I don’t consider the NBL to be strong today, either. My point was that comparing an NBL player to an NBA player is almost impossible. Guys that fail in the NBA often come over to the NBL and end up dominating. That’s why it’s hard to say that Gaze is the greatest just because he was dominant in a competition that has always been considered second class. I think that his international performances carry more weight, but once again they were never against the best of the best. Mills is playing against guys like LeBron, Wade and Westbrook. While Gaze played against guys like Leroy Loggins, who was dominant in the NBL after leaving his home country because he couldn’t compete against the world’s best.

If Mills continues to improve (which he has done consistently over the past four years) then when he retires as an NBA champion after spending 15 years playing against the world’s best players we will atleast need to acknowledge him as one of the greats (if not the greatest).

I’m not sure too many teams are striving to lose a Grand Final to a 7th placed team after finishing on top of the ladder.

Jack and McVeigh would have to accept a lot of responsibility for the loss. As captains the club they really needed to lead from the front, but both had subpar performances. I think the club sent them a clear message by electing Kennedy as their sole leader. Both players were supportive of the decision, which may show a lack of confidence in their own leadership after the Grand Final.

It may sound harsh but Grand Final losses mean nothing. I’m sure the Swans players and coaches would agree that given the strength of their list and the benefits the AFL has given them they would have expected to have performed better over the past decade. I think this year’s loss will hurt the most. They seemed very confident coming into the game and they had an opportunity to win it, but in the end several of their big name players just disappeared.

At this stage I would agree with you. It is tough to compare players from different generations, especially given the way the game has changed around the world. A few things that work against Gaze are that he dominated in a league that just wasn’t that strong. The best athletes were playing footy and cricket so it was easier for a 6’7 guy without a lot of speed to do what he wanted. He did perform well in the Olympics, but he never played against the Dream Team and the overall competition was slightly weaker than it is now.

Mills is playing against the best in the world at a time when the league is at its strongest, and he’s scoring meaningful points for a playoff contender. Gaze was 33 when he tried to crossover to the NBA and he had no real impact (he didn’t play at all in the playoffs). When Mills is 33 (in 5 years time) there is a chance that he could be starting for an NBA team. There is also a chance that he could be starting for the first Boomers team to win an olympic medal in 2020. But those are obviously all hypotheticals. I just think he doesn’t get the respect he deserves considering the impact that he is having in such a tough competition. He doesn’t have nearly the same profile as Aussie soccer or tennis players that are able to compete at the same level.

He is definitely a big game player. But there is a pattern now of the same players disappearing when the game’s get tight. Tippett and Rohan in particular would have been disappointed in how they performed in this year’s Grand Final. Hopefully they’ll lift next year.

Mark Howard did a decent job at being the straight man for the BBL last year, but his main skill was not getting in the way of the guys who know the game well (eg. Ponting, Waugh). There is a real lack of talent in that department at the moment, but generally the older guys are the best at it so it might take some time to develop someone who can fill the role.

Channel 9’s coverage is slowly starting to improve but they still have a long way to go. I think they need to cut back on their team and throw a lot of money at someone like Ponting.

You are correct, sorry I missed that. It was only announced a couple of days ago that Molloy and Mark Howard will also be joining the team.

It is a fair point. There is a real lack of diversity in most commentary boxes these days. Channel 9 having Pieterson on the team last month seemed a bit like a token effort compared to what I remember them having in years gone by.

Triple M has signed a deal to broadcast the upcoming Pakistan Test Series and next years Ashes series.

Here’s their current commentating lineup:
James Brayshaw
Michael Slater
Brett Lee
Merv Hughes
Brad Haddin
Darren Berry
H.G Nelson
Isa Guha (former English women’s cricket player)
Jules Schiller, Lawrence Mooney, Gus Worland (Triple M talent)
Neroli Meadows (reporter)

Looks like some good variety, and a mix of older and younger talent. It looks like they will go for a similar approach to their AFL coverage, where they have a play-by-play caller, a colour commentator (eg. comedian), and a former player/journalist (for analysis and deeper insights).

Yeah, there is a lot of recycled stuff going around that is a bit redundant. A show that I was surprised by last season was the Friday Front Bar with Mick Molloy, Sam Pang and Andy Maher. I don’t really like any of them but they definitely didn’t take themselves too seriously and there was some good laughs. I particularly liked their Grand Final show when they had some great guests and gags. It’s the only show that comes close to capturing what Before the Game was able to do.

At its best I think 360 is the best show going around, but a lot depends on the guests. It is tough to have a good show every night, and sometimes Robbo is just not in the mood for it.

Triple M is leading the way now with Judd and Roos’ being added to a solid list of commentators. Judd is a rising star and Roos is obviously one of the best going around.

I really struggle to watch anything that McClure is on. He just seems like a grouch. Robbo is a bit hit or miss. He seems to pick fights just to increase the show’s ratings.

