Roar Guru
Joined March 2015
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The author is a member of the Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Association (GBOTA) and has a family member that is a Director of the GBOTA. These opinions are his own. I am a loyal Souths supporter and have played a lot of cricket, bowling an almost infinite number of full tosses in my life.
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Over the Easter weekend former champion galloper and one of my all-time favourite horses, Might and Power, passed away. Perhaps fittingly it was the…
Every year around Melbourne Cup time there are seems to be a series of articles heavily critical of horse racing, most are easily dismissed…
Last week the NSW Auditor-General published a scathing report into the ill-fated advertising campaign to ban greyhound racing. In the criticisms of the campaign,…
Some people have earned the right to be listened to, while others deserve to be ignored. It would be simplistic, and almost certainly wrong,…
Appeals for increased money to grassroots cricket, now where have I heard that before? Now, it's not as though juniors, park and grade cricket…
A few months ago, I received a phone call from a betting agency that gave me pause for thought. “I'm just setting up an…
The long, drawn out political process for greyhound racing in NSW is nearing completion. Last week the government passed legislation that almost entirely mirrors…
The thing about manipulative people is not that they lie, but they insist on others repeating those lies on their behalf. Not long ago,…
We've witnessed premature claims of the fall of greyhound racing in NSW, but now are we to see the rise? The events of the…
Explosive government documents released to the public reveal that the NSW Government has been spending over a million dollars of taxpayer money advertising a…
Greyhound racing needs reform. It's needed reform for years. But before people cheer on the decision, and before I have a proper read of…
Is there a group more maligned in Australian thoroughbred racing than the breeders? Constant accusations of too much power and too little responsibility are…
Finally, after more than 12 months of mind-boggling and depressing nonsense, someone outlined the very real problems that racing in Australia has left alone…
On Thursday a sensational night of racing awaits at Sandown greyhounds with the heats of the Sandown Cup over the 715m for the stayers.…
So apparently Sydney Racing has a problem, not enough people are coming to the track. It's even acknowledged by the powers that be. The…
There's plenty of sport in Sydney over the Easter weekend to keep you occupied, and the annual Golden Easter Egg at Wentworth Park on…
This year the ads for the Sydney Carnival tell us that "the tradition continues". And there's nothing quite like Slipper Day. Born and bred…
Sometime in 2017, racing will awake from its collective slumber and make changes to the lazy business model that has served it post-privatisation. This…
Sandown Greys has announced that the out-and-out champion that lit up greyhound racing in 2015, the mighty Fernando Bale, has been retired. A genuine…
I've often felt that the NSW parliament is the best argument one could give against democracy. It is an institution with a long history…
The Windies batting would collapse more than a few times if they played a full Shield season!
Where Pakistan were massively inferior to a Shield side was catching, and that really boosted the stats of a few of the Aussies.
Broadly I agree with most people here, and I think that selectors are probably thinking to themselves, are the players learning enough in Shield/bbl/IPL/county or do we have to be more patient when they get the opportunity? In the 90’s it was clear to everyone who wasn’t an English selector that country cricket wasn’t preparing players for test cricket, and instead of persevering with players who needed time they discarded players too quickly and stuffed nearly two generations of cricketers.
So, I’m of a mind to give these a players a little more time beyond just accounting for statistical variance.
Aussies face huge call over batting experiment with Smith and Green failing again as Windies turn Test on its head
The worry for me isn’t so much Green’s ability, I think he needs time. The real worry is that one of our best Shield batsman is finding that playing the West Indies bowling attack is a step up from Shield cricket.
Aussies face huge call over batting experiment with Smith and Green failing again as Windies turn Test on its head
Not the worst idea, perhaps even go a step further and ask why the same amount of cricket is played on a workday and a weekend? 4 1/2 hour evenings on Thursday/Fri and 7 hour days Sat/Sun/Mon or something like that. Doubt everyone would agree though.
Day-night Tests make dollars and sense but India’s reluctance means pink ball snookered by red
A few things. First, I know it’s already a long article, but at least some mention of how their defence compares would be good. I mean, Reynolds was no Owen Craigie but where so many rookie halves are a liability in defence, how did Ilias go and did he improve the defensive line?
Second, yeah the long kicking game of South’s is dire. But, in part, that’s because both he and his team don’t give him enough time to kick. He needs to stand two or three yards further back and his teammates need to run in front and pretend to catch the ball. Or just blatantly block the market like other teams do. Threatening to take on the line in an attacking kick is smart, not so much when giving it a roost. The fourth tackle options rarely help in setting for the kick either.
