Injuries aren’t ideal, but I doubt Ange is putting the current results down to this. Spurs are still playing the bold football he’s known for and getting shots on goal. Son’s offsides are unforgiveable for mine. It’s hard enough to get the ball into the net, but three times and all off-side? Time your run, and/or work a little harder to get back onside if the ball is held up, son (pardon the pun). And it’s not a one-off game for Son. I don’t have the stats but I do think he’s poor in this area. Compare it to Haaland who never seems to be offside. Always times his run to perfection, and if he is in an off-side position, he works his backside to get back within the defensive line to be an option.

Carrigan’s error in the middle of the ground, Reynolds trying to replicate a drop out from a few weeks back but messing up the execution were both crucial. They were two big moments. Brisbane gave them the opportunities. Penrith took them like champion teams do!

I wonder why Cogger was on the bench? Ivan and the rest of the Panthers would’ve known the situation with Luai.

They are the greatest team. 3 premierships says it all, all won in different ways, in a salary cap era, where the juice out of every player is squeezed to the nth degree by sport science. Don’t confuse the number of premierships won by a club to the achievements of a team. About 11 of these players have been involved in the 3-peat.

I don’t think this can all be on one person. The structure of the game has been broken for a while. We are seeing problems this season that have been there for a while. Under Rennie, there were injuries including four long-term Achilles in one year. A big honest look at the impact Super Rugby has on the national team needs to be made. Is there any communication and liaising between the two levels regarding player preparation, loads, training techniques, etc? They all seem to be working in silos.

Why are we here? Like most actions and reactions, it’s a fairly simple equation – DON’T BE LATE! We don’t know if the player was a repeat offender, or if he was the straw that broke the camel’s back for a frequently tardy group. Perhaps there’s something going on outside of footy he hasn’t told the club. But I can assure you, there would be repercussions for me too if I walked into work at 8:12am when I was told to arrive at 8:00am. Now was the punishment in this case suitable? I’m in the camp that using physical exertion as punishment for undesirable behaviours is outdated for buy-in. Basically, you’re associating the thing they have to do in a game (additional contact, wrestle, running, etc) punishment for negative behaviour. Doesn’t that reinforce the dislike for it? There are several variables at play here. The approach of the Canterbury coaching staff to have their players busting a gut to play footy has failed this season. But the player dynamic at Canterbury is different to what Ciraldo had at Penrith. Over there, a big chunk of that group came through the lower grades together, training, playing footy, and forming bonds since they were 15. They’re don’t let each other down, and they’re happy to hang around the club all-day because they’ve been best of mates for years. In contrast, Canterbury are a club of individual mercenaries, recruited from other clubs for the $$$. There’s a lack of ties to the club itself, and players to each other. You have to question whether punishment is the way to achieve this.

FIFA left 40 pedestrian mowers at the 10 World Cup venues as a legacy item after the tournament. Let’s see if the groundsmen actually use them, or revert to the standard ride-on mowers Australian groundsmen generally prefer for efficiency. There’s a reason FIFA football pitches look the way they do, and plenty of it has to do with the strict standards enforced, and the painstaking effort to achieve it.

Hasler at the Titans, Dimma at the Suns. They’ve brought up the big guns to the GC! Will be interesting to see if GC will have a couple of competitive teams in their respective comps.

England resting players wasn’t a luxury. They earned the ability to do it. If Australia did the job v Nigeria, TG would’ve been able to manage his players deep into the tournament the way Wiegman was able to. That’s tournament football. Fatigue is cumulative. Get the results and defeat the teams you’re supposed to defeat, and you won’t need the pressure and constraints of a sudden death group game. Besides, this 3rd place match may be important for the players, but ultimately it won’t be remembered by many. I even had to look up who Argentina defeated in the World Cup last year!

There are normally contracted termination clauses that prevent this from happening – especially if he wants to receive the 13 months of his remaining salary!

TG’s big decision in the breakdown of the Lionesses, is whether to play Kerr, or keep the captain on the bench again. 10-20 mins v Denmark, 60-70 mins v France 5 days later. The natural progression is 90-100 mins you’d think, but the turnaround is 4 days. There was no doubt the chances flowed thick with Kerr on the field v France, but what if this match goes 130-140 mins again + pens? Can she play that out and possibly play a final 4 days later again. This is tournament football. Big loads from extra times, and short turnarounds for the next match. Her position requires repeated explosiveness off the mark which will load the calf significantly. Of course, there’s the argument that there is no Sunday unless they win Wednesday. So far, it largely been a game plan focusing on all eleven players that has got them to this stage, but there’s no doubt Kerr can provide that moment of brilliance when required. How much changes if Kerr does indeed start the match?

