Roar Guru
Joined July 2014
49k
Views
34
Published
2.8k
Comments
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Published
Comments
On Saturday night at the Bledisloe, we witnessed an event that is rarer than an aurora at the equator in the NRL: a player being sent off.
A quick trivia question: What do Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, Pakistan and England have in common?
Make no mistake, the Australian test XI line up this summer will be one of the worst seen at home for a generation.
On 15 August 1948 Don Bradman strolled out to the crease in his final match, and two balls later he walking back to the pavilion. He didn’t know it at the time, but that was his final innings – Australia belted England by an innings inside four days.
I posted a comment in a Roar article recently where I said that Adam Gilchrist would not make my all time XI.
Now that the international season is all but over let’s have a look at trying to grade the TV and radio networks that offered their services during the Ashes and the ODIs.
Last week, the NSW government caved in and gave the green light for a complete rebuild of the SFS, alongside the that of the Olympic Stadium, at the exorbitant price of $705 million.
Amid some great positive vibes surrounding the Rugby League World Cup, there have also been people commenting that the tournament is a bit mickey mouse, the format is a joke, the scheduling is off, that it’s essentially just musical chairs for NRL players, and that Australia is going to romp it in.
Rugby league has turned controversy into a refined art.
With Ange Postecoglou likely to have said farewell to the national coaching job this time next month, FFA need a change of strategy and philosophy. Forget hiring a replacement from overseas – forget even hiring a football coach!
We are in the middle of that one week every four years – that one week where the composition of teams for the next World Cup will be 90% locked in.
Congratulations to Cameron Smith for winning his second Dally M medal.
The current review policy of making referees guess ‘try’ or ‘no-try’ seriously limits the capacity of the bunker and is leading to some genuinely embarrassing calls, while allowing the on-field referees to pass the buck on anything difficult.
In a desperate bid to be noticed by the selectors for a potential Bangladesh series, Usman Khawaja has taken the extraordinary step of changing his surname from the invisible ‘Khawaja’ to the far more prominent and popular ‘Marsh’.
February. One of two months of the year where the winter footballs and cricket have little, if anything going on for them in Australia.
Show of hands: how many of you were actually aware that Sri Lanka and India are different countries? Be honest.
We’ve all shared our thoughts on everything the recent Test series had to offer – including the magical powers of lozenges – with the exception of how the most important team fared: the Channel Nine commentary team.
The AFL season has now drawn to a close with the most unlikely-but-not-that-unlikely premiership to the Dogs.
We are nearing the end of the games of the 31st Olympiad, and inevitably there will be the bevy of articles (such as this one) that will analyse how history will view them.
You’ve got it all wrong.
There is a place for an 80k stadium. It would be silly to get rid of it.
What is going on at Moore Park however is absolutely insane.
Sydney's stadium crisis: Bigger is not better
Football exhibition matches for one.
Liverpool v Melbourne Victory in front of 95,000 is going to be a bigger money spinner than Liverpool v Sydney FC in front of 60k.
Sydney's stadium crisis: Bigger is not better
Give him two weeks.
We’ve got to stamp out petty grubbery. It’s a disgrace to the game.
Luke Brooks fined for ugly knee on Sea Eagle
But they did an assessment. We just didn’t see it.
I’ve said this to you before.
Question asked, question answered. Twice.
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
Any smart human will be like Homer Simpson and have a card in their wallet that says “always do the opposite of what Phil Gould says”.
Hall of Fame induction a fitting tribute to a broadcasting giant
Mine does, yes. But I’m not being paid half a mil and running around on live TV either.
I’m not embarrassing my parents by being a grub on live TV.
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
Sadly, we don’t need to imagine. We already know.
Listen to Phil Gould’s podcast. He wants to do away with suspensions for anything that isn’t deliberate. “the game’s best players shouldn’t be missing matches for accidents” I think is the direct quote.
Insane. Victim blaming to the max.
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
I act like a yobbo a lot…but then I’m not on half a mil a year, and I’m not representing my family on live TV either.
If it was my son doing facials on other players for no other reason than to put his mitts in their face to slow the ball down and be a complete grub, I’d be ashamed.
Argy bargy, the biff, the push and shove are all fine. this face plant s**t you wouldn’t even bother doing in kindergarten.
Has it ever occurred to you that there is a reason the other codes don’t even stoop to that standard all the time?
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
I don’t fully understand how the Chooks can land players like Fittler, SBW , Chrighton and Cronk and the other clubs don’t seem to get a look in.
It’s called the eastern suburbs.
That right there is the selling point. Live in Bondi and have a 15 minute drive to the training paddock.
