topguN talks about Gfinity Season 2 and his desire to help younger CS:GO players get better
Azad Orami – known professionally as topguN – has been one of the mainstays of the Australian Counter-Strike scene for a very long time.
Stirling Coates
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Stirling Coates started out as an AFL crowd contributor, and now is in charge of The Roar's esports section.
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IEM Sydney back on again in 2019
One of Australia’s biggest annual esports events – the Intel Extreme Masters – has been locked in for a third-straight year, after ESL today confirmed the tournament’s return for 2019.
The Chiefs have an absolute mountain to climb if they want to make the CS:GO finals
In a five-week season, you’d think the contenders and pretenders would be separated very quickly. That hasn’t been the case during the second Gfinity Elite Series season.
A-League stars the headline as Socceroos lock in squad for Korea friendly
Graham Arnold has named his 23-man squad to face off against South Korea in a friendly later this month.
Dean Ayala talks new cards coming to Hearthstone, impact of recent nerfs
The 2018 Hearthstone Global Games may be over, with China being crowned champions, but the game isn’t checking out of the headlines for 2018 just yet.
2018 Melbourne Cup fashion ratings
The Melbourne Cup is one of the most prestigious events on the fashion calendar. Every year, revellers from across the country descend upon Flemington racecourse in valiant attempts to impersonate Gabi Grecko and Geoffrey Edelsten.
The next Hearthstone expansion won't need a bunch of new keywords to still mix things up
BlizzCon 2018 has come and gone and, while a number of the biggest esports events of the year reached their conclusion at convention, it was also an opportunity for the next updates for many top titles to be unveiled.
Naisarani to travel with Wallabies as Cheika finalises Spring Tour squad
Fijian-born Isi Naisarani has moved one step closer to making a Wallabies debut, after he was named as a development player for Australia’s upcoming Spring tour in Europe.
The first day of the Gfinity Elite Series gave us way more questions than answers
It was just four short months ago we crowned Melbourne Order as the inaugural Elite Series CS:GO champions – but a hell of a lot has changed in that time.
Full Melbourne Cup barrier draw results; Yucatan draws 23
2018 Melbourne Cup favourite Yucatan has been dealt a blow ahead of the big race on Tuesday, ending up in barrier number 23 following the barrier draw event at Flemington Racecourse.
2018 Melbourne Cup barrier draw live blog, updates
With the 2018 Melbourne Cup fast approaching, it’s time to turn our attention to the all-important barrier draw. Join The Roar for live updates of the 2018 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw, starting at 6:30pm (AEDT).
Five burning questions for the Overwatch World Cup finals
It’s been a long, but highly entertaining, third edition of the Overwatch World Cup. After months of practice and scintillating play, just eight teams are left as the knockout stage takes place this weekend at BlizzCon.
UPDATE: David Peever resigns as Cricket Australia chairman
UPDATE: David Peever has officially resigned as chairman of Cricket Australia, with Earl Eddings set to take over as interim chairman.
AFL reveals fixture for 2019
The AFL has today revealed the 2019 fixture, with Melbourne and Essendon rewarded for their encouraging offseasons in the form of plenty of primetime matches.
WATCH: World Rugby reveals try of the year shortlist
World Rugby has today revealed their four-man shortlist for try of the year – with two All Blacks players on their list for scores against Australia.
ACA calls for Smith, Warner and Bancroft bans to end immediately
The Australian Cricketers’ Association has today requested bans issued to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft by Cricket Australia be lifted immediately, following the findings of the Longstaff report on Monday.
All Blacks name experimental side to play Wallabies in Bledisloe 3
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has unveiled a new-look side to take on Australia in the third and final Bledisloe Cup Test on Saturday in Japan.
NRL reveals draw for 2019
The National Rugby League has revealed their 2019 draw today, with the season set to begin on Thursday, March 14.
Aussies at BlizzCon: Who to watch out for at Blizzard's massive esports event
BlizzCon is many things to many different people. For some, it’s a cultural event where passionate gamers from around the world journey to Southern California and revel in the shared passion of their favourite game worlds. For others, however, it’s the truly mind-boggling culmination of five of the biggest esports tournaments on the calendar.
Folau re-signs with Rugby Australia for four years: reports
Israel Folau has reportedly put months of contract uncertainty behind him, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that the former league and AFL star had signed a contract extension that will keep him at the Wallabies and Waratahs until 2022.
At this stage I think the Swans have their eye on making a big splash next year.
AFL Trade Wrap Day 8: Tom Scully, Steven May, Tim Kelly and more
100% Wayne.
As someone else in the office just suggested, what’s to stop a superior ruckman just grabbing the ball and holding onto it when their team is up by less than a goal with a minute to go?
Flies in the face of the concept of prior opportunity, as well as the third spirit of the law (in that the ball shall be kept in motion).
AFL unveils rule changes for 2019
Going to respectfully disagree with you on this one.
The 6-6-6 set-up is going to see lesser teams get flogged more regularly, the removal of the requirement to kick the ball is totally unnecessary (although I am in favour of the mark being moved to ten metres), the 50-metre penalty and set shot after the siren changes are a complete mess, and the ruck rule change will add to congestion and totally distorts the definition of prior opportunity.
Relaxing hands in the back, and the nine-metres-from-the-boundary mark laws, however, are pretty good.
AFL unveils rule changes for 2019
Thanks for the correction Greg – we’ll amend accordingly.
Billy Slater shoulder charge FAQs: Your complete guide to tonight's judiciary hearing
Aubusson at halfback?! Surely that’s a big ole’ typo Scotty!
