Roar Rookie
Joined January 2016
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Two-time award wage winning journalist
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Since writing my prior article on the early retirement of our best horses – “Where have all the good horses gone” – I have…
The Brisbane Broncos are no chance of winning the premiership this season unless there is a fundamental shift in their psychology. This may seem…
As I grew up a racing fanatic the highlight of my racing year (arguably my year in general) was always the Doncaster Handicap. Sunline…
The horse racing industry is currently in a rut. There is an unfortunate irony playing out as a result of irresistible amounts of money…
The lack of imagination in these NRL clubs is staggering. They seemingly prefer certain mediocrity to taking a risk. If you have a team with no talent and insert a new coach that has learned all the same systems as the other coaches how can you expect to suddenly beat them?
I’d be giving the Walker brothers a go.
Jason Ryles was the perfect fit for Dragons. His rejection shows why they've replaced Tigers as NRL's basket case
If you listen to the Sydney commentators, the Raiders are a one man side who would be fodder if not for Wighton. In the last 2 and a bit seasons however they have:
Played 47 games with Wighton for 20 wins at a strike rate of 42.5%,
Played 10 games without him for 8 wins (80% S/R), including 5/5 last year.
Anyone who watches the Raiders regularly knows how error riddled his game is, he surely holds the record for the most “out on the full”s, ever. He is a terrific centre who we’ve desperately tried to turn into a playmaker, but it hasn’t worked. Good luck to Jack, he deserves the club’s respect, but I think Raiders have cause for optimism with some much needed cash freed up.
Wighton’s Rabbitohs switch says more about Ricky’s Raiders than flaws in NRL’s chaotic contract system
I totally agree, all good points. Ricky Stuart another that took the team to an ‘almost’ season and has felt a bit stale ever since.
The problem with keeping the coach too long is that the next coach doesn’t have access to the gun players (that take teams to grand finals) while they are in their primes. By time Arthur’s contract is up, Gutherson, Moses, and certainly Paulo and Campbell-Gillard will be on the fade, so the new coach has to rebuild an entire team.
What’s the rush? Broncos, Eels too hasty locking in coach on long-term deals
I still vividly remember when Bevan hit a 4 off the last ball of the ODI to win the match for Australia over the Windies. The whole country was watching, it was legendary. These days there’s a boundary off the last ball to win a game every couple of days and no one talks about it. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
'Hitting a ball over a fence is boring': Here's what's wrong with T20 cricket
I wrote something similar on another article a couple weeks ago. Sharks won just 4 games against top 8 teams and two of them were without origin players. Sharks were the beneficiaries of having either none or only one origin player. Their two wins outside of origin period were by 2 points and in extra time. None of this is to claim unfairness, it’s simply to say: don’t assess their chances going forward based on 2nd place finish. Souths have easily beaten eels, roosters, and cowboys in the last five weeks (when the good teams are firing). They are very heavy favourites for mine
Do the Sharks even deserve a spot in the finals after their cushy draw?
They beat Eels by 2, Rabbits by 1, and beat Storm and Cowboys without their origin players. They’ve been beaten twice by Raiders, beaten by Brisbane, beaten by Roosters, beaten by Storm first time around, beaten by Panthers.
The difference between finishing 3rd and playing Sharks or finishing 4th and playing Panthers first week is enormous.
Shades of '16 in air at Sharks: Brailey says under-rated Hynes can lead team to Grand Final glory
They’ve only played Eels, Panthers, Rabbits, Roosters and Broncos once each and they’ve played all the crap teams twice. They’re the beneficiaries of a soft draw. I can’t see it happening for them.
Shades of '16 in air at Sharks: Brailey says under-rated Hynes can lead team to Grand Final glory
Surely Payten gets the nod. I’m guessing Cleary has already won the award at least once in the last couple of years. Given where the cowboys were coming from Payten’s feat surpasses Cleary’s (and Fitzy’s for that matter although not by as much). The cowboys are just a great “team”, oozing self belief and forever putting in for the bloke next to them. This speaks of a winning culture and an effective coach.
MICHAEL HAGAN: Why Cleary should win coach of the year - Panthers machine looks unstoppable
Ben Cross, debuted with Raiders as a 25yo but left before hitting his straps. He played successive grand finals with Melbourne, and a couple of origins the season after when with the Knights.
The ones who got away: Canberra Raiders
“Bart would be turning in his grave” … What a load of rubbish. Horse training is a business with the objective of getting good horses. He’d be a fool to knock back the opportunity I’d say. Some spiteful comments here unsurprisingly but disregarding jealousy it’s hard to deny he’s a very promising trainer. Also he speaks outstandingly well which I always take as a good sign of intelligence.
