Bad Sport James

After celebrating the Cleveland Cavaliers getting knocked out of the NBA finals (I am on the Lakers) I read a brief comment from the MVP LeBron James which interested me. Cleveland lost game 6 in Orlando and after the game LeBron stormed off court and refused to shake hands with any Orlando players. This is what his comment was on the matter;

"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them," he said. "I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."

LeBron must be the only person in sport that doesn't see that as bad sportsmanship. I have had copped head highs, been rucked, bitten but will still always shake hands after the game, win lose or draw. You may not want to do it but you do it because it's the "right thing to do". He may be the "best athlete in the world" but he has quite a bit of growing up to do before he is a true sportsman. He should probably pay attention to how the likes of Roger Federer and Tiger Woods behave with humility and grace after every game/match. His actions are that of a spoilt brat not getting his own way!

A Tale of Two Titties (well, 4 actually....)

Two contrasting breast related sports stories in this weeks papers that I thought were interesting...

In todays Sunday Tele was the earth shattering news that Jana Rawlinson (NOT pictured above) has had a boob job. This was on page 7.

To which I think I can confidently speak for all at SSS by saying- WHO F%CKING CARES???
It's not going to do anything to help your woeful head for starters, the only thing it's done is put you back in the papers which is the last place you should be because everyone hates you and you've done nothing but be a pain in the arse drama queen.

In yesterdays Tele, however, ,there was far graver news that 18 year old rising tennis star Simona Halep (pictured above), standing at only 5'5" but equipped with 34 FFs (FFS alright!) is having a breast REDUCTION!!!!

She is sick of the back pain and believes having a reduction will help her movement around the court but again i think I speak for all when I say - Simona, c'mon, its only tennis, there are more important things......God made you this way for a reason......let's not be hasty here......

Mad Moments in Sport-Part 1 (III)

I have two mad moments in sport from John Hopoate which make up a very large "Mad Moments in Sport" story.

During a 2001 clash against the Nth Qld Cowboys, Hopoate decided that to unsettle his opponent he would stick his finger up their dates. The lucky recipients were Glenn Morrison, Peter Jones and Paul Bowman. The matter was referred straight to the judiciary where Hoppa stated he was only trying to give the players a wedgie with his fingers and "what happens on the field should stay on the field". This incident led to his nickname "Stink Finger" and later "Stink Fist"

March 19 2005 in a game against Cronulla, John Hopoate lost his mind in what would lead to the end of his career. In what is later described as a "shooter tackle" where the player rushes out the line to put pressure on the ball receiver, Hopoate jumped and led with the elbow striking 19 year old giant Keith Galloway in the head knocking him out cold. Hoppa was sent off and Galloway was left with facial cuts and bleeding from the ear. Hopoate claimed he was simply going for a shoulder charge and lifted his arm to protect his ribs. The judiciary panel didn't see it that way and Hopoate was given a 17 match ban. This was the end for his career when Manly terminated his contract.

I think the attached photo tells the story of how much of a grub A Watmough is as he is clapping the cheap, high hit.

Mad Moments in Sport - Part 1 (ii)

Following on from Roscoe's lead and Manchester United's loss to Barcelona this morning in the UEFA, is the second section to Part 1 of the Mad Moments in Sport. I knows its meant to be a weekly segment but I felt obliged to mention the infamous Roy Keane. He would be one of the most aggressive soccer players in the history of the sport and he has the shortest fuse of any human I have ever seen. With such a short fuse he has had many "mad moments" but the best has to be the "Haland" incident. 

In a previous game Haland clipped Keane and then whilst Keane was on the ground Haland went over and abused him for faking an injury. Keane didn't like this and he waited for retribution. He finally made headlines in the 2001 Manchester Derby, a game in which Alf-Inge Haland was his opposition. Five minutes from the final whistle, he was sent off for a blatant knee-high foul on the Norwegian in what was seen by many as an act of revenge. He initially received a three game suspension and a £5,000 fine from the FA but further punishment was to follow after the release of Keane's autobiography in August 2002, in which he stated that he intended "to hurt" Haland. Keane's account of the incident was as follows:

" I'd waited long enough. I fucking hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you cunt. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries."

