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I love cricket so much I once had a dream I was timed out. It was the worst nightmare I've ever had. I also support the Western Bulldogs, which, much like dressing like clowns on the street and scaring people, was weird and depressing for a very long time, briefly became amazing in late 2016 and then swiftly went back to being weird and depressing. I also occasionally tweet about things at @timejmiller.
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A little over 12 months ago, Collingwood demolished Port Adelaide on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the MCG in the first of many, many…
Over the next few days, all discussion of Essendon's three-point win over Adelaide will likely centre on the decision, in the final seconds of…
Amid all the hysteria and gnashing of teeth that accompanies any team following a particular galling loss, it's worth remembering at all times that…
After near-perfect tipping scores across the board in Round 4, the going was significantly tougher last weekend - a slew of upsets made 5…
Five rounds are in the can for season 2024, and the ladder is beginning to take shape. Brisbane and Collingwood are on the path…
There's plenty of time left in the 2024 season, so there's a chance we will see a better win than what Adelaide produced to…
It's the seven-minute mark of the final quarter. Essendon lead the Western Bulldogs by 19 points in a match that has, since halfway through…
19 months ago, a banged-up Brisbane came to the MCG as heavy underdogs, faced a formidable Melbourne outfit that stood among the premiership favourites,…
Three of our four experts made it big in Gather Round with a perfect 9/9 - sorry, Dem, but your faith in the Western…
Gather Round was back for the second year - and after a rough start, boy was it a doozy! Four of the weekend's last…
If you're a Fremantle fan - and I'm basing this on the social media reaction to what happened on Saturday afternoon at the Adelaide…
For all the talk and all the acclaim the so-called 'Essendon Edge' has received in the past few weeks - and I firmly fit…
For three and a half quarters on Thursday night, it was the same old Adelaide. Unambitious with ball in hand. Slow in movement. Horrendous…
Gather 'round, kids, it's time for the AFL to head to Adelaide for Season 2 of Gather Round! After last year was a raging…
RIP our tips, because Round 3 has already seen upsets galore - and it's not over just yet! Sure, Hawthorn are unlikely to knock…
You could write 10,000 words about all the things Essendon did wrong on Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium - and not a single Bombers…
Alex Pearce won't get any Brownlow Medal votes for his performance on Friday night at Optus Stadium. If there was a medal to be…
It has been ten years since Australian cricket icon Ricky Ponting released his autobiography At the Close of Play, but there's a passage that…
The Easter weekend is upon us, which means five straight days of footy - yay! But it also means no games on Saturday afternoon…
Victoria's highest grade of amateur cricket has witnessed what might be its most remarkable grand final ever, after Carlton produced a comeback for the…
This is literally the first direct criticism in writing I’ve ever made of Kohli (unless you include me saying at last year’s T20 World Cup that the free hit against Pakistan that bowled him should have been a dead ball).
And all of what you say in the second paragraph is correct – he’s completely transformed India into a great and unselfish side where personal milestones have always come second, as I’ve said in the article. That’s partly why it was so disappointing to see him do what he did.
COMMENT: Virat Kohli just scored the most selfish hundred since Boycott - and he should be embarrassed
OK you’ve got me there Rowdy – changed it to read ‘of the 2000s instead’.
Every grand final of the 2000s, ranked first to 24th: Which classic is 'the most underrated decider in footy history'?
I’d half forgotten about Travis Cloke’s first half that day – holy hell was he a destroyer of worlds in the early 2010s.
Every grand final of the 2000s, ranked first to 24th: Which classic is 'the most underrated decider in footy history'?
“Typical Vic-centric approach”
*has non-Victorian grand final wins as the literal top two*
Every grand final of the 2000s, ranked first to 24th: Which classic is 'the most underrated decider in footy history'?
I feel like the Lions really SHOULD win next week – I’ll certainly be tipping them.
But is it wrong that I still don’t really trust them despite getting to the last two?
Finals Fix: One quarter from hell couldn't keep the Lions out of the big dance - but another might just cost them the flag
Even in finals though, 11 goals isn’t that many and nor is 19 shots, right?
Also not sure Sydney being ‘one of the better defensive teams in the comp’ holds weight given only two finalists in GWS and Port conceded more H&A points.
Why every team will win their AFL semi final... and why they'll lose
Yeah that’s fair – more a reflection on the star power of Brisbane than a dig at McCluggage!
Surely most people would have the three biggest stars at Brisbane as Andrews down back, Neale in the middle and Cameron up forward though?
Should the Blues be... favourites? Five burning questions ahead of AFL semi finals
This wasn’t a go at Wilkie at all – he’s been superb all year. It was more a reflection on how using him on Greene effectively nullified him as an intercepting weapon – just four intercept possies for the game is a long way down on what he usually provides, and for me was a huge reason why the Saints conceded the amount of points they did.
Finals Fix: Ross Lyon made two fatal mistakes with the Saints' defence - and they paid the ultimate price
He can’t. The point I’m trying to make is that his electing to jump is the same as choosing to bump (which was also a point of conjecture a decade ago that we’ve grown to accept now) – once you leave the ground you’re in a dangerous position and any injury sustained is on you.
Who am I kidding, though – there’s no way I’m ever going to convince the supporter of a team that their player should be banned! Let’s just see what the MRO has to say about it and call it even, eh?
Finals Fix: Manic Magpies expose Dees' massive flaw - but here's why they should have to win it all without Maynard
It was a smother that knocked out a bloke, Peter.