NRL team list Tuesday live blog: grand final, State Challenge, NRLW - all teams named
Don’t worry mate, we’ll have a piece up soon helping you all make sense of this. I appreciate your ongoing interest.
World of Warcraft's Jeramy McIntyre explains how the esport has grown
Too true Onside. The lengths to which our players have to go to just to get practice in is outrageous.
How can we use our Overwatch World Cup success to push esports forward in Australia?
It almost defies belief doesn’t it! I can run rings around AI opponents and… that’s about it.
Find esports confusing? Rocket League could be your ticket in
Hope you’re right Alister!
Who will progress to the semi-finals at the FACEIT CS:GO London Major?
Hi Onside,
If this is something at interests you, I’m more than happy to pen a piece like that.
Just promise me you’ll give that one a read too!
The greatest achievement by an Australian national team this year has been in esports - and it happened yesterday
Hi Wayne,
That’s fair enough. I suppose my angle is more in the sense of performance versus expectations.
The Kookaburras are a consistently dominant force in field hockey (although I’m not suggesting that takes any gloss away from Comm games gold) whereas nobody really gave our guys a chance at this world cup and we played out of our skin.
It’d be like if Brazil’s cricket team beat us in a Test match in the same year as winning the FIFA world cup – the world cup is obviously the more prestigious competition, but the theoretical cricket upset would be something else.
The greatest achievement by an Australian national team this year has been in esports - and it happened yesterday
This is such an underexplored topic. There are so many characters, decks, moves, powers etc in games that need nerfing because they’re not fun to play against.
Glad to see someone else writing about it.
Balancing games for fun and profit
The ‘fourth umpire who doesn’t do anything’ is an emergency field umpire and is almost always a vastly lesser experienced umpire than the ones the field. Most emergency field umpires have actually never ‘started’ a match as an umpire.
Not sure that’s the best person to be handing reporting and send-off duties too.
Andrew Gaff: How many weeks, and where will he be next year?
My argument has nothing to do with being scared of change.
My argument is that, given so many reports and suspensions are issued after the match, by officials other than the match day umpires, bringing in a send-off rule would do little to alleviate the injustice we feel when someone is injured by an opponent and, in fact, would create another set of injustices whereby only players who had their reportable offences picked up by the umpires would be marched off.
Nobody has been able to counter my point that, even if the send-off rule existed, Gaff still wouldn’t have been sent off – because none of the umpires saw it – and we’d be sitting here just as outraged that he was allowed to play on.
The send off rule would fix little and create more problems.
The idea that we’d be making decisions post the results of a concussion test seems exceptionally clunky. How would it work exactly? Would the match just stop abruptly when the concussion test concludes and the score review official combs over the footage?
What if the potentially reported player kicked two goals while the test was being completed? A player’s actions should warrant punishment (be it send off or suspension) based on the action itself – not the resultant impact.
While I agree that striking is an abhorrent act and the game isn’t doing enough to wipe it out, lengthier suspensions are the answer – especially for strikes that don’t hit high or cause injury.
The AFL doesn't need a send-off rule
There absolutely should be more consequences for hitting others in the head – my argument is that longer suspensions are the answer.
You cannot tie send-offs to failed concussion tests, because the power to order off is then no longer solely rests with the match officials. Acts should warrant a send-off based on their illegality alone, not the impact they had.
The AFL doesn't need a send-off rule
The premiership has been won by one non-Victorian side in the last 11 years.
Sydney are falling right out of flag contention
Hopefully not too much. We already have one injury-prone key position swingman in Sam Reid.
Maybe a straight swap?
Sydney are falling right out of flag contention
Oliver Florent is getting better with every game – he could be an absolute gun in the near future.
Sydney are falling right out of flag contention
I didn’t say the Swans needed all that in one player, nor did I say there is a player out there who provides both. They already have bullocking inside mids in Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker – Tom Mitchell doesn’t provide what Sydney’s missing.
They need a player who provides class on the outside. Dan Hannebery has been that man in the past, but he’s having a career-worst season.
Sydney are falling right out of flag contention
Tom Mitchell was a bitterly disappointing departure, but is a bullocking inside mid who wins the hard ball but doesn’t have a great deal of class on the outside the kind of player Sydney are missing at the moment? I’d say not.
What Sydney are really missing is a classy outside mid – the role Dan Hannebery is currently struggling to fill.
You raise some good points about the defenders being overworked, and the side not generating enough score – but let’s not forget the Swans were very close to taking the lead in the last quarter of both losses in the last fortnight.
If they’d pulled it off we’d all be lauding their ability to win when the chips are down.
Sydney are falling right out of flag contention
I do think his Adaptive Shield ability will need a nerf before it goes live. The idea he can go up to 1000 HP at the drop of a hat seems pretty powerful.
Overwatch's newest Hero explained
I think he’ll be an absolute menace on Control maps with smaller points – especially Ilios and Nepal – as well as defending on Assault maps.
His survivability and mobility are pretty insane, but I think his primary fire is definitely on the weaker side.
Overwatch's newest Hero explained
Been a long time since I’ve seen Brisbane appear four times in the tipping table.
I wouldn’t sleep on the Dogs or Giants this weekend, but it otherwise looks pretty straightforward.
The Roar’s AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 16
My tip has always been to tell your opponent what you’re going to play in advance, you’d be surprised how often they outthink themselves and your honesty pays off!
English referee suspended after using scissor-paper-rock instead of coin toss