An admission that the tackle was in fact a premeditated assault, it left the FA with no choice but to charge Keane with bringing the game into disrepute. He was banned for a further five matches and fined £150,000 in the ensuing investigation. Despite widespread condemnation, he later maintained in his autobiography that he had no regrets about the incident: "My attitude was, fuck him. What goes around comes around. He got his just rewards. He fucked me over and my attitude is an eye for an eye." Haland briefly considered taking legal action against Keane, but after both legal and medical advice he later decided otherwise. The Norwegian retired from football shortly afterwards and it appears that it was due to this tackle.

Here is the intial tackle on Keane and the expensive retribution from Keane on Haland. 

More Subpar Punting Advice

Actually, I think this is sound advice.
Please, stay away from the NRL during Origin. It is a foolish endeavour to gamble on such unknowns.
Two good bets however, the Bulls giving seven and a half v the Chiefs in the Super 14 final. They are absolute specials- the best team during the season against a team just happy to be there- that rarely ends well for the underdog.
Also, as much as I hate to say it- get on Queensland 3-0 paying 3.75. I would argue that should be paying about 2.75 and I'd consider it. Even better value is Queensland 13 + in Game 1 at 3.20. This series will be similar to Aus v NZ tests- NSW might take a close one (though I sincerely doubt it) but if that Queensland backlone gets hot, it could get real ugly for the Blues. How this is paying 3.20 is beyond me.
Any other good bets out there?

I love this event !!!

Note: Check out the speed of some of these idiots !!



I am applying to be a catcher for the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2010 race. Some of the hits they put on the runners are huge.

Mad Moments in Sport - Part 1

After yet another mad weekend of football, which saw disgraceful refereeing decisions being taken into the hands of the crowd culminating in THAT TACKLE by Bryce Gibbs' mate in the crowd on the ref after Friday night's game, I thought what better time than now to introduce a weekly segment titled 'Mad Moments in Sport' from the archives of yesteryear. Some you may remember, others will be more obscure. All in all though, they sum up the reason why many sports stars are exactly that, and not out solving the issues of the world or employed as Rocket Scientists.

This week in commemoration of Man Utd winning a third straight Premier League title, I thought we would backtrack a decade to one of their 'favourites' who had possibly one of the greatest meltdowns in world soccer history, and haven't there been some.

The Inaugural inductee into the 'Mad Moments in Sport - Hall of Fame' is none other than the Kung Fu King himself, Mr Eric Cantona. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCK-Cp9fYFI&feature=related

It was 1995 and a nothing away match against Crystal Palace was heading into yet another predictable United victory before all hell broke loose, big time. Cantona was sent off by the referee for a vengeful kick on Palace defender Richard Shaw after Shaw had pulled his shirt. As Cantona was being escorted from the pitch by United kit man Norman Davies, Cantona broke away and launched a 'kung-fu' style kick into the crowd, directed at Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons, followed by a series of punches. The infamous photograph of the moment Cantona's foot connected with Simmons, was used with permission on the front cover of the band Ash's single "Kung-Fu". The front cover alone generated publicity in the British rock press, which helped the band finally get a hit single when it charted at number 57 in the same year.

The kung fu'ed fan was later tried for threatening language and behaviour. He received a seven-day prison sentence, but only served 24 hours of his sentence. Makes the Campbelltown fan look like he got off pretty easy for his efforts on Friday night. It was also revealed that Simmons had previous criminal convictions, including an attempted violent robbery in 1992 where he had attacked a Sri Lankan petrol station worker with a spanna. Nice work

At a press conference called later, Cantona gave what is perhaps his most famous quotation. Referring to how journalists would constantly monitor his behaviour, Cantona said, in a slow and deliberate manner: "When the seagulls follow a trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much." He then got up from his seat and left, leaving many of the assembled crowd bemused. What a nutter.

Cantona was sentenced to 120 hours of community service after an appeal court overturned a two-week prison sentence for assault. In accordance with the FA's wishes, Man U suspended Cantona for the remaining four months of the 94-95 season, but the suspension was later increased by the FA to a nine-month ban from world football, in conjunction with a further fine of £10,000. United also fined Cantona two weeks wages and he was stripped of the French captaincy; Man U never recovered from this moment of madness relinquishing their title surprisingly to Blackburn Rovers.

In 2007 Cantona said, "I have a lot of good moments from football, but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan." Amazing

One Mans List of the Greatest Plays Ever

GOT Jungles post got me thinking- what are the real best plays ever?