Some of the horses might be slow but I wouldn’t be blaming James Cummings if they are.
When can we punt the Godolphin horses?
If you take out Hartnell’s heavy 10 runs from this prep, the only time any horse other than Winx has beaten him in his last 2 preparations is his 3rd in the Melbourne Cup.
Had Winx not been here he would have won 4 Group 2s and 3 Group 1s in last two preparations. He would be considered the champion of his era, but for Winx who makes a mockery of him. Don’t forget Hartnell beat Jameka fair and square by 3.5 lengths in the Turnbull last Spring. He is a very bloody good horse. Winx is a freak of nature.
Winx dominates again, but the stars don't seem as bright after tragedy
Not turning up to training because you’re drunk or too hung over, that is a drinking problem. Being an absolute toss pot because you’re too drunk, that is being an absolute toss pot.
An important distinction I feel.
SOK's shocker might see him out of the baggy green for good
And imagine if you’d then rolled the multi into the possibility that after nodding off at the keyboard, Robert Burgin’s drool, having landed on aforesaid keyboard, would materialise into this article.
Truly a remarkable world.
Rugby league predictable? Turn it up
Given the strength of her form last prep I wouldn’t be surprised to see her head down a Doomben 10,000, Stradbroke preparation. I like Artistry as a horse also, not sold on Ravi as yet. Tara has a class edge to my eye though.
Saturday Sure Things: Championships Day 2 preview
Tycoon Tara first-up last prep beat Rebel Dane (subsequent Group 1 winner) and 2nd-up beat Le Romain (subsequent Group 1 winner). This time she’s racing mares at about the Group 3 level and has a very winnable weight.
Not sure how she isn’t the favourite in the last race. Not sure how you’ve left her out either Adam, not much wrong with her form.
Saturday Sure Things: Championships Day 2 preview
Hearing you… The dam Hoss Amor won a few Listed races at 2 when trained by John O’shea. She hasn’t yet had a runner as a broodmare and her siblings were all pretty average so this colt must have been a good type because the pedigree doesn’t seem anything out of the box.
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd dams were all good 2yos so I dare say it’s a case of good early or they’ve done their dough.
Medaglia d'Oro colt fetches two million dollar price tag
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia – http://www.tbaus.com/page.aspx?docid=35
Where have all the good horses gone: My solution
I think you are probably right Tristan (assuming I haven’t miss interpreted you) that these massive increases in prizemoney are ironically exacerbating the early retirement problem.
Jeff suggests that our stallions would go overseas but I don’t buy that. Mainly because I don’t think overseas would buy that. They don’t especially want 2yo prowess. Significantly lowering prizemoney is unfortunately something that would send our better horses overseas.
If for some delightful reason the owners of every colt over the next couple of years decided they weren’t retiring until 6 would it all fall apart? … No way.
So the real problem is the breeders stamping their feet and threatening sabotage. Unfortunately they are well represented in racing administration circles so with my real world hat on I’ll concede this would be extremely unlikely to ever happen.
Where have all the good horses gone: My solution
If he just waits a minute or so he can demolish all of his racquets in the locker room and no one will know about it. He’s got to learn that winning the crowd over matters because it does.
Also Tomic will be back into the top 50 for sure. He’s not going anywhere, the lifestyle and money are too good. He doesn’t have the talent for the top 20 but between 30-50 he will be in and out of for years to come I suspect.
The resurgence of Nick Kyrgios
Good point,
the more I consider Antonio the more I feel he has to be conceded a place chance. My concern for him is that unlike the horses you mention above he really feels like a stayer to me. Sacred Falls and Rangirangdoo never won past a mile where Giuseppe just placed in a Metrop.
I like your logic though.
The highlight of a racing year: The Donny - a look back, and 2017 preview
I reckon that old adage still holds water. Looking through the last decade or so of winners there’s not any real sprinter/milers. I would suggest you would have to go back to Private Steer in 2004 for the last sprinter to win the race.
The highlight of a racing year: The Donny - a look back, and 2017 preview
The guy has a great action but I’m not as sold as you are Ronan. I think he has a lot to learn and from what I’ve seen of him he’s not as economical as you make out. This is the arena to learn however because you just know that a bowler like him would have ripped through batting orders his whole life. Learning to bowl under pressure begins now.
Cummins might be Australia's version of Akram and Ambrose
The Eels have a critical game for their season this weekend and Fittler strips their team to play for a basket case in a dead rubber. Just a joke, origin dead rubbers should be cancelled.
Blues Origin III team: Fittler going down swinging the axe as besieged coach chops and changes in bid to save his skin