TG’s big decision in the breakdown of the Lionesses, is whether to play Kerr, or keep the captain on the bench again. 10-20 mins v Denmark, 60-70 mins v France 5 days later. The natural progression is 90-100 mins you’d think, but the turnaround is 4 days. There was no doubt the chances flowed thick with Kerr on the field v France, but what if this match goes 130-140 mins again + pens? Can she play that out and possibly play a final 4 days later again. This is tournament football. Big loads, short turnarounds. Her position requires repeated explosiveness off the mark which will load the calf significantly. Of course, there’s the argument that there is no Sunday unless they win Wednesday. So far, it largely been a game plan focusing on all eleven players that has got them to this stage, but there’s no doubt Kerr can provide that moment of brilliance when required. How much changes if Kerr does indeed start the match?

You’re the one that doesn’t get it and have gone off what James wrote. I like and play football. I’m criticising the average Aussie who generally has no interest in football until now, and putting forward the alternative sceanrio if the Matildas lost the shootout. It’s happened before. The line ‘don’t ever change Australia’ makes that obvious.

Australia loses in penalties after match ends 0-0 in extra time. What a dumb boring sport, no goals in the match and a ridiculous way to lose a game. They have to come up with a better way to decide a winner. Australia win in penalties after match wins 0-0 in extra time. How great are we?! Our girls are wonderful, nerves of steel, wall-to-wall coverage on every media outlet. Don’t ever change Australia.

I reckon they gradually increase her minutes, rather than starting her.

France have to get through tonight first, but I agree looking beyond France or Morocco would be foolish.

TG has a headache between now and Saturday! Maintain the same starting lineup that’s doing a job, or tinker with it by including Kerr. Perhaps it comes down to sports science, and they’ll gradually increase her game load in the QF. Let’s not discount the possibility of extra time and that’s 30 minutes right there! You’d want her on the pitch then, and possibly penalties. Starting and playing 120 minutes is a big risk, especially with reports she barely did a squad pre-game prep, or cool-down. Understandably very conservative.

I really don’t get this. So after 2 goals with some great build-up that has put the team into the QF, the biggest cheer was for an individual who played 10 mins with little impact? I understand Kerr is the best player in the Matilda’s, possibly women’s football, but what an absolute cop out for the rest of the team dealing with all the pressure on the pitch and delivering! Fowler in particular was spectacular v Denmark. Just highlights how folks are simply force-fed what to appreciate. Barbie anyone?

The Broncos didn’t miss him yesterday. There is no doubt every team is better with Reynolds in it, but Souths’ achilles heal has been the same issue since the ‘premiership window’ began back in 2018 with Reynolds in the team- stupid errors. I haven’t seen a team with supposedly so much talent make as many errors as Souths do. Their completion rates are frequently awful for a ‘top team’. When they get above 70%, they’re a dangerous side, but they’re struggling to achieve that right now. I also think recruiting is letting them down, particularly middles. They lost Nicholls this season and didn’t replace him. Duncan might be a find, but he’s Murray 2.0. Not what they need. They have to get in a couple of big boppers to lay the platform for their ‘stars’ to play off. Knight is gone, Sele is off next year, Burgess is in his 30s, Arrow is on big money but is a bit Latrell like in value regarding games played, Moale hasn’t come on in his third season, Shaq Mitchell hasn’t shown he is a consistent week on week first grader, and who knows what’s happening with Suluka-Fifita. It’s putting a massive strain on Tatola to be the enforcer for this squad, but you really need to have at least 3 consistently good props in your 17 each week. The Rabbits don’t have them. All well to have Coady, Cook, Wighton (all north of 30yo), Latrell, Murray, Graham in this side with extended deals on good coin, but they’re going to struggle if the players who have to lay the foundation are consistently making errors, or just not up to it in the NRL. And with their cap largely tied up in those backs, Murray and Arrow, how are they going to bring in some big fellas? What makes their recruiting even more extraordinary to me is they let a club champion and the soul of the place in Reynolds go, only to pay those dollars to Wighton who is a luxury for Souths, instead investing in a need which is middle third grunt.

Well, I’d say 2 comments dissenting, 1 supporting, and 1 questioning is neither howling or shooting.

so many assume, so little know.

Still have a presentation similar to all the other tests – Man of the match, Man of the series, etc.

I’m an Aussie. And no.

I suppose I’ll be howled down, however the series ended 2-2. The ashes wasn’t won by either team. A presentation of the urn to Australia at the end of The Oval test match was ridiculous!

My point is such claims must be verified with the performance staff based on their data rather than loosely claiming they’re training harder than what they can handle during a test series. Overreaching is fine. ‘Overtraining’ them into a hole physically and mentally they can’t recover from, and their performance and ability to finish a test match is compromised is negligent. What I said is that this injury was happening under the previous coach too, so frameworks, comms, facilities, etc. from super rugby to the national team must be investiagted because there is obviously a serious issue when the outcome is 5 achilles injuries in a year! Are the All Blacks, Springboks, and Pumas getting these injuries?