This is my list of the greatest plays ever in no particular order, sport by sport. The criteria are two- significance of the play, so they have to be in big games and big moments, and how brilliant the actual execution of the play was.



League- Three contenders-

*Steve Jacksons try in extra time for Canberra in the 89 GF

*the Queenslanders try at the end of Origin at the SFS in 94 (although the bastards threw at least 3 forward passes- I was there and I'm still bitter)

* My personal fave- Sattlers tackle which won the comp in 03.



Union-

* Lomu's try vs the Poms in the 95 World Cup- the most dominant player ever at his absolute peak

* Eales' conversion to win the Bledisloe in NZ- Typified aruably the greatest all round rugby player ever- Kefu's try to win Eales' last game was great too

* The 91 World Cup QF- Australia score a length of the field try in the last minute to beat Ireland



Cricket-

* Shane Warnes ball of the century, bamboozling Gatting with his first ball on English soil.

* Doug Walters hooking a six off the Poms on the last ball of the day in Perth to score a century after tea

* Glenn McGrath's ridiculous catch in Adelaide a few years back



AFL

* Pluggers record setting goal

* Leo Barry's mark vs West Coast that won the comp for the Swans

Don't know enough about AFL to come up with a third

International sports-

*Soccer- for all Aussies it has to be the penalty from Aloisi to qualify for the World Cup

* NBA- The LeBron shot the other day was great, but the best sequence ever was MJ v Utah, tied game with 18 seconds left, strips Karl Malone, brings the ball up, wicked crossover and an 18 footer to win his 6th championship. Would've been the best ending to a career if he stayed retired.

* NFL- Three plays from the last two SBs- the "Helmet Catch" to keep the game winning drive alive on 4th and long for the Giants, then the 101 yard Int return by James Harrison at the end of the 1st half and the game winning TD catch by Santonio Holmes at the end. Two of the best games ever and 3 great plays in the last two years.

* Baseball- 2003- Boston down 3-0 in the series to the Yanks, after 90 years without a championship, 1 run down in the 9th in Game 4. Dave Roberts steals 2nd by the barest margin, triggering a comeback that led to the Sox beating the Yanks that night, that series and eventually winning the World Series.

* Golf- Tigers putt to win the last US Open after 5 rounds on one leg, and Larry Mize chipping in to best the Shark in the Masters in the late 80s (87 I think)

* Olympics- Kieran Perkins 3rd 1500m Gold and Usian Bolt in the last Olympics are stand outs, an d the Aussies relay team beating the Yanks in Sydney was good too.

Over to you- what have I missed?

Sharks Saviour

With the Sharks going down the tube and not much if any light at the end of the tunnel I think I have found the solution. Sign this man;

The Sharks need to sign LeBron James! The NBA season is finishing soon so Cronulla need to sell off the land around Shark park and pay him whatever it takes to finish off the year with them. Being the best athlete in the world with an ego the size of the USA it wouldn't take much time for him to dominate the NRL like he does basketball. Crowd figures would rise and then maybe we could attract other great sportsmen to our game like John Daly-Front Row, Tiger Woods-Winger, Michael Phelps-2nd Row etc. They would all be successful becuase they are American and make the sport a worldwide success with TV audiences going through the roof.

Just joking, nothing can save the Sharks now.

Play of the century

I think this is one of the best plays in sporting history. Its a massive call and I will probably be proven wrong but I don't care !! This is amazing !! I have never seen anyone more determined then Ben Watson. Absolute legend !!

NSW state of origin team

The NSW team was selected yesterday with not too many surprises. I think they got a couple of selections wrong but overall it is a decent side and hopefully will make the origin competitive. Unfortunately I believe that whatever team NSW could produce will not be good enough to beat a red hot QLD line up. They will have to score 30 points in order to be a chance.

Here is my opinion on the side selected.

Kurt Gidley (capt) - Good choice

Jarryd Hayne - Red hot. Fullback is clearly his best spot but hopefully he will be good on the wing.

Jamie Lyon - Didn't want to be here a few weeks ago but killing it on the field. Won't let them down.

Michael Jennings - Can turn the game on its head. Will be good to watch. Good choice.

James McManus - Very lucky to be here. Monaghan for me.

Terry Campese - Only genuine 5/8. Mullen has been going good to though.

Peter Wallace - Easy choice.

Brent Kite - Very lucky. Would have loved to see Douglas get a crack

Robbie Farah - He can thank city v country for his start. His combo with Wallace was good.

