Roar Pro
Joined February 2017
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Spurs, Bombers and Pacers. Fan of any sport really, except rugby...
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It’s finally here. The single biggest tournament in world sport is upon us. The 2018 Russian World Cup promises to be a tournament for…
Please be aware, this article is not reactionary. Since early this season, anyone watching the Indiana Pacers for more than half a quarter of…
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Two beloved superstars from the best two teams in the Eastern Conference change hands in the trade that nobody thought would happen, right up…
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As the nuclear arms race of the NBA off season heats up, the Houston Rockets made the biggest acquisition thus far. A multiplayer deal…
Longmire doesn’t help. He just makes sure his team isn’t hindered by keeping the locker room and culture in check. Scott is proactive in making adjustments and implementing tactics to help his playing group, as well as maintaining a good culture.
Another failed finals series for John Longmire
The midfield does definitely need work. Although I like to watch his run, Colyer is barely able to break a line by either kicking or speed. James Stewart is average at best and a forward line of Stringer, Daniher, Hooker, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Fantasia and maybe Green/Begley is really potent, although I tend to prefer Richmond-style forwards with only one key, Stringer to me is not a third tall and Hooker and Daniher together were pretty good last year to be honest. Xavier Campbell’s recent comments about being aggressive in the off-season give me both hope and fear. The idea of splashing money on elite talent such as Kelly or maybe not quite as much on Rockliff (who could be brilliant again in the right situation) is cool, since they do fill our needs. However, the fear comes around going backwards to an aging Crameri, who despite the sentimental affections Essendon fans might feel, is a step backwards. Oh yeah, Darcy Parish, please step up.
The new Baby Bombers can bring Essendon back to the flag race
Geez I’m loving this list management series at the moment. Can’t say the same about Kochie however. Port Adelaide seem to me to be a great regular season team. What I mean by that is, given the territorial game plan of Hinkley, the congested nature of finals doesn’t allow them to have time to smash the ball deep inside 50. During the regular season however, they ranked 1st in Inside 50’s and 4th in kicks as guys like Polec and Gray were able to receive in more time and space from the hands of guys like Wines (who I love) and Boak. Dixon up forward-despite his kicking-is fantastic at bringing the ball to ground for guys like Wingard and SPP. Spending money on Jasper Pittard may not have been the worst decision however, since he does rebound from defence, which Port ranked only 15th in 2017. So potentially, if I were a list manager, adding to defense with some run would be awesome as well as some more ‘Finals-type’ inside midfielders. I’m not sure if a low-budget option like Ben Howlett from Essendon is going in terms of his contract, but he is a free agent this year and could offer a bit of two-way run and tackling plus another body to get the ball out to the elite kicking of the team. Defensive pressure up forward is also terrible. Power rank last in Opponent Rebound 50’s. Personally, I reckon trade Wingard for some of the things l’ve mentioned. I personally am not a huge fan but others are and I’m sure the Power could get some value out of him.
They will never tear us apart! But Kochie might do it as an inside job
Even though I wish Richmond lost just for the pure comedy of it, I’m almost on the bandwagon. If I were to set up a team, their composition of manic pressure forwards and bullish, ground ball winning midfielders coupled with a backline of both rebound in Rance and Houli as well as pure man marking in Astbury and Grimes would be exactly what I would go with.Hopefully the Bombers can do something spectacular tomorrow, but if not…the Tigers will always provide excitement for me these finals.
Tiger time, at last! Richmond crush Cats to break 16-year finals drought
Even though Robbie Kruse played alright (not Man-of-the-Match level however), the absence of Juric as our centre forward was huge. Kruse hustled pretty well, but it seemed any sort of cross into the area was pointless as Kruse wasn’t there to finish and was more likely doing the crossing. When Tomi came on the pitch, we probably had our best chance of the game. Don’t get me started on Brad Smith, just play Gersbach please Ange. Our back three actually played pretty well, however, I’m still fairly confident that with its lack of numbers, it cannot deal with any real sort of pressure or attacking threat.
Five talking points from Japan vs Socceroos World Cup Qualifier
Mooy is out with illness apparently, while Juric is also on the bench for much the same reason also.
Japan vs Australia highlights: Socceroos World Cup qualifier scores, blog
Yeah Rose’s inclusion is a big help. Not a huge fan of Davies, although he can hold his own well, he doesn’t break lines and make plays like Rose, mainly because of Rose’s superior athleticism. I do rate Burnley’s structure, however a bit more direct passing could’ve helped. Dembele did this beautifully against Newcastle in the built up of Davies’s goal. However, guys like Wanyama, Trippier, Dier and Davies are very hesitant to make any sort of risky pass, and just pass backwards or sideways. Lamela would add some nice fight out wide if he ever gets healthy.
Six talking points from the weekend's English Premier League action
Collingwood’s inability to ‘integrate’ Chris Mayne does have a bit to do with Chris in my opinion. Clearly, if he cannot be selected over Josh Daicos (who to be fair has potential), his performance doesn’t warrant him playing, regardless of his fit into Collingwood’s play style/forward structure. As I’m sure you know, Collingwood shouldn’t change its structure to integrate Chris Mayne, who I believe has a skillset which is somewhat redundant nowdays compared to a few years ago in the Fremantle/Sydney/2010 Collingwood pressing games. In this aspect, it is definitely not Mayne’s fault, rather poor Collingwood recruitment. Other options with more influence included guys like Jack Steele, who seemed to be the barometer for the Saint this year. However, I do believe the angst you described is justified, given how it removes Collingwood from attaining many high quality free agents for the next THREE years.
