Australia are off to the World Cup. Now we must ask ourselves what we expect when they are in QatarIt is an oft-repeated expression that “opinions are like arseholes, in that everyone has one”. Tim Minchin used this once during a speech to university graduates, and then clarified that “opinions differ significantly from arseholes, in that yours should be constantly and thoroughly examined”. The comedian-composer said we should be hard on our beliefs, “take them out onto the verandah and beat them with a cricket bat”.It feels like an uncomfortable but worthwhile exercise after the Socceroos qualified for the World Cup, particularly when it comes to opinions regarding the coach. Today, a quick Google search of “Graham Arnold” brings up...
Losses, leaked texts and drunken brawls between teammates are inevitabilities in the AFL’s alpha male world but at a club like Melbourne, they matterIn 1995, the previously undefeated Carlton hit a flat spot, dropping games to the bottom two sides. At training on Monday, captain Stephen Kernahan stopped the group mid lap and growled in that gravelly gutted voice of his – “we’re not losing another fucking game!” They completed their lap, beat Hawthorn by 102 points that weekend, won their next 16 games, and coasted to the Premiership. They were one of the great teams, a team that bridged the semi and fully professional eras, a team that pretty much coached itself, a team whipped back into shape with...
After an improvement by Australian Super Rugby sides, Dave Rennie’s squad convenes fitter, faster and more experiencedDave Rennie’s 35-man squad for the showdown against England in July is short on surprises, long on experience and big on second chances – both given and dangled. Boasting size, speed and versatility, it’s a squad with a triple purpose: beat Eddie Jones’s men in the three-Test series starting on 2 July, hone the starting XV while winning the 11 Tests to follow against tier-one nations, and send a warning shot to the world saying the Wallabies are settled, poised and potent enough to win the Webb Ellis trophy a third time.With a 40% win record from his 20 Tests, Rennie knows the time...
A great sporting rivalry returned to the fore as fans at a packed stadium in Sydney tried to put the pandemic behind themState of Origin rose up afresh on Wednesday night and a crowd of 80,512 fans rose up with it. They came from cities and suburbs, country towns and specks on the map, up and down the east coast of Australia. On planes, trains and buses, in cars and cabs, on foot and phone, they argued allegiances all the way to the stadium. At the kick-off, they made a sound to behold: exorcised frustration from pandemic days and deep passion for “the fiercest rivalry in sport”.Queensland defied injury and underdog status to defeat New South Wales 16-10. Of course...
Eddie Jones’s side are coming and Australian rugby is crying out for a national team with heart, brains and mongrelThere is something in the air at Rugby HQ and for once it isn’t panic. It smells, dangerously, like hope. The Australia-England three-Test series is less than a month away and Eddie Jones’s side are coming off another dud Six Nations tournament (two wins, three defeats). The coach is facing widespread calls to be sacked and his squad is missing powerhouse centres Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade to injury.That’s quite a bit of blood in the water. But will Dave Rennie’s team have the teeth to rip in and win? Although the Wallabies won five straight last season against South Africa,...