Finally, is he being used correctly? The key to attack, as far as I’m concerned is for the fast blokes to get the ball on a break. He’s pretty sharp, but forwards aren’t looking to offload to him nor is he backing up on dummy-half runs or linking with Mitchell. The system needs to accommodate him a little more before we judge him, I think we probably both agree in general on that.
Ilias v Reynolds: Will 2024 be the year that proves why Souths were right to let their talisman go?
When you put it like that their record seems pretty solid with a few howlers (keeping Warner too long). But it’s a lot harder for a selector to make howlers when your country has probably 20 test class cricketers than when it has 5 or 6!
The bowling depth worries me the most. Although the spinners look good a lot of the seamers, including the back ups, are a bit on the older side and the rotation policy is more often reactive rather than proactive.
Picking apart the selectors’ choices in the Bailey era: Masterstrokes tarnished by blunders as Australia face future upheaval
It’s a bit hard when you write an article like this to put in all the little details of the past, else it becomes really long, but to my mind a lot of the rule changes made the game different as well as professionalism.
Take the examples you have cited. 1970 was the last year of the four tackle rule, which was changed precisely because of the “panic football” it inspired. 1989 was when synthetic footballs had largely taken over from the leather ones to encourage more passing but in one of those unintended consequences began the demise of the “chip ‘n chase” that was easier to control with the leather football.
The 80’s saw a defensive orientated era, but part of that was that you now got the scrum feed if the opposition knocked on in your own half. Who wouldn’t throw the ball a bit more in their own half if they got the feed when they dropped it?
Also, the defensive structures changed as well. Fewer people entered the tackle so that a marker was there to prevent the “tap and go”. You were offside if you went before the ball left the ruck and in the late 60’s and early 70’s the refs stood at the ruck and pinged you on spec, so no-one rushed out of the line other than to deck someone and cause a fight. Numbers of replacements/interchange also affected the game.
Was the game better or worse? Well, the teams of now would thrash the teams of the past whatever the rules, but I love watching old games and just find them different. But each to their own I suppose.
Just like in rugby union, rugby league nostalgia is not what it used to be
Or we could paint the sightscreen dark red….
Cummins cleans up again but Pakistan recover from collapse with wagging tail frustrating Aussies
I reckon you should just lose your reviews the next innings you bat for slow over rates. Lose one review for every two overs behind, or something like that.
Cummins cleans up again but Pakistan recover from collapse with wagging tail frustrating Aussies
Should spend the four matches umpiring some Green Shield games, get some understanding of what the umps go through.
Mind you, I always had great fun umpiring and walking off the field to see seven blokes out lbw in fifteen overs….
'Didn't expect the stand-off': BBL Pom apologises to ump, 'deeply regrets' controversial incident as ban upheld
For some of the umps it didn’t seem to matter, they were just happy to talk racing to someone.
COMMENT: BBL Pom's disgraceful ump incident deserves bigger ban - and shame on Aussie icon for 'both-sidesing' it
I told one ump I knew a trackwork rider who tipped me something. It won at 6/1 and I took 6-for with four lbws. Next match we got the same ump who asked where I was, and they told him I was promoted to firsts.
Suffice to say, the lbws were a little more tightly regulated the next time!
COMMENT: BBL Pom's disgraceful ump incident deserves bigger ban - and shame on Aussie icon for 'both-sidesing' it
Can’t for the life of me understand why a pro cricketer thinks it’s ok to warm up on the square, let alone with the ump there.
Dunno why you’d be picking a blue with the umps before the game either, seems very counterproductive. I used to give ’em tips for the races before play in the hope of getting the odd cheap lbw! Seems crazy for me for the Sixers to appeal rather than tell Curran “you’re on your own mate.”
And I’m not sure what ego or the men’s/women’s game has to do with anything either.
COMMENT: BBL Pom's disgraceful ump incident deserves bigger ban - and shame on Aussie icon for 'both-sidesing' it
Yeah I forgot that it’s the streaming service you get when you sign up for free shipping for Amazon products. Be quite a different subscriber base I’d expect.
Prime time paywall: TV rights for Australian cricket's trophy defences go to new player in broadcast market
Putting my silliness to one side for a moment, the real problem is splitting the pay-per-view content. I mean, how many streaming or pay TV services is the one fan expected to sign up to? The streaming services love a small amount of sport, get one member of the family for the tournament and then hook them with cartoons the kids can’t live without. But it’s a real slap in the face for fans to have to sign up to different services to watch the same sport. Look at football where at times you have different streaming services for the a-league, premier league, internationals, fa cup etc etc. As Rowdy says, it loses the egalitarian touch but also the social benefits of events that are accessible to everyone.
