I am here to spoil the show with a theory I have had for a little while now. I was about to write an article about it just before this result. There is a serious possibility that all of Hookers “yips” have been a rouse. His form in 2009 & 2010 was dominant however he was still attracting little press. Could hooker have purposely thrown some of his events in an attempt to drum up some interest in his incredibly unpopular sport in Australia. Since the “yips” Hooker has attracted attention in the form of back page articles and documentaries. He then refused to compete and instead holed up in his shed in WA only coming out jumped when required. This idea is furthered by the fact that he didn’t even have a crack at the winning jump. If Hooker wins, or even medals at the olympics he will be the media equivalent of Geoff Huegel on steroids. It will be lapped up by austral an media as one of the greatest underdog victories of all time.

Do not be surprised if Hooker wins a medal. Everyone will overlook the fact that in a sporting world dominated by a athletes “brand” Steve Hooker will be the greatest marketer of all time.

I think the major difference here is that in Basketball they can go on long road trips 2-3 weeks, whereas the AFL teams generally have 4 day trips

I mean 5-7 days to recover

What you are missing here Swannies05 is that the travelling team then has 5 hours to recover. When i played rugby touring the UK we had 1 day off after 40 hours of travelling, held a training session and all was fine. If the west coast teams were required to play in 2 days time then there would be a noticeable effect. If there was a disadvantage then why are the Interstate teams performing better than the melbourne sides. Wouldn’t you expect there to be a disparity in the numbers, some noticeable difference where the interstate teams are lower. I should also point out that in the last 10 years the eagles are in the top 4 sides in terms of winning positions behind collingwood, Geelong.

You are right the Eagles are a great club, and that is why they win, the travel has nothing to do with it. If it did then you would expect Fremantle and Eagles to be on some parity but they are not. If you look at the article I also analyse the other interstate teams not just west coast. They all perform better then the Melbourne teams on average.

I should point out that I am actually living in Western Australia and attend Eagles games. I think you dislike my article because you have read it with emotion, this was a statistical look at whether this exists or not, surely you can agree that there is no disadvantage in living interstate. The second emotion is involved sometimes reason is left behind. Its just statistics and to vary a quote from Rasheed Wallace “The Number Don’t Lie!”

I think that home ground advantage is more noticeable in a competition like Super Rugby as the teams all play in separate locations rather than the situation in Melbourne where all of their teams play in two stadiums separated by the CBD. If the West Coast teams have such a home ground advantage then why does Fremantle stink so badly no matter where they play?

Matt F you raise an interesting point and I am writting my next piece on debunking this rumour as well. After another member of www.sportspolygamy.com had an in depth interview with the creators of www.ruckinggoodstats.com (who are employed by numerous Super Rugby teams) it would seem that there is no real advantage to playing at home. This too is a myth created by media in an attempt to increase interest in games. Put it this way in recent seasons Geelong has been dominant at home, they have also been incredibly dominant overall. The Dockers are not a very good team on the road because they are not a very good team in general. They have been historically bad. So look out for this one!

Kurt tippett was drafted 32nd
Jack Riewoldt 13th
Taylor Walker 75th
Johnathan Brown 30th
Buddy franklin 5th

I wouldn’t consider anyone outside of the top 10 o be a high pick. I agree with your comments about bellichick in terms of rebuilding but if you are someone like the demons you are trying to improve, not stay good.

Haha, I am a big time Bills supporter and the other half of my sporting relationship at www.sportspolygamy.com is a die hard supporter of the patriots and hasd a man crush on Tom Brady, who has great hair by the way. This topic is raised regularly when he chooses to heckle my shambles of an organisation. He seem to think it had no effect, I say its cheating, we both agree that he is a genius!

I agree Bill never tanked, I stated that earlier, however if you want to become improve a truly terrible team then tanking is a faster way of getting to a position where you can tap into the genius that is Bill Belichick.