Luke Bailey - Right choice.

Ben Creagh - I would have had him on the bench. Runs good lines but not convinced yet.

Luke O'Donnell - Tough. He is a peanut but hopefully he can hurt QLD.

Paul Gallen. - Should not be in the side after the racism stuff from the other week. I would prefer Stewart or Lewis here. Hopefully his shoulder is no good.

Interchange:

Craig Wing - Very, very lucky. You can thank Bob McCarthy for having Wing over Lewis. I think Lewis got the arse cause he reniged on his souths deal. It is the only way the form player (Dally M leader) was not picked. Laurie Daley stated they chose Wing cause of his versatility. What is he on about. Lewis has played everywhere but Prop. Worst utility decision in origin history.

Justin Poore - Better then Kite. Should be starting

Glenn Stewart - Reliable and will get the job done. Bit down on form last couple of weeks.

Michael Weyman - Will have good impact. Can fight.

Pathetic Refs

Another game decided by a wrong decision from the referee. Something must be done !!

What is the answer to this problem ??

Do we scrap the two refs ? Do we scrap the refs that are not up to standard ? Do we get rid of Robert Finch ? Because he either isn't employing the right people or he isn't coaching them properly. Do we train retired ex-league players and get them in as soon as possible ?

I vote for the last option. Get Luke Phillips and Paul Mellor in right away and start seeking out recently retired players and train them up. They have played the game and actually understand it. Some of these current refs are the kids at school that never got picked in any teams. They have never played the game and don't know how to control it at all. You must have played the game to truly understand it. Where has all the common sense gone ?? Im over it !! 

Best Bets

My best bets for the upcoming weekend are as follows

Bulls-6.5 Vs Crusaders-The Bulls are dominant at home and the Crusaders have injury worries and arent the force they once were
Fremantle off scratch Vs Nth Melbourne-Cant believe that Freo are not the favourite. They have been very good for a month now and the Roos are poor and full of injuries.
Essendon off scratch Vs Richmond-Essendon are exciting and Richmond have too many out.
West Coast off scratch Vs Collingwood-Collingwood have half their side out and West Coast play better at home

Should pay about $9.00 so get on.

Not bad...

I hate the AFL but I do appreciate some talent...this guy seems to have heaps of it !!

SBW and Mundine Fight night

Thoughts on SBW and Mundine ??

I think it will be entertaining to watch SBW in the ring. Pretty sure 90% of Australia want to see him on his arse.

The guy is a freak so I think he will destory his opponent, if his body hold ups.

How good are the sharks going ??

Reni gets done for drugs !!



Just some more negative publicity for the sharks !!

Can things get any worse ??

Sex scandal - Yes (Matt Johns '02)
Drug scandal - Yes (Reni Maitua '09)
Alcohol problems - Yes (Brett Seymour '09)
Gambling problems - Yes (Michael Sullivan '07)
Poor performance on the field - Yes (Wooden spooners '09)
Club about to become obsolete- Yes (Money problems '09-'10)

Is it possible for this club to make any more negative headlines this year ?? - Yes

I am pretty confident the sharks are about to lose any sponsors they have left and that means bye, bye Sharkies !! I wonder if they will be able to pay the players to finish off the current season. I bet Barret and Tupou are regretting their decisions to join this doomed club.

Early kickoffs

There has been a bit of debate lately about possibly having earlier kickoffs for the Sunday afternoon NRL. David Gallop was throwing around the possibility of a Noon kickoff to which most clubs opposed. I personally would love the occasional early kickoff on both Saturday and Sunday. A few weeks ago I watched a game on the Gold Coast which kicked off at 2pm on Saturday. This was a great time slot and got me enthusiastic and ready for the rest of the games later that day. As I said, the occasional game would be good, not every week. It could possibly attract a different audience to attend games that would not normally go to a night or late arvo game. Thoughts????

GLARING OMISSION IN GRUB 13

Because the original post is now buried down on the bottom of the page, I thought this deserved a new post rather than a comment on the original.
Kev tells me that JonBoy cast his eyes over Pawd's selection of the grubby 13 and the subsequent comments. While a fan on the concept and agreeing with most picks he said to pass this along-
"As a Raiders fan I am offended that PAWD and all commenters forgot perhaps the greatest grub of all- Simon Woolford"
Fair f#cking point. After all he was nicknamed "The Grub"
What an oversight by all at SSS.

