Roar Guru
Joined February 2016
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30-ish year-old mediocre club cricketer, handy Wing Attack in mixed netball, occasional drainer of banked 3's in pick-up basketball, dedicated craft beer snob and enthusiastic traveler.
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With an enforced pre-grand final bye well and truly taking the wind out of the sails of what has been a thoroughly entertaining finals…
Footy is firmly back in the focus of most red-blooded sporting supporters in Australia. Following on from Part 1 of this list, here in…
Footy is firmly back in the focus of most red-blooded sporting supporters in Australia. So naturally we must look back at what occurred in…
In sport, there’s a sense of inevitability that separates the greats from mere mortals. A clear demarcation. Not just of skill, but of mindset.…
Dwight Howard’s shoulders are a legitimate work of art. They are bowling balls carved seemingly in basketball nirvana, built for righteous shot-blocking and swagger-filled…
Halfway through the second quarter of Thursday night’s qualifying final, Geelong held a narrow lead over the almost season-long ladder leaders. As Darcy Byrne-Jones…
The Brisbane Lions need to drink some tea. Or at the very least – if they want to achieve ultimate success in 2020 –…
Team sport – at the heart of it all – is inherently ridiculous. Remember this. Men and women, boys and girls, and everyone in…
The jumper punch, the love tap, the ‘it-wasn’t-a-punch-it-was-an-open-palmed-shove’, the allegedly careless swing of the arm, the errant spoil, it’s back in vogue! Won’t somebody…
As a fully functioning football aficionado, it is my sovereign right – and civic duty – to jump to immediate conclusions about the success…
Reilly O’Brien – or, if you believe the ‘explanation’, O’Brien’s iPhone – delivered one of the highlights of the 2020 season today, and it's…
Damien Barrett’s latest Sliding Doors column finished on a familiar tune. If AFL footy boss Steve Hocking chose to start the season with 16-minute…
Footy’s almost back, which means that quite soon you won’t be subjected to yet another ‘top ten overlooked top ten draft picks redrafted’ article.…
There’s no footy. Andy Lee is hosting live streams of the abomination that is the Australian Dice Football League. Brian Taylor's resorted to commentating…
Thursday, 7 May, marked Dustin Fletcher's 45th birthday, and 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of Essendon's record-breaking 2000 campaign. It only feels right that…
There’s no footy. Richo and Browny are resorting to calling Xbox simulations of AFL fixtures. And Brian Taylor’s commentating on traffic. What better time…
There’s no footy. Richo and Browny are resorting to calling Xbox simulations of AFL fixtures. And Brian Taylor’s commentating on traffic. What better time…
There’s no footy. Richo and Browny are resorting to calling Xbox simulations of AFL fixtures. And Brian Taylor’s commentating on traffic. What better time…
There’s no footy. Richo and Browny are resorting to calling Xbox simulations of AFL fixtures. And Brian Taylor’s commentating on traffic. What better time…
There’s no footy. Matthew Richardson and Nathan Brown are calling Xbox simulations of AFL fixtures and Brian Taylor’s commentating on traffic. What better time…
I don’t know what your selection criteria is in terms of blokes having to have played majority of their cricket in the 21st century, but my line-up would be as follows:
B. McCullum (WK), M. Guptill, K. Williamson, R. Taylor, N. Astle, C. McMillan, C. Cairns, D. Vettori (C), K. Mills, T. Boult, S. Bond. Firepower galore!
My New Zealand ODI XI of the 21st century
The only problem I see with this side is you’ve got 5 slips, gully, short leg, and then a single man in front of the bat on the off-side, and acres of space on the ground on the leg-side between mid-on and fine-leg. Might be difficult to stem the runs!
I do think – on a more serious note – that Symonds should be in the side as a given – as a catcher, run-saver, run-outer, and streaker-knocker-outer, there’s almost been none better!
Australia’s best fielding XI since 1970
Maybe let’s wait until – at the very least – an entire test match is played before jumping to any conclusions about umpires?
The problem with non-independent umpiring
New coach Ben Rutten you say? Did I miss something?
Essendon were so close – but really, so very far away
In 2018, the Gold Coast were 3-2. They finished 4-18.
In 2019, the Gold Coast were 3-1. They finished 3-19.
They’ve looked more impressive than they have in those seasons in the first two games back, but I’ll wait until they’re in the Top Eight in Round 11 or 12 before even beginning to speculate that they’re a finals contender.
Why Gold Coast are now a finals contender
I’d forgotten about that!
Integrity this, integrity that: Why the AFL needs to change their tune on 16-minute quarters
Cheers Peter!
I probably wouldn’t mind so much about quarter lengths if the AFL didn’t keep harping on about the ‘integrity’ of it all – but when have the AFL head honchos ever really been a logical beast?
Agree though. Can’t change it mid-round, but can easily change it before the start of one.
Integrity this, integrity that: Why the AFL needs to change their tune on 16-minute quarters
Firstly, it is genuinely staggering to think that they haven’t had cricket on free-to-air in England for 14 years up until the last World Cup.
