Roar Guru
Joined April 2010
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Twenty20 Cricket is fast losing its lustre, so in good marketing form it is time to tweak the formula just a tad.
As the Biathlon World Cup series moves into its Christmas hiatus, it is an ideal time to review the state of play.
I promised myself I would refrain from commenting on the pathetic Quade Cooper debacle. However I can not hold my tongue, no, pen, wait, keyboard any longer.
The Wallabies and the Australian Super Rugby franchises have suffered a horrendous injury toll over the past two or three seasons.
With the greenkeepers of Test grounds capitulating to their cricket boards all over the world, it is truly fortuitous that this weekend sees the start of the Biathlon World Cup season in Oestersund, Sweden.
Cricket Australia and the ICC have decided, in their infinite wisdom, to allow day/night Test cricket. What a sell-out! No, I don’t mean a sell-out of a game, but a sell-out of the game.
The rifle contingent of the Australian Shooting Team have wrapped up their final preparations for the London Olympics with the third round of the Australia Cup matches in Brisbane.
All of the recent talk here on The Roar regarding the performance of the Australian Super Rugby teams has revolved around a couple of key points.
Last night I caught the second half of the French Top 14 Final. Toulose beat Toulon 18-12 in a gripping match. It was 12 all with about 15 minutes to go.
Has the professionalism of rugby and the chase for money killed off the fun and enjoyment of the game?
Early Saturday morning I was enjoying my coffee, when I heard the awful news. Fox Sports, the paragon of sports journalism, loudly stated that Dingo Deans was worried about a Welsh “ambush”.
To help vary the sporting diet of The Roar and with the Olympic Games fast approaching, it is time we looked at the team for one of the lesser followed sports: the Shooting disciplines.
Following the end of the Biathlon World and IBU Cup seasons, competitors from around snow-topped parts of the world have had a lay off and are getting back into training. For some national teams this is a little more risky than others.
After the Boxing day Test debacle I noticed a strange thing in the commentary, especially that coming from Cricket Australia, the team and those close to the team. In short it was along the lines of Ponting and Clarke are too valuable to the team to be dropped.
To quote Iggy Pop:
“I’m Bored.
I’m Chairman of the Bored…”
Could someone wake me up when they’ve finished the appendage measuring contest?
Israel Folau to fight Rugby AU sanction
Crikey, you lot are determined to take the fun out of being a fundamentalist.
Israel Folau digs in for the fight of his professional life
The ‘others’ are still particular groups of people, and are perhaps somewhat less vulnerable. I am not sure what your point is.
His homophobia is where he has come unstuck, thus it is the point of discussion.
Tah-Tah, Izzy: Rugby Australia, NSW Rugby confirm they'll sack Folau
I think you might have missed the lashings of sarcasm that were served with that comment…
Tah-Tah, Izzy: Rugby Australia, NSW Rugby confirm they'll sack Folau
Look, try and keep up.
Folau is (was?) looked up to by many young people. His actions in vilifying a particular group, who are particularly vulnerable, is is causing harm to those people – harming them is a severe form of exclusion. RA and NSWRU cannot be party to that.
Are you still with me? Yes?
He is not being excluded due to his religious beliefs, he is being sacked because he did not follow the instructions and codes of practice of his employers.
QED.
He is welcome to follow his system of beliefs, he is not welcome to cause harm to or vilify a group of people due to their sexual orientation.
TBH if religious types spent more time considering the harm they do and less time worrying about the bedroom activities of others, the world would be a better place.
Tah-Tah, Izzy: Rugby Australia, NSW Rugby confirm they'll sack Folau
If you can’t understand the nuance of what Folau has done then I suggest you take a step back and read RA’s full statement.
Tah-Tah, Izzy: Rugby Australia, NSW Rugby confirm they'll sack Folau
Well it looks like RA have spoken to the TMO and are reaching into the pocket for the red card.
SMH is saying that NSWRU are on board as well.
Tah-Tah, Izzy: Rugby Australia, NSW Rugby confirm they'll sack Folau
I’d be surprised if someone of that generation knew who Borg was ????
The Wrap: Super Rugby? Now there’s something worth selling
Where to start?
When researching events that occurred a long time ago and in a different place researchers/historians/anthropologists/archaeologists need to be aware of their own biases and when drawing conclusions must look at the events and conclusions through contemporaneous eyes.
Put simply, the beliefs, world views and social norms of 2018 are vastly different to those in 200 BC or 1896 AD.
We (generally, although some dinosaurs still exist) have no doubts that all people should be seen as and treated as equals. Pierre de Coubertin did not live in such a time. His lived experience was vastly different to that of someone in the 21st Century.
I agree that by modern standards de Coubertin was off the mark, yet by the standards of his time he was on the mark. He should not be criticised for that and any conclusions about him must be sensitive to that.
Keep in mind that in two hundred years future generations will look at our social conventions and beliefs and will ask “how could they believe that?”.
Faster, higher, stronger: Tayla Harris and the Olympic Ideal
Matt,
As someone who bleeds red & black it would indeed warm the cockles of ones heart to see the Mighty North Sydney Bears arise to the greatness they deserve.
Greg Florimo and his management fought the good fight but just like in 1999 the bids were strong but the Machiavellian machinations were too great.
