Roar Rookie
Joined February 2014
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Has any cricketer ever been allowed to fail as much as Shane Watson has? He should consider himself lucky he is playing in an…
If you were to ask someone who the best player in the AFL is, it's a pretty safe bet that they are going to…
I'll admit it, I've been one of Brad Haddin's biggest critics in recent years and when Matthew Wade debuted in the West Indies in…
An excerpt from former Geelong defender and three-time premiership player Matthew Scarlett's autobiography spread like wildfire through the sporting world last year, echoing the…
A lack of climbers in his team has hurt Cadel a lot over the years.
Could Sanchez be Cadel's missing link?
Tim Paine is the biggest myth in Australian Cricket.
Why Hoggy and Dunk should be off to Bangladesh: my T20 WC squad
His record and his performances suggest that he isn’t good enough at the moment.
Why Hoggy and Dunk should be off to Bangladesh: my T20 WC squad
If the selectors do pick Lyon instead of going with a five-man pace attack, I think it will be partly because the pitch supposed to be quite lively. This means that it’s unlikely that the game will last five days. If it only lasts four, the fast bowlers shouldn’t have to bowl a huge amount. If Lyon plays, they’ll almost certainly have to play Henriques as a fourth quick (not that I rate him as being anywhere near a Test bowler), so the four of them should be able to share the workload. Lyon will have to bowl well, though, as the author to this piece suggests.
Don't drop Lyon in South Africa
It’s so hard to compare players when they play in different positions. If you began this article by saying that this is a list of the ten players with the greatest impact on games, I would commend your effort. That being said, this is an interesting list.
Who would you rate as the top 10 players in the AFL?
Ben Johnson retired early in the season. It was his own decision and he should be shown the respect that he deserves, as he was not ‘cut’.
But I do agree with you. Didak, Krakoeur and Russell were at the point where they weren’t in the best 22. I think that Jolly could have played this year, though, but choosing Grundy and Witts over Jolly is a decision that I understand. The one that I’m ruing is Shaw. It’s such a shame that he had to go, but if it’s the best decision for both parties (Shaw and the club) then I guess it’s for the best. Thomas, on the other hand, well I don’t care at all.
Gazing into the crystal Sherrin: predictions for the AFL season
I agree. Predicting that Richmond will finish 4th is a big call. What will have changed between last year and this year that will see them earn a top 4 spot?
You make an interesting point with Geelong. You can’t write them off, can you? On one hand, they’ve lost a lot of experience since last season, but on the other hand, people wrote them off in 2011 and they went on to win a Premiership. Personally — and I say this with caution — I don’t think they’ll be amongst the top teams, but I may eat my words.
As a Collingwood supporter, I’m more worried about this season than the last few, but with such a strong midfield, a powerful forwardline and some of the most impressive young players in the competition, I still think that we/they can make the finals.
The one I’m not sure about is North Melbourne. Will their inability to close games out last season seep into this season?
Gazing into the crystal Sherrin: predictions for the AFL season
Hopefully the addition of White in the forward line will draw defenders away from Cloke. If the opposition can’t double-team him, what else can they do? There’s no one in the league with the strength and power to stop him. Buckley also holds Reid in high regard as a forward option, as well as Goldsack, so there will always be at least two tall forwards in the 50.
Collingwood is finally finding its way forward
It’s impossible — literally impossible — for them to attain the number 1 ranking after this series. Right now, South Africa sits on 130 points and Australia on 113 points. If Australia was to win 3-0, that would change to 124-117.
Is the Australian cricket team ready to be number one again?
Now that Pietersen is gone, Bell has to bat at 3. Surely. Now that their team has lost over 100 Tests worth of experience, he has to step up. To counter Pietersen’s omission, the experience of Prior has to be taken advantage of. He should bat at 6 and Stokes should bat as 7. That would leave Root and Morgan at 4 and 5. Carberry’s probably gone, too.
It's time for Morgan to be given a go
It wasn’t an attempt to downplay Brad Haddin. I think you’ve missed the point there.