And before people say “well, Manly and Cronulla don’t get the same look in”, Manly and Cronulla can’t be compared. It’s just not the same as the east. The east is where their publicists and managers want them to ‘spotted’. The east is where the connections are.
Politis doesn’t just offer a club, he offers a lifestyle. It’s ruinously unfair on the other clubs.
How I learned to relax and admire the Roosters
Go on then, what rugby league team is ‘honourable’?
How I learned to relax and admire the Roosters
Storm shouldn’t be counted in these discussions.
It was absolute luck that they got Cronk, Inglis, Slater and Smith together.
Bellamy did a bit, but as Inglis and Cronk proved, they were just as classy away from the Storm too.
How I learned to relax and admire the Roosters
No James,
The key reason why Penrith haven’t been successful is because Phil Gould pushed the local development at the expense of a couple of marquee recruits.
It’s great to develop them, but you need them playing along the elite as well. Otherwise they will only develop so far.
The only major buy of the past 5 years for Penrith was James Moloney.
How I learned to relax and admire the Roosters
The Roosters are the highest rated footy Sydney based team on TV across all the football codes and their crowd averages are above most of the other Sydney NRL clubs despite the market saturation.
Can you prove that?
How I learned to relax and admire the Roosters
Point being, Steve Crawley was considering his options for moving on from Ray Warren over a decade ago. Now we all know Vossy voices an opinion about a statue, Hadley got his nose out of joint, Voss left, Crawley left and we are at where we are at today.
it shows how malevolent Ray Hadley is. He’d run over his mother to get more TV time. I’m glad Channel 9 came to their senses and did away with him.
Hall of Fame induction a fitting tribute to a broadcasting giant
The HoF is a deserved accolade for his past achievements.
His commentary in recent years (say since about 2012) have been ordinary.
This friendly bickering he does with Phil Gould is just annoying.
It’s not his fault, it’s the fault of the director. Channel 9 seems to enjoy turning commentary into a low brow boys club. They ruined cricket, they are ruining league.
Hall of Fame induction a fitting tribute to a broadcasting giant
Did I say a facial contributes to head injuries (Although it absolutely can lead to eye injuries).
Sorry, but to like it indicates that there is something wrong with you. Oh, how I’d just love to now repeatedly rub my hand in your face for fun.
It’s pathetic. No other sport has it’s players carry on like yobbos.
A slight modicum of professional behavior hurts no one
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
This comment has been removed for breaching The Roar’s comments policy.
Barrett handed three-week ban by SANZAAR
So be it.
I’d rather be pompous but right, instead of ignorant and wrong.
I make no apology for asking people to offer a modicum of evidence behind a claim.
I see the world through reason, not emotion.
Central Coast fans shouldn’t have to grin and Bear it
Spot on.
As was the ref walking through the decision. It left no doubt at all.
Credit to both Scott Barrett and Kieran Read for their handling of it as well. No if’s, no but’s…just accepted the inescapable fact. It was really classy.
You know straight away an NRL captain (say, Paul Gallen) would have argued the toss with the ref saying “the other team did it too, ref” or “how come you aren’t calling them offside” etc.
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
One more so than the other.
It’s not a competition, we don’t need to treat it as one. But rugby is doing a better job at it.
League has the HIA, but then manifestly let’s itself down with the refs not binning or sending people off, and then compounding the mistake by showing no punitive measure at the judiciary.
Union isn’t quite up to scratch with on-field concussion protocols (although they do exist), but leaves league behind when it comes to penalties and the judiciary.
If Barrett wasn’t a cleanskin, he’d be sitting on the pine for 6 weeks. Burgess…got a fine.
And it bares remembering Hooper wasn’t concussed. Moylan was out before he hit the floor.
When everything ends up in court, at present the code that stands to cop a bigger financial penalty is the NRL.
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
Yeah…it matters too much. And it’s a big problem.
We need to look at it in the same way the state looks at drink driving.
You were drunk, you were behind the wheel. You got caught. You’ve lost your licence. You may not have hit anyone, or had an accident etc, but you might have. And we are going to prevent you from risking the lives of others until you learn.
The judiciary needs to be more preventative in philosophy when doling out the punishment. It’s not what Sam Burgess did that should be punished. It’s what he could have done with the same action that needs to be punished.
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
I’d rather not have this article take such a tangent if you don’t mind.
That’s not relevant for this article. It’s relevant for another conversation that will no doubt take place.
But your point on Cotric is spot on. There isn’t a person who would disagree. He should have been sent off, but the refs did it for the wrong reasons.
Union head and shoulders above league for player welfare
Yeah, you’re missing something.
We are confused.
Some are wanting it replaced with a smaller 60k stadium.
Sydney's stadium crisis: Bigger is not better