The coach’s dismissal caught most analysts off guard although the least surprised was likely a supporter base at its wits endIn the off-season, optimism blooms the cheek of every footy fan and club leader. Andrew Bassat, the founder of Seek and the president of St Kilda, was certainly bullish about his footy club and his senior coach heading into 2022. “I fully expect Brett to be our long-term coach and I fully expect — no pressure at all — Brett to become our second premiership coach,” he said. For the first few months, things were tracking nicely. They weren’t exactly a team you’d cancel all plans to go and watch. But they were in the top four. Against Geelong, they...
Australia fell to an opening defeat against a fully professional New Zealand side but gave a hint they can mix it with the bestFor half an hour, romance had trumped realism. As Australia romped to a 17-0 lead over New Zealand, with 19-year-old Bienne Terita scoring two tries in only her second Test, and the evergreen Sharni Williams cutting holes in midfield in her fourth World Cup, we began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, conventional wisdom could be suspended and give way to something magical.Maybe a rag-tag group of amateurs could beat one of the sport’s powerhouses. Maybe money wasn’t the key ingredient to success. Maybe a World Cup title in one code could shift the paradigm in another....
There was no need for any fun facilitators in a game that stacks up alongside classics of the pastBefore we get to Saturday’s preliminary final, forgive me as I shake my fist at a cloud. For reasons no-one can explain, or take responsibility for, they now blare music after every goal at the MCG. The stadium was one of the last to succumb to this execrable trend. But in a finals series where more than quarter of a million people have turned up to three MCG games, apparently the atmosphere needs to be augmented with lashings of Kool and the Gang, Kenny Loggins and Chad Kroeger. Preliminary final weekend is supposed to be the people’s round. The following week is...
Collingwood’s now trademark energy will be tested in Sydney, while Brisbane again look to take their chances against a refreshed GeelongWhen Collingwood crapped out against Sydney in round 22, there was a sense of a run having come to an end. Yes, they had won 10 in a row by a cumulative margin of 79 points, but a post-to-post 27-point loss proved that the house always wins.When Craig McRae responded by saying he “coached really poorly” by failing to properly account for the dimensions of the ground there was a whiff of herring. The SCG is, after all, only about two-and-a-bit metres shorter at either end and either wing. Instead, it felt like a deft stage magician’s trick. Continue reading...
Places in the preliminary finals are at stake as the Panthers and Cowboys enjoy a week offAnd then there were six. Goodbye Sydney Roosters, see you later Melbourne Storm. Buckle up, because week two of the finals series is here. For a reason escaping just about everybody except the NRL, there are three weeks still to go but we have already reached the “semi-finals” stage. But stranger things have happened in rugby league. And more curious turns could be taken yet. Penrith and North Queensland are now sitting pretty in the preliminary finals and will watch as Parramatta, Canberra, Cronulla and South Sydney play for the privilege of facing them with a grand-final berth on the line. Continue reading...