VIDEO REF............

THIS GUY IS KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am an avid Dragons fan but after the anti climax of last nights game I felt very hollow. For those who didn't see, the Bulldogs made a clean break with 50 seconds left on the clock and linked up to score the match winning try in a great game to watch. HOLD ON!!! Jamie Soward claims he was impeded and naturally the referee has to go to the video ref in Steve Clarke. After watching the replay the 1st time I was swearing and asking how Saints could possibly lose that game. The more times that the replay was watched by this egotist the more hopeful I was that we might get some luck. BINGO! For some unknown reason Clarke said NO TRY and penalty to the Dragons, GAME OVER. For all those watching including myself, it was a certain try. Jamie Soward had an easy shot at Patten on the break and the only thing that stopped him was probably tiredness. I am not blaming Soward for playing it up and appealing for the penalty. The players only play the game they don't make the decisions, sole blame on this fiasco goes to Steve Clarke. Why do we have the video ref if they continually make inconsistent rulings?????

Who wants to throw a tip in the air?

Due to the consistent shoddiness of my picks- I'm only throwing out two this week and I invite all and sundry to put in their best bet of the week-
I say take the Dogs at the Dragons getting 3 1/2 as that'll be a close one, they're both good teams so take points there. Also, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Panthers at home giving only 6.5 to the putrid Sharks seems like a good thing.
What are your picks of the weekend? F#ck knows everyone should have more idea than me.

Grub 13

I think now is a good time to debate the biggest grubs in Rugby League history. Below is my starting 13, let me know your thoughts.
1. Matthew Ridge-NZ, eye gouging tool
2. John Hopoate, CAPTAIN-Ol stink fist loved to stick his fingers up peoples dates
3. Justin Hodges-Pest, cheap shot merchant
4. Greg Bird-Who glasses anyone, was dirty on the field aswell
5. Wendell Sailor-Amusing fella but very grubby. Always puts 2 cents in and continually annoys opposition players
6. Terry Lamb-Made Ellery Handley disappear from the field in the 1988 grand final with a very low act in backplay.
7. Steve Linnane-Almost pulled Greg Alexanders eye out with a huge gouge
8. Peter Kelly-Love the bloke but played in a grubby time and excelled
9. Cameron Smith-Mr nuisance. Always puts the sly knee in and loves trying to rip peoples arms off
10. Les Boyd-King of the eye gouge and stiff arm, ruined his own career breaking Daryl Brohmans jaw. Still hasn't shut Daryl up though
11. Rod Reddy-Most tackles he made involved a knee, stiff arm or eye gouge
12. Luke O'Donnell-Loves a brain snap and it usually involves a cheap elbow or forearm
13. Paul Gallen-Nothing needs to be said

Mike Tyson

Sometimes you need to be a little crazy to reach greatness !! Mike Tyson has to have been one of the most talented athletes of his generation. I have never seen anyone faster or stronger or more insane !

Craig Bellamy should not be coaching NSW !!!

This bitter man should not be the coach of NSW in this years State of Origin because :

(1) He will have 7 or 8 players in the QLD team. Do you think he is going to give away his secrets on how to shut down his superstars and risk revealing valuable information that will derail the Storms season. No chance...he won't be coaching the NSW team to their full potential. Does Mal Meninga has anything holding him back ?? Nope.

(2) Wasn't he going to coach QLD in 2006 ?? He is a New South Welshman who wasn the leading candidate to take over Queensland job until Artie Beetson stepped in. So he didn't get the coaching job he wanted...then why not just take the second option...the NSW job. Coaching NSW should be your number 1 priority, if you went for the QLD job then you should not be given a chance to coach NSW.

(3) He is a whinning little bitch. He is like the spoilt kid that cries when he doesn't get ice cream for desert. He shows passion at times but as soon as something goes wrong he goes nuts. He thinks that he is bigger then the game. Why do you think his own players call him Bellyache !! Has any other coach been fined $50k in one hit by the NRL ??

(4) I am not completely convinced he is that good of a coach. He was under Bennet for a long period of time which has to help but I think he has inhereted a pretty decent team. I am confident Slater, Inglis, Folau, Smith and Johnson would be the players they are today with or without Bellamy. If I was coaching these guys we could play touch footy every session for training and we would win more games then we lose during an NRL season. Ill be interested to see how he goes when these players start getting older or move on.

