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Craig Cameron, the Suns list manager, has been reported as saying that the Suns have not received any offers from other clubs to trade…
It does look a long road ahead for the Kangas. Their fwd line looked especially insipid last night; and they had a chance in the draft to pick a good KPF to replace Brown, but took a midfielder instead. Looks odd from the outside.
David Noble adamant improvement will come for North Melbourne
I agree completely John – I went to one BBL game this year and nearly 400 runs were scored, but I left during a small rain delay and didn’t regret missing the end of the match. Too hyped up for me, but plenty there were enjoying it.
Yes, big Carl was in tears after that game. Similiar to Seccombe’s drop, I recall John Maguire dropped a return catch off Clifford in ’85 which would have iced the game. Such is cricket.
Unfortunately, they don’t seem to value the shield these days – the Blues batting lineup on the weekend looked like their 2nd eleven batting (in a crunch match).
Six more! Sure... but what for?
I disagree with King here. Just apply the rules as they stand; don’t elevate the penalty in order to ‘send a message’. The lawful penalty is the only message that should be sent- anything else just breeds inconsistency.
'Enough's enough': David King calls for massive Dangerfield ban to send a message to players
John – Clifford scored those runs in ’85, not ’95. I was on the SCG Hill for the whole match and sledged him because he batted 7 (in that 1st innings dig anyway), didn’t bowl and was fielding at 3rd man – I reckoned he must have been the first player selected and they picked the other ten around him. Bugger then went and scored 83 and won the game for the Blues. Great match though.
Six more! Sure... but what for?
I’m a little surprised that Peirson isn’t mentioned more often in this context. His temperment, when the Heat were in trouble in the BBL really stood out for me – and he is an excellent keeper. Though to be fair, we have at least 7 keepers who could be considered, with no real standout (Paine, Carey, Inglis, Phillippe, Neville, Wade, Peirson). Can’t pick them all of course. I have been a big Phillippe fan, but he is looking a bit too loose in NZ.
Matthew Wade's time is up. Josh Philippe must take the gloves
There is much criticism of the new man on the mark rule, but I am hopeful that it is a positive once it settles down. Players taking a mark or getting a free have always had to withdraw back from the mark spot to take their kick, which arguably advantaged the defence. This new rule rebalances that advantage to some extent back to the attacking side, by giving them more options. So I’m happy to give it some latitude before rejecting it as a bad innovation.
Hardwick says AFL is now a different game
I reckon there are six locks, with Bland and Harper added to your selections of Rhodes, Ponting, Jadeja and Waugh.
The ultimate fielding XI
That’s good news about Ballard – he always seemed a touch light for his position to me. I’d also include Ainsworth with Bowes and Ballard – he is a gun IMO. I also rate Fiorini very highly, though Stewy seems to have a problem with some part of his game.
The order of merit: Gold Coast Suns 2021 season
Can’t argue with that too much Doran. Personally, I’d have King and Anderson above the two guys you have above them, but that is nitpicking.
The key for the Suns, and other teams of course, is how the bottom half of their list perform. So, as well as your 11-14 of Lukosius, Day, Rankine and Swallow; the next group of Ainsworth, Ballard, Bowes, Fiorini, Powell, Markov, Buderick, Atkins, Flanders and MacPherson (and possibly Hollands and Davies as well) need to step up. If they do, it should be a positive season.
The order of merit: Gold Coast Suns 2021 season
Bernie – you’re being very selective with your stats. In the 17 tests you cite, 17 of his 29 innings were 20 or below. And in his last Ashes series, where you say he made a contribution, he scored 228 runs at an average of 22.8. And you seem to be claiming that all this was his form reversal after the slump that he had between Dec 96 and the 97 Ashes.
The best Australian and Indian sides of the last 50 years
Hmmm, between Jan ’96 and his retirement in the ’99 new year test, he played 33 tests for 5 hundreds, but he also had 31 scores of 20 or less. He was a fine player, and an exceptional captain, but IMO not one of our best openers in the last 50 years.
The best Australian and Indian sides of the last 50 years
Good effort Chip, except for the Australian openers. Hayden should be a lock IMO, with the 2nd opener debatable between Warner, Langer, Boon and maybe Taylor. Taylor overstayed his usefulness when averaging in the 30s in his last three years when Hayden was averaging 60+ in shield cricket.
The best Australian and Indian sides of the last 50 years
Worked out for the Heat in the end, as Ussie took up about 9 overs and didn’t cause any damage.
Everyone stunned as umpire refuses to give the plumbest LBW of the year
Is Phillippe a long term option as a keeper for the test side? I thought he was WA’s #1 keeper, and Inglis only got a chance when Phillippe want to the IPL. We know he can bat, both long form and short form, but I am interested to know more about his red-ball keeping ability.
Pattinson and Head in Australia's best XI for South Africa Tests
It is interesting to note that a 2-0 series win in SA, would also allow Aust to just scrape past NZ to make the final – so one game in SA can be a draw. Final points in that scenario would be 433/600 for Aust as opposed to 432/600 for NZ.
The World Test Championship shows Test cricket is in rude health
Excellent article. I found it bizarre that Wright didn’t get an opportunity in 2020. Day has been a key position forward for the best part of ten years and still hasn’t managed 100 goals in total. And Suns don’t need draft picks, they need solid players in their mid 20s to complement their young talent, including someone like Wright. May be too late, but they should keep Wright IMO.
