Roar Pro
Joined March 2014
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Raj is a lifelong Brisbane Broncos and Brisbane Lions fan (and even managed to work for both for a bit). He realised he wasn't insightful enough to offer anything original in terms of game analysis so he writes about the intersection of business, money and sport instead.
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Middle Eastern and Russian billionaires grab the lion’s share of the headlines when it comes to English Premier League. But when it comes to…
If you're anything like myself and the 20-odd guys in the office tipping comp, Origin time turns your rational footy brain into a confused…
Before we go any further, I'm not going to argue that the NRL judiciary is crazy, inconsistent or that there needs to be an…
Since we have a breather before the final four games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it gives us a chance to look at…
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup only days away, it seems appropriate to recap some of the biggest shocks, controversies and outrageous incidents the…
The muppets at the FFA who helped kill our 2022 FIFA World Cup bid have struck again. From the same people who thought that…
Following on from last week's article ranking the NRL expansion bids, here is Part II. This part reveals those ranked number three to number…
In a week that has been about as exciting as a buck's party thrown by NRL coaches Wayne Bennett and Steve Price, we need…
Thankfully racism in sport is a subject that rarely generates headlines. But Dani Alves from Barcelona and the Los Angeles Clippers have won praise…
Imagine for a moment you are sitting at the head of the table in the Old Trafford boardroom. You've just sacked David Moyes. The…
When it was announced in January 2014 that Melbourne Heart would be bought by Manchester City, the red and white half of Melbourne could…
Following on from last week's article about the one weakness most likely to cost each team the premiership in 2014, here is Part 2.…
Australia crashing out in the group stages of a tournament normally triggers days of trial and judgement on the back page of every newspaper.…
Every keen league fan imagines they are able to pinpoint, in one brilliant flash, the exact reason their team isn't winning. In that great…
Fortunately for most of us, we will never have the chance to lose a few million dollars in a few fateful seconds. Even James…
The danger of a single round of football played over 10 days instead of the usual three is it gives sportswriters the chance to…
Some moments in sport stay with you. I remember watching a Brisbane Broncos game in a friend's shed in the Gold Coast hinterland in…
And if Ipswich played out of Suncorp, would they really be Ipswich at all?
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
I think the NRL have woken up to the fact that simply uprooting a team from one place and dropping them onto the Central Coast probably won’t work. You need the locals on board, and that’s not the way to do it.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
I’m intrigued by the amount of times Dubbo has got a run here, what am I missing?
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
Haha, glad you picked up on that Jack, last I checked Red Hill and Suncorp Stadium are both north of the river. The Crushers had a lot more problems than just where they put their clubhouse.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
There was nothing wrong about the rep weekend Gus, but where we normally have 16 passionately supported clubs in 8 games we instead had 3 top-level games with much less interest attached. One which struggled to inspire the wider league audience (Aus v NZ, just read last weeks pieces on The Roar), one which garners absolutely ZERO interest in Queensland (City v Country) and one that was so low profile that I didn’t see or hear a single piece of marketing or buzz about it (Samoa v Fiji).
As a result the amount of news flowing out of the weekend to do with League was much lower, so an article about an upcoming issue in the game that always results in great “pub debate” about the future of the game was put together.
Where I was taking a pot shot at the game is beyond me. And the quality and passion of most of the comments show that this site is going brilliantly, so perhaps take care before you take your own pot shot.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
Love the effort that went into picking this NQ side Dav!
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
Sponsorship isn’t the issue, they’re well stocked in that regard, but yes, attracting a crowd big enough to keep their heads above water would be a challenge.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
That’s exactly right, a lot of Canberrans are expats from other states who support GWS as a “second” team behind their real club.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
To be fair, the Independent Commission was a big step in the right direction, and early signs are good, but you’re right, the hangover of some poor governance decisions will take some time to clear.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
Hopefully Gyngell doesn’t get wind of that, I have a feeling he’d be down there to sort it out and whoever that was might be in a little trouble.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
Exactly, only have to look at the incredible depth and talent in the Holden Cup squad for the Warriors, as well as kiwi grown success stories like Elijah Taylor ending up overseas rather than in NZ
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
I think in NZ that Sky Sports has the rights to all Warriors games, and I would imagine the agreement would be the same for any Wellington team, the target audience is the other side of the ditch.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
2013 census: NZ population – 4.5 million, Auclkand and surrounds – 1.42 million, Wellington and surrounds 400,000. Thoughts?
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
I’m sorry for wasting your time BA. Some handy hints for saving more of your valuable time in the future include not clicking on or commenting on articles that don’t interest you. Just a thought.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
I’m not sure there was much to begin with Jack. In any case the Bombers do have an impressive bid, why do the Brothers stack up better?
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one
Obviously I and a few others disagree here Bob, could you explain what political agendas or ideologies you believe are being promoted?
Barcelona and NBA stars win battles against racism in sport
That’s right AR, any proposed changes haven’t been enacted yet, interesting to see Rugby Union players David Pocock and Roar writer Clyde Rathbone both involved in the debate in Canberra about it.
Barcelona and NBA stars win battles against racism in sport
Getting the Liverpool job without an overly high burden of expectation definitely helped Rodgers put his own stamp on the team without the higher level of scrutiny that would’ve normally come with the top job
Five men who could lead Manchester United
Interesting about Ferguson, I agree that there’s every chance he would be a highly controlling figure if he were back, what do you think of the reports that he is likely to have a say in Moyes successor?
Five men who could lead Manchester United
No doubt there’s a path from T20 to ODI’s and tests, there’s plenty of examples from around the world of that but the players that play tests definitely adapt their games to stay in the test teams. And the pathway is much more accessible for batsmen than all-rounders and bowlers.
Australia just didn't care about the World T20
The identity crisis is real yeah, the players command serious money and the administrators want it to be a serious game so that they can sell season coverage to broadcasters but I think most fans still think of it as a cross between promotion / light entertainment rather than something to get emotionally invested in.
P.S. How good was beach cricket, and seeing the old legends grabbing a beer from the bar between innings!
Australia just didn't care about the World T20
I think you’re right that there would’ve been more media coverage, but I don’t think the level of interest from the general public would’ve been much higher. How many conversations did you hear about the tournament around the place?
Australia just didn't care about the World T20
That’s a good point Brendon, while the Ashes series and SA games carry huge amounts of prestige, it’s fairly obvious that the power base of the game has shifted well and truly to the subcontinent, especially India. The amount of power they have because of the BCCI’s forceful takeover of the ICC backed by IPL riches is most of the reason, but it’ll be interesting to see how the new power structure plays out in the coming years.
Australia just didn't care about the World T20
I hope I’m wrong, it’d be incredible to see Leapai win, but I think this might be one of those ones where the story before the bout is much more engaging and interesting than the fight itself.
The fight of the century!
Haha, don’t worry mate, even if it was a dig I don’t mind, that’s what makes The Roar great! Cheers for explaining what you meant, I agree, I’ve got plenty of mates who were born and raised in south east Queensland who for one reason or another have never taken to the Broncos. You’re right, there’s no way they’ll just renounce their teams, throw away their jerseys and jump on the Bombers bandwagon.
I think the Bombers bid team has looked at the success of the Broncos bid and their tactics from the 80’s and replicated a lot of aspects of it. Remains to be seen whether this approach will work in the modern era.
Ranking the NRL expansion bids: Part one