(5) There is a better candidate for the job. John Cartwright. True, honest and loyal bloke who seems to be able to relate to his players extremely well and bring out the best in them. When I look at the Gold Coast team I don't see that much talent (except for Prince and Campbell) but the Titans are competitive week in and week out and are currently equal second on points. He also seemed to do very well coaching the City team with limited preperation. He should be NSW coach !!

Opinions ??

NSW Team?

I hope all those knockers of the City Vs Country fixture watched the game last night. It was a very free flowing, entertaining spectacle with all players putting in their all to win a Blues jumper. I think if the Blues selectors treat this match as a genuine trial for Origin each year, like last night, they will get a very good game out of it for fans to watch. Below I am naming my NSW side for game 1 in a few weeks, see what you think
1. Gidley-Captain. Very creative and dangerous
2. Williams-Played poor in the game last night but has plenty of speed and is tough
3. Jennings-Explosive speed which we need
4. Cooper-Safe as houses, cant pick Lyon as he isn't interested
5. Monaghan-To combat Folau in the air
6. Campese-Wasn't great last night but very good for the last year
7. Wallace-Dominant last night
8. Galloway-Has that get fucked attitude which is a must for Origin
9. Farah-Outplayed Ennis completely last night
10. Kite-Shit form but will get picked
11. Laffranchi-If his cheek isn't broken from the hit Eastwood put on his chin last night
12. Gallen-Grub, but can play and is great for Origin
13. Stewart-Prob doesn't deserve it but if you play for Aust you should play for your state
14. Wing-Outstanding in City Vs Country game
15. Bailey-Can play big minutes and loves Origin
16. Creagh-Must play if fit
17. Poore-Bolter but played well last night and also capable of big minutes if required.

I think that is a pretty competitive side who will push QLD.

Enough is Enough!

Surely this is what Shane Watson will be reduced to after his latest injury. Yet again the great white joke of Australian cricket "broke down" after another hamstring injury. This has to be almost his last chance and he should surely be put out to pasture. He is the modern day Bruce Reid and has spent more time on the sidelines than any player I can think of. The selectors for some reason want to stick by him when for the last 10 years they should have been putting their efforts into finding other non injury plagued talented players instead of wasting their time stroking his big ego and waiting for him to become great when he clearly can't be. Players like Brad Hodge, Marcus North, Michael Dighton etc must be peed off when they cant get a start because of this grub (They do get a game here and there but not enough as they should have). So surely, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, time to do the humane thing selectors. Merv or Boonie need to bring out the green blanket whilst the other unloads a shotgun at Watson and puts him out of his misery.

The weekends best bets

For those with no regard for their bank balance- here goes
Country (1.98) over City- because they always seem to care more.
Knights (-4) over Titans- The Knights have one of the better home fields in the league and seem to be rounding into form, whereas the Titans look like they're going the other way.
Australia (-13.5) over NZ- These tests always fall into one of two categories- Aussies play terribly and lose narrowly, or they play well and win by plenty. In the second scenario, 13 isn't enough.
Super 14 value bet- Reds paying 8.50 over the Crusaders. The Crusaders just lost to the Sharks FFS. Therefore no-one should be paying $8.50 against them, especially when the Reds just won one in NZ
Sharks(-4.5) over Tahs- Because the Tahs are f%cking rubbish. I tipped them for the comp and now I am openly bitter.
Brisbane Lions (scratch) over Richmond- Richmond are 1-5, Brisbane are 3-3- so why exactly is this an even bet?
Happy punting!!

The Future?

I love rugby league it is one of the last few sports that involve real manliness and toughness but is our sport endangered?

I find it disturbing that our rugby league clubs run on relatively small budgets and one or 2 years of bad fortune can kill a club off….

Cronulla have had money troubles for years but seriously the CEO says that they are in financial trouble because his projections for crowds figures this year were calculated at 11 000 at home games. Cronulla are averaging 7 000.

So a difference of 3000 in attendance is enough to put a rugby league club under in the best competition in the world.

I find that scary…….for the future.

