The BBL's rules are okay
Rule changes are all the rage in sport these days, which I think is all to the good.
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Ben Pobjie is a writer and comedian whose promising rugby career was tragically cut short the day he stopped playing rugby and had a pizza instead. The most he has ever cried was the day Balmain lost the 1989 grand final. Today he enjoys the frolics of Wallabies, Swans, baggy greens, and Storm.
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Rule changes are all the rage in sport these days, which I think is all to the good.
The Roar welcomes guest columnist Phil Gould to bring his unique take on the grand final.
The 1968 Olympics in Mexico City were quite an event, even by Olympic standards.
Nothing frustrates me more than ignorance, especially when it comes to sporting matters. So it pains me when I see commentators, pundits and fans shooting their mouths off about topics on which they have failed to properly inform themselves.
Sport in 2020 has been, not to put too fine a point on it, weird.
‘Tis the season, it seems, for naming all-time greatest themed cricket teams, which makes it a perfect time to finally settle the question of what is best: a beanpole or a bean sprout?
I got a familiar sensation when I was reading the article by esteemed colleague Gazbo titled “The Broncos’ decline is no laughing matter”.
Ah, the Mankad. Has any single sporting action ever caused so much furious debate?
After Stacey Livingstone declared that if you stop Tayla Harris in the air, she’s “useless”, the AFL media set to work immediately on answering the pressing question: is she?
I have always been a big fan of George Bailey, and always thought he could add a lot to the field of selection.
I knew a girl in high school who was a serious Christian, from a serious Christian family.
I don’t know who the new Wallabies coach will be, and I don’t know who it should be. Maybe it will be this guy Dave Rennie. Maybe it will be this other guy Eddie Jones.
We have to talk about referees. By which I don’t mean that I want to talk about referees, or that we haven’t already talked too much about referees, or even that talking about referees is likely to prove of any particular use.
There’s no use pussyfooting around: rugby league has become soft.
The celebrations had barely even begun at Old Trafford when a sobering note was struck.
As I watched Steve Smith hit his third century of the current Ashes series, I was struck by the similarities between this brilliant modern batsman and another true legend who plied his trade in an earlier era.
Yes yes, very good innings. Yes yes, revived the Ashes. Yes, one of the greatest Tests of all time, what Test cricket is all about, privileged to be living in these times, etc. Fine. But I have one question.
If it doesn’t matter, why not bring Trevor Chappell out of retirement?
Who cares who opens the batting for Australia in the first Test?
You could’ve at least mentioned what people who DID see him bat said. Completely ignoring what eyewitnesses thought of Pollock is very convenient. And for someone who doesn’t think stats are everything, you’ve written an article judging Pollock on nothing but.
Was Graeme Pollock a great batsman?
I thought Yeo was great *considering* he was out of position and lacking in a centre’s speed. But he was good “for a lock playing centre”. And Gutho was good too. A genuine backline replacement would still have been preferable. Even so, losing Tedesco will always be a huge blow no matter who replaces him. Just bad luck and you can have contingencies but you can’t eliminate luck from your game plan.
Six talking points from State of Origin Game 3
I think Cleary was very good, Cook was fine although vastly outshone by Grant, Walker went missing and the whole forward pack was a huge letdown. But if Tedesco stays on the field I still think NSW wins. His injury turned the game on its head – the effect hugely magnified by NSW carrying four forwards on the bench, which I think is always a bad move.
Six talking points from State of Origin Game 3
1999 it must’ve been: NSW won 3-0 in 2000.
Six talking points from State of Origin Game 3
Reckon you’ve given Allan five times as many points as he earned
State of Origin 3 player ratings: Queensland Maroons
If Cordner is the GOAT, the club ain’t that strong in that position.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
That’s how good a judge Duncan was – he knew that Dave Brown would end up proving himself.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
I’d take Beetson over JWH every day of the week. I’d take Beetson over almost any other prop who ever took the field.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
I reckon weight gaps would close if you placed players in the same eras. Full-time professionals who spend days in the gym get to bulk up a lot more.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
Dan Frawley for Tupou. Viv Thicknesse for Hastings. Ray Stehr for Morley (can’t believe Morley was even considered). Bunny Reilly for Cordner.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
Oh come now, I bet you’ve read two or three bigger loads in your time.
For the love of God, stop letting the Wallabies play us like this
I think you mean they were slow out of the blocks in 2020, as you’d already covered their 2019 clash?
Missing from the Richmond dynasty? A legitimate rival
You’ll get over the grand final one day.
Time to update the NRL rule book to reflect the actual rules
Penrith isn’t far from Parramatta though, and if the Riverside Theatre isn’t enough of a draw for these guys…
The Panthers' greatest issue? Um, Penrith
I always loathe the “what else was he to do” style of commentary. The fact is, if there is no way a player can prevent a try without breaking the rules, what he is *supposed* to do is let the try be scored. That’s the whole point of, you know, “rules”. Might as well see a player throw a pass ten metres forward to get a try and ask, “well what else was he supposed to do, there were defenders in the way!”
"I'm always honest", says Phil Gould who reckons his NRL grand final call wasn't biased
You’re right. It’s entirely legal to tackl feet-first and kick the ball out of the hands of a player in the process of scoring a try. The bunker just made up a fictional rule in order to benefit the Storm. Good article.
The penalty try was wrong. Change my mind
It’s not so much that Gould wants his team to win, as that he deludes himself into thinking they ARE winning, when they’re not.
Also, “witty”. Heh, good one.
The problem with 'bias': Why this Queenslander backs Phil Gould
Greg Alexander, to his enormous credit, a while back decided he would not call Panthers games.
"I'm always honest", says Phil Gould who reckons his NRL grand final call wasn't biased
They were more in touch with their feelings. They came out of the game more well-adjusted.
"I'm always honest", says Phil Gould who reckons his NRL grand final call wasn't biased
India must be relieved the pitch eased out.
Who’d have thunk it? A few takes from the first Test