Has Nathan Buckley taught Collingwood to accept mediocrity?
Even though Bucks seems to hate most journalists, most of the media either like/respect him or fear him. He even said himself that if he didn’t make finals he might be gone. Collingwood weren’t even in the conversation! Unbelievable that a club could go from a Grand Final to being uncompetitive and a coach can keep his job, no questions asked. Yet all the press is that this is the right decision. Yes this is not all his fault, but the poor recruitment also needs to be approved and overseen by Buckley, so blame lies on his shoulders also. Who really thought Chris Mayne would be a good player out of Ross Lyon’s system? Let alone worth the big salary.
Although for an Essendon fan, this is fantastic. Keep your loyalty to champion players Collingwood, regardless of their inability to live up to performance targets.
Has Nathan Buckley taught Collingwood to accept mediocrity?
God Tottenham are frustrating. As a fan, I personally hope we gain Wembley experience and win a cup and get Top 4. Currently, I feel our ball movement is a little tentative. It seemed that way at the start of last season also. I still have hope we can turn it around but Wood’s goal hurt a lot. Last week we can understand losing to Chelsea, however, the Wembley curse can be made to seem real if we drop points against Burnley. Personally, I’ve always wanted a bit more pace and athleticism in our side that is not Sissoko. Son is good, but I wish our previous pursuit of Wilfred Zaha had come off. His raw pace and trickery in the wide open spaces of Wembley could really help, especially his one on one ability against more isolated defenders in those open zones.
Six talking points from the weekend's English Premier League action
I’ve never felt joy quite like the moment The Pasty Pirlo curled one in from the edge of the area vs Newcastle the other week. More of that for Australia would definitely be nice!
The Ramble: The Mooy boy and shirtless Russians
In my heart, he still has that Brownlow medal. I hope history remembers it that way.
Jobe Watson, a nuanced footballer
Even though I’m a Spurs fan, putting Van Djik on Liverpool would be great to watch. A defence of Milner, Matip, Van Dijk and Clyne is pretty nice.
Virgil van Dijk's transfer could change the Premier League race
I find it unbelievable that you talk about the Rams in a context of potential contenders. Also perplexing that you believe in Jarred Goff. One of the most outlandish hot takes I’ve seen in a while.
NFL power rankings: Patriots dynasty looking to continue
The Wizards won’t be in any sort of contention until they offload some of the bad contracts like Mahinmi. They will be stuck in the third seed for a long time. I know they kind of had to resign Porter but paying him that much money to shoot 3’s is ridiculous. John Wall’s new contract ensured the entire city of Washington could breathe a sigh of relief.
Cautious or rightfully ambitious? A look at the Wizards offseason
As a Spurs fan, I’m not disappointed with them at all. With the construction of a brand new stadium in the works, why would you splash the cash? Any player we buy will most likely end up on the bench! As for the Walker sale, you might not have been watching Tottenham last year but Kieran Trippier won a starting place in the side for the last few weeks over a fully fit Kyle Walker. Although Walker’s athleticism is unparalleled, Trippier offers up a much better offensive threat. Plus, I think you still remember Otamendi being the same as when he first played in England in 2015/16. He is very underrated and although John Stones is still young, they played pretty well together last season I thought.
2017/18 English Premier League season predictions
It seems Maxwell is going to turn into the “made a nice 80 from 40 balls once so lets give him 30 more chances to do it because he can bowl 4 overs an innings” type of guy. The next Mitch Marsh, just with a trash nickname and fans in India.
Pay deal sorted, so here's the first XI for the Ashes at the Gabba
Well it seems I’ve commented on the wrong article….yeah sorry about that
Fingers crossed for a Richmond vs Essendon final
Adding transfer fees between clubs is a no-brainer to me. Abolishing the salary cap can wait until the competition is deemed sustainable and clubs can be competitive utilising other resources than money, such as academy players or just being smarter with investments. Incrementally raising the cap should also occur if we want to have any sort of decent competition comparatively to other Asian clubs. Plus, there is the lack of promotion and relegation, the league only has 10 teams and the quality of pitches in football dedicated stadiums is tiny. We have a long way to go.
The salary cap system: a necessary evil or a painful hindrance?
I don’t see anyone beating the Swans at the minute, such is their level of performance. However, the Hawks + Clarkson is a formidable combination that could make this game a lot closer than expected. Especially considering the mental scars of that disastrous GF performance in 2014, which still ranks highly in my list of undermentioned sporting collapses of the 21st century.
Fingers crossed for a Richmond vs Essendon final
I feel like my Bombers have the biggest potential improvement of any team in the competition. Our forward line and defence is rock solid, however the midfield is lacking at times. Guys like Travis Colyer and Zaharakis need to step up in order to improve our general speed of play, but in the uncontested nature of game we play, this is not as important. Even though guys like Heppell and Merrett win contested footy, statistically our club is ranked quite low in this area and over the last few weeks, we have improved and the results have followed. This weekend against the Dogs is crucial however. Champions Data says that it is the most important game left for the season in determining the finals chances for both the Dogs and Bombers. Personally, I can’t wait.
Fingers crossed for a Richmond vs Essendon final
Our attack has always been nice but out defence is frail at best. Everyone in the league knows this and until the back gels together, we won’t be winning the league anytime soon. Can a few Adelaide rejects do that? Probably not
Melbourne City hoarding Australian attackers is a great thing
All I care about is Khawaja playing. He is beautiful to watch.
Glenn Maxwell must play in the Ashes