No one has been any good for a long time coaching the Browns. The Browns stink and administration seems to continually screw them. He spent 12 years as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. During this time he was voted defensive coach of the year, helped to win 2 superbowls one of which resulted in his defensive playcalling being included in the football hall of fame when they screwed my boys, the Bills, in a superbowl. He also had a 36-44 record at the Browns, Since 99 they have had 6 coaches… Even the Mangenius Eric Mangini couldnt save them!

I would tend to agree with you. A perfect example in the AFL alone is the Melbourne Demons saying they would happily let Jurrah continue to play even though he is accused of being involved in a brawl and carrying a machete. The Demons stink and need to keep their good players, Geelong have a large pool of talent. It is a tough call to say which technique is correct, both have their merits and both have their flaws.

The stronger than before refers mostly to the team culture rather than the actual performance. It should also be noted that Cooper had significantly more fire power. Weepu & Nonu in their primes, Umaga, So’oialo, Tialata, The Scwhalger brothers. It was a significantly “stronger” side than they are now but the team culture seems to be different. It is a bit of a throw back to the Norm Hewitt days in Wellington where culture and pride in the team was paramount.

So before getting to carried away in past glory while Cooper is a very good coach he still was not amazingly successful given the level of talent he has.

I also think you have taken the Pheonix to Ashes statement a little far. I was stating the fact that very few coaches could clean out their team like this and still succeed. I would think making the playoffs in one of the toughest rugby competitions after losing several key players is a significant achievemnt. Especially when a lot of those players are in their first full year of super rugby. This would seem incredibly promising to me.

Cruden, Weepu and Gear all left as a result of the dumping of Nonu and Hore. I think this was a good example of a coach cleaning out a team to create a group of players that want to play his brand of rugby. Nonu and Weepu have not really shown the desire for “team” football. Weepu constantly turns up over weight and unfit and Nonu would rather shop himself around in Japan than play in the preseason for the blues. Maybe Hammett was seeing something in the everyday actions of these players around the club which we do not get to see. After all we only se them on the field.

Often you see teams that get blown up like this fail in tremendous fashion and can be cellar dwellers for some time. Like the Melbourne Demons or the Tigers. He has produced a team and a culture in the dressing room which will create success in the future. I do not know too many coaches who have been able to start a mutiny at his own club and make it even stronger than before.

Luc averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds a game, not great figures. He did win 3 NBA championships… Although they were all with a Micael Jordan lead Chicago Bulls. Aaron Sandilands may be able to grab some rebounds but i couldnt see him scoring in the NBA

I think the BBall players would travel pretty well in endurance running. I went back and played some pick up ball with a mates social team a while back. It remided me of a 48 minute beep test. Under every 24 seconds you have to run 30 metres, no questions asked, then there is the constant movement, provided your team doesnt run an ISO based offense, to run cuts, screens and other set plays. Given that they play 82 games in a season I think their level of endurance would be fine. His workout does include army style routines of running up sand dunes with a 60 pound vest on while someone adds extra resistance by running behind him attached to another harness.

I think boxing is more a case of poor management, lack of big name fights, corruption and other outside influences. If it is purely because of concussions then why is UFC and other cage fighter leagues exploding right now? Marketing and fighting the best against the best. There does not seem to be the level of corruption and certainly no Don King.

Boxing’s slow, sad slip into obscurity

This is why I think boxing is screwed.

I think the same can be said for American football where a lot of the stars these days come from families in the lower socio-economic climbs. The rich and affluent will probably remove their kids from the sport but the children trying to escape poverty will always see the dollar sign as a way to escape their current situation and provide a better life for the m and their extended family.

In regards to AFL, rugby etc. I think you will always find a large number of country kids who will fill the void if the metro parents pull their kids from the sport. The country is known for not allowing people to be “soft” and that often you just walk an injury off. As long as there are these types of players being produced people will watch.

Its the old story of I want to watch AFL… Just as long as my kid isnt getting hurt. Good article thoug I think you raised some valid points.

