Tag: Sport

Leyton has been beaten at the Australian Open. Dissapointing, but the thing to remember is that he actually played in the final which is a better record than most of the hacks who are currently writing up their pieces for tomorrows press. Well done mate – you tried.

The use of the word ‘Heroes’ to describe sporting achievers has long been a gripe of mine as all my heroes risked their lives to save others, like the Grandmother in the post below Well here’s one that’s hero and sporting achiever of note. Keith Miller, WW2 pilot and test cricketer, often considered second only to Bradman has died at 84. He was once ask how he handled the pressure of playing cricket.

Pressure? I’ll tell you what pressure is. Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse, playing cricket is not.

My kind of man.

Stolen from the Australian

The thin veneer of civilization turned transparent at Coffs Harbour on the weekend when Bulldog players pack-raped a local woman.

She left the Plantation with one player in the early hours and they went back to the Bulldogs’ accommodation at the Novotel Pacific Bay resort. But she has told police that after they had been at the resort, six to eight of the Bulldogs players took her to the lower pool area. Here, she alleges, six of the players sexually assaulted her. The victim, who is still so distraught that she has yet to fully complete her statement, says the assault was anal, oral and vaginal. Hotel staff heard her screams for help and she was helped to the reception area and then put in a cloakroom for privacy.

No wonder I turned to Union and it’ll be no wonder that more parents will keep their boys away from Rugby League.

The woman says she can name one of the perpetrators. The police incident report says: “There was medical evidence to support the victim’s claims in the medical examination. There were numerous people to speak to. Several statements have been obtained from staff at the resort which support both the victim’s claims and the version supplied by players.”

Anyone know enough about the Bulldogs to guess who the bastards might be? Kick ’em out of the NRL. Stop the rot now – this is unaceptable off-field behaviour.

INTERNATIONAL soccer boss Sepp Blatter has caused an uproar by suggesting

women players should wear tighter shorts to attract more attention to their sport. The FIFA president said women’s soccer needed different sponsors from the men’s game and should seek to attract fashion and cosmetics companies by featuring “more feminine uniforms”.

I tend to agree with any gratuitous display of the female form but of course in the case of soccer I doubt the male players would look kindly to any inroads into their domain of acting, playing and looking like girls.

Marianne Spacey, manager of London club Fulham Ladies, said fans watched the women because of their ability to play rather than their looks.

Who’s does she think she’s kidding?

“People don’t come to watch what they look like and how they’re dressed,” she said.

Maybe not but I can promise you men always live in hope that some gratuitous sex will wander by or, at the least a sexually exciting vision will come into view.

“How can you wear tight shorts? It was proved 10 years ago when the footballers were running about, male and female, in tight shorts it wasn’t really conducive to a good spectacle on the eye.”

Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of Aussie men and woman who watch and play Australian Rules. I can tell she is serious about her soccer and I applaud that stand but a quick study of the sexuality of the male of the species would indicate that not all spectators are there for the sport (of soccer) and that the FIFA President has a point. More here if your really interested

I don’t care what the odds are. I don’t care that we haven’t been playing well. I do care about loosing and I believe that we can play to whatever level we are confonted with. Oh -and I also care passionately about beating the Kiwis- all the more sweeter if we do it in the last thirty seconds of the match. It amplifies their pain and my pleasure. With Carmen elected as ALP President I know there is a Santa – later tonight I want to know there is a God as well! It’s not just a game…IT’S RUGBY. It’s not about how you play the game…IT’S ABOUT WINING. UPDATE: It’s also about spelling…I meant to say it’s all about WINNING. (thanks Blue – see comments) Of course my poor spelling fades into insignificance when the mighty Wallabies rattled the All Blacks last night scoring 22 to 10. I kept on saying Eddie Jones has a plan and like a good general, he’s hiding his tactics. Everyone told me Eddie wasn’t smart enough but he’s the one with a smile on his face this morning. Beside winning last night he has just been handed another 12 month contract. We had a token Kiwi at the party and with it being a small TV I coudn’t see the time/scoreline and kept on kicking his chair and getting him to read it out. Mumble mumble ….louder, we can’t hear you. To soften the blow I told him in 1995 I was in Timaru in NZ and ended up watching the All Blacks and Wallabies play. I and my long suffering bride were the only Aussies in town and there must have been a hundred Kiwis in the hall where we were watching the match on TV. The Wallabies led throughout the match and I was beside myself getting up the locals. I’m sure they were thinking Hah Ha…funny fellow and getting a bit peeved until the last 45 seconds of the match when the All Blacks crossed the line, converted and won by the smallest of margins. All those nighmares were buried last night when the Wallabies won. Better than that, we played far better rugby than our southern cousins and deserved to win – the All Blacks were never in it from the first minutes. I’m of the opinion that the Poms one and only tactic is to play for penalties so Wilkinson can kick them to victory. They’ll need more than that to beat the French so I’m betting on an Aussie / French final. Read full game reports here and here UPDATE 2:I was wrong but in retrospect I’d rather we have to play a team that doesn’t play rugby. The passion of the French produces good rugby while the Poms buried the game when they decided to base their tactics on one kicker. Hang on to the ball and don’t concede penalties in the Pom territory and the cup is ours. It’ll be a long week.

Mark Osbourne from WA asks; Australia 17 Ireland 16. Is that all you’ve got? Good question. I’d like to think Eddie Jones is playing ‘setting the odds’ and ‘not telegraphing punches’. I certainly hope so but at times on Saturday night I was worried. In fact I was worried up to the final whistle. Oh, the stress! Could I possibly live with Australia not being the best at something? But there is hope. The sports pages also headline “The All Blacks also look vulnerable.” In their match against Wales the All Blacks looked several shades of grey as a spirited Welsh team gave them a big touch up.

Friday night. Off to the famous Breakfast Creek to watch rugby. I had hoped Fiji might have permanently disabled a couple of All Blacks to help Australia’s chances later on but you can’t have everything. Still, good football, good friends and cold lager. Saturday night at home with family and friends and three consecutive rugby matches to watch. The old bar TV went on the blink and we had to steal my wife’s small TV to finish the marathon. Sunday quiet but in the evening Samoa frightened the Poms and showed two things. One, just how good a small Pacific nation can be with a minuscule budget and enormous courage; and two, the Poms are fragile under sustained attack. The Poms ran out winners after finally gaining ascendancy over the last 15 minutes of the game. The fact that they needed 16 men on the field to do it will be discussed by the WCR judiciary this week. This morning I phone the local TV repair company and say I need trauma counseling- can he help. World Cup Rugby and the bar TV is on the blink. He will.

I’ve watched Elton play rugby since year 9 at Nudgee College. I always though of him as a cut above the rest but by the same token wasn’t surprised when he had too much to drink with his Nudgee mates in June. This article in the Australian indicates he’s on the way back and considered Captain material. IN disgrace in June, Elton Flatley emerged yesterday as the Wallabies’ captain-in-waiting after coach Eddie Jones likened him to Australian cricket’s bad-boy-come-good, Ricky Ponting. What should have been a climactic day for Australian rugby yesterday with the official release of the Wallabies squad to defend the World Cup in November fell more than a little flat after the 30 names were leaked on Tuesday. Yet the Australian Rugby Union did manage to keep one surprise up its sleeve – Flatley’s elevation to joint vice-captain along with 29-year-old second-rower David Giffin. Go! You good thing!

The State of Origin game in Brisbane last night prevented a whitewash series with Queensland winning 36-6. I enjoyed the game but kept asking myself where was this team for the last two matches? For that matter, where was the coach? Has Wayne Bennet reached his ‘use by’ date? Is it time for new blood?