Roar Rookie
Joined August 2015
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I love everything sports, but my pride and joys are AFL, Cricket and Rugby Union. I bleed for the Western Bulldogs, the Melbourne Rebels, the Victorian Bushrangers, the Melbourne Storm and Glasgow Celtic.
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The AFL world breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday afternoon when the news was announced that Trent Cotchin had no case to…
Adelaide United were unlucky not to notch up their first points in their 2017 AFC Champions League campaign tonight, going down to Chinese side…
The hearts of football fans were warmed yesterday as the AFL announced the scrapping of the controversial substitute rule that was introduced four years…
As the siren sounded at Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening to confirm Adelaide's 112-point drubbing of Essendon, the writing on the wall was clear;…
The Western Bulldogs accounted for the Melbourne Demons on Sunday afternoon, in a game that resembled more of a Gilbert and Sullivan production than…
The ‘F' word is weekly uttered by football fans country-wide. Whether they be parents who first get out of the car after driving the…
People don’t go to shield games because they have work and other commitments during week… Generally, attendance at domestic cricket is low for the shield and 50 over formats. T20 draws a big crowd because it’s at a more reasonable hour where people can go, and the competition is televised so it’s easier to follow the team you support when they play away…
Should Test matches be shortened to four days?
Clearly those who think cricket should be played in a matter of hours don’t understand the true essence of the skill, patience and discipline of cricket. Cricket isn’t always about big 6s, music, lights and fireworks.
A lot of the time it’s about the mental capacity to not throw your wicket away, playing percentage shots, keeping in consideration the weather and the pitch for days to come. It might look boring, but when it all boils down, the last hour of day 5 will always be enthralling!
Should Test matches be shortened to four days?
The way I see test cricket at the moment, the reason we’re seeing fewer 5-day tests is that teams simply cannot play away series. Look at the recent loss in Sri Lanka, and the capitulations in the Ashes and poor form in NZ last year/this summer.
This is true of most, if not all test teams in the current era. Understandably, countries are preparing home pitches but teams just aren’t adapting to foreign conditions as easily anymore, perhaps because they’re spending more time playing T20. I think if the ICC can set more stringent guidelines for pitch preparation, or other measures that even up the ledger for a touring sides, then we’ll see an increase in numbers of exciting 5-day tests
Should Test matches be shortened to four days?
What’s good about our national anthem at the moment is that it’s for ‘Australians ALL.’ So regardless of your heritage, whether it be indigenous, British or European, or possibly even Asian, African or American, Advance Australia Fair is the anthem for you! Maybe there can be more recognition of indigenous culture before rugby games (maybe a Welcome to Country ceremony or something, that way we’re not ignoring a whole heap of indigenous cultures) but I don’t think changing the national anthem is necessary…
Wallabies should use Indigenous Advance Australia Fair
Agreed! Let’s worry about getting Waltzing Matilda back first!
Wallabies should use Indigenous Advance Australia Fair
Completely agree. With a few exceptions, I quite like the Channel 9 commentary team, and it’s coverage. However, I’ll never understand how or why players are allowed to talk to the media while a game is still going on. Even interviews after a batsman has been dismissed are perplexing. The last thing I’d wanna do after being given out is talk to a reporter,
The scourge has popped up in other sports too. Interviewing AFL players as they walk down the race at half time is such a waste. If I was their coach, I’d ban any half time interviews. The game’s not over, and while they might get a rest, players still need to focus on the task at hand.
Three words: Get rid of.
The in-game interviews are getting out of hand
Brilliantly said. Great article, but I expect you’ll cop some flack unfortunately… Well done.
Dustin Martin innocent, mass media guilty
I hate to say it, but the AFL has to now take Jobe’s Brownlow away from him. In not doing so, they would set a dangerous precedent of only following WADAs rulings when they feel like it, raising credibility issues. I’m not sure that the medal would go to anyone else though… Maybe they put a little ‘*’ next to Watson’s name in the record books?
Should Jobe Watson be stripped of his Brownlow Medal?
The most annoying thing about the end-of-season by is the fact that we’re gonna have another October GF. What ever happened to that last Saturday in September? The one day in October just doesn’t have the same ring to it…
Breaking down the 2016 AFL fixture
I’m with you, Timmuh. I’m a traditionalist, so I really hate this change for what can only be described as a cash-grab. That being said, I’m going to go into it with an open mind. My biggest concern is this: What happens when players struggle to pick up the ball during the night session on the second day of the test? Is the game then abandoned, or do they get a new ball, and advantage the bowling side. I think there are too many doubts and too many unanswered questions to fully commit to this decision logically.
