Roar Guru
Joined May 2017
22k
Views
31
Published
811
Comments
I live for the sound of leather on willow, and will drop anything to watch a round of MMA. I am always happy to settle for a game of League in the winter months. Fascinated by the history of sport.
Published
Comments
Due to a depressing lack of Test cricket, this year's Sheffield Shield has more eyes on it than most years. Combine this with the…
This past weekend, two great champions added what could be the final chapter to their sporting careers. One is Cameron Smith, the Melbourne Storm…
To put it mildly, 2020 has been a disappointing year, and not the least for the Brisbane Broncos. The premier Queensland team have quite…
This weekend, Australian MMA fans are gifted a UFC card, packed not only with great fights, but packed with Australians too. Three of the…
The last week, the combat sports world was packed with fights, but also saw some interesting rumours emerge. Firstly, we had UFC 224 in…
In August last year, I penned a preview of the upcoming 2017-18 Sheffield Shield season, including some bold, if not entirely wise, predictions. In…
Those who saw Fedor Emelianenko's knock-out of Frank Mir at Bellator 198 could be excused for thinking that the Heavyweight Grand Prix is nothing…
Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson is regarded by some as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in MMA despite never having to overcome the type of competition…
For as long anyone remembers, professional rugby league clubs have practiced some sort of martial arts training. Boxing is so common, indeed, that a…
For me, watching Vasyl Lomachenko is quite simply one of the great pleasures in modern boxing. He is remarkable and very possibly the best…
This weekend we see the UFC's first major event in Australia since November 2015, when Holly Holm spectacularly knocked out Ronda Rousey for the…
The first UFC card of 2018 is underway this weekend, and we start the year with the most anticipated heavyweight match in some time:…
Round five of this year’s Sheffield Shield wound to completion on Wednesday, and with it comes the ‘Big Gap’, as the Shield takes a…
UFC 218 was a card full of expectation, and it did not fail to deliver. However, this card also posed and answered some intriguing…
With Test stars in action and international spots on the line, at least theoretically, the first three rounds of this season's Sheffield Shield have…
UFC 217, possibly the most exiting line-up of the year, is finally upon us this weekend. Headlined by the return of Georges St-Pierre against…
With the footy season over for another year, I found myself forced to reflect on what could only be called a disappointing year for…
Mark Hunt's withdrawal from November's UFC Sydney has again brought chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) into fans' consciousness. The UFC appears to be making a…
UFC 216, Ferguson versus Lee, is upon us and there are a number of exciting fights. Let's get into the main card preview and…
Jon Jones, what have you done? When I first heard that the UFC light-heavyweight champ had failed a urine test, I admit I was…
That’s good analysis jimmmy. With Nanai (theoretically) replacing Kaufusi do you think they might change the shooter on that side to have a more solid defender chasing on the inside? Maybe have Nanai as the shooter.
Origin 3 Tactical Preview: Where the decider will be won and lost
Rubbish, a decider at Lang Park should never be such long odds. Qld are still a very good team and know exactly how to win this type of game. I think 3.25 is laughable as it is, it should be much closer.
Origin 3 Tactical Preview: Where the decider will be won and lost
I think I’d prefer Carrigan, he worries me almost as much and doesn’t have the prestige of Munster. With Munster out I think we have the worst of both worlds: if we win, it’s just because they didn’t have their best player; if we lose it’s another famous Qld victory against all the odds, despite him being just one player. I’d prefer him be there.
Origin 3 Tactical Preview: Where the decider will be won and lost
I have to agree. In the past, as a loyal fan, I’ve been willing to give AOB the benefit of the doubt, but the clear lack of team culture and fortitude points to a problem somewhere at the top. Maybe they just need a great defensive assistant coach, but I think AOB should also be on notice. Our team has the cattle to be doing better than it is and AOB is not getting the best out of his players.
Have Newcastle hit rock bottom?
Yes exactly, he’s just the halves’ coach as I understand it and they’re ok. They problem they have really seems to be a team culture/resilience issue, there’s just no backbone once the chips start falling the other way. It’s so against the original ethos of the “men of steel”, a working class team that played hard regardless of circumstances.
