Roar Guru
Joined July 2011
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[caption id="attachment_37193" caption="Wallabies\' David Pocock watches as Wales\' Stephen Jones is tackled against Australia. AP Photo/Tim Hales"][/caption] Everybody watching the international friendly between Manu…
Bronte Park is a complete hole btw Sheek. Also, Richmond is on the Eastern side of the river – I dislike your proposed team already 😉
Revisiting the Tasmanian AFL bids
I think there’s plenty of evidence coming out of the sport to show that doping is endemic. No big deal from where I sit. They all do it, so it’s pretty much an even playing field.
RATHBONE: The ugly truth is always better than a beautiful lie
Neither will. No professional sports league is seriously considering it.
Revisiting the Tasmanian AFL bids
“what are Tasmanians doing that are stopping themselves from having a team?”
– Already supporting AFL. The AFL doesn’t need or want to expand there as some of the posters above have pointed out.
Revisiting the Tasmanian AFL bids
There’s no evidence to suggest that beyond marketing hyperbole and PR spin.
Revisiting the Tasmanian AFL bids
Armstrong doped. All pro cyclists are doped. Armstrong would be a complete dope if he didn’t dope. Just the way it is.
RATHBONE: The ugly truth is always better than a beautiful lie
“If towns the size of Launceston and Hobart were located on the mainland, would there be a push to have teams there at all?”
– Nope, but that’s hardly the point. There are other factors – history, etc.
“It is only because they are located on an Island that a perception exists that there is need of a team “down there”.”
– It’s a bit more complicated – as stated above.
“So, the majority of those living in a so called Aussie rules loving state don’t even want an AFL team there? huh!”
– Good point. Though this has more to do with Tasmanians already fanatically supporting AFL teams, further complicating a Tasmanian bid.
Revisiting the Tasmanian AFL bids
Great post Wookie. I’m originally a Tasmanian, but not so much an Aussie rules fan (due to the formation of the TFL as you write about). However, I would love to see a team in the future represent the state. Two things:
1. Whether you like it or not, there is a great deal of North-West/North/South parochialism. So no matter what arrangement was made you will never keep all the fans happy thereby alienating at least half the population that you use in your figures. I don’t like it and that small town provincial outlook is something I don’t miss, but that’s the way it is down there.
2. The AFL for decades to come is now committed to expanding into NSW and Qld. Tasmania is well and truly off the radar screens at AFL House and with a population of 500k all spread across a relatively large geographic area, it’s not seriously attractive to any professional league to establish a team there.
Revisiting the Tasmanian AFL bids
…and the quality of the fights in the UFC are such that nostalgia for the good old days of Pride can’t be suppressed.
UFC 148 Silva-Sonnen II: The Aftermath
The UFC 148 fights, even Silva vs Sonnen II, shows why Pride > UFC.
UFC 148 Silva-Sonnen II: The Aftermath
Hear, hear! Though they already are facing it if you look at the results of the Wallabies.
A Gold Coast Super Rugby team?
Yes Damien – I’ll be watching.
He did get a victory over Wandy and also took him to a decision at a time when Wandy was considered invincible (though the fight was admittedly one-sided). Just based on his wrestling/grappling ability, he could step in the ring with anyone. Those 2 losses to Nog showed his weakness in the submission department I would have to admit though.
Is Anderson Silva the greatest MMA Fighter Ever? (Pt 1)
True Damien that Silva beat Henderson in their only match – and by a choke! Henderson back in the UFC has not been as dominant as he was in Pride. Hendo fought guys vastly heavier than himself – something Silva (who is MMA’s best striker) never did.
Is Anderson Silva the greatest MMA Fighter Ever? (Pt 1)
As a purist I wouldn’t want Sapp on any of my dream fight cards. Unfortunately, the Japanese public loved fighters from the worked pro wrestling shows and the more weird and freaky match-ups, the more they tuned in. Sapp had a massive profile there and helped make the ‘real’ fighters a lot of money and gave the sport (for better or worse) a great deal of exposure.
Is Anderson Silva the greatest MMA Fighter Ever? (Pt 1)
Obviously MMA has developed over the years. In the early years some of the flashy sambo techniques were common in the Japanese shows, but since they are not as tactico-technically efficient as wrestling/BJJ they quickly lost favour. I think within the context of the Silva – Chonan fight, the manoeuvre was a desperate gamble from a fighter who was getting beaten in the stand-up phase and was struggling with conventional takedowns from a standing clinch.
As far as fighters in that weight class, I would say Dan Henderson in his prime has been the best fighter.
Is Anderson Silva the greatest MMA Fighter Ever? (Pt 1)
I understand that here in Australia we have an overall pretty poor understanding of grappling and wrestling, but that was not a “fluke” move as you put it. Any sambo wrestler with a modicum of skill can pull it off as flying armbars and scissor lock takedowns are fairly standard manoeuvres and counters in that format (though they are banned in Judo).
Chonan’s background in Pancrase exposed him to these sorts of techniques from the Eastern bloc contingent that competed in those days and were very influential. Silva is a great stand-up fighter and since there’s no money in being a pro Muay Thai fighter, the MMA format attracts far more high quality MT practitioners than it does wrestlers and judokas. The fact he got caught in this highlights how raw he was in the early phase of his career when he went up against technically skilled grapplers. The techniques of sambo also worked very well in the earlier years of MMA. However, the techniques are frowned upon nowadays as they require the fighter to give up a dominant base and are therefore not so tactically or technically efficient compared to a skill-set of an ex-collegiate wrestler for example.
Is Anderson Silva the greatest MMA Fighter Ever? (Pt 1)
Nice one Sean. Would be good if we could get more detailed profiles on some of the other up and coming riders not from Europe – Colombians, Yanks, etc.
Cadel keeps pace as an unknown Aussie emerges
The ARU needs reform – badly. There’s been about 2-3,000 articles on this site about the desperate need for a national domestic comp (something the NSWRU will fight to the death against).
As much as I hate to say it, I don’t mind the IRB structure. It minimises the corruption that plagues other sports built on the one nation one vote principle. However, there should be a transparent policy on the RWC that rotates it on a continent basis instead of this Europe – SH policy we now have.
Time for a shakeup in rugby administration
Excellent article David and quite poignant. I was just about to pen one on the need for a national ‘Rugby Union Commission’ structure instead of the current gerrymandered one we have at the moment.
However, if an independent commission is going to come to fruition, it needs a push from somewhere. The NSWRU and QRU are never going to give up their power over the admin of the sport without a major fight.
Time for a shakeup in rugby administration
Agreed. The Yanks will get all the inside intelligence fed to them before anything is made public 😉
Australian rugby strong but without a heartland
Bakkies – you obviously don’t seem aware of the numerous RU schoolboys who have been poached into the League systems of development at U/20 level. It’s at that level that RU is hemorrhaging badly.
Australian rugby strong but without a heartland
Agreed. Pluses outweigh the minuses for mind. He’ll be given the green light to hang off the runners like Slater does and this will cause NSW headaches.
Inglis to play fullback in Origin III
Just joking Johnno! It’s nice to have a vision about all this – but let’s get our house in order in Australia first…
Did the Rugby World Cup help Australian rugby?
So basically let’s go back to 1990, and we focus on getting the Lower North Shore/Eastern Suburbs Tahs winning again. Also-ran and cast-off players go to the Brumbies, Rebels and Force since there is no plan to develop the game beyond the elites of Sydney and Brisbane. Go Joeys! Rah! Rah!
SPIRO: How I would fix Australian rugby