Peter Wright is about to become the prettiest girl at the dance
Chris – I agree, almost completely. To address the concern about 13th or 7th getting an advantage into the finals because of an easier draw, I suggest adding a 3-game round 23 (replacing the boring pre-finals bye) as follows.
Rounds 1-17 – everyone plays everyone else.
Rounds 18-22 – three divisions of six based on ladder position (top six, mid six and bottom six), with a round-robin for each division. Results add to teams’ points and percentage already accumulated.
After round 22:
• Top four positions in 1st division take top four finals positions.
Round 23 (3 games only) determine finals positions 5 to 8.
1. 5th in top Div V 1st in bottom Div
2. 6th in top Div V 3rd in mid Div
3. 1st in mid Div V 2nd in mid Div
• Highest placed winner = 5th in finals
• 2nd highest placed winner = 6th in finals
• 3rd highest placed winner = 7th in finals
• Highest placed loser = 8th in finals
Seventeen-five? The way to securing a better 22-round fixture
Ferguson’s FC ave of 37 at 34 shouldn’t have him in the frame, though there are others with similiar records under active consideration. I presume you mean him.
Our batting depth is very poor at the moment unfortunately.
Tough Gabba pitches have prepared Burns for Test cricket
Rounds 1-17 – everyone plays everyone else. [I’d like to stop there and start the finals, but broadcasters pay for 22-23 rounds; so we need another five or six rounds.]
Rounds 18-22 – three divisions of six based on ladder position (top six, mid six and bottom, six), with a round-robin for each division. Wins would add to teams’ points already accumulated.
• Top four positions in 1st division take top four finals positions.
Round 23 (3 games only, replacing the boring pre-final bye) determine finals positions 5 to 8.
1. 5th in top Div V 1st in bottom Div
2. 6th in top Div V 3rd in mid Div
3. 1st in mid Div V 2nd in Mid Div
• Highest placed winner = 5th in finals
• 2nd highest placed winner = 6th in finals
• 3rd highest placed winner = 7th in finals
• Highest placed loser = 8th in finals
Pros
Objective and fair draw (main objective of the proposal)
Has 23 rounds maintaining commercial return
Will avoid the current momentum loss leading into the finals
All games in the last six rounds will be competitive, and almost all meaningful
Maintains some interest for supporters of bottom teams, with them having an outside chance of a finals spot (not an objective of the proposal though).
Cons
Top four in the finals is only open to six teams after the first 17 rounds (but given it is at the end of a full round-robin, I’d argue that is fair enough)
Doesn’t allow the AFL to give favourable draws to poorer performing teams from the previous year.
How to fix the AFL's unfair fixture
And that is part of the problem – players will accept a lower salary to stay/play with the bigger clubs, while the Suns nearly always have to pay a premium to retain/gain players. For example, while I don’t know, I expect Lynch is receiving less at the Tigers than what he would have got with the Suns.
I appreciate that the author has articulated the current wisdom re the Suns (which is fair enough), but as a Suns supporter I am more positive and see them having quite a few upsets in 2019.
2019 AFL season preview: Gold Coast Suns
Very ambitious Lynton. In my view, expansion generally works best when it happens organically. There are already viable clubs/competitions in Hobart, Launceston, Darwin, Alice Springs, and I can’t see why any of those clubs/competitions would want to change their current structure to a much more expensive competition model, involving extensive travel. Would Hobart fans really want to see a Hobart team play Darwin, rather than their current tribal interclub games. I don’t think so.
The game is growing at a snails pace in NZ, SE Asia and probably the pacific countries as well. Additional support to the current administrators in those embryo AFL markets would likely increase interest quicker than a top-down introduction of a competition that no one is asking for.
Floating ambitious ideas is always good though, even if it comes to naught.
Could Asia-Pacific be the next step in AFL expansion?
I agree with Paul – Ambrose ahead of Lloyd who only averaged 46. I’d also argue that the three Ws, Headley, Holding, Garner and Kanhai would also be ahead of Clive. Captaincy should be a minor criterion for ‘best ever’ players. Your other four are spot-on though. Interesting article.
Who are the five greatest West Indian cricketers of all time?
Yes, the Suns are at a crossroad – and as a Suns supporter, I’d love to see a few Roarers here adopt the Suns as their second club and rejoice as this Group develops and hopefully improves, rather than just either mock or ignore them.
Sunrise or Sunset? The Gold Coast ultimatum
I agree to an extent Paul, except that I read on another thread that the Suns only have four list spots left available and already have five picks in the top 30, so adding another top 20 pick may not be the way to go.
Draft trade options for the Suns
This is a poor rule with potential for an outrageous result in a future final. For example, a 2nd placed team could be awarded the shield in a drawn game if they are 3/251 after 100 overs and then bowled out for 300; after chasing a 1st placed team who made 3/250 over 100 overs and went on to score 500 plus. Even worse, they could have been made to follow-on and be 9/200 in their 2nd dig and just avoid an innings defeat when the game is washed out, and yet would still ‘win’ the shield. I liked the previous rule, but if they are going to have a ‘draw-breaker’ rule it should just be based on the 1st innings totals.
Shield final bonus system 'silly': Khawaja