create a meaningful experience for the viewer. This is where a two-tier…
With Semi Radradra declaring his allegiance to Australia, the debate surrounding international eligibility is back on the agenda. Here is a four-step plan which…
The topic of expansion has been on the radar for what feels like an eternity. With potential clubs lining up for an opportunity, let's…
State of Origin is fast approaching as Queensland look to make it ten from 11. With the competition starting to hit its stride, let's…
My Team
1 James Tedesco
2 Jarryd Hayne
3 Jack Bird
4 Joey Leilua
5 Tom Trbojevic
6 James Maloney
7 Adam Reynolds
8 Andrew Fifita
9 Nathan Peats
10 David Klemmer
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Wade Graham
13 Trent Merrin
14 Matt Moylan
15 Tyson Frizell
16 Jake Trbojevic
17 Paul Vaughan
My Blues team for State of Origin 2017
I like Jackson and woudnt have an issue if he was picked. But for me Cordner, Graham and Frizell are far more dangerous in attack
The form Blues team (that won't be picked for Origin 1)
Good article Stuart, still a long way to Origin but my team would look like this
1. James Tedesco
2. Jarryd Hayne
3. Jack Bird
4. Joey Leilua
5. Tom Trbojevic
6. James Maloney
7. Adam Reynolds
8. Andrew Fifita
9. Nathan Peats
10. Aaron Woods
11. Boyd Cordner (c)
12. Wade Graham
13. Trent Merrin
14. Tyson Frizell
15. David Klemmer
16. Tyrone Peachey
17. Jake Trbojevic
18. Matt Moylan
19. Paul Vaughan
The form Blues team (that won't be picked for Origin 1)
I personally liked it better when it was the NRL All stars and fans got to vote on the team, I wonder if its to late to change it back or atleast give fans some form of voting process
World All Stars holding back the contest
I have no problem with countries picking heritage players however I do have a problem with players swapping countries. This is where I think the credibility problem lies. International rugby league badly needs a rule where if you represnt a country that is the only country you can represent.
Rugby league quotas are nothing more than claptrap and codswallop
That depends who you ask. My point is more the Big Bash is resonating with young people more then the test and odi. However TV ratings and crowd figuers suggets plenty of adults are interested aswell, evenif they arent the cricket tragics who prefer the test or ODI format
Cricket Australia announce Big Bash expansion for 2017
I do some work in primary schools and the impact the Big Bash is making is incredible. I hear more about Chris Green, Brad Hodge and Chris Lynn then do I Starc, Warner and Smith. These same kids would struggle to tell me if Australia won the tests and ODI but no exactly who won the Big Bash games. The big bash is growing and this 8 game expansion will probably only be the start
Cricket Australia announce Big Bash expansion for 2017
They are only expanding by 8 games. I think atleast four of them will be double headers, they are realistically only expanding the comp by a few days. I doubt most will even notice the change
A Bigger Bash is just over-fattening the golden goose
I would question why ODI are essential? While I would agree test cricket is the tradional format, I alos see T20 as a evolution of the one day format. I also disagree T20 internationals should be scraped. Apart from giving players the oppurtunity to represent there country it is the perfect format to grow the sport. We have seen this in the success of a country like Afghanistan who performed very well at the world T20. It is alos more prone to upsets such as Netherlands beating England and generally provides a format where these countries can compete better.
The problem with cricket's schedule? Depends on your perspective
I strongly agree with you. Test cricket and T20 cover both sides of the market very well. In a crowded schedule dropping the one day format would open up so much room. More focus could be placed on the sheffield shield with hopefully more test players playing the opening rounds. After the completion of the tests the likes of Warner, Smith and Starc can play in the big bash which would lead to even bigger crowds and media intrest. It would also stregthen the depth for when the competiton expands.
I am also a big fan of International T20. The T20 World cup was excellent and I personally are far more interested in watching the Australian T20 team then I am the one day team.
The problem with cricket's schedule? Depends on your perspective
For me the biggest postive is Brown seems to have a good plan in place for the future. We are building a young spine for the future (Ponga, Lamb, Cogger and Levi) and placing good young players (Mata’utia’s, Saifitis) around them. We are also very lucky to have Darren Mooney on board who moved over from Cronulla to work with Nathan Brown. He is the man who put the Sharks roster together and after years of having a very poorly managed salary cap we seem to be heading in the right direction with Brown and Mooney.
A light in the Knight tunnel
Sims was very dissapointing last season and has shown little improvement. Reports also sugested he no longer wanted to be here so it is better for both parties that he goes. Barnett played far better than Sims, he is also younger and has more improvemnt in him.