Have Newcastle hit rock bottom?
Amazed no one has mentioned Selwyn Cobbo over Taulagi. Thought he meant to be the next big thing, why not get him in the set up early?
MICHAEL HAGAN: Origin I selections so crucial - who Blues, Maroons should pick for series opener
Classic Newcastle to lose at home and also lose one of our top players in the process.
NRL NEWS: Lodge quits the Warriors, Best's gruesome elbow injury, Ray Warren may not return for 100th Origin
Which back-up ground would you suggest? Besides, the rain at the moment is not that bad in Brisbane itself, and Suncorp is famous for having good drainage. Sure the field will be a bit rough by Sunday, but it won’t be any compared to pitches in days gone by. Bit of a storm in a tea-cup, especially in light of the damage to life and property that’s being done to the north and west. It’s just a few games of footy.
Magic Round just became aquatic round: Why you should never play eight NRL games at the same venue
You’re not giving Johns his respect, Matt. You’re not alone, and I’m loathe to bring it up because some people seem to relish putting him down, but just listen to how Qlders who played against him rate him as a player, especially Thurston and Smith. He was a more impactful player in his time than Locky, and a much better defender. The only thing Locky has over him is longevity, but that’s what you get when someone else does your tackling 😂. But seriously, Johns is a first rate footballer and in the shade of no one.
All that said, I would not complain if Lockyer was included. He and Thurston are on the same level to me, a tad below Johns, Smith and Slater.
Nearly Immortals: The best of the rest
Freddy was a great player, and a better defender than Locky. But Freddy was also a more traditional, big-body, running five-eighth, whereas Locky (and the Broncos he played for) innovated the position, playing a greater ball-playing role by splitting the traditional half role with the 7.
Nearly Immortals: The best of the rest
This discussion is the problem (or maybe the fun) with a lack of criteria.
To my mind, and as much as I hate to admit it as a NSWelshman, Slater was heads and shoulders above all the other fullbacks of his generation. Minny and Stewart were great players, but they did not change the course of Rugby league like Slater did. He innovated the position of fullback as essentially another five-eighth, and his imprint on the game is seen by the amount of amazing ball playing fullbacks we see today. You could arguably even attribute the 7 tackle restart to him, as it was brought in after teams started to just kick the ball dead rather than risk him having the ball. He’s a shoe-in as an immortal in my mind. Simply being a great player for a while is not enough, you need to change the game.
Nearly Immortals: The best of the rest
I’d be interested in your criteria for selections, Matt, although we don’t really see the much in the selection of actual immortals (being a hall of fame member is the only strict criteria).
I think changing the game in some way should be a key criteria, as well as absolute excellence in both attack and defence (the most basic aspects of the game). That criteria applies to all current immortals and according to that criteria Slater and Smith are no brainers. But it might preclude some other great players.
Nearly Immortals: The best of the rest
Scapegoat as always, though. Or maybe not, how the club handled this Ponga rubbish is a joke.
'Sorry': Ponga and O'Brien apologise to fans after pathetic Knights thrashed by Parra
Ponga will be captain regardless of what we think because we signed him again and are now seemingly hostages to his demands. The whole affair has obviously impacted the team and it’s a real shame.
Should Kalyn Ponga keep the Knights captaincy?
I’m gonna put it out there, I at least have come to the that conclusion that Ponga needs to leave the Knights. It’s hard to say as a long suffering Knights fan, but I have three reasons.
First is what you’re talking about here, a successful team is not one player. It seems to me that basing the whole Knight’s attack around one somewhat unpredictable player is not the best thing other players’ development, especially Best.
Second is that I do not believe that Ponga is the right personality to be the Knight’s leader and talisman. Unlike those other great players like Johns and Thurston, Ponga (by most accounts) does not ooze competitiveness or breath rugby league in his private life,
Third is that he is not a diehard fan of the club he plays for (as much as I’m sure he likes it). Johns loved Newcastle, Thurston was the symbol of north Queensland and so it goes with all great “one player” teams. Ponga is not that guy, and he is clearly tempted to leave. Let him go and good riddance. The Hunter should be developing it’s own players anyway.
