Roar Rookie
Joined September 2012
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With two wins on the card, Australia may still not win the Ashes series despite retaining the urn. But will that be the team's…
I wasn't sure what to think when I heard about John Worsfold's appointment as Essendon's new coach, but I have previously admired his relatively…
It's a special sort of torture trying to enjoy humiliating someone you've already lost to. Which one is the aberration? Was it the Cardiff,…
The seeds of discontent at Essendon were sewn as long ago as the sacking of Kevin Sheedy. While I don't want to revisit that…
Australia's selectors dump some players far too quickly, and yet persevere with the likes of Shane Watson for far too long. I am a…
In his article 'The seeds of the Trent Bridge 60 were sown years ago', Timmuth outlined some powerful insights into the malaise of Australian…
Australia's humiliation is complete. The Ashes series is lost on the first morning of the fourth Test. Australia's batsmen have only themselves to blame…
The cricket captain's handbook was written over cricket's 100-plus years of history. It must be either lost or destroyed, because no one seems to…
Looking back at the AFL season so far, even as a one-eyed supporter of any of the teams in the competition, you could see…
I have been watching cricket for over 50 years and despite my fading memory I can still recall far more entertaining Test matches than…
I am sick to death of hearing about how it is all the swimmers' fault that the culture of swimming in Australia is at…
There is a public misconception that elite swimmers in Australia are on the gravy train; that they earn mega bucks. In recent weeks that…
Worsfold has a blank slate to work with. Every coach carries baggage and no one is perfect. As a Essendon fan I am happy enough with the decision made. He brings valuable experience to the job, something Hird did not. So let’s wait and see
Woosha's challenges as Essendon's new coach
Why are we all so obsessed with rating players Good, Better, Best.
All the players mentioned here have brought unique attributes to their sport and fans have enjoyed them all. The Players that rise to the top of their sport are appreciated by all true fans of all clubs. So let’s just be satisfied that Johns has delighted fans with his skills and so too has Thurston.
I think it’s disrespectful to label either one or the other better. They are/were both great players pure and simple.
Johnathan Thurston is the greatest rugby league player of all time
Buoyed by the early success of the team, Lehmann was credited for being the right man for the job. But to my mind, formed by Lehmann’s owned comments, he is very much a reactionary man. His latest comments about Siddle reaffirms my opinion because even blind Freddie could have come up with those comments after watching Siddle bowl in the 5th test. It is as if Lehmann is coupling himself to Siddles performance adding “how smart am I for selecting him in that test”.
The question to ask is “why wasn’t he picked in earlier tests”.
Lehmann backs Siddle's Test future
I’m with you Edgar. This was not an objective piece. The objective bystander would agree. Buckley was a backstabber who lay in waiting to get rid of Malthouse. It says as much about the club management as it does for Buckley and they deserve each other. May they long rule together for as long as they hang on to Buckley they are doomed to linger toward the bottom of the ladder.
Collingwood: Potential versus reality
Not perplexing at all. It’s called the Colliwabbles.
I relish in the miseries of Collingwood and I am not alone. For all the arrogance that Buckley showed when he stalked his mentor and coach Mick Malthouse (and I am not a Malthouse fan ), he deserves his inevitable fate. I shout it here and elsewhere; great players don’t necessarily make good coaches. You quoted Voss, Hird and you can throw in Justin Lepitch as well. There is only one fate for these men. The Collingwood club will come to know that. Question is will they waste another season or two first or will they act now.
The curious case of Collingwood's collapses
You may as well have referred to any number of bottom feeder teams in the AFL. Melbourne and Brisbane as two cases in point. Speaking of Brisbane, you will recall that Buckley was a Brisbane Lions draft pick in an emerging successful football team. He couldn’t wait to return to Melbourne and gave away three premiership years for the wish to play for Collingwood. What judgement does that show.
Buckley’s coaching record is well and truly written. No analysis of hard luck stories will change that. Michael Vos has a similar history and Justin Leppitch is following the same path. This fact is clear. Great players don’t always make good coaches.
Collingwood: Potential versus reality
I have said this elsewhere, great players don’t always make great coaches. In Brisbane’s case we haven’t had a great coach since Mathews. Brisbane needs to find a coach without L plates because they cannot afford to waste another few seasons before we see a modicum of success.
Vos and Leppitch have been disappointments. They were great players but have not shown that they can transfer those skills to the coaching role. I don’t pretend to know what the answer is but I know that nobody is asking the right question.
Brisbane can rebuild and keep Jed Adcock
Oh JohnB, you have a great memory. Don’t you hate it. I didn’t realize that I had forgotten so much. Perhaps time will be kind and help me forget this series as well.
Will the real Australian cricket team please stand up
Mike, a captain of years ago would not have taken that option, he would have assessed the pitch for what it was and saw that he could have extracted early life out of the pitch. Unwittingly, that’s what England did. I agree with you, it was the turning point from which there was no return when the Aussies were 2-1 down.
