This week in sport an Aussie lead an unexpected America’s Cup fightback, James O’Connor again fought the wrong battle, the fight-free NRL finals were anything but soft, the Swans lost and Taj Burrow won.
USA, USA, AUS, AUS, AUS
Amid all the chants and American patriotism that has come out of the amazing comeback of Team Oracle in the America’s Cup there has been one man flying the flag with the stars on it better than most.
That flag doesn’t have 50 stars, just the magnificent six.
James Spithill, a 33 year old from Newport in Sydney, has skippered the Team Oracle boat for seven straight wins, coming back from an 8-1 deficit to turning today’s race for the lucky ninth win into a winner-takes-all affair.
He’s a great ambassador for the sport, a successful ranga (which warms my ginger heart) and is doing Australia proud.
No Fly For You!
There are a lot of factors to be considered in the James O’Connor debacle.
I actually don’t care he rocked up to the airport under the weather. We’ve all done it.
The Wallabies had just won their first Test in a long time, they had two weeks until the next game and a few drinks with the team were well deserved.
It’s the abusing of the flight crew that I find hard to cop. I wonder had he been stone cold sober would his reaction have been different.
I actually think not. There is a sense of entitlement there in his dealings with the flight crew that doesn’t stem from simply too many beers.
You’re hungover – get on the plane, sit where you’re allocated, give your girlfriend a break from your rum breath and sleep until you get to Bali.
It just seems that unless he has someone standing over his shoulder telling him, he feels the rules don’t apply to him.
The other question begs – was there nothing he could have been doing to ensure the Wallabies and himself were going to be 100 percent for the upcoming Test matches?
Was there no physio needed? No skills, conditioning or gym work to do to make sure we win these games?
He is a lot better player than I am, but I know that when we are afforded a week off, I can’t be kept out of the gym.
And then there were four
The physicality of this NRL finals series has been unbelievable.
These players’ ability to back up week in, week out from games like these are a testament not only to their athletic ability but also mental strength.
A player can do all he can to get his body right during the week, but it’s the ability of a player’s mental state to be constantly on and up for it that makes these guys the players they are.
I’m hoping Newcastle can pull it off. For a fellow old fella, it’s great to see the likes of Willie Mason, Craig Gower and Danny Buderus mixing it up with the young brigade, experience, vision and intelligence making up for that half a yard of lost pace.
Snippets
– The Swannies are out but they are one hell of a team. I admit to not following the AFL super closely, but it seems to me the Swans are always up there, with an exemplary bunch of players on and off the field and new talent seems to transition really well into the team. Good luck to the GF participants Hawthorn and Fremantle.
– Taj Burrow won at Trestles last week as the Tour arrives in France. Hossegor is the base and it is a great surfing town. The Rock Food floor will claim many a pair of thongs as the floor becomes sticky from spilt drinks when locals mix with the surfers who get knocked out in the early rounds. I’ll head down during the week to have a look and hopefully answer my age-old question – how do you surf a left?
There's some high standards at Sydney!
Wouldn't want to be Jack Scrimshaw right now!
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