Myth-busting the one-man team theory: Knights should've learned Ponga lesson with Joey
“A competition they are involved in”- who cares? The “competition” has been in existence for all of 2 years, it means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of cricket – CA’s cancelation of the South Africa tour shows exactly how much they care about the whole thing. The monetary prize for the test champions is 1.6 mil; the Ashes bring in between 150-200 mil, according to the SMH before this series.
The business of test cricketers is to perform as well as they can in the test series they are currently playing – some imaginary points given by the ICC should not (and apparently do not) matter in the slightest. The “championship” is just there to make test cricket more palatable to people who are only used to sport being dished up that way.
The Pat Cummins declaration: Would Mark Taylor have declared earlier?
I’m guessing the editors didn’t think any that was worthy of the article eh Matt? Good work.
The Pat Cummins declaration: Would Mark Taylor have declared earlier?
I’m not sure what the financial benefits of the WTC is, but as far as credit or points are concerned, I could not possibly care less about the championship or the so-called test “champions”.
I would hate to see choices in a test cricket influenced too much by how many WTC points they may or may not get.
The Pat Cummins declaration: Would Mark Taylor have declared earlier?
You mean the leading fast bowler of the series and the best pink ball bowler in history? I mean he looked tired last match, but I can certainly believe it.
Khawaja gets nod over Harris for fifth Test, Boland may be out
I’m baffled by people who seem to think the national team is the place to build long term batting stocks. What’s the Sheffield Shield for? It’s not the tv ratings.
Only the best performing players should play in the test team. Yes there’s some room for getting used to the arena and cementing your spot, but it’s not where we develop talent.
Khawaja gets nod over Harris for fifth Test, Boland may be out
If I was Pakistan, I’d spread that talk too: “hard with plenty of carry, that’s what all our pitches are. Bring Warner.”
Khawaja gets nod over Harris for fifth Test, Boland may be out
This and so many other things in this thread (like “tea” being immovable) just show the grip that pommy “tradition” has on cricket. Just because they started it doesn’t mean that everything is sacrosanct: modern society wouldn’t have got very far if the Greeks expected that of democracy.
Test cricket should have the ability to change and adapt to modern expectations and sentiments.
Eleven ways to speed up Test cricket - time to cut out the wasted hours
Although as a Wallabies fan I wouldn’t say no to the opposition having a couple less players 😂
Eleven ways to speed up Test cricket - time to cut out the wasted hours
It’s funny, I think that Australia has been better almost everywhere, but I still think if I was to make the best combined team from England and Australia I would find a place for both Root and Stokes. Where is the issue.
The obvious way to get Root in is to move Labuschagne to open and drop Harris, then Smith at 3 (you can’t drop Smith) Root at 4, and then Head or Khawaja at 5.
But then if I’m honest, I would drop Green for Stokes and play him at 6. I like Green, and he’s getting close to being a genuine bowling all-rounder, but Stokes is already is a genuine batting all-rounder (using Richie Benaud’s definition of a “genuine” all-rounder as someone who would make their way into a team on one of their skills alone). Green is not yet a genuine all-rounder, and number 6 needs to bat better then they bowl.
Ashes Scout: Shock 'favourite' to replace Langer, suffering Stokes should be dropped for own good
Is there a point where football is being held hostage by the violence of (parts of) its fanbase?
I imagine the reason that this would not happen in South America or Europe is not the higher moral quality of the players, but rather the players’ comparative lack of ignorance about the potential consequences – they know much more acutely how bad it can get so don’t risk it.
Glover clearly did not think this would or could happen in Australia, and I find it hard to blame him for thinking that. Fans rushing the field to assault a player should never be an option, and it certainly shouldn’t have to factor in to how an athlete performs, regardless of the sport. If you want to call that an ignorance of football culture go ahead, but clearly a culture is flawed if you expect the violence of fans to dictates the on-field behaviour of athletes.
City keeper may be punished for throwing flare as Victory slapped with show-cause notice over pitch invasion