Yes, for 120 years the fact it’s a footy act has allowed stuff like this to happen, but the game has changed where the consequences are serious enough to warrant a closer look.
Will it get him banned? With the way the MRO operates these days, I’ve honestly got no idea.
Finals Fix: Manic Magpies expose Dees' massive flaw - but here's why they should have to win it all without Maynard
AFL Rising Star Power Rankings: Every nominee rated from 1-24 - is it Sheezel's to lose in the best crop of young guns ever?
Yeah that’s fair. I’ll say this about headlines: the goal is to try and get people interested enough to read it. Sometimes that might mean a bit of hyperbole but with so much content around you’ve sort of got to buy into it a bit to stand out.
Footy Fix: If you're not terrified about your team facing the Hawks yet... you should be
Build of Kouta and the brain of Hird. I’m buying all the stocks.
Footy Fix: If you're not terrified about your team facing the Hawks yet... you should be
Oh yeah, the Pies will be fine. Daicos injury is a bad one but one more win locks up the minor premiership and gives them a flagging Port in the first week. Imagine adding him to a prelim final line-up…
Footy Fix: If you're not terrified about your team facing the Hawks yet... you should be
More of an expert than me at this point 😂
Six Points: Port's concussion farce, an all time MCG classic, and a day of upsets flips the season on its head
Hi Peter, can I add this comment to my CV? 😂 😊
Footy Fix: ANOTHER Magpie magic act sinks the Power - here's how Collingwood pulled off their greatest heist yet
Love what Cuningham and Fogarty have put together in particular as pressure smalls over the last four weeks. No coincidence that the lift has come with these two recalled.
Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo
I wrote last week that North will be fine and stick by that. They gutted the list before time in 2016 by getting rid of Boomer Harvey and co. which set them back for a long time, and they’ve had one properly failed rebuild with the David Noble tenure.
LDU’s properly close to being a top-20 player – just needs a clean run with injuries in my view – and Sheezel/Wardlaw are only going to get better.
They might be 2013 Melbourne now, but the Dees built pretty solidly after that. It’s going to be a long haul but no one’s bad forever.
Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo
There’s pros and cons to both, but my view is the travel factor isn’t as big an issue as it’s purported to be. Victorian teams get to sleep in their own beds etc. when they play Geelong in Geelong and still no one wins down there.
For me home ground advantage is more to do with a) knowing the ground/state and tailoring a game plan to it (i.e. GMHBA is thin, the SCG is small, warmer conditions in Perth/Brisbane), and b) having a hugely one-sided crowd, which has a demonstrable impact on umpiring decisions (noise of affirmation) and maybe even gives a second wind to the home team’s players.
Melbourne don’t get that when they play, say, Carlton at the MCG, but West Coast do when they play anyone at home (and are somewhat good).
For me that outweighs the travel issue considerably, but can acknowledge the argument the other way.
Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo
Also doesn’t help that success in 2021 got the Dogs raided for talent a bit. That year guys like Patrick Lipinski and Lewis Young were constantly banging down the door but only getting semi-regular games. Both’d be locks in the best 22 now.
Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo
Thanks for the kind words, Skip!
Footy Fix: Seven minutes, four goals, all heart - how Melbourne pulled off 2023's biggest heist
I can’t have this argument that says the solution is jumbling around the entire batting order for Warner to make way – particularly as, across the WTC final and the start of the Ashes, Green has averaged below 20 with the bat and 45 with the ball.
If the best solution is to dump Warner and open with someone who has NEVER opened in first-class cricket, be it Green or Labuschagne, then that’s no solution at all IMO.
COMMENT: Australia left it too late to fix Warner problem - we're stuck with him for the series
“Warner was dropped by a sitter on 20”.
You could make that argument of Mitch Marsh at Headingley too, yet there are still people adamant he should bat at 5 and Head open in place of Warner.
I would also argue it’s disingenuous to say the pitch at Lord’s was a ‘road’ for Warner – the first morning that ball was moving around corners and he batted extremely well.
COMMENT: Australia left it too late to fix Warner problem - we're stuck with him for the series
Warner made a 60 literally one Test ago – he had a shocker at Headingley but I wouldn’t say he’s going ‘terribly’ for an opener in English conditions.
I’m a big fan of Renshaw and the time to pick him was at the end of the home summer, or failing that the tour of India when Warner got injured and there was a vacancy at the top of the order.
In any case, it’s Harris who got picked as the backup batter in the squad – you couldn’t possibly have Renshaw vault over him on the basis of no first-class cricket since the tour started.
COMMENT: Australia left it too late to fix Warner problem - we're stuck with him for the series
You are telling me you have never seen Australia delay a 3rd innings declaration in a test match to allow a batter to chalk up an absolutely meaningless century?
Ed, I just don’t think that’s a fair comparison – the declaration was made and Langer reached his hundred early on Day 4 of a five-day Test, there was zero chance of not getting a result anyway (and not as if Langer was knocking back singles!)
For me a fairer comparison is in Langer’s last Test, as well as Mike Hussey’s a few years later. In the first, Matt Hayden smacked the winning runs away to claim the series 5-0 when he could have blocked out or denied a single to let Langer finish his career with them; in the second, Mitch Johnson wanted to turn down the single but Hussey made him run it through.
There’s just no way known if Dave Warner is turning down singles late in a chase to get himself to a ton Australian fans aren’t absolutely ripping into him, and rightly so.
COMMENT: Virat Kohli just scored the most selfish hundred since Boycott - and he should be embarrassed