Garry Lyon will be back on Footy Classified next year but at this stage it doesn’t look like he will be back on the Rub, unfortunately.

Agreed. The AFL is attracting a wider audience than ever before, but the Footy Show only caters for the working class male. Although Newman is the main drawcard he is also one of the main reasons why many refuse to watch the show.

So far all the news reports are saying that they couldn’t reach a contract that both sides were happy with. I’m guessing that Bradshaw was wanting more money and opportunities, while Channel Nine probably knows that the show is already going downhill so it isn’t worth investing extra money into it. Newman’s salary alone will make it hard to justify the show continuing unless the ratings increase.

It does seem as though the ‘best’ (most well known) journalists are very unlikable. I actually think Barrett does a good job when he’s just asked to share information, but he always looks so uncomfortable in front of the camera. Hutchy has a lot of media training which makes him a decent host, but he’ll struggle to relate to the working class footy fan (aka. 95% of The Footy Show audience).

Are there any AFL shows that you all watch or listen to regularly?

I’ve become a bit of a fan of Triple M’s Rub, mostly because the guys don’t take the game too seriously. But I know that there’s many who struggle with their style of humour. And I think that Footy Classified has found it’s own place to debate the bigger issues around the game. Even though I don’t particularly like any of the individuals on the show it still seems to work when they’re together.

I’m interested to hear what shows are hitting the mark these days.

I think that Kohli’s fighting spirit could rub off on his team and help them to dig in against tough pace attacks. They should go into each series seeking to win, not just to come away with some closes. I also like their balanced batting attack, particularly if Ashwin and Jadeja can keep making some runs.

You are right, the easy schedule means that we’ll have to wait a few more weeks before we really know how good they are. Aside from Westbrook’s intensity, the other thing that’s impressed me has been how efficient Adams and Kanter have been. Both are shooting over 55% from the field and over 80% from the free throw line. Oladipo and Morrow are in a nice shooting groove, and they still have some potential for improvement with youngsters like Sabonis and Grant. I think they’ll end up finishing 5th or 6th if they are able to stay healthy.

I think this series just gone in Australia has helped the development of the SA squad dramatically. Rabada and De Kock stood up when it counted, and Bavuma showed why they’ve been so patient with him. I expect them to hit their peak as a team next year before Steyn, AB, Faf, Amla and Duminy start retiring (they’re all 32/33 years old at the moment).

At the moment I’d argue that India and South Africa are the best sides, but both are clearly flawed. When AB de Villiers returns for SA’s series against Sri Lanka we’ll see how strong they can be with the current lineup. The introduction of two new spinners looks like a clear plan to make them more competitive in dry conditions.

India’s batting depth is great but they will always struggle to bowl sides out away from home.

Australia have the potential to be great again, given how strong their core is (Smith, Warner, Khawaja, Starc Hazlewood). But I think their lack of spin depth will make it hard to beat India away next year.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I was making more of an observation about how fast bowlers are being developed today than what the current side looks like. When Hazelwood and Starc are on song they are two of the best in the game. But I don’t see too much coming through to support them at the moment. I think too much emphasis is being put on what pops up on the speed gun which is forcing youngsters to try focus more on pace than on accuracy. The end is result is either guys who bowl quick with no strategy, or guys who bowl quick and breakdown every year. I’d like to see a more balanced approach to the development of fast bowlers and more opportunities for guys like Behrendorf and Sayers.

Full time

The Taipans hold on for an upset victory over the 3rd placed Breakers. This is a big win that could help get the Taipans back in the top four next round.

Travis Trice was unstoppable for the Taipans, scoring 31 points and setting up their offense. Jawai remains a matchup nightmare down low, getting several Breakers big men in foul trouble. Gliddon and Worthington showed their experience on both ends of the floor, and that was enough to get the win tonight. For the Taipans to keep moving forward they will need their second unit to step up and atleast break even against their opposing backups. But this shows us that the Taipans are a real threat for travelling teams on their homecourt.

The Breakers have lost their last two games now, both by sizable margins. They will need to come out strong next round against the Hawks on Friday. Being back at home will give them some relief as they try to figure out what’s been going wrong. Their offense never really got going tonight, with Webster and Penney both turning it over several times. Stockton looked dangerous in limited minutes, and they might have to consider injecting him into the starting lineup if their offensive struggles continue. But they still have a deep squad that can hold their own against the top teams in the competition.

Thanks for joining us. Lookout for the next game tonight at 7pm AEDT as the Wildcats take on the Hawks.

Q4

Long pass hits Jawai for the one handed slam! The crowd goes wild. Breakers turn it over again and the final siren goes.

Breakers 80
Taipans 91

Q4

Another Breakers turnover as Webster can’t get the inbounds pass in on time. This one is over.

Breakers 80
Taipans 89