It is very hard to make swimming sounds exciting given the process of overtaking someone takes and extended period of time. The channel 10 coverage is no good either. Here is the constant when an Aussie performs well “She came her and did what she had to do.” Of course she did, she didnt come here to run the 100m! It was even worse during the winter olympics

Obvioulsy those who do not like Ray as a commentator have not watched too many rugby games on Fox Sports. Here is a simple run down of their commentary if anything exciting happens.

“Beale… Beale, Beale… Beale, Beale, Beale… Trrrrryyyyyy!”

or

“OOOOOHHHHHHHHH!”

Yes Rabs does make a few mistakes given that he looks like a fossil and is pretty darned old but over the years he has produced some gems. Yes he gets excited over some pretty low grade stuff but that is what is great about it. It draws you back to the television. If you have to do the dishes etc while the game is on you instantly look back when you hear Rabs fire up. He has a great voice and still has spectacular tempo. It is a hell of a lot better than listening to the following

Slater
Tubby
Tony Greg
Bill Lawry (Who’s go to during a big shot is “He goes Baaaanng”)
Bruce Mcavaney (Odly Whos catch line is “he lines up and goes BAAAANG”)
Richie Benaud is great as well but he is getting to the Rabs stage where he is just getting abit old and mumbly. Still an absolute legend so let him keep going.

As the article states, Radio commentary is significantly better across the board but in terms of television commentary Ray has been tremendous and I still love hearing his voice.

the Collingwood v Carlton rivalry is indeed older but it is not what it used to be. How pumped does the crowd get before games, not very from memory. Caxton street is lined and the whole place is just thumping, I strongly suggest you have a look. The Collingwood v Carlton rivalry, with so many rounds in an AFL season, is no longer what it was. Yes it is usually a great game but the fans reaction just is not the same. If the essendon bus drove through the middle of Carlton would anyone even know? Would there be a reaction? no is the simple answer. If the NSW bus goes down caxton street all hell breaks lose. The Collingwood v Carlton game was an intense rivalry but is now a bit of a beat up by the media in an attempt to raise revenue.

This violence was the begginings of all sports. Even soccer which evolved through villagers initiating all out warfare over a wine barrel. I would suggest you read Blood and Guts: A history of violence in sport. It was given to me by a friend and tracks the evolution of each sport and the level of violence, injuries and why we enjoy it.

This simple act does not display the rivalry, it was used to show how intense this is. The entire event symbolises the rivalry. The acts on the field and the interaction of the crowd the fact that up until 2005 there was only 4 points difference in the points differential!

This is the only rivalry in Australian sport where marketing is not really needed. The contest does not need to be blown up by the media. I do not condone fighting by any means. This was not the point of the article. The article was written to potray the fact that this is the last true rivalry in the old school sense. Much like what happened with the Manly v Fibros back in the day.

Yes sport has moved from the old barbaric days but dont we still yern for some level of insanity where rules and common sense are thrown out the window? In a world curerntly overun with political correctness, moral baggage and strict regulations is it not refreshing to see something which seems to buck the trend of the nanny state ideal where you must be told how to act and what to do. This is a one of a kind situation. A great rivalry.

Given this is a sports website I will not go into the “acting like animals” comment but we are not that far removed from animals in our everyday life.

KiwiDave the All Blacks were the betting favourite in 2003 which would indicate that a majority of the punters were placing money on them. England were a strong side having dominated the 6 noations the previous year.

According to the official rugby world cup website the all blacks were favourites for the 1991 world cup as well
http://en.rugbyworldcup.com/home/news/newsid=2016779.html

There are many fair weather fans and they can be rather frustrating indeed. I currently support the follwing and explains the writting of the article
Wellington Hurricanes (love losing in semi finals)
NZ Warriors (easily the most frustrating team in the world to support)
Buffalo Bills (Lost 4 Superbowls and are yet to win one)
Essendon, after their glory days (AKA “the knights saga)
Boston Celtics (Up until recently they were aweful)

That is the beauty of sport though, there is no need to look at things in the A-typical form. It provides a platform for fanciful thinking and discussion which other activities can not provide.