Even if it does work, I don’t actually think it will aid any resurgence of test cricket, which is a real shame.
The day-night Test must be abandoned
Woops, I realised I only picked 10 and left out Voges. I would have picked Voges at 5. My mistake!
Who's in your Australian Test team?
This summer is a great opportunity for the test selectors to set the team up for a successful future, but we take the risk of losing the series if we do. I read somewhere that we lost something like 287 test matches worth of experience at the end of the Ashes. I reckon we go young, especially in regards to our batsmen, because we’ve got established bowling partnerships now who are doing well. That’s why I like Bancroft. If we can establish him as an opener early, we set ourselves up to be brutally good down the track. But, I also really like Ed Cowan. He’s patient, he’s diligent, he’s everything an opening batsman should be, especially when Davey Warner is down the other end. They’ve batted together before, and Cowan has proven that he can bat for long periods of time. His inability to score centuries is a bit of a let down though.
Probably ONLY because I’m a Victorian, I’d love to see Peter Siddle back in the side. He played exceptionally well in the last test in England, and over his career he’s showing the ability and willingness to dig deep and bend his back all day. Even when he was out of form, I didn’t think he was bowling too badly. Hazlewood, on the other hand, was a bit of a disappointment in England. I know people will disagree with me on this point though.
So, my XI for the first test: Warner, Cowan, Burns, Smith (c), M. Marsh, Neville, Johnson, Siddle, Starc and Lyon.
Who's in your Australian Test team?
As a doggies fan, when the words Adelaide and finals are put together, I get a sick feeling deep in my guts, as memories of 1997 and 1998 are brought to the fore. I can’t even begin to explain the nerves that I am feeling today (made, I think, the fact that I’m living overseas as an expat now). Tomorrow will probably be worse. We’re not coming into this game with the best form, having been beaten up in Brisbane last weekend. Minson is a good ruckman, but he’s hardly played this year and ‘Sauce’ Jacobs is having a corker. To sum it all up, I don’t have a good feeling about tomorrow.
That being said, and while I’ll be guttered if we lose tomorrow, if you had have told me that the doggies would be playing a home final in September 2015, I would have laughed in your face. Such a great season this one for the boys from the west, and the future looks bright. Come on doggies!!!!
AFL Finals: Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows preview and prediction
Great first article mate, although I don’t necessarily agree with you.
In a footballing sense, or any team game, any champion who doesn’t bow out ‘on top’ is only hurting the rest of their team. Now, I think Goodes is a little bit of an exception to the rule, but generally speaking, by hanging on, a champion is filling the spot of the next champion who has speed and skill that (perhaps) the champion just doesn’t have anymore. As the champion gets older, the mercurial skill and ‘x-factor’ is seen less and less regularly, and the champion gets slower, less fit and more injury prone. No doubt they still love the game, and are passionate about it, but it’s getting to the point where them being in the team is not the best thing for it.
Tennis is more of an individual sport, and so the expectations around retiring at the top of your game are certainly different. If you’re a champion and you want to continue then you’re not really hurting anyone else.
Just my opinion though. Again, great first article, keep up the writing!
Retiring on top is a myth, just ask Hewitt and Goodes
Not sure if the Bulldogs can go all the way, they have some quality outfits ahead of them if they were to even reach the big dance this year. Perhaps they need a bit of a Steven Bradbury moment?
AFL Round 20: The real, unreal, and really unreal
I dare say Quade Cooper will be receiving a knighthood for his services to New Zealand rugby. If I’m honest, I don’t think he’s a horrible player, but the man looks arrogant in a gold jersey for starters, but also timid and unconfident at the same time, which is a very dangerous mix.
Of course, there were 14 other blokes out there with him that need to share the blame. Nic White was terrible, but then again so were most. I don’t think it’s panic stations just yet though…
Quade Cooper has a shocker as All Blacks hammer the Wallabies
Fantastic article. As a passionate doggies member, I’ve long held the belief that Tory Dickson is a highly underrated asset. He’s hard working, he’s exciting and the man can kick! Great to see he’s finally getting some recognition!
The rise and rise of Tory Dickson
Mate, being at the game, there was confusion for a long time about what actually happened with that goal. Without the replays, no one really knew what happened. I had no idea until I got back to my apartment and checked it out
Adelaide United go down after gallant ACL performance