Scoring runs is elementary, my dear Watson
That’s a very good point. A team can be compromised by trying to trying to turn a player into an all-rounder. If I remember correctly, Faulkner batted at 7 in his Ashes Test.
Scoring runs is elementary, my dear Watson
Back off, Judy. That’s pathetic. Don’t open with an insult — provide feedback. By the way, have you ever heard of a period/full stop?
Why Dane Swan is just as good as Gary Ablett Jr
Ablett isn’t a great overhead mark. So you’re having a go at Swan for being faithful to his team? Not that Ablett did anything wrong by moving. It was the bast choice for his career where he was living in his father’s shadow.
Why Dane Swan is just as good as Gary Ablett Jr
There’s no way to compare them. I said in another comment that there is no statistic, such as % of chances taken, that allows us to do this.
Great series Brad, but Matt Wade still wants your spot
Are you Jon Snow? Because you know nothing.
Great series Brad, but Matt Wade still wants your spot
Written by a Geelong fan who watched Ablett play, through biased eyes, for eight years.
Yet Ablett’s average clanger count dropped in his first year at the Suns. Interesting.
Plus, I see no deficiencies if Swan’s game, yet Ablett can’t mark overhead.
Why Dane Swan is just as good as Gary Ablett Jr
Steyn and Philander are the best Test bowlers in the world, without a doubt. The ICC rankings back that up. Morne Morkel, with the bounce that he gets, is a good third option, but the fact that they’ve just lost Jacques Kallis and haven’t settled on a spinner means they aren’t a complete attack. Steyn, Philander and Johnson, at their best, would be a formidable fast bowling trio.
Can’t wait to see Johnson break Smith’s hand again after his comments earlier this week.
Is the Australian bowling attack the best in the world?
I’m pretty sure the sections about disposal efficiency and clangers explain my argument. Even though he gets 7 to 8 more kicks than Ablett every week, Ablett still averages more clangers.
Let me ask you this: is it easier notice a player who plays in a team of rookies or a player that plays alongside Pendlebury, Beams, Cloke, etc.?
Why Dane Swan is just as good as Gary Ablett Jr
You’re right. Hard ball gets and contested possessions are not taken treated any differently than an uncontested possession. There should be more work put towards providing a more reliable stat, based on the efficiency of contested possessions and the efficiency of uncontested possessions.
Why Dane Swan is just as good as Gary Ablett Jr
That is completely illogical. You have two ears, yes, but you don’t listen to two different songs through two different sets of headphones at once, do you? No, therefore the ratio should be 1:1. In a conversation, you typically talk just as much as you listen. In a debate, both sides are given an equal opportunity to present their argument.
If you actually took the time to read the piece, you’d see that it is about the fact that Brad Haddin is the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the country at the moment and why I believe that he must improve to in order to justify his selection.
My opinion may not be right? An opinion can never be wrong. That’s why it’s called an opinion. An opinion, by definition, is something that is not set in stone. The tagline of this website is ‘Your Sporting Opinion’. It’s up there at the top of the page. Check it out.
Only those who do not operate within the guidelines of the medium through which they voice their opinion should be ejected from such medium.
Great series Brad, but Matt Wade still wants your spot
Are you talking about Swan or Ablett there? Because you just described Ablett.
Why Dane Swan is just as good as Gary Ablett Jr
So many people say that. People who don’t have Fotxtel who say that Ablett is the best player in the league. These are the kind of people who say that Bradman is the best player of all time, Babe Ruth is the best player of all time, Rod Laver is the best of all time, etc. They listen to other peoples’ opinions and take it as fact. They see Ablett get 53 touches in the one game a year he’s on TV. They don’t see the more uneven performances.
No one has more of an impact on a game than Swan, Selwood, Franklin, Dangerfield, etc.
If you placed them side by side, Swan is faster, and therefore would win a race to the ball. He is taller, therefore is more likely to win a marking contest. He would win the ball.
Why Dane Swan is just as good as Gary Ablett Jr
I’d still take Amla over de Villiers. Superb technique. Good temperament. Unbelievable record. 20 hundreds in 73 matches with a highest score of 311*.
AB De Villiers is full of class