A Saturday or Sunday afternoon, sitting at NSO in the winter sun watching the Bears run around in the NSW Cup (or whatever they call it now) is just fine.
Maybe I’ll see you on the hill at “Old Bears Day” at NSO April 7th at 1 O’Clock Don McKinnon and Flo are sure to be there..
STAND ASIDE!!!
https://youtube.com/z5E357PzecQ
Relocation is madness. Bring back the Bears
I shouldn’t bother, but you seem to be forgetting a little matter called jurisdiction.
The Australian (or any) government can legislate all they want, but if the content is hosted elsewhere it all comes to nothing.
Also, I for one don’t want social media companies becoming de facto censors and enforcers of what they believe is right and proper. They have proven themselves to be not trustworthy, so why trust them with such matters?
How to give it back to the trolls
I suggest the patients at the Healthscope hospital on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, built by taxpayers and profits taken by Healthscope, may disagree.
As would the public schools with decades old demountable classrooms and public schools installing demountables.
A couple of billion dollars would go a long way to resolve these issues, rather than sports fields for elite, money making sports.
Why Sydney needs a new football stadium
Here is something to mull over.
The “NSW” in NSW Government actually stands for “New South Wales”, not “Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong”.
It is a state government not a regional council. Providing sporting facilities is a council function. Even if you disagree, the fact is that providing business premises for profit making elite sports businesses is not a government function (at any level of government).
While we have a position where public hospitals and public schools run as a second priority to private hospitals and private schools there can be no justification for a state government funding this sop to their mates in business.
Why Sydney needs a new football stadium
I knew you’d come around, eventually ????
Mick O’Connor? Start Pocock in the 7 and Hooper off the bench, thanks
Oh no. Now you’ve done it.
Can someone please pass me the No-Doz?
This is going to degenerate into list after list of names, which will be identical to the list after list of names seen in every thread that even remotely mentions Wallabies selection.
Mick O’Connor? Start Pocock in the 7 and Hooper off the bench, thanks
And when it once again becomes competitive and offers some entertainment and success, the game will be celebrated.
That is what the elite teams are there to do. Until they fulfil that, then the negativity directed at them will continue.
Rugby supporters, can we please change tone?
They made the biggest mistake a cheat can, they got caught – for that alone they should be cut loose…
A golden opportunity: Don't pick Smith and Warner
A gutsy competitor, who never left the hill wondering if she could have gone harder. Vonn’s spectacular (and sometimes painful) foray’s into the fencing are testament to that – each time she climbed the long hill of rehabilitation and returned to the podium.
I agree with Vonn’s observation that there are plenty of established and up-and-coming competitors to keep the excitement, thrills and spills going apace.
More than just Tiger’s girl: Vonn ends skiing career as a sporting icon
Well, that’s a given. However, if Larkham and Chieka are so different in coaching methods/style/strategy why would you move one to a position that oversees all of the other teams?
Does this not create a skills/strategy gap between the teams under Larkham and the team under Chieka?
Making transition from one to the other just that bit more complex? Isn’t being over-complex one of the many criticisms of the Wallabies/RA game plan and set up?
Stephen Larkham sacked as Wallabies assistant coach
“Ultimately Michael is responsible for the performance of the team. We have differences in attacking strategy and overall game philosophy. We couldn’t agree on these key points and it is in the best interest of the team that they receive clear and consistent messages from their coaches,” said Larkham.
Now let me see if I’ve got this right. Larkham doesn’t agree with Chieka’s strategy and systems. So much so that there was inconsistent messaging to the team.
Yet, Larkham has been moved to a position that “will focus on coach mentoring, coaching and skills development across the Australian Sevens teams, Junior Wallabies, State under-20 academies and the Wallaroos”.
Does this mean RA doesn’t want Chieka’s coaching style and methods spread to other parts of the organisation?
Stephen Larkham sacked as Wallabies assistant coach
I don’t disagree. At All. They must not be judged on that but on societal norms and if that means criminal proceedings as well as sporting sanctions, so be it.
I am pretty sure that if I was done for DV then I’d be dealt with harshly by the courts and I’d be out of work.
The clubs can not longer be the only ones doing the dirty work.
NRL left with no choice but to impose tough stance on player misbehaviour
By all means let the clubs and federations act, and act decisively.
Just don’t let this belief that because they are sports people that getting punishment from the sport is enough nor that the sports should carry this burden.
We need society to come down on them and the non-famous perpetrators.
NRL left with no choice but to impose tough stance on player misbehaviour
You have summed up the problem I have with this article and with the treatment of sports people.
While the club and the NRL have acted, which is fine and correct, why is it incumbent upon these private companies to act, why is it their responsibility to fight the violence scourge as is implied in the article?
Why is it an entertainment company’s fault when one of its employees beats up someone (out of hours).
Why is it not up to society to sort out these thugs and cowards?
Maybe it is all that these people can understand and maybe the entertainment companies are the only ones they listen to, but I’d bet London to a brick that if the courts started to punish these guys properly then the entertainment companies would appreciate the help, as would society in general.
NRL left with no choice but to impose tough stance on player misbehaviour
I wonder if these fall under the oft quoted three written warnings thing HR folk are so fond of?
Israel Folau to fight Rugby AU sanction