Will the real Australian cricket team please stand up
I can’t disagree with what you say except that coaches that have a proven track record would not be ignored by clubs. If not at Essendon, then at another club. The alternative is a Michael Vos, Justin Leppitch, Nathan Buckley and any other coach that is flying under the radar of adequate team performances. For clubs that make a mistake with their coaching selection, it means up to three or more years lost in the wilderness.
James Hird is not to blame, the Essendon Football Club is
One does not need to be an expert to see that Mark Thompson is a successful AFL coach, Those achievements are on the board. The question is could he be lured back to Essendon. The fact is that if Mark Thompson would make himself available, there would be a number of clubs that woul snap him up in a heartbeat.
James Hird is not to blame, the Essendon Football Club is
I have written an article on this subject myself. It’s a topic that I feel strongly about.
But it’s a fifty-fifty proposition because it relies on winning the toss to take advantage. On way of stopping home side’s doctoring pitches is to give the visiting side the decision to bat or bowl first.
Pitch doctoring: The loss of a venue’s identity
Arthur
With a reply so lengthy you should write your own story
Pitch doctoring: The loss of a venue’s identity
This comment belies the truth about the intent of a prepared surface suitable for a first class match. It is clear even to blind Freddie that pitches have been doctored.
Pitch doctoring: The loss of a venue’s identity
Yeah,ditto. Great efforts but the article did sound a bit lovesick to me too
Hayne Plane takes off in NFL
I remember at that time Mitchell being compared to McGrath with all sorts of comparisons. Some even predicting Mitchell would far surpass McGrath’s record.
The greats of our game are such because of their consistency of efforts. Mitchell’s 5 minutes of sunshine in the distant past will not stand him next to the likes of McGrath let alone surpass him. He had his chance to shine this Ashes series wasn’t able to do the job. Can he hold his place in the side? Age will decide that for him as time has passed him by.
How much has Mitchell Johnson got left in the tank?
There is a life cycle to a sporting team. It is a progression that ungrounded teams fall into. It starts with not expected to win, progresses to underdog status, followed by confidence, overconfidence, cockiness and ends in a level of arrogance that is commensurate with the level of success they enjoy and the ease in which success has been bestowed upon them.
It is not an inevitable pathway. It is only inevitable if they read the newspapers and believe the headlines.
Australia's arrogance lost the Ashes
I thought there were some wonderful insights into the malaise of Australian cricket. That said why is it that other cricketing nations are not having the same problems outlined above. Or maybe they are, that being the case how come other countries haven’t dropped their bundle under humiliating circumstances like Australia has
The seeds of the Trent Bridge 60 were sown years ago
Andy
The current rout of the Australians prompted the article but it is not intended to be a fix for the ills of the Australian cricket team as it will take a lot more than a coin toss to fix. However when the toss is such a crucial one to win or lose it does bear scrutiny.
Like you I don’t believe we would have had England out for anywhere near 60. But, and here is the crucial but, we would have still been in the game. England is dominating this test because they got the better use of the three elements I mentioned in my article.
This article was intended to to highlight the out-of-balance matches that happen all over the world. I drew the reader’s attention to the 5-0 whitewash of the touring English side to Australia. If they’d had the first choice to the pitch during that series we may have seen a more even competition where one side was being handicapped.
Did the toss do Australia over again?
Here we go……. All of a sudden Smith has an issue
Steve Smith is the world's best batsman, so what happened at Edgbaston?
It is not a question of I knowing better than the Australian captain. It’s about him not having learnt the lessons of history. This is the message I was trying to convey in the article I wrote. Something that you obviously misunderstood. And whether or not I am sitting in my armchair in Australia so far away is irrelevant. I get the same live coverage than everyone else and probably better video coverage than most at the ground.
Fact: Clarke’s decision to bat was a failure
Fact: Captains of years past in all probability would have bowled because they knew what the prevailing conditions meant
So say WHOA boy!!! And get off your high horse, read the article again for its intent and you may come to a different solution.
Really Clarkey? You wanted to bat in those conditions?
Yes. Thank you. Why don’t more people see that. It used to be a no brainer, so what’s going on
Really Clarkey? You wanted to bat in those conditions?
This decision presents a real quandary. Haddin deserve the respect and to retain his place in the side. After all, he put the team first by not playing the second test and now can’t get back in the side.
On the other hand Nevill has played well behind the stumps and has shown that he can bat.
So how do you decide? The tough decision that the selectors made in my view was correct. Tough on Haddin but correct nonetheless. For me the deciding factor is Haddin’s age. At 38 he has had a great run. He regained his place a few years ago when he would have thought it was over then.
I know that Nevill is almost 30 but by Haddin’s standard, that’s another 8 years of service to the Australian team.
Nevill likely to make way for Haddin
When I wrote this story, I found focused on the fact that a failure of an opener (either opener) it exposes the lower batters too early. All the figures you quoted are as a direct result of additional pressure on batters too early. It kinda proves my point, dont you think.
Are the Australian selectors sabotaging the fifth Test by picking David Warner?