Matthew Tomczyk's Roar Profile

You can phrase the stats in anyway you like. But a 0.05% death rate in a sport is unacceptable. Imagine if there was a similar atrition rate in rugby league (50,000 registered adults). We wouldn’t even be discussing it.

I think you’re trivialising it a bit too. It’s not about watching a dog chase a toy, it’s what happens when the cameras aren’t rolling that’s the problem. Fact is the results are the same as if they made the dogs fight.

I see the idea that there’s a hypocrisy in allowing animals to be used as food and clothing and not sport. You just have to accept that that’s the way the cookie crumbles. If it makes you feel better the tide’s turning in food and fashion as well. When we look back at this in 50 years you won’t be judged kindly by sticking up for racing.

Gone to the dogs: NSW/ACT to end greyhound racing

End homophobia in greyhound racing now!

rock,

Feel free to disagree with it, and I don’t want to quote it either. But there’s no number available from the State racing boards. The 100+ equine track deaths per year on the other hand is a guaranteed verifiable fact.

As to the horsemeat stuff, as I said in my opening post, there’s a vast difference in attitudes when it comes to using animals for necessities like food and clothing, and recreation (like sport, entertainment and gambling). The non-necessary ones seem to attract the most attention because they’re seen as exploiting animal suffering for mere human entertainment. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

You’re keen to draw parallels to other industries like pets and food, but if you’re gonna make them you’re gonna have to consider the flipside. All of the arguments in favour of dog racing can be made in favour of legalising cock-fighting, bull-fighting, badger-baiting, seal-clubbing and fox-hunting. If we allow greyhound racing, why don’t we allow the others?

There’s a reason you don’t know the number, it’s deliberately withheld, or not even properly counted. What good would it do for the industry to document it?

It’s possible for a death rate to be higher than a birth rate, all it means is that the total stock of horses will decline.

Could you please tell me the more accurate number then, Nathan?

I have read your article, and all that I can gather is that the kill rate is decreasing because the number of horse births and number of registrations are converging. As to the raw number of deaths we can’t really tell.

I wrote my own article on the subject and found that industry statistics on the matter were conspicuously absent.

I’ll be there. I’ll be the guy chained to the fence, holding a placard, chanting slogans. Can’t miss me.

The wastage argument is a valid one. About 100 horses die every year on Australian racetracks every year, in addition to the 10 to 20,000 that are slaughtered as wastage. Ultimately, the suffering of animals for sport and entertainment elicits more sympathy than say, killing animals for food. And that’s fair enough.

Would anyone today campaign to bring back dogfighting because it would create jobs and stimulate the economy?

The counter to this is that the NRL is not Australia and it’s not a democracy. It can make up the rules as it sees fit.

And while we’re on the subject of making it up as we go along, Mitchell Pearce was banned for 8 weeks at the start of the season, for, er, getting pissed and dry-humping a dog. Radradra on the other hand has the option whether or not to play.

Standing Semi down shouldn't be Parramatta's decision

Squash is the one absentee that stands out…can’t believe it was tipped by rugby sevens. Baffling.

32 days to Rio: The Olympic sports which are now extinct

Olympics

This may be correct, but it’s not about winning ugly, it’s about giving the spectator what they want to see.

For me the changes are about, oh, 13 years too late, when Wilkinson effectively changed the game and kicked England to a World Cup.

NRC 2016 scoring system a move in the right direction

Rugby

Not the best debate I’ve ever witnessed.

The reason that the NRL is such a good product is because the game has been engineered to be so. They’ve made it faster – so fast that 2 men are required to officiate. It’s essentially a violence-a-thon spliced with a beep test run over 80 minutes. The new cornerpost rule means we see wingers scoring tries suspended 8 feet in the air, over the touch line, upside-down. And so on and so forth.

Rugby is only now coming to terms with changing its product for mass consumption with experimental rules and point structures. It all comes about 12 years too late.

I will watch the Wallabies play at any hour of the morning, but have never watched a game of club rugby.

Roar and Against: TV ratings prove league is better to watch at home than union

My tip: Bradley to win on points. Paquiao to retire. Paquiao goes onto become President of the Philippines and destroy the country. Countless dead.

Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley highlights: Pacquiao wins final fight

We are all poorer for having read this

The one question that comes to mind is that would Warne be Warne without those foibles? And would you prefer a Shane Warne in your team or a Shane Watson? Watson never took drugs, matchfixed, sent a dick pic to a woman but will be remembered in history as mediocre at best.

Shane Warne is my idol no longer

Cricket

“I’m just waiting for a mate”.

Manly youngster caught driving with blood alcohol level of 0.176, double the speed limit

Well, well, well….

So we now know the TIgers have one thing: sheer pace.

Wests Tigers vs Manly Sea Eagles highlights: NRL scores, blog

Good call and exactly my sentiments.

The Sharks are better off without Gallen, much like the Eels are now better off without Hayne.

Cheaper by the Gallen: Why Cronulla might have paid too much

I don’t think that giving Pearce the boot was even an option. Remember that former Shark and public urinator Todd Carney is suing his former club for $3m for unfair dismissal.

Mitchell Pearce's fine is huge, but he’s just lucky to be playing footy

Pretty good article. Not sure why there’s so much hate for it. To put it in perspective, Jordan McLean got 7 weeks for putting Alex McKinnon in a wheelchair and Paul Gallen got 3 weeks for taking a prohibited substance.

The official NRL player misdemeanour rate card

Rugby league: still the perfect made-for-TV product.

Fortunately this advantage rule has an unambiguous end, unlike in that other code that people seem to follow for some reason.

New 'free play' rule to be used in NRL's Auckland Nines

As is typical of minnow sides, an injury or two would be the end of them. They just don’t have a deep roster. Vardy is certainly getting poached at the end of the season too. An unfortunate part of modern football.

Vardy and the Foxes continue to rise

Football

I’ll add that if be immensely prouder of my son if he told me he walked after knowing he nicked it than if he stood his ground and went on to score a ton

Ian Chappell did cricket a great disservice

So there’s not a single clean Chappell brother…

In that infamous underarm match Greg didn’t walk after he was caught in the field, and went on to score a decent knock. And then that last ball of the game…

So this is what it feels like to be completely wrong about something…

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