This is the Worlds Greatest Athlete

I love all sports, Australian and International. The thing that annoys me about most Australian sports fans, however, is that they assume that Aussie athletes are the best, and in particular, the toughest. For instance, footy fans think that the toughest sport in the world is the NRL, when in reality few NRL players would last 3 plays in the NFL without crying for their mummy. (The helmets and pads aren't for protection- they are weapons. Anyone that wants to argue- youtube "Ryan Clark hit on McGahee" from last years playoffs. You simply don't see that level of violence in the NRL)
But anyone that watches a variety of sports around the world realise that the best athletes in the world reside in the NFL, NBA and major European soccer clubs. And the pick of the bunch is LeBron James. 6 foot 9, 120 odd kg, fast and agile as Billy Slater, hand eye co-ordination like Michael Clarke (and he doesn't parade around in his scruds). His sport of choice is hoops, but there isn't a sport based on size, speed and athleticism that he wouldn't dominate. He would be great at any sports here except cricket. Give him 6 months to practice and he would kill the Olympic decathlon. In the words of Molly Meldrum, do yourself a favour and watch some of his highlights on YouTube or nba.com. Do it now. Seriously. Go.
LeBron has just won his first MVP award and is in the process of destroying the Eastern Conference on the way to a presumed showdown with the loathsome Kobe Bryant and his Lakers. He is doing this after topping the league with 66 wins, with a decent but not particularly good team around him. He led his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. That happens once every ten years or so. He can play and defend against any position on the floor. I hope and I think that he will win his first title, and he just turned 24. Jordan was not MVP until 26 and didn't win his first title until 29. James has a chance, a real chance, to win 5 or 6 titles and go down as the best ever ,even MJ.
All sports fans should watch this guy given the chance. Watch his highlights on the net. Watch the playoffs on ESPN and One HD. You will be amazed.

It's Not Rocket Science!

Surely the people in charge need a bullet over the scheduling of the Anzac test and City vs Country games on this Friday. Some poor teams like the Dragons and Dogs have to try and field teams the day after these clashes with the Dragons possibly missing up to 8 players from their side. This is acceptable during the origin campaign but shouldn't happen after these rep games aswell.
As the title says "It's Not Rocket Science" as to what should be done with this weekend.
Friday Night 730pm-City Vs Country
Saturday Night 730pm-Australia Vs New Zealand
No other games should be played this weekend, make it a stand alone rep footy weekend. If the players whinge that it makes the season too long then cut 1 week off the end of the season. Sort it out NRL this is a joke!

Is there any such thing...

as a Season Ending Injury.

All Panther fans' hearts went into their mouths as we heard during the game on Saturday night that star centre Michael Jennings would be out for the season after injuring his ankle. Low and behold, he's almost a certain starter for Friday's City v Country clash. Jarrod Mullen, another who was out for the year before returning to the paddock for a 'surprise' return less than a week after doing his shoulder.

I've seen 'Life Bans' at the Lappo last longer than these latest injury spells. Where did these team doctors get their licences from? Or is it just the continued stupidity of commentators coming out with anything to get a reaction from the viewers gullible enough to believe everything they dribble about during the telecasts. That's another topic in itself.....

City Vs Country

What is the point to this game anymore??? It was/is meant to be a selection trial for the state of origin but the last 4 or 5 man of the matches in this game have not made it into the NSW team at all. If it was an entertaining spectacle I wouldn't have a problem watching it but unfortunately the last few City Vs Country games have been a bore-fest. They are usually low scoring games that aren't even physical at all. I reckon the NRL should scrap this annual game and pursue the All star vs Aboriginal game or a New Zealand Vs Tonga or Somoa match. The Islander match would surely be full of hits and they throw the ball around like a game of touch football. I think it would be a winner !!!

Origin Snub

How has this bloke not played for NSW? NSW often get beaten by those grubs north of the border because they tough it out and stay till the last minute. This bloke is as tough as nails and will chase everything and bust his arse until the last whistle. If he was a QLDer he would have played 5 to 10 games by now….

NSW would rather select pretty players who are flashy. Too many agendas and backroom deals. QLD pick grubs (there are plenty to choose from the state is full of them) who have a chip on their shoulders.

You would thin after 25 years we would learn from past failures.

Other blokes we should consider-

Michael Ennis- has that f@@ck you in him…will do anything to win….if not him Luke Priddis
Luke Patten- Just gets the job done no fuss…
Joel Reddy- No flash good production…cleans up well….
Josh Morris- is a true grub like his old man…is a centre but looks like he would bite your ear off if it helped him win…
Luke Bailey- will get it done