But maybe it’s just me who’s out of touch with the world.
Prime time paywall: TV rights for Australian cricket's trophy defences go to new player in broadcast market
Great, shove the world cups onto some streaming service subscribed to by three teenagers and a dog in Tumut, that’ll grow the game.
It’s a travesty of justice that the people who make these decisions earn more than my local pizza delivery guy.
Prime time paywall: TV rights for Australian cricket's trophy defences go to new player in broadcast market
That’s my thinking, or push Starc to 9 when they play together.
The best thing the selectors can do for Cameron Green is to drop him from Test team … for now
I see the argument here but disagree, or at least I think I do.
Insisting on players being all-rounders has been far less successful than insisting players who enter the test arena as all-rounders focus on batting or bowling. Mitch Marsh should have focussed on his batting long ago, so too Moses Henriques, while Steve Smith, Labuschagne, Steve Waugh etc were all the better for it. Where it didn’t work so well is when injuries forced their hand (hello Watto!).
To me, Cameron Green is a better bowler than the aforementioned players. I think he should focus more on his bowling with his batting the added bonus. For mine, he is far better off being rotated in and out of the team and given more responsibilities with the ball when he plays.
If you think his future lies with the bat, and many other comments are from people that think this way, then I agree that a year or two in Shield would do him the world of good.
It strikes me as an easy decision once you choose whether you want him as a bat or bowl, but I get a sense there is no clear path for developing an all-rounder.
The best thing the selectors can do for Cameron Green is to drop him from Test team … for now
Absolutely right, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Maxwell dedicate his double ton to young girls that could no longer receive an education?
In this case I believe that the players are donating some of their match fee to humanitarian relief. It seems to me that we are unlikely to boycott these matches on the grounds that we would like to separate the people unfortunate to live in these countries from their rulers, and make some statements and gestures along those lines.
Is it the right thing to do? Who knows, but seems entirely reasonable to me.
'It's horrific': Socceroos braced for emotional WCQ - is it 'bonkers' that we have to play Palestine right now?
He’s been very impressive. Didn’t realise it’s been so long since a horse did the Cups double! It was much more common when I first got into the horses, Doreimus, Might and Power and Ethereal all did it in a six or seven year period.
Quite enjoy the Cup now it’s gone back to the hit and run overseas horses taking four or five spots rather than half the field or more.
TWO GOOD! Zahra wins back-to-back Melbourne Cups on Without a Fight as three horses pull up lame
It’s kinda a law that needs discretion though. As above I had magpie swooping but there’s all sorts of possibilities. Doing your knee on an uneven piece of grass, waiting for the protest to be dismissed in the 5th at Randwick, being totalled by a cameraman on an out of control segway, the possibilities are endless.
Forget the spirit of the game - World Cup 'timed out' farce is a failure of basic common sense
I’m assuming he means if it hits the batsman and ricochets away?
Forget the spirit of the game - World Cup 'timed out' farce is a failure of basic common sense
In the good ol’ days the ump would have walked out to the sheds, walked back with a shotgun to both resolve the magpie issue and pre-empt any future breaches of the spirit of cricket during the game…..
Forget the spirit of the game - World Cup 'timed out' farce is a failure of basic common sense
If it were a kids game, that absolutely would be the correct response. But these are adults where it’s much more important for pettiness to be indulged….
Forget the spirit of the game - World Cup 'timed out' farce is a failure of basic common sense
Played a few games where magpies would swoop a batsman and delay them getting to the wicket. No one ever thought to appeal, but if someone did you’d like to think there was room for discretion in the laws for the umps to overturn it. They used to be able to refer to the blanket rule that umps were the sole judge of fair play, but I believe that was made more restrictive?
So, yeah, I’m with you, and don’t really see the shift to less discretion as a good thing.
Forget the spirit of the game - World Cup 'timed out' farce is a failure of basic common sense
Absolutely, England took a conscious decision based on their current generation failing, and their belief that younger players would not develop into test players in their domestic first class competition. Getting a coach from NZ, where that is the norm, has also helped them greatly.
India, on the other hand, decided to include the IPL to develop young players rather than the inflated batting averages from their first class games.
I could go on, but it’s not just the selections that matter, they are more often the consequence rather than the cause.
Windies' dynasty decline a cautionary tale for Australian selectors with major transition period looming