Roar Rookie
Joined September 2014
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Sydney Swans West Tigers New South Wales \\\"You don\\\'t grow strong without a struggle\\\" - Ricky Ponting Australia, you f****** beauty ! #theurnreturns
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Prior to the start of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, there was a lot of talk and discussion that the biggest talking points would…
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I think you mean SCG mate
Swans secure top spot, but their home final is a poisoned chalice
I’m sorry mate but you could not be any more wrong.
Michael Clarke has been one of our best odi players over the last decade and his stats back it up. Clarke has just over 7700 runs at an average of 45. That is a terrific average. His strike rate of 78 is nothing to scoff at. Some of the great ODI players in the modern era didn’t average over 85 or 90. Ricky Ponting’s strike rate was 80, Matthew Hayden’s one was 79.
With a team that is filled with explosive hitters like Warner, Watson, Bailey, Maxwell and Finch, there needs to be an anchor or someone who can rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking over when the field is spread or when the team is 3 or 4 down for not many and Clarke is that anchor. Additionally, over the last few years, Clarke has come in when Australia have been in trouble so he can’t afford to go in and start hitting out from the get go. Clarke’s ability to construct an innings but still maintain it at a rate of 80-90 is one of a player with class. He is never going to score at a strike rate of 150 but he is always going to rotate the strike and not get bog down, whilst maintaining a decent rate.
Michael Clarke, you are no longer required for ODIs
it was actually just shy of 60,000 that 2012 prelim final, though that is still down on what was expected which was probably around 75,000.
To add to all the other comments, the ground at ANZ is not up to AFL standard and has not been for a number of years. The turf is disgraceful with players constantly slipping over the uneven parts of the ground that are changed over from the NRL matches.
Crowds this year at ANZ have been appalling with 32000 coming to the round 2 match vs Collingwood, about 20 000 down on the average, 34000 vs Hawthorn in round 8 and again 31000 vs Richmond just recently.
I think the main reason why Sydney do not play that well at ANZ is because they don’t get a lot of matches there. In a season, on average, they will only get about 2-3 games and they’re all staged as “Big blockbusters”. But the low crowds aren’t gonna justify that title.
Last year against GWS, I think 23,000 came to that game at ANZ, this year at the SCG, 28,000 came.
The fact that Sydney are playing Fremantle and not a team like Geelong or Hawthorn just makes it worse.
However, a crowd of 60,000 during both ANZ finals may keep the Swans at homebush for now. If less than 50,000 turn up, then I think it’s time to break that contract and head back to Moore Park.
ANZ stadium is a Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer and Cricket ground, not an AFL ground.
Swans secure top spot, but their home final is a poisoned chalice