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Joined November 2018
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With the US Masters originally set to take place this weekend, golf fans have been left hungry for some Augusta action as the tournament…
The golden sands of Mooloolaba Beach played host to the start of a potential revolution in competitive surf lifesaving last Monday with the inaugural…
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While all eyes were focussed on the stellar performances of the Roosters and the Raiders last week, many rugby league supporters missed the enthralling…
As the Tigers and Sharks prepare for Sunday’s win-and-in clash at Leichhardt Oval, there is a grand final-like aura surrounding the match. Both sides…
As the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston draws closer, the hype around Matthew Wade’s possible return from cricketing purgatory continues to grow. Aside from…
With over 75 players abandoning club loyalty and crossing to rival squads for the upcoming season, the 2018-19 NRL off-season has featured headlines aplenty.…
As the clock struck three in New York City and the NBA trade deadline arrived, a number of shock trades stunned the basketball world.…
Entering the 2007-08 Premier League campaign, the Bolton Wanderers sat comfortably in the top flight of English football. Coming off their sixth straight year…
Following Valentine Holmes’ NFL switch last week, many pundits and rugby league legends alike have questioned the likelihood of Holmes experiencing success in the…
Yes I agree that Boyd is best used in a 20 minute interchange role, but I have to disagree on Glasby. Can see him hitting 50 mins a game at Newcastle and really playing that ‘meat and potatoes’ style role, similar to someone like James Graham at the Dragons.
Under the radar: The five most underrated signings of 2019
While he’s been out of form, Starc is a proven wicket taker. I don’t think Chris Tremain is quick enough (like Starc and Cummins) to trouble world class batsmen such as Kohli, Pujara and Rahane, nor do I think he has the consistency of someone like Hazlewood. I think we’ve seen in the past that Sheffield Shield success doesn’t directly translate to success in the test arena. Test is just a different beast.
I do like the idea of Cummins/Hazlewood with the new ball however, as much of Starc’s success has come with the old ball in this test.
Mitchell Starc must be dropped for the second Test against India
Wow some absolutely fantastic stories Buddy! My grandfather also came from Bolton and continues to tell me stories about watching the Wanderers play in Bolton in the 1940’s and 50’s, alongside memories of Bradman at Old Trafford.
Absolutely it is a terrific club with a very rich history, and I wouldn’t discount it for a minute, but it’s sad to see how managerial issues in the past decade have hampered the club’s onfield performance.
Fingers crossed you’re correct and the club is past the worst and back on the upswing of the cycle back to the PL.
Wandering to woe: Bolton's disastrous decline
Good stuff Josh, Hadn’t heard of Barkley before you had mentioned her name, but will definitely take a look at her story now.
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
Yep they’re definitely in the discussion (see above comments)
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
Again, I’ll reiterate that this is not the Top 5, it is just Five of the best stories of dual sport athletes. Sure Sanders is firmly planted in the discussion for Greatest Dual Sport Athlete, but .268 won’t place you in the upper echelon (.268 would have ranked as the 119th best batting average in the 1990 season, so slightly above average but certainly not upper echelon), nor will one terrific world series. Sleepy Floyd scored 51 in an NBA Finals game, but he wasn’t consistent throughout his career (only averaged 12.8 ppg), so he’s not considered as sitting in the upper echelon like LeBron, Bird, Jordan or Wilt. From Folau to Thorpe to Milton, all of the above athletes have demonstrated consistently throughout their careers that they’re at the top of their chosen sports, hence why they were selected.
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
Absolutely agree with you there Paul, but those athletes are definitely few and far between! Have you got any particular names in mind?
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
Apologies it was professional, yet Sanders only pursued it as a part-time endeavour. There’s no doubt that Sanders and Jackson were the pre-eminent multi-sport athletes of their time, but I don’t think that Folau’s efforts should be discredited either. As mentioned above, this is just a selection of the top athletes, not necessarily the 5 best. I think that topic will be debated forever and no one can truly answer it. It’s like asking a league fan who the best player of all time was, Thurston, Johns, Meninga, Brown, Messenger, each are incredible athletes in their own right, and it simply comes down to personal preference and opinion on each of their careers.
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
Sanders was overlooked due to his struggle to find consistency in the MLB, especially early in his career. Really, apart from the 1992 World Series season (in which they lost) where he hit over .300, he struggled to match it with the upper echelon of players in the league. No doubting his efforts in the NFL though, he was unreal.
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
The club of elite dual sports athletes certainly does not stop at these five, and most definitely includes both Sanders and Bo Jackson, however Israel was chosen due to being one of Australia’s finest Dual-sport athletes of recent memory. Sanders was overlooked due to his struggle to find consistency in the MLB, especially early in his career. Really, apart from the 1992 World Series season (in which they lost) where he hit over .300, he struggled to match it with the upper echelon of players in the league. No doubting his efforts in the NFL though, he was unreal.
And yes, Bo Sanders was shortlisted when coming up with names to write about, however I felt as though the stories of people like Milton and Babe Zaharias would add more variety to the piece. Of course, as aforementioned, this was designed to be, “the stories of five of the greatest dual-sport athletes”, not “the stories of THE five greatest dual sport athletes”.
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
Yes it’s rare, but Folau has been recognised as one of the best in his position at both codes (exclude the AFL experiment). If you look at someone like Deion Sanders, yes he was an incredible RB, and one of the all time greats in the NFL, but he struggled for consistency for much of his career in the MLB (particularly due to the non-professional nature of the sport at the time, which led to him pursuing two sports at once). Folau was consistent in the NRL for Melbourne and Brisbane (even if it was due to the terrific team construct around him) and in Rugby Union for both the Waratahs and Wallabies.
Doubling up: The elite club that Valentine Holmes endeavours to join
Good stuff Matt. Tough to add in a year with so many highlights on the Cricketing calendar, but the Cricket World Cup in England will definitely be a highlight (although Australia’s recent ODI performances may suggest otherwise!) and it will be fascinating to see how the Australian team begins to shape up for the tournament upon the re-arrival of Warner and Smith – assumably both would have to slot straight back in.
Another interesting prospect will be the Rugby World Cup. Surely Cheika’s job will be on the line, but can the Australian’s do enough to keep him employed? Ireland will surely be another team to watch, but can they upset the Kiwi’s? So many unanswered questions!
League’s World Cup of 9’s and Magic Round in Brisbane in May will no doubt add to an intriguing year of sport ahead. Who said we need an Olympics or World Cup to make things interesting!?!
My 2019 sporting bucket list
Obviously doesn’t have the national interest, but I think fans of both sides (particularly the Tigers) could liken the feelings driving the lead up to the game to that of a GF. Just on the interest point, also worth noting that this game is tipped to be the highest rating game of all time for the Fox League channel.
Leichhardt epic feels like a grand final