Alexander Grant's Roar Profile

Her only previous win in Sydney is always going to be the best form guide because it’s one of only two times (the other being in England) that she has run clockwise. She has had to work incredibly hard for both wins in that direction and her Sydney win relied on one of her best runs of her career to get her past a peak-form Hay List.

Sydney is the big point.

Will Black Caviar win? At the odds, it could be worth a punt

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Racing

A cycle is a touch more bearable, but something I’d still rather avoid.

Perhaps I’m just a sucker for tradition and history.

Tennis is the very first thing I would kick out of the Olympics if I was given the power to remove whatever I’d like.

Cheers for the feedback David, means a lot.

I wouldn’t say anyone of significance has openly talked about it, but simply Google it and check out the sheer volume of forums and and some news sites throwing the idea about.

It’s only an idea, but an idea is a powerful thing!

I acknowledged his rekindling of shield form and style in my comment above, as an addition to what I said.

I think you become used to seeing a batsman play a particular role for so long it becomes them, regardless of whether it suits or not. Like you said, his use at State level is showing his capabilities, but it takes a long time to readjust to something when been expected for so long of something else. A good coming of age for him?

Also, would anyone here keep Smith in the squad in exchange for removing Watson? Just a thought I had this morning.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it? Smith has really held his own these past few innings.

I saw someone raise an excellent point when I posted this story elsewhere yesterday that Smith could make himself work in this squad if he manages to rekindle his old shield form where his patient cricket was there for all to see. He’s spent that long being developed as a specialist slog artist that it’s become what I’ve seen him be best at. Waking up this morning, I don’t feel any different about my position, but like I said in the piece you must give credit to Smith for making a stand where other’s couldn’t. If he keeps batting in the style he has these last two innings then of course he would become a good anchor at the middle order.

Still can’t shake the feeling the Usman is being wasted on the sidelines

6 seems incredibly low for Khawaja and while initially I couldn’t see Smith holding 5th place, I think he can handle it well.

Really is a case of what could have been if Khawaja had not got himself dropped.

Imagine a Melbourne Cup followed by a Melbourne Cup

It’s a great way to destroy the legacy of a race by forcing trainers and owners into silly decisions like this when their horse is perfectly suited to both events.

Don’t knock Nellie: ARB at fault for Caviar carve-up

It’s a good follow up to Andrew’s story not too long ago about the stupidly huge number of Group 1’s occurring.

It’s almost like they want to upgrade the status of races so much that there’s this desire for constant group one action promotion! Except the issue with always having plenty of G1’s on hand to promote is that you can’t find the horses in numbers to match that said promotion. It’s a stupid conundrum is this scheduling issue sums it up perfectly.

Cowan and Hughes made fantastic starts but fell short again today. I stand by them all the way and feel they just need that little extra something to get them the centuries they both really need.

Cricket Australia must do its homework

If Van den Broeck steps up his game I’ve got to have him in the mix as well.

Still remember when he was coming through the ranks and team Lotto decided to ditch Cadel as their main man and switch focus. It was one of the reason’s Cadel left. Though it was with some merit – Jurgen has years left in him and is still improving

Does Cadel know what he's doing?

Cycling

Just noticed that the Roar’s editorial team changed my question mark at the end of the Khawaja section to an exclamation mark.

But you know what, it’s how I feel anyway. Nice change! +1

*Isn’t, I should say – in regards to last sentence.

Don’t go thinking I’m defending anyone either, particularly Cowan, in relation to performance on pitch.

Positive signs for Australia coming out of third Test

You make it sound like he said he criticized them for poor performance on the pitch. Don’t go putting words in his mouth.

“Ed Cowan admits he was one of the players to register concerns about the general slide in attitude throughout the squad that led to the standing down of Shane Watson and three others in Mohali.”

Cowan hasn’t been outstanding (but really, who has?) in this series, but he never made mention of match performance. If he is turning up to training on time, doing what he needs to while others slack off, then I would certainly encourage bringing this forward. A slide in attitude is always something that should be brought forward. It seems a lot harder to achieve results when a team is being very cohesive.

We may have escaped the wrath of bookmakers, that came with the price of having to sit through painful interviews done by non-motorsport celebrities, personalities and non-journalists. As a journalism student it really gets me down seeing how celebrity culture is being used in sport to cross-promote and remove the hard news aspects from the coverage.

Formula One is back: Six key talking points

Or move the Sharks to the Central Coast…

Thoguhts?

Sharks players under scrutiny as ASADA closes in

League

Have you ever seen a horse so spent on the lane? So hard to watch the end of that again.

Good read.

Also, your video is embedded at the wrong time 😉

Australia's forgotten sporting hero: the immortal Crisp

Completely agreed about swapping Kingston Town and Makybe Diva. Three Cox Plates is a more remarkable achievement than three Melbourne Cups in my view, though many would say that the handicap system makes winning consecutive cups a greater challenge. Perhaps that’s my like for WFA racing talking there. That top 4 of yours would have to be mine as well. Sunline is my favourite horse of all time and I thought 8th was a bit of a criminal rating as well. Again, that’s my bias talking though.

The 10 greatest racehorses since 1975

Also a student journalist here and I feel the same. Surely something must have been known?

Breaking: Wide use of banned drugs in Australian professional sport

Other Sports

I said that Federer would never win a Grand Slam back at the start of 2011. It was at that stage he was not quite making his strokes count the way he used to. It took his favourite surface for him to win one, and I can’t see him getting another.

A warm welcome to the Sloane Ranger, new jewel in womens' tennis tiara

I feel sorry for Paire because I like his game and wanted to see more of him.

But you never know.

Armchair guide to the Australian Open men's draw

An absolute joke of a draw for Djokovic, and he really has no excuses for not making the final. Federer and Murray likely to fight it out on the other half. Must give a mention to Hewitt playing eighth seed Tipsarevic, and I think the Aussie can win that one. And if he does it could open the draw up for him through to the fourth round.

Did you even read the reply properly? He said he does it after every goal. EVERY goal. It’s a dedication to his family, the intent is not to anger anyone at all.

Luis Suarez: a ‘handy’ player

Football

You actually booed a national anthem based on some sporting-related trifles? Worst is that you are proud of doing so.

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