I agree with a lot of the comments already made that throwing ODI and T20 behind a pay-wall has reduced the care factor of those games immensely – the lack of advertising for these encounters in ‘normal’ (i.e. print media) – also means that I’m not even likely to go to these games as an alternative.
I do like the idea of associate matches being included on a streaming service like Kayo – it gives somewhat of an audience, and enough people (I would think) would tune in – I even found myself watching U-19 WC games on Kayo, hardly a glamour event!
Finally though, best part of anything that’s happened in 2020 has been the – again – postponement of ‘The 100’. I hope it never happens and it simply becomes a fable we tell our grandchildren….
Investigating cricket’s broadcast conundrum
Due to isolation and lockdown I believe most people have ‘clocked’ Netflix by now. Next logical step is somewhat fantastical sporting-based experiences.
Five reasons to watch Geelong in 2020
Best part of 7 and Fox Footy’s Throwback matches has been the amount of Hawks vs Cats thrillers shown in recent weeks, no doubt there!
Five reasons to watch Geelong in 2020
Any ladder that has the Bombers in the Top Four is an exceptional piece of work in my books!
AFL throwback ladder
Some of the initiatives being run by AFL clubs to ‘reward’ supporters who maintain memberships are awesome. I think North Melbourne players and coaches are helping to pay for memberships of supporters who are having financial difficulty, Essendon sent out guernseys signed by the entire playing list to supporters, and now this raffle (which I only just read about thanks to this comment thread). Tremendous to see.
Five reasons to watch Fremantle in 2020
Don, all you need to do is listen to A1 Everything (feat. Kendrick Lamar), see how hard that song goes, and then imagine that song, in the form of a footballer.
Five reasons to watch Fremantle in 2020
If Meek bring the same level of hype that Meek Mill does, he’ll be a genuine superstar. (He’s a rapper, FYI).
Agreed though, Darcy well and truly has the upper hand in this ‘contest’ (or non-contest as it might be).
Five reasons to watch Fremantle in 2020
Marlion Pickett’s played one game – I’m still holding my breath on whether or not he’ll actually turn out to be a strong long-term player.
The best players that slipped through the cracks since 2000
Ah SuperTed. If only the Bombers had the insight to play him down back in a permanent role rather then throw him a bit of everywhere as tended to be the style for Essendon in the early/mid 2000’s
The best players that slipped through the cracks since 2000
Lovett-Murray was one of my favourites in the mid 2000’s. I think he was tried in just about every position except the ruck! Was another in the long line of project players that Sheeds had a soft spot for.
The best players that slipped through the cracks since 2000
Bad Boy Pistons were amazing. It’s only recently I actually read up about them (and seeing the footage and interviews with players in The Last Dance certainly helped my education!)
I agree that if they shook hands it wouldn’t have mattered. After all, they refer to the LaBradford Smith ‘incident’ in Episode 8 – if you didn’t give MJ fuel, he’d just make fuel up for himself.
Petty MJ was cringe-worthy in The Last Dance
The end goal of sport is winning – because winning brings acclaim, support, publicity, and a number of other elements, which brings money to an organisation, which keeps a sporting competition going.
Jordan was very very very very good at winning. Other stuff? Not so much.
Petty MJ was cringe-worthy in The Last Dance
9 years as an Assistant Coach is a fairly decent apprenticeship – plus there’s a lot of goodwill towards Longmuir as a former Fremantle player. He’s pretty well placed I think.
Five reasons to watch Fremantle in 2020
I’ve been reading the host of tributes written about him this week – just about every one of them refers to his size and just how much his lack of size stood out early in his career! He used his body to an alright extent though I reckon….
A tribute to the legendary Dustin Fletcher
I mean, he was reported 16 times and suspended for 20 weeks, so I wouldn’t say he was rarely penalised. (My rose-tinted glasses might be getting in the way, who knows!)
He also holds the record for most Rebound-50s in a season, and James Hird is on record as saying: “The thing about Fletch is he has these fantastic limbs and his timing for a spoil is perfect, but he reads the cues of the kicker from 50m away or more better than anyone in the AFL. He knows where the ball is going. How he does that only Fletch knows.”
No need to play in front!
A tribute to the legendary Dustin Fletcher
High scoring restricted once again by the AFL with the use of only six-sided die. Typical.
AFL legitimately announces 'Australian Dice Football League'
I will never forget the night Brennan kicked 7.5 against Collingwood – watching him dismantle a decent enough Magpies outfit was breathtaking. Admittedly this was when he was still at Brisbane. But still.
Gold Coast Suns: Best 22 of all time
I’d get rid of Miller, move De Kock down the order and open up with Herschelle Gibbs – the highlights of his 175 in the 9-438 chase are outrageous. (Plus, anyone who hits 36 off an over in a WC is fairly handy, regardless of who he hit it off)
South Africa's ODI XI of the 21st century