A light in the Knight tunnel
I watch plenty of test cricket Geoff and I agree there isn’t much wrong with whats happening on the pitch. However surely you can see intrest in the test format is rapidly declining, not just with the public but the young cricket fans who are being drawn to T20. Seeing as the crowds for the AUS vs South Africa test were poor I am positive we need to create more intrest. This system will not make Test cricket anything like the big bash. It will not change test cricket on the pitch at all. It will however give meaning and context to each test that is played with the result of every series counting for something greater than a bilateral trophy.
I disagree with your last statement as the number of people who don’t get it is growing constantly. If nothing changes we risk going down a road where it is Australia, England and India playing each other in front of small crowds while everyone else awaits the Big Bash and International T20. That is where the younger generation is heading and we need to evolve to bring in more fans. Imagine if this Australia vs South Africa series was to decide the Test Championship after two years of build up. I guarantee you there would have been more than 10,000 people at the WACA to watch it.
Why a two-tier system is best for Test cricket
I agree and you bring up a good point in regards to the ashes. There would be alot of areas that need to be ironed out before this could work but hopefully for the future of test cricket something can be done.
Why a two-tier system is best for Test cricket
India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the three countries that have opposed the system. However the othet op tier sides such as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand support the move so I would imagine they are happy with the proposed system. As for the dropping of two this is to make sure if a country like Australia or India was relegated they would have an excellent oppurtunity to come back up. This is the same for all countries so the Test Championship is always within reach.
Why a two-tier system is best for Test cricket
Nice article Connor, the only thing I would add is then gap between the big 3 and the rest not as big depending on who is playing. In the last four nations we had Samoa lose to New Zealand (the winners of the tournament) by 2 points and push England hard. Scotland however are minnows in every sense of the word and are up against it. However after a very dissapoitning first 30 they seemed to get back into it and hopefully the can carry that through to there next match.
Five Talking Points from Australia Kangaroos vs Scotland Four Nations Test
I personally don’t see the appeal for a draft in the NRL. The idea of a draft is to equally spread talent, however the NRL is one of the most even and competitive compettions in the world. This is compared with comps such as the AFL, NBA and NFL which all have drafts yet are no where near as competitive. I personally like the fact clubs have local juniors that come through the grades. As a Knights fan I have seen several young Newcastle juniors come through the grades to make there debut this year. I would be gutted to potential lose the Saifiti’s, Lamb and Cogger through a draft system.
The other issue as mentioned is the comeptiton with Union for players. League is able to attract the best young talent atm but if we start telling young players (espeically the potential stars who would go at the top of the draft) that they may have to relocate (especially at 18 or 19) from say Sydney to Auckland or Townsville for example that may lead them to Union over League.
Would a draft work in the NRL?
Really enjoying the previews Scott, always good to see some NBL coverage on the site
NBL 2016-17 season preview: Adelaide 36ers
Agree with everyone that Golovkin looks unbeatable at the moment. In saying that I think Brook will give a better showing than people think. I still see Golovkin stopping him late but wouldn’t surprise me if Brook gives him some problems over the first couple of rounds.
How Gennady Golovkin became the world's scariest prize fighter
You say only 400 thousand more like its a couple of bucks. Lets be honest if you were offered a 2 year 2.4 million dollar contract would you really turn it down? The contract is 800 thousand dollars more. Loyalty in Rugby League is not what its used to be. But clubs moving players on when under contract (something the Eels have done a lot of recently) is no less loyal then a player look after his own best interests
Five big questions about Jarryd Hayne signing with the Gold Coast Titans
Not sure about a video bryan but there is an excellent book called Murderball written by Will Swanton that follows the Aussie team through the 2008 Olympics and tells the story of the players. very inspiring and a excellent read that I would recommend if you want to know more about the team and the individuals.
Australian Steelers: Back-to-back gold beckons in Rio
This is an excellent article Jarrod and I agree with everything you said. Im lucky enough to have foxtel and the difference in commentary is astonishing. The negativity of the nine commentary box simply makes the game a worse experience for its fans.
I agree with you that we need a culture change in regards to how we treat referees. I have done a bit of refereeing in my time when I was younger but didn’t last long due to the crap I would cop by parents in the crowd while referring kid as young as 8 years old. Hopefully the NRL can make this a priority and we can start seeing a change in how refs are looked upon in the future.
Commentator curse: Negativity hurting rugby league
Really interesting read Niall, excellent research aswell
Yorkshire versus Inner Sydney: Taking Origin to the extreme
That would be up to him? He would simply have to choose and if he wants to play for both unfortunately it would no longer be possible.
Making Origin fit around club footy
For mine the Pacquiao that beat Hatton and Cotto would have beaten Mayweather at his best. It’s a shame we had to wait